Technotwist

Technology

2011-02-24T11:28:00.001+05:30

It has been quite a long while since I ever visited this space. I have no reasons to give, not that I had been extremely busy to spare a few minutes here. I am no writer to talk about a writer’s block, and a majority of my writing skills faded away when I stopped writing these three-hour exams during school/college. Keeping up with latest trends, exams have become computerized and objective type and I am not sure if it’s a change in the right direction, for I believe many would agree that we owe our writing skills especially our fiction writings to writing our detailed answers, it has equipped us with skills to write books ranging from science fiction to world economy to literature.

The world is fast changing and is becoming more and more obscure. Micro-blogging has taken over conventional blogging and our thoughts are often restricted to 140 characters nowadays. Not able to think beyond a few lines, crippled with my thoughts and wondering in my dreams

Damn you technology ------ Sometimes J. You ruin me..

That was Hilarious!!

2010-04-29T20:30:00.001+05:30

Goa Ditchers

2009-11-07T00:03:00.004+05:30

For all the bastards who left to Goa and went to a night club, I am sure the experience would have been similar to the video... Really cool guys... For once this made me glad that I wasnt a part of it...

Enjoy guys...

P.S : Sorry Gingu, there was one more person to be added in the video and thought you would be perfect :)

How Rahman composes MUSIC!!

2009-07-18T08:45:00.002+05:30

Quite an interesting read on the entire background of how things work before we hear his final tunes..

How Rahman composes..

1. Rahman gets an offer from the director , and he studies the script everything . If he likes it then he agrees else he drop down the offer

2. Then he sees the actor/actress and accordingly determines the singer.

3. Rahman asks the director to give the exact situation of the song and why it is needed. If he is satisfied, then he proceeds.

4. Then Rahman sits and composes the song on his own and in his voice records every song.

5. Calls the singers after 12 am in the night [Mark it only after 12 am] and makes them hear the tunes.

6. Recording starts . He never modifies the song as per the singer but he modifies the singer as per the song .

7. Every sound in the studio is recorded even if a singer sneezes or coughs it is recorded and it is edited . If u remember in Kadhal Virus there is a song by Mano~ O Kadhale. There he coughs at one part. He had coughed it in the first day and then Rahman never got any realistic cough after that so he simply included the original cough.

8. A song recording goes upto 3-4 days . Sometimes male and female singers are recorded differently and then successfully mixed

9. After the vocal is over music starts . He gives his idea to his musicians and then the musicians suggest the background tune . 90% times Rahman doesn’t like them and then he himself gives them notes and the musician have to play them. Few songs however had tunes inspired by his musicians like his flutist Naveen and drummer Sivamani. The musicians love ARR since he gives them freedom and helps them grow their talent .

10.Later the vocal is added to music or vice versa and then comes the technical part. Every interfaces start working , every part is edited , reedited and software are used and lets not get much into it ,but by the time a song is finalized it is one month and the best version is out. Some say he uses technology, but come to his studio you will know he uses technology only to polish stuffs.

Mixing songs

He does all programming on Logic and also mix in Logic then he makes some pre mixes, like all choruses in two tracks, drums in two tracks, bass in one track if stereo then in two tracks and then he bounces all the tracks to EUPHONIX to give some analog warmth. But Rahman uses all Logic plugins FX.

Everyone is using Logic from Salim Sulaiman to Shankar Ehsaan and Loy. Logic is just like a Pen and Paper for a Poet. Rahman doesn’t need any Logic even he can use any other software cause he has music in his mind.

What is Logic?

Logic is an audio recording and mixing software. Most of Indian composers use this software. For more details check www.apple.com/logic/ . You can buy and download it if you have an Apple Mac Computer.

Rahman also uses or used Absynth. You can hear one preset from Absynth in Kannathil Muttamital title song. The flute kinda sound with a rough string sounds behind it in the intro. Most of the songs, especially in the last few years feature many synth sounds, probably from absynth, or some other softsynth. The beeps, filtered sounds etc in many songs like Yeh Rishta, Meenaxi and a couple from New, Kangalal Kaidu Sei etc can be done in Absynth. For more details check out www.native-instruments.com/

Audio Samples

Have you guys ever heard about audio samples. Well Rahman is the first person who used a lot of samples in his songs and the second person is Ranjit Barot. Ranjit used to work with Rahman. Ranjit programmed drums in Humma Humma.

And now everybody is using samples in Mumbai like Salim Sulaiman, Sandeep Sherodker, Jacky, Inderjeet Sharma, Ram Sampat & Sandeep Chowta. If you guys think that how can Sandeep Chowta make sound like A R Rahman, those are samples.

Here are some instances for Samples

1. Shabba Shabba with African voices. Those are samples not real Africans.

2. Spanish claps in Jumbalika. Samples again.

3. Chinese vocals in Latka. Its a Chinese Sample from the CD ( Spectra sonics Heart Of Asia)

4. Background beat in Latka song from Indian. Later Anu Malik and many other used the same loops in many of their songs eg: Mehbooba song from Ajnabee.

5. Killer drum beats in Rangeela songs. Drum samples from the cd (Best Service XXL 1500)and its a long list.

6. Final beats of Mukkala Muqabla sounds like Dr. Alban Africa. That is too a sample. It is not composed by Dr.Alban either. Same beats used by Sandeep Chowtha in Kambath Ishq song.

7. Main Background beats in Mangta hai kya from Rangeela.

8. Early bands like Deep Forest and some Euro techno bands used this concept a lot. Thats why title bird sound of Thillana Thillana from Muthu sounds like Deep forest songs.

There are many other samples Rahman used in many of his songs. It is not copying but just using a commercially available sample.

When Rahman was recording for “Jaage Hain” the Sound Engineers told him that lets record the song in a low mod ie Track 5 and later FDM it to a higher track but Rahman sing it singularly in track 15. It is his original however Madras Choral sound was probably modulated.

Composing Back Ground Music

He doesn’t actually sees the entire movie , he makes the director explain the entire script 100% and in every details and then asks for a demo. However the first version of BGM he gives is modified and re modified numerous time after seeing the film. The BGM for the movie Guru was modified just a month before the public release. Rang de Basanti BGM was actually purely on script. Some parts of the movie was modified as per the BGM. Remember the scene when the rebels walked into the radio station and the music that comes behind it. The scene was actually pretty different but according to the music it was modified and the modifications came in their walking style, check the scene carefully you will find their feet falling on the ground as per the music tune. Rahman composed this music for a period of two years. If he really took two years to compose the films music then see his dedication. Amazing.

Rahman’s recording and mixing

Not just Rahman, about all music composers use loops or samples which they buy from distributors like Sony or Apple. Its like instead of calling a performer like a guitarist to perform for his/her song a composer buys his recorded piece and uses it. These pieces are royalty free its like the guitarist sells it to Sony on an agreement and Sony distributes it through out the world. That is why you find same sound effects in two different songs of Rahman some times. Loops are not necessary to be only a single note. It can be chords or even a piece or a scratch.

How many of you have noticed this in Rahman songs especially those who are musicians. All his songs irrespective of the mood has a constant ‘pads’ or ’strings’ backing. The chords played with the pads and strings is also not conventional. They are the 7ths, 11ths or Diminished chords. They give the song a ‘feeling’, a ’soul’. Quite Technical

A classic example is the song “Thirupachi Arivalaa” from Taj Mahal. Check out the pads in the songs. Another is “Aye Udi Udi” from Saathiya. Remove the pads these songs become soul-less and very plain.

The only other person who uses this same method is Harris Jayaraj. And for sure he learned it from Rahman .Wonder if more music directors should do the same.

A R Rahman started learning Indian classical and Carnatic classical in 1992. Since almost all his songs are Raga based just wanted to clarify that he learned classical before or after 1992.

How does he compose a new tune. Does he play it in his piano or does he write the swaram or how does he go about conceiving a song out of nowhere and create a master piece.

Its a fact that no softwares in the world can create a tune. The people who learned music will laugh their stomachs out if someone tells them that Tere Bina or any song is a product of a software. Now what can a software do. What does Rahman do in his studio with all those softwares. Why does he always updates his software. It is very simple. Just a brief concept.

1. Rahman records a songs over a period of 10-15 days. A singer sings one song perhaps innumerable time till Rahman gives a hands up. Once that signal has been got the singer realizes that his job is done . Now Rahman sits over his singing and edits the bad parts and couples all the best parts and after another day of hard work the singers work is ready. The singer never sang that song continuously but his best parts are selected and sampled .

2. Rahman then records music or what you call as BGM. After that he mixes it with the vocal part. Then suddenly he may realize that both of them don’t gel well in frequency. And then frequency division modulation takes place. Its a huge process friends which very well packs the music and vocal part.

3. Let us take an example of Shreya Ghosal. Rahman needs Shreya Ghosal to sing in track 15 ie the Highest. But Shreya can sing only till 11. So what can Rahman do. Let her sing in track 8 -9 in which she is comfortable and then simply phase modulates the vocal to appear as if she sang in track 15. This is a very costly process and risky too so Rahman has done it only 5-6 times.

So A R Rahman is a genius , not a technician. He uses softwares but doesn’t use to “produce” tunes. Instead he use them so effectively to “edit” tunes. And that is why perhaps he is the best. He uses Technology but his originality is maintained in each song.

A software has no brains. It will do what you tell it to do. So if anyone program his software to sing “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” then yes, you are right. Software can produce tunes. And everyone is pretty sure Rahman uses custom made softwares. The bottom line is Softwares Do Not Produce Tunes.

What do u mean by a Track ?

Many people have different definitions of tracks . “Track” is not a musical keyword but it pretty software related. We divide a tune into several sound parts. Every channel has a baud rate frequency. For example if you hum a voice in a low scale u may call it as a track 1. The song “Jaage Hain” goes very high enough to be called as track 15 . Empirically track is a pitch depth value versus volume. The intersection of the graph is the resonant value. This value is what the purest and the “Virgin tune” we call. It is difficult to acheive this reasonable value due to several reasons but Rahmans studio is feature adapted to it. Almost 99% of his songs are reasonabaly valued .

We heard a lot of spectra sonics stuff in Rang de Basanti. Especially the amazing pads from spectra sonics atmosphere. He’s also been using swarplug, an Indian instrument plug in, which can be heard in water and the background score of RDB. The santoor you hear in “Chanchan” from Water is actually swar plug doing the job.

Its easy to use software but it ain’t easy to create stuff with software. Samples are an easy way out and most music directors are going the samples way because its easier and quicker.

This includes people like Salim Sulaiman sadly, they lack tunes. Himesh, lacks creativity and singers, Shankar Ehsaan Loy , these three guys are actually pretty good, Sandeep Chowta. He’s not even a music director according to criticism, more a DJ kinda fellow.

Someone like Rahman, takes the pain of creating his own samples as well apart from using purchased ones. Now thats a huge difference. This combined with the responsibility of making path breaking tunes is a big big task. Make no mistake about it.

What thus we say can be summed up thus give the same equipments, computers, keyboards, the musicians, the software, the samples etc. To any other music director in the country they still cannot match A R Rahman it takes a genius to create something extraordinary like he does.

Being the user of these sound editing softwares we can give us suggestions. The usage of sound editing softwares such as Neundo, Cubase ,Sonar and Logic is very helpful and reduces our work in the technician point of view. Though these sounds are pleasant and filling they spoil the naturalizing of the song. But Rahman’ comprehension on the editing softwares and plugins and using them in his songs and BGM is fantastic. But that in itself is his drawback. A R Rahman has one of the largest collections of samples in Asia.

Music Director vs Music Composer

“Music director” is not really a Music Composer. He is basically the guy who makes the tunes for the songs. Then he gives it to the lyricist for the lyrics. This works vice versa too. Lyrics first and then the tune. Now comes the major difference between “Music directors” and “Music Composers” like A R Rahman and Ilaiyaraaja.

The Music Director hands over the tune and lyrics to the Music Arranger who will fill in the music into the song according to his knowledge and experience. The Music Director will only direct the music as in supervising the process but does not necessarily compose the BGMs, the rhythms, the chords, bass lines etc. in the song. These are done by the Music Arranger, who will arrange for the violin sections, the brass sections, the percussions, the beats etc. according to what he knows.

Needless to say, the Music Director, more often than not, is not even proficient in playing a musical instrument. He need not be with the method mentioned above.

This is why most Music Directors sound the same movie after movie after movie. Because the tunes are different but the arrangement is the same. The Music Arranger guy is only doing his job and ending the works as per deadline. No creativity there. There is no effort to innovate.

A R Rahman though, it seems, sits and works on each piece of music in his songs. Each sound and each element of the notes are heard by him, evaluated and then entered into the song. Plus he has great musicians to bring out quality sounds.

In other words, Rahman actually designs the sound for each of his songs. To all those who scoff at use of technology in music this sound design is enhanced only because of the technology.

This sound design combined with great tunes make great masterpieces. Any surprise his songs are so good ?

A R Rahman ~ His Professionalism

1. A R Rahman is perhaps the most professional musician of India. He has this habit of looking out for talented musicians and then he calls them to his studio and records and samples their stuff. And then the musician packs his bags and is off to where he/she belongs. The best part comes now, whenever Rahman will use that sample/loop in any of his songs, he makes a point that he pays that musician his royalty !! Isn’t this wonderful ?

2. One of the musicians has played the Dholak in “Taal Se Taal Mila” and here’s the story. When the musician went to Rahman’s studio for recording the Dholak he was all set as he found the rhythm not that challenging. But the real fun came now. Rahman asked him to wear Ice cream sticks tied with rubber-bands to his finger (the Chati i.e. side which produces the high pitch sound). This was indeed unique as Rahman was pretty clear on what “sound” he wanted.

Thats A R Rahman for you. The best musician India has produced after R D Burman.

Something About Music Sampling For Starters

In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording. This is typically done with a sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also possible with tape loops or with vinyl records on a phonograph.

Often “samples” consist of one part of a song, such as a break, used in another, for instance the use of the drum introduction from Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks” in songs by the Beastie Boys, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mike Oldfield and Erasure, and the guitar riffs from Foreigner’s “Hot Blooded” and Tone-Loc’s “Funky Cold Medina”. Samples in this sense occur often in hip hop, as hip hop sampling developed from DJs repeating the breaks from songs and Contemporary R&B, but are becoming more common in other music as well, such as by Slipknot’s sample player Craig Jones.

Early Cases

Sampling using tape recordings goes back at least as far as 1969, when Holger Czukay used traditional Vietnamese singers on his record “Canaxis”. Czukay and his former band used samples often throughout the seventies.

One of the first major legal cases regarding sampling was with “Pump Up the Volume”. As the record reached the UK top ten, producers Stock Aitken Waterman obtained an injunction against the record due to the unauthorized use of a sample from their hit single “Roadblock”. The dispute was settled out of court, with the injunction being lifted in return for an undertaking that overseas releases would not contain the “Roadblock” sample, and the disc went on to top the UK singles chart. Ironically, the sample in question had been so distorted as to be virtually unrecognizable, and Saw didn’t realize their record had been used until they heard co-producer Dave Dorrell mention it in a radio interview.

Types of samples

Once recorded, samples can be edited, played back, or looped i.e. played back continuously. Types of samples include:

Some facts about A R Rahman

1. A R Rahman records most of the songs in the late night because he belives that is the time at which a person’s sound will be at it’s top best.

2. Rahman allows singers to sing there own versions of the song separately and chooses best among them.

3. There are more than 1000 samples available in Sony and Apple.

4. Rahman has used a ghatam loop in the Rang de Basanti background score from Apple’s loop library. The same loop been used elsewhere. But it sounded a lot better the way Rahman used it.

5. The song “Maiyya Maiyya” has a flute interlude in the beginning similar to the one in Anu Malik’s “San Sanana” song in Asoka. The flute sample in Mayya Mayya is a commercially available sample. Both the Asoka song and Mayya Mayya have been arranged and programmed by Ranjit Barot.

6. Chinna Chinna Asai was composed as a ’sad’ full song initially but later was changed to a happy song.

7. ARR first composed only the first stanza of “Tu hi Re” song for Bombay. Later Mani Ratnam shot the song and after feeling confident of the song, Rahman completed the composition.

8. Thiruda Thiruda and Duet took most time in composing followed by Box-office Flop Mangal Pandey.

9. Maiyya Maiyya was recorded in Toronto and music was added later as usual.

10. In Thiruda thiruda there are two special songs in it. One is Konchum Nilavu which is fully computer programmed. Another is Rasathi where you can’t hear a single instrument.

No matter how intensively A R Rahman uses technology, but we are always astonished how he stands unique with same softwares. Its all creativity Guys. Always wonder how he pours soul in music and creates a situation through music, a world in which we are lost.

A R Rahman is a great Sound Engineer of all the times. There are certain frequencies which sooth our brain, may be A R Rahman know which frequency level or modulation will leave soothing impact on listener’s brain. Its possible and we can achieve such frequency levels through softwares.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T11:12:00.000+05:30

A teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. The father believed in encouragement.

This young man was the smallest of the class when he entered high school. His father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.

All through high school he never missed neither a practice nor a game, but remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice,and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed. The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father.

His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in the game. It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big play off game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?"

The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday." Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful team-mate back so soon. "Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted,and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said."You can go in." Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right.

The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied.In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His team-mates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you've never heard! Finally,after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic!

Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"

He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?" The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it . .. . "

Happy Father's Day :)

There's this lost cause I believe in called myself.

2009-04-06T19:16:00.006+05:30

How often do we lose hope on things? From the most trivial to something you have wanted all your life. Our actions and hopes within could be contradicting at times and we may tend to feel we are working towards a lost cause. Sometimes a thought just pops up and says 'Enough is enough!! I have had it all!! and cant stand it anymore.' This thought might vary according to situations but the feeling is somewhat similar, right from being frustrated with ourselves or with others or sometimes we even start questioning the purpose of everything. In spite of this we carry on with our lives in hope that we will be able to do something about it or things will get better as times goes on.

People thought Einstein was absurd when he contradicted Newton's Classical Mechanics and came up with his theory on special relativity and general relativity. I think relativity is an amazing concept, see how human mind perceives things differently to different situations? Sometimes it seriously makes me think 'Are we the ones really controlling our minds and actions or does it just happen like many other things which we have no say on?' I strongly believe in the saying 'Success and Failures are only choices we make in life at every point of time'. Choices again comes back to the mind and there isn't anything more important in life than keeping a balance of what your mind thinks and how you react to it, I believe this makes you a person whom you are today.

Someone the other day was talking about peace of mind and how going for a morning walk everyday and visits to temples had bought them an immense joy and peace of mind in life. We are all so distracted in our lives that we find it exceedingly difficult to keep a still mind which keeps wandering faster than time. I had been to the Harminder Sahib Temple in Amritsar a while ago and I thought I was rejuvenated and it bought a great piece of mind, I have no clue what it was, was it the sight of the splendid Golden Temple by the lake or was it the recitation of the spiritual songs sung there heard in stunning clarity, thanks to the acoustics by Bose. It really got me thinking to what was I doing to myself? If all of us are struggling to do something which is as basic as this, it makes me wonder how complicated have we got ourselves into? Wasn't the idea to keep things simple and go easy? I find it's mostly us who dig a grave for ourselves and put ourselves to situations where we are today.. We are no where close to where we truely intend to be and we have no one to blame except us. With so many conflicts within ourselves and with so many questions unanswered, we often advice people about life, spirituality, talk about God.. I just can't but laugh at ourselves.. Pity such creatures..

I dont have answers to any of these because all of us have a spark within us and there's always hope which tells you that I shall get you thro' all that you do.. I couldn't but agree with the title which aptly says 'There's this lost cause I beleive in called myself"

Small Things get you Going..

2009-02-22T02:06:00.008+05:30

It was that time of the day when you are really restless, idle, bored, tired and what not... I really needed something to get my day started but in a way was too lazy to even have my cup of coffee and then this happened...
The Scene..
Watching Chennai 600028 with English subtitles on it... Majority of the people I know don't like watching movies with subtitles ON for it could be distracting and could spoil the feel of watching a movie, and many might be knowing how irrelevant the subtitles for Indian movies could be, it can sometimes get worse than watching a Hollywood flick dubbed in Tamil. But, as I mentioned, I was too restless to be doing anything and I had to stretch to get the remote, so forget it... For people who have watched this movie will know its about gully cricket and there's this commentator who gives his commentary through all the matches they show on the movie.
There is this scene when the commentator tries to flirt with a lady next to him calling her Inji Idupazhagi, thanks to Kamal Hassan's Thevar Magan for the term and guess what the subtitle for that said? It was translated as 'Ginger Waist Beauty', man gotto give it to who ever had written the translations, seriously I couldn't stop laughing watching it and if it wasn't enough there were a few bloopers which followed, I actually stopped listening to the dialogues and started concentrating on the subtitles. The next scene Shiva calls someone 'Sanniyenne', the subtitle said 'Planet Saturn', 'Dei Pudingi' was 'Hey Remover'. Man, how funny was that? I think that provided me enough adrenaline to get me going through the day..
But on a serious note, I really think Directors who have taken so much pain to take the movie should spend sometime atleast reading these subtitles, leave writing them themselves, for I don't know what people not knowing the language would interpret it as.. especially things like 'Sanniyenne' as 'Planet Saturn' was hilarious.
Then I just happened to open this subtitle file of our Thailaivar's Baasha, just have a look at Rajini's introduction song translated in English.

I am autofellow autofellow
Four knowing route fellow
Justice having rate fellow
Good people mix fellow
Nice singing song fellow
Gandhi borning country fellow
Stick take means hunter fellow
Big people's relation fellow
Mercy having mind fellow da
I am all poor's relative fellow da
I am always poor people's relative fellow da
Achak means achak only; Gumuk means gumuk only
Achak means achak only; Gumuk means gumuk only

Town become big, population become big
Bus expecting, half age over
Life become hectic in time, exist in corner of street
Ada eye beat means love coming they telling
You hand clap means auto coming I telling
Front coming look, this three-wheel chariot
Good come and arrive, you trust and climb up
Mercy having mind fellow da
I am always poor people's relative fellow da
Achak means achak only; Gumuk means gumuk only
Achak means achak only; Gumuk means gumuk only

Mummy motherfolk, danger not leave
Heat or cyclone, never I never tell
There there hunger take means, many savoury
Measurement food is one time
For pregnancy I come free mummy
Your child also name one I keep mummy
Letter lacking person ada trusting us and coming
Address lacking street ada auto fellow knowing
Achak means achak only ; Gumuk means gumuk only
Achak means achak only ; Gumuk means gumuk only

Yeah!! I never knew it had so much meaning!!

Kadalai - An Art

2009-02-20T01:22:00.009+05:30

I was inspired to write this article about 'Kadalai' by someones thought of an Ideal date, which was 'A lousy walk on the shore by the moonlight having kadalai and putting kadalai (Tamil slang for light hearted romance) with someone very dear.' Wow!! How could I possibly not think of this before... Somethings like these makes one realise what a wonderful language Tamil is...seriously I cannot think of any other language as effective as Tamil is...
Anyone reading will definitely be interested to know many such lingo's in Tamil language. Do have a look at this. Request you to go through the entire list with the origin/history of the words used..
Now coming back to Kadalai, Wiki defines Kadalai as 'Verbal Flirting' and the origin of the word possibly from groundnut vendors who provided snack food to couples on the beach, or in trains. Connotes flirting without serious intentions.

Some Quick facts about Kadalai..

Kadalai makes one feel there is no better way to spend time than to have Kadalai
Makes one a more efficient person professionally and personally since one has to plan their Kadalai schedule accordingly on a day to day basis.
Kadalai can be consumed in any form, fried, boiled or even kadalai in raw form, though excessive consumption of kadalai in raw form is supposed to cause stomach disorders.
Kadalai can be a perfect companion to your beers, scotch etc. Maybe we could even try Kadalai with Red Wine for the Classy people out there.
Kadalai makes one forget all worries in life and can be a perfect Stress reliever for many.
Kadalai is best served alone or nowadays Kadalai butter is also readily available in the market, however trying to mix kadalai for complex recipes could be dangerous and possibly cause future trauma.
Refer the previous point, Kadalai is highly allergic to a few and its Universally considered to be one of the highly allergic substance which is readily available and also consumable. So, sensitive people to stay away from having Kadalai in any form.
Kadalai can also be a very good time pass activity to have, especially the ones with the nuts. Some nuts are difficult to break whereas some can be really easy. A lot depends of luck, practise and skill.
Excessive Kadalai could be a spot of bother for people around and can also irritate many due to several reasons unknown.
Mostly 2 Kadalai's could be found inside a shell, however there are cases where only 1 could be found. 3 or more could also be a possibility.
It is difficult to gauge the quality and taste of the Kadalai's from outside because most of them come with similar outer shells and could be deceptive. Rotten Kadalai's could taste terrible and cause serious discomfort.
More often than not the last Kadalai to be consumed in a pack will tend to be rotten and could cause a negative feeling about Kadalai itself, though its an pleasure in most parts.

Statutory warning : Kadalai is highly addictive and could be avoided in its initial stages itself, it can also be seriously injurious to health, courtesy - Round the clock consumption of Kadalai.

P.S : I apologize to all those you cannot understand head or tail of this post, and think I've gone nuts, maybe you could ask for help from those people who have a long time expertise in Kadalai, they might be perfectly in sync of what I am trying to say :)

Start Living LIFE

2009-02-12T19:55:00.002+05:30

This was one good mail I received recently...
Though very simple, thought it was really meaningful..

Life either happens to us, or we take hold of life and live it.

Here are 10 Ways to get a life and start living it.
1. Give yourself permission to claim your life. That's right ?Permission. You're the only one who can decide you are in charge of your life. Even though it feels like you're not supposed to do so,Turn off the internal editors, the old tape recordings, the "should's, Have to's, and musts", and the rules that didn't come from you.
2. Define what living means to you. It's not as hard as it sounds.Just picture yourself at the end of your life looking back. What words would you want to describe how you lived your life and who you are as a person?
3. Stop living in the future. Every time you think "someday" or "when I have time I will," stop.. Ask yourself, "Why not now?" Think about this sentence, "I always wanted to, but never did." Start doing the things you always planned to do. Choose your life every morning. Plan one thing you will do that day to feel alive.
4. Surround yourself with people who enjoy living. They've obviously discovered how to have a life and live it. Why not hang with the pros?
5. Lay down your pain and your anger. Carrying them around makes living harder and less fun. It doesn't bring anything, and it steals a lot.
6. Let the losers win. Don't argue about things that you don't care about. Unless there's some real threat, let the folks who have something to prove, prove what they need to. Why waste your living time trying to fix what's wrong with them?
7. Create energy. Jump to forgiveness and love, then figure things out. Most conclusions we jump to are not only wrong, they're negative.Negative conclusions lead us to prepare a defense. Being on the defensive isn't living. It's hiding from life.
8. Learn the physical symptoms of when your head and heart become disconnected. We know when we're having a knee jerk reaction, when we're feeling sorry for ourselves, and when we're being blind to people's feelings. We can remember how it felt physically while we were behaving badly. Get to know those symptoms, and you can stop the behavior. Living life will feel a whole lot safer because you won't be in danger of shooting yourself in the foot.
9. Take small risks that push your boundaries in every way. The joy of life is packed in learning that matches our skill set. When we stretch just a bit intellectually, physically, emotionally, we grow. Living is growing. Even your cells know that.
10. Value and protect the people and the places you care about. A job Isn't a life. It's just a part of one. Let the people you care about come first, and let everyone know that you do.
Re-read numbers 1 and 2.
We come into life with whatever we've got.. It's ours to do with. It took me a while to figure that out ? That my life isn't just what happens to me, that I could take hold of it.

Transistions in Life

2009-02-09T19:58:00.000+05:30

From the time I was born, I was told that everyone of us are responsible in some way or the other. When I first joined my LKG, I remember my teacher telling me while teaching alphabets that I was no longer a baby and asked me to concentrate on studies. Then when I went to the 1st standard, I was told that I was no more a LKG student and not to behave like one. Year after year, this continued and when I went to the 8th grade, my uniforms were upgraded to full trousers, I remember someone telling me that we have crossed a stage in life and should no longer behave like little brats. Then came the 10th grade and everyone I ever knew was like, this is going to be the most important and decisive year in your life, the year which is going to decide your fate, your future... must have been true.. After a point people stopped telling us these things and we could sense things on our own and at one point I realised 'Our actions were going to determine our destiny'.

Education was, to say quite a struggle.. a struggle which reaped really good results.. By results I mean, all of us are where we are because of what we have done till date and education plays a significant part of it if not the most important.. From then on, most of what we do is because of our own interest and no more a compulsive action. Well, looking back in time it is really fascinating to see how much we have gone through in the little time, so many transitions, so much learning, disappointments and many other feeling which cannot be described.

Failing in exams, scoring 100 in a paper, playing cricket, bunking classes, going for tuition's, pranks with teachers, first day in college, experience of watching a movie FDFS and not missing a single movie released during 4 years of college - language no bar, getting blasted at home for being so irresponsible, thrill of checking exam results online, the various crushes all through life, campus placements, interviews, first day at work, becoming a lead and also some personal moments like someone dear turning against you, dear ones who have changed so drastically when you never realised and then at a point couldn't relate to them anymore.... and many such things..... I am sure we have gone through all this ...

Many small things have led to big impacts in life, somethings make you stronger and somethings make you more determined and motivated... we learn things from so many unknown people... little things everyday. And ofcourse there will be this one living character in life as your role model whom we will be permanently in awe of... Going past all these, living everyday and experiencing so many things, we tend to groom ourselves at a better person, try to be in someones perspective and avoid doing mistakes which we have seen people do... All in pursuit of one thing... 'Being a better person in life'... It might be interpreted in different ways... for some it may be career wise, for some it might be something else.... but it all comes down to this...

But in process of this, there's one thing which comes to mind which most of us fail to see or rather understand.... "We seem to be too keen observing the clouds which pass by everyday and more often than not fail to see the vast sky beyond it, it might seem fancy for a while.. but it just goes away in no time before you realise its gone....." Having a clear vision in life of how to lead life is entirely upto us though it might be influenced by many around us.. and it is a lesson which might seem easy but probably take a lifetime to learn..

AR Rahman and the Golden Globe award

2009-01-21T03:10:00.003+05:30

This article about Rahman was published in the recent edition of Tehelka, do give it a read. Truly a musical genius in every sense.

The Mystic Master

BEFORE THE gift, there was the prophecy. After their first child — a girl — was born, an array of astrologers told the disappointed Tamil music composer, RK Shekhar and his wife Kasturi, that they would soon be gifted with someone extraordinary: a son whose name would illumine the world, a musical genius whose soul would arc across the sky.

Dileep Kumar was born just over a year after on January 6, 1966. The name — AR Rahman, mysteriously wrapped in instant and acetylene fame — would come later, but by the time he was three, the signs were firmly in place. He was, indeed, the fortunate one: he could play the harmonium before he could speak; and soon after his birth, his father inexplicably began to prosper. The word spread. His sister Kanchana, the elder one, music coursing in her blood too but born without prophecy, remembers her father taking the little boy to Sudarshan, a reputed music director, when he was four. “I hear your child can play anything,” Sudarshan challenged him, “let’s see if he can do this.” He played a particularly complex piece, then covered the harmonium with his veshti to make the playing more difficult — a kind of surrogate blindfold — and handed over the harmonium to the young boy. The calm little boy executed it perfectly. Humbled, Sudarshan leapt up and embraced the child.

The virtuosity has never abated since. On January 11, 2009, watched by elated countrymen across the world, Rahman became the first Indian to win the Golden Globe — a coveted precursor to the Oscars — for his musical score in the acclaimed Hollywood film, Slumdog Millionaire. This may be just one more crest in the stream of awards and recognitions that have lapped around him — a Padmashree, four national film awards, 12 Screen awards, 21 Filmfare awards, among innumerable others — but the excitement around the man Time magazine called “the Mozart of Madras” has never been higher, his name never more luminous.

In Chennai though, away from the champagne speeches and applauding lights of Los Angeles, a more profound underlayer of Rahman’s music reveals itself. It is three days after the award, the maestro is yet to come home. The city is unusually quiet; the shops are closed, the roads are empty. It is Pongal and everyone is on holiday. Rahman’s studio — AM Studios — the most state-of-the-art, hitech studio in all of Asia, usually bustling with dozens of musicians and directors and sound engineers, is empty too. The four-storey white and lilac and parquet building has the aura of a prayer house, zinging with the vibration left by an intense concentration of human energy. In the heart of the studio is a large room that can host a 30-piece string orchestra. Facing it, in a glassed-off control room sits a massive mixing console — a Neve 88R, estimated to cost Rs 4 crore — a console with such a daunting array of knobs it could tune the universe. Elsewhere in the building, small soundproof rooms house gleaming pianos, synthesisers, violins, harmoniums, and drums. In a large, airy room on the roof, instruments of every conception sit waiting for the imaginations that will finally unlock their sound.

A world to win A visbily moved Rahman accepts the Golden Globe award
Photo HFPA

The silence is a kind of serendipity: it allows one to sense what very few people know. Rahman’s music — always new, groundbreaking, wildly intuitive, experimental, a kind of sound that masters of cinema craft like Baz Luhrmann, Shekhar Kapoor and Danny Boyle say “they had never heard before” — is deeply rooted, in fact, “sourced”, from Rahman’s idea of divinity.

When Rahman, or Dileep as he was known then, was nine, the radiant prophecy seemed to falter. His father, Shekhar died suddenly — on the very day his first film as a music director was released. The golden circle was breached, the family was devastated. Kasturi was certainly overworked, and insufficient sleep had precipitated her husband’s cancer. Although her sister and parents were part of the large joint family, there was no one to turn to. It fell on mother and son to find the money to keep the family together.

Rahman remembers it as a difficult, opaque time when there seemed to be no answers. His mother made some money by renting out musical instruments, but by the time he was 11, Rahman was more often out of school than in, repeatedly called away from the playground by his mother to record music for a fee. It should have felt like an escape: he was never particularly interested in school or playground games, for that matter. In fact, he had such low attendance and marks, he was asked to leave his first school. He went to another local one for a year, and then joined MCC. Barely a term in, when he was about 15, he gave up school altogether. He played the piano and guitar on television shows, and became a sort of “roadie” with different Malayali, Tamil and Telugu composers. For a year, he played with the celebrated Iliayaraja. It should have felt like an escape, but it didn’t.

Kanchana says her brother wanted to be an ordinary boy — sleep late, play carom — and used to resist being woken at seven by his mother to practice the piano. But the mother, fervently knocking at temples, churches, and mosques, was determined to refuel the prophecy. Suddenly, around the time he was 11, destiny came knocking again. The family met Karimullah Shah Kadiri, a Sufi pir (at a railway station, goes the apocryphal story). Karimullah foresaw the boy’s entire future and said Dileep would come to him in 10 years. “That was the turning point,” Rahman admitted in a rare moment of candour to a CNN interviewer. “Everything happened as he said it would.”

ON HIS music teacher John Jacob’s insistence, Dileep applied for a scholarship to study music in Trinity College, Oxford — a crucial interlude that exposed him to western classical music. In 1987, around the time he was 21, moved by everything that had happened to them — dreams, oracles, signs — Dileep, his mother, and two younger sisters converted to Islam (Kanchana would convert a little later).

Two years later, in 1989, he set up Panchathan Record Inn in his backyard — the foundation stone was laid by Karimullah Shah — and began to make jingles for ads. In 1991, legendary director Mani Ratnam took a chance on the untested youngster and invited him to score the music for his new film, Roja. With the divine assurance of a prodigy, Dileep proceeded to break every rule with his debut.

Family man Rahman, seen with wife Saira Banu, wants to spend more time with his children
Photo SHAILENDRA PANDEY

Now, on the eve of Roja, seven new names were offered to him: Dileep chose Allah Rakha Rahman, the first of the 1,000 names of Allah. Soon after, Roja was released, and as the pir had prophesied, the Isai Puyal — “musical storm” — AR Rahman was born. Wrapped in instant and acetylene fame.

Like other prodigies across time who have bent the arc of history, Rahman’s debut track was unlike anything anyone had heard before. It sent ripples through the industry and got Rahman the National Film Award for Best Music Director, the first time ever for a firsttime film composer. In 2005, Time magazine picked it as one of Top Ten Movie Tracks of All Time. “Rahman is like a weaver. With Roja, he created this incredibly intricate, complicated sound that no one had ever tried before,” says lyricist and friend Prasoon Joshi. “The Indian music and film industry had always relied on extraordinary melodies and singers, the mukhara and the antara. But Rahman played with the structure, he layered the melody with different strands of sound, he created spaces where one could listen to a single string or enjoy a beat before returning to the voice. He created a river with many side streams you could step into. It was unlike everything that had gone before.”

Over almost two decades since, the experimentation has never stopped. Director Rakeysh Mehra likens Rahman to the great Chinese travelers of 2,000 years ago, who wandered the world gathering influences from faraway lands. Western classical, Indian classical, reggae, hip-hop, rap, rock, pop, blues, jazz, opera, sufi, folk, African beats, Arabian sounds — there is nothing Rahman has not dared to meld together. No new voice he has not dared to use. No texture of sound he has not strained to perfect. The stories are legion. Of how he got Maryem Toller, a Canadian, to sing the hit song Mayya, Mayya, itself triggered by the sound of a man selling water, saying mayya, mayya — Arabic for water — overheard on a Haj trip. Of how he got R&B singer Ash King from the bylanes of London to sing Dil Gira Dafatan for the forthcoming film, Dilli 6, although King didn’t know a word of Hindi, just because he liked the texture of his voice. Of how he spotted Naresh Aiyar, who had been sidelined by judges like Adnan Sami in a Channel V talent contest, and picked him to sing the sublime song Ru ba ru. Of how he spotted Blaaze and Sukhwinder and Madhushree and Vijay Yesudas and scores of other new voices he has launched in the world. Of how he took 17 years to give his sister Kanchana — or Raihanah, as she is called after her conversion — a song of her own in the blockbuster Sivaji, because her voice finally matched the sound playing in his head.

The stories are legion; what is less known is Rahman’s understanding of his own gift. Unlike Mozart, the legendary giant TIME magazine compared him to, whose creative genius seemed to flow from some mercurial, manic yet sublimely flamboyant ego, those who know Rahman say he has absolutely no ego. A little like the shy Srinivasa Ramanujan, the untutored mathematical genius from Chennai who believed his prodigious acumen was channeled to him by his family devi, Namagiri, apparently Rahman too believes he is merely an instrument. As director Shekhar Kapoor puts it, “Rahman does not believe music resides in him, but that he sources it from a field of consciousness that exists eternally. He believes that to access or to be able to reach that ‘field’ you need to be very pious. I believe as long as he continues to believe the music is not his, that he is merely the conduit, he will have no limitations.”

The search for piety — the complete purity that will keep him in touch with his music — has meant a kind of twin journey for Rahman. On the one hand, there has been an ever amplifying outward honing of craft, a restless search for new stimuli, a mastery of technology, a constant self-education, a perfecting of the conduit. Parallel to that has been an ever intensifying private inward journey towards submission and surrender to the will of God — a destruction of ego, an effacement of self.

At the heart of this journey are two figures. Arifullah Mohammad al Husaini Chisti ul Kadiri — son of Karimullah Shah, no more than in his 20s or 30s, who took his father’s place as Rahman’s spiritual teacher after his death. Said to be descendants of Hazrat Mohammad, Arifullah’s dargah in Karrapa sharif, Andhra Pradesh, is both pilgrimage and refuge for Rahman. ‘Malik Baba’ Rahman calls him. AM Studios, set up in 2005, is probably named after his initials — Arifullah Mohammad — an educated guess, because even many of Rahman’s closest associates say they don’t know what the initials stand for.

God is music Rahman, seated at his piano, believes his creativity is divinely inspired
Photo SANJAY GHOSH

(My brother is the most secretive man in the world,” laughs Raihanah. “If I ask him for a house, he will give it to me. If I ask for a studio, he will give me one, just don’t enter mine, he will say.”) But an observant eye cannot fail to miss it. A small picture of Malik Baba adorns the entrance to the studio that hosts the tuning console for the universe. There are curious palm-marks in auspicious chandan on many windows and walls — quiet signs of faith.

RAHMAN IS the most spiritual person to ever touch my life,” says Mehra. “He has zero ego, there is no ‘I’ or ‘me’ in him.” “It is true. He has a surreal influence on people,” agrees Deepak Gattani of Rapport entertainment agency, who constructs most of Rahman’s extravagantly mounted concerts and has been a friend for 16 years. “He has taught me there is more to life than we normally see. He never has knee-jerk responses to things.” “He is sent by God, kudrat ne unko banaya hai,” says singer Kailash Kher, who has toured with Rahman often. “One day you will see him in Los Angeles, standing with people like Weber and Boyle and the owners of Fox. The next day he might be sitting in a dargah among fakirs and dervishes.” “His spirituality is not something others can understand,” says his sister. “I am in complete awe of him. He is a blessed thing. God considers him a special child. He has surrendered totally — every move, every action, every thought is surrendered to God.”

This surrender has taken many forms. Absolute simplicity. Frequent visits to dargahs. Generous alms to the poor. Sleeping on bare cement or sand if necessary. A sublimation of material desire not related to music. (Rahman apparently loved cars, but never drove anything fancier than an Innova until he finally indulged in a BMW last year, 18 years after monumental commercial success.) Sometimes, for others, the forms of surrender have seemed more irrational and inexplicable. For instance, his daughter was born with a hole in her heart, but Rahman refused to have her operated. Prayers, he believes, can change destiny, so he surrendered to the healing faith of his pir. Miraculously, his daughter was cured when she was two.

(“God always looks after him. It is uncanny. What others have to knock for just comes to him,” laughs his sister. Press for examples and she says facetiously, “You might be traveling abroad and desperate for some good hot food. People like us will have to worry about going out in the cold, catching a taxi, finding a place. But Rahman will just be sitting and praying and then, suddenly, someone will come and ask him, what would you like to eat? North Indian or South Indian?”)

But in other cautious snatches from friends respectful of Rahman’s desire for privacy but willing to share their marvel of him, slowly a small trickle of illustrations pile up. Gattani talks of an unexpectedly stormy night in Bangalore. Thirty thousand people are gathered in the Palace Grounds. Rahman’s pioneering Three Dimensional Concert — staggering in scale — is about to start. A sudden squall catches everyone unaware. The backdrop collapses, the grounds flood. Amidst the panic, an unperturbed Rahman locks himself in his green room for half-an-hour. When he emerges, he tells his associates to ask the crowd what they want — have the show or postpone it. Have it, they say. On cue, the rain stops, the songs roll out. Just as Rahman sings the last bar of Vande Mataram, it starts raining again. “It was astonishing,” says Gattani. At other times, when an important decision is to be taken, Rahman retreats into himself and says he will ask for “permission”. A couple of days later, depending on how the divine consultation has gone, he calls back with either a refusal or a go-ahead. Take his most cherished project — KM Conservatory, for instance, a pioneering school of music he has dreamt of for years. Initialed after the elder pir, Karimullah? Again, no one knows. For a long while, there was talk of partnering with the government. Finally, Rahman said he would seek “permission” for the partnership. It did not come and Rahman went it alone — funneling huge sums of personal money and passion to start the conservatory on his birthday last year.

Malik Baba is the most visible manifestation of this surrender. It is to him that Rahman turns to most. Often, to a critical eye, such faith can seem to skate precariously close to subjugation rather than creative surrender. But it seems to work unerringly for Rahman. “Everyone may not understand it, and it may not work for everyone,” says superstar Aamir Khan, “but Rahman is a very spiritual person, and in a curious way, his complete surrender to his faith opens him up completely. It frees him to work.”

The other figure key to Rahman’s journey is his mother, Kasturi — or Kareema Begum, after her conversion. “Amma”, as she is universally known — a jovial, quintessentially motherly figure — has remained a powerful leitmotif in Rahman’s life. “Their relationship is like the bhakt for his bhagwan,” says Kher. He follows her wishes with unquestioning faith — “aastha” is the evocative word he uses. “If she had asked him not to go to LA to receive the Golden Globe and go to a dargah instead, I am sure he would have done it.” She, in turn, is affectionate, solicitous, the keeper of the prophecy, often traveling with Rahman on his tours abroad. Ask her about her son and she says, “He prays five times a day. He is Allah’s gift.” “Old worldly” her elder daughter calls her, momentarily dismissive, and through the crevices of the brisk praise that follows, you catch a glimpse of the inevitable shrapnel around a blessed sibling — the mistakes of a conservative family, the unintended but painful eclipses, the little neglects, the big oversights, the sisters unconsciously less precious than the boy. “We were there, somewhere in the atmosphere,” jokes one of them.

The foundation Mother Kareema was determined that her son should become a musician
Photo SANJAY GHOSH

BUT NOW it is the fourth day after the award, and late in the evening. The maestro has come home and the driveway to his house is swarming with waiting journalists. There is a comforting smell of incense in the air. The windows in his reception are curtained with white veshtis, carpets adorn his walls. It is a decorative detail repeated in all his buildings.

The Panchathan Record Inn — Rahman’s private studio, his sanctum sanctorum — is a lush, comfortable room draped in rich red curtains, alternated with white. Computers, consoles, instruments and hi-tech gizmos strew the room like books might in another’s study. It is past midnight before we meet; a journalist’s deadline looms over the meeting like a vengeful shadow and in an unfortunate inversion, Rahman is game for a long conversation, but I am in a hurry. The encounter is briefer than it should have been. Still, none of the conversations around him has prepared one for the man himself. Neat, boyish, he is incredibly youthful, light-hearted — calming in an odd way — and disarmingly open. Every account of him has steeled one to meet a man of few words — the secretive brother one has to tease things from. Instead, Rahman is willing to talk about everything. And is, often, unexpectedly funny.

As we retrace his life, it is suddenly cast in more complex light than music, prayer and simple surrender. “I did not convert overnight, nor did anyone force me,” says Rahman.

“It was a long process. I was really intrigued by the whole Sufi thing and had gone very deeply into it, puttingx aside three hours every day to learn Arabic. I was drawn to Sufism because they have no regulation, no rules, no distinction between Hindu-Muslim — they just look straight into your heart and see your love for the auliyas, the noor of the Prophet.”

THE SURRENDER, too, has a complicated relationship with the music. “When you are in a creative field, particularly something like film or music,” says Rahman, “you can be tossed between highs and lows, good reviews and bad reviews. To maintain equilibrium, you have to detach yourself and abandon yourself merely to the service of music — look at it all from a different perspective. For this, the destruction of the ego is very important. At the same time, there are ironic counterpoints. If you don’t have an ego you can switch on and off, you cannot make music, you cannot do something extraordinary. You have to be committed to the idea of excelling the standards you have set yourself, fulfilling expectations. So, there is a good ego and a bad ego. Something like music also draws you away into another energy field — money, fame, women. For a long time, these impulses used to pull me in separate ways — the desire to renounce and the desire to achieve. You can never perfect these things, but finally now, I feel I am walking in sync, with both impulses hand-in-hand.”

Over the years, Rahman admits to many moments of stasis and saturation — phases when he felt enough is enough, he had done it all and would like to renounce the world. Each time, he laughs, something would come and uplift him, raise the scales. When Roja was offered to him, he was fed up with everything he had been doing: the jingles, the recordings for other music composers in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil. “I revered Mani Ratnam and it was my dream to work with him. I thought this would be the last soundtrack I would make, so I just did what I pleased. I wanted to have fun. There were no walls in my head, no limitations. All the young people were listening to Western stuff those days, even me, so I thought, what’s the problem, are we not experimenting enough? And I let myself go.”

THE INSTANT and meteoric success brought its own counter stasis. “I thought, this is it,” says Rahman. “I have won the National film award, now I can just live off the earnings of my studio.” But then the excitements and challenge of the Hindi film industry came calling. Rangeela first; then a flood of other Hindi films. When the stasis of that threatened, there was the spike of Elizabeth, Bombay Dreams and Lord of the Ring. The western world came calling. By the time that threatened to pale, the KM Conservatory had been born, and Rahman’s Foundation Against Global Poverty — committed to eradicating poverty in India, Africa, and now, he chuckles, even America. “With all of this, I struggle less with the desire to renounce. I have found new meaning, a new sense of duty towards living, not only towards these projects, but to my wife and kids, and even my music. I see music now as being all about love, a service to humanity — it is about sharing joy with fellow human beings,” says he.

For many years, Rahman’s family — wife Saira Banu, daughters Kathija and Raheema, and son Rumi, were rarely seen publicly around him. “I plan to take them around with me much more now,” says he. “Be it in my studio, my tours abroad, or on my spiritual journeys. I don’t want them to feel separate. My father was such a huge influence because we were always around him. Without him, there would have been no music in our life.”

Typical of Rahman, his encounters with the western world too have yielded deeper things than success and awards. “After my first National Film Award, the Golden Globe has mattered the most to me because I wanted to bridge that vacuum — the fact that no Indian had won these international film and music awards. But as an individual, there is only so much of fame you can take in. Very quickly you detach yourself from it, you are only there as a representative of something else, not as an individual.”

What the forays into the western world have yielded for Rahman then is an expanded consciousness. “When I went to London first for Bombay Dreams, I was living isolated in this house, making music, meeting nobody. I used to pray five times a day and try to keep my fast. All around me were these pubs and drunk kids would piss under my window. Each time I went out, I would come back and bathe. But slowly I realised love can transcend all these segmental issues. You need to find a larger perspective which bridges all these worlds — west and east, Muslim and non-Muslim, or whatever else divides us.”

Bridges — that is an apt metaphor for Rahman and his music. In a jostling, frenetically commercial world — brimful of quick encomiums and sudden deaths — it has become difficult to gauge the true merit of things. Is Rahman the Mozart of our times? We may not be sure yet, but of this we can be certain: his music offers a way to bridge that huge void between the known and the great unknown from which earthly beauty stems.

A BLOCK AWAY from Rahman’s home, his new sense of “duty towards the living” is illumining a new generation. As the maestro was flying back across the continents with the globe — literally — in his hands, on the day of the Pongal holiday, you could have chanced on a handful of young boys and girls on the first floor of AM Studio. Students of Rahman’s dream project, the music school, KM Conservatory, they pored over their computers and music sheets. Occasionally, the strains of music wafted out from adjoining practice rooms. It would be difficult to find a more eclectic group: Anurag Sharma, 16, had given up on school and traveled with his mother (another keeper of prophecy?) all the way from Delhi to rent a room in Chennai for the opportunity of studying music in Rahman’s school. Ashrita Arockiam, a 23- year old post-graduate in English from Hyderabad, was straining to put together a scholarship to study music abroad, when the opportunity to do a similar course suddenly bloomed on home ground. Saurav Sen, 32, a computer engineer from Kolkata, gratefully gave up his job, and exchanged it for a year cocooned in music.

mix of foreign and Indian faculty, exposure to Western and Indian classical music, training in music technology, and a chance to workshop with many of the great musicians across the globe is only a part of the grooming the students from the Conservatory get. Three of the 40 chosen for the full-time foundational course — all of them had to audition before they were selected — are already apprenticing with Rahman. “We put together a concert every week,” says young Anurag, “whenever he is here, Rahman sir sits in on the session. It is amazing to be able to do that.”

But before the stasis of this can set in, a new scale is waiting for Rahman: the dream of creating India’s first symphonic orchestra. “We are a country of a billion people, bursting with talent,” says he, “why doesn’t India have a single orchestra?” KM could well be the womb for that. And in nurturing all of this with love, he might finally overcome the difficult opacity of his own teenage years.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

2009-01-10T05:13:00.007+05:30

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

I am not writing a review of the movie, but just wanted to share what a brilliant movie it is. Though not director by an Indian, it feels so much like an Indian movie and hope Indian directors learn a few lessons watching this master piece. An absolutely stunning movie, I just hope that this one does win the Oscars.

Hope to see lots more movies of this quality. Kudos to Danny Boyle and his team.

Read the review here.

Procrastination

2009-01-03T17:13:00.012+05:30

How often have I started writing a post and then thought, maybe I could write this article better and saved it and then never bothered to come back to it. I was just seeing my list of posts and I could atleast find about 5 saved drafts. Maybe, this too is a type of procrastination or maybe its just mere lack of interest.
Procrastination does creep in everytime we start multitasking or sometimes even doing simple tasks. When we don't really feel urgency to do things, we take them for granted and end up postponing them to infinite time or sometimes just discard doing them.

Maybe it wasn't really important that it could have been ignored, but once we start this habit of procrastination it slowly tends to grow and can slowly start effecting outcomes of bigger things too. The worse part is sometimes we give up without actually trying and putting in least of efforts. It might have been something trivial, but off late this habit seems to have grown on me, neglecting to do lots of trivial stuff, maybe I have really become lazy or probably the routine stuff doesn't excite me enough.

Sometime back, a clock in my room stopped working, I had to replace its cell, but somehow I couldn't find time or rather didn't bother to get one for atleast 15 days. I got used to seeing the clock which showed 11.20. I finally managed to get a pair of batteries when I had gone to get some other stuff and I was somehow reminded of it.It's been a month now since I got the batteries and I still have not replaced them. This may be really trivial but thats not the point, there are many such things which are left undone or halfdone and when someone reminds me about it after sometime I feel really silly not to have done it coz it wouldn't have taken any time doing it and I wouldn't have caught the attention of others for not doing something, I was recently all Ga-Ga over SLR's that when I last went to the US, I picked up a Canon SLR and paid a huge sum for it, not that I wanted to be a professional photographer or not because I didn't have a camera at all, matter of fact we got one very recently. But still I was all exciting and then thought it was worth getting one, I had no clue how to use one, even before learning the basics, I did a research on which brand to go for and specs on each models and stuff. Again, after the initial excitement was over, the cam is now lying around untouched and still I haven't figured out how to use it.

I know there's a positive side to procrastination, but I am not sure if I would fall into that category, I would like to stop here for if I go on longer it could become one of those other few things I have written half way and things half done. My first fight against procrastination, here I am, writing this post and hesitantly clicking the "Publish Post" button.

Welcome 2009

2009-01-01T15:29:00.001+05:30

As 2008 comes to an end, hope all of you had a great year.

I hope and wish 2009 brings more joy, happiness and more reasons to celebrate than never before.

Keep smiling and be happy.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year.

Food Maniac's

2008-12-20T05:30:00.008+05:30

For all you food maniacs, I recently came across this site burrp!, where you could find just about every restaurant in town. Its a forum where users could write their reviews and give ratings. Found it to be quite interesting especially when you are looking for new food joints..

Guess Web 2.0 hasn't been more useful.

So let the food journey begin..
Happy hogging..

Motivating India

2008-12-03T00:24:00.002+05:30

Really good one..

Seen this AD??

2008-11-18T03:34:00.001+05:30

Nice one :)

Losing my religion

2008-11-10T11:28:00.004+05:30

This is an article i read in Cricinfo recently. Being an ardent cricket fan like many others in India, it is difficult to know that all our heroes of the game are gone and in sometime our team will look like any other team in the world, there will never come a time again where we would rush home whatsoever to watch our beloved dada bat or see jumbo bowl. It is difficult to even comprehend a team without these guys from I have seen grow up from young lads trying to make it big to all time legends of the game.

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, a former assistant editor of Cricinfo writes,

The change of guard in Indian cricket has pulled the rug out from under the feet of a generation of cricket watchers.

The events of the last few weeks are freaking me out. Anil Kumble has gone, Sourav Ganguly will be gone today, and the other three may not be far behind. I assume there is a large group of cricket fans in their mid-to-late 20s, like me, who are grappling with the implications. This transition is messing with our minds.
Let me explain. For many of us cricket began in November 1989. Pictures of what went before are too hazy. I remember Allan Border lifting the World Cup but don't recall what I was doing then. So I can't connect Australia's World Cup win to my own life.
Sachin Tendulkar spoilt us. He commanded that we sit in front of the television sets. He ensured we got late with homework, he took care of our lunch-break discussions. He was not all that much older than us, and some of us naive schoolboys thought we would achieve similar feats when we were 16. We got to 16 and continued to struggle with homework.
Then came Kumble and the two undertook a teenager-pampering mission not seen in India before. Tendlya walked on water, Jumbo parted seas. Our mothers were happy that we had nice heroes - down-to-earth prodigy and studious, brilliant bespectacled engineer. They were honest, industrious sportsmen, embodying the middle class.

When we thought we had seen everything, they reversed roles - Tendlya bowled a nerve-wracking last over in a semi-final, Jumbo played a match-winning hand with the bat. We were such spoilt brats that we pined for openers and fast bowlers. We cursed the side for not winning abroad. Such greed.
Economists would probably have predicted the bursting of the bubble. We had a deluge instead. One fine day at Lord's we got a glimpse of two new saviours: Delicate Timing and Immaculate Technique. Suddenly my group of eight friends was split into two camps. You were either with Ganguly or Dravid. In that period we even took Kumble and Tendulkar for granted. It was adolescent indulgence taken to the extreme.

When we played cricket on the streets, we had a number of choices. Left-handers were thrilled, defensive batsmen were happy, extravagant stroke-makers were delighted, the short boys didn't need to feel left out anymore, spectacles became cool, and freaky bowling actions were no more laughed at.
In such a state of bliss did we live our lives. We flunked important exams, shed tears over girls, crashed bikes, had drunken parties, choked on our first cigarettes, and felt utterly confused about our futures. But every time we felt low, we had an escape route. One glimpse of Dada stepping out of the crease, or Jam leaving a sharp bouncer alone, or Kumble firing in a yorker, was an uplifting experience. So what if India lost? Could any of those Pakistani batsmen even dream of batting like Sachin or VVS?

I remember Ganguly and Dravid soaring in Taunton, mainly because it was the day I got my board-exam results. And boy, did that provide some much-needed relief. I remember Tendulkar's blitz against Australia in Bombay because my dad, who thought cricket was a waste of time, sat through every ball. So connected were these cricketers to my growing up.
Now, after close to 20 years, my generation needs to brace itself for this exodus. Some of my friends, crazy as this sounds, have been talking of needing to revaluate their own careers. Others are realising they need to recalibrate their childhood definitions of cricket. "Part of me just died," said a college friend who was the kind of extreme cricket buff who memorised scorecards. "No Dada, no Jumbo. I'm positive I'll stop watching after Sachin and Rahul retire."
These players were not only outstanding cricketers but also great statesmen. However hard they competed, they were always exceptional role models. Now we dread the next wave of brashness and impetuosity. Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth are talented cricketers, but there's no way anyone would want a young kid to emulate either. The younger crop seems worse - a visit to some of their Orkut and Facebook pages tells you enough - and things may only get cruder in a cricket world when you can make a million dollars in a little over three hours.
"Our childhood is ending," said a friend from school, and in some way he was probably spot on. Tendulkar's retirement may mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but for a generation of 25- to 30-year-olds it will mark the end of the first part of their lives. Switching on the television the day after will be a serious challenge.

Raising the Bar

2008-11-08T02:04:00.002+05:30

Once in a while I am sure most of us become quite busy as something or the other seems to come up than the routine we have been used to, work might become hectic, a new project might turn up or even personally we might get held doing things which weren't part of our daily chores. The last few weeks have been quite out of sort to the kind of routine I have been pretty accustomed to. But on the hindsight I just realised how much better we could do, or how much potential has been wasted all the while..
Not that all of us are really like being busy all the time, but it atleast makes you realise that when need arises you would be able to live up to it, it gives you the confidence and belief that you could actually take up new tasks and do it well. And trust me, its some exciting stuff, managing many things simultaneously and small satisfactions derived when you complete those successfully. :)

Happy Diwali

2008-10-28T14:54:00.016+05:30

Few images that capture the essence of Diwali.
Wish you all a very happy Diwali.

Busy to even Blog...

2008-10-17T00:48:00.002+05:30

It's not been long since I have started blogging and phew....just cant imagine how people find time to be so regular with their updates, I know I am not great in time-management but still I think it is a really demanding task.

And some quick updates...was in Alabama for a couple of weeks, hopefully I'll write a post about some nice happenings there and some 'Long time, no see's' with a bunch of close friends there... And this Sunday, the 19th October, my dear akka is tying the knot...Yess...she's finally getting married.. :-) :-( ..

Hope to be more regular and hope I mange things better, I hate it when I do things unplanned, but my plan has never seemed to work.. so I guess I just stopped planning anything...
In hope everything goes on well...

Iphone 3G makes its Indian Debut

2008-09-16T00:35:00.005+05:30

Its been quite a while since many here have been waiting for the official launch of the iPhone. After over an year, the iPhone made its way to the Indian market on the 22th of August. There was quite a fuss even before its pricing was announced due to Apple's strategy to tie-up with Vodafone and Airtel, whether they were actually trying to come up with a similar plan as with AT&T, would it be subsidised?, its operator specific carrier lock and many more doubts prevailed.

Finally when the price was announced just a couple of days before the launch, many people who were serious of buying the iPhone were terribly disappointed to say the least. Mainly, because Apple had famously launched the 3G version with advertisements saying 'Half the price, double the speed'. Iphone which was considered to be expensive for $199 itself, for the fact that AT&T's plan for many was a rip off. People here had no idea about how plans work there were expecting a similar pricing for the Indian market as well, but it came as a shock that it was almost 3 times the price they claimed the 3G to be.

There were people even trying to justify the price . One article I read, Iphoneindiablog.com has come up with a detailed explanation as to why its better to buy the iPhone in India. Even if it makes sense that after a couple of years we might eventually end up paying the same price, we are quite acquainted paying monthly rentals rather than paying it all in one go. I am not sure if Apple's got any intentions of reducing the price, but for sure once the initial excitement is gone, the iPhone would definitely not become as popular as the iPod. With several competitors pushing their R&D's hard to compete with the iPhone, its going to be tough atleast here in India when people look for phones with maximum utilities.

Atleast for me who was waiting so long for the iPhone, am in two minds just because of the price, not about affordability, but just hoping Apple to change the way the go about things. The entire concept of iTunes, Appstore et all will take time to get used to, to make full use of the features the phone has to offer, no point having a pen when there's nothing to write on....

Google's new Browser -- Finally !!

2008-09-05T01:17:00.007+05:30

Google have finally launched their Web browser called 'Chrome', there have been rumours for a long time now about Google's browser, their OS and a so called Google Phone. Not sure, how true the other two are but am sure that Google are coming up in a huge way particularly targeting the likes of Microsoft.

For people who use a lot of internet, the browser is so important. You look for simple things in a browser which can help you in your browsing experience, I am sure a lot of people switched to firefox for its ease and for the Add-ons available for almost anything to do with a browser. Google has certainly lived up to its hype in creating a browser.

The Chrome has a lots of simple yet powerful features.

First of all its open source and it has a embedded JVM.

Other notable features are its entire new look tabs, a feel of a bigger page (no menu bar), theres something what Google calls the Omnibox, which is an Address bar, but does much more than what a FireFox or an IE address bar does, it is like the 'Auto-suggest' feature in Google search, it will literally suggest you a large quantity of things, making your browsing experience even better. As a matter of fact it will suggest you: sites you have not visited yet, sites you have already visited, popular website and more. It also lets you type keywords which will be associated to specific websites speaking about the topic you wish to read.

The Home Page of the Chrome is something which is very useful, well thought of feature, it lists your most frequently visited pages as a 9 screenshot thumbnail, more likely than not you might click one of them, and the best part is all your bookmarks are also part if the home screen, your bookmarks are displayed as a list in the right of the page.

Theres something called the 'Incognito' mode in the Chrome, meaning ultra safe browsing, you no longer have to worry about any cookies, harmful websites, etc. Your computer will be left untouched in this mode.

Also the browser speed seems to be faster than Firefox, downloading is integrated within the browser, which makes browsing really simple.

People used to Google will love the browser for its ease of use, some exciting features and of course the Google factor. In days to come I am sure the Chrome will provide stiff competition to Firefox and IE. I somehow like the Safari as well, but it took sometime to get used to the browser as there are some basic differences which makes you uncomfortable for a while, but I should say Chrome is something anyone can figure out the first time they use it.

People running on windows, do give it a try...Mac users got to wait for some more time

Download Chrome here

Soo true....

2008-08-30T04:49:00.001+05:30

Thailaivar Esshhttlyyee!!!

2008-08-17T01:32:00.002+05:30

Comfort today, lazy tomorrow??

2008-08-14T21:25:00.006+05:30

Right from our childhood we in the process of growing up, also gather a set of constricting habits- be it good ones or bad, but traps us in a zone of supposed comfort.....In some cases it becomes so predominant that we start performing well below our true potentials. Further letting them grow makes a impression in our consciousness, which will play an important role in our outlook of our life's.

These things might start off in a very insignificant manner, which we might not even think of seriously. There’s even nothing specially wrong with those habits as such. They probably worked for us in the past. But now it’s time to step over them and go into the wider world of your unused potential.

There isn't any fixed future path that one follows to lead life. Despite all the helpful advice from parents, teachers and elders, each of us must make our own way in the world, doing the best we can and quite often getting things wrong. Messing up a few times isn’t that big a deal. But if you get scared and try to avoid all mistakes by sticking with just a few “tried and true” methods, you have no idea of the number of opportunities you are letting go. Lots of people who experience boredom in life/work are probably doing this to themselves. They’re bored and frustrated because that’s what their choices have caused them to be. People who never make mistakes never make anything else either.

Some points which might help :

Success Formulas keep changing
I can't even prepare a cup of tea/coffee to taste the same consecutive times, so don't expect something to work out just because it has sometime in the past. Keep looking for better alternatives and importantly more efficient ways of doing things.
Just for a start try to do something everyday/every week which you haven't done in the past, however trivial it might be.

Self-Assessment
I think this is an important aspect in every stage you grow up. One might not be conscious of things we start doing in a regular basis, so even bad things bad seem to be right to us and it becomes really difficult to trying to refrain yourself from doing in a latter stage. Something atleast as addictive as nicotine or cocaine.

Be who you are
It’s easy to assume that you always have to fit in to get on in the world; that you must conform to be liked and respected by others or face exclusion. Because most people want to please, they try to become what they believe others expect, even if it means forcing themselves to be the kind of person they aren’t, deep down.
You need to start by putting yourself first. You’re unique. We’re all unique, so saying this doesn’t suggest that you’re better than others or deserve more than they do. You need to put yourself first because no one else has as much interest in your life as you do; and because if you don’t, no one else will. Putting others second means giving them their due respect, not ignoring them totally. Keeping up a self-image can be a burden. Hanging on to an inflated, unrealistic one is a curse. Give yourself a break.

If you’re maybe not as wonderful as you’d like to be, you aren’t nearly as bad as you fear either. The releif when you know yourself really does set you free; free to work on being better and to forgive yourself for being human; free to express your gratitude to others and recognize what you owe them; free to acknowledge your feelings without letting them dominate your life. Above all, you’ll be free to understand the truth of living: that much of what happens to you is no more than chance. It can’t be avoided and is not your fault. There’s no point in beating yourself up about it.

What is holding you in situations and actions that no longer work for you often isn’t inertia or procrastination. It’s the power of habitual ways of seeing the world and thinking about events. Until you can let go of those old, worn-out habits, they’ll continue to hold you prisoner.

If you can accept the truth about the world and yourself, change whatever is holding you back, and get on with a fresh view on life, you’ll find that single action lets you open the door of your self-imposed prison and walk free. There’s a marvelous world out there. You’ll see, if you try it.

A big salute to Jobs

2008-08-11T21:59:00.010+05:30

Now I know why people call him a great personality....

Jobs in a speech to Stanford Grads, no wonder they turned out successful. :)

You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Good One

2008-08-10T08:36:00.003+05:30

My name is alice smith and i was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. i noticed his dds diploma,which bore his full name.

Suddenly, i remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 30-odd years ago.

Could he be the same guy that i had a secret crush on, wayback then? Upon seeing him, however, i quickly discarded any such thought.

This balding, grey-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old tohave been my classmate. after he examined my teeth, i asked him if he hadattended morgan park high school'

Yes. yes, i did. i'm a mustang,' he gleamed with pride.

'When did you graduate?' i asked.He answered , 'in 1975. why do you ask?'

'You were in my class!', i exclaimed.

He looked at me closely. Then, ,grey-haired, decrepit son-of-a-bitch asked:'

'What did you teach ???.'

Spotted - Sarvam Crew and Trisha ;)

2008-08-06T21:42:00.005+05:30

I probably wouldn't have written this post..but the events which lead me to this shoot was really unusual. Monday being my weekly off (courtesy- Tamil Nadu Govn. and their power problems), was as boring as it could get and I was kind of restless for the fact that I didn't have any plans for the day and the thought of spending a really boring day would do no good for the week to come, my ADSL modem had conked - so no Internet, everyone were busy in their own world- being the first day of the week, so just to break the boredom, thought I'll catch up a movie.

Finished lunch and somehow persuaded my friend to accompany me for the movie, finally we headed to a movie theater nearby. Got tickets, and were all set to spend about 3 hours of the days time. But then, after an hour, got a call from home that a person had come to attend the broadband complaint I had lodged about a week or two before. Just gave him instructions over the phone, to change the modem, again after half an hour, that guy calls me again and says, 'Sir I have replaced the modem but still your Internet is not working'. With no one else at home, I was forced to get back home, as everyone at home could not do without the Internet. So left the movie halfway and got back home. Guess this is after a long time I walked out from a movie halfway.

Seems like the guy who was home had never worked on Vista before. He was like install a fresh copy of your OS and it should be working fine. Just configured my network settings, and finally somehow managed to get it working. After missing out on the second half of the movie, atleast this had to happen. Was just wondering what a bad day it had been.. Then switched on the PS for some time pass, even that was a disaster, lost all the matches I played. Then decided that we'll go out for lunch.

Bored of going to the usual places, we wanted to try out something new. So we basically loitering around not knowing where to go. First we headed to ECR, then thought there's no point going that far and were back to adyar very soon, then thiruvanmiyur, it was getting really frustrating for the fact that both of us were really hungry and we just came out for a casual lunch. Then we thought, we have had enough of it and decided to go to Besant Nagar.

Finally we reached there, and on the other end of the road, something seemed to be going on. About four people were there trying attach something on to a bicycle, we also noticed couple of plastic chairs which was quite unusual in a beach on a Monday afternoon. We thought it would be a shoot for some TV shows, as there was absolutely no excitement there whatsoever. We just had a lazy walk to the other end of the road to have a look. We were surprised to see Arya and VishnuVardhan there...Aah! I knew it was the shooting of Sarvam. Me being a good fan of Trisha was waiting to catch a glimpse of her, but then she wasn't to be seen anywhere there. So we were on our way back, where we spotted a brand new 5 series, I know for a fact that Trisha owns one, so thought we'll wait for some more time.. After about 5 minutes or so, Trisha was there, dressed in a green salwar, she was looking real pretty.

The scene they shot, both Arya and Trisha riding two bicycles, Trisha getting hit by a vehicle and hurts herself. Think the shooting would have gone on for around 3 or 4 hours. Really wonder how these people do some boring stuff like riding a kiddie bicycle, worse part it went on for more than 10 takes.. Phew! I'm tired... Finally we skipped our lunch plan, just had an ice cream and a coffee. For how my day started, would say it became slightly more exciting watching Trisha and the shooting.

But it didn't last long, for that night we had booked tickets to watch Kuselan, think that pretty much sums it up. End of the day I just hoped all holidays gets this exciting.. :)

By default we aren't programmed right, something has to tell us we are Wrong

2008-08-03T21:10:00.002+05:30

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.

"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me."
"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own.

"At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Friendship's Day Special

2008-08-03T19:29:00.003+05:30

I have a list of folks I know...all written in a book,And every now and then..I go and take a look.

That is when I realize these names... they are a part,not of the book they're written in...but taken from the heart.

For each Name stands for someone...who has crossed my path sometime,and in that meeting they have become...the reason and the rhyme.

Although it sounds fantastic...for me to make this claim,I really am composed...of each remembered name.

Although you're not aware...of any special link,just knowing you, has shaped my life...more than you could think.

So please don't think my greeting...as just a mere routine,your name was not...forgotten in between.

For when I send a greeting...that is addressed to you,it is because you're on the list...of folks I'm indebted to.

So whether I have known you...for many days or few,in some ways you have a part...in shaping things I do.

I am but a total...of many folks I've met,you are a friend I would prefer...never to forget.

I'm sure you'll do better as a sculptor than an architect

2008-08-02T21:04:00.006+05:30

I am sure many of us complain of how miserable our life's have been, many things might not have worked out as planned, or something unexpected might have happened..... But in most cases we forget to understand that we are the ones responsible for what we are today, well if you are unhappy doing something today, its probably because you are bored of doing it or the fact that you aren't able to advance as fast as you hoped to. But, remember that you chose to do it one day in hope of achieving something.

A superficial look at anything is tempting at first sight, not indulging in it is one part, but say you are really keen on pursuing it, (be it whatever say learning a sport, choosing a profession, aspiring to be someone). The mistake all of us do is that we always tend to see the good things which are associated with it, but we fail to see all the hard work, the effort, time, patience which has one has gone through to be what they are today. The result, right from day one things do not go on as we might have dreamt of or say what we expected, but then it is not that you are the only one going through all this, if you set an ambition, then you should realise that this is Step One of achieving it.

I say this because right from day one, we tend to think that we are going in the wrong direction or rather lead in the wrong direction. It becomes natural for all of us to crib about it because we think that this is not what we are destined for. Say, you do something without an option, you tend to think like a pessimist right from the beginning because you didn't have an option to chose. But say you keep doing it for sometime now and are still unhappy about it, reason being you never really saw yourself doing it. I know people who have felt miserable that they didn't get what they wanted... but then they never had a Plan B or a Plan C for backup. The result they miss out all the fun and experience which they would have otherwise had doing the same thing, you might have actually even started to like what you were doing if not for the attitude with which you started off in the beginning. Without knowing realities we tend to judge things.

Now then, coming back to the topic.... all of us have opportunities, some of us see them others miss them because they weren't bothered to look out for them.

It is like we are thrown into a pool, with someone telling you that "I've been in that water before; I figured out how to do it; I'm sure you will." They also put a little ring around you. Whats that? You also heard someone telling you "You know I'm here whenever you need a little help." But basically, it's illusory; the support's not there. Now, the idea is that you'll figure out how to swim on your own. Smart people manage with the resources available and make it to the other end somehow with all the struggle and small failures they went through. And for people who don't make it, you are now forced to learn the same thing in a smaller pool, and maybe even a kiddie pool, and maybe even take you out of the pool for good. I remember Mrs and Mr. Bachchan replying to a question 'Why they haven't launched their son like many others?', for which they replied 'In that case he would have never known what failure is, and would have never know the pleasure of success, or worse, he could have even blamed the failure on us'. So true..

Moral of the story is that you own your own development.

[P.S. Quite reminded of the story where a father teaches a starving son fishing rather than giving him a fish to eat. The result might be you get the fish anyways, but you could just wish that the one fish lasted your entire life.]

Keep the Spark..

2008-07-25T19:09:00.002+05:30

This is the Inaugural Speech by Chetan Bhagat for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program 2008.

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-yearold twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks.. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find.. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing- to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement.

But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday?

They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever.. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you.

But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.

Disappointment’s cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release.

Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a longtime to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you.

In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark..

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of billion sparks.

Monotony of Daily Routine !!

2008-07-25T18:05:00.003+05:30

No I am not talking about work, but the three hour travel back and forth to office...Same roads, same car (OK!! Cab), same driver....and the worst part getting past the same traffic.. I did try to do some innovative stuff everyday, but slowly everything faded and finally back to sleeping and dawdling on the way to work, not that all the sms’s and phone calls helped a lot coz after few days, everyone were like ‘Don’t you have anything better to do??’…Aah!! Well if someone were in my shoes they might well get the answer themselves..

Anyways, ask me anything on route I can probably name every single restaurant, gas station or movie theater there..What useful knowledge?? Well, not that I have a choice avoiding them. There’s this guy whom I see everyday perennially smoking in the same place, same posture ...don no what’s up with him? Everything just seems a part of the monotonous routine .. Wonder how people go through this for years….For I call it waste of time, however the wise men call it EXPERIENCE!!! Phew!! Whatever….

Hilarious stuff...

2008-07-19T01:45:00.002+05:30

Aah! Short of words to describe this one.... Just watch it.

Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

2008-07-19T00:04:00.004+05:30

This is a lecture given by Randy, and it was a part of Carnegie Mellon University’s “last lecture” series, where professors gave the lecture they’d give if, hypothetically, they knew they were going to die. One of the most Inspirational speeches ever... Do read it fully :)

1. You can overcome weaknesses.

In high school, I always had a hard time with the books I had to read for English class. I would read the book and the Cliffs Notes, spend way more time studying than anyone else, and still get a D on the test. It made me feel like a complete retard. One teacher drew a frowny face on my test when I missed three questions in a row. Another teacher wrote “surely you jest” on my essay.
Fortunately there were enough other assignments in English class to prop up my grades, but what about the verbal section of the SAT? There was no way of faking my way through it. My top choice for college, the University of Virginia, was the number one public school in the country at the time. From what I heard, you needed a 600 verbal to have a good chance of getting in. When I first took the PSAT, I only got 450.
This wasn’t fair. Why should I not get into the school I wanted to go to just because I didn’t know what “exigency” and “sybarite” meant, or because some reading passages were so boring I forgot the beginning by the time I got to the end? But what could I do? I studied.
Although it wasn’t fun to practice something I hated, I found that I did get a lot better by memorizing endless vocabulary words and taking many practice tests. Starting with a 450 on my first attempt at the PSAT, I got 470 on my second attempt. Then 540 on my first practice SAT. Then 610 on the real SAT. Then 710 on the GRE. I finished high school with a 4.02 GPA, and I didn’t just get into the University of Virginia; I got in early decision as an Echols Scholar (roughly the top 5% of the incoming class). Not bad for someone who could barely read.

2. Still, it’s usually better to focus on your strengths.

If you’re naturally bad at something, it might take a tremendous amount of effort to become mediocre. But if you’re naturally good at something, it’s relatively easy to become great. It might take a sustained effort over a period of years, but your odds of success are fairly high if you’re truly committed. It’s much easier to stay motivated when you’re good, you know you’re getting even better, and you enjoy what you’re doing.
Life is hard enough already, so play to your strengths. Do you think Tiger Woods should run for president and Hillary Clinton should take up professional golf? They’ll probably get better results the other way around.
Some weaknesses need to be overcome. Let’s say you show talent for being a corporate executive, but you’re not computer literate. You should develop some basic proficiency, so you know how to use email and how to Google something. But you shouldn’t try to become a power user. In the time it takes you to learn as much as today’s 14 year olds know, you could have devised strategies that would save your company millions of dollars.
Your effectiveness depends on your ability to patch up any critical weaknesses, while capitalizing on your strengths.

3. Laughter is the best medicine, but don’t wait until you’re sick.

“There is no greater pleasure than to laugh, no higher purpose than to bring the joy of laughter to others.”
- made up quote, let’s say, England, 1854
As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves by pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” There are funny things happening all around us, all the time. To let them pass unnoticed is a tragic waste. I can’t stand to be around people who never laugh. Laughing makes life way more fun for you, for everyone you come in contact with, and it’s good for your health. What could possibly be more important?

4. Life’s supposed to be way too hard.

I don’t know what particular challenges you’re going through, but surely there are a lot of them. Maybe you’re going through a divorce. Maybe you have health problems. Maybe you’re fighting an addiction. Maybe you hate your job. Maybe you’re overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated. Many people feel like their life is going nowhere, and absolutely everything seems to be going wrong. Life sucks, I get it.
But a lot of the dissatisfaction that people feel comes from comparing their life to some rosy picture in their head. I think the real danger with school is that it teaches people that life is going to be easy. If you get good grades, then you’ll get into a good college, get a good job, earn a good salary, have a big house, wonderful spouse, and 2.5 beautiful kids, and everything will be just peachy, right?
This is what people expect, and they’re surprised when it doesn’t automatically happen. They put in some effort and it still doesn’t happen. They put in even more effort and it still doesn’t happen, and now they think the whole world is against them. But no, that’s just how it’s supposed to be. Life’s not fair, and no one has it easy.
Life is a struggle for all successful people!!

5. Be insanely useful.

I don’t remember where I first heard this phrase, but it’s golden. You’d have to be insane to be useful, right? Why not do the bare minimum like everyone else? It’s easier to be dead weight, isn’t it?
In reality, you don’t have to go the extra mile to stand out. Just going the first mile is unusual. Actually, just leaving the starting gate is above average.
But beyond just doing what can be reasonably expected of anyone, why not go that extra mile? I’m not saying to let other people walk over you, but in many cases the extra mile doesn’t take much effort. If your boss asks you for the status of the ABC report, instead of just saying “I don’t know, that’s not my thing,” spend two minutes finding out what the deal is, and let them know. It’s worth spending two minutes to come off looking like part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
When the receptionist at my workplace orders lunch for everyone, she sends out an email asking people to come by and sign up for what they want. But they never do. They wait until the “last call” a couple of days later, or wait until it’s too late and then complain that they didn’t get what they want. When those emails come out, I’m always the first to sign up, because it’s easier for everyone to just do it and be done. And the receptionist is extra nice to me because of it. Just for signing up for lunch!

6. People change, but that’s OK.

I realized that people come in and out of our lives all the time, and even if someone sticks around, your relationship will eventually change.
Think of the people you spend most of your time with. For most of you, this will be immediate family and coworkers. Out of all your coworkers, how many of them did you know five years ago? How many of them will you still be in touch with five years from today? Those relationships have a purpose for now, but they’re not meant to last.
Even among your close friends and family members, your relationships will change. This is especially true if you don’t have regular contact with them. Childhood friends of yours who you now see only a couple of times a year seem different now, don’t they? That’s because they are different. Or maybe you don’t realize that you’re the one who’s different now.
Everyone you know has a purpose in your life, but in most cases you’ll eventually outgrow that purpose and need to move on. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

7. You are a god among gods.

This idea comes from The Science Of Being Great by Wallace D. Wattles, who wrote:
“You are a god, but you are among gods…Think of yourself as a perfect being among perfect beings, and meet every person as an equal, not as either superior or an inferior.”
Don’t become a victim of self-sabotage. It’s useless to tell yourself that you can’t do something, because you’ll only try to prove yourself right. You are a god, and you are capable of much more than you think.
But you are also among gods. Don’t be condescending or disrespectful to others, no matter who they are. You’re not better than anyone else, because they’re gods too.

8. Rocky is the best movie ever.

Easily my favorite movie, it’s impossible not to be inspired by this story of a hopeless underdog taking his one shot at glory. There’s never a dull moment as Rocky strives to redeem his wasted life, free Adrian from her social prison, save Paulie from the burden of taking care of her, and give Mickey something to live for again.
When a stroke of fate gives Rocky a chance at the world heavyweight championship, he has no delusions about his likelihood of winning. All he wants is to go the distance, to hear that bell ring and still be standing, and know for the first time in his life that he’s not just another bum from the neighborhood. And after he does, he doesn’t want to be interviewed, he doesn’t want to know who won, he just wants Adrian.
Sylvester Stallone wrote the script after watching the second-rate boxer Chuck Wepner nearly go the distance against Muhammad Ali. Despite having an incredibly hard time finding someone willing to produce it with him in the lead role, he persisted. Complications forced last-minute changes to the script, and early critics panned the movie for bad acting, bad directing, and being overly sentimental. Still he persisted, being the only one who believed in what he had.
The producers panicked when it went over budget at $1.1 million, thinking they would never get their money back. But Rocky shattered all expectations to pull in $117 million and receive 10 Oscar nominations with 3 wins, including Best Picture.

9. Don’t die with your music still in you.

The one thing I can promise you is that you will die. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but the day is closer than you think. Don’t waste a second waiting for your real life to begin. The time is now.
I’d rather fail and have the dignity of having tried, than give up and be a total loser and have it be my fault. I won’t die with my music still in me, and you shouldn’t either.

And Finally!!!!

2008-07-18T04:41:00.005+05:30

It's almost an year since I created this blog and thats about it.. All this while I have been figuring out what a blog is all about and what do people have to write about everyday.., but then, after reading soo many recently, from Aamir’s to the Big B’s to Chinmayi's to Raymond.CC's.. I figured out it isn’t a big deal….Jus keep it simple..

P.S. : Well I created this one way before all this hype about blogging and stuff, but then its now that I have really started or atleast plan to do so…

INDIA WORLD TWENTY 20 CHAMPIONS

2007-09-25T20:44:00.003+05:30

There was no time to chew finger-nails or even think of thumping hearts as India's bowlers dug deep in their self-belief in successfully defending its low total of 157 for five to lay its hands on the ICC World Twenty20 crown with an emotional five-run victory over Pakistan at the magnificent Wanderers Cricket Stadium.
There could not have been a more hard-fought contest than this one, with there being many heroes again, the team being the biggest. Gautam Gambhir (75) and Rohit Sharma (30 not out) managed the Indian innings at either end of the 20 overs and helped India to 157. Rudra Pratap Singh and man of the match Irfan Pathan took three wickets each to keep India in the hunt.
Pakistan had its stellar performers too. Umar Gul led the bowling as Pakistan kept India's batsmen in check; the two spinners Mohammed Hafeez and man of the series Shahid Afridi were instrumental in applying the brakes in second quarter of the Indian innings. And when it batted, opener Imran Nazir (33) and Misbah-ul-Haq (43) kept their chins up.
India's two left-arm seamers made the difference between winning and losing, when the bowlers were left the task of defending 157. With Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading the team with a calm and assured head, the team embraced the never-say-die spirit to keep Pakistan at bay, especially after Nazir gave the chase a fantastic start with 21 runs off S Sreesanth's first over
Pathan finished with three for 16 – a perfect response to Gul's figures of three for 28. He claimed the wickets of Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi in an over to swing the game India's way until Misbah-ul-Haq waded into Harbhajan Singh by hitting the off-spinner for three sixes in an over. The faster bowlers returned to stop the Pakistanis in their track.
With Sohail Tanvir also claiming two sixes of Sreesanth, Pakistan was in the chase but the fast bowler claimed his revenge and then bowling the final over, Joginder Sharma got Misbah-ul-Haq to play the lap shot to the man at short fine leg to complete an amazing win and cap a tournament in which the Indians died several deaths but refused to give in.
There really was no time to do anything but keep eyes on the ball during the thrill-a-minute contest that advertised the beauty of T20 cricket.

JOY OF TECH

2007-09-22T00:13:00.000+05:30

YUVRAJ SINGH'S SAVAGE ASSAULT

2007-09-20T01:20:00.003+05:30

Yuvraj Singh's savage assault on Stuart Broad made him the first batsman to hit six sixes in an over in Twenty20 internationals and the fourth in senior cricket. Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri did it in first-class matches, Herschelle Gibbs in the World Cup and now Yuvraj.