Thus Spake Chennai

This post is part of the blog tag titled, The CBC Tablog where CBC stands for Chennai Bloggers club. About 35 bloggers from Chennai are participating  in this blog tag where everyone will write about their favorite city Chennai and what it means to them.  Well I've differed it a bit and tried to put myself in her shoes and spoken from Chennai in my typical 55 words or less. So here's my post for the CBC tablog. 

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I started with kids afew

Adopting millions over years together

Having grown richer and bigger with age.

My kids have loved me, hated me

And kept molding me to accustom to their lifestyles,

Some I’ve been proud of

While despised some others

But complained to none

Neither as erstwhile Madras nor being Chennai.

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I'd like to pass this marathon baton further and here's someone who states and I quote "I came I saw I blog, I think I blog, I blog, @vadapoche on twitter" 

Neethaane En Ponvasantham - A Review

Prologue 

    Here I am up for a movie review dissection, after a long time. I would generally go about doing this when I feel cheated for the money I paid to watch the movie and not to sugar coat about every movie that I watch. There would be lots of reasons each time for watching a movie, well for Neethaane En Ponvasantham there were just two reasons that drew me to watch it. One, umpteen people calling this movie a good for nothing and waste of time on release day, by all possible expletives all over the social media and two, being witness to quite a lot  of tearing down of Ilayaraja music too.

Gold Vasantham

• As I write this, 24 hours since the end credits and I still could relate a lot to the yearn  expressed by Varun & Nithya for each other.
• Excellent makeover of Jiiva to be cast across aging periods which I think Gautham has already mastered this through his Vaaranam Aayiram. Samantha casting was pretty good too, just that I felt I couldn't see that age shift in persona in the other friends casting though.
• The Maestro is truly the Maestro PERIOD

Gold Covering Vasantham

• Well Gautham has tried to explain relationship issues (what's new in it? Well it is realistic and more importantly leaves a "I've been at that situation sometime" image  in minds of many in relationships, on date) to a folklore who either can't understand the subtleties of relationship realities or ardent fans of pure cinematic fictional love.
• At many places the scenes are sort of abstract and the connect would have to be perceived and rather not obviously spoon-fed. Well in this age of 'Smart' Phones & its (dumb) Users, movies that needs to perceived are scored down especially if its a tamil movie.
• Movies with blending songs that touch base and fly off, no dream sequence songs and what the fcuk? not even a shred of heroic fights, hey listen director off you go elsewhere if you want to succeed with such movies cos this is a land where one cannot live without most of it, NO MATTER WHAT.
• Ahh another sticking point: The pace of the movie. Come on Gautham go run, you are lagging way behind the likes of Sprinters Dharani, Hari, Perarasu et al. Well the crowd is always tuned for a 100m sprint while you present a marathon.
• Posters with tagline "This could be your love story" invites the "Oh ho, let me see if it is" people flocking into theaters only to be bewildered that it truly is, while the movie gets to be looked upon as a stark & shocking material thereafter leading to furore & scathing  on social forums, at large.

Bottomline

     In the name of Neethaane En Ponvasantham, Gautam Vasudev Menon has attempted being a Director Shankar on relationships (where the message is shouted, pleaded and tried to be passed on to all the viewers but ends up in vain). However sadly most of the audience expected a full course Dessert all along but they were served with bitter (truths) main courses which made them either puke or lose the interest for the (perceived) Dessert.

Who Am I? #10

Series Synopsis - Blog Link / FB Link

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Historical accounts dates back my origin

to the Bronze age

but 

I ain't a metal.

Martial arts, military forces & machines 

have me in common.

To the desperate & insane 

I gave the power to liberate souls

however

I've been very supportive to the rest 

who has sought my help.

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Series Synopsis - Blog Link / FB Link

Who Am I? #9

Series Synopsis - Blog Link / FB Link

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I'm no philosopher but

I help in attaining salvation.

A part of the world flourishes 

because of my existence in abundance.

I amuse even magicians 

by my vanishing acts.

At times of chaos & protests

I come real handy.

The commoners are in dire need

while experts

try to find alternatives to me.

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Series Synopsis - Blog Link / FB Link

Lost & Found

The following story is a real life incident shared for 

The Mahindra XUV500 "Incredible Story Contest" 

by Indiblogger

                           "It was July 2010 when I got the HTC  Touch Viva phone for myself and it was a period where not many people recognized HTC as a brand of mobile and interpreted HTC as some korean handset. It was my habit to fiddle around with the Windows with some third-party softwares and apps and my HTC with Windows Mobile on it was no different as well. The happy period with this phone existed until the 20th of Nov, 2011 when I carelessly left the phone at the dining hall of my cousin's marriage reception. As it happens I did not realize that for more than half an hour and my search at every corner of the venue was in vain and I could not locate my mobile. I was so cross at myself for my carelessness. The phone was much invaluable for its rich contact info (for which I did not have a back-up) more than the cost of the mobile.

         I blocked the SIM and stayed disconnected without a mobile for a week, which my mom could not tolerate any further cos she was used to calling me at least thrice daily and she could not stay without doing that. Hence I finally got a duplicate SIM and was back online on the GSM world with a spare mobile of my friend. I explored loads of mobile handset reviews and maybe cos of my association with HTC or I did not know why exactly , I was so obsessed with the HTC models and was just pondering over which handset to choose and the HD7s was so very impressive for me and started checking out on who would offer that to me at the lowest price. With the history of my previous phone and the cost of the phone I was eying for now, the elders back home, in their usual predictable manner raised questions like  "Why go for another costly phone and maybe lose it again?"  "Why not go for a basic mobile handset?" etc etc..!!! With so many against in me buying the HD7s, I was deferring the buying process.

       It was 3rd Jan,2012 evening and my mom showed me her mobile asking me to have a look at a weird SMS she had got the previous day. The SMS sent a shock through my spine as it remainded me of those days when I had browsed the internet for my Windows Mobile apps and had installed a software that claimed to send an SMS of our choice to the mobile number of our choice if someone removes my SIM and puts another SIM. The SMS had the exact content which I had specified in that software when I had installed it. As I did not test if it was working, I was very unclear on how it is working after a month of me having lost it. I was in a state of "Will this happen for sure and will I get back my mobile?". With those thoughts running repeatedly our part of investigation started and within an hour we had the complete details of the SIM. We approached the police and they promised us that they will recover the phone in a day or two and get it to us and advised us not to contact that number.

       With the thoughts of the HTC reverberating in the mind, day in and day out I could not sleep well since the day I saw that SMS. I had a chance to go to my cousins' place (in who's marriage reception I had lost the mobile) and I told them of the developments about my HTC. My uncle who was less observant till then suddenly inquired again on the name and address of the SIM. When he heard it again he exclaimed that there was person at his workplace with the same name and similar area of residence. We checked out the reception video and the time he came to the reception and had dinner coincided with the time I had left my mobile. With the new development, my uncle promised me that he will check the details of that person and if it matches, its going to be a piece of cake to recover from him. With a sigh of some relief I went back home. The next day he called me and said none of the info which I had given matched with the company records of the person with the same name and hence he concluded that probably its a mere coincidence and asked to me push with the police to recover the mobile soon.

     The police (as one would come to know with experience) were postponing the errand stating they would do the next day, for some three days. After having been fed up of their response, I told another uncle of mine regarding the status and he said he would call the number directly and recover the mobile soon. I got the news after a few hours that the man promised to return the mobile asap. On asking for the details of how he was nabbed, my uncle narrated that he had called the person and threatened him stating that his entire call history since the time he put on this SIM has been traced and he had no chance to escape. The guy on the other side pleaded not guilty stating that he was working at a reputed firm for years and had a clean track record. To his misfortune the company he mentioned was indeed the same company where my cousin's father worked and he was indeed the same guy whom we already suspected from the reception video. My uncle called that guy again with my other uncle and that person's boss listening to the conversation, staying muted on the line and him without knowing who were on the line mentioned the same thing to my uncle and then both of them came off the mute and a deal was struck and he pleaded guilty finally and promised to return the phone and phew....here I am back with my good old HTC yet again....!!!"

Old Whine in Another Bottle

Yet another year passed by.

It was an eventful year 

of

daily agony 

to a section of society

grown bigger than last year.

Suddenly everybody seemed abuzz 

in celebratory mood

&

it took me a few a minutes to realize

Women's Day was the culprit.

All I could still relate to was only

Prostitutionalization

The Leap

Here you are,

one of earliest known epitomes 

explaining that four quarters makes a full.

I was never the same last time

 nor will be the same next time I see you.

Neither have I looked forward for your arrival,

nor have I missed you

but

you've always been so special

by your existence.

The Promise

It takes months to conspire.

A few think alone while 

some discuss with people, 

for days together.

Minutes of contention 

within one's own self 

followed by

propagation of the decision to the entire world.

A few seconds/minutes/days it holds

&

finally that resolution gets broken.

And hence begins yet another new year!!!