The Last Blog of the Year...

It is difficult for me to remember January 1st 2007. I do remember that I was in Libya. If my memory is accurate on 31st night I and sabari watched Don in my laptop. The print was so bad but anyway we watched it because we didn’t have anything else to do in that ‘desertified’ land. Exactly 3 months later my laptop was stolen. Ah...The first prominent loss after the loss of that Chennai entity in 2005. It was bad, I mean the way these two incidents affected my life. it was terrible and the funniest part is that I remember every thing about these two events in my life. Wow…

I am back in India now; if everything happens in the right direction I will be flying again this year to a new country. Not so sure about the destination. I am also concerned about the dwindling health of my mom and the ageing factor of my father. I think these are all affects of passage of time – inevitable and undeniable…

So one full year awaits me and all those who are alive…what is in store for me and others who knows…

The Day After Christmas…

Picture courstey - Deb Seeger -Fiber Artist

The lull that follows a storm, as experienced by wise men.
Before my tongue curled up to a pause after saying the word amen
An electrified and unplanned wrath from the clouds above befell
The silent weeping of the heart staring at the distant shores of hell.

A refined and uncluttered mind is like a pretty flower that will bloom inside
Straight from Truth’s mouth, reluctant and inhibited came the verbal landslide
Shots aimed in darkness, forceful and sharp, body convulsed in agony.
Pain liberates the soul; it edges and reaches out to the zone of ecstasy.

Turning round and round, the stable rock invites me to have the permanent grip
I may stumble but may not fall, slippery; the surface will never let me slip
The strength that comes to me from the unwavering light of hope, spectacular
More than the human spirit of fickle-mindedness and jocular vagaries.

Knowing Me, Knowing You

No more carefree laughter.
Silence ever after.

Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes
Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye
We just have to face it, this time were throug.

Memories (memories), good days (good days), bad days (bad days)
They’ll be (they’ll be), with me (with me) always (always)
In these old familiar rooms children would play
Now there’s only emptiness, nothing to say
Breaking up is never easy, I know but I have to go

(I have to go this timeI have to go, this time I know)
Knowing me, knowing you
It’s the best I can do.

Song Trivia (Courtesy – Wikipedia).

"Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Stig Anderson, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, with the lead vocal sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" is also featured in the Mamma Mia! Musical.

My Analysis of the Song (lyrics):

A simple song with a complex idea. It talks about a break up and it’s after effects. In the first stanza – the singer is accompanied with minimal music and it sets the tone for the song. Her voice may sound as if she is filled with repentance and second thoughts but as she sings the last two lines of the first stanza –

Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes
Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye

It gathers momentum and force from this point. She is sealing her decision to leave her so called lover for reasons known best to her and her love. She is emotional and reluctant at the beginning of the song. Later on she becomes more resolute and strong. She even spurns the idea of living with her love.

Breaking up is never easy, I know but I have to go.

I feel that the song is all about decision making and enforcing it in a proper way. With the lyrics like – I have to go, this time I know – the song talks about separation and the final good bye. It involves memories which are good and bad. In brief, the song is like a sawn song of a relationship. it may have relation to what the band members themselves experienced in their lives.
That’s all I have to say about this lovely song from ABBA.

ABBA - Sweet Voice from my Musical Yesterday...

In the first blog post on Abba, I described how the music of abba is intertwined with my childhood life. It indeed brings in a flood of memories. I think every time when I listen to this Swedish band I experience what Longinus describes as – Transportation. I think if I apply some thought to this intensely emotional area of my life, I can observe two qualities in the music of ABBA. The first one is their – lyrical quality and the second one is their power of music. I plan to select some songs for re-discovering ABBA.

ABBA was a Swedish pop group active from 1972 until 1982. The quartet was formed through the friendship of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and their respective girlfriends Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog, and together they topped charts worldwide from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. The name "ABBA" is an acronym formed from the first letters of each group member's given name.
Courtesy – Wikipedia

In my journey to discover the magic of ABBA I intend to analyze the following songs based on two parameters - LQ (Lyrical Quality) and MQ (Musical Quality)

Knowing me Knowing You – (LQ)
Eagles – (MQ)
When all is said and Done – (LQ)
Dance – While the music still goes on - (LQ) and (MQ)
One of Us – (LQ)
Honey Honey - (LQ) and (MQ)
Our Last Summer – (LQ)

I am attracted to the lyrical quality of their songs because of two reasons. One, I am a word warrior (English Teacher) and second, i am a lover of words (Writer)

So I say
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me

Conversation with God (Part Two)

There are times in human life when one acutely needs the presence of God. The question is how to get it? Some are of the opinion that we should read some books related to spirituality or even get hold of the Holy book. May be they are right. I am interested in a much more closer approach - Where you shut yourself away from the world and talk to him in a cloistered environment. It’s just you and Him. This suggestion is not because of any animosity or allergy towards reading holy books. I strongly believe that reading a book is more like a ritual. It is an act where your thoughts are directed towards the book and the words in it. When you are undergoing a kind of ‘spiritual hibernation’ your mind is prepared for the act of conversation. The word of conversation also means much more than its literal meaning. It is an activity where informal thoughts are exchanged with your God in a casual way. He is your friend and he is listening to you. On a higher plain it becomes a kind of free-wheeling session. It is meditative and at the same time it becomes explosive. You can shout at the God not in anger but you want to show Him that you are really frustrated and fatigued. Like a man and a woman who really understand each other and cares for each other the relationship with God should be something open and honest.

Stay blessed in your words and deeds to Him.
Its good always to sing a personal hymn.
to unburden, to unleash the fatigued mind
There He is - a listener who is kind.

Conversation with God (Part One)

What makes the human reach out to the heaven and yearn for the divine touch. In this fast paced life one is constantly subjected to the pressures of life (where the pleasures are few). Personally I have felt the need to escape from all the madness that is around me and sit in a serene place to converse with my creator and protector. I used to do that in MCC when I was over-burdened with the business of life. In some way the habit was so constructive and productive and I used to emerge from this divine meetings feeling refreshed and energized. I do miss this now…

It is only after talking to my spiritual mentor (a true believer) that I realized that there is the possibility of doing the same wherever I am. Whenever I feel like talking to a person whom I like and If that person is kind of busy and pre-occupied I think that it is possible to do the same with God. He becomes that person and he is there to listen to you. This also led me to the conclusion that there is no point in running after the so called worldly things. It is futile and frivlous…

The Best, the Most and the Award goes to……

It is a good thing to appreciate something of high-quality. It is a kind of positive act which shares with the world the good news that something beautiful exists in this world. But is it always good to go for the best???? Especially when we celebrate beauty and waste time tracing the richest people of this world.

I have heard about many instances where the best things in the world are celebrated. For example there are hundreds of reports on the richest man on this planet. Rarely will you find an article talking about the poorest man on this planet. I am really worried about this act of singling out a man or a woman and placing them in a pedestal. This is most common when it comes to deciding on the most beautiful face or body. We have seen Indians being crowned the world beauty queens depending on their so called physical and intellectual abilities.

I would like to quote an article by R.K Narayan – The creator of the literary space called Malgudi. In his book – ‘The Writerly Life’ he talks about the concept of the Beauty and the Beast. How we create these two socio-cultural identities through the act of classification of the best and the most. He strongly suggests that if we can conduct beauty programs for the selecting the most beautiful face then naturally we can find some way of promoting the ugliest face on earth. Even they can appear in ads and they also will have some USP associated with them.

To take a literary leap into the French classic by Victor Hugo –The Hunchback of Notre Dame contains a scene where Quasimodo is elected as the ugliest man of the town

.

I am also tempted to appreciate the efforts of the New York Times Chief Media Critic – A.O Scott’s to create a list of the worst movies in the year 2006. Interestingly the worst movie of that year is the visual version of Dan Brown’s best seller – Da Vinci Code.

So Let us check out the list of the Best and the Most
MTV most wanted – MTV least wanted
World’s Famous – World’s Infamous
The best B-schools in India – The worst B-schools
The richest – The poorest

ABBA – a tribute - part one

I believe that at the end of our lives, before we close our eyes for the last and final sleep there will be a slideshow that will happen in our minds. A slideshow which will bring in the best and the worst of our lives. I am reminded of the movie American beauty where the character (Lester Burnham) played by Kevin Spacey mouths this exact belief of mine.

I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die.

I don’t know how I will die. My friends and others who love me will it is such a self-destructive idea. Yes, they are right. But I am certain of something – that I will hear the voice of ABBA resonating in my ears before I close my eyes. They are so close to my personal life that by just listening to them I am taken for a pleasant walk down the memory lane. The effect is more when I see that it is not just me who is there for this walk but also my family. Abba is fact that runs through our family. Thanks to the musical sensibilities of my dad who nurtured a deep desire and love for sane music. I remember him recalling that the first ‘household item’ that he bought off his first salary was a HMV gramophone or the LP disc player. I would like to conclude this episode of my verbal tribute by quoting few lines from the poem piano by D.H Lawrence. The spirit of music that is embedded in these lines is something that is closer to what we had at ‘Shelter’ my home at Calicut.

The glamour
Of childish days is upon me..
My manhood is cast
Down in the flood of remembrance

(To be continued….)

The Exciting world of Podcasts and RSS feeds

One of the reasons why I did not write in my blog for the past two or three days is because I was delving deeper and deeper into the world of Podcasts and RSS feeds. These two words were Greek and Latin to me earlier…but not anymore… I can call myself a Podcaster and RSS feed buff.

The first word is a portmanteau word like – infotainment (information and entertainment). The word is a combination of – I pod and Broadcast. They were originally designed for Apple Ipods and later on were made available for mass consumption.

The next word means Really Simple Syndication which is a kind of update that is made available from a website. For example Times of India website gives you the option of subscribing to its RSS feeds on a regular basis.

The kind of subjects that are available in Podcasts will leave you baffled and wonder struck. Almost all the leading media houses own a podcast directory. BBC, Newyork Times, and CNN have wonderful topics in their podcast archive. Other prominent podcast directories can be subscribed from NGC, Discovery, NASA, and M TV.

The best part of the whole thing is that most of these podcasts are free of cost..

So if you are listening – get I tunes software downloaded from the Apple website and enter the world of Podcasts.

Best wishes for a happy and fruitful podcasting…

The Art of Smiling...

Everybody loves a good smile. It’s kind of therapeutic. The quality of smile can be compared to that of Mercy as explained by Portia in Merchant of Venice.

It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes…

A Smile should be spontaneous. It should really spruce and spice up life. In these days of plastic smiles and elastic smiles I sometimes feel that the original meaning and purpose of smile is lost somewhere. One of the reasons for this artificiality can be attributed to academic and religious conditioning. A child who smiles at others is given constant reminders that it is a bad thing to do. He/she is warned that this habit may invite troubles.

I feel that a good smile will always fetch rich dividends. As teacher I have felt that there is some charisma when we walk into the class with a smile. A smile can act as a good ice breaker. Learners feel that the tutor is emotionally balanced and is approachable. Even in the work place I have felt that a smile and a handshake will create a positive ambience.

Literature, art and cinema have used the art of smiling as a motif or theme. One reference which I can think about is from the poem – My Last Duchess by Robert Browning.
Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whenever I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together.

I also would like to re-phrase the famous lines from Faustus by Marlowe where he describes the ethereal beauty of Helen

Was this the smile/ face that launched a thousand ships?
And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.
My contention is if the face of Helen is so beautiful then what will be her smile like???

From the world of painting we have the famous smile of Mona Lisa. Is it really a smile or is it a smirk? Historians and art connoisseurs are still debating on that issue.

From the reel zone it is a movie titled Mona Lisa that grabs my attention. Julia Roberts plays an art teacher who inspires her students to think laterally. The tag line for the movie was – ‘In a world that told them how to think, she showed them how to live’. And it goes without saying that the smile of Julia Roberts is a treat by itself.

So in this world of conditioned smiles. It is always good to sport a natural smile and I am sure that it will make you and others feel better. The art of smiling will and should complement the art of living.

We cannot be like Albert Einstein who when requested for a smiling photograph gave this pose.

How long can a dreamer live????

Being a dreamer is not an easy thing. He/she lives in a different plain all together. A world removed from what the senses can perceive. Beings in the so called real world most of the times fail to recognise the world of a dreamer. They are all bitten by the reality bug. The only dream that they may believe in will be that of APJ Abdul Kalam's ignited dreams. I call myself a dreamer because that's the only identity that makes me complete. Dreams are very much related to risk taking and adversities. I believe that – to dream is to think off the beaten track. To be a path finder and also a path finder. I am reminded of the vision statement of the Jesuits when they started India's first management institute. If I remember correctly it was – 'renewing the face of the earth'. A dream nurtured by one Jesuit father has become a success story called XLRI. To have a dream for me is like having hope – something to which I can cling on. What is life if don't have dreams. I am talking about dreams which are unbridled and spontaneous. I also would like to make it very clear that dreams for me are not materialistic – like buying an Audi car or owning a posh flat in Indira Nagar, Bangalore. My dreams are more 'down to earth'.

Interestingly I also have asked my friends and colleagues about their dreams and they came out with some lovely dreams

One of my Tamilian friends wants to get married to a girl from Kerala.
One of my Andhra friends wants to get married to a fair girl because he is afraid that getting married to an Indian may turn his progeny into dark skinned beings.

Now talking about my dreams...

The first one is related to a person with whom I had spent a considerable amount of time – it is not just ordinary time I would like to call it 'quality time'. The person was my dream and still is.

The second dream is to do with my higher studies. As usual I got a dream topic. Everybody seems to criticise the very thought of it, but not me and the ones who love me.

The third is an extension of the third dream – a kind of fulfilling the practical side of the theory.

As I write this blog – I declare that I am born into this world only to accomplish these three dreams. I don't have any other dreams because I don't have any other life –

ONE LIFE / THREE DREAMS.

Learning English from a Newspaper

E from the title section – The details given next to the title of the paper can be used to prepare a short description of the paper. (Number of pages, price of the paper, place of publication, type of edition, date, one line description of the paper, the logo ( explanation), website address, etc) You can either prepare a document or you can ask questions based on the details given there.


E from The main stories -Headlines are given in the first sheet. Learner using the data prepares a document which will be later compared to the real news. Words are discussed and even an attempt is made to create a new and a personal headline.


E from the picture given in the main sheet -Learner is asked to describe the picture in his or her words. The individual descriptions are pooled in to create a group and finalized verbal picture of the picture.


E from the main headlines – a mock news reading session where the learner will play the role of a TV/ radio newsreader and reads out the headlines following the norms of a real news presentation. The same exercise is used to conduct a listening exercise where other learners will listen to the newsreader and make notes. There is also a possibility here i.e. after listening to the headlines they can share the news to their team members.


E from the news chunks – Each learner takes up a part of the news item given and reads it aloud to the class. As they read the hard words, spelling and linguistic details are discussed.


E from the main page - Creating a word list from the first sheet which will be later used for a word memory game.

Don - The Movie

Don is a flick done in perfection. Every frame is well-crafted and well-planned. Even though Lakshya was a disappointment after DCH, director Farhan Akthar presents a neat act as a director. All the ingredients of a good movie it is there. The script is powerful with the necessary twists and neat action sequences that spruce it up. Music by Sankar, Ehassan and Loy has got the power, especially the theme song ‘Main Hoon Don’ and the track labeled – ‘Aaj Ki Raat’.

With SRK delivering the best as the titular hero – Don, there are no complaints about this remake of the 1978 flick where ‘the long legged’ Amitabh Bachchan donned the role of Don. SRK is wonderful in the scene where he inspects the new recruit Roma played by Priyanka Chopra. The body chemistry between the two is too good. With the movie shot in Malaysia – Truly Asia – the scenic beauty is awesome. With neat and mature performances from Boman Irani and Arjun Rampal the movie is a good sample for the posterity to appreciate Bollywood. I think Om Puri is wasted in the film as the Interpol officer.