tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25899856202665474702024-03-05T00:01:49.420-08:00UNPLUGGEDNevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-72848567801956012012016-09-06T06:17:00.004-07:002018-05-14T01:45:03.767-07:00Losing Amma<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I do not know why I am thinking about this now...</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>It was a narrow, sharp bend. A blind curve where you
wouldn’t see the vehicle until they were right on your face. But vehicles were
at a premium that day after a local party had called a strike. Amma was
catching my hand (or was it the other way around?) as we crossed the road. Opposite
side of the road was the SBT Munnar branch, our temporary abode till we could
find ourselves a jeep to take us around the town. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>When we reached the middle of the road an auto-rickshaw
sprang out of the curve at great speed. I jumped back a couple of steps to
where I was standing to avoid the on-coming auto. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>The next thing I remember is seeing my mom standing there
in the middle of the road, her newly-bought rain sandals, stuck under the
auto's front wheel. Thankfully, the auto driver had applied brakes right in
time to avoid an accident. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>She looked at me and asked, "Why did you leave me
there like that?"</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSRnAIxeM9OAdtIQYOyWJS7Vlj-2LxYeBAUiiaYadTMr1E4armX2NglmS3JKb_M_FAc59M3Ee0ExClJxV8L5GYfL8evu2ZZ2LfCmDY9EfiIZGj0_VTmc63tX8u6OWikzKrjup_JTb2AGE/s1600/rothko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSRnAIxeM9OAdtIQYOyWJS7Vlj-2LxYeBAUiiaYadTMr1E4armX2NglmS3JKb_M_FAc59M3Ee0ExClJxV8L5GYfL8evu2ZZ2LfCmDY9EfiIZGj0_VTmc63tX8u6OWikzKrjup_JTb2AGE/s320/rothko.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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I do not know why I am thinking about this now. But it's a
recurring thought – something that has bothered me at odd hours throughout my
life. Back in school, when the incident had happened, it had affected me so
badly. I had, at least according to the naive minds of a third standard
student, performed the unforgivable sin – give up on my mother.<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Heightened odepial years", my girl friend
remarked, when I explained to her on a casual afternoon in bed some years back.
She went on to explain how young men often thought of their mothers while they
were with their partners and it was nothing unique. I did not want to disagree
with a psychology graduate, though at that time, the idea had completely
disgusted me. There was certainly an explanation beyond a 'sexual desire for
his mother' to what had happened that day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It happened again on an Onam day few years later. I had
changed cities and was trying to make new friends in Bangalore. <o:p></o:p></div>
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"Mallu?" she asked.<br />
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"Yes, hence the mundu,"
I replied.<br />
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"One of those Mumma's boys?" she was persistant. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And suddenly, just like that, I thought about the incident
in Munnar again. There was my mother looking at me and asking why I had left
her. <o:p></o:p></div>
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"Hahaha, how predictable have we lot become," I
remarked. But my mind had already logged out of the conversation. It had gone
back to contemplating why I had left my mom there on the road. I had seen the
auto... I could have pulled her back with me... Or I could have stayed with
her... Why did I choose to do what I did?<o:p></o:p></div>
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"What does it all mean though," I asked myself, while
looking at the candle melt slowly in front of me. Did it signify something? Why
was the incident so alive in my mind? Like it had happened only an hour ago.
Why was it that every time I thought about the Munnar accident, I got this
feeling that it happened very recently? Why was it never an event of the past?
Why was I living it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Have I let her down somehow? Have I constantly been letting
her down? Was that why the image of my mother always remained contextual? But
how and why? Did she not know that I chose to stay in India because I wanted to
be there when the family needed me. Surely she did. Did she not approve my
decision to stay alone, away from marriage and family and everything
fundamentally ‘normal’?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Or was I missing the whole point?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>She simply looked at me and asked, "Why did you
leave me like that?" <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>But strangely there was a sense of calmness on her face.
She wasn't angry. She did seem let down, yes. But it looked like she was
shocked. She was startled this had happened. That I had let go off her hands to
have my own way. She gave a nod. But it was to herself. An acceptance of sorts.
She took the sandals in her hand, crossed the road, and from the other side,
looked at me.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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There was certainly more to this. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Why had I not recollected the entire sequence ever before?
Suddenly I was devoured by an overwhelming desire to be with my ex-girl friend.
I missed her subtle ways of explaining things with psychology, although it
never made sense to me. Was my mind re-playing this image of mom, this
incident, which probably had no meaning as a stand-alone event, as a signifier
to a lesson that was taught to me by her? A lesson she continued to stress upon
while my brother and I were growing up?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was suddenly bombarded by a torrent of visions...<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>My father hits my mother while she stands next to the
bed, her hair untied. My brother and I watch, our excessive anger canned up by
an unparalleled fear.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>We are in the kitchen now, slightly grown up. My mother
is holding a knife, pleading my father to end her life.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Suddenly, I’m at Paakkad, in mom’s house. It is about to
rain. I am staring at the palms trees swaying to the wind as my mother searched
for lice in my hair.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>"You know what the problem with your father
is?" she asks, clearly concerned about what her son had witnessed the
previous night. "He hasn't learned to accept us as family. His family is
back in Kannur. His mother...his relatives... The problem is he doesn't even
realise this," she said. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>"Do not be like this kid. Your family is what you
make. Not the one who makes you.."</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Have I been interpreting the incident incorrectly all this
while? It made sense why I thought about it when I was around women, especially
ones I like. Maybe this was never about how I failed to live up to her
expectations. Nothing to do about being with women my mother wouldn't approve
of either.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No. This was a creation of my subconscious mind. It was
trying to remind me of a lesson that had its roots in domestic violence. A
lesson that my mother took pains to teach. A lesson on families, relationships
and how, as men, we should approach them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There was an explanation afterall... A closure that I had wanted
for a very long time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I stood there staring at the tomb stone. "I wonder if
you even remember the event mom. I don't think you would have crossed that road
and smiled at me," I said, unable to suppress a giggle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-42147974526509003652015-04-02T04:40:00.004-07:002018-06-22T01:05:12.650-07:00The Moment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The door was shut. He was still inside. She wasn't going to let him go away that night. Not that he wanted to leave. <br />
<br />
Soon their doubts made way into explorations. <br />
<br />
With his lips he wrote on her cheek, "Who are you?"<br />
<br />
"How do I know you so much?" her teeth chiselled on his lips. <br />
<br />
For every question he asked, she answered in kind. Each time she pushed him away, her hands tightened its grip on him, asking him to stay. Over confusion, they bonded. In the uncertainty, they found assurance. <br />
<br />
They never talked, afraid that wisdom and conventions would take the moment away from them.</div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-75596561476371222702014-10-21T12:13:00.000-07:002014-10-22T00:41:47.357-07:00Fireflies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: small;">I am a gypsy, I see firelies.<br />Around me they twist and turn, like smoke at Palestine.<br />Drifting from space to space, they carry light.<br />I cannot help wonder. Does the wind guide you? Or you the wind?<br /><br />We met on a monsoon evening, in the city that never sleeps.<br />You were lost in darkness, tremors the wind brought,<br />Scared in a new surrounding, yet with excitement hard to hide,<br />You had seen me sing the songs, of the far away land. <br /><br /> I came to you like a firefly, for light I did bring to you.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: small;">With wonder you had listened to sonnets and wits, gifts I had received,<br />From places that you yearned to visit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: small;">But in our conversations, I fell in love and you fell in awe.<br />There the mistake. For is it not wrong for the gypsy to fall in love?<br />Like stone eyed Franky says, 'Do they even know what love mean?'<br /><br />Once struck, what can be more lethal than love?<br />It transforms your thoughts, it plagues your reason.<br />Your life becomes still, the purpose definite, to please her beautiful eyes.<br />You are no more a firefly, the restless and the wild,<br />That lit up Cusco for the Incas, on their way up the Piccu. <br /><br /><br />Love they do, for we carry songs and stories from a world they dream.<br />From the distant lands, spirits we bring that makes wall speak. <br />But when we leave, the gypsies, nobody feels sad, no tears are shed.<br /> We belong nowhere, we carry wisdom around the world.<br />But we will not be stopped, never asked to stay, nobody is a Jose Arcadio Buendía. <br /><br />We shall part, no words need be exchanged, our existence a mere imagination.<br />Constructed in a fool's mind, who for a brief time, forgot what he was,<br />And lived in an illusion, a dream, that only love can conjure.<br />Look around, there is no one who wants us. Not even you.<br /><br />I am a gypsy, I see firelies.<br />Green to yellow, yellow to blue, they constantly change,<br />Like the new moon sky, waltzing to the polar lights.<br />Sometimes I wonder, do lights guide you? Or you the lights?<br /><br />I go away today, to entertain another world like all gypsies do. <br />It was never meant to be. Through the oceans I shall sail,<br />Mountains I shall pass. But at the town across the Table mountains,<br /> I shall sing a new song, to those curious cross eyed wonderers,<br />How the pale waters of the Maggiore, or the winds at Wudang,<br />Could not wipe away, that feeling from this Gypsy's mind.</span></div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-75109272232562307032014-10-16T23:42:00.000-07:002014-10-18T04:39:08.972-07:00Good bye<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">At 3:58 a.m she left me. <br />Yes, at THREE FIFFTY EIGHT.<br /> 'Take care of yourself', she had said, while closing the door.<br />Ah the sound of door crashing..<br />The Sikh dude from English Patient had lost.<br />He had stepped on of them.<br />Those big nasty mines. Yes mines.<br />Because Fuck English. A Mine is their biggest bomb.<br />It was over. The good times.<br /> She had decided to leave me again. <br />This time, more resolute, than the last.<br /> What she had thought, I would not know. <br />Were my kisses not strong enough honey? <br />Was I smelling of the blonde blonde you despise? <br />What was it baby? What was it this time?<br /><br />At 2:58 a.m I had checked the time for the first time that night. And we made love. </span></div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-81092232110630099382014-02-15T04:50:00.002-08:002014-02-16T09:56:09.439-08:00Dear Sheila<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333333015441895px;">The number of times I have stared at the airplanes flying over our tiny house is incredible. I look at them emerge out of the green eastern horizon (which has been quite mist-laden after you left the town) like a super fast sun and crash on the other side. In those moments I am filled with a feeling of hope. You do remember our sun right? Yes, yes the pun very much intended. The same sun which had invaded our little private moments on the terrace, like the security uncle downstairs, acted as if he had seen nothing. Well that sun has disappeared. Instead, there is grayness. Widespread and omnipresent. It is slowly devouring our small town. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333333015441895px;"><br />Sometimes I am woken up by a dream. I hear screams and prayers. Is it a calling...<br />The tree folk seem to have stopped fighting. The other day I could hear loud whispers. The gray sky, or 'it who must not be named' had grown darker. His sidekicks were sending out waves after waves of cold winds. "The dark times are here," the trees had whispered. They have begun to fall apart. Some were badly uprooted. Some lost their limbs in protest. They seem to have given up. The leaves fall, as I speak...<br />In the dream, I hear a voice. It guides me through streets that I have never been to. Through valleys and mountains that I thought never existed. But I do not understand what I seek. Is it a vision of a journey I should undertake?<br />Gone are the sunny days of our town. There is no more joy. Instead it is filled with a sense of numbness; of the color gray. The 'inseparable mynas' of the North have parted ways. One can't see them together these days. The squirrels which used to roam on the land are hiding in the trees. The eagles of upper-world have taken to land. The monkeys have also begun to show the traits of its evolved kind. Pigeons, contrary to the times when they chewed olive branches, have pledged their alliance the Gray-lord and turned gray.<br />I must embark on this journey. These visions, these unconventional happenings, are all signs. I think Mr. Coelho is right. The story of Alchemist is true. I realize my moment has come. Dear Sheila, the time has come for me to get you. You, the light of our town, we need you back. Forces that bind me to the town are presently weak and I should make the move before another sunless day arrives. I shall cross barriers, both imaginary and geographical, I shall get to thee. "The time is ripe," as Upagupta once said. Vegetables I might have to eat, cough syrups I might have to drink but I will find a way to you my love.<br />I could see you. The fragrance, that you have left behind with me in the town, keeps our memories afresh. Each time I rub the face on the towel I feel you. I feel us. Our little moments. I feel you with me when I walk through the corridors. I see a vague image looking at me from behind the pillar. I need you back. <b>Gotham needs its hero back</b>. So today I sign off with love. Wait for me, pray for me. Have faith in me. I shall come to get you...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">PS: I have finally managed to get enough money to book a flight ticket honey. The boss gave me off for a month so I am coming. YAY.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ixbLMsVlpes?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Check out this brilliant video from <a href="http://www.britishairways.com/en-in/offers/flights/get-closer?src=indiblogger&DM1_Mkt=India&DM1_Channel=&DM1_Campaign=INDIAQ1FEBWINNINGHEARTS&DM1_Site=Blog&utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=INDIAQ1FEBWINNINGHEARTS" target="_blank">British Airways</a> that will make you fall in love once again : <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixbLMsVlpes" target="_blank">Go further to get closer.</a></span></div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-47943098399681609782013-12-28T23:05:00.000-08:002013-12-29T07:01:17.438-08:00The Spirit Carries On<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The journey continues. The quest for true knowledge though, eludes me. Was this the way it was went to be? As they say, you have to know what the system is and how it runs, to effectively get out of it and possibly fight it. The second semester at TISS has been brewed with familiarities unlike the first. The same old faces, the same 'old' alcohol, songs and the discussion that follows, hurt egos and everything that you associate with life. Sports brought fresh new life into the college only to be killed by flak by the so called anti-engineering movement.</span><sup><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2589985620266547470#1" name="top1">1 </a></sup><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do I know what education is now? Do I feel 'educated'? How different is it from engineering?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I do not know to what extent I can answer that. Nor am I entitled to voice an opinion against this 'idea' of education that linger in my mind. Sitting here on this revolving chair, looking outside at Mumbai's erstwhile dump yard - Chembur, one can't help wonder or in fact question whether knowledge is simply passed on through textbooks, assignments and <a href="http://www.jstor.org/" target="_blank">JSTOR</a>. Did text books and classroom knowledge help convert the waste-yard that was Chembur to the extended city that is Chembur? Having lived for more than two years, the carp knew every pebble in the tank? But did she know the world? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The pigeon which had been constantly trying to make a nest all this while, seem to have given up. Isn't it interesting how the birds have adapted so much to human life. Where did the pigeons make their nests before humans started making these big buildings? Out in the open they must have been an easy prey. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I remember sitting, dressed up to please the interview panel from XLRI, in a luxury hotel in Bangalore. The watchman was trying shoo away the pigeons from their resting place on the eastern balcony. Sun light simmering through, as silhouettes discussed frantically about inflation and GDPs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">During the interview they had asked me what i planned to do with my MBA. I had given the answer as I had rehearsed but they were not convinced. So they had asked me again.<br />"What do you want to do in life?" I still remember how everyone at that juncture had shifted their focus from whatever they were doing. This was the make or break question. I had anticipated this question prior to the interview but somehow I chose not to give away the answer I had thought of. Instead I sat still for two minutes. Not photography, not travel, not meet new people. My mind kept blocking my options as I searched for the right answer. Such situations can be incredibly tiring. Even minutes drain more energy out of you than a work-out in a health club. And finally I broke the silence that probably was the laughing stock in their post interview discussion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>"I want to change the educational system in India."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I knew I had dug my own grave with that answer. I knew I had stayed in Bangalore for a week wasting parents' hard earned money for absolutely nothing. But the confidence with which I defended wave after wave of questions is something I still can't come to terms with. The fact that I believe a college or a school is not giving you 'education' yet pursuing one...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sometimes I wonder what I have gotten myself into. The promised land across the black sea has not turned out to be green. In fact I can't decide which among the banks were more greener. I am now in the world of academics. Where knowledge is a brutal war. There exists a bread and one thousand hungry minds. They will cut it, share it, reuse it, reproduce it, patent it, copyright it, plagiarise it... And then claim to have saved man kind with their 'knowledge'. All a day's work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Two weeks they give, to go out and see the world, get the data and produce 'knowledge' called dissertation. Their brilliant scheme to make the world a better place. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am troubled. Some years ago I realised that I was a product, one among millions, on a conveyor belt that would dictate my destiny. I had struggled, pushed, shook, broke, to gather enough momentum that would help get out of the conveyor belt. And I had succeeded. But now I realise, that I had only fallen into another belt. Is there no escape from this world? These people, these faces that I see around me. Do they know what is happening? Why are they smiling at me? Have they tried getting out of the system themselves? Is there a way out? Have they given up? Are they who control the system? <br />I will escape. I wont give up... </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2589985620266547470" name="1"><b>1 </b></a>There is a belief in the college that sports is what engineering students do in four years of college. So much for future social scientists.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2589985620266547470#top1"><sup>↩</sup></a>
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Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-49642677428985279362013-12-26T23:20:00.000-08:002013-12-27T05:00:33.428-08:00Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves To Death<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As a part of "Audience studies" course, 1st semester, Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social sciences.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Amusing ourselves to death” by Neil
Postman was first published in 1985, more than 25 years ago, when television in
India was still a commodity that only the elite could afford. Hence his work,
though increasingly speaking to an American audience with his references about TV
shows like ‘The Newshour’, can still be perceived as fresh and relevant in our
country. Moreover, like his son Andrew Postman wrote in his introduction for
the twentieth anniversary edition of the book, the beauty of the book lies in how
we can relate the fetishization of TV in the past few decades with the new age
amusement for platforms like the internet.
The core of the book, as highlighted by the author himself, is derived
from Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” which introduced the idea of how ‘people
will come to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.’</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The book revolves around the idea that
‘presentation’ is more important than the actual content shown on TV (or other
media). This has resulted in a huge decline in the standards of media products
and commoditized politics, economy, religion etc. into a package like the ‘news
hour’. As per Postman, TV gives more
emphasis on the need for entertainment as a result of which the quality of
information suffers adversely. In the modern day one can easily find examples
to substantiate this point. The use of dramatic background music during the
news coverage, abrupt entry of commercials, bright large fonts for ‘flash
news’, the sudden shift from a very important news to entertaining content
(Postman described it as ‘Now…this’), all shows a greater need of entertaining
the audience. This is not limited to the electronic media though. ‘The Times of India’ had ordered its
correspondents to cover the coming elections ‘bearing the entertainment and
personality angles in mind (Sainath, 2008).’ </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Postman also argues how the tele-visual
communication has moulded the way even politics work. Today’s politics has more
to do with how the candidate appears/comes across in a television or other
media, than his/her ideas and solutions. This is very true in today’s context
where the visual media carried every action to different parts of the country.
A candidate is often judged on how flamboyant he/she is in their presentation than
their actual content. Politicians termed ‘proactive’, ‘vibrant’ or ‘innovative’
by how they deliver a speech and not by what they deliver in it. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From TV, the internet has taken over the
baton. It is now the object of desire that makes man voluntarily sacrifice his
rights. Browsing the internet or watching the television, according to Postman,
curbs the need for the audience to have an ‘intellectual involvement’ unlike
reading a book. The passive involvement of people, coupled with the lack of
true rational argument in the programs, has resulted in a form of control. Like
Frank Lloyd Wright famously put it, “TV is chewing gum for the eyes.” One can see an increasing demand for internet
in the present generation that is extremely staggering. With smart phones and
tablets, our lives today depend on it. Social media networks have taken up
chunks of our day that at times we exist more in the cyber world than we do in
the real world, constructing identities that would get recognition and be
‘liked’. The social media can be
connected with Huxley’s idea of control where he believed ‘no Big Brother is
required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history (Postman,
1985).’ We ourselves are constantly watching other users and in return are
under constant surveillance by many. There is no central power that controls
us. We are nothing but slaves of our own creations. As Herman and Chomsky highlighted in their
book ‘Manufacturing Consent’, the media today is also is a part of propaganda
by the elite to control the audience. Television, radio, newspapers are all
more keen on promoting commercial, social and political agendas. One can see
how, for example the state of Tamil Nadu, the two main political parties try to
influence the people. Silvio Berlusconi, former Prime Minister of Italy and a
media tycoon, is again an example of how powerful a medium television is,
especially in developing nations. </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Source:
www.thematapicture.com</span></span></div>
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The cartoon can be seen as an example of what is trying to say in his book. The
frame gives an impression to ‘passive audience’ that is completely
contradictory with the reality. Neil Postman’s book is a work that is cogent
and well put forward. It highlights the dangers of Television to the society
and how it is bringing about subjugation of our rights. But what can also be
seen is a fascination of the writer with an age that has passed – that of
written society and intellectualism. What must be noted is how human beings
have moved on from an oral tradition to written work. Now a new age has come
which might not be as catastrophic as the author has imagined. Mankind is
constantly evolving, albeit in ways that might not sound conventional to a
certain era. He associates the age of Enlightenment with the written for
intellectualism. But it can be seen that the printing press existed much prior
to the renaissance. We are slowly embracing a new culture that depends lesser
on written work. There is still hope that once we get familiarized we will
start acting. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A study by UCLA, which used a three-year,
individual-level panel dataset to study the impact of cable television on
women’s status in rural India, found that ‘the introduction of cable television
is associated with significant decreases in the reported acceptability of
domestic violence towards women and son preference, as well as increases in
women’s autonomy and decreases in fertility.’(Jensen and Oster, 2006) Perhaps
the biggest criticism of Postman’s work is the dismissive attitude he showed to
television and the future media. He is skeptical and leaves no space for hope.
A hope that one day television viewing can be for the good. </span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">References<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Media ownership trends in India
by Paranjor Guha Thakurta Retrieved from: <a href="http://thehoot.org/web/MediaownershiptrendsinIndia/6053-1-1-16-true.html">http://thehoot.org/web/MediaownershiptrendsinIndia/6053-1-1-16-true.html</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Quotes by Llyod Wright
Retrieved from : <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/f/franklloyd138025.html">http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/f/franklloyd138025.html</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Shrinking spaces, New Places by
P. Sainath Retrieved from: <a href="http://www.india-seminar.com/1999/481/481%20sainath.htm">http://www.india-seminar.com/1999/481/481%20sainath.htm</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Postman,N(1985) Amusing
ourselves to death, Penguin Books, New York.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Printing Press History
Retrieved from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press#History">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press#History</a></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-32691959368906152492013-12-15T12:19:00.000-08:002013-12-15T12:19:00.080-08:00TISS Against 377<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After the outrageous ruling by the supreme court, which criminalised "unnatural sex" (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_377_of_the_Indian_Penal_Code" target="_blank">article 377</a>) overturning Delhi high court's ruling in 2009, TISS has been consistently fighting for the rights. The re criminalising of "unnaturalness" (as they claim) is a gross violation of basic human rights, not just for the LGBTQ but for every human in the country.<br />Some photos of our first gathering near the dining hall in TISS campus</span><br />
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Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-88272900761642344832013-11-04T23:46:00.000-08:002013-11-05T04:26:24.340-08:00That Halloween Night<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/91649/hfui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/91649/hfui.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarppakavu. Photograph via <a href="http://www.trekearth.com/">http://www.trekearth.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I do not keep track of the dates. Everyday is another twenty four hours to me. Be it Sunday or Friday. Which probably explain why I was outside on a Halloween night trying out some photography. I do not believe in Halloween. It has always been something Americans did on certain nights, though India like every other thing, have started copying the western fascination for pumpkin headed ghosts. But the question is, do I believe in ghosts? The super natural. Its a fascinating question, perhaps what pushed me to blogging in the first place was a need to put forward some theories I had about afterlife and multiverse.<br />Almost all my life, I've spent in the corner of the Ernakulam corporation (Kochi as it is popularly known), once a small town famous for its churches and temples, now for having Kerala's biggest malls all stacked in a kilometre radius. Edappally, the face of the 'metro', also has a history deeply interwoven with rich folk culture and religion.<br />Edappally Raghavan Pillai and Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">often compared to Keats and Shelly for their astounding works in Malayalam literature, come from this little suburb of Cochin. While their life stories, especially their coming together, are known to many in the state of Kerala their personal lives still remain a mystery. Very few know about the death of of Raghavan Pillai's mother. Or his own tragic death, committing suicide at the age of 27 after a love affair with an upper class girl forced him to flee the town. Inside the town, rumour always was that the poet's family had destroyed a '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarpa_Kavu" target="_blank">sarpakavu</a>' (an abode for snakes, especially the sacred cobra) and the curse of the Naga Raja has been with them ever since. Raghavan Pillai's life is filled with tragedies. Changampuzha himself died at a young age of 36 falling prey to Tuberculosis. And there are other stories too about the town. Some not so popular like the tale of the Mozhangumthara family who had no children. It is believed that around 60 dogs lived in that compound, all ferocious, trained to eat children. I still remember having had to jump into their compound to fetch a cricket ball once. Some five dogs had sniffed their way to us right after we climbed the wall. They were not exactly beasts but they still barked like mad. Stories of spirits, yakshis, bison legged men who roam about the streets at midnight.. the stories of the town are endless. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Why am I saying all this though? Who believes in all these stories in the 21st century? As I was saying in the beginning of the post, I was outside trying to figure out some functions in my camera. But later that night when I was analysing the photos I found out some disturbing patterns. I had put camera on sequence mode and taken some photographs. But the shadow patterns on the tiles were very disturbing. It was different for each photo. </span><br />
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I am still seeking explanations for the changing shadow patterns. And these are continuous shots. So moon or other sources of light changing positions is out of the question. What caused this sudden change in shadows?</div>
I woke up the next day to see this.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2W5UQ-ohjjFPRh_fFzpDR1EKoW2Rzkg8xpajvHQIQos9zUmNn27cBtdl52vlccla7xM5YraB4-5OVFTKZJT6L0ep-5fkf_vN9Yh4GuhDTHg8LaQMPaGV1kD9rF_zxaxZfOfHyxgPoAYn/s1600/IMG_20131101_091629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2W5UQ-ohjjFPRh_fFzpDR1EKoW2Rzkg8xpajvHQIQos9zUmNn27cBtdl52vlccla7xM5YraB4-5OVFTKZJT6L0ep-5fkf_vN9Yh4GuhDTHg8LaQMPaGV1kD9rF_zxaxZfOfHyxgPoAYn/s320/IMG_20131101_091629.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLjvIhtHtKMcuzG1eMsEkR3C-WzGO0b6bzU0qO8gbJnVfC-I-6rJwTu4vYHNe_R_sx2KekFwFPit2HyPMrPDL396GJxny-RVIYBGFZVypZjcLqDF7C6tBtfvz7yiYrrO3GJIsArG0O3Qs/s1600/IMG_20131101_084444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLjvIhtHtKMcuzG1eMsEkR3C-WzGO0b6bzU0qO8gbJnVfC-I-6rJwTu4vYHNe_R_sx2KekFwFPit2HyPMrPDL396GJxny-RVIYBGFZVypZjcLqDF7C6tBtfvz7yiYrrO3GJIsArG0O3Qs/s320/IMG_20131101_084444.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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Neighbours car had broken the wall and entered our compound. Strangely at the same place I found the shadows on the previous night.</div>
What do i believe?</div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-44226282062139625332013-09-22T23:46:00.000-07:002013-09-22T23:46:08.732-07:00Dear Daughter <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqBEoWZl0D35Sg2HS8p1xZ2XPcGS_Pa4cCNhzxp88aMMtYUfYzV1iTxVIH4Z3ErxGXDdu7tf9WBbH0hAQ22hZzKUB_sXvxi9Qtmr7END_wkME9DznaB9j0RFPK3F6og_p0Pzh19b0-y4z/s1600/IMG_9768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqBEoWZl0D35Sg2HS8p1xZ2XPcGS_Pa4cCNhzxp88aMMtYUfYzV1iTxVIH4Z3ErxGXDdu7tf9WBbH0hAQ22hZzKUB_sXvxi9Qtmr7END_wkME9DznaB9j0RFPK3F6og_p0Pzh19b0-y4z/s320/IMG_9768.jpg" width="320" /></a>Live your life to the fullest my dear,<br />
Go out there and challenge the norms.<br />
Make love, make merry and see the world.<br />
Loiter when the moon is out<br />
And fight them if they ask you why.<br />
They will push you, scare you,<br />
And always discourage you.<br />
But what more can they do?<br />
That they curse you to hell?<br />
But don't you see my little child,<br />
That we already live in one. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-82465685022079592242013-09-02T16:53:00.000-07:002013-09-03T03:54:33.742-07:00A requiem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Life as such is hard at TISS. Day and night they make me work. Periodically filling me with more and more 'duties'. Many times I protested. Squealed, squeaked, coughed out smoke. All to no use.<br />Last month they 'found' me a partner. Yes, those Kurta wearing social scientists around me who preach about 'choice' and 'love marriage'! But I wasn't complaining. It always feels good to have someone to share things with. Especially work. And my life did become easier for a while. Everyone called us the 'perfect couple'. Spending our days and nights in two separate rooms, serving people - their idea of a honeymoon I suppose. I moved on. What other option did I have anyway? And then it all 'fell apart'. I can't blame him though. Succumbed to the pressure and guilt. Stopped working...<br />Today I work alone. The night is about to die and I would like to sleep. But people around me are still sending me requests that I cannot say no to. Afterall, that is the purpose of my life - to serve.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These days I dream a lot...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I stand, in the middle of the forest, watching trees fall as I carry on with my work. Animals and birds moving around in panic, while the clouds make way for scorching sunlight. Work, trees, cries, work, trees, cries, work, trees, cries.... silence</i>...<br />What can I do? I was made to serve. Education has not taught these people. Or has it made them worse? I feel like a hangman at times. Just doing a job. If the world does not care, why should I? In technology I had belief. '<b>Had</b>'.<br /><i>I see the boy taking away a lump of 'work' I had just finished for him. I hear cries...</i><br />*sigh*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Yours sincerely,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> 9040 library printer.</span></div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-28300033425954852782013-08-20T02:19:00.000-07:002013-09-22T23:52:49.624-07:00Analysing Space : Ground floor on TISS Library<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sir Dorabji Tata Memorial library
is perhaps the most ‘happening’ space inside the ‘Old Campus’ during the day
time. In the ground floor one can witness loud discussions, people with
headphones waving at laptops, ‘under the desk’ romance and amidst all that,
people genuinely reading. This is perhaps what intrigued and finally convinced
me to analyse the same space after midnight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The reading room can be broadly
divided into three sections. The 'couch space' in the eastern corner with glass
tables to rest laptops or keep books on. The centre of room has six tables,
each with six red chairs around it. And on the western corner are three tables,
again with six chairs around it. But the difference is that the chairs are
green in colour and the plug points on the table works. It is interesting to
note the colour signifiers - the table with red seats does not have electricity
supply while the table with green seats have. There are individual reading
lights for every table but the hall is well lit that students hardly use it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">Quite contrary to the day time, there are no
fights for the ‘green seats’ next to the plug points or corner couches. The
book lending section is closed by 8 and it is roped off, so the ground floor is
limited to the reading room and the lab for the visually challenged. Most of
the chairs were empty but lay at different locations, sometimes quite far away
from the desk, constant reminders of the day that had passed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">When I walked in, at the stroke of midnight,
there were around twenty five people in the entire room. Two girls sitting on
the couch, with their legs on the table, were deep in conversation. It is
interesting how the table turns into a space to rest the legs once the crowd
has reduced. Very few spaces inside the TISS campus are under surveillance and
the library reading room is one such place. The sofa is one place that the
camera does not cover and hence one tends to see more intimate conversations
there. I do not think its deliberate. It could also well be that the sofa is
much better a place for a comfortable talk. Throughout the talk they kept
shifting their gaze from their respective laptops, which was placed on their
stomachs, to the entrance of the library as if they were expecting someone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A student sat on the couch facing the ‘The Speaking
Tree’ painting was shuffling vigorously the pages of a book that he had made
photocopies of. Another student, who wore a T-shirt which had ‘School of Health
System Studies’ written on it and was facing right towards me, had switched on
the lamp on the table lamp and was scribbling notes from what seemed like a
video of a seminar. During the day the people who are more interested in their
work tends to be concentrated around the green table. After midnight they are
more scattered as there are more vacant seats and lesser noise. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">There were two groups having conversations
around the 'red tables'. I could not over hear what they were talking about but
from their actions it seemed as if one member in the group was explaining to
others about something. I have always been curious as to why groups chose to
meet at library ground floor which is a 'reading space', for their discussions.
One of the biggest reason should be the lack of such a space inside the
college. Apart from the 'quadrangle' and the new campus dining hall, there are
no places with uninterrupted internet supply which is open throughout the day.
Especially in the evenings, people often choose the library space, because of
mosquitoes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The security guard was asleep on a
green chair that had been dragged to a spot next to a pillar where he could
rest his head. The reading space is only accessed by the students of TISS.
Except for the staff who cleans the tables every day morning, hardly anyone
else enters the space. Even the security guards, even if they are upset with
something happening inside the space, stands outside and tells. Understandably,
they do not like it when the students make noise or switch on the lights next
to the space were they sit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At around one in the night, the
majority in the library walks out to the 'SMS' canteen to get a snack before
the canteen closes. The return back at different times, some don't, but
generally, I noticed that everyone are back with an hour. After they return,
some people move to the cyber library on the first floor. By then the staff in
the cyber lab, who wouldn't otherwise allow laptops inside, would've have left.
The lab is often more quieter and the air conditioned, so many prefer the place
for getting the work done.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">One thing that can be noticed about
everyone in the ground floor (excluding the security guards) is the way they
have all chosen to wear comfortable dresses. Most of them are dressed like how
one would be inside in one's own house and that reflected how comfortable
people were in that space. One of the student I talked to even had his tooth
brush and paste with him. With filtered water also available, for many the
ground floor was equivalent to their home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">The night was pretty dull and there were hardly
anything that made you look at someone or something. The people inside kept
moving in and out, mostly for a small walk or to attend phone calls. Students
from the cyber library kept going out but nobody wanted to use the space in the
ground floor. By around three, only one person had left. Surprisingly everyone
had maintained their levels of intensity in whatever they were doing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<span style="background: white;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The only incident worth mentioning,
was my brief conversation with the security guard sitting outside the library.
He had woken up by the sound I made while entering the library after a brief
stroll and could not come to terms with the fact that I was a student. ID card
and persuasion convinced him to finally allow me to enter. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">The whole night was a huge contrast to the day
time where there is life bustling in every corner. It is very difficult to come
to a conclusion as to what type of people who generally visits people. One can
safely assume it gets more crowded on during the exams. Most of the remaining
group left by 4:00 a.m and the one person who was remaining lived in a house
outside the campus. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">My observation and analysis of the
space is in no way complete or comprehensive. It is not exactly the same group
that visits the library every day. What one can safely assume about the ground
floor in the library is the fact that it is much beyond a reading space. It is
where people like to meet up and discuss things. Silence is next to absent in
the hall and there are hardly any boards/signs asking the students to keep
quiet. The saddest part is how the library is no longer very reader friendly. </span></div>
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Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-78958062505104232772013-05-09T12:53:00.001-07:002013-05-09T12:53:47.282-07:00The Other Side Of A Palli Perunnal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: #fffefd; color: #552200; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 39px; text-align: -webkit-center;">Matthew 21:12 : </span><span style="background-color: #fffefd; color: #001320; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every May life takes a different course for people of
Edappally. The “palli perunnal” (festive season at the St. George church) from
31<sup>st</sup> April to Mid May brings in ‘believers’ from all over the state
to this place in the northern end of Cochin Corporation. And with it comes days
of terrible traffic management, unofficial power cuts (to supply the Church
with the necessary power) and various forms of health hazards.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am not being entirely honest if I say I hate the festive period. I love it
when people assemble. These are occasions when people celebrate together -The
rich and the poor. They come in flocks, eat street food (at inflated prices),
drink sugar cane juice, buy cotton candy, pray for petty things and rejuvenate their
lives. Little girls running around searching for that perfect bangle while another pack stack up their ammo with 'Potas' (a very mild gun powder) bullets. It is my miniature heaven. Everyone is happy. The parents constantly reminding each other of what it used to be when they were kids. Infact these festivals are something that preserves a little bit of the past. Same old cotton candy, same old guns, bangles, coloured candies, rosaries... Very little change has happened to a 'perunnal' or 'utsavam' in the last twenty- thirty years.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7u6WEZO5VSp99xSu491J49UuWp5_sF6eSBqd_-uqOl9d8ZbcABZTVJaLrMnrDASDaelC2Hg20YuIHb28N3Y5mOBNXbsQBAMrEcbVfM_pjIxnL68a_x3bLp3ttLvZNtklJjD648SLWsAGc/s1600/IMG_9280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7u6WEZO5VSp99xSu491J49UuWp5_sF6eSBqd_-uqOl9d8ZbcABZTVJaLrMnrDASDaelC2Hg20YuIHb28N3Y5mOBNXbsQBAMrEcbVfM_pjIxnL68a_x3bLp3ttLvZNtklJjD648SLWsAGc/s640/IMG_9280.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am person who generally likes my free space and solitude but love and happiness of a Perunnal cannot be paralleled. I love the overall energy that brings.<br />But at Edappally there is a strange practice that really does bother me. It is considered holy to be cooking chicken at Edappally during these days. And the believers are encouraged to buy chickens from the church itself (at beefed up prices). And why wouldn't they. Nothing sells like Brand God.<br />People come in groups, kills chickens in dozens, cooks them, be freed of their sins and leave merrily. But what happens to all that waste? The skins, the feather, the internal organs?<br />Every year around this time there is dramatic increase in the number of rats, crows and flies. You probably guessed what they feed on. We laugh about it every year saying its a good sign that these creatures are feeding on it. Not GMO and all that.<br />But life really becomes terrible. Everything we cook at home has to protected from flies. Dead rats on roads starts becoming a common sight. The air becomes so stale that it is hard to breath. Along with the imminent danger of rat bites and related diseases.<br />It has with time become better. Earlier May evenings used to be like a vampire infested Transylvania. We would all lock our gates and switch off the lights early. Otherwise people would get inside our compounds and start cooking. And there are drunk men we are talking about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />Now the killing has been restricted to school ground and the roads surrounding it. But there is no shortage of flies and rats.<br />Nothing I say is going to change things. You simply don't mess with religious beliefs in this country! Especially not when it tastes good. But I wanted the story to be out. So that the next time you come with your chicken, you will atleast remember to put the waste in the bin.<br />As Gloria Gaynor sang once albeit for a totally different reason, "I'll survive" this period like i've been doing ever since my family moved to Edappally.<br />"Blah", as my friend rightly puts it, "at least it's bio degradable."</span></div>
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Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-89929352143422635692013-04-09T01:04:00.000-07:002013-04-09T02:28:25.173-07:00Conversations On a Cliff Top #2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Read the <a href="http://nev-unplugged.blogspot.in/2013/04/conversations-on-cliff-top.html" target="_blank">first part here</a>...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"What brings you here Ma'am?", I asked, keen on diverting the subject of conversation from my marriage. She smiled and replied, "Why do tourists come here?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"They have their reasons. A friend once told me how 'staring at the sea' helped him 'reclaim his life'.", I said.<br /><br />She laughed and said, "I have something like that in my mind as well. Though I find the word 'reclaim' a little too polarizing."</span><br />
<span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium/rainy-day-coffee-sara-ricer.jpg" width="400" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The waiter informed us of the distinct possibility of a storm and asked us to head back to our hotel rooms as soon as possible.<br /><br />I nodded while the lady kept staring at the sea. Strangely, I could sense 'joy' in her face. Anticipation coupled with freedom. The look of a prisoner who had been freed.<br /><br />"I've been married for 28 years. Today, for the first time in my life, I walked out.", she said while twisting her cup of coffee. I remained silent but did not take my eyes off her. She needed a listener and I did not want to disappoint her.<br /><br />"I should have done this a long time ago. But I was too scared.", she said. The sea was beginning to look more intimidating now, as waves thrashed against the human made barriers. Some of the tourists got up to leave while the more seasoned campaigners stayed on, knowing perfectly well that they had at least half an hour more before the storm started moving in.<br /><br />"I was raped on my first night by the man my parents had found me. 'Lack of knowledge' the families had called it. But to be honest, my husband had problems that needed to be treated. Going to a psychologist was considered taboo in an upper class family but domestic violence wasn't</span>. <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The fact that my husband was regarded by many, as the finest gentleman in politics, did not help me either. To the public he was Mr. Charming. To us, including our kids, he was nothing but the devil.</span>"<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">She was not looking at the cup of coffee anymore. Instead her gaze was fixed on a deep, long scar on her left wrist. I had spent too many sleepless nights at the 'Emergency' ward to not realise what it was.<br /><br />"Did you try calling the police?", I asked.<br /><br />"I never had the courage. Police stay away from politicians for obvious reasons. It would've been..suicide.", she said, volume dropping a little. <br /><br />"The family said things would get better with a baby. And it did for sometime. I delivered him a baby boy like everyone had wanted. After an year he wanted another. I did not think I was ready but my vote did not matter. We had another boy, only this time my baby was autistic."<br /><br />She looked at the sea again. The sky had gone remarkably dark and there were flashes of lightning in the horizon accompanied by long rumbles. She was crying. Tears running through her cheeks until gravity pulled it to the napkin on her thigh. <br />The glass window of the coffee shop reflected her sad eyes. Her face, now highlighted by the dark grey clouds in the background, told a story of a woman who had lost her motive in life. It was highly likely that her son had passed away recently. She wiped her eyes with a tissue paper, pointed at the clouds and said, "Aren't they beautiful?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qk3CTIVqxaY/TMmI_tRs1FI/AAAAAAAABZQ/vWbhBX08Lss/s1600/bald+woman.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qk3CTIVqxaY/TMmI_tRs1FI/AAAAAAAABZQ/vWbhBX08Lss/s320/bald+woman.jpg" width="277" /></a><i>The news channel had reported a storm. People were being moved to regions of the city with higher altitude. Schools had been set up as emergency camps for the under-privileged.</i></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qk3CTIVqxaY/TMmI_tRs1FI/AAAAAAAABZQ/vWbhBX08Lss/s1600/bald+woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><br />At the hospital, we had moved all the electronic instruments to safer heights and were busy shifting the patients when I spotted one sitting on a bench in the park, next to the rehab center. <br />She was bald, due to a recent chemo, and was looking at the clouds when I reached there. She smiled, pointed to the sky and said, "Aren't they beautiful?"</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I looked at the sky, like I had then, and succumbed to the sheer magnificence of what lay above my head. What some of us never sees in our lifetime.<br /><br />(To be contd..)<i></i></span></div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-6148284556893490942013-04-07T22:29:00.001-07:002013-04-09T01:25:33.646-07:00Conversations On a Cliff Top<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"My husband I could understand...", she said while taking a sip of the new cup of coffee the waiter had brought. The wind played with her hair, which had been let lose. "He needed help. But it's his family, mine, including my parents who had loved me throughout their lives... It was them. I could never understand why they were so persistent." <br />She kept staring at the sea as she delivered the words in a low monotonous tone. I found myself lost for words. I didn't know to react. Did she want me to react? Or contribute to the argument perhaps? Was I better off as a silent spectator? <br />Fate or as non believers would say "lack of seats" had brought me to this seat facing the lady.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I could not come to a conclusion on what was to be done so I gave a very timid "Hmmm" in response. I was partly lost in the complex world of memories, constantly jumping from one to another, like a convict who had escaped the prison, haunted by the guilt and a deep sense of fear. I did not wish to come back to reality. Yet this lady, who had been silent all this while, had aroused a sense of curiosity in me. <br />A week ago, while I was on my regular rounds at the oncology ward, I had listened to a relative of little Gina (a four year old Leukemia patient) tell her mother the story of a two year old cancer patient. I had wondered why people, usually close relatives or friends, always assumed that stories of sorrow acted as relaxants to the ones suffering themselves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Yet I found myself incredibly drawn to the lady in front of me, glued to the belief that her story was far worse than mine. The truth is, nobody likes to believe his/her life is going really bad, and would readily swallow whatever reassurances they can get.<br />"You are not reading. One doesn't blink that much" she said, staring at the sea. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Old fishing vessels tied to wooden poles were dancing rhythmically to the waves which were gaining strength steadily. Dark clouds were filling up the horizon. A storm is imminent, I thought, as the cool breeze knocked an outdated table calendar off its upright position.<br />"I was thinking...", I replied.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Noticing her callous attitude, I looked around for free tables but the probability of a storm hadn't scared away the tourists from this hut, precariously positioned at the edge of a rocky cliff.<br />For the first time after starting the conversation the lady looked at me in the eye. I could sense the depth of sadness on that face devoid of any make up. Her eyes looked a little watery as it reflected the sea. I could easily imagine a younger version of hers, perhaps 30 years back, giving men a real pinch in their hearts.<br />"Are you married?" she asked. <br />I looked at the sea again. Sea gulls circling around the coast with real interest. Sometimes big storms and violent waves drove schools of fishes to shallow waters making them easy targets for their aerial predators. For a second I wanted to be a fish. To be that one in the million, riding the waves and just doing what everyone else does.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /><i>There was blood. It started out as a small drop. I was finding it hard to breath. My companions were all gone. The school had left me alone in this strange sea. </i></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBy6T01o2iFMpiiJqJRyH3g_FRNHm0Odfcs1K08HSETkJ5KFuutBIgyT5DLq2cFe9-pImawEH95MKEC1-ScFncAm1_-ifPzVx6qLjRdaJ9hjXmywAQdy5rY17C4RQnwSFcY5PszcxkSNwz/s1600/puffer+fish+lower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBy6T01o2iFMpiiJqJRyH3g_FRNHm0Odfcs1K08HSETkJ5KFuutBIgyT5DLq2cFe9-pImawEH95MKEC1-ScFncAm1_-ifPzVx6qLjRdaJ9hjXmywAQdy5rY17C4RQnwSFcY5PszcxkSNwz/s320/puffer+fish+lower.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Suddenly my right fin stops working. I realize my time has come and that I am going to die. I was beginning to lose my balance. The currents were carrying me to different places.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>I am astounded by what I see. There was light piercing through the water. I couldn't understand where the light was coming from or what its source was. I have not seen such a sight all my life. It has to be something super natural. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>My body hits the sea floor and I realize that my right eye has gone completely blind. I am looking at the surface with the other eye. Images were getting dimmer.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>All my life I had lived looking 'sidewards'. I had missed out on such a beautiful sight. And to think it was there, right over my head</i>. If only..<br /><br />She had been staring at me as I suffered another attack from dreams. She analyzed my face thoroughly once and then turned to watch the storm develop. The clouds were all assembling, like allies before a war, gaining the minimum strength required to wreak havoc. It was fascinating how the elements of Nature worked. Constantly striving for equilibrium, that fine balance... Where there was low pressure, the winds rushed in to nullify the difference. We mankind are a total contradiction to the laws of Nature. Even our systems like 'money' and 'love' are.<br />"Yes...", I replied.<br />How had it come to this? To that very question I had wanted to run away from? Why can't I avoid the 'present'?<br /><br />(To be contd..)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a href="http://nev-unplugged.blogspot.in/2013/04/conversations-on-cliff-top-2.html" target="_blank">Link to part two HERE</a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-75199815241306968032013-03-31T04:50:00.003-07:002013-03-31T05:09:24.768-07:00Everyday I am Shiffining<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn103.iofferphoto.com/img3/item/517/639/447/l_DxHThero-616-fine-nib-fountain-pen-green-new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn103.iofferphoto.com/img3/item/517/639/447/l_DxHThero-616-fine-nib-fountain-pen-green-new.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An original green hero pen.<br />
Via <span class="irc_iis" id="irc_hd"><span id="irc_ho">www.ioffer.com</span><span id="irc_dim"></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We all have that story of a lost friend, don't we? Images and experiences lost in that vast world of memories. Those lost 'visions' that pops up in your brain when you least expect it to. <br />The story behind <b>'Shiffining'</b> is something similar. The relatively newer generation ( because I like to think I belong to the new generation) would find the story a little hard to relate to. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There was a time in our lives when mobile phones and cameras were luxuries that most of our parents could not afford. When 'Hero' fountain pens still meant a lot to kids. Infact it is exactly a green <b>'Hero dupli</b></span><b>' </b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">( a replica of the original pen ) that motivated me to write this article</span>.<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Shiffin and I first met on a Sunday morning Bible class at the catholic church's parish hall. I was disliked by everyone in the class (as usual)</span>.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I was the boy who "would not take a bath" (which I agree was true upto a certain extend). And Shiffin was the new guy in class looking for allies in the back seat. The friendship clicked instantly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is not a story of how we cracked jokes or stole mangoes (we actually did quite a lot of that) and how life had defined different paths for us</span>. <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That is what every writes on their blogs. Neither is it the story of the '<b>hero dupli</b>' pen he had gifted me after the tenth standard bible class exam ( the last time that I saw him). He had no phone at his home so we did not even exchange numbers. It had been a very casual ending to what now seems like a real boyhood friendship (we were also glad to be rid of those boring classes).</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I don't remember Shiffin all that well now. It is strange but that can happen in this age of technology where you rely completely on hard data while you tend to neglect the memories. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/292/d/9/an_odd_couple_by_driftermanifesto-d4y9ql7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/292/d/9/an_odd_couple_by_driftermanifesto-d4y9ql7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo via : http://oddfriends-oldfriends.e-monsite.com/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The frail boy in over sized clothes raids my mind occasionally like an omen. Therefore I'm engulfed in this sense of anticipation - That I will run into him one day.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This has developed a very queer habit in me. Whenever I see people wearing over sized Shirts I check them out and make mental comparisons with the young Shiffin that often visit my memories. It is strange, he might have even started wearing correct sized dresses now. Younger brothers like us, we get to use a lot carry overs (funny how sustainable consumption was always a part of our lives and yet need textbooks to make it complicated). But I do it everyday that I've deiced to call this process "Shiffining".</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The sad part is, I could've very well seen the right 'Shiffin' and not realised it's him. He does not come to the church any more either. So there practically remains no way to know. I've searched Facebook but there is no profile picture and he has not accepted my friend request yet ( assuming that I found the right guy).<br />It's amazing how such a story can exist in these modern times where communication is so easy. It is also fascinating to see the kind of growth technology and science has had in the past 8 years. My quest to find Shiffin and 'Shiffining' will keep on going until I find the person someday. May that be soon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Shiffining kinda matches with the word shufflin'<br />Try singing this song with the Shiffining now...</span><br />
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Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-82672020929386923012013-03-30T07:05:00.000-07:002013-03-31T10:54:54.327-07:00The 11th Hour<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next time someone says his/her plans to buy a new AC
owing to ‘global warming’ to you, smack him/her on the head as hard as
possible. It is this kind of ‘immediate solution’, the inability to foresee,
that has brought mankind to its 11<sup>th</sup> hour. We’ve abused Earth and
its resources for a long time now. There remains very little on Earth.
We’ve reached that penultimate hour. Our very existence on this planet depends
on how we react to this predicament. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Yet you are surrounded by people who ruthlessly loot the environment in the
name of ‘development’ and livelihood. Quite hard to believe, when you see the effect
these moves have on the people - The rich getting richer and the poor getting
poorer. Recently I had the unfortunate displeasure of visiting the <a href="http://mpcb.gov.in/images/mithireport.pdf">Mithi River</a> in Mumbai. The
distressing sight of the river along with the words of Mr.Abhay (a friend and
local resident) gave me nightmares for weeks. “When the chief minister himself
calls the river Mumbai’s sewer, what hope can one carry”, he had said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The situation is the same everywhere. The story of River Yamuna and its troubled
marriage with Delhi is another example of such gross negligence. Indian
government, for its part, has been doing nothing. The ‘developing nation’ tag must
not mean money at the sake of environment. It is not a license to rape Earth of
its resources. This is precisely the “inability to foresee” that I had pointed
out initially. Isn’t it only sensible we that invest on environment friendly
technology? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neglect river Ganga and
build IT farms everywhere. And what happens (in the near future) when the water
in the holy river is termed undrinkable? You will provide the entire central
India “technological solutions” to quench their thirst?</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2417/1589810416_56e984a59b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2417/1589810416_56e984a59b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A body floats in River Ganga</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://jacobbmurphy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/jbm_9260-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://jacobbmurphy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/jbm_9260-copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A man drinks water from the same river<br />
(Image courtesy: www.jacobmurphy.com)</td></tr>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Source
: <a href="http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/filthy-india-photos-chinese-netizen-reactions.html">http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/filthy-india-photos-chinese-netizen-reactions.html</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Deputy Chairperson of the planning commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, on a recent global
investor’s meet ( ‘Emerging Kerala’ project) asked the Kerala government to
“move on from its insistence on traditional paddy cultivation and use the farms
for creating IT hubs and tourist resorts.”
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“These paddy fields are not merely production centres of paddy, but are
wetlands and the richest water source of Kerala, maintaining the water table.
If the average water level in a paddy field is one foot, an acre (0.4 hectare)
of the field would be holding 1,200 cubic metre (1.2 million litres) of water.
This percolates down and replenishes the ground water” - Usha S, national convener
of Save Our Rice campaign, a network of interested groups working for the
sustainability of paddy cultivation. The lack of political will to support
anything that goes along with the Nature’s way is shocking. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In the following days I shall be highlighting some shocking environmental
dangers that Kerala ( where I live) face. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Stay tuned…</span></span></div>
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Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-86107208080203356982013-03-26T23:52:00.001-07:002013-03-26T23:52:27.554-07:00Avatar : A Discovery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a comic strip based on avatars in bitsrips. Not to be used for any commercial purposes.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgBa4Snj4vz-Qp8mKOIxtGUsq5UNuJMFGnSX7rIXQxj-kA0Qgb36qAdh124-fj-lF6ayGDH23RjnRcjF-2L3WVtgr4sp_lLa5hI_nJTNeoHlJMDeT38WsDVCNk5QnMRmkc4RXIsUHgFNa/s1600/trueworld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgBa4Snj4vz-Qp8mKOIxtGUsq5UNuJMFGnSX7rIXQxj-kA0Qgb36qAdh124-fj-lF6ayGDH23RjnRcjF-2L3WVtgr4sp_lLa5hI_nJTNeoHlJMDeT38WsDVCNk5QnMRmkc4RXIsUHgFNa/s640/trueworld.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">#1 : Having watched 'The Truman Show' Nevin decides to check if Truman was right. If there indeed was a world beyond the magical land of "Bitstrips".</span></div>
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After sailing for a day in the sea Nevin's boat comes to an abrupt halt. There he finds the stairs to the "outerworld".</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdHdBE-XNaj74cq0ITuYp5d5NfYfOa6pNmbZktSK8DEg_6zrKYGzwTiBlEqp8kzGTLqNRZummRk3qHM8LLvTLvyCmzpbrwgcBIjxmvqB69_1H3lQ-ZIFVO5eh1GgVVVPnn9tvvpPuv2HE/s1600/nev+fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdHdBE-XNaj74cq0ITuYp5d5NfYfOa6pNmbZktSK8DEg_6zrKYGzwTiBlEqp8kzGTLqNRZummRk3qHM8LLvTLvyCmzpbrwgcBIjxmvqB69_1H3lQ-ZIFVO5eh1GgVVVPnn9tvvpPuv2HE/s640/nev+fly.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">#2 : "The outerworld is beautiful"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Nevin decides to travel across the "outerworld" and see its wonders...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0oac_29dh-1xNGCTE9RUyXZubSIgwsbotY-J_KlLd9IHW1IYZBGy0QWtreVxag765WvoxVr_pyqa8ELWSo6G9wLJ_R8YWfkTFNYBSfzQjXkDEtFNoNHsC9N8iBZXIeIs7s3NjiYeQoD1/s1600/meditate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0oac_29dh-1xNGCTE9RUyXZubSIgwsbotY-J_KlLd9IHW1IYZBGy0QWtreVxag765WvoxVr_pyqa8ELWSo6G9wLJ_R8YWfkTFNYBSfzQjXkDEtFNoNHsC9N8iBZXIeIs7s3NjiYeQoD1/s640/meditate.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">#3 : Nevin meditates while flying over Japan...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8XtmrcjJDEsrgI7AQ5etqk-oeDvWUNk67EHkTyENTm9sfjLmiRMbE3GMrngDkS0qAO68uMCSb-F-8Bhfh8xHVPju-UAEI7EuAXbnDSbScXDX2FaD62mxIqMi3Wne3QAgnc-thI38eNXI/s1600/killoni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8XtmrcjJDEsrgI7AQ5etqk-oeDvWUNk67EHkTyENTm9sfjLmiRMbE3GMrngDkS0qAO68uMCSb-F-8Bhfh8xHVPju-UAEI7EuAXbnDSbScXDX2FaD62mxIqMi3Wne3QAgnc-thI38eNXI/s640/killoni.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">#4: Pacific Islands</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDq7Cr55nSyEEUpdo7suPm8V8Up_QCg9DOTvoXhV5ydMdb2zGAJTMwg3vRsFYLu3zqqh-2MQ8n_thh9aFDe64bgirutNgSdsHORMcWwx5z7bT_I_znqc2qf6y7PgjQqQVUT0kvQ2QWNJC/s1600/giza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDq7Cr55nSyEEUpdo7suPm8V8Up_QCg9DOTvoXhV5ydMdb2zGAJTMwg3vRsFYLu3zqqh-2MQ8n_thh9aFDe64bgirutNgSdsHORMcWwx5z7bT_I_znqc2qf6y7PgjQqQVUT0kvQ2QWNJC/s640/giza.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#5: Nevin flies over the great pyramids of Giza</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFArfiSpcTcSRsiZxmiG1OPb3S2MP-q9Vm1JmQeqkhwvGpljP4lMpoQOrpXL_c3Ca-bY2FzDxWn9i3j__a7hWbh5X0SUvIcMkbz21EEGSgyNelStkp7oKHiWJKxN30LYzGyuECdP4cyYu2/s1600/twintow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFArfiSpcTcSRsiZxmiG1OPb3S2MP-q9Vm1JmQeqkhwvGpljP4lMpoQOrpXL_c3Ca-bY2FzDxWn9i3j__a7hWbh5X0SUvIcMkbz21EEGSgyNelStkp7oKHiWJKxN30LYzGyuECdP4cyYu2/s640/twintow.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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#6 : Malaysia</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
Finally, after having travelled around the world, Nevin decides to go back to "bitstrips" and tell everyone about the outerworld...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TyZZ5sLK6ToIk59dukPo6cyyEVK_7GdZhV8B0Bl3ndhpI2_plk4-bMvd1k9kUPwiJOoqlI2m38W3-rvvr4ylwBbjxGop8ZrWac-zi4fv1AebN1uKCV8G0otco1tTJSDw_ilcsYlxKKPR/s1600/abbey-roadbitstrips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TyZZ5sLK6ToIk59dukPo6cyyEVK_7GdZhV8B0Bl3ndhpI2_plk4-bMvd1k9kUPwiJOoqlI2m38W3-rvvr4ylwBbjxGop8ZrWac-zi4fv1AebN1uKCV8G0otco1tTJSDw_ilcsYlxKKPR/s640/abbey-roadbitstrips.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">#7: Having heard about Nevin's adventures, his friends</span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100000757466401&extragetparams=%7B%22group_id%22%3A0%7D" href="http://www.facebook.com/jose.xavier.186?group_id=0" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Jose</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">, </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1352843747&extragetparams=%7B%22group_id%22%3A0%7D" href="http://www.facebook.com/shafathm?group_id=0" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Shafath</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> and </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=769467528&extragetparams=%7B%22group_id%22%3A0%7D" href="http://www.facebook.com/shaakirm?group_id=0" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Shaakir</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> decides to accompany him on his next trip.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
The gang crossing the 'Abbey Road"....</div>
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Series to be continued....</div>
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Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-7446808730705629232013-03-25T01:37:00.000-07:002013-03-27T01:37:55.353-07:00The Idea Behind The Avatar Series<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Why should someone like me, who has no technical/artistic ability, make a comic strip based on Bitstrips characters? To be honest, the idea has always been there. To create characters with whom everyone can associate. And to make them do things that contemporary superheroes fail to do.<br />
<br />The avatars, made via the bitsrips app, has a very unique ability to catch the audience by their looks and behavior Through the series I hope to highlight some of the serious social issues that is affecting us. While the idea is to make an impact on the society I think it is best served with a touch of humour and childishness.<br />Feedback is the only way to improve the series, so please leave your comments. While this might be shared, do not use it for any commercial purposes.<br /><br />You can also contribute to the cause...<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/nevin.thomas" target="_blank">Add me on Facebook</a> ( send a message prior to your request) and we can discuss about various possibilities. Till then Om Mani Padme Hum....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekGOGfycTmMCaapjWAV9Pt8gBB5k_nBndvYGautkmi_ECrWl90zaSC6mSJKBmjCIOdu4LetmTS57EGUEMUGqgCM1BTRfmPAScK6DMykuRdIVeKHXwAG8ruqEQNioJBgVNEj4oByCXb2qh/s1600/meditate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekGOGfycTmMCaapjWAV9Pt8gBB5k_nBndvYGautkmi_ECrWl90zaSC6mSJKBmjCIOdu4LetmTS57EGUEMUGqgCM1BTRfmPAScK6DMykuRdIVeKHXwAG8ruqEQNioJBgVNEj4oByCXb2qh/s640/meditate.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-83977091615935391452012-12-17T06:18:00.000-08:002012-12-17T06:18:10.745-08:00The Global Financial Meltdown and shit like that.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
To be very honest, I've never really understood what financial meltdown is or how it would affect the price of onions( yes, out of all things on Earth or the Universe for that matter, the regional news channel folks always worry about onions when there's a price change). I've been reading and listening to numerous stuff and Finally ( yes, I had to use a capital) I've found the perfect video.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Enjoy by clicking <a href="http://vimeo.com/3261363" target="_blank">HERE </a>:<br /><br />You might also run into some weird terms, especially "subprime crisis". Here's something that should give you a brief idea of US and its underdog's policies watch this :<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mzJmTCYmo9g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-43715412313283997032012-11-23T23:18:00.001-08:002012-11-26T10:14:06.127-08:00Phobia Blues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To Jose Xavier,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who thought Mr. Bond had no right to wake up from the dead..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FEAR</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a lot of panic. Pandemonium, as I struggled with my limbs in an
asymmetric pattern. Desperate attempts to escape. Frantic cries to wake oneself
up from a very bad dream. Everything shambolic… Noise amplified by the denser
medium. I could hear my legs glide, my torso displacing the water beneath… </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was scared. Beyond everything I had experienced in my life so far...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am scared of water. And it doesn’t have anything to do with kidney stones or
sun strokes. I’ve always been that way. I guess a lot of it has to do with my
upbringing. Having an orthodox Hindu
grandmother and mother resulted in a lot of fascinating myth during the early
days of my life. Revenge seeking Yakshis(evil fairies)
that haunts the lakes, who lure a young man into the water and then strangle
them. The octopus of Elanjikkal Kshetram (temple) which could swallow the
temple cow if it wanted to…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On certain nights, we would go to the ‘Manalppuram’ and light
‘Aartis’… ‘May the soul be at peace’ we would pray, as the candles floated across
the river to the next world...<br />
I remember making promises to myself that I would never tell my kids
those stories that made my early life very stressful. A lizard was always
acknowledging the truth… A gandharva could in all possibility deflower our only
sister while we were sleeping… Once you start believing, there was no escaping. </span><br />
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<a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-MqTwUd2XOtSSFa6yp__PpvbmjKT0SCiAlhp47gIS_zBHVv6A3oysMhsg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-MqTwUd2XOtSSFa6yp__PpvbmjKT0SCiAlhp47gIS_zBHVv6A3oysMhsg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Father, unlike mother or grandmother, was a realist. But the honest, hard working
clerk in a chemical factory nearby, with an undying passion for books, only
played along the script. He would sit on our paaya (mattress’ woven out of
dried coconut leaves) and tell us stories he had read at the Sahitya academy. A
particular favourite of his was Moby Dick. And on some days he would teach us
history. How great civilizations were wiped away by floods...The Indus Valley,
Muziris…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My brothers loved me... I would guard their clothes from pranksters while they
played in the lake. And in return, they would bring me little fish. Usually the
little loaches that cleaned your toes or the ‘poonjati’ (something similar to
an over grown female guppy)… I would put them in a large chembu (tumbler) that
I carried around and play with them until my brothers get out of the water.
There was also the “Thuppal Kothi” which would come to us if we spat on the
water. Unlike my brothers, Father was genuinely concerned. So with great
difficulties, he convinced a ‘saar’ to grant me access to the officer club’s
pool. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apart from the weird part that the pool looked shallower than it actually was,
the swimming lessons had begun well. Until I drowned one fine day… The tutor
had left the rope I was clinging on to. I drowned but not in the way people expect
you to. Ever so slowly… As if it was my destiny to sink. To sit there are the bottom
of the tank...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nandu, who had jumped inside to save me, thought it was a stunt from my part to
get the lady instructor wet. But I was just numb. Of fear, curiosity, anger? I don’t
really know. I sat there, at the bottom of the tank and opened my eyes…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CALM</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I opened my eyes. Everything
needed time to settle down. But when it
finally did, a sense of calmness started creeping in. Not out of hope. It was realization, of the
inevitable… I looked around. Suzanne and Raghu had probably escaped. I knew I was going to die...I was sinking to
the bottom of this cold, dark mystery... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course it had to end like this. I had to be devoured by my biggest fear. All
had been perfectly scripted... I think I managed a smile. How insignificant are
we in the big of scheme of things! There weren't abominal octopuses around me. I would've been happy to see a yakshi. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There, in that lake, with few seconds to live, I had overcome my phobia. It was
always the ‘mystery’ of the water that scared me. Not the actual running out of
air…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I felt weightless. Was I dead already? I felt I was going upwards… </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.zoonar.com/img/www_repository3/7b/25/0a/10_48f40b8caba6d7a5f3abc4b280e5b2f2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="http://static.zoonar.com/img/www_repository3/7b/25/0a/10_48f40b8caba6d7a5f3abc4b280e5b2f2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once I had drowned in the sea. College days, when impressing girls meant taking
unnecessary risks...There, beneath the waves I had tried to get up. But my legs
found no place to rest my weight upon. It was probably after another wave that
my hands hit the bottom of the sea. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Water can do that to you. The upthrust and the gravity… They play with you
until you lose your sense of balance. You are no longer sure where ‘up’ and
‘down’ is. And in your desperate attempt to save the life, might end up moving
further away from air.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I closed my eyes again. My wife, Lathika… She was pulling my sleeve towards
Leopold. Where we had met years ago on a rough Monsoon day... She kissed me and
then stopped abruptly... A big tubby cat had caught her attention. “Look at the
size of it”, she says...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BREATH</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was out of breath. I needed air. My lungs were crying out for help. I knew
I’d die the moment I released the little air I had in me… But I was going to
die anyway. ‘Why not do it peacefully’, I thought. ..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was cold and scared in the middle of this huge man-made lake…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My wife was at the hospital… A baby boy the smiling nurse had said… “Show me my wife”, I demand…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">”Lets name him Varun”. I nod in agreement. The God of sky, sea
and the ocean…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No. I did not want to die.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">GOD</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I
think it was Sigmund Freud who said it. “The more you try to forget something,
the more you end up thinking about it.” I had to breathe. My lungs </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">couldn't</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> hold on much longer…</span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;">
What was that sound? An extremely shrill noise… My ear drums, they hurt. My
ankles… What was that unbearable pain? I was sinking now. And fast. I tried
opening my eyes…What was that light in front of me? God…</span><br />
<br /><span style="line-height: 115%;">
MIRACLE</span><br />
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><span style="line-height: 115%;">
Father walked away shaking his head in despair. Mother looked at me… I think
she was sobbing. They had covered me in a thick blanket… Siblings had queued up
to see their brother… Rakesh whispered in my ear – “Next time you are sitting
on the bottom of the tank, try catching your ankles….”</span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;">
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;">
Life guards say I came to them. All they did was pull me out of the water.
Everyone else survived… </span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> * -------------------------- * --------------------------*</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;">
Note: The story was made in a night. But it was something I had wanted to do for
quite a long time. That’s 2-3 minutes in 1000+ words(My initial story had 3000+, a lot of clarity has been </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">sacrificed</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> while compressing). I’d like to thank Manoj
Kumar (director: Orkut Oru Ormakoot ) to whom I first expressed my desire. It
was he who suggested the idea of flash backs. A lot of that phobia came from
within. Some of it was created through various things learned from the National Geographic
magazine. Thank you UDL school for exposing me to that magazine. Interested
readers are urged to read more about the “Belize blue hole” where expert divers
get confused between the stalactites and stalagmites.</span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;">Three writers had a significant impact on my writing style. Arundhati
Roy’s description of the Meenachillar. M.T’s love for Bharatapuzha. And T.Padmanaban’s excessive use of dots(….) to keep the reader guessing. I've got some facts wrong. Just adding to the drama..</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Next time you are in a pool imagine that you are sitting on a chair and reach for you ankles....</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">
It’s just a humble attempt and I’m looking forward to your feedback.</span></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-30341945428443410932012-10-27T00:40:00.001-07:002012-10-27T09:15:10.342-07:00At The Plaza<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yet another story with a female lead role. Just learning the trade. Do be honest with your comments.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://hotelstil.com/wp-content/uploads/restaurant-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="638" src="http://hotelstil.com/wp-content/uploads/restaurant-21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was unlike him to reserve a table at an expensive restaurant
like ‘The Plaza’. Infact he had been acting strange for the past few weeks. Something
was troubling him but he refused to say anything. Was this it? The end of the
road. Was my panicking uncalled for? Something Shruti said last week kept
ringing in my ears – “<i>It’s only fun for
them when we are elusive. The moment you give in, their interest ends. After a
while we are nothing but a head ache</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got inside and caught him looking around uneasily. He was
definitely troubled by something. I waved at him and conveyed the need to use
the washroom, to which he nodded. The uber rich group that had seemed to be in
a deep debate of things of national importance (like the colour of cousin’s
wedding gown) did not appreciate my <span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">idiosyncrasy</span> but thankfully did nothing more than
put up a frown on their faces that needed another shot of Botox.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What were you thinking?” I asked my reflection on the
mirror at the washroom.<br />
“Look at yourself. Dark skinned, thin.
30 sized breasts. Of course he has lost all his interest in you! I would’ve
done the same.”<br />
“ Oh come on. You are one of India’s most popular TV journalists. Stop being a
baby.”<br />
“Unfortunately, size of breast and colour of skin matters more to people in our
country.”<br />
“It’s their loss then. Go and face him.”<br />
“You are probably right. And maybe I’m just imagining things. Like my
reflection talking to me.”<br />
I removed the ‘eye shadow’ not wanting the trails of tears to leave a mark on
my face. <br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hei big man! You got a promotion or something? The plaza?”<br />
A half hearted smile accompanied by a faint moan which I believe meant NO. I wasn't in my senses anyway.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So how are you Jen?”<br />
Why did the ‘Jen’ sound so cold? Sidharth and mom were the only two persons in
this planet who could call me Jen and keep me happy. It did not work today
though.<br />
“Sid what’s happening? What’s wrong with Raju’s Dhaba? I feel so alien inside
this place!”<br />
“Just wanted to make you feel comfortable”, he said as the waiter came in with
the bowls of soup. <br />
He had a habit of blinking a lot when he had something to say..<br />
“What is it?”<br />
“You stick to your promise first. Eat
and drink whatever I buy you when I take out.”<br />
“I’m not feeling all that well.”<br />
“Something bothering you?”<br />
“Yes. You!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He seemed bemused by my answer and turned his head away from
me as if he was keener on conversing with the waiter who (strangely) had taken
a particular interest in us.<br />
“I want to end this”, he finally murmured.<br />
I took a long breath. The whole room was going topsy turvy around me<i>. Don’t faint Jennifer. Don’t give up. Be
strong..<br />
</i>“Baby are you ok? Did I rush things?”<br />
No you sonnofabitch. I’m not ok. To
expect something is totally different from actually experiencing it. A meager “why”
was all I could come up with.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s been three years now. I thought it was the right time.
I’ve been harbouring this thought for some months now. I had to do it. And I
assumed you would want it as well.”<br />
“But I..” I was interrupted when “the waiter” placed a slice of good looking
dish (Lord knows what it’s name was) on our table.<br />
“It’s a decision I made after a lot of serious thinking honey.”<br />
In my anger I dug the fork deep into the slice. Initially I thought it was the
sound of fork hitting the ceramic but then I saw something glowing inside.<br />
“Honey. I want you to help me end this bachelorhood. Think you can tolerate me
for the rest of your life?”</div>
</div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-49891473508020736902012-09-02T03:05:00.000-07:002012-11-22T22:58:34.008-08:00Love In The Time Of Facebook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</xml><![endif]-->It was Facebook that prompted the first move by suggesting her profile. It had been nearly six weeks since he moved from Chennai to St. Joseph’s (Kochi) and he had managed to talk to almost everyone in the class except Norah - A tall, dark girl with distinct green eyes and a voice that had sounded all too familiar (and soothing) to Joshua.<br />
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Surf_Excel_Matic_soak_no_more.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Surf_Excel_Matic_soak_no_more.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Though he spent his entire free hours shamelessly staring at Norah,
unaware of the umpteen jealous eyes watching him, he couldn’t muster up enough courage to go
talk to her. <br />
He was pretty confident that Norah knew him well enough to ‘add’ him to her
network in Facebook. Deep down he liked to believe that she was eyeing him whenever has wasn't staring. Couple of days after he had sent, she accepted the
request. And his major pastime since the ‘acceptance’, became a quest for the
perfect one liner to kick off the conversation. <br />
<s>“Dear Norah, you’ve stolen my heart.” <br />
“Hello, I’m in your class too.”<br />
</s>Soaked with expectation, he would sit there in front of the ‘blue and
white’ screen typing and then deleting his ‘openers’ much to the dismay of his
aunt and uncle who found his new addiction to be a little distressing.<br />
Yesterday while he was conversing with a friend in Chennai, he noticed
something ‘grey’ beneath his favourite chat window. It took an eternity for his
brains to translate the light rays striking his retina. Beneath the ever-open
chat window was a small message. It read, “Norah is typing…” It was there for
some ten seconds and then it vanished. But those ten seconds meant more than a
life to Joshua. He <a href="http://www.facebook.com/surfexcelmatic" target="_blank">did not have to soak</a> in heap of uncertainty now. For he
knew!<br />
For the first time since that ‘dark day’ of his life, he looked at his parents,
whose photo clung on to the wall like moths in Kerala during the Monsoon season,
and smiled. His mind was suddenly filled with the deafening sound of a car
crash.<br />
Finally he typed, “Hi!”<br />
<br />
PS: This story was written as a part of <a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/blogger/36327/" target="_blank">Indiblogger</a>'s new contest in association with <a href="http://www.facebook.com/surfexcelmatic" target="_blank">Surf Excel Matic</a>. ( <a href="http://www.hul.co.in/brands-in-action/detail/Surf-Excel/294365/" target="_blank">Know more</a>)<br />
I wanted to tell a humble tale of love in less than 350 words. I look forward to some healthy criticism, so don't shy away.</div>
</div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-58651350899075445222012-08-28T18:30:00.001-07:002012-09-02T03:05:51.300-07:00The Average Indian Woman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
She wakes up with the sun,<br />
And ties her hair like a bun.<br />
Makes tea for everyone,<br />
And coffee for her son.<br />
Water her green plants,<br />
while making the daily plans.<br />
Does the dishes, maybe,<br />
Regardless of her wishes.<br />
Wraps a long piece of cloth around her,<br />
In a way that only she knows how.<br />
Clings on to the back seat of a scooter,<br />
That would take years to master.<br />
At office, its work,work and work.<br />
Back home, its work again.<br />
"It's midnight, let me sleep", she says.<br />
And.............<br />
She wakes up with the sun,<br />
And ties her hair like a bun...<br />
<br />
Yet they call her the 'average' Indian woman.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcLnzRyLQNvNVaa4imzJyJ7tazr_e5lwgH7lwEA4jjlYL8PNKPq8xRJ4ZyHljcOWlGu_2n8IHMjTrW0gMr-CD5i2Z-mSGtvl2mH87UICLMJU9dLkH07eAgD3PN6XJwEyXbby3nHMqaB_7/s1600/indian_woman_by_jepix-d4bek9a.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcLnzRyLQNvNVaa4imzJyJ7tazr_e5lwgH7lwEA4jjlYL8PNKPq8xRJ4ZyHljcOWlGu_2n8IHMjTrW0gMr-CD5i2Z-mSGtvl2mH87UICLMJU9dLkH07eAgD3PN6XJwEyXbby3nHMqaB_7/s640/indian_woman_by_jepix-d4bek9a.png" width="640" /></a></div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2589985620266547470.post-48968619974691845962012-08-27T19:26:00.003-07:002012-10-27T19:58:03.648-07:00The Indian Male Syndrome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wants to screw everything that moves,<br />
Rapes everything that refuses.<br />
Dreams of sex all night and day, and then,<br />
Calls 'her' a whore who thinks like 'him'.<br />
And then on the wedding day he asks,<br />
Are you a virgin my dear woman?<br />
Fascinating really, how absurd he is,<br />
Considering the number of 'sluts' he kills at birth.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBd9mY_Gt_iXhdxMy-LG9XZGH9RuNz6cFcxcXE3cGw-Jf_A-bEBEtcW9ur5fRoj5CGBiYCI5rmm_BQhIJutKfRReYmlVKPfz7jWmE64j6_Is9SR148ioiWwDJguHhDdg5Hf3dEhHJ2Uqqb/s1600/indian-girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBd9mY_Gt_iXhdxMy-LG9XZGH9RuNz6cFcxcXE3cGw-Jf_A-bEBEtcW9ur5fRoj5CGBiYCI5rmm_BQhIJutKfRReYmlVKPfz7jWmE64j6_Is9SR148ioiWwDJguHhDdg5Hf3dEhHJ2Uqqb/s1600/indian-girl.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy : <a href="http://old-photos.blogspot.in/">old-photos.blogspot.in</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Nevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07046628275624256612noreply@blogger.com24