The Wrong Kind of Pandit

A few months ago, there was a Youtube video that went viral. Not just in the conventional sense. By viral, I mean, crazy viral. It gathered a grand total of about 167 million views. To put that in perspective, one of the leading rock bands in the world, Coldplay, released their latest single Paradise, to approximately 18 million views.

A 14 year old girl from California, USA, had done the unthinkable. Or so I thought. Until my lazy internet finished buffering the Youtube video.

The Motorcyle Diaries

About an year ago, I watched The Motorcyle Diaries. The movie was well made, showing the true story of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara and Alberto Granado's journey through Latin America on a spluttering motorcycle. I watched it, appreciated it, and forgot about it.

Today, I visited the wiki page of The Motorcycle Diaries, and felt spellbound. Ernesto Guevara and his friend covered more than 8,000 miles in the span of nine months. They covered almost the whole of South America, passing through Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, Panama and Miami.

Searching For The 'Unicorn'

I lost belief a long time ago. Most around me have. None of us ever discuss about it. It's like the myth of the 'Unicorn'. Dazzling, beautiful...but it doesnt happen in real life.

They've documented it in movies, books, music videos. There are entire T.V. shows that capture the feel of the myth. But at the end of the day, you'll never see a 'Unicorn' in your life. It doesnt exist.

Whenever I watch a movie dealing with friendship, I chuckle, knowingly allowing myself to get immersed in the narrative. Like the mature guy who lets his compulsively lying friend narrate yet another tall tale of adventure. But at the end of it, like everyone else, I clear my head and walk away. The 'Unicorn' doesnt exist.

Money, Money, Money

I wonder if it reflects badly on me as a blogger, when I start my post by quoting the excruciatingly annoying rapper Lil Wayne.

But as I watched two friends of mine discuss about whose friend had a bigger house, the words from the song 'Money on My Mind' played out in my head. Which made me think. When did I land up in a Lil Wayne video?

I Wonder What Dravid Feels

Wonder what Rahul Dravid feels about it.

The countless newspaper columns, internet links, Facebook statuses, and perhaps most importantly, the flattering headlines.

The Wall Stands Tall.

I guess he'd be smiling. Chuckling to himself, and remembering, very clearly, how it was not so long ago. Odds are, he'll turn off the bedside lamp, say a small prayer, and forget about the praise.

Because if anyone in our country knows a thing or two about praise, it's Rahul Dravid.

The same guy who was mocked by school children all over the country over his sometimes mind numbing defensive stance in matches. I can still recall how it felt, hearing people roll their eyes when the name Rahul Dravid was mentioned. How can things change so soon?

That's the quality of our collective memory. Say hello to the 1.2 crore version of Ghajini.

Mallus, Marus and More

Five Years Ago...
"Vivek was telling me that Thursday might be a holiday for all of us," John said.

"Whose Vivek?" I asked, as we sat at the end of class.

"Arey, Vivek, dude. The short, spectacled guy, in Philip's class?"

"Oh, that Vivek."

Present Day...
"Rohit says there's no college tomorrow. We'll watch a movie?"

"Rohit? Who's that?"

"Rohit, macha. The maru who sits behind us in class."

"Oh, that Rohit."

Funnily enough, until I joined a college in India last year, I never knew what a maru meant. Of course, now I do. Not just marus. I know who mallus, iyers, firengis and the rest are.

Three Letter Word For 'Being Happy'

It's something that I've been wondering about for the past few days. When did I first hear the word being used? It's like trying to remember the first time you heard about the concept of death, or money, or air conditioners, I guess. It's just something that we grew up with.

The word 'gay'.

Three Blind Men

Over the years, many of my readers have asked me about my first article as a journalist. Thinking back to that time, back in 2001, I could tell you the details as though it’d happened yesterday. 

On my very first day as an intern at The Hindu, I was well on course to being late for work. As I ran down the steps of the overhead footbridge two at a time, the railway platform was drowned in the sound of two oncoming trains. 

Great! I thought. Just what I needed. Within seconds, hundreds of passengers spilled onto the platform, flowing towards the footbridge in unison. As I pushed my way past college students, flower selling middle aged ladies and office workers who must’ve owned surprisingly defective deodorants, something caught my eye. 

The Two Sides of Chennai Toastmasters

After a break of two months, I got to attend a meeting of Chennai Toastmasters. Comfortably nestled within the 30 plus crowd, I sat back and listened as first timers came on stage and delivered their ‘Ice Breaker’ speeches.

For the uninitiated, an Ice Breaker is the first speech a Toastmaster gives to introduce himself to the audience.

Winning Back My Laptop Diary

After six months of inactivity, I finally decided to start blogging again. Which meant I had to revisit Laptop Diary after a pretty long time. Given below is an imagining of that encounter...


Me: (Trying to make an excuse for opening my blog) Oh, I -I'm sorry, I - er - I must've clicked on an old bookmark or something. Hope I didnt disturb you or anything.

LD: No, no, dont worry. (bitterly)I wasnt doing anything much since I was last updated six months ago anyway...

Me: (awkwardly) Right, so - erm, I guess I'll - I'll just get going then?

LD: (abruptly) So have you found someone new?

Socks, Not Soap

When did roti-makers become so arrogant?

I was waiting in line, along with about a dozen others, watching as two men took their own sweet time in rolling and baking the rotis. I’d been there for over half an hour, and the only way I was going to fill my stomach, was by keeping my temper under wraps.

Finally, the cook decided to reward me for my patience, and slowly wrapped a couple of rotis into a roll. Handing it over, he indicated that the favour was over, and I was to be on my way. So much for ‘customer is king’.

Just as I was about to turn away, though, the fellow behind me suddenly shook. His body trembled violently, as he slowly collapsed onto the floor in front of my feet.

No. 20, Kennet Lane

It's funny how life can change in a moment. All it takes is a decision. Yes, or no. And just like that, nothing's ever the same.

It was supposed to be a day well spent with Siddharth. After three years abroad, he'd finally decided to return home.

"Only for a few days," he muttered. But that never mattered to me. He was here, with me. And I'd enjoy every minute of it.