An Eventful Evening!!

This post would be incomplete if i do not start it with the usual feel sorry thing, here it goes. I know i am not writing as much as i would have wanted. I have almost forgotten that i used to enjoy writing. I would be doing a great favor to myself if i reboot the habit before it slips out of the conscious, it never once got into the subconscious though. Ok now the post starts.

I never wanted that happen to me the first time it happened. I should admit that i was a bit naive then, for i could have avoided the situation entirely. Ok, let me first get to what happened actually.  I rarely talk on the phone. I could literally count the number of calls that i make in a month. My mom who usually finishes off  the talktime on her phone in no time uses mine till she gets her phone recharged, not to mention that i had to recharge my phone quite often. Until that evening it never occurred to me that a booster pack would come in handy.

So i went to this little recharge cum magazine shop. I read the options on the display card and finally chose Rs.69 pack that will bring down the call rate to 30p/min from 1Re/min. The shopkeeper noted down my number and carefully repeated it for confirmation. I gave him the final nod and the booster was successfully done. I handed him 70 Rs and waited for my change. The shopkeeper opened his 'kalla petti', dropped the amount and closed it in a flash. He then started tending to his other customers completely ignoring the character that was waiting for the change. I managed to buy some time checking some already read messages. And then it dawned on me that no amount of waiting would make him realize that he owes me a rupee. When i finally cleared my throat to speak up and ask for the change, the flashback came to haunt me.

It was late 2008 when i had just got out of college. I was new to chennai and i was travelling from i-don-remember-where to Pallavaram in an MTC bus. I got the ticket and the conductor told me that he will give the 50 paise change a little later. I said ok and got seated. The bus was at Pallavaram bus station and i dint get the change. Before getting down, i asked for the change, the conductor suddenly turned red and threw a 1 re coin at me. I dint mind to pick up the coin. Only then did i realize that he didn't have any 50 paise coin. I would have understood if he had just said that. He should have liked me so much!! that he wanted to tell me that the hard way.

Back to now, I dint say a word to the shopkeeper. I dint want to put myself in another embarrassing situation. I turned back and walked straight to home. I re-counted the incident to my mom and asked her what on earth would he be able to do with that 1 re. She had a different perspective, she said what if he does that to 10 customers a day, what if he is already doing this for years now. Oh Boy!! My mind was still troubled that it was not able to do the math.

Its not the rupee that mattered but the fact that i was denied something that was rightfully mine irked me so much. And when even sleep eluded me i had to resort to watching 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' to finally fall asleep.

What are you busy with at the weekends??

We in our friends group had a discussion about spending the weekends teaching the underprivileged kids and immediately the first concern that came up was how free are we on the weekends. As a matter of fact, am completely free on most weekends. I have sat hours together thinking about the finite amount of things that i could do but eventually end up doing nothing worthwhile. And, after the 'No working on weekends' resolution the weekends have started meaning void in my dictionary. The situation being this i was just wondering if its the case with just me or do i have company. I haven't heard a confession(like the one i made above!!) yet to corroborate the fact!!. Thankfully, Kandhan(name changed for privacy concerns!!) came forward and confessed that he has absolutely nothing to do on the weekends. So i do have some company. I am just curious to know what keeps you busy on the weekends. Ofcourse, weekends are for relaxing and to prepare ourselves for the higly demanding weekdays, so its ok to be busy sleeping on a weekend. You may think that am being a little paranoid but i just want to know what are you busy with at the weekends??. And, yes i can hear you saying "It's none of your business"!!

Share your thoughts pls :-)

Regards,
Praveen.

On a (Rainy)Diwali Day

I was out of my door to get an auto to drop my Akka and Atthan at their home. It was late evening and was raining, perhaps i should say it was drizzling.I have to take the left for the auto stand, but as i swung the door open, there was quite a crowd on the street to my right. The crowd was standing around a thing as if they are trying to save a life,pandemonium was all over the place. I really forgot that it was diwali day, but remembered it was a rainy day and thought some speedy biker slipped over on the wet road, I was walking fast towards ground zero thinking if i should lend an helping hand or not. It was puzzling as to why only one family was out catering to the bruished biker!!(There were around 10 to 15 people)..As i entered the accident zone, i felt like a fool, Coz it was not a speedy biker on the ground..but a gigantic 10000 walah:-)..The famliy was nt attending to an wounded but was saving  the big man from getting wet!!Oh boy!! What a love for the big man and the big money that they spent on him!!..Realizing the situation and fuming to myself for forgetting diwali already, i innocently turned by 180 degrees and headed for the auto stand.

When i reached the corner of my street, the walah bursted with a defeaning noise and filled my turf with smoke!!

Had a forgetful Diwali:-),
Praveen.

Are we good or evil??

Please have some patience and time. This blog lengthened than i expected!!

Its been quite long since i scripted on my cyberspace. Its always nice to post it on the cloud, i mean the web. It gives me a feeling thats inexplicable, may be i have nt got the vocabulary right to mean that alleged feeling!! OK !! I have done the usual ritual of beating around the bush!! Here comes the million dollar question:-)..

Are we Good or Evil??

On reading the question you will surely throw a frowned look at me or alteast wonder whats wrong with me! Well, it is this stuff,The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho that i have been reading spurred a lot of questions in me and i am very restless coz i don seem to find an answer for it. The story line goes like this..a smart executive who is the chief of a leading weapon manufacturing firm throws up his job and embarks on an expedition to know who he is and in search of a truth. What made him to quit a high profile job is a tragedy that rocked him and teared him apart. His wife and daughter get murdered by a terrorist outfit which demanded him weapons as ransom. But this law abiding citizen takes the help of the police. They zero in on the perpetrators but it was too late to save his souls. His life was murdered without any purpose or reason but simply out of vengeance. With the denial of what he honestly deserved, a peaceful and contended life with his family, he goes on an expedition to figure out what makes people to turn evil. He reaches a Village and stays at the lone hotel where he meets an young maid. Miss Prym is equally puzzled as the rest of the villagers as to why the stranger had come. The stranger meets her in private and provokes her showing the exquisite gold bars that he brought with him and pledges that he will give it to the village in exchange of a murder of an innocent person and gives them a time of 3 days. If an innocent person is killed in 3 days, the villagers can take the gold which will see them through the next 30 years or even longer. And if even one person in the village feels guilty about the homicide and choses to walk out of the 'ceremony', the stranger will leave the village with all his gold bars. The villager's start 'brainstorming' discussions about whose head has to be laid on the altar. After all, its not just the gold, the villagers have to choose between good and evil. The story strikes a chord with almost everybody, at some point of our life we have to choose between good and evil, may be on more than one occasion!!. But what we choose would have a big impact on the rest of our life. I intentionally do not want to write what happened to the villagers at the end and what did they choose, as we already have the answer for it. Yes, the answer is deep within us.

Are we Good or Evil??

It was hard not to discuss this thing with my sweet mom .Sure, she will be more eager than anyone else to resolve her progeny's puzzles, but will feel troubled to see her little boy confused . I resisted the urge but could nt sit tight anymore.I know there will be no absolute answer for this question, but even a relative one is little tough to arrive at. The question looks very simple. Are we good or evil? It all started from the moment The Lord created humans. It all started when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit at the Garden of Edens and the debate has continued so longer without a plausible answer.

Are we Good or Evil??

My Maiden Book Review!!

Finally got something to post after an hiatus. This time i would not want to go around my introvertness but would like to post the book review that i wrote for my friend for a book review competition at Accenture. Given the fact, that i never ever tried reviewing something atleast in my mind, i was a little jittery about writing a book review, i convinced myself to give it a try and to my surprise my review on "The Kite Runner" has been adjudged No.3 out of 40 entries, a welcome boost to my confidence about my literary skills.Of all the books that i have read so far, The kite Runner is the first to touch my heart and appeal to my soul. After reading a lot of sheldons and Browns, reading The Kite Runner felt really different. I enjoyed, i should say i loved reading it.OK.Enough of speaking!!. Here goes the review.

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Introduction:

 THE KITE RUNNER  / Kahled Hosseini

 Genre: Fiction

The Kite Runner is Kahled Hosseini’s debut novel. This compelling story not only captivates the readers but also makes them ride the emotional roller coaster along with Amir, the Protagonist.

About the Book:

The Kite Runner was published in 2003. The book’s theme has been framed from the Afghan-born author’s personal experiences in Afghanistan. It has won the South African Boeke Prize in 2004 and was adapted into a film of the same name in 2007.

Opinion:

The story written in simple English is a pleasant read. It moves even the hardest of hearts that only a few could be successful to not shed tears. Kahled Hosseini has succeeded in endearing the characters to the readers and it becomes really hard to digest the hardships meted out to them. Hosseini has done enough justice to his intent of leaving an ever lasting impact on the reader’s mind and the story is so real to be classified as fiction.

Setting: Soviet-Afghan War

Other Main Characters: Hassan - Amir’s Friend/Half brother, Baba - Amir/Hassan’s Father, Ali - Baba’s Servant, Rahim Khan - Baba’s business partner/best friend, Soraya - Amir’s Wife, Sohrab - Hassan’s Son

Summary:

The story begins with Amir narrating about Kabul and his Kith and Kins, especially Hassan. Reading about the envious friendship between the two reminds the reader about his/her close friend. The duo’s valiant efforts at the kite running competition earn Amir his father's love. Soon after, Amir's cowardice makes him betray Hassan and he makes Hassan and Ali to leave Kabul. The story takes a twist when the Soviet invades the Afghan and consequently the Taliban begins its jihad to evacuate the Russian army. The author deserves a special appreciation here that he has brought the Afghan’s repression into lime light through his profound writing. Afghan people suffer at the hands of both the Russian army and the Taliban. Baba being no exception to the hardships takes Amir to America to lead a peaceful life. Shortly, Baba dies of ill health. Amir then marries his love Soraya and goes on to become a famous writer. One day, Rahim Khan calls for Amir and shocks him that Hassan is his half brother. The story then jumps  on to the express way with Amir going to Afghanistan for the rescue of Sohrab, Hassan’s son who is under the custody of Taliban. Following the Quickly unfolding events, Amir meets Assef, his estranged childhood acquaintance, as a Taliban Commander and one would hardly realize how quickly the story moves thereafter. The author is highly tactical in keeping the reader guessing and by not giving out the ending. The Kite Runner is worth reading a thousand times over.

Wanna Keep the words flowing,
Praveen.

Subtleties of My mind!!

Yes, you are right. Am all set to reiterate that i am an introvert. I saw her from a distance, could not get a clear glimpse of her face,still,she looked damn cute.My legs started walking fast involuntarily towards that cutie, heart throbbing fast to take a close look of her. Oh my God!she was pretty cute. Her complexion was whiter than that of the wheat's and her eyes deserve a special mention. As i walked towards her i gestured a hi to her.She blinked for a second and wished me a sweet hi and i flew to cloud number nine!!.(Wish i could stay there for ever!!). She had a chubby cheek that i could not control pinching her gently. I had taken a few steps crossing her when i developed an urge to talk to her and to get introduced.But when i turned back gone was she.Oh Boy! did i intimidate her :-O!!

She could not be more than three years of age and was riding in her bicycle that evening.The sight of her light up my mood that day and i wished i could always be with kids and they will never ever let me face a mood swing again!!

Train To Pune-Part II

Here i go...writing a blog after a very long time.Every time i think of posting some content,it flops due to unsaid reasons..(Only one reason though:)..laziness)..Finally i have chosen this special day to write, there's a different story behind this which i will disclose at a later stage...What am going to write about is the thing that is still fresh in my mind.Yes, My train to Pune, and mind you this is Part-II.Do not ask me for Part-I, for it has never been written...So here the train starts..(Thuds at the background)...I was well asleep when dad woke me..Praveen..its 3.30..your train is at 6.50.start now or miss the train...Appa is always like this...I said in a Sulky Voice" Appa..Naalu manikku yaenthirikkiran pa"...To my surprise he dint object my request..I slept again..Oh..Boy..am i dragging this too much!!!Ok..let me change gears.We reached the station in time and I bid good bye to Appa."Taata Pa"...

I got seated in S6,seat 22.Its a UB...I had the first look at my inmates...not bad...they looked friendly...there was a couple and their cute little girl.There was also a old man..he seemed to be a sexagenarian.Right from the moment the train started i dint speak a word to them,had breakfast,cleared checking!!. I then took "One night @ the call center" and started reading.And i caught up with the book from the very first page.It was so compulsive, that i hardly looked outside and still i dint care to offer a word to my inmates.The story was nice to read, more than the story i liked the way Chetan Bhagat scripted the story.He is the best conventional writer to me.I was going strong with 25 pages per hour.(tat s too low i know!!!),for a CAT aspirant should posses swift(OOh..tats my favourite car's name) reading capabilities.
(Resumed on 28/10/09, 04:33am)
Ok leave the CAT saga behind. Preparations are not really that good. The train would have travelled half the distance. somewhere around Andhra. People who have not reserved their tickets got into the coach and started hunting for a place to sit. The SL berth in my coach was free, two strange men occupied the seat. I still had my eyes fixed in the novel, but could observe all that was happening around me. Then one of the strange men knocked the door." Excuse me, can you come out of the book, and what is that stuff that you are digging your head into. I said its a novel. Oh!! he gestured. He expressed his sorrow that he studied only till 10th grade and he could not read english fluently but full with the desire to learn english. He asked me suggestions to improve his language skills. I thought "Wrong person to ask mate" . I then said, ok, you could join Spoken English class, read rapidex. The stranger said, oh, well, thank you!. And not to mention i learned some Hindi from them, and he said my Hindi is really good, what a white lie!!.By the way the couple(men couple)!! was on their way back home from tirupathi, one of them had a tonsured head. Then i finally broke the silence with my oldest inmate. I said him that i am in IT. We talked abt MBA. I asked him what does he do, he said he is an investor, and soon after i started talking economics to him, he immensely criticized the UPA II's budget, but had a lot of praise for Mamta's railway budget. He explained me what is fringe benefit tax and the conversation was really fine.It was time to get down for the family and with them the cute little girl also left:(. Then i went onto the top and slept. I reached my place around 3, wasted no time, slept and got ready to office by 5.30. Dreaming about the next time i will get back to home sweet home!!!!

Train to Pune was interesting!!.
Like to travel more,
Praveen.