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Hack the world

2012-01-21T22:14:00.001+05:30

This photo is here to make this post look good but it is actually about the director, that guy Sudhish R Kamath.

The madness and methods of Sudhish Kamath, a friend?

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This is not a review of Good Night|Good Morning, the second feature film of Sudhish R Kamath, The Hindu's film critic and old ummm friend ... well, sort of, read on to find out.

This is more about the madness and methods of a guy whom I have known for quite some time. And it is personal, and an attempt to offend the guy who has offended thousands if not millions, yet.

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Sudhish, wtf is Sudhish?

The first time I heard about Sudhish was when he wrote for a neighbourhood newspaper called ‘Metro Ads,’ a weekly free neighbourhood newspapre that in circulated in Anna Nagar quite a few years back. *Coughs.

I must have been in class XI then (please dont ask the exact year because I would feel even older than I am feeling now), and there was this gossip column that appeared in the paper. It was quite the rage because of the candid disclosures it made.

Sudhish always loved to be cheeky and thrives in shocking his audience.

The column was a weekly appraisal on which school guy was hitting it off romantically with the school girls in the locality. One particular all-girl’s school figured prominently and whatever he wrote was grist to the rumour mill that churned for the rest of the week.

I remember this distinctly because one of my friends, a classmate and neighbour who later became good friends with Sudhish in college, figured a lot in those columns.

Sudhish was smart and never named anyone. So he came up with ways, basically hacked his way around the system, so that every one knew but none could complain. If I remember right he sometimes put the real names, and added a tag 'names changed'.

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You hacker, you

There was even more drama when I came to face to face with Sudhish for the first time.

The setting was Le Park inter-school cultural competitions, and both our schools were competing. Le Park, organised then by the Lions Club, was one of the most happening competitions in the city. Every student worth his salt wanted to take the stage one way or the other. I was there with my gang, and had a third prize to show in the elocution contest.

But what good is a third prize when there were tons of girls to impress?

Our big chance was the Dumb Charades contest. Three of us in a team. I was the movie buff and knew the names of literally every movie possible. The two others were good prompters. (One of the two, rather shockingly, is today a genetic scientist in the US; The other, thankfully, is a lot closer home, a software engineer who organises theatre workshops in Hyderabad.)

We were within striking distance of winning the first prize, having qualified in the preliminaries that featured 150 teams. So there were 10 teams in the finals, so it was only logical to think that there was a one in a ten chance.

Only this team of three, featuring a lanky “pencil fellow”, made it a contest for just the second and the third place.

I clearly remember the tie-breaker question. It was ‘Terminator’ and Sudhish’s team got it in less than one second. Every one else was flabbergasted. One of his team-mates, the prompters, just pointed to his nose, and Sudhish and his team-mate yelled out ‘Terminator’. It was not like Arnold had the best nose in showbiz. Really.

The bastards had hacked the contest. They had prepared a list of ready clues to give away the most popular movies, while the rest of us were working on it the conventional way.

We walked away eventually with the third prize, but I never quite forgot or forgave Sudhish for a very long time.

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Who needs twitter to socialise, not Sudhish

My team never quite gave up. We wanted to win dumb charades, and that too on Sudhish's turf.

Sudhish had somehow managed to put together his school culturals in such a way that it would rival Le Park. There was just a bit more pixie dust than what other schools would do. And it was my no.1 wish to win the Dumb Charades competition at his school. So much so that at one stage, me and my team developed an entire language to work to our advantage.

But my school principal, concerned about my failing grades, prevented me from participating in the event. This was my single biggest regret about my school life, even bigger than the regret about my grades in class XII. But then that becomes my story, and this post is about Sudhish.

He always had this marketing blitz about him. Networking with people, forever finding ways around challenges. I am sure his school buddies will still recall the sort of grandeur that his school put out for the culturals. And I am sure he had a major role to play even back then. I am talking pre-Twitter, pre-Facebook days.

Circumstances took me away to a village in Kanchipuram for my college years, and I would not meet Sudhish for some years. But every weekend that I came back to city to catch up with what was happening with my friends, there was always the odd mention of this Sudhish Kamath going on and doing some small wonders in the college culturals’ scene. He managed to do things that got him noticed, sometimes I suspect even got him into trouble.

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My role as an extra in TFLW

When we eventually did become colleagues in The Hindu a few years later, we had very different approaches to journalism and writing. I was a bit idealistic in the topics I took up, Sudhish was a bit of the cheeky entertainer he always was. There have been number of occasions he would urge me to loosen up, have some fun.

And then there was this burning desire of his to make a movie. All of us have had one of two dreams: to play cricket or to make a movie. Sudhish just held on to his dream a lot harder.

I remember the madness that I was a part of, when he made the climax for his first feature film “TFLW” (That Four-Letter Word). I was an extra in the scene because I had a car. It was way past midnight, and we were to shoot a car chase near Anna Nagar roundtana.

We were supposed to have gotten a police permission for this, but that late in the night, the fear was if some resident would report us in for unlawful assembly. Once again, Sudhish was hacking his way around, trying to make his movie no matter what. Here is his ranty take on giving it all for the sake of movie-making.

Which is precisely what I told him, after the premier of ‘TFLW’ at the Film Chamber Theatre near Gemini flyover in Chennai. I think I was the first to tell him: “Machan, You did it.” I think he was a bundle of nerves. “Did what,” he asked jocularly.

I honestly did not pay much attention to the movie as the show rolled on. I dont even know if it was because I found the movie boring. All I could think of was “he has done it … he has actually made a movie and made people watch it.”

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What about GN|GM?

I have already watched it a few months back, and have told him that he has come to grips with the medium and made a movie that is engaging. I did not contribute in any meaningful way to the movie. Although I do think maybe I would have helped a little bit with The Matrix quote. We did talk heck of a lot about that movie. I never know where he gets his inspirations from.

If you want to know more about what the critics are saying: sample this from Indian Express, Outlook, The Hindu, Times of India and TwitchFilm.

This post is just a sample of the madness and the methods of a friend. Not my best friend, mind you, but a good friend nevertheless. There have been times when I have disagreed with him.

But there is one thing I can tell about him: He has been always full of his movies and his ideas, and seldom spoke about anything else over the years. Well, almost ...

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And, lest I forget, did Sudhish remember me from Le Park?

Actually he did.

A good few years after we became colleagues, out of the blue one day, he asked me: “Machan, you do know that it was me at Le Park”.

I smiled and cliched his hand. “Of course da, who can forget, those were the good times.”

I was thinking: “You bastard, I will never forgive you.”

Things I miss while being the boss!

2009-03-30T22:05:00.005+05:30

bitching about my boss: this has to rank the highest. There is nothing like a good bitching session behind your boss's back. It's absolute necessity after a hard day's work and also instant catharsis
acting like you are working: okay. this a bit dicey. when u are the boss, u don't have to act all the time! You can choose not to work. But it takes the fun away because nobody is bothered.
coming up with excuses: this is the best part of reporting to someone else. he knows u are lying, you know you are lying, everybody else knows u are lying ... but even god agrees if there is pure joy in working, it is in coming up with the most implausible excuses and getting away with it.
Making fun of your boss's quirks: I would have put this as the first point. But you would have called the bluff then, knowing this is what its all about. I tend to laugh in hiccups sometimes. And I never realised it when I was reporting to someone else! So you see.
The "If I were" feeling: One of the greatest ways to kid yourself is to think how you would have done things had you been the boss. And when you are the boss, it gets fuzzy!

I have a one-track mind

2009-02-24T15:47:00.004+05:30

Yes, I do. And it about time every one knew about it.
Till last month, my mind was playing 'Kaise Mujhe Tu Milgaye' from Ghajini. Of late, it is 'Ae Ao Oo' from Billu the hair-dresser.
Whats really weird is that it keeps playing on a loop.

This is a test post for Ala from Jordan

2008-10-23T20:31:00.002+05:30

Alghad - Upload a Document to Scribd

Time to ReinWEnt myself

2008-09-27T15:58:00.002+05:30

ReinWEntion begins October 6. Berlin. International Institute of Journalism.

I want to book my tickets now !!!!

2007-08-14T11:19:00.000+05:30

I am absolutely delighted. Indy has been my favourite Hollywood hero for years. To me, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" remains the quintessential action adventure movie.

Just cannot wait for the Steven-Lucas-Ford magic one last time. But as they say, never say never. I am watching this movie First Day First Show no matter what. I am sure you cannot wait too.

Stop Press! Stop everything, watch this. Now!!!!!

2007-05-30T23:25:00.000+05:30

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/41628/exclusive-trailer-rajni-in-sivaji.html

A New Media experiment

2007-05-19T15:43:00.001+05:30

For more than 2 years, I have been trying to make count the new media training that I underwent in Berlin in summer of 2005.

A recent idea, i cannot even call it an initiative, was to create that would feature web videos and podcasts connected with the print articles. The idea was to cross-promote this blog through the news pages, that way giving the readers who had Internet connectivity 'something extra'.

That is the idea behind http://news360sdegrees.blogspot.com

I even hosted a first web video on an interesting subject. Too bad the cross-linking could not happen with the print article.

If CNN-IBN and NDTV can talk convergence through blogs, why cannot print do the same? Web Video is hip and here to stay. So is podcasting.

I just hope that day is not far when the lines blur between a print, tv and a radio journalist. Web 2.0 offers a lot. It is left to us to make the most of it.

The perfect online promo for an Indian movie

2007-05-13T17:54:00.000+05:30

Have you guys checked out Cheeni Kum promotional website?

I have seen a few sites promoting Hollywood movies and to me, at least, this is the best promo for an Indian movie online. Fantastic teaser. Makes you want to turn up at the cinemas to watch it. Needless to say, Illayaraja once again proves that his remixes are better than any of the new composers', ahem ... ARR included.

Ubuntu - The sub-Saharan philosophy akin to Vasudaiva Kudumbakam

2007-05-02T15:49:00.000+05:30

Ubutu is the Linux Distro that promises to bring forth the 'usability' factor of Linux OS systems that home PC users crave for so much.

But its inspiration, Ubuntu - the Sub-Saharan philosophy is just as interesting. In the Saharan language, Ubuntu means 'Humanity to others' or 'I am what I am because of who we all are'.

The code of conduct for the Ubutu Linux community as well as its ground rules are derived from the philosophy.

The ground rules in short: 1. Be Considerate; 2. Be Respectful; 3. Be Collaborative; 4. When you disagree, consult others; 5. When you are unsure ask for help; and 6. Step down considerably.

Check out the website for more

Why?

2007-04-21T11:13:00.000+05:30

Time's latest issue tries to make 'sense' of the massacre. Must read it.

Dude, Zude looks set to rock!

2007-04-21T09:54:00.000+05:30

My Internet Editor G.Ananthakrishnan, who returned from a trip to Poynter Institute last week, alerted me about www.zude.com, one of the hottest Web 2.0 start ups in discussion at Web 2.0 conference in US.

I took the tour on the site. It seems all set to rock. A nice drag and drop desktop customiser. I hope like all other Web devices, it is not heavy on the resources. It is set to launch on May 1 at a Web Browser near you!

A hero is falling, does anyone care?

2007-04-08T11:27:00.000+05:30

Shambolic.

It is one thing to press the panic button, but should we lose our senses? Sachin is still my hero, I don't care what others might say. I cannot believe people are subscribing to the Gospel according to Greg, as if it is a panacea to all that is wrong. A guy who says he is "partly responsible" is being idolised, a guy who said he is no longer available for Indian Cricket is the man whose vision is all important, a manipulator who smartly used the media to demonise our senior cricketers is a saviour?

And what wrong did Sachin do? True, he did not bat well but it was not as if everyone else was doing anything better. Yesterday, we saw proof that Bangladesh, on their day, could beat any team. We see that a coach - Dav Whatmore - can do more than just shirk responsibility and pass the buck on to players.

What are damning Sachin for? That he earned more money than others? Or maybe that he aspired for captaincy? Since when did those things become such crimes? Just a few weeks back, was he not the 'man of the series' against West Indies? He did not earn those contracts by fluke. Did he go around companies begging for sponsorship?

He has been out of form. Why can't we just drop him from the team? Do we have to damn him every possible way?

I am just reminded of the dialogue from Spider-Man.

Green Goblin: You're an amazing creature, Spider-Man. You and I are not so different.
Spider-Man: I'm not like you. You're a murderer.
Green Goblin: Well, to each his own. I chose my path, you chose the way of the hero. And they found you amusing for a while, the people of this city. But the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying. In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you. Why bother?
Spider-Man: Because it's right.

On the positive side, Sachin can only rise from here.

It's time now to instrospect

2007-04-04T22:51:00.000+05:30

Far from being happy or sad, the entire Chappell-Sachin fiasco calls for deep introspection, not just for the cricket administrators but also fans.

So Greg Chappell has decided to leave, after all. I called for it in my last post and the system seems to have gotten the better of him. But I am sad. Sad that the man did not show gumption to back his pig-headed ego. He has taken the easy way out, something he has advised the cricket administrators and cricketers against.

Make no mistake, Chappell's exit does not leave Indian Cricket in a status quo. Much worse, it leaves it in a deeper crisis. The Australian might not be around, but the dissent he has manufactured for some of the players among a large cross-section of cricket fans will stay. He has succeeded in creating an indelible impression that all is not right in the team and insinuated that some individual players are responsible for the mess. For the suspecting mind, that is enough.

From now on, every single team selection or team decision will be viewed under the microscope. Watching cricket might no longer be fun. Already, every time India or Pakistan loses, the 'in-denial' fan declares that it was fixed. Now he has more conspiracy theories: "the seniors and the captain are not working together"; "there is a divide in the team"; "the players are insecure"; etc.

But the funny thing is, I cannot think of one place where all individuals in a group think alike. Does it happen in your office, your street cricket team or even your family. Do we or do we not face challenges in every walk of life. When there is more than one individual involved, a clash of interests or egos cannot be ruled out. Unless, of course, you are extremely spiritual and have reached a stage where nothing affects you.

The worst outcome of the "Chappell vs Seniors" debacle is the ridge it could create between Dravid vs Sachin, or say Suresh Raina vs Sehwag. Let us hope that good sense prevails.

Hindsight is an arse. But in the absence of any reasonable foresight by any of the parties concerned, it is safe to say, that in hindsight, Chappell could have achieved a lot more if he had controlled his urge to shoot his mouth off and play dirty games through his 'friends' in the media. A bit of understanding of Indian culture would have helped. A little bit of sugar-coated pill to the stars would have been wonderful. It would have been nice if he had been keen to take back something from here as much as he wanted to give.

Above all, he could embraced the virtue that is patience. No one in his right senses expects drastic changes in less than 2 years. And those who expect such changes don't matter any way.

Chappell, sir, you kicked the opportunity of a lifetime to be an amenable coach to a cricket team that has the biggest fan base ever.

And before you point that finger at someone else for that loss, look at your own fingers pointing towards you.

It's the system, Chappell Saab, work within it or get out

2007-04-03T08:58:00.000+05:30

The problem with Greg Chappell, it seems, is he is a master analyst but a pathetic solution-finder.

He should learn to work within the constraints of the system rather than attempt to replace it entirely. Change can happen best in a gradual fashion. You have to show gumption to change the system from within rather than protest and expect drastic measures from the outside. If news reports are reliable, Chappell is asking to get rid of the entire senior frontline. That is not the way we work in India. Sorry.

And, to top it all, Greg, or should I say the Chappell brothers, seem to suffer from third degree "foot-in-the-mouth" disorder.

Remember how Greg started off his stint as a coach declaring "Sachin will never be the player he once was" or how he blabbered in the newspaper to UK Guardian on Sourav Ganguly: "What I didn't realise at that stage was how utterly important to his life and finances being captain was." One could argue that he was speaking the truth. My problem is that he was speaking it. People don't go speaking such things to the press. It is bad man management, a key ingredient for a coach.

I cannot wait for somebody to parody the "Mirror Mirror" fairy tale phrase that Ian Chappell so eloquently borrowed in his article calling for Sachin's retirement. So what would the "truth mirror" say if Ian stood in front of it and asked: "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, have I put my foot in my mouth?" "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, am I an idiot to talk to a mirror?"

Chappell brothers need lessons on the nature of truth. Don't become custodians of truth one day if you want to hide away from it the other.

Truth is Greg is as responsible for the WC debacle as anyone else. But he does not want to stand up and take total responsibility for the situation, which is what leaders do. Instead, he seems to be saying "I am partly responsible" and wants to put the blame on others. He is also doing it covertly through his journalist friends, thinking it is a master strategy that no one will be able to see through. (Ashok Malik of The Pioneer had pointed this folly long back.)

Fact remains he has not shown any tact in trying to nurture a group of players into a winning unit. Something his predecessor John Wright did rather successfully. Remember, Sachin was still considered a spent force at the beginning of the 2003 WC and India had begun rather appallingly, but the team managed to finish as runner-up and Sachin was the batsman of the series by a mile.

So here is the bitter pill for a man who has been giving it for many others.

"Mr.Greg Chappell, you are not such a great coach for Indian Cricket Team, after all.

Mr.John Wright, your predecessor, did not have a great cricketing record like yours. Maybe, on the cricket field in his playing days, he was your poor cousin. But as a coach, he was much better than you.

You failed because of your ambition to project yourself as the one and only saviour of Indian Cricket. You failed because you wanted to project yourself as a coach bigger than the team - something that happens in the Football Premiership. But no, this is not football.

This is cricket. This is India. We are Indians. We don't call our father old man. We are sentimental, we are emotional. That is our strength and weakness.

If possible, work within the system. Otherwise please leave. We promise you a dignified and graceful exit, provided you remove that foot from your mouth and stop playing your tactical games through your 'friends'."

An inspirational ballad

2007-04-02T08:58:00.000+05:30

The soft rock ballad of the 1980s by Peter Gabriel in his album "So". I caught it and the end credits of Denzel Washington-Angelina Jolie starrer "Bone Collector" on HBO. Kind of got hooked to it. Great lyrics, nice music, excellent singing - guaranteed to lift you.

In this proud land we grew up strong
we were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail

no fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my face, I've changed my name
but no one wants you when you lose

don't give up
'cos you have friends
don't give up
you're not beaten yet
don't give up
I know you can make it good

though I saw it all around
never thought I could be affected
thought that we'd be the last to go
it is so strange the way things turn

drove the night toward my home
the place that I was born, on the lakeside
as daylight broke, I saw the earth
the trees had burned down to the ground

don't give up
you still have us
don't give up
we don't need much of anything
don't give up
'cause somewhere there's a place
where we belong

rest your head
you worry too much
it's going to be alright
when times get rough
you can fall back on us
don't give up
please don't give up

'got to walk out of here
I can't take anymore
going to stand on that bridge
keep my eyes down below
whatever may come
and whatever may go
that river's flowing
that river's flowing
moved on to another town
tried hard to settle down
for every job, so many men
so many men no-one needs

don't give up
'cause you have friends
don't give up
you're not the only one
don't give up
no reason to be ashamed
don't give up
you still have us
don't give up now
we're proud of who you are
don't give up
you know it's never been easy
don't give up
'cause I believe there's theres a place
there's a place where we belong

Sample it at the online Amazon music store

A PC to bridge the digital divide

2007-03-28T17:40:00.000+05:30

PC made in Chennai may be the most economical one

Karthik Subramanian

CHENNAI: G. Mani is a Southern Railway employee and resident of Parkavi Apartments in K.K. Nagar in Chennai. Like millions of others in the country, he requires a personal computer for basic Internet connectivity and simple tasks.

Six months ago, he was still deciding whether to invest Rs.30, 000 in a branded PC or shell out Rs.20, 000 for an assembled PC. Both estimates would have taken a large chunk of his middle-class budget.

Then luck smiled on him. Novatium, a Chennai-based company that was developing a Net PC, identified the South Chennai locality to run a pilot test of its low-cost PC.

Mr. Mani's house is now one of 140 homes in Chennai where `Nova Net PC' offers Internet connectivity and computing solutions at affordable rates.

The Net PC primarily scores with its costing. The Net PC package — consisting of the CPU, a 14-inch CRT monitor, a keyboard and a mouse — has been tentatively priced at Rs.4, 450 (roughly $100). When Net PC hits the market at this price, it could well be the most economical home PC ever.

However, Novatium is positioning the device beyond the cost advantage. It is talking about the PC as a home appliance that would offer a no-frills attached comfort of use.

So, what makes it comfortable? For starters, the first generation Nova Net PC is stripped off most hardware that could give rise to complications. The CPU consists of a motherboard, an Ethernet connectivity port to connect to the VLAN, 4 USB ports and a serial port for the monitor. Two of the 4 USB ports are used for the keyboard and mouse. Storage, therefore, will exist remotely on a server managed by Novatium. Each user gets close to 2 GB of space.

Alok Singh, CEO, Novatium Solutions explains: "Nova NetPC is just practical, affordable computing. The reason why conventional computer systems cannot meet your requirements and often your budget is because they are simply office-use computers. Home computing needs are different."

The 140 subscribers have been paying a monthly rental of Rs.449. This enables them to log on to the Internet through either the Windows (Network version) or Linux (Ubuntu) operating systems, run productivity applications — Microsoft Office or Star Office, run educational packages, play games and download content that will be stored in the server.

R. Kalyanaraman, one of the first customers to test the Net PC, says the savings have been phenomenal. "Had I proceeded with my plans to purchase a branded PC, I would have had to pay Rs.40,000 and an additional Rs.3,000 on broadband connection."

For further details, log on to www.novatium.com

From Today's Hindu, by yours truly

Look ma, don't worry. Thalaivar is on his way!

2007-03-26T09:54:00.000+05:30

Intha World Cup defeat ellam forgetya. Thalaivar is coming to cheer us up. In Total Shtyle.

"Rajathi Raja Rajakulathilaka Rajagambeera Rajmarthanda "Sivaji" Paraaak. Paraaak. Paraaak."

Don't philosophiseya. Partake in the insanity. Ensooiiiii. Get ready to jive to the musik. April 4, the official launch. Ahem! I said official.

Varta!

Post World Cup disaster - Reality Check

2007-03-24T08:36:00.000+05:30

It is just a sport. It is just a game. It is sad that the team lost but it is not the end of the world.

A dialogue from Batman Begins:

Alfred Pennyworth to Bruce Wayne: Why do we fall, sir? So that we might better learn to pick ourselves up.

I share Cricinfo's Sambit Bal's views. No one could have put it better:

"Cricket has acquired a dangerous obsession with money, to the extent where it is not a question of a game needing the money to survive or grow but making as much as possible at any cost."

"As an Indian, I would like India to win the World Cup. But it might not be such a bad thing for cricket if they were to be knocked out in the first round. Cricket needs a reality check. It has an unhealthy, and unsustainable, business model that relies primarily on an increasingly delusional and one-dimensional fan-base. The bubble has to burst for a semblance of sanity to be restored.

We must learn to once again enjoy cricket as a game."

My First Vlog.

2007-03-23T00:28:00.000+05:30

This is just a trial run. My first Vlog - Video Blog. This is a video of Novatium's NetPC that was featured in a recent article of Newsweek.

It is a Net PC developed by a Chennai-based company. It costs less than US $100. The company's executives, and yours truly, believe that this is the future of home computing - a stripped down PC that is low on hardware and high on usability and comfort.

Stop Press, Read This

2007-03-23T00:02:00.000+05:30

Stop Press. Read this.

Exactly my thoughts after Bob Woolmer's death. Wish the words were mine too. Excellently written. Simple, effective communication.

Sudden Realisation #1

2007-03-11T10:04:00.000+05:30

Philosophy sets in only when you are not able to accept the truth.

Vanthutaanya Vanthutaanya!!!!!

2007-03-10T09:20:00.000+05:30

Rest assured the following month, all of the Tamil speaking world will only be anticipating this, not even the Indian Cricket Team lifting the World Cup. Such is the power of Rajni, the one and only true Superstar of Tamil films.

Every column space of news about Sivaji would be discussed, debated and lapped up. Even something trivial like a balloon used for shooting will eat up magazine space. It will consumer 99 per cent of tea shop conversations and another 80 per cent of all office room talk. Productivity at offices will drop drastically and in the most enjoyable fashion. The best part is nobody will notice it.

No. I am doing what you are thinking. This is no walking on a pedestal. This is enjoying the madness. I guess South Indians, especially Madrasis, have always been accused of being a bit uptight and conservative. To me, every Rajnikant film release is an opportunity to throw away that cloak and just enjoy. Or dare I say ensssooiiii.

In fact, I had contributed my two cents' worth to the hype and hoopla of Baba, the unmitigated disaster. But let me tell you a secret: When I watched the press premier at Satyam, I actually thought it was good. Of course, I no longer say that in public but in the heart of hearts, I loved it. ;)

Rajni is a pop phenomenon, one that some of us discount at times. To me, he is like a Che or a Hendrix or a Lennon, an absolute icon. One you can hate or love but never ignore. Just run a check on Youtube to find what length people are going to catch a glimpse of the movie. So many secret mobile phone shots. There is also a fan site.

Keep an eye, or actually both your eyes, on the official site for updates.

Till the launch of the official trailer, check this one out by a fan. It corny as corny can be. It is kitsch redefined. And it rocks.

A gem of a movie

2007-03-05T11:10:00.000+05:30

Movie commendation: Little Miss Sunshine

Stars: 6 out of 5 – meaning watch it at any cost.

I have been an obsessive, compulsive fan of World Cinema over the past few years. So much so that I think even writing or talking about them is a waste of time. I would much rather watch a movie. ;)

But once in a while – in the spur of the moment, that is – I am compelled to write. This is not a review but a commendation. The compulsion this time is “Little Miss Sunshine”.

After watching tens of international cinema and falling in love with many of them – Iranian (Children of Heaven), Italian (The Bicycle Thief), French (400 blows, Pickpocket), Japanese (Seven Samurai), South Korean (The Way Home) – I have wondered what makes good cinema universal. I temporarily conclude that these movies some common factors: they are simple in theme and execution; they are a commentary on the state of affairs, at least for those who want to see it; and importantly they impact you even after you have watched them.

Little Miss Sunshine belongs to that genre of movies.

The story is simple and straight forward. Young Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) has just won a place in the finals of the “Little Miss Sunshine” beauty pageant that takes place in California and is taking a road trip from her small town home to the contest with her dysfunctional family: her motivational-speaker father (Greg Kinnear), her “pro-truth” mother (Toni Collette), her cocaine-snorting grandpa (Oscar winner Alan Arkin), her gay uncle (Steve Carell) and her wannabe pilot brother (Paul Dano).

They take the trip in their family-owned Volkswagon mini-bus. Anything more on the story, I am afraid, I will spoil the ride.

Some great dialogue play, situational comedy and neurotic behaviour from every cast player ensues. The journey in the rickety bus becomes a metaphor for life. The script and screenplay is mind-blowing. In my blog at least, this movie is way ahead of other Academy-nominated movies, including the Departed. But all know that Marty won it more because of the Oscar tradition of bringing parity. He deserved it for his earlier movies. Remember, Denzel getting the award for “Training Day”. Shucks.

Anyway, getting back to LMS, this is one movie that could surely change the way you think, if not your life itself. Just watch it in a relaxed frame of mind. The last time I was this charged up over a movie was for the City of Gods.

A word of caution, though. Keep out if you are a hypocrite. Because it kicks hypocrites right where it hurts: in the balls. :)

The Nimbus - Prasar Bharati fiasco: A case for CAS

2007-01-24T16:16:00.000+05:30

Would you pay Rs.66 to watch a cricket match 7 minutes before the rest of the country?

If anything, the recent Neo Sports-Prasar Bharati fiasco only reinforces the argument that CAS is the correct direction to go for rest of the country. Now that Prasar Bharati will carry the signal defdered live by 7 minutes, cricket fans will breathe easy. But it is easy to miss the bigger issue behind the tussle.

Neo Sports, which was available as a free channel in CAS regions, has all of sudden decided to go pay. It is demanding Rs.66 per month per connection in non-CAS regions and nobody knows how the private broadcaster arrived on the price. It is truly surprising that the government is not intervening to regulate the pricing.

Conditional Access System in many ways bells the cat in these issues and in some ways works out a favourable solution for the broadcasters too: they know exactly how many subscribers are tuning in to their channel and will be able to work out a reasonable pricing for their channel.

The bottomline, though, is that Cricket no longer deserves to be called a religion. Forgive the gyaan, but the game is just another crass, commercial product that we are all ready to gobble up no matter what the price. And for that realisation alone, thanks a lot Neo Sports.

You! A Knight in Shining Armour?

2006-08-08T11:18:00.000+05:30

"You can write what you want about me. Positive or negative news, anything is good for me. Every politician just wants visibility in the newspapers."

A third-rate politician once told me.

Trap!

2006-08-07T14:04:00.000+05:30

You want to quit when you are feeling good.

But when you are feeling good, there is no chance you will quit.

The Greatest Game Ever Played and Watched!

2006-03-13T01:44:00.000+05:30

Nothing can be more awe-inspiring than winning a hard-fought contest in sports. Watching a hard-fought contest comes a close second in that list. Just watching South Africa's majestic triumph over Aussies at Wanderers in Johanessburg was awe-inspiring to say the least.

I have never been a sportsman though my dad was a volleyball player for Integral Coach Factory. I guess I got most of my mom's genes who incidentally never set foot on a playground. My 15-seconds of glory on the sports arena has been restricted to tennis ball cricket when I was in my higher secondary school playing for a team we christened "Crazy Boys." I consider myself a solid, right hand opening bat though my own team mates never appreciated the finer virtues of a patient knock. To them I was just got most of the "kaaji" (That is gully cricket terminology for stay at the crease) and left them to loiter around the ground when we were batting. That of course was nearly a decade ago and when I was around 25 kilos lighter.

Watching the great match on Sunday brought back some happy memories; I was trying to playback in my mind some of my own GREAT victories on the cricket field. There was one time when we played the semi-finals and finals of a tennis ball cricket tournament within a day. I guess I scored around 20 in the finals, a trademark Karthik knock off 30 deliveries I am sure. There were around 20 kids watching the game and at the end of the day we celebrated over vegetable puffs and one-ruppee rasna sachets at a local bakery. It was one of the greatest days of my sports career as an ace tennis ball cricketer. Funny it may sound today but that day I would have walked on air.

Which is why I feel both elated and a little bit sad today because I am sure a lot of my friends would have missed the match in Chennai today because of the CAS (Conditional Access System) curse.

A few more thoughts are flashing on my mind and it is already 2 a.m. and I have to go to bed and I am sure I will be dreaming of my "Crazy Boys" days. So let me just sum them up a bit here:

1. At this rate, World Cup 2007 is strictly going to be an Australia vs South Africa affair:

I am sure most Indian cricket fans want our team to come on top of World Cup 2007 but after Sunday Wanderer Festival, I am sure most would agree that it is most likely going to be a face-off between Australia and South Africa. The two sides seem to be in a different class altogether. Though Greg Chappel has made our ODI side a formidable one and the team has itself taken a few strides forward, Australia and South Africa seem to be playing the game at a different level.

2. Is there a Ponting out there in Mr.Sachin Tendulkar?

Make no mistake I am a big fan of Sachin. Ask my friends, they will vouch for the fact that I am a fan of the little master as much as I am BIG. But over the past five years at least, Sachin has had a weakness going into BIG matches. Ponting on the other hand seems to relish crunch situations. You can check this out with the cricinfo player database whichever way you want. It is high time that our little master played to his reputation. I am seriously sick of watching him get out these so called 'great' deliveries every time a crunch situation is around the corner. It might not be long before the crowds and selectors gangulise him.

Cheers. Will be back soon.

The Sourav Ganguly saga!

2005-12-18T10:57:00.000+05:30

One cannot but feel sorry for Sourav. Nobody loves to see a hero fall.

But if one applies stone cold logic, the fact of the matter is Ganguly does not warrant a place in the Test team. His Test record is nothing to write home about and if at all he has a place in the scheme of things, it is in the one-day cricket arena where he has scored truckloads of runs and can find a place thanks to the Supersub rule. Let us face it: Dada accompanying the ball all the way to the boundary is not a pleasant sight.

Here are a few points to ponder:

1. He is blocking Yuvraj and Kaif. It is about time two of our most promising players found a permanent place in the Test team. They must become natural choice to the team ahead of even the seniors. Mohammed Kaif, in particular, has been on the receiving end despite proving his mettle. When he did not find a place in the test team in Zimbabwe after some stupendous batting in the ODIs, there was no hullabaloo from the public. That was mainly because Ganguly cleverly diverted the media attention by washing dirty linen in public.

2. What about those who received the stick under Ganguly's captaincy? Kumble and VVS Laxman, two of our greatest cricketers, much better players than Ganguly in many aspects, have been in and out of the team over the past few years. VVS Laxman was not in the World Cup squad just some months after his Kolkatta epic.

Sadly for him, there were no protests in Hyderabad nor discussions in the Parliament. This is no justification for what is happening to Ganguly but just a reminder that this kind of thing has been happening in the recent past.

3. Sourav Ganguly the bowler? The moment selectors said Sourav was being selected as a batsman-cum-Test match bowler, it was obvious that his selection into the side was politically-backed. He did not even bowl in the Second Test Match. Now he has been pushed out by the very politics that got him in.

4. Are the protests really doing him any good? I don't think so. Over the past few days, people are openly talking about allowing him to "exit with dignity." Probably the selectors not talking to him before the third test is a sign that they are not ruling him out entirely for the future.

5. Ganguly has been the Prince of the selectors for far too long. It was a ridiculous decision to wrest captaincy from Dravid after the Sri Lanka tour and send him as the captain to the Zimbabwe tour. Ganguly was made the captain so that he could set the record for having captained India the most matches. Television viewers will remember Sunil Gavaskar asking the cheeky question: "Tell me, what is the secret of your success?" When Dada smiled, he quickly added: "I have captained India too but my hair turned grey in no time. Tell me the secret."

The record-setting Test in Zimbabwe was probably Dada's best stage to bow out of captaincy in style and concentrate on his failing batting skills. But he did not and he probably will never bow out in style a la Steve Waugh. And for that he has only himself to blame.

Loss of Memory

2005-08-19T21:48:00.000+05:30

(This post is tad too long but I am not sorry for it.)

I am back.

In fact, I returned home (Chennai) from Berlin on July 30 and stepped out of the airport around 2 a.m. on July 31.

My collections of the past fortnight has been quite hazy. It has been difficult to get used to the daily routine after such an intense training programme of the highest professional standards. But yes, I am also glad to be back home. No place like it.

I spent 11 weeks in Germany, for the most part in Berlin. From May 15 to July 29, I was a part of a group of 15 journalists from 9 different countries, spread across the globe, blacks, browns and whites ... We trained in online journalism and multimedia training programme conducted by International Institute of Journalism, a German government funded institute.

We were more than just team members, we were family. The two-and-half months we spent together was easily one of the best time of our lives. It is no exaggeration really and I am taking the liberty for all the members of the team.

We spoke, fought, struggled, cooked, drank, walked, argued, and finally cried together.

The last day was the most difficult. Along with a colleague of mine from Frontline magazine, I was the first to leave our guest house. In a way, I was lucky because the entire team was saying biding me good bye. And yes, there were tears.

It felt like somebody had thrown a spear through my heart: There were my friends, people whom I might never again see in my life, wishing me well, biding me farewell. As I sat in the taxi, on the way back to the airport, I just had one thought: Where am I goining from here?

The two-and-half months in Germany progressed rather interestingly for me. Initially, I felt like Charlie inside Willi Wonka’s factory. It was my first flight (gulp!), my trip abroad, my first foreign friends, my first prolonged attempt at cooking, ...

What struck me for the first couple of weeks was the opulence, the luxury, the comfort of being in a Western country. The public transport system, the supermarkets, the cyclist lanes, the greenery, the cleanest places ever, the buildings, ... I had trouble not gaping at things and jumping in joy.

Slowly, as our programme gathered momentum, I was discovering new things online too: concepts about good website, how to make them more user-friendly, designing websites, even making small video clips, etc.

The Germans were interesting people: extremely hardworking, beer-loving, football-crazy, punctual, ...

The real turn of events came after the first month. The programme organisers took us on a ten-day excursion to top online media houses in Germany: Google, AOL, Der Spiegel, Stern, Financial Times, Deutche Welle, NDR, ...

The last month of the training was the most intensive, immersive, work experience I have ever had in my life. The group was divided into teams of five persons and each of us had to design a website. I was in a group that put up a website on online journalism in Germany. We called it the "Online Beat."

This was also the time I switched off to outside world. I stopped blogging, stopped worrying about myself, my weight included, even cut down on the calling back my wife. My project became paramount. I was thinking about it all the time, sometimes even the weekends. Wait a minute, who am I kidding, weekends only meant beer and dancing.

But I can now say this without feeling odd about it: there is something about getting into your work, not just doing it.

I survived. If I am to believe what my German lecturers and overseas friends say, I came through with flying colours. The biggest challenge now for me is in making the training I underwent count.

I though I would revert back the name of my blog to its original title: remember "The miracle of being second best."

But somehow, I have not been able to, for it would mean erasing some of the memories about Berlin. Maybe I will never change the title of the blog. And yes, I have plenty more German stories to post. I will exhaust them completely before I go back.

There is a small hitch: my memory has failed me.

My home PC broke. I suspect there is a problem with the RAM. The random access memory, that is, seems to be struck. I will buying a new DDR RAM next week to be able to boot my system and hopefully blog the remainder of the German stories from home.

Thankfully, some memories are forever.

Tschuss. (Bye in German.)

2005-07-20T17:49:00.000+05:30

Windmill of time: A picture taken at San Soucci in Potsdam, a little away from Berlin. It is indeed once of the oldest windmills in the country.

2005-07-08T13:01:00.000+05:30

The "water man" (remember him from my previous post?) is one of the symbols of Hamburg. It is the city's tribute to the workers of the early 20th century who provided pure drinking water.

2005-07-08T12:59:00.000+05:30

The fountains at the "Rat Haus" sidewalk. There is a outdoor bar and a favourite time-pass during evenings is to sip the beer and listen to some music.

2005-07-08T12:57:00.000+05:30

Inside the "Rat Haus", some truly amazing architectural style

2005-07-08T12:56:00.000+05:30

The "Rat Haus" or town hall is an interesting building that has been around since the 1840s. It's architecture combines the early Renaissance and takes you back to a Golden Era.

2005-07-08T12:53:00.000+05:30

Hamburg is a port city and quite an old one at that. It has been around for more than three centuries. With a lot of business activity, the city is also one of the costliest. It can blow a hole in the purse.

2005-07-08T12:44:00.000+05:30

Oh!Hamburg, the city of the Alster Lake.

Back in Berlin

2005-07-05T12:44:00.000+05:30

Hello guys, I reached Berlin last week after a ten-day excursion to Hamburg, Cologne, Bonn and Dusseldorf. Along with the other participants of the training programme, I visited leading German online publications of Der Spiegel (leading magazine), Stern(group of publications), Financial Times(no explanation needed) and also some interesting companies like Google, AOL and Media Analyzer (a company that does eye-tracking studies).

Over the last few days, I have been doing the project work and have had very little thing for everything else. Feels like the holiday phase is over and am getting back to work, at a breakneck pace if I might add.

***

It is raining today, bang in the middle of the German Summer. It is at these times I realise the importance of weather forecasts. I have often wondered why weathermen make media celebrities in the West. Today, I know why.

***

Last weekend, I did a bit of freewheeling in Berlin. I had the monthly travel ticket, using which I can travel by any mode of public transport. (This by the way is a very valid traveler's tip: BUY THE MONTHLY TRAVEL COUPON IF YOU GET TO BERLIN OR ANY OTHER PART OF GERMANY. IT IS WORTH THE MONEY.)

Getting back to my freewheeling, I just took off in a train not knowing the direction it was headed. I got off a station (the name I don't even remember) and wandered around. It was fun.

Another good thing about taking the public transport here (especially the S-BAHN, which is the overground train) is getting back the good habit that is reading. It is easy to find a window seat, you can read your book as the cityscape flashes outside! Wonderful, isn't it? I am going to do more of that in the next four weekends I have here. Hopefully, it will be a habit that I carry back home!

By the way, I am reading a children's novel "Artermis Fowl." Two reasons for that: I want to know what kind of language one needs to write for a young audience; and, of course, I love fairy tales.

***
Got to go back to my project now. I promise all the Hamburg and Cologne photos tomorrow. So keep watching.

Where the ys are all zs

2005-06-25T19:26:00.000+05:30

In case zou are wondering that it was a wierd title for the post, it is just a reference to the German kezboard where the 'z' is in place of the 'y' in the computer lazout.

***

First a little bit about mz sabbatical of sorts from this blog.

I am right now in Hamburg. I arrived here last Sundaz along with other participants of the online journalism programme of inwent as part of a 10-daz-excursion to various media houses.

I have alreadz visited Der Speigel, AOL, Google and Financial Times, FDR (the government-owned TV and Radio) and also a verz interesting media research group called Mediatracker that does ezetracking studies.

sadlz we do not get Internet access at our hotel and it costs some big monez to get to the Internet cafe to post the blog. I am not able to post anz photos right now. I guess I will be able to do that onlz when I return to Berlin (on June 29).

***

Of all the mediahouses we have visited so far, Der Spiegel, is perhaps the most prestigious.

It is the most popular magayine that has been moulding public opinion here over the past few decades. I also learnt some verz interesting insights and trivia about Google.

Can anzone guess where the Google logo gets its colours from? Watch this space for the answer. ;)

***

Hamburg is one of the oldest cities in Germanz that dates back to Charlamagne.

It is a port citz and so quite naturallz a melting pot of different cultures.

***

One of the emblems of Hamburg is the 'waterman' statue.

Zou see him everzwhere in Hamburg. It shows a man dressed in black coat, carrzing two cans of water connected to a pole that is placed on his shoulder.

Hard to imagine? I will post the picture next week. The watermen were the persons who delivered clean water to the households in the earlz 20th centurz when the citz was plagued bz Cholera. Perhaps we need them in Chennai right now! ;)

***

German lifts (elevators) are slow.

It takes forever to climb up just one level! It perhaps has something to do with the Germans retaining some of the vestiges of the past but it can be prettz irritating at times.

***

Talking about 'irritating,' the Germans use that word as a sznonzm for 'confusing.'

Thez often saz thez are 'irritated' when what thez mean is that thez are 'confused'.

One of mz lecturers here had this funnz experience when he knew a woman colleague who often spoke stuff that would confuse him.

So one fine daz he told her that he found her 'irritating.' Sadlz, the ladz was from Britain and never spoke to him ever after. And he was reallz irritated with it! ;)

So are zou confused or irritated about the ys and zs?

Bze or Tchuss as thez saz in german. Till next Wednesdaz that is.

2005-06-14T17:17:00.000+05:30

This is the "Church of Our Lady" in Dresden. The building was totally destroyed during the bombing of World War II and is now being restored. It's an interesting story, perhaps for my newspaper. Dresden was in East Germany before the reunification and was "off limits" for most West Germans. Since reunification, the city has become a tourist spot with visitors from both within and abroad.

2005-06-14T17:13:00.000+05:30

Dresden is located on the banks of river Elbe. The local residents love to call the city "the Florence of the Elbe." And of course, the opulence of old Europe is very much in display.

2005-06-14T17:11:00.000+05:30

Last weekend, I visited Dresden, one of the oldest cities in Germany. It is the capital of Saxony, one of the German states. Though much of what you see in the pictures date back to the 18th century, the buildings themselves were totally destroyed during the World War II and restored during the 1970s and 1980s.

2005-06-08T21:11:00.000+05:30

Berlin by night: Berlin has very few skyscrapers and in fact all of them are found in Potsdamer Platz region.

2005-06-08T21:09:00.000+05:30

German Beer Garden: Germans love their beer and what better place to have a beer than a garden by the waters. This "beer garden" is situated on the banks of Lake Muggelesee, the largest lake within Berlin. There are of course many more "beer gardens" that is a must-visit for anyone going to Berlin.

2005-06-08T21:06:00.000+05:30

Sometimes you run into buildings that are reminiscent of the Industrial Revolution. This marine biology institute in Friedrischstrad is a good example. You can say by the red bricks and the block-kind of construction that this is inspired by the Industrial Revolution.

2005-06-08T21:04:00.000+05:30

The Real Berlin: This weekend the programme coordinators took us to the part of city where Berlin originated. It is now called "Friedrichstrad" after King Fredrick, the past ruler of Prussia. Some of the buildings we found there were over a century old. Even though Berlin is an historic city, it is rare, almost impossible, to find old buildings because nearly everything was destroyed during the Second World War.

June 7, 2005::::::::::::::::::::::::9.15 a.m. Berlin

2005-06-07T12:45:00.000+05:30

So much for the Berlin Summer! It started raining again this morning and it is biting cold. Must be around 1o d C. I wore my half-sleeve shirt and everyone just keeps staring at me carrying that "Do you want to kill yourself" look.

There is a saying here that German weather is even more unpredictable than the English weather.

***

When I reached Berlin three weeks ago, I promised that there would be some gyan for all first-time travelers to Germans.

So here is the most basic gyan of all: The LOO Gyan.

The men's room in Germany is titled "For Herren" and the lady's room "For Damen". I discovered it mainly by an accident. It was actually an accident that thankfuly covered up a much bigger one!

The institute offered us a welcome dinner the second day we arrived and there was plenty of beer flowing. I myself had just some Apple Shrofel (GOD promise!) and it was time to attend the nature's call. I found my way to the toilet and there I was standing in front of the two loos.

To me, naturally I might add, "For Herren" seemed to be the lady's room. "For Her" must be "For Herren", right?

Just as I was about to create a major international scandal, a German lady walked out of the door titled "For Damen". She saw the perplexed look on my face and pointed to the other door.

Thank God.

***

Germans know very very little English. It is very hard to find English-speaking people even at the stores. All the signboards at the museums are also in German.

The language is quite difficult to grasp that even some Germans find it difficult to learn it. It seems that the German government has launched "writing reforms" to simplify the language for the younger generations. However, as you could have guessed, there is strong opposition to the move.

***

Bye. Got to go. The notes will continue.

2005-06-03T17:32:00.000+05:30

This picture explains the demolition more clearly. The church was kind of cut in half. There are some brilliant pictures inside the Church about how it stood before the War. I will try and post those pics later. Bye.
Posted by Hello

2005-06-03T17:30:00.000+05:30

Another view of the Church
Posted by Hello

2005-06-03T17:29:00.000+05:30

There is history in every street corner of Berlin. This Church is situated in the central Berlin is called "Gedachtniskirche" and was demolished partially during the bombing. The Germans did not want to rebuild it and instead made it a memorial of the war. Today a new building stands close to the demolished church and houses the painting of Madonna, which was hand-drawn by the priest of the church in 1943.
Posted by Hello

2005-05-31T21:50:00.000+05:30

Oh Yes, That is a Castle by the lakeside! Wow, the exteriors reminded me of the many PC games with medieval castles. I will visit that castle surely and post some more interesting pics. Keep visiting my blog!
Posted by Hello

2005-05-31T21:48:00.000+05:30

Another view from the boat. The factory you see is the heating plant that warms up the entire Berlin city. It's a thermal plant from where you have metal pipes leading to residential colonies. Every house has the heating system installed. It's a must!
Posted by Hello

2005-05-31T21:44:00.000+05:30

This Sunday, I took a boat trip around the lakes of Berlin. And along the lakes are small garden houses. Wow. What a place to live in.
Posted by Hello

Nikon Coolpix 4600 vs Olympus C-470

2005-05-31T21:35:00.000+05:30

You remember the electronics market I told you that takes back sold goods within two weeks.

Well, I returned the Nikon Coolpix 4600 I bought there 1o days ago for 179 Euros (around Rs. 8,500?) and exchanged it for a Olympus C-470.

The Nikon 4600 was a good and compact (really small) camera that took good pictures with incredible depth. But my only problem was the shutter lag. It took nearly 10 seconds and that kind of bummed me off.

I realised that with digital cameras, you really must anticipate your photos because the picture gets clicked only after a few seconds you pressed the click button. With a poor shutter lag, you end up with good quality pics but at the wrong moment or should I say after the picture moment has passed.

Also lowpoint with the Nikon 4600 was that the video mode did not have an audio recording. Okay, the camera is not made for video but why not get the best out of such freebies. Since I am learning quite a lot about websites, I hope to turn this into a video and audio blog site soon!

I have not used the Olympus extensively as yet but I already know the downside: It uses an XD card, which is much costlier than the SD card the Nikon uses. But so far, the camera looks good and I will testing it outdoors soon.

But hey, I can still give it back and exchange it. So by the time I return home, I might have tried five different cameras. ;)

If you have some advice on digicams, pour them in here!

Footnote: I also got an mp3 player with recording facilities for 49 Euros (Rs.2,500). It is manufactured by a German company called "Trekstor" and records in mp3 and wma modes. So that should help with audio blogs, right?

Also the photos from hereon are the ones from Olympus C-470. So you can be a judge ...

2005-05-31T21:16:00.000+05:30

Summer or Spring! When I was kid, I have always imagined what the spring season would be like. In India, especially Chennai, we seldom have time to stand and admire nature in its full glory. It's spring leading to summer at Berlin now. And as I walk along the pavement, the child in me jumps out to say: "See, It is exactly like I imagined."
Posted by Hello

2005-05-26T17:29:00.000+05:30

Proud to be an Indian. Yes, that's me at the left extreme in the first row. And that should give you a flavour of our class. There are journalists from Ghana, Zimbabwe, Laos, Kyrgzishtan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, El Salvador and Vietnam. Add Germans to the flavor, we have one good cocktail!
Posted by Hello

A climate of political change!

2005-05-24T17:10:00.000+05:30

Alright, let us move on to some serious stuff.

You guys must have heard of the defeat of German Chancellor Shroeder's party in the recent elections. The country is a federal government like ours and has many states. By losing one of the key states in the North, the country is in some sort of political unrest. Shroeder has now called for early federal elections, one year ahead of full term.

Germans are now discussing whether such a recall of elected government is even possible. The President will have to exercise his powers in a fashion similar to Article 376 of Indian Constitution. Okay, I am not a political correspondent but I find this absolutely fascinating.

One of the main reasons for the defeat of the Shroeder's party is growing unemployment in Germany, especially in East Germany. The number of unemployed is close to 5 million! And this has some relevance to the grafitti and the "sounds of resistance" photographs.

Scroll down and try to understand!

Gotta go now. The Internet access is not really unlimited here.

2005-05-24T17:05:00.000+05:30

Guys, believe it or not, there was a spontaneous strike of public transport today. No u-bahn, no s-bahn, no buses, ... Seems the workers are demanding better wages. Sounds more like home now! Even the germans are surprised at the impromptu strike! They cannot remember the last time it happened.
Posted by Hello

2005-05-23T21:15:00.000+05:30

Grafitti: You see them everywhere. It is a riot of colours and explains the freedom of expression that some people are craving for!
Posted by Hello

2005-05-23T21:13:00.000+05:30

A common sight at Berlin: A group performing for a cause. This group calls itself "Sounds of Resistance". Hope it gives you an idea of what the country and especially its youths are going through. These are difficult yet exciting times here. Will blog about that later this week!
Posted by Hello

2005-05-23T21:11:00.000+05:30

That is the dome itself!
Posted by Hello

2005-05-23T21:09:00.000+05:30

Sorry I did not finish the first caption. But I was about to say where I will see James Cameron's 3D documentary this weekend! (Fingers crossed). This picture is about the Film Museum inside the Sony Dome.
Posted by Hello

2005-05-23T21:06:00.000+05:30

The Sony Cine Centre at Berlin. One of the biggest and best in the world, it houses the Imax where I might see
Posted by Hello

An electronics market that takes back sold good!

2005-05-20T12:35:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, I went crazy. In Berlin, they have this supermall called Mediamarket that sells all kinds of electronic goods. It's actually a wrong place for a gadget ethusiast. But the best thing about the market is that you can return the stuff you bought within 14 days if you did not like it or if you find a better deal elsewhere! No questions asked.

I bought a Nokia mobile yesterday and also took a list of cameras for less than 200 Euros. Should be buying it this evening. So get ready for a photoblog tomorrow. And that is a promise I am going to keep.

Bye. or Tchuss, as they say in germany.

Here I am, in Berlin

2005-05-17T19:14:00.001+05:30

Hi Guys, I am here in Berlin. It's 3.45 p.m., so I am guessing it is around 8.15ish there in Chennai.

I arrived around Noon yesterday (May 16) and I cannot quite explain the sights and sounds. It's as if I walked right into some futuristic movie set. In case you are thinking that is the view of first time traveler to Europe, then you are wrong. The 500-metre-long tunnel I took at the Frankfurt airport while changing flights yesterday ... OMG.

Since too many thoughts are flooding me, this post is gonna be quite sporadic, talking about too many things in too few words. So forgive me for any lack of continuity.

Guys, I will soon buy a digital camera here, hopefuly for less than 150 Euros and convert this into a photoblog of sorts. The institute where I am studying is well equipped and offers more than 2 hours of Internet time everyday for personal work. So the blogs will be flowing hereon.

First things first: About my Lufthansa flight from Berlin to Frankfurt and from there to Berlin.

Gyan for the first-time-traveler:

Gyan 1: Backpacks are a lousy idea for cabin luggage.
Gyan 2: Packing personal care like moisturiser or even toothpaste and stuff is not necessary. You get stuff in Europe for much better quality at round about the same price.
Gyan 3: Get a small umbrella even if it is frigging summer. Becoz it rains.

But coming back to my flight, it was great 9 hours 10 minutes to Frankfurt. No airsickness, nausea ... etc. Though my ears felt so hurt as if someone had pinched a pin into it when the flight took a descent to Frankfurt from 23,000 feet to ground level within a few seconds.

My 20-minute flight to Berlin from Frankfurt, on the contrary, was an horrenduous flight. There was too much turbulence and by the time I landed my ears popped. For the whole day yesterday, I could not even ear what I spoke!

One of the most craziest and equally pleasant experience is it never, NEVER seems to get dark here. You will not believe how bright it is even around 9 p.m. This is very good for me because I can take a lot of photos. Not to forget June 20, which is technically the longest day. I know that Germany falls north of the Equator but this is a truly unique experience.

Gyan about Germans: One of the programme coordinators who met us at the airport and helped us around was a stunning lady called Rita. She is over 50 but MAN is she fit or what. I think most Germans are ridiculously fit because they have to walk a lot, I mean a LOT, around here.

The public transport system is mind blowing. I knew about this from my former chief reporter but once again the experience is toooo good. I will probably blog on this in a separate post later.

Food is surely going to be a problem. Alright, I am not this pious vegetarian Brahmin but I do not want to eat meat. You know, I was actually thinking of losing some weight in the next two and half months. There are small eateries called 'imbis' every corner of the street and though thet sell some veg salads, the mainstay is meat. I already tried eating vietnamese and Italian vegetarian meals yesterday and I am already craving for some sambar.

About my room: I live in a student accommodation provided by the institute. The room is so good that I consider it a crime living there and dirtying it. ;) I will blog some photos about that this weekend.

My programme schedule: I was hoping to catch up with some more of Europe during the 10 weekends I have but I think it is gonna be difficult becoz the people here have invariably planned something or the other. If possible I might go to Rome (fingers crossed).

This weekend, I am going to the last soccer game of the German football season. The local team is playing at their new Olympic stadium and it is something I am so looking forward to.

Other things: I got a calling card for Five Euros. I can make calls for 50 minutes to India. I am also getting a mobile, hopefuly for around 50 Euros and will activate that this weekend. That way I can keep in touch in case of emergencies with my people here.

Actually, there are at least a 100 more things I want to write about but since my fingers are hurting keying this post in through the small European style keyboard, I will just run through them: I visited one of Berlin's biggest Supermarkets last evening and I discovered why the word 'super' was affixed to market. The city's recycles waste like crazy! Everybody in Germany smokes! Every possible wall has graffiti!.

Bye, I will blog again in 12 hours.

T-48 hrs: It's all panic stations

2005-05-13T23:35:00.000+05:30

Hi guys, I have just 48 hours left to pack off to Berlin. I am taking the Lufthansa flight on Sunday night.

Reality Check: I have not packed a single bag yet. So people with travel tips, please pour them in soon.

I am also thinking of purchasing a digital camera, hopefuly the 4.1 MP kind, in Berlin. So any tips, please post them on what brand is good, what is not.

This blog will be my window out of berlin over the next 10 weeks, so I can assure there will be anything but a dearth of post. ;) Bye, got to go, got that bag to pack, that list to make, that plan to make, that .... blah blah ...

Off to Germany in May ... Yaay!

2005-04-23T15:12:00.000+05:30

Hiya fellas,

I am off to Berlin May 16. I am looking for any travel tips, places to visit in Germany, people to meet in Berlin ... Anything at all.

I have been offered the chance to study "Internet Journalim and Multimedia" at InWent, an international school, in Berlin. I will be a student of the International Institute of Journalism there and will stay at the residential school for the entire 10 week duration of the programme.

The opportunity could not have come at better time for me. Talk about the chance of missing the Chennai summer. I do feel a tad dissapointed because I always wanted to take my wife along with me on my first overseas trip.

Chandramukhi vs Mumbai Express

2005-04-18T09:19:00.000+05:30

Foreword: I watched 'Chandramukhi' this Sunday risking to miss what a lot of us would have thought would be a thriller at the Ferozshah Kotla Ground in New Delhi. In hindsight, it was quite the relief. I did not want to blog about either movie without seeing the other. So here goes nothing or everything, whichever way you see it.

---

Let me say straightaway that both movies are similar in many aspects: they are both overhyped; they do not depend solely on the main stars, the bigger surprise being Chandramukhi; both movies fall out in the second half; the movies are surely worth watching once; and finally, nothing you hear of the movies will be fully true or false because of the euphoria the fans are creating. Surely no will want to be seen disagreeing with the popular sentiment. Just wait for another ten days for the euphoria to die down and we will all know.

I watched 'Mumbai Xpress' on April 15, courtesy Ramya who thought she had tickets for Chandramukhi and wanted to see Mumbai Xpress instead. So thinking she was handing over Chandramukhi tickets, she actually gave me the tickets to Mumbai Xpress. Being a Kamal fan first up, I was also slightly reluctant and took the tickets. But then I got exactly what I wanted and Ramya, my poor dear friend, has not yet seen the movie.

Actually that is exactly how 'Mumbai Xpress' the movie works. It is a comedy of errors that keeps working on the formula I explained in the previous paragraph. Kamal Haasan once again wows us with his comic timing and a script full of guffaws. But the real surprise packet is Pasupathy who absolutely grabs the chance comes his way after yelling and taking a beating from every possible hero.

'Chandramukhi' was a bigger surprise. It has the Superstar playing just one of the many important characters in the movies. I do not recall the last time Rajnikant does not appear for 15 minutes continuously in his movie. What's more there are even scenes where he does not really dominate the scene. It is clear that 'thalaivar' has taken care to make sure that his comeback vehicle does not suffer any jolts.

Vadivelu clearly steals the thunder from Rajnikant in the first half and Superstar seems more than obliging. Jyothika plays the pivotal role and true to her (dis)ability grossly overacts in key sequences. However the movie is surely a grand consolation for Rajnikant fans who have missed his in action. It is not typical Rajnikant formula but hell he looks better on screen than 'Baba'. Three songs rock! - "Kokku Para Para", "Athinthom" and the absolute crowd pleaser "Annanoda Paatu". I know I had blogged earlier that the songs were not upto the mark, but after seeing it on screen I am forced to change my mind.

However, having said all that, both movies also disappoint in certain aspects. Mumbai Xpress sort of derails in the first few frames of the second half where Kamal Haasan, once again obsessed with himself, rather unnecessarily adds some 'drama' to the comic caper. The movie suffers from rather BIG logical holes that you do not expect from a Kamal movie. It kind of ventures into the Sundar.C. territory where you suddenly realise that it is a no-brainer.

Another major malfunction with 'Mumbai Xpress' is the music. There are just two songs and there are reeeaaaaallllyyyyy far between. The length of the movie kind of bums you out and it is like you watched a movie with no songs at all. Where is all that great jazz music that Illayaraja composed for you, Mr.Kamal Haasan?

'Chandramukhi' also suffers from similar problems. Thalaivar's punch dialogues lacks power and are truly corny: "Saravanan Irukku Bamaymein" and "Ravananuku Pathu Thalakullu oru moolai. Aaana Ivarukku oru thalakullu Pathu moolai". There is another scene close to the climax that can be called the king of all corniest scenes but I am not saying just as yet because some of you might not have seen the movie yet. Somehow Rajni's style style is there yet the magic is missing.

Actually the only thing I liked about 'Chandramukhi', apart from seeing a fresh looking 'Thalaivar' after 3 years, was the story. It is a truly different tale inspired by our own society and not from some Hollywood movie. I so want to watch 'Manichitratazhu' now. I have heard that the Malayalam movie is a suspense thriller. Sadly 'Chandramukhi' is not. And Jyothika as a Bharatanatyam dancer???????????????????????????????????? She has reaaaaaallllllly overacted in the climax. I was thinking more of how she could act in a spoof on Exorcist.

Bottomline: To cut a long story short, both movies are worth watching once on the big screen. I will not mind watching them again on the telly though.

Which was better movie? I would give 'Mumbai Xpress' the edge because it is original and the acting is surely better. 'Chandramukhi' will be a hit but not the level of 'Baasha' or even 'Padayappa'.

My bet is 'Anniyan' will kick both the movies out of the b.o. next month. ;)

Hottest 'rebel' movies around

2005-04-10T06:07:00.000+05:30

Are you are rebel with a cause? Here is my list of absolute must-watch movies for you:

Motorcyle Diaries - The road trip of 'Che' Guevera and Ernesto Granado that spurs the youngster to become a revolutionary icon later on.

City of God - The story of a slum colony near Rio De Janeiro ... It absolutely rocks!

Matrix Reloaded, Revolutions - The spirit of Neo ... I simply love the climax showdown between Neo and Smith. Smith asks: "Why ... Why Mr.Anderson? Why get up? Why fight? You think you are fighting for a cause? What are you fighting for? Is it love ... Only a human mind could think up something insipid as love?" Neo replies: "I fight because I choose to." ROCKS.

Gladiator - The sequence where Russell Crowe removes his helmet during the first meeting with the Emperor as the Gladiator at the Colloseum.

A Knight's Tale - Highly under-rated movie. Heath Ledger as William suggests that he could compete in jousting competitions. "We could do this." Roland, his friend, says: "Answer me with your name, William. It's not Sir William. It's earl, duke William. It's certainly not Prince William ... You have to be of noble birth to compete." William says: "How did the nobles become noble. They took it at the tip of a sword ... I will do it with my lance."

And to end the list with my all-time favourite:

Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket": Private Joker wears a peace symbol on his military uniform while going to war at Vietnam. Simply toooooooo goooooood.

The difference between the leader and the contender

2005-04-10T05:22:00.000+05:30

Technically, representing the largest selling newspaper in South India has its benefits: You get respect that is not entirely your doing; You get some minor privileges but then it depends entirely on you whether or not to take them; and you occasionally feel like you are wearing the shiny armour.

There is also a flip side to it: you have to get used to be scorned by people you hardly even know.

It is funny because I have experienced the extremes of journalism in the last five years. When I was a reporter with The New Indian Express, I was the contender ... I sometimes considered myself the David against the Goliaths. Being the underdog works fine for me. I come from a Tam Bram family. I don't like to generalise generally but I grew in an atmosphere where the only form of encouragement I got was discouragement and ridicule. It's a typically Brahmnical trait: Provoke the person into bringing out his best.

I remember all those days when I used to put in that extra effort to compete with the best. There was a sense of being on a mission. But when I moved into The Hindu, little did I realise there are people out their who were pitting their David mentalities against my supposedly Goliath status. Actually, this blog is an attempt to reaffirm my status as David ... So there goes the mystery behind my blog title. :)

Deccan Chronicle has launched in Chennai and good old New Indian Express always keeps churning up Davids who will bring to ground anyone who considers himself/herself Goliath. Times of India will launch its Chennai edition by this year end. And then the rat race will begin.

To me the difference between being the leader and the contender is the same as between being the star and the 'new kid on the block'. The star can get things done without any effort. The new kid has to move heaven and earth. After seven years in journalism, I hope I will be the New Kid for a long, long time.

Test Post

2005-04-03T02:57:00.000+05:30

For some reason I do not understand, I have not been able to post or reply to message in my blog. Some JAVA error!

Why I KNOW that Sunil Gavaskar is the lousiest batsman ever

2005-04-03T01:30:00.000+05:30

Actually this post is a reply to Mr.Anonymous and Chenthil who had left some comments for my previous post.

I do not know if there is a glitch in my comp but for some funny reason I am not able to post replies to my comments.

So here goes my proof that Sunil Gavaskar is the lousiest person to hold a cricket bat. We all know this as a trivia but I really do not know if it has perplexed others as much: His infamous 36 n.o. in the 1975 World Cup match against England.

England batted first and scored 334 in the allotted 60 overs (then!). What happened when India came in to bat for the second innings will make you jump out of your seat: Helped by a rather laboured 36 n.o. by Sunil Gavaskar, India were 132 for 3 at the end of 60 overs. Yes that's right: 132/3 at a run rate of 2.2 per over. The Little Master took a liberal 174 deliveries for his masterpiece.

I know that it was the initial phase of ODIs and that it was new and people had to adapt and blah blah ... But there simply is no explanation how a batsman could not even try to win unless of course Sunil Gavaskar wanted India to lose! That seems to be the most plausible explanation. Read this cricinfo article.

Ask some of the elderly cricket fans you know, probably your dad or uncle ... It was a open secret that Sunny Bhai had problems with S.Venkatraghavan. Of course, Sunil had his way and Venkatraghavan was dropped as the captain after the WC. But to me the miracle is that Sunil continued to play for India. He should have been dropped, banned ... whatever it takes to keep him away.

At least Sourav Ganguly wants India to win even though he seems to have lost his form. Now you tell me: Is Gavaskar not the most lousiest cricketer ever? In my book, any man who has held a cricket bat is better than him because nobody ... NOBODY ... bats with an intention to lose.

Sehwag is Sachin, Sachin is Rahul and Rahul is Sachin

2005-03-29T12:36:00.001+05:30

Wierd, right. But those are my exact thoughts after the bumming loss at Bangalore.

Sachin Tendulkar batted like the old Rahul Dravid, a trier but a choker. Sehwag batted like the old Sachin Tendulkar, a batting giant who carries the entire team on his shoulders. And of course, Rahul Dravid has been batting of late like the old Sachin Tendulkar, the man the opposition fears the most (in Test matches at least).

Sachin's agonisingly slow innings will now enter him into the hall of shame. He is still my idol but what a stupid way to bat. This is where the team must learn from the Aussies: It is better to lose going for a win rather than a draw. At least that way you show some intent.

The test match will probably end two test careers - of Sourav Ganguly, who left Alfred Neuman of Mad comics looking like a novice by standing his ground after being cleaned up a Shahid Afridi snorter and John Wright as the Test team coach. Sadly for John, the team seems to have come a full circle. When he took over the team was absolutely dependent on one batsman (Sachin then, Sehwag now) and lacked self-belief. He turned it into a winning squad and had some memorable outings - Natwest and the World Cup - but as he prepares to pack his bags, the team has reminded him that nothing is permanent.

The real agony for me is that Sachin is increasingly becoming like Sunil Gavaskar. To me, that is bad. Don't get me wrong but in my book Sunil is the lousiest person to ever hold a cricket bat. All he ever thought about was his own records. Yes, there were a few great innings from the Mumbaikar but I have alway wondered how a man could be 36 not out in a 60 overs match, that too in a World Cup match. That can only happen when the person puts his personal record and whims and fancies above the team.

Sachin, of course, tried to defend the team to victory. But a few more innings like these, I am afraid he will join ranks with Sunil for all the wrong reasons. That will be the day when I stop watching cricket.

"If you are a hooker, just go for it!"

2005-03-25T02:33:00.000+05:30

"If you are good hooker, you know you should go for it."

"Areeee kya yaar, no point simply hanging out. Woh Kya Bolten, Chup Rehna is not good ... Karna Chaiyeh. If you are good hooker, simply go for it. My friend here Jimmy is one of the best hookers ever. He knows"

- Krish Srikkant, television commentator, Fourth Umpire, Lunch Break, March 24, while referring to Inzamam's batting.

Suderman and the art of TFLW persistence

2005-03-16T23:40:00.000+05:30

Persistence must pay!

I have learnt that from watching Sudhish R.Kamath. In the last three years that I have been his colleague, he has been nothing but a man with an obsessive, compulsive order (not disorder) for making TFLW, his first movie.

A couple of years back, he even shot his film and gave the rough cuts for me to watch. Honestly, I did not think it was as bad as he had made it out to be. Somewhere I think he developed a defence mechanism to be so critical of his movie that the few who watched it would not have anything worse to say. In some ways I understood that because I had made a short film when I was in college and I remembered just how sensitive I was about it. It is another story that all my classmates laughed their asses off over it and I felt like I had fallen into an abyss for quite some time.

But the great thing about Sudhish is that he has managed to pull himself up from a rather difficult situation and has managed to start reshooting his film today. I was struck at the office and could not make it. Actually, that is still an excuse because I should have been there. :(

I actually have no great advice to give Sudhish except perhaps share what someone told me about all things in life: "It is not important to come up with the best work there is (or in your case the 'best film'). What is important is to put in your 100 per cent effort. If you succeed, GOOD ... If you don't, then VERY GOOD because then you get to do what you love all over again.

So here we go again ... BEST OF LUCK, SUDHISH. I know you will be putting in 200 per cent effort for your film. And if you do that, the result just will not matter!

Thanks God! For Sachin

2005-03-16T23:18:00.000+05:30

Yes, I am a die-hard Sachin Fan. The great man crossed another landmark today and I am happy even though he was just a shadow of his best self. But let us give the great man some time ... after all, he is coming back after a lay off. I have no doubts that Sachin will exorcise his demons once No.35 is in his pocket and the world will see the demon that he can be with the bat all over again.

All this talk about him being past his best is both true and false as far as I am concerned: It is true that he can never play like the 25-year-old he was but who knows what is in store for the 35-year-old Sachin because I think he is going to be on the field that long (fingers crossed!).

I will pray for you, Sachin.

The greatest tribute to his batsmanship is the enormity of the debate that is going on over his 'failing' abilities and the authority with which former and present players are saying that he is no longer the Sachin he was. To me, that sounds more a prayer than logic ...

I have little doubt that our man (my man) will rise like the Phoenix from ashes, stronger, more ruthless, more intense ... and that will be the DAY.

Thanks Sachin for the entertainment and inspiration. On day's when I feel a bit down, I still watch the VCD featuring the Indo-Pak encounter on March 1, 2003 at Supersport Centurion Park. There is that one shot ... a backfoot drive through covers ... more like a punch, you know, a stand-and-deliver shot that only a true genius can play ... If not for anything else, that one shot to me is an absolute gift for all cricket lovers from the little master worthy of being treasured for eternity.

Chandramukhi music - first impressions

2005-03-06T23:21:00.000+05:30

Just got "Chandramukhi" audio CD today. Have listened to the songs twice now and must say that the music is pretty average, even by Vidyasagar's standards. The songs seem a bit aged ... more like out of movie from the 1980s. Surely there is no magic in the music. In fact, most songs seem like they are from one of those corny Telugu film remakes.

Guess we will have to wait for the Superstar to weave in the magic.

This is definitely one of the most mediocre audio release for a Rajnikant-starrer in over two decades. Heck, even Baba had "Maya Maya" magic. But these are still first impressions. I am sure some of the Rajni die-hard fans will swear by the music soon once all the teashops in Tamilnadu start playing it by popular demand.

The first song in the album is "Devuda Devuda" sung by SPB. It kind of has a Telugu-remake feel to it. Some of the tracks, especially the Punjabi one, seems straight out "Dhool" title song.

"Konja Neram" by Asha Bhonsle and Madhu Balakrishnan is the "melodious" song of the album. It passes muster but is nothing exceptional. Bhonsle's voice is of course the high point.

"Athithom" by SPB and Vaishali. Another average track. God, this one sounds like a 1970s track.

"Kokku Para Para" by Tipu, Manicka Vinayagam and S.Rajalakshmi is slightly racy, but only slightly ...

"Raa Raa" by Binni Krishnakumar and Tipu, an extremely average track with Telugu lyrics!

"Annanoda Pattu" by K.K.Karthik and Sujatha must surely the introductory song for SS. Surely the pick of the lot but I am sure this one will be a charttopper only for Rajnikant. If it is any other actor, this song will not even feature in a TOP TEN list.

Overall, Chandramukhi songs disappoint BIG TIME. But hey, this is a THALAIVAR movie and only time will tell how much the songs are appreciated.

I will follow this up with a more detailed review if I change my views.

When my day begins at Noon, do I have lunch at 6 p.m.

2005-03-01T18:25:00.000+05:30

Yes, I know that is a weird headline for the post, but my day really began at Noon today. I woke at 12.05 p.m.

I realised that I had woken first around 9 a.m. when my wife said she was leaving for her office and then again around 11 a.m. when I realised the doors were open. The rest of it is just a blur. I was afraid I was suffering from low BP ... Yes, that happened once three years ago. Not again, I thought.

Called up office to say I was not checking in today.

Checked my BP with my doctor. He said it was fine and prescribed me some medicines for exhaustion. The whole day I have felt kind of light, kind of Rip Van Winklish ... It is 6.30 p.m. now, and I have already slept more than 12 hours today. It's weird. Never done this before.

But I guess it happens ... Got to get back to my ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

A month in wilderness

2005-02-28T11:32:00.000+05:30

Yes, I was on a sabbatical.

The last couple of months have been kind of hazy, mainly because I have been writing articles or doing stuff that I was totally not interested in. Which brings me to a rather interesting discussion I had with a colleague of mine recently: Agreed that newspapers have social responsibilities, but do some of the reports we write really mean anything to our readers (YOU).

Somewhere I have become that guy who always picks faults with the government or explains why things are not the way they are meant to be. I remember a phrase my wife once pointed out to me about investigative journalism in America: "Good journalism is to comfort the underprivileged and discomfort the overprevileged."

In the last seven years that I have been a reporter, the few reports that I am truly proud of are the ones that have stirred some mini-controversies. The kind where I cock a snoot at the authorities. But all that has left me is a legacy of hatred among some officials. Public memory of such reports, sadly, is short. In the end, any reporter is only as good as his last report.

But slowly I realise that journalism itself has changed a lot within a short span of time. We seldom see hard-hitting articles taking the centrestage.

I am this close to getting dooced but WTF.

Perhaps, we are now in an era of feel-good reporting and feature writing. News gathering itself is a secondary skill. Perhaps, I need to change myself if I have to survive and, more importantly, succeed.

Other things I have been doing over the last couple of months:

- Watched a number of good movies thanks to the return of DVDs at Burma Bazaar - Francois Truffant's 400 Blows and Shawshank Redemption top the list.
- Watched Sanjay Leel Bhansali's Black. Verdict: It succeeds where Swades fails and fails where Swades succeeds.
- Watched an English play - 'Mercy' - staged by Madras Players. It was the first play I watched in over four years. Verdict: Average
- Read "The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night time" by Mark Haddon. Also the first book I finished in over two years. Verdict: Must Read
- Learnt Hata Yoga. Realised how sad my physical fitness was as I struggled to do some of the asanas. Verdict: Don't ask.
- Played gully cricket with some of my street kids. It was good to be able to play like a child but what the heck it feels lousy when a 10-year dislodges your stumps. Verdict: Super Fun.
- Prepared a resume. For the first time since I joined 'The Hindu'. Not really to apply for a job but just to see how it looks. Verdict: Pretty Average
- Smoked a cigarette. Actually took two puffs, not so deep too. It was first time in over two years ... I don't know why but I suddenly had this craving for nicotine. Verdict: I will kill the person who tells my wife.

Time now to put those New Year resolutions to effect.

Random Matrix Quote:

Neo over the phone in the last scene of 'The Matrix': "I am going to show them a world ... A world without boundaries, without controls, a world where anything is possible, a world without YOU ... Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you."

Interesting! ;)

2005-01-30T18:22:00.000+05:30

All you bloggers ... at least some of you must have seen this coming!

My take on 'Swades - We the people'

2005-01-18T15:30:00.000+05:30

First of all, why so late?: Hmmm ... I watched this much-hyped movie only recently. Besides, I think it is better to watch such movies after the hype has died down so that you can make a fair judgement of how the movie really affects you.

Coming to "Swades - We the people" ...

If I were to explain the movie in a nutshell, Swades appeals to me like modern art: It is colourful, contemporary, much hyped about yet abstract and at times boring. Though it screams for attention, it does not quite get you (at least me!) and ultimately you walk off thinking "was it just me or did others feel that way too."

Without being too harsh, let me straightaway say that the director Ashutosh Gowariker has been very honest in his narrative and his intentions are indeed most noble. But are good intentions alone enough to carry a movie?

To me, the biggest drawback in the movie was that it did not engage me much.

The most absurd of cinematic coincidences happen right at the beginning when Mohan meets his childhood friend and caretaker of his nanny at his friend's bookshop. Gita immediately recognises Mohan and understands (!) that he is there only to take Kaveriamma to USA. Quickly, Gita gives him the directions to one of the remotest villages in Uttar Pradesh and our NASA project manager for some Global Satellite does not even smell a rat ... Okay, I am being harsh here ... he does not even smell a beautiful cat, for that is what Gayathri Joshi is.

We can still forgive Ashutosh for so uninspiring a beginning ... Actually, after the chance encounter between the hero and heroine, there is this great song we can settle down to. The movie from there on has its moments but they are few and far between ... actually quite far from each other considering the 3.15 hrs running time.

Ashutosh Gowariker projects Indian poverty on screen, no doubt about that at all.

But somehow, the scenes are not poignant enough. True, there is this sequence about the water hawker at the railway station or the conversation that he has with the farmer's family but somehow the movie lacks the soul of any good movie and the change in Mohan Bhargava's heart is not very convincing.

But this is not to say that the movie is total bummer. Swades is on par with Lagaan at least in the casting and the character development departments. Ashutosh casts actors so apt for the role that it is hard to look at some of them - especially the Dalit villagers - as anything else. The characters - like the Post Master - are very carefully etched.

Also, Ashutosh seems to be bonding extraordinarily well with A.R.R and we can look forward to future collaborations of the duo for sure. The "Pal pal hai bhari" bhajan, despite appearing a bit out of the blue in the movie, is manna to the ears.

While I am at it, let me also say that this talk that SRK does not play SRK in Swades is absolute humbug. The few memorable moments in the movie are indeed the ones where the Badshah of Bollywood unleashes his good old charm - like when he asks Gita not to miss him too much or when he mocks throwing a cigarette out of his caravan on his lady love's command.

Overall, Swades seems to have joined the list of movies that will be remembered not as a well crafted movie but a movie which had a potential.

The good word for Ashutosh Gowariker is that his movie, much like modern art, might not be as acclaimed as the popular Lagaan but there are still a few points to write home about.

Upon hearing his decision to go back to his 'Swades,' Mohan Bhargava's boss asks him if the decision is a well though out one. When he finds out that the young man is indeed clear about what he wants, he utters the only punchline of the movie: "Okay. You go light your bulb."

Probably Ashutosh will also light his own bulb and give us a more interesting movie next time.

We, the People, are surely waiting.

Spywares run riot!

2005-01-10T19:48:00.000+05:30

I have installed Adaware 6 and Spybot Search and Destroy 1.2 but to no avail. My Internet Explorer 5, which I do not use, keeping attempting to contact the Internet but ZoneAlarm prevents it. Still I keep getting the options window "Do you want to work offline or retry."

Can anyone help me with the problem? My system runs on Microsoft Windows 98 SE.

Spybot keeps identifying "redirected host" but no matter how much I delete, the problem keep recurring. :(

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...................................

Third World Art!

2005-01-09T14:58:00.000+05:30

There is a strong Western influence in whatever art form we normally enjoy - be it movies, novels, television shows or music.

But occasionally when I read a book or watch a movie from the Third World (Though I am using it, I actually do not like the word TW. Is there a substitute? ), I believe - actually realise - that truly incredibly art stems from the most unlikely quarters.

Last week, I watched a Brazilian movie called "City of God." It tells a story of two boys growing up in a street gang infested ghetto near Rio de Janero in the late 1960s. One becomes a photographer, the other a gang leader. The movie is based on real life events there.

The movie absolutely rocked.

None of the actors were trained professionals. The director actually handpicked a few street children from Brazil to play the roles. In effect, none of the actots were actually actors but were just playing themselves. It was cinema as close to reality as can be.

Another name that comes to my mind when I talk about art from the forgotten world is Ben Okri, the Booker Award winning author of the novel "Famished Road" and short story collection "Incidents at a Shrine."

Both "City of God" and Ben Okri's "Famished Road" are unbridled expressions of the troubled lives that people lead in some dingy nooks and corners of society. Things that popular art and even media conveniently choose to ignore.

There is one particular story by Okri in "Incidents at the Shrine" that stands out. The protagonist is a struggling unemployed person in Nigeria with the most unusual source of income: His blood! He has a rare blood group and the local hospital pays him well everytime he makes a donation.

While speaking about Okri and "City of God," I also realise that I have not read much of our own vernacular novels. But that I can change.

Guys and gals, if you ever get a chance to see City of God, Don't Miss It. A small warning though: The movie is extremely violent and can be gut-wrenching for some. It even pales Kill Bill into insignificance. But ultimately this is a movie that will haunt you for long. It has been rated quite high on IMDB charts.

And for those who have not read Okri, the Chennai Book Fair is here already and no better excuse to loosen those purse strings!

New Years Resolutions!

2005-01-03T14:07:00.000+05:30

1. To get supremely fit, take that 5-gear-cycle of mine, and to pedal .. Actually, I have a crushing back-ache even as I write this.

2. To blog a lot more. Somewhere, I lost interest in blogging. But that was a stupid mistake. The last week has seen some phenomenal blogging activity and is inspiration enough for me to never stop blogging again.

3. To test the job market, maybe … Some of my colleagues will read this… So I am not gonna let the cat out yet. ;)

4. To write articles with a lot more passion. It’s not that I do not write with passion but like most journalists I know, it is hard to keep motivation levels high all the time. But that has gotta change and will change.

5. To develop a comic strip idea or write a small story or some such thing which will give vent to my creativity. I hear Gotham Comics India is going to start out a whole range of Indian comics and are looking out for writers, illustrators, sketchers,… Hip, hip, hurray to that.

6. To make a short film. I made one five years ago at a workshop with a lot of passion. I would love to do some such thing again. If there is someone with a similar bent of mind and more importantly the wares – camera, editing facilities and a crazy head over the shoulders – call me.

7. To learn a martial art … yeah, that’s right. I have taken some basic lessons for Silambam and would probably continue that.

8. Never regret having posted this list of resolutions. ;)

Folk, Happy New Year once again.

Live life to the lees

2005-01-01T08:48:00.000+05:30

Happy New Year to all.

I had a wonderful History teacher at my school Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Vidyalaya. Her name was Rajni. “Rajni Sister,” we used to call her. She occasionally took time off to teach us a bit of English literature. That was her passion.

She was a widow, I think her husband was dead a long time before even she became a teacher. But it will be only fair to say that she was always married to her profession.

I clearly recollect a phrase she once explained in our class. “Live life to the lees.” I think it was from a poem on Ulysess. “He lived life to the lees. I want all of you to do the same.”

What is lees? According to Cambridge online dictionary:

the lees : (plural noun) the substance which is left at the bottom of a container of liquid, especially in a bottle of wine

What the phrase refers to is a person who will drink his wine to the lees, leave nothing behind … Rajni Sister wanted us to live life the same way.

I have visited her a few times after becoming a reporter. She has grown frail because a couple of heart-related problems but her spirit remains intact. She will alway be that way. Every time, I feel down in the dumps, I think of her … and her call to all her students, to me … TO LIVE LIFE TO THE LEES.

This New Year on, let us do the same.

Soaps, Sanitary napkins, disinfectants ...

2004-12-30T21:19:00.000+05:30

Dear friends, we can save our old clothes for Bhogi and burn it up then. According to people involved in relief works, the needs of the hour are soaps, sanitary napkins, disinfectants, mugs, buckets, footwear and other essentials. Not, NOT old clothes because they have already received it aplenty.

Also, think about donating utensils which the people can use for cooking purposes.

Those who want to go to Cuddalore, read this

2004-12-30T17:56:00.000+05:30

Friends, this is the contact number of a relative of mine who lives in Cuddalore, some kilometers away from the shores. His name is Natarajan and he will be able to guide volunteers who want to get there for relief work about where to go and what to do.

You can contact him at 954142-234144. You can refer my name - Karthik, Hindu reporter. Better still you can contact me at 98410-68413 after reaching Cuddalore.

You can call him from the morning of December 31.

Once again, please call him only if you are absolutely sure that you want to go there. He is already doing all he can and I do not think it will be fair to unnecessarily flood him with calls.

Crap! Grounded for at least 5 days

2004-12-30T06:44:00.000+05:30

Seems like the small accident I had on December 26 will ground me for most of this week. HS, this is the time every reporter should be out there and here I am, wriggling and sitting at my home :(

But no point cribbing. Guess I will finally work out the exercises in Edward De Bono's Lateral Thinking workbook. Let me hope at least some good comes out of it.

More Andaman victims arrive in city

2004-12-29T18:47:00.000+05:30

Today, more than 300 persons evacuated from Andamans will be reaching Chennai and will be sheltered at the Chennai Corporation Community Centre at Muthial Street in Teynampet.

They want utensils more than anything else!

2004-12-29T16:02:00.000+05:30

Friends, this is the phone number of a former Panchayat president of Mahabalipuram, E.Sathya. Once again, do not flood him calls, just call him if you absolutely need to and are serious about going there and helping the people.

E.Sathya: 094436 39234. Landline: 954114 - 242557.

People who want to go to ECR directly can ask him for directions and suggestions. He says rice has arrived in huge quantities though there are not enough utensils to cook. People who are willing to rent a truck to send it supplies, contact him immediately.

Thanks.

Nagapattinam phone no.

2004-12-29T15:53:00.000+05:30

Krishnammal Jagannathan, secretary of the Land For Tillers Freedom, a voluntary organisation based in Nagapattinam district, said more blankets were required for the victims in the district and appealed to the people to send them either to the LAFTI, Vinoba Ashram, Kuthur - 611 105, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu.

Phone: 04366-275443 and 275540. E-mail: laftitngsm@yahoo.co.in

Udhavum Ullangal, Memorial School Campus, 2 Guild Street, T.Nagar, Chennai 600017. Mobile: 94441-97473.

More phone numbers

2004-12-29T15:47:00.000+05:30

Here are some phone numbers that could be of use:

The Indian Red Cross Society: 044-2855 4548 /4425 /4117 /2858 6997.

Madras Medical Mission: 044-6565920, extension 2032.

Exnora Clothes Bank: 044 - 2815 3377/ 2475 9477.

Dr. Dathu Rao Memorial Charitable Trust is offering shelter around 30 to 40 children orphaned or abandoned after the calamity. Contact 044-2492 8366.

Mata Amritanandamayi Math is collecting rice, clothes, medicine and money. Contact 044-2376 4063/ 582, 2242 5736, 5517 5186.

To help affected persons in and around Neelangarai, contact Priya on 2550 6284.

The Indian Doctors for Peace and Development is collecting medicines, blankets, saris and vessels. Contact 9444183776/ 044-2821 8191/ 2642 8838/2494 1277.

Doctors offering free medical treatment:

Dr. G. S. Kailaash, Srinivas Poly Clinic and Lab, 203, Kutcheri Road, Mylapore. Phone 52064051;

Dr. K. R. Muthuswamy, Second Trust Main Road, Mandavelipakkam, Phone: 24951736;

for free treatment of children: Dr. Chithra Kailaash (Phone 52064051);

free medicare: M.K. Nursing Home, 25, R.S.M. Road, Old Washermenpet; Sugam Hospital, Tiruvottriyur; Venkateswara Hospital, 121 A, Chamiers Road, Nandanam, 52125212;

To report details on missing children contact Childline 1098
or
Don Bosco Anbu Illam, 044-2535 2101/ 94440 31098.

Meet the Andaman victims!

2004-12-28T21:39:00.000+05:30

Tsunami victims from Andaman and Nicobar have been given shelter at the Chennai Corporation Community Halls.

This afternoon, 137 victims were given shelter at the community centre at Third Main Road, CIT Nagar, Saidapet. Chennai Corporation has already arranged food. So probably, we can help them with clothes! The local councillor who is coordinating with Corporation officials said some of them wanted money to travel to other districts to stay with their relatives.

Help Pudupatinnam Panchayat Chief!

2004-12-28T21:32:00.000+05:30

Pudupattinam is a village Panchayat off ECR, near Kalpakkam, which has been badly hit by the Tsunami tragedy.

You can contact the Panchayat Chief Kalaimarimuthu on his mobile at 098945-31956.

Dear friends, please form some groups among yourselves so that one person can coordinate the relief works. Please remember that if you need to directly help them, some of you might have to go there. This is approximately 50 kms from Chennai. Let us not flood him with too many calls.

The Panchayat Chief told me that food is not a problem, though clothes are.

I would love to coordinate the works if not for my health..

"Daridra Devo Bhava" - Swami Vivekananda.

What can we (You!) Do?

2004-12-28T20:33:00.000+05:30

A lot of people have been asking me what kind of help can be offered at this time.

My understanding of the situation is that the disaster is much more alarming in the southern districts of Tamilnadu more than Chennai. One of my colleagues, A.Manikandan has been covering the incidents along East Coast Road.
He says Sadras and Pudupatinam near Kalpakkam are most affected areas. Relief works are yet to be taken up there.

People who are willing to volunteer for some relief efforts can SMS me at 98410-68413. I can provide more details.

Cmon guys, let us do whatever we can!

Absolutely numb!

2004-12-28T20:14:00.000+05:30

Here I am sitting at my home with a horrible pain in my lower back, when most of my colleagues are at work. I cannot say which pain is worse: the one in my back or my inability to go to work.

But I did go to work on the day the Tsunamis struck. It was my night duty but nothing could keep me at home.

I visited parts of North Chennai.

My immediate reaction on December 26 morning, when I received a call around 7.15 a.m., about the earthquake was one of a laid-back "so what" approach. We have experienced a earthquake in Chennai before and I though, I am sure like millions more, that it was nothing to be worried about. Around 8.30 a.m., when my cousin called me from Triplicane saying sea water had entered the roads and it was like a scene out of Roland Emmerich movie Day after Tommorow, I wanted to rush there. Once again not out of empathy or any such thing, but merely to look at the sight of Nature at its fury.

But when I eventually did go to North Chennai - parts of Royapuram and Ennore - I was stunned by the sights. Some of my friends called me up all the time to find out what happened.

What happened? Hell happened.

An absolute must read!

2004-12-26T09:02:00.000+05:30

Poynter online has a couple of very intersting articles on what journalists can learn from bloggers and vice-versa. Check it out!

Big vote still for Mani Ratnam - Illayaraaja

2004-12-25T22:13:00.000+05:30

It has been over a month since I posted a couple of polls on my blog - Which Tamil film director - music director duo was the all-time best and Which was the b.o. bummer with best A.R.R score.

Here are the results:

101 of the 224 voters crowned Illayaraaja-Mani Ratnam the best pairing on Tamil screen. That is nearly 45 per cent of the votes.

Next on the list was the A.R.R.-Mani Ratnam pairing with 80 votes.

On A.R.R's best score for b.o. bummer, Subhash Ghai's utterly, unbelievably stupid Taal cornered 33 of the 92 votes. Vasanth's Rhythm came in a close second with 32 votes. My personal favourite - Duet - got 17 votes.

Thanks for all your votes ;)

The thin line between madness and bravery

2004-12-21T21:09:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: Not all the words I am going to key in this post will make sense in the very first reading.

This post, though inspired by a fellow blogger's latest post, is not targeted at a single individual. In fact, it is not targeted at anyone.

My second innings

The Chennai blogosphere is churning with one of the city's leading blogger's latest post. It is causing quite the ripple that has woken me from a slumber of sorts.

Who was this blogger and what did he say? Well, let me just say that he has posted something about a popular actress. The rest you can find out or have already found out. I leave it entirely up to you. A small clue: the post is receiving a record number of responses which is good for the influential blogger :)

What amuses me is some of the remarks by fellow bloggers on the post. It seems that doing something atrocious or audacious is often misconstrued to be an act of bravery. So here are the remarks heaping lavish praises on the blogger for being "brave" and "proving that he has the balls" and the kind.

What is bravery? Is it senselessness? Is it doing something audacious? or is it simply the power to know what you are capable of doing and abstaining from doing it?

Let us analyse how most of us have define a 'brave' person? If a person does something that is considered taboo, he becomes brave in the eyes of people who are also capable of doing the same but will not do it. Here the blogger has reportedly smashed the image of a conservative Chennaiite. (I have been a Chennaiite for 28 years and still do not understand why this tag was cursed on the city.)

There are a lot of people who are in awe of the blogger (I too like him, i swear) that he has the balls (!) to do what he believes in and sticks to it. Let us examine some other examples of people who would go to any length to do what they believe in: Osama bin Laden and George W.Bush. They have balls too! That is right, two each.

But should you lose your brain to prove that you have balls!

A women's modesty cannot become the price to prove that you are the clear thinking, liberal, no-nonsense individual. In fact, in trying to prove any such thing, you are only becoming the exact opposite.

One of the most humorous comments to the post was one blogger making fun of the responses saying this is how Indians react to 'R' rated stuff. The blogger, based in the U.S of A, argues that the Indians are being so finnicky about softporn equating it to hardporn. I think all of us appreciate a joke (or this case, slander) as long as it is on someone else.

Anway, the blog has put fodder to thought and has got me back here. Now, let us see how long I go before hibernating again.

And before I go, I think I must present my idea of a brave person: Swami Vivekananda to me was one brave dude when he said "Daridradevo Bhava." That is Sanskrit for "Treat the poor like God." Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was braver when he faced the lathi without hitting back. Both these guys were brave and practised what they preached. Most importantly, their bravery was from within. Not inspired by external events.

To all fellow bloggers! Think before you key

2004-12-21T21:06:00.000+05:30

Alright, the cat is out of the bag. This post is sligthly long and I am sorry for the inconvenience. But I will be most happy if you read this fully.

My previous post was about Kiruba's take on the peephole camera video.

Why did I post my comment on my blog rather than Kiruba's ... because I think I kind of scared away at least one of the persons following his blog. I already posted a comment that it was fine as long as Kiruba took total responsibility for what he had written.

After my comment, Kiruba also responded that he agreed with what I had said. But after that someone posted a link to the video on his site and I was quite surprised that Kiruba did not remove the link.

It is Kiruba's choice to retain the link in his blog and of course he is free to do so as long as he takes the "responsibility" for distributing it. My second comment in his blog was done this morning when I said he was so close to falling into a pile of shit. Please understand, I am saying this out of concern and not out of any jealousy or moral policing attitude.

Now why did I say Kiruba is -- this close to falling into a pile of shit?

Option 1. I was jealous

Guys, give me a break. I featured Kiruba in one of my articles on Chennai-based bloggers and I have some respect for the guy. And please, I think 200 persons posting comments in his blog is good for him. I can safely assume that thousands will read my page one article tomorrow. After six years of journalism, I can set bigger goals in life than just popularity and numbers.

Option 2. I am a moral police

Ha ha ha.

Option 3. I am concerned

Okay, here is my full take on the issue:

This happened to one of my friends, who I will refer by his initials - R.K. In fact, I am going to use only the initials for all names in this story because it is not a figment of my imagination and the real names do not matter here.

R.K. was a schoolmate of mine who was running an Internet parlour in Anna Nagar. It was a popular hangout and last year this fellow had just broken even on his investments and was making profits when most other Internet parlours in Anna Nagar had shut down.

R.K. was not a close friend but a friend nevertheless. Occassionally I used to go to the parlour myself. This parlour was run in the ground floor of an apartment, owned by another close friend of mine, B. It was basically a house that had been modified to become an Internet parlour. The hall and one of the two bedrooms had been converted into the parlour, using false-roofing and redesigning. One bedroom was not modified as the owner of the house, B, had left his bed behind and R.K. and others slept there after business on a few days.

One night last year, a police party headed by a senior officer, K.S., raided the parlour. At the time of the raid, a popular sattelite news channel crew accompanied the police. A very popular TV reporter, S.P., had accompanied the police party. The camera crew just barged into the parlour with a police, which incidentally did not produce any search warrant, and filmed the couples in the cubicles by placing the camera over the cubicles.

The police then forced the couples to board their van and took them to K-3 police station, where they were detained for more than an hour. This is where the moral police come in: the police asked the girls if their parents knew where they were. Some of the girls fell at the feet of the police and pleaded that they be left alone. All the while, the TV camera was busy setting up what TV journalists call a piece-to-the-camera. S.P., our dashing TV reporter, interviewed a beaming K.S.

The story was reported like this: Anna Nagar Police crack the whip on an Internet parlour that was ‘facilitating’ nefarious activities - what? Yes, that is right - this included having sex! - Where? In the bedroom, of course. To prove their point, they showed visuals of a bedroom (!) inside the Internet parlour. (The peephole videoman was just an amateur compared to this but of course his catch was much bigger)

Vernacular newspapers ran riot the next day: In bold headlines, ANNA NAGAR INTERNET PARLOURIL KAMA VERI ATTAM: KAMUGAN URIMAYALAR KAITHU. (Translates crudely to "Sex play in ANNA NAGAR Internet parlour! Sex maniac owner arrested"

My friend was guilty even before a fair trial. His relatives from US watched the breaking news on the satellite channels and made ISD calls to damn him. In just a matter of minutes, his world had crumbled.

And do you know what case they filed against him?

They booked him under Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code, which reads: "Sale, etc of obscene books, etc." It is a lengthy section but let me try to decifer some of it. The Section applies to people distributing obscene material that is deemed to be against public good. The punishment varies from a fine to maximum of Rs. 2,000 and or imprisonment upto two years.

R.K. was poorer by Rs. 2,000 but his life was shattered. I asked him if I could write an article in The Hindu about how the police had acted but he was too shattered and did not want to even speak on the issue. I eventually did a follow-up on this story but to what avail?

One of Chennai’s leading cyberlaw experts, N.V, says Kriba’s blog, in its current state, is a fit case for a criminal complaint. He says Section 67 of Information Technology Act, 2000 could be extended to Kiruba’s case.

What does Section 67 of the Act say:

67. Publishing of information which is obscene in electronic form

Whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be published in the electronic form, any material which is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest or if its effect is such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it, shall be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees and in the event of a second or subsequent conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years and also with fine which may extend to two lakh rupees.

One of the reasons why we find so many cases of this nature being overruled is because there is no incentive in it for police to pursue such cases. If the lady in the video calls up the police with information about how one blog has provided link to a damaging video, the unthinkable is not far away. Actually, it does not even require the lady. Her fan or a wellwisher could still do the damage.

A few cybercafe owners in Anna Nagar believe that R.K. was set up only because his business was doing good. The senior policeman was a relative of the popular reporter and was working on the policy: "You scratch my back and I scratch yours." The reporter was desperate for getting some juicy news for his Sunday Crime Update.

Dear Kribs and fellow bloggers, the laws are in place and whether you like it or not, what we write becomes libel. Sometimes we get away with many things but that does not mean what we doing is legal.

I will feel bad if Kribs (who I am reportedly jealous of) or any other blogger becomes another R.K. for so silly a reason.

I rest my case here. Perhaps I will write an article on the legal aspects of blogging soon. Thanks. :-)