Jam the Journalist

Bidding Bye to Bangalore!

2006-04-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today's my last day in Bangalore.

Bangalore rocked, DH did too. I got lotsa assignments to go; did press conferences, met people on the field. Learnt most of QuarkExpress, the software for making a page.

Other than that, met lotsa interesting people at the office too, and learnt on-the-job journalism skills. It's one thing to learn stuff in a college, and entirely another when doing it practically.

I still do not clearly know my future plan. Not made up my mind on a lot of issues. Will have to do all that this week, in Chennai.

Bye bye Bangalore!

In Bangalore!

2006-04-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a real long time since I blogged. That's because I'm just getting used to a new work place, new city, new people.

Well, I'm in Bangalore, on a three-week internship with DH, a reputed newspaper here. Two of us from MASCOM are here - S and me. S is with reporting for 10 days; he's getting to cover stories and I'm with the desk, editing stories and "sort of" making up pages. After 10 days, I'll be with reporting and he with the desk.

Bangalore rocks, as they say. I've been practically living in MG road (where the office is) and Brigade road. I report at work around 2 and come back home at 10.30. Work's okay and most of the people at office are friendly.

Really dunno what's in store for me after these three weeks. Keeping my options open...lets see. As a friend says, and yet it moves....

Goodbye, Kottayam!

2006-03-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Academic Council of the Manorama School of Communication certifies that S Srinivasa Ramanujam ... is awarded the Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism...

... reads the certificate in my hand. I am a post graduate diploma holder now.

Today was convocation day. Parting day; all smiles outside, but sadness inside.

This academic year has been fantastic for me; I've learnt soooooo many things. And met so many more people, strange-yet-fascinating. But today - March 27, 2006 - marks the end of my tryst with God's Own Country. believe me, one great tryst it has been. But as the saying goes - All good things come to an end. And yet it moves...

This is my last post sitting in my workstation in MASCOM, Kottayam. Best of luck for life from now on!

MASCOM day -- had a great time!

2006-03-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

As M and me stepped into our insti at about 08.30 AM this morning, we were expecting to have a blast of a day, considering that it was MASCOM day today.

We wanted a blast. And, we got it first up.

As we sauntered into the premises, KTO (looking surprisingly smart, dressed in a full-sleeve shirt) blasted at us. "You guys got any idea what's happening here... No explanations, just go inside and start working. No breakfast till you finish them all."

It took us all till 10 to complete the work. Breakfast gone with the wind.

At 10.20, the first guest stepped in. From then on, MASCOM was fully crowded, with people shoving each other to see the "wonderful" work we had done in our lab newspaper. Also displayed were some foreign newspapers we managed to get hold of, the coverage of the Union Budget in many newspapers. The visitors were also shown a powepoint presentation on what work we do all week for our paper.

It was utter chaos initially. Guys and girls in-charge of the reception committee had to get the names/designations of the visitors, pass that paper to the photographer who would get a pic and would then pass the paper to other guys/gals who had to take a quote from the visitor. And then, this chit of paper had to go to the people working furiously on the Indesign page (unfortunately, under the nose of Mr KTO). Before the visitor left the place, he had to given an A3 printout of the front page, with his visit being the lead story.

But slowly, things picked up and normalcy prevailed. By lunch time, everything was almost smooth. The crowd again picked up after lunch, and dropped by 4 o clock. At 5 exactly, there were just two visitors. And soon, they were gone too.

The comments/feedback book was full of "fantastic, excellent." Some consolation for the work we put in.

Despite the chaos, despite the madness, today was one day we will all cherish for the rest of our lives.

MASCOM day is here!

2006-03-19T02:40:00.000-08:00

We're all busy.

MASCOM day is tomorrow. This is an unique concept of letting people know what we're upto. The whole neighbourhood is invited, our sources are invited and a whole lot of others too are -- to see what happens in this institute daily.

A collection of our weekly lab newspaper (25 of them) are on display for the visitors to see the work that we do. To get a glimpse of journalism throughout the world, foreign newspapers have been pasted. And, we've put on display the magazines that our library subscribes.

Also on display are all the editions of MM, to tell the readers how news/layout differs from place to place.

We're gonna rock the town tomorrow.

This is sport!

2006-03-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

Astounding. Great. In my last post, I said that these words dwarf in meaning when used to describe SA's win over Australia at the Wanderers yesterday.

Then - what would have crossed the minds of headline writers throughout the country?

I was really cross when I picked up IE this morning. The front page had a photo-caption giving the news of the amazing win. And, the sports page had - would you believe it - news that Australia had reached a record score! And, I remember it was about 9.30 when the match ended last night. Surely, IE could have done better than that.

TH was a lot better. The headline was okay; it could have been a lot better, considering the fact that many experts billed this as the greatest match ever played.

But the best headline in my opinion was a Malayalam one. The sports page in today's Malayala Manorama screamed - "Ithaanu kali!" (This is sport/cricket)

That aptly summed up, in two words, the real essense of the SA-Aus match yesterday. 434 in 50 overs, and that chased! Now, that's what I call sport.

The greatest ODI ever played

2006-03-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

I just watched the greatest game of cricket ever played.

South Africa hit 438 and beat Australia in an awesome game of cricket, and won the series 3-2.

Initially, Ricky Ponting rattled up a great 164 off 105 balls, which left the Proteas reeling. And, entered Australia's name in the records' book for the highest ODI total, beating Lanka's 398 against the Kenyans.

Who? Who on earth would have thought that the Proteas would win? None. Yet they won.

Probably that's the key to any victory. Just do your work, forget the opponent, and you win! In this game, SA must have thought that they had nothing to lose, and so blast their way into the match, thanks largely to Gibbs.

Gibbs played the best innings of his life, belting the ball to all corners of the Wanderers. He toyed the bowlers and looked all set to surpass Anwar's 195. His 175 off 111 balls will certainly go down as one of the best innings played ever.

Astounding. Great. These words do not describe this match. There isn't a word, really.

A tougher week beckons

2006-03-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

My leg pains. Really.

Walked lots today. I had blogged earlier that last week was tough and the coming week is gonna be tougher, I guess.

Just when we thought that we would be a bit free cos our two major projects were over, and just as I thought that it would be easy for me as my quota of being a sub was over, work came along. In the guise of evaluation exercises, for which we gotto cover some events in town.

This morning was busy with all of us scanning papers for events. And, we finally zeroed in on two events - one some eye donation camp and another, a speech by a political leader.

Walked lots for the stories...real tired and sleepy.

I say it's gonna be a tougher week as we gotto submit these by Monday and then we have some evaluation exercises lined up for the rest of the week. And then, to top it all, I'm editor this week. Lotsa work. Little time.

A tough week

2006-03-08T23:45:00.000-08:00

It's been a tough week. (except for the Kochi'Budget discussion' trip we made Monday)

Getting on my nerves, really.

First, we had to meet our deadlines for the final drafts of our investigative and dissertation projects. Though I had finished most of it, petty jobs like pictures, other stuff like writing a contents' sheet and acknowledgement were pending ... and I had to do them this week.

Plus, I'm a sub this week. Probably the last time I'll be doing it here. So, gotto do a great job...

Plus, we have the usual assignments that KTO loads us with. Life's tough, I guess.

Nothing really 'strik'ing

2006-03-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

As I walk out for my evening coffee, the guy in the corner shop nods his head and says that he isn't working today.

Thus I start my walk down the lane to the main bus stand. Two guys walk near me, speaking in Tamil. Predictably, soon enough, we were in a conversation. Loved the part when they described this place as a "toongu moonji" place.

It's "toongu moonji" day today. A hartal (or bandh, or strike, or whatever you want to call it) has been called by an outfit here and thus life has come to a standstill.

People here are sure nice - but they're damn lazy. As the passerby (actually, two of them) told me, "It's never like this back in our place. There's always something happening on all days. Here, it's like if the people get a chance to take a day off, all they do is sit at home. Only God knows how they manage to pass their time at home."

"Strike" is too strong a word. Nothing striking happens on those days.

The Test

2006-02-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

It was probably the first time that a cricket ground was being converted into an exam hall...:D

Well yeah, the seminar hall we have downstairs has staged very few seminars. And, we had made good use of it as our cricket ground.

But this afternoon, the chairs were all back in place with some benches -- for a test. The English stream students took TW test, and the four Mal guys took the all-important MM test.

The TW test had just two questions. The first was divided into 8 parts(topics/issues, actually) -- we had to write about 250 words on five of them. All my creative genius came into play.

The second was the horrible part -- there were 10 phrases and we had to write its meaning. Really tough.

Later, the Mal guys came out and said that their paper was better. They had even asked an "If" question to which they had to layout a page. Must have been cool!

150 (not out)*

2006-02-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

150 not out.

Well, this is my blog's 150th post. Hurray!

Finished!

2006-02-21T22:30:00.000-08:00

Finisheddddddddd.

At last.

It's as if the well is already crossed. Well, I have submitted the first draft of the dissertation promptly last morning and will submit the other project tomorrow morning.

This is not compulsory, but I've done it cos of only one reason - The Lion will go over it and give valuable suggestions. Will help me a lot to make improvements in the copy.

And then of cos doing this now will ease a lot of pressure when the final deadline comes along.

Trivandrum trip: Details

2006-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 1:
Started off at 8, went straight to Tiruvalla and stopped at classmate M's place. Twenty minutes later, we were back again, travelling. Non stop, till we reached Trivandrum.

We were given rooms to stay in the Animation Centre at a place called Vellaiambalam in the heart of the city. I headed straight for lunch, and then caught an autorickshaw from there and went to the place to get information for my investigative project.

Finished the work - surprisingly fast enough - but not before wandering around the place (which included a visit to a dentist's clinic for a quote). Came back straight to our place of stay, and started straightaway for classmate N's place. Spent an hour or so there. Then, we all got into the bus from the Centre and were off to the Manorama office. Met some interesting people there and spent the rest of the night just wandering around and went off to sleep.

Day 2:
We were all in the bus by 7.45, and went to the Kerala Assembly. After a strict security check, we were let inside. Though nothing special/exciting happened inside in the three hours were "forced to sit" there, it was a great experience. How many of you guys can actually go and sit in the Assembly?!

From there, we proceeded to the CDS, a premier research institute in the city. Built by the renowned Larry Baker, this building houses an excellent library.

After taking a quick shower, we were off to one of the best hotels in the city - Mascot. For a press conference arranged with a top minister. The Q&A session was excellent; the minister spoke really well. After that, it was time for dinner there. Probably the second best dinner I've had - the first one a week ago in C L. Super food. And coz this was a hotel, a Valentine's Day bash was on. Happy Valentine', I wished myself!

Day 3:
A meeting with two princess and a King! In this age of ministers, meeting a King - the Travancore King - was an enriching experience. He - and before that, the two princesses - spoke to us at length on various issues.

The two palaces to which we went were real grand. It was like a world away from the real world.

Lunch, and we were off. Stopped briefly in Kollam - at classmate C's place - before reaching Kottayam.

A short, sweet trip!

2006-02-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

We're back.

After a three-day trip to the state's capital. We attended the Assembly session, met a minister in a super hotel, went to a research institute and met two princesses and a King!

Yeah. Lots of tales to blog about. Coming soon!

Our second field trip!

2006-02-12T15:30:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the day.

We're starting for our second field trip - to Trivandrum. We'll be leaving by 8 tomorrow morning and reaching there in five hours or so.

It's a three-day trip, and so many programmes/visits have been packed in it that I fear we will get little free time. The only free time that I can squeeze in is immediately after we go there. The first visit (to a senior journalist there) is at 6.30. And, if we reach there by 1, I'll have the time to go to the crime records office and finish my investigative project.

On Tuesday, we're gonna visit the Kerala Assembly. Though touted as a drab affair, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Lots of other places too are on the cards - for work and leisure. I'm sure we'll enjoy this short trip.

Will be back Wednesday night...

Friends with the Fellows!

2006-02-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

It was a whole bunch of youngsters.

Excited, the people from USA - some of them Indian origin - arrived here at Mascom on Wednesday afternoon. They were volunteers for the AIF, which has a link-up with several NGOs in India.

These AIF fellows (includes guys and girls) are all part of a one year programme in India, which requires them to work with an NGO anywhere in India. These people work in different parts of India, and Kerala happened to be the venue of their mid-year evaluation session.

After introduction (where, naturally, I went up and spoke to the prettiest face in the crowd - S) and got to know she is basically, Tamilian! And I got curious and asked her to speak in Tamil, which she did very well.

After this, all of us took a boat ride from Kodimatha to Kumarakom (after a brief stop over at a place where we had tender coconuts). The ride into the Vembanad lake, where we also saw a breathtaking sunset, was awesome.

We were at C L, a posh resort close to the banks of the lake and served the best dinner I've had till date. The dinner lasted almost 3 hours (cuz there were so many dishes to taste). Found out this morning that a dinner there costs roughly around 1000 bucks!

Lots and lots of 'bye's, a small boat ride and some travel by the M bus, and we students were all back at Mascom.

Furiously .. workin!

2006-02-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

I know it. I know it.

I know I haven't been blogging for two days or something. And, there's a reason.

A stupid reason: cos nothing's really happening. Yesterday was Sunday, and Sundays in Kottayam are reeeeal boring. And today is Monday - and nothing eventful happened. (except, of course, the 1st ODI between India and Pak, which Pak won by the Duckworth Lewis method. Well, 18 balls 18 runs 3 wickets - despite Younis Khan being there, we could have won. Real eventful was Inzy's obstructing the fielder dismissal.)

But there's one more reason to my absence from Bloggerworld. It's the two projects we gotto do.

With deadlines looming large, I've started working furiously on my projects. Already reached a count of 1500 in one. The data collection for the other is almost over -- only the structuring and typing remains.

Rang De Basanti: Superb

2006-02-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

All the main characters in this movie laugh and have fun in the beginning. In the end, they are still laughing and having fun. But, the real essence of 'Rang De Basanti' lies in the middle of all this - when they cry and their hearts are stirred.

That - of fun-loving Gen X guys and girls crying and feeling the need for a patriotic tinge to life - makes this movie a must-watch movie.

Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has woken up himself and a generation of young film-goers for whom Life is "fun" and "cool". The lesson that he imparts through his movie is something that every young Indian should learn.

'Rang De Basanti' succeeds mainly because it takes a movie like 'Yuva' further. Unlike 'Yuva', where at the exact moment when a glimmer of hope coincided with the end of the movie, RDB gives the hope and the possible conclusion.

RJ Aamir Khan is great and the scene that introduces him is super. Siddharth gets the opportunity of a lifetime and plays the role brilliantly. Maddy, and the other actors, do their roles well. As an aspiring film-maker, Sue (Alice Pattern) shows a variety of emotions and succeeds in enthralling the viewer.

The parallels that the director draws from the past and the present is truly innovative. Rahman's music totally rocks; 'Rooba roo' stands out.

On the whole, 'Rang De Basanti' is a movie that everyone should watch. It's totally worth the ticket money.

(Watched the movie last night with the guys in Abhilash theatre.)

Working really hard

2006-02-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year when the knees start shaking.
When fingers start quivering.

When fear is the order of the day...

To finish this course and get a PG diploma, we gotto write an academic and an investigative project. But as usual, we paid no heed to constant warnings.

But now the writing is on the wall - the deadlines have been given. And now, we suddenly come to terms with it - I haven't done this, done that. They're lots of things to do, very little time.

But yes, it's also the time of the year when you start working really hard. You know you gotto do something before a certain date, and you know it's vital for your career - so we gotto slog it out.

And that's what we're all upto these days.

(A Judge of the High Court lectured us today on 'Women and Law' - was an interesting class, mainly cos she dealt with marriages!)

Back

2006-01-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

Trivandrum came and went like a missile. Now, am back in Kottayam.

Spent less than 24 hours in the capital city; went to the famous Ananthapadmanabhaswamy temple there. And, that was it. Tried to get info for my project but coudn't.

So, actually speaking - did nothing worthwhile there other than watching television in the hotel we stayed in!

Travelling like mad

2006-01-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

We've been travelling. Like mad.

It started from here last morning. Went to Kochi, found a hotel and put our stuff there. After lunch, boarded the train to Thrissur. Got down at Thrissur, walked a bit and boarded the bus to Guruvayur.

At Guruvayur, we first went to the fanous elephant sanctuary, which at present houses 62 elephants. Had an awesome time, clicking pictures and getting a story. Went back to the temple and had His darshan.

Boarded a train from there and came back to Kochi and spent the night there.

I got up early in the morning and boarded a train back to Kottatam for the editorial conference. Now, the conference is over and we're proceeding to Trivandrum.

Some travelling, huh.

Travelling with temples

2006-01-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

Tired.
But glad.

Coz my parents are here. It was Temple Time today. Went to three temples, all built by Pandavas.

Had to go to Chenganacherry by bus in the morning, finish the temple near there and then go in train to Chenganoor.

Waited till 4 in the Chenganoor raliway station and then took an autorickshaw for the two temples nearby. Actually, there were three but we couldn't make it due to lack of time.

Now, am back in Mascom. Tomorrow, we're planning to go to Kochi and then probably go to Guruvayoor. Will post asap.

Nod, instead of nonsense!

2006-01-24T22:15:00.000-08:00

Jubilation. Ecstacy, almost.

When I saw the words - "your proposal is acceptable but you have to give me a structure of your project."

It's been a really long time; since I gave an idea on one investigative project, then changed it to another and then kept changing angles endlessly. And, it all came back to me - with red marks all over the place.

Finally, I struck gold and modified my original topic and gave it, and the above words were what came in red. It feels as if half the road is already crossed; now all I gotto do is work out the project properly.

I waited for "nonsense" but I got the "nod" instead. Rocks!

Diplomacy's the word

2006-01-23T20:14:00.000-08:00

Diplomacy is the word of the day.

Diplomacy talk there was aplenty today as I went to meet two top government officials; one in the morning, the other in the evening.

First, most of them are reluctant to talk to us guys but finally manage to give us some quotes. Off the record talks there are lots, but what's the use for us?

Yet, it's a really big challenge - getting stuff outta them. And, we pass the real test if we're able to do that.

Best of luck, Sree!

2006-01-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

It all started last night.

8.15 PM - Classmate tells me that Indian pace bowler Sreesanth is coming to our little town.

8.30 PM - On the phone, tracking him down.

8.45 PM - Confirmed from Sreesanth himself that yes, he'll be coming down here.

And it continued this afternoon/evening.

2.45 PM - Am at the MM hall here. For a kids' quiz programme, the prizes of which were to be given by the cricketer.

3.30 PM - Sreesanth arrives. I go upto him and say - "Hey Sree, this is Srinivas. Remember I called you last night. I need to talk to you." Reply - "Absolutely...after this thing gets over."

Distributes prizes patiently to the kids. Smiles at all. Asks the audience to 'clap'. Signs autographs, loads of them. I click pics, loads of them.

An hour and a half later, after all the customary speeches and the innumerous formalities, the programme's finally over.

Sree, here please. Yeah, here. I told you na - I need to talk to you.

He obliges.

He talks with confidence, a rare confidence that will sure make him go places. "Best of luck, Sree," - I say, shaking his hand.

And that's how it ended.

The page's over!

2006-01-20T23:40:00.000-08:00

Phew.

Again.

Phew, again.

A roller-coaster ride came to an end this evening. From Wednesday morning, I've been doing all things that a sub-editor here is supposed to do. Edit copy. Crop photos. Size 'em. Lay out the page.

It's over now.

The page's finished; the headlines are written, the captions are over. Cos I am doing the first page this time, the panels are there - and they're also filled now and look awesome.

It's all over.

Phew.

It's time to work!

2006-01-18T23:45:00.000-08:00

Me working on my page. This process starts today, and ends Friday evening. I gotto crop pics, size them, edit copy, place them and layout the page.

Mein abhi Hindi pad raha hum!

2006-01-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Ek.
Do.
Theen.
Char.
Panch

Like schoolchildren, we were all reciting these numbers this morning. In a "Spoken Hindi" class.

People who know me know that my Hindi, though having passed a few exams, is really poor. Those major exams may have helped me "read and write" the language well, but my spoken Hindi is well..poor.

Classmates here laugh a lot.

When they hear me trying to speak in Hindi.

And, though I have no special affinity or love towards the language, I gotto learn it just cuz it's a must. You go to the North, it's a must, to converse with people. And, to listen to locals speaking, from which one can a journo can get awesome stories.

And, if we are outside India, foreigners picturise India as a Hindi-speaking country and if we dunno the national language, it's a shame, really.

I gotto learn how to speak Hindi properly.

Another one

2006-01-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

Another pic of actress Gopika that I clicked last evening.

Meanwhile, nothing major happened today. Five of us went for a session with the guys at the Online section of the main office. Am a sub-editor this week, so have no work till Wednesday.

Goooooopika!

2006-01-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

A Flower Show is being conducted here. And, the Chief Guest for a programme conducted there this evening was actress Gopika.

Remember the Latikha in Autograph? That innocent Mallu girl who falls for Cheran. She was the same in the show here; quiet, subdued. Essentially, an outsider. An otherwise quiet girl pushed into the spotlight.

Of cos, she was accused of donning glam roles ... remember the songs in 'Kana Kandein'?

I got some exclusive shots of her as I was in the stage. The crowd was phenomenal, absolutely mad on seeing two cine stars (Gopika and another actor, Jayasuriya). But sadly, didn't get a chance to interview her. Story missed.

Hi-tech farmer

2006-01-14T22:15:00.000-08:00

He's just a farmer.

No no, he's a great farmer. One who understands his plants.

Mr EB is a Cochin Jew, who is now happily settled in Israel. He gave us a short lecture today.

He's got this awesome agricultural setup there that consists of small machines which "understand" the plants and feeds it accordingly. The machines know when the plants feel hungry, when they wanna sleep, everything. Rocks!

And, he's trying to implement it here in India. He's already talked to ministers/people concerned. Let's see if something happens..

Ball in the basket!

2006-01-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

MCC (Chennai) lines up.

Mar Ivanios (Trivandrum) lines up.

For the finals of a local basketball tournament. It's a good game; one college goes ahead and the other bounces back. Missing some easy passes and shoots, MCC goes down and finally, loses.

Talked to the coaches, PD, players of the teams. It's a great feeling - hearing guys of my age speaking Tamil. They finished the game at 5, and were on the Madras mail at 5.30. Coach says that everyone wants to go home early cos tomorrow is Pongal. Oh that reminded me - I miss celebrating Pongal at home.

Happy Pongal. Have fun, people.

The church

2006-01-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

The church I went to two days ago.

Nothing much happened yesterday and the day before. Last evening, we all went to attend a function at an auditorium here, where veteran journalist TJS G spoke. I've read his articles for so long now, but this is the first time I'm actually seeing him in person.

A typical Kerala temple

2006-01-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

I was in this temple yesterday. Observe the structure - it's SO different from temples in Tamil Nadu.

Tuesday trip: Details

2006-01-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Bakrid. Thankfully, it's holiday today. Got up at 7. Took bath. Dressed, packed a small bag. Started at 8, with friend N in his bike. Straight to Changanachery. Stop. "Where is Thirukoodithanam" is the question we ask. Straight, turn left - it's just three kilometres is the reply. Brrr goes the bike. We are there.

Thirukoodithanam Vishnu temple. Said to be built by Sahadevan, one of the five Pandavas. Temple's one of the 9 "divadesams" in Kerala. Remove shirt. Go inside. Pray. God, please keep us all happy. Come out. Brrr goes the bike. Again. Now, to Thiruvalla.

Thiruvalla main junction. Stop. "Where is Vallabha Kshetram" is the question we ask. Straight, turn left - almost the same reply. Thanks, cheta. Brrrr goes the bike. We are there.

Vallabha Ksetram. Huge temple. Typical Kerala style structures. Remove shirt. Go inside. Visit all sannadhis. God, please keep us all happy. Come out. Brrr goes the bike.

Thiruvalla main junction. Stop. Search for a hotel. It's 11, and we're hungry. Aariyas spotted. Go inside. Wash hands. I have dosa, he has poori. Pay bill. Brrr goes the bike. Again.

St John's cathedral (outskirts of Thiruvalla). Huge, awesome structure. Remove slippers, go inside. Silence superb. As usual, silence inside all churches is awesome. Time to close eyes and pray. God, keep us all happy. Come out. Brr goes the bike. Again.

At St Berchman's College, Changanachery. Called S B college. Remember Cheran's 'Autograph'? Shot here. Gopika singing, Cheran fascinated by that. Shot here. Proceed to S B college's girl's hostel. N wants to meet a friend. Hi. I am Srinivas, from Chennai. Yeah. Course's going on. Twenty minutes goes by. We are out. Brrr goes the bike. Again.

Just before Kodimatha bridge. We are 'brrring' on the bike. An auto just before us. Kid smiles at me. I smile back. He shoots at me. I shoot back. I punch in the air. He punches back. Smiles. Laughs. I take photo. Good fun. Bye.

MASCOM. We're back. End of a short-yet-super trip.

St Xaviers in Mascom!

2006-01-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

Time: 11.45 AM.

Venue: Porch (just outside the entrance of our insti)

People: 50 bubbly, excited guys and girls from the St Xaviers Institute, Mumbai are on a trip to Kerala. And, they were visiting our insti.

To be frank, It's really rare that we get to see hot chicks out here, and so our eyes wandered all around the place. "Hey, see that red one there..aha no, that pink one there," one eye seemed to tell the other.

A brief presentation was held in our seminar hall. The Lion was in a great mood, so was IG, and so were we! Yours sincerely sat next to a cute nose-pierced blue-churidar. Two minutes, and we were into a conversation. And, guess what, she was Tamilian!

We MASCOMiites took all the fifty of them to the lake down our road. For Mumbai-bred pukka guys and girls, the sight of a lake down a road was thrilling. They enjoyed the boat-ride across the lake(one girl even managed to hold the rope and row).

Time for lunch. White rice, great soft chappatis and super icecream. They, and we, enjoyed it.

And then it was time: Byeeeeeeeee.

Inside a Church!

2006-01-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

I sniff, and the sound resonates throughout.

I tap the bench I'm sitting in, and the silence is almost deafening.

I am inside the Vimalagiri Church here. The structure is awesome; you can stand in front of the building and stare at it all day. It's worth that much.

And, sitting inside is worth even more. As I said before, the silence enraptures and captivates you. Just think: how many people, throughout the years, have come there and poured their troubles to God.

The air inside a Church is filled with both troubles and God's answers to them. And, it's silent because that is precisely His/Her answer to our troubles. Peace - that is his answer.

Dead bored!

2006-01-07T22:40:00.000-08:00

Dead bored.

Sunday, a not-too-tight Monday and a holiday on Tuesday cos of bakrid - this is reason enough for local mallus to go home. And, that leaves me alone and bored out here.

Fun in the holidays!

2006-01-05T20:15:00.000-08:00

When we were given a measly four days hols for Christmas, our sir (KTO) gave us one really hilarious exercise. He gave us some imaginary, crazy headlines and asked us to write the lead (introduction) paragraph for it, using our imagination.

Here's what I did...

1. His headline - 'Hole in face' sends man to hospital in Kochi

My lead - KOCHI: When a cricket ball hit carpenter Paulose Mathai yesterday, his nose broke and fell down. This left a big hole in his face, and he has been admitted to a private hospital here.

2. Angry, jobless Santas picket Kochi mall after one of them is accused of lechery

KOCHI: Twenty angry Santas picketed a popular shopping mall here today because one of them was accused of lechery. A Santa was yesterday accused of brushing his beard against a 25-year-old woman’s t-shirt.

3. Turtle missing from Kochi zoo shows up in excellent condition after 3 years

KOCHI: A turtle that was missing for three years has shown up in the zoo here. 25-year-old Pintu, the turtle, was the cynosure of all eyes in the zoo here and the number of visitors have reduced drastically ever since it was missing.

4. Nude scene done tastefully in radio drama

MUMBAI: Beauty queen Aishwarya Rai will be nude - in a radio drama. Ms Rai has lent her voice to a radio serial called Love’s in the Toilet, and has recorded for a "supposedly" sexual scene - in the toilet.

Finally, cricket outdoors!

2006-01-03T20:40:00.000-08:00

My right leg pains like hell. Iodex and Volini seem to have no effect.

And, my left eye still pains a bit.

Four hours of cricket last evening caused the damage. Yesterday morning started off great; we went in with a 'New Year' request to our administrator.

We (all guys), after wishing him New Year - "Sir, we have a special request. We would like to play cricket outdoors. We've found a suitable place to play, but we need money to buy a bat, ball and stumps. So... well..."

We scratch our heads expectantly.

M (administrator) - "Oh I see...ok let me see what I can do. Give me a rough cost of your expenses."

Two hours later, a brand new MRF bat and four stumps were here. And, two hours later, we were on the field.

It's not much of a ground. Just a 'porambokku' land full of shrubs and plants which had a clearing in the middle. Batting and bowling would be easy, but not fielding.

Yet, three 10-over games were played. My team won 2-1.

Great start to 2006!

2006-01-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

The New year started off in a great note. A great story from the Veterans cricket match, which I went to yesterday.

"I have no idea, brother" - were immortal words that Pakitan former great Waqar Younis told me last morning in response to a question. Spoke to him, Venkatesh Prasad (the pic above shows me interviewing him), Venkatapathy Raju, Rajesh Chauhan and got great quotes for a story.

Photographed and saw in close quarters Mohammed Azharuddin(man, he looks really fit) and his wife Sangitha(looks super cool).

Learnt how tough writing under deadline pressure is...

Learnt how to behave in a press room at a match (agreed, this is a small match yet it's training for bigger ones to come, rite?)

Learnt lotsa other things.

2006 should be a year of learning - and success.

Happy New Year!

2005-12-31T20:00:00.000-08:00

4 hours to go....

and then, it's 2006.

Happy New year!

(PS - saw 'Thavamai Thavamirindhu' today -- good.)

My penance has ended!

2005-12-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

The routine's going on. No changes.

Except one sweet piece of news. Cheran's 'Thavamai Thavamirundhu' has released here! You should have seen the excitement on my face when I saw the advertisement -- was really happy.

'Maja' was running in the Tamil theatre here, and I had 50-50 thoughts of going to it this weekend (specially after a friend told me that everybody says 'maja' with a thumbs up-kinda symbol every minute of the movie). Now, there's no confusion. 'Thavamai Thavamirundhu' it is.

Cheran's 'Autograph' was brilliant -- I remember purchasing a black ticket to watch it for the second time on the 70th day or something! I hope that this movie is as good as 'Autograph'.

Nothing ... but something!

2005-12-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

There's nothing, really.

There's nothing to blog about.

Yesterday and today are the first time that I've felt this way. Nothing really special happening, nothing really bugging me. It's a peaceful life out here.

And it's probably because of this: one of our teachers, IG, is on leave this week and so there are no guest lectures. Nobody giving special, different lectures.

This leaves us with one thing: The Lion (KTO).

From nine in the morning till four, it's his "damn" words that we gotto listen. Of cos there's more than a handful of OJs that I've collected this week (for a special collection that I plan to publish/blog/do something later.) And, this is a week when we have submitted our proposals for dissertation and investigative projects. We're getting screwed royally for them, and I have to make some major changes.

That's all.

There's nothing, really.

I'm back!

2005-12-27T20:55:00.000-08:00

Some of the things that I did in the four-day Chennai trip -

1. Rode like mad in a Kinetic Honda from the Kotturpuram bridge till IIT and then turned right and let the madness continue all the way till the Glaxo signal.
2. Sat and "kalaichufied" friends at Planet Yumm, Besant Nagar. Visited the beach and sat in the famous "platform" there.
3. Walked through the crowded Rangannathan street, stamping almost thirty feet per minute.
4. Though I didn't get tickets for Cheran's 'Thavamai Thavamirundhu', spent an hour outside Sathyam theatre watching some stupid show that was being conducted.
5. Met lots of people for my dissertation and investigative project.

Some of the things that I didn't do but should have-

1. Gone to the movie.
2. Ate at the roadside dosa shop.
3. Spent more time at home!

Meet you soon, Chennai!

2005-12-22T11:55:00.000-08:00

Home sweet home.

I'm gonna be there tomorrow morning. We have Christmas hols (just for four days) and am coming home. Will be there tomorrow(Friday) morning and leave Monday evening.

Have loads of work in the four days I'm gonna be there. Have to work on my dissertation and investigative projects. Have to do assignments, four huge pages of work that Sir has promptly given us. Have to finish a story for next week's issue. Have to spend time with mom and dad. Have to meet friends, lots of them. Have to meey one of my cousins.

Wanna go for Cheran's 'Thavamai Thavamirundhu'. Wanna go to Bessie beach and spend some time there. Wanna go to Spencers and roam like mad. Wanna take out my "first love"(Scooty) and ride real fast. Wanna eat at the roadside "dosa shop" in Pondy Bazaar. Wanna change the channels on television like crazy.

So many wishes, so little time ....

Encounter with the Police!

2005-12-21T20:10:00.000-08:00

An uniform-clad tall policeman climbs down the narrow stairs.

I follow him!

And, another hefty uniform-clad follows me!

The crowd assembled below (about 200 people) eye me with suspicion. As I tried making face contact with some people standing there, I could even see a bit of fear in their eyes.

All this when following a fantastic crime story. This evening, my friend N and me decided that we were too vetti and so ventured out in N's bike. Ten minutes later, we were outside a small-time newspaper office, which was neck-deep in trouble. Women who worked for a charitable trust run by the newspaper were protesting outside, shouting some really filthy Malayalam words.

There's definitely a story here!

In the half hour N and me spend inside the newspaper office(a small room, actually) speaking to the people concerned, a really large crowd had gathered. And, the police was called.

Questions and questions. A search was ordered by the SI, and the constable even found an 'aruval'!

At last, the police decided to take one of the two persons there to the station. And after speaking to the police too, the story was over. N is doing the actual story and I'm planning a follow-up. Cool, real cool!

(In the morning, a guy from The Hindu came to lecture us on offbeat stories. Cool guy, taught us a great deal in the few hours he was with us.)

Of Goondas and Rasna!

2005-12-20T20:55:00.000-08:00

S - "Where is the party, and how much did he pay you?"

Two minutes into the phone conversation...

S - "What is the actual quotation for this man?"

S is a goonda (rather was) and part of a huge underworld gang here. When my friend P and me went to S's house, the above conversation/words were spoken.

P is doing this intriguing story on underworld criminals here and I accompanied him last evening. Goonda's are cruel people yes, yet they too have a heart. This guy S surely had one, as he offered us nice Rasna!

Just imagine: we were sitting in a goonda's house and he offers us Rasna!

An hour and a half later, P had scribbled four pages of notes for his story. S rambled on knowing that we were just students and could do no harm. And, the jargon S used while taking to us and on the phone was really interesting. "Quotation", "party", "blade", "spirit" are four examples.

More interesting are the names of other criminals(both past and present) here, which I cannot mention here for obvious reasons.

As P and me leave, goonda S talks a few kind words to me in Tamil. Surely, goonda's too have a heart!

Sunday's travels: The full story

2005-12-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

SUNDAY: Never have I travelled so much as I did today. Tried out ALL possible modes of transport -- ferry boat, motor ferry boat, private bus, government bus, train and "nataraja" service! Everything!

Before our sleepy little town woke up on Sunday morning, a friend C and I were on our way to the Kodimatha boat jetty. The boat's motor roared to life, and we were off. Destination: Allepey.

For any of you who have doubts about why Kerala is called God's Own Country, this two-hour ferry ride is a must. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking -- lush green fields, the combined smell of flowers and fish, the gentle breeze that hits your face. You can even spot a woman rowing through the waters to chat with her opposite door friend!

As we near Allepey, lots of houseboats can be seen. One look at a happy couple, and our hearts start working and wishing. C sighs and says - "Macha, you gotto come to this place with either your girlfriend or camera!" It would be awesome if we had both, I say.

Dilemma at Allepey

After a kutti breakfast, we head to the MM bureau. Repeated yells and knocks yield no response. We decided to walk to the bus-stand, where we faced a dilemma: whether to go to Tripunnapura or Azhikkal.

We chose the latter and thus boarded a bus and reached a funnily-named Haripad, from where we boarded yet another bus to Vavvakavu.

The whole pupose of our "travels" was to find tsunami-anniversary stories. So from Vavvakavu, we walked the whole way to Vallikavu, four kilometres away. Where the Mata Amrita Math is situated.

The magnificience of Amma

A ferry ride across the waters, and we stand in front of two gigantic buildings. Both are part of the Mata empire. After a free lunch (where numerous foreigners and locals stood together in line), we go the coastline and speak to some people about last years' tsunami. We waited for President Kalam(who was supposed to be inaugurating a relief camp at the Math at 2) to arrive. An hour and a half later, we leave the jam-packed place. The Prez hasn't arrived yet.

One of my favourite words can aptly describe the service and money in the Math - awesome. You should take a look at the number of foreigners there to know the real might of Amma.

Back home

Slept for an hour while waiting for the train at Karunagapally railway station, and then boarded the train, which brought us back to home sweet home Kottayam.

An absolutely fantastic day

2005-12-18T23:30:00.000-08:00

Today was an absolutely fantastic day. Travelled by man-ferry, motor ferry, government bus, private bus, train and "nataraja service"!

Went to at least five villages, to the Mata Amrita Math, spent an hour waiting for train, walked like mad ... today was fantastic. Am dead tired; a detailed diary will be up sometime tomorrow.

See ability in disability

2005-12-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

What is disability? What is handicap? What is the impairment?

Learnt the meaning of these in a "Media and Disability" seminar that we went today at Kochi. There's a warmth about people and students there. They're all around you, curious, inquisitive. They ask you what your name is, what your 'stalam'(place) is.

I instantly fell in love with the student population at the Kerala Press Academy in Kochi(not to be taken literally, cos there were some nice girls too!). Two minutes after we introduce ourselves, Sridhar(also a journalism student) puts his hand on my shoulder. A minute later, we are laughing and joking.

A journalist-cum-NGO person spoke a lot, and real loud. Must be Tamilian, I guess. I'm rite! The other lecturers were okay; some boring, some interesting. One drew some excellent cartoons on the board.

Punch line of the seminar - "See ability in disability."

Economics made easy

2005-12-16T20:35:00.000-08:00

When prices increase, demand falls.

This is the most important principle in economics. Everything - the economic policy that is prepared till the potatoes we buy - is governed by this simple rule.

Yet, there are some exceptions to this demand. Just imagine a poor family eating cheap bread daily with a bit of expensive meat. If the price of the bread increases, the demand would still be the same cos of two reasons - 1. Bread is their staple diet and they can't afford anything else. 2. Though the prices of bread has increased, it remains the most affordable.

Another exception is luxury items like gold, which have a demand just because it's costly and a status symbol. For these items, the law of demand doesn't apply.

One more exception is future price-rise expectancy. If we expect the price of a product to increase, then we would flock the shops to get maximum quantity of the product.

(Written after a business journalism class, which was conducted by an ET guy)

Work

2005-12-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

I was working yesterday. I was/am working today. I gotto continue working...

My views on the "sexy" issue

2005-12-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

Am a sub-editor this week. LOADS of work...

This is the editorial I wrote in last week's issue.

It all started with actress Khushboo voicing her opinion that pre-marital sex was a reality today and that safe sex was the need of the hour. This led to angry protests in Tamil Nadu. Actress Suhasini supported Khushboo, only to get rebuked. Teenage sensation Sania Mirza was asked her views on this issue, but her quote was misinterpreted by many. In the middle of all this, the message of safe sex has been quietly pushed to the background.

Khushboo never advocated nor endorsed pre-marital sex. She only said that pre-marital sex was a reality these days and so awareness should be created to prevent the advent of diseases such as AIDS. Reality hurts, they say. It did for Khushboo, whose effigies were burnt.

In a small town like Kottayam, studies reveal that 25 per cent of school-children have had sex. This proves that pre-marital sex does exist in our society, only we shy away from talking about it. And, because it exists, we have to observe the consequences it has.

The question here is not whether you oppose or agree with pre-marital sex. As the issue is a reality these days, the only question that should arise from the Khushboo-Suhasini-Sania showdown is the precautions that ought to be taken by youngsters indulging in sex.

Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in New Delhi installed a condom-vending machine three months ago. With new sex surveys, startling statistics and bold quotes from youngsters coming up, more educational institutions need to introduce such a method. If a person has an idea that having sex before marriage is okay, it cannot be changed as it is a personal preference. But, the idea of safe sex should be promoted.

Eggs and tomatoes could have been put to much better use than pelting Khushboo’s vehicle when she went to court. The people who raised eyebrows for Suhasini’s statement should raise their thinking and find the true meaning behind her support. And, the people who tore Sania Mirza’s posters should remember that the tennis sensation talked about safe sex and never supported pre-marital sex.

Thanks to two actresses and a charming tennis player, the message is now in the open. People should capitalise on this and get the youth talking. College boys and girls should be asked about their views on the subject, and should be advised to practise safe sex.

Pre-marital sex is now a reality. Safe sex should soon be made reality.

I'm on cloud nine!

2005-12-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

Our director KTO has a rich student base cos he's been teaching journalism for a great many years in three major institutes in India. Most of his students are sitting at the top of the ladder in big newspaper offices; they're all real big names in the media today.

And, everyone of them, without exception, have been rebuked by KTO for submitting "nonsense." For submitting "garbage." Every one of them have been scolded for his/her copy atleast a hundred times in a year's course.

KTO has excellent dialogue delivery - some examples are "Oh so you guys visited the mental asylum? Why didn't you enrol there?", "Tell me how will you 'brutally murder' your wife - by showing her the headlines you wrote?". :D

Innocuous statements there are plenty, and most of them are negative (which means rebuking you/pulling your leg).

It is in this context that one should seriously consider a "positive" innocuous statement he made today.

KTO - "Hey C, have you done the headline exercise? Hey you, have you any idea what we're talking about?"
C - "Sir..Sir...yes, I've done it. But I don't know where I've kept it.."
KTO (losing his temper) - "Don't sit there at the back. I can't even shout at you! Come here and sit.."
C wanders here and there, looking for a place to sit...
KTO - "Just go sit somewhere. Ah, come here and sit, near this boy (pointing to me). He's the only boy with some brains in this class."

As I said before, it's an innocuous statement for sure. But these "positive" innocuous statement send out a strong message. And, as he's referred to brains and me, it sure is right!!

Phew, at last. Some appreciation from KTO.

I'm on cloud nine!

It's the time of 'thalai's

2005-12-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

Everybody who has even some remote contact with the fascinating city of Chennai will know what 'thalai' is. 'Thalai' is the short form of 'Thalaivar'(English translation - leader).

So then, two 'thalai's are doing great nowadays. This is a time when you have to remember them and thank them secretly for the entertainment they've given us.

Thalai No. 1 - Sachin Tendulkar

The boy-faced wonder has come a really long way. 35 wonderful test centuries, 38 exciting ODI hundreds. As someone wrote, he should be named 'Tondulkar'. Who can forget this all-India thalai? And, just in case he had gone a bit off your mind cos of tennis elbow, he came back with a bang. The 35th century that he scored at Delhi on Saturday(4.44 PM) reminded us of Sacin's greatness. Well, Cheeka is right - "We all know that Sachin is great but this century proved that he is absolutely great."

Thalai No. 2 - Superstar Rajnikanth

How many movies? How many mannerisms? What super isthtyle, as they call it? In the midst of young heroes trying desperately to imitate him, Superstar remains a pure one-off. Today is Superstar's birthday - Happy Birthday Superstar. Thanks for all the wonderful entertainment and joy you've given us - we treasure it. Though younger guys and girls may invade our movie-watching lives, you remain there at the top. If any one of you want to know the real essense of what Superstar means to Tamil people (and other people too, which includes people out there in Japan), just go to his movie first-day first-show. There's only one word to describe the atmosphere - electrifying.

Electrifying atmosphere. There lies the essential similarity between sports and movies. The essential similarity between the two thalais.

'Aaru' and sting operations

2005-12-10T23:45:00.000-08:00

It's 00.45 now.

Just came back, after watching Suriya's 'Aaru'.

It's a fast movie, never bores you. Almost never. The songs DO bore you; they're real crap. Yet, the fights are great, the dialogue fascinates you at most times.

Suriya, as usual, is super. Detailed review later...

Earlier, in the morning, we had a group discussion on sting operations. Though the people who voted for it (of which I was a part) were a majority, the winner of the show was The Lion, who opposed it. He gave some great arguments for his case, saying that "sting operations are the easiest way to expose a person" and that "we as journalists should work harder by speaking to more people and thereby exposing the culprit."

KTO's dialogue of the day - "If you want to be a watchdog of society, you shouldn't be a dog that needs to be watched."

Today was hell

2005-12-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

The day went on really fine till 4.10 in the evening (we had even gone to the court here in the morning to get a grasp of our judicial system.)

But from that time, it was real hell.

4.10 PM - KTO walks upto me and asks - Where the hell are the A3 printouts?

I said - Ready sir...five minutes...

Then, went and gave him the three printouts (for which four of us - editor and three sub-editors had painstakingly worked). He said okay, only to call me back in 5 mins...what the hell is this on the third page???

Earlier, there was a small space problem in the third page and the sub, M, and I had decided to run a special Navy Quiz - something unique and something that nobody's ever tried.

KTO blasted us like hell for it.

KTO - "How dare you put sumthing on the page without asking me?"
I(stammering) - "But sir..sir..there was some space and I thought we could do something different."
KTO - "If you want to do some nonsense like this, go somewhere else and try it...not here. Just get the hell out of here, do the page again and give it."

Sub-editor M interrupts - "Sir, it's not our fault. Please don't shout at us..."

KTO - "How dare you... just take this nonsense and get out of my sight." And, walks off to his car, gets into it and roars off...

PS - Despite all this, the Mighty Editor, who has been nicknamed as 'Pun Ram', has done a fine job. All the pages have come out really cool, all thanks to his three hardworking sub-editors. And of cos the awesome Editor!)

A busy editor indeed!

2005-12-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

The editor was really busy the whole day. Started the day off by going to The Lion's room to give the stories that the reporters had turned in. As usual, he dismissed it as a "bunch of nonsense." Further, for the first time, he actually went on to discuss some stories in class and explained what was lacking in them.

So much for "amoeba" reporters...

Then came the sub-editors. A million walks into his office left the Lion frustrated. He screamed at me, "Hey listen I just don't want you coming here every second. Finish all the damn work, and come back."

Well, the initial 'damn' extra work that he gave my three sub-editors was cruel. And, to end our efforts with a wave of his hand left us all, especially me, frustrated.

Being an editor here is tough. Real tough. Yet, it's fun.

A class photo

2005-12-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

16 students of MASCOM stand in front of the institute for a photograph, which was taken almost a month ago. Also seen in this picture are KTO(white hair), his wife, IG(standing), M(standing), TF(sitting), the librarian(sitting, in saree), and a guest lecturer(sitting, black glasses).

The Editor is a genius!

2005-12-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

"If you can convince KTO into getting me - an ex-student - to write for FE, then you are a genius. Rest assured, you can sell any story to anybody in the world." --- My senior, J K ,in an email to me some weeks ago.

I proved that I am a genius today. Got this idea through The Lion (KTO). Congrats, editor!

My senior was here this afternoon. Got to know a lot about the last batch here, and how to face the world after being a student. Full tips and stuff...

Earlier, I had a tough time - initially - in getting through with the editorial conference. As minutes rolled by, I got into the groove and answered KTO's questions smartly, and confidently. It really helps to be confident, and show it to the person you face. It unnerves the opponent a bit.

And, the opponent you're dealing here is a person with decades of experience in journalism.

Well, the initial plan has worked well. Have got through an almost-impossible "senior" story through The Lion. It now rests with him to do a good story within deadline.

The Editor has won!

(This is yours sincerely's 100th post in this blog. Cheers!)

Best of luck, Editor!

2005-12-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

It's the real test out here.

Though sub-editing is a tough job and reporting is a tiring one, the most challenging one is that of the editor. Yours sincerely is the grand editor of his college newspaper this week.

Being an editor has its advantages and disadvantages. No going out for stories, photos but getting screwed for the "nonsense" stories, photos that the reporters turn in. No laying out pages but getting screwed for the absence of verbs in headlines and for the boring modular layout.

Yet, it's challenging cos I gotto go to the KTO's office atleast a thousand times for different issues. And each one of those visits is a challenge, a game that I'll sincerely try winning.

In the midst of this, I'm gonna try some new stuff out for the paper. Let's see how they come out...

Best of luck, editor!

There's Dharma in journalism too

2005-12-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

Should an editor publish a news item with proper sourcing and attribution when he knows that his reporter has given anonymity to a certain source?

Should the editor consider the "public good" or the source's interest?

Can reporters be allowed to lie for getting stories? If so, to what extent?

These were just some of the issues that were discussed in a special class this morning, on the ethics in journalism. Indeed, ethics in the world of journalism are diminishing day by day. With newspapers emerging ion every other corner of the country, TV channels springing up and online news-getters showing up, it's really tough to follow ethics. If you've got a great story on hand, just print the thing and get the money.

Ethics go for a toss in the midst of intense, cut-throat media competition.

Yet there are a set of rules that have to be followed. Just like Dharma for Life. Ain't Dharma a set of rules you have to follow in your life. Be extravagant, be "modern", change with the times, but do all this in keeping with the set of rules called Dharma. There's Dharma in journalism too.

A really interesting day

2005-12-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

Went to Kochi this morning to attend the Navy Week celebrations. Went inside a real ship, stood in the 'bridge'(where the captain stands and delivers orders), spoke to the officer-in-command.

Visited a navy school where they train people for the navy. Really interesting.

Also went to the Navy fair that was open for the public. Lots of stalls, full of information.

Too tired now...detailed post later.

Suicide and the Law

2005-12-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

Committing suicide is no offence. Cos if the person is dead, what can the Law do to him.

But, abetting or attempting suicide is.

Abetting agreed. But, attempting???

Yes, it is.

And of cos it was widely disputed how this can exist. Reason given: We all have fundamental rights. But, all fundamental rights have a negative implication too. If you have a right of freedom of speech, you also have a right not to express yourself; to remain mum.

So, when all the fundamental rights have a negative implication too, why not in the Right to Life (Article 21), was the argument, the negative implication being Right to Die.

Answer: The Right to Life is the King of all rights. It is the fundamentals of fundamental rights. If there is no Right to Live, there is no right to freedom of speech nor any other fundamental right.

Conclusion: The Right to Live, unlike all other fundamental rights, does NOT have a negative implication.

(After a class on anti-ragging law, in which the above stuff was discussed too)

My latest friend!

2005-11-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

G, who manages the parking lot at the railway station here, is my latest friend.

In ten minutes of conversation, he astonished me with his wisdom. I was taking my pal's bike from the station parking stand when I noticed this guy reading an Ajith fans' book. Immediately, the question popped out of my mouth - "Tamizh a?"

G - "Yes. But I was born and grew up here."

Me - "So what do u do now? I noticed you were reading a cinema book. Do you watch movies?"

G - "Yes, some. In Hindi, I watch Big B movies. In Malayalam, Mohanlal and Mammooty. In Tamil, I watch 'ONLY' Rajni, Kamal, Ajith, Vijay, Simbu, Dhanush movies..." and added - "am a die-hard Ajith fan."

He went on praising his 'thalaivar' Ajith - on the movies he's doing. Seems Ajith is doing three movies at the same time now; "look, my thalaivar is acting in three movies at the same time! He's finished half of 'Godfather', and in the same time doing 'Tirupathi' and one more movie."

And then the dreaded question came. He asked me who my thalai was.

I know that speaking to an Ajith fan is really tough... If I say my thalaivar is Ajith, I would be lying. And if I said he wasn't, only God knows what a hard-core fan can do.

I took the easy way out - "Kamal," I said. I know that almost everybody here appreciates Kamal, and G seemed satisfied.

Parted from him after making him promise to call me for first-day first-show thala movie. Hope he does.

Questioning the principles

2005-11-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

It's the most easiest of the principles. Yet, the underlying philosophy is really tough to understand.

Vertical principle - God is above you. Love Thy God.

Horizontal principle - Love Thy fellow human beings.

The principles are okay had it been consistent throughout. But, in the end, on Judgement Day, God says - "Hey..you did not give me shelter when I asked you. You did not feed me when I begged you." The human being asks - "God, I never saw you nor did you ask me for food or shelter."

God replies - "That day your neighbour asked u food... I was the neighbour."

Doesn't this contradict the initial principles? My view is that there cannot be two principles if the above conversation holds good.

God is your fellow human being.

(Inspired by a class on Christianity by our prof IG)

We are all children

2005-11-29T06:57:00.000-08:00

Who is a child?

You. Me. Our friends. Well, even our parents.

That's the truth. There's a child in every one of us. A child who wants to break free and break all rules, yet the adult in us stops us. A child who wants to sing and dance in the rain, yet the adult in us tells us that it would result in a cold. A child who wants to kick stones as he walks, yet the adult in us tells us to be "decent" citizens and walk straight and erect.

There's a child who would try putting a biscuit packet inside a water bottle.
There's a child who would want to draw chalk marks on the wall.
There's a child who wants to unscrew the remote and put it back again.
There's a child who wants to tear paper and throw the pieces on somebody.
There's a child who secretly wants to smell petrol.

There's a child in every one of us, a child who wants to explore the world in its fullest.

(Triggered after a class on "Understanding Children" by a Sister.)

When the train chugs along...

2005-11-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

The railway station here has introduced really good new facilities, specially for the Sabarimala pilgrims. What the authorities have failed(and are helpless) to look at is its effect on the common man.

Almost 100 vans take off from the station here to the temple everyday. The people boarding these vans, along with baggage, have to put up in the station for half-a-day usually. This happens in the 'season', which is from November to mid-Jan.

So there are eight toilets built. Some bathrooms. New benches have been put up. Chairs are being bought. And, the platform is being widened to accommodate the extra crowd.

Yet the parking space outside the station is jammed. No room at all. We're helpless, says the authority, cos we don't have enough space. And, this season will end mid-Jan and then the town will be real quiet.

When I confront the authority with all this, he says - "You tell me what to do.." to which I reply arrogantly - "Well, that's your job. Not mine." Well, the railway station top guy is asking ME for suggestions on improving the station. Uh huh.

A real boring day

2005-11-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

Was vetti the whole day and dead bored.

That's when I asked myself this question - What should one do when he's bored?

This is the answer-
"If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all."

How strange frienships form

2005-11-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

I was travelling alone, probably for the first time. That too in unreserved class, which is notorious for being very crowded.

As I got into the train at Kottayam(the Trivandrum-Chennai mail), I was a little afraid. What if I don't get a seat and have to stand through the whole night? What if I do get a seat, but the person next to me happens to be a crook. What if he was a biscuit bandit? What if he drugged me and took away my "precious" belongings(which was a set of unwashed clothes, two stale dosas from the refreshment room and a water bottle)?

With all these thoughts still on my head, I got a seat thankfully. The guy sitting next to me was engrossed in a Tamil magazine, into which I frequently peeped. In one of these peeps started the conversation. Where are you from dude? What do u do? Where are u going? Where did u study and what... and the conversation went into the night.

Unfortunately for the new-found friendship(but fortunately for my tired eyes), I got a full berth at 12. And as he was gonna get down around 2, I went up to sleep. Knowing the struggle I face to get up, I bid him bye after exchanging email addresses and phone numbers.

That was the end of a three-hour super cool friendship - three fun-filled hours of discussing why Simbu and Dhanush should patch up on the 'Aishwarya' issue, why Ajith should act in more sensible movies. And on why journalism is really tough in miserable towns, how hardware engineers(he was one) go through hell and lots of other issues.

Got an email from my 'three-hour' friend today. Felt good, for no real reason at all.

Meeting the Malayalam megastar

2005-11-25T20:20:00.000-08:00

MOHANLAL AND ME: Me and my classmates chatting with Malayalam megastar Mohanlal.

I gave my hand. And, he gave his with a smile.

Freeze.

Today was truly memorable cos it was a day when I met and shook hands with Malayalam megastar Mohanlal at the MM newspaper office. He had come there for a felicitation function.

Had an interesting conversation about the megastar with a pal here this morning. I asked him - "What do u guys call Mohanlal.. Superstar?" He replied, "Sometimes yes. And, sometimes we use it for Mammooty too. Once, there was a time when a row of Suresh Gopi movies were superhits. In those times, he was the Superstar."

I quietly laughed.

Cos in our soil, there's only one person. Flops or hits, he's the one. Release or no release, he's our star. One moon. One sun. One Superstar. That's Rajnikanth.

The difference between 'them' and 'us'

2005-11-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

What's the basic difference between people in India and other Western countries?

There may be lots of differences; cultural, political, et all. But there's one striking point in which we score over them and yet another striking point in which they score over us.

First, our praise. We score over them in individual morality. Just think of this: even the most corrupt politician in India is a good husband. He doesn't mind putting national goals at stake, but he'll try and put his son in a respectable position. Even the average railway clerk takes money as bribe, only for improving the financial status of his family. The national morality is gone; yet when it comes to individual morality, we score.

Second, their praise. They score over us in national morality. Just think of this: Bill Clinton was a great administrator, possessed excellent leadership and great organisational skills. He served his country with distinction. But as an individual, he failed. Got involved in lots of other stuff, the best of the them being the Money-akka Lewinsky affair.

We gotto learn national morality from them. And, they gotto learn individual morality from us. If it happens, there will be no more "we" and "they" - it'll be "us".

The Classroom

2005-11-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

This is our classroom. The temple of a MASCOM student. Here, a guest lecturer is taking class for us. The best, smartest guy in class sits in the second row and wears a navy-blue tshirt with a red collar...;)..

Sleeping special!

2005-11-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

SLEEPING BEAUTY: A pic that was taken some three months ago. I was sleeping on a boat; on my way to Kochi from Mattancherry(Jew Town).

Actually, basically, Spiritually

2005-11-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Imagine a cow tied to a tree by a rope. The cow can move anywhere in that diameter which the rope offers it. It cannot move beyond that.

Similarly, we humans are tied to a tree with the help of a rope. We can talk and debate about anything that is in the diameter in which we can move. Anything here includes cinema, cricket, politics, commerce, journalism, science and lots of other things. Not God.

Because, God may exist in one form in that area beyond the area in which we humans operate. As we have not travelled beyond that area, we cannot argue on the existence of anything there.

If you disbelieve in something you don't know, it's as foolish as believing in it. So let's leave at this - there are some things beyond our reach and knowledge.

And, the other form in which God exists is within the diameter we humans operate. For that, we first gotto define where we operate. We go to school, to college, to work and meet so many people in this journey of ours. As all these people are within the area of access to us, all of them may also be called God. If this thought truly occurs to a person, then he is like the cow without a rope and tree. The line of operation gets cut, and it's total freedom then.

Assuming God exists, can we say Love is God? Yes and No.

Yes because we shower love and affection to all our fellow humans, and they fall within the diameter in which we operate. No because the love we shower on everyone is conditional, while Love for God should be unconditional.

(Was inspired to write all this after a Swami lectured our class on spiritual stuff)

Me reading paper!

2005-11-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

A photo of mine that was taken some months ago, on a beautiful Sunday morning.

95 not out, and still painting!

2005-11-22T19:15:00.000-08:00

"I know I'm old; but I can see properly and my hands don't shake ... so where's the problem," asks Mr George.

Mr George is 95. And, probably the oldest painter here.

Clad in a "hole-full" baniyan and mundu(veshti), he exudes super enthusiasm while talking about his brushes. It all started when he was a child, slowly grew up to be a part-time painter of signboards (and part-time as a dentist's assistant). Has painted more than 250 portraits itself.

The other day when I went to his place, he spoke in Malayalam and I in Tamil but we understood each other perfectly. But as today was "official" and for my story, we had his daughter-in-law translating from English to Malayalam and vice versa.

The DIL spoke great English, was a cool translator and a sweet woman. Specially because she gave me Rasna at the end of the interview. :D

From seed to wood

2005-11-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

Question: When a seed grows up to become a big tree, from where does the huge mass of wood come from?

Options: A. Nutrients from soil
B. Magic
C. From the atmosphere

In all probability you would have said 'A'. But you're wrong; the answer is 'C'.

Yeah, the tiny seed goes on to become this huge wood tree-trunk due to the carbon content in the atmosphere. It's a difficult concept to believe yes, but it's the truth.

And, there's one more astonishing fact. The CO2 content in the atmosphere has been steadily increasing from the early 1990s. There was this dude called Charles who has kept an instrument in an isolated part of the world and measured it.

(Got all this information and lots more from an ecologist, who lectured us today)

A boring day...and 'Baba'

2005-11-20T19:40:00.000-08:00

Everyone sleeps on Sunday. Everything remains still on Sunday.

These statements are hundred per cent true in this little town. Come Sunday, come 'bore-day'. Walk onto the streets in the afternoon, and you'll find it dead. The same place that was abuzz Saturday afternoon would be miserably sleepy on Sunday.

But yet, miracles continue to happen... even on Sundays! A miracle called 'cleaning the room' happened in a tiny room in Rajan's hostel this morning.

Miracles continued to happen on TV in the evening. Which movie? Superstar's squib; one movie that should have never happened. Yes, "Baba" - that's what they say, indeed.

Yet it's a Superstar movie nevertheless, and it's a special movie for me cos I saw it in a special screening a day before it was released in Chennai. The atmosphere rocked. And, that's precisely the reason why every living person - the one who says commercial movies are crap and the one who says commercial movies are cool - should watch Superstar movies. And, sing and dance with the crowd. And be happy.

The Search & The Big Fight

2005-11-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

As soon as the sun, the oh-so gloriously hot sun set down a bit, our hero S sets out of his college with his friend U. For what? They are searching for stories. They desperately wanna find stories to tell their newspaper readers. Stories that would inform the reader. Stories that would interest the reader.

And where do they go, in this miserable lousy town where nothing really happens. The answer: they go to no particular place. Just walk around town, and you'll get stories. S even remembered his sir telling the class that "if they walk the whole length of a road, they should be able to spot 95 stories."

As they walk towards one of the innumerable lakes, they spot a group of women in some kinda meeting. Ah, here's a story, thinks S. Equipped with almost nil knowledge of the local language(Malayalam), S begins to converse with the women. Why are they here? What do they do? Smells a story, not a very great one though.

Leaves the place after playing 'box-box' with a kid.

S and U walk to the railway tracks, and talk to the bored-to-death guard there. Then, they walk along the tracks for almost two kms. Two kms of tracks, some greenery, two tunnels and lots of shit.

They reach the railway station and turn right there, instead of choosing the normal course of left. Only to go into a quiet lane full of houses and offices. In between two offices with weird names stood a small house.

And, an old man was in it.

Starting a conversation by asking what his neighbour two offices were upto, S and U slowly poke their nose into other things. What work do you do, they ask the old man. To which he replies, with the enthusiasm of a child, that he is a painter and loves painting. And they pester, what's your age, what kinda paintings do you paint...

He is 95 years old.

What a beautiful story. Ever heard of a 95-year-old man painting pictures that look exactly like photographs?

The Grand Search was over.

Night: Tonight ended with a really Big Fight. Between my friend U and his Bengali-counterpart S. The guards intervened, and based on a complaint from S, complained to KTO and M.

KTO himself called me twice to ask what the problem was. After a big showdown in front of our insti, the Big Fight is now finally over(it's continuing here near our workstations).

It's gonna become a big problem, for sure.

Familiarity does not breed contempt!

2005-11-18T23:40:00.000-08:00

The man at the entrance smiled at me.
The smart boy clad in that red uniform said 'Hi'.
The long-haired fellow, who meddles with the sound systems, greeted me too.

And, in a minute came THE man. Five minutes before, he was floating in the air. Now, he was off-stage and said 'Hi' to me.

Familiarity certainly doesn't breed contempt. Atleast in the MM hall here, where famous magician JA is performing.

I went to give him a copy of our paper, in which I had written about him and the magic show. I had already gone to his magic show - to see it once, then to talk to him for my story. This was the third time I was going there; and all the people whom I had to pass through to finally talk to the 'magical man' still remember me!

Magic is a fascinating art that baffles and amazes you. There are no ropes or threads on top of the stage(for sure, I checked it all the three times I went), still he manages to float ten feet from the ground. I specifically asked him a question regarding that specific trick as a "final floater" when I was doing my story. I asked him if he is really floating up there or does it just appear like that to the audience. His reply was - "It's an illusion." And that was it. I persisted, to no avail. Got the same answer again.

Magic baffles you. Magic mesmerises you. Magic leaves you speechless. It sure is an amazing art meant for "innocence entertainment."

I was pleasantly surprised that people involved in the magic show still remembered me. And, I'll remember them - all of them - for a long time to come.

Kochi witnesses dramatic moments

2005-11-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

A man (in white) whose hair resembled Dhoni shouted at the referee. The referee shouted back. And, this went on for almost five minutes, till police intervened.

In one of the most dramatic moments to have ever happened on a sporting field(as far as I've seen), the Manipur players got wild after its opponent Goa hit their first goal in the 88th minute. Manipur had hit their first goal (a wonderful free-kick) just a few seconds ago.

Manipur players hadn't finished celebrating their goal when they saw Goa guys jumping and shouting as they had scored a goal. All this three minutes before end of play.

The Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi witnessed (and I saw it on TV) furious arguments, and many four-letter words travelled from player to referee. All this happened for almost five minutes, and then some burly policemen had to separate the people from arguing. Where were the organisers?

I wish I'd been at the stadium today, as a football-crazy crowd would have definitely got wild on seeing some players mouthing obscenities. And that reminds me, we're most probably going for the semifinals tomorrow(when Kerala takes on Maharasthra).

Football fever in Kochi

2005-11-17T13:40:00.000-08:00

As the floodlights slowly lit up the Jawharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi, the white(Delhi) and brown(Kerala) engage in a fierce tussle of football.

For 43 minutes.

That was when Kerala struck the first goal. The second(a great one off a penalty) and the third one soon came along, and God's Own Country had won 3-0.

Watching football in a football-crazy state is an unique experience. I was able to get the experience yesterday, at the Santosh Trophy held in Kochi.

Right from the start when the 'zeebra' cheergirls danced to the 'Dhoom' number till the very last minute, it was an action-packed game. And, when Kerala plays, and better, wins, you'll know what kinda atmosphere would have prevailed.

Ate at our professor IG's house in Kochi, caught the 10 o clock bus and was here by midnight. Was feeling very tired and so didn't blog yesterday.

It happens only in Kerala

2005-11-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

It can happen only in Kerala.

As I sat in the eighth row in MM Hall here, where former president KRN's ashes were kept, a man clad in a white shirt passed by. He had a broad smile on his face, as if he said 'Hi' to everyone he saw. And, he passed me quite close by (barely 30 cms).

It was only when I saw his face and unkempt hair that I realised who he was. He was OC, the CM of Kerala.

A policeman came quite some distance behing, but there was NO pushing, no jostling, nothing. The CM passed a whole row of chairs where we sat this morning, yet there wasn't a single policeman (but of cos there were some policemen up the dias).

A friend, M, later recalled an incident when a new photographer of MM was asked to cover a function at Palakkad, which the CM was to attend. The photographer, being a new-kid-on-the-block went to the place well before time and adjusted and re-adjusted his positioning and lens(he had brought a zoom lens, as he did his internship in Chennai and knew that you couldn't get close to ministers). After finishing his camera-work, he went over and sat in a chair near a guy and asked him, "Sir, I am a MM photographer and was asked to cover this function at 10. It's 10.30, but not even the organisers have come. When will they come? And, I was told that the CM is coming ... when will he be here?" The guy sitting next to him said, "I am the CM.."

He was. He was Mr A K A, the former CM here. Such things can happen only in Kerala (and maybe Pondicherry; I've heard interesting stuff about the Pondicherry CM)

Just imagine the CM strolling past you without any grandeur or pomp. For me, this morning was a 'never-felt-like-that-before' kinda feeling.

India's 'darling' is 19

2005-11-15T17:20:00.000-08:00

She turns 19 today.

India's darling; my darling, your darling ... teenage sensation Sania Mirza turns 19 today. Happy birthday, Sania.

Almost everybody in India love you(except those jealous girls out there). Concentrate hard and play well, and you'll reach the top ten in no time. And then, the target is No.1. But for all this, you gotto improve your serve.

The Mirza magic is bound to continue. Keep watching.

Hours of hard-work in hotels!

2005-11-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

They are made to work very hard in hotels here. They clean the tables, they wait on you sometimes, and do all sorts of work in dirty kitchens. Such is the state of young workers.

Visited almost ten eat-outs this morning for a story on the young workers. After rounds and rounds of lying about the purpose of my visit, finally got the story. And, taking a pic was more difficult cos of the restrictions and permissions we gotto take. Again, being a non-Harischandra helps you. Epecially when you are in journalism.

Also went to talk to the govt authorities concerned for these "young workers". Overall, it was a 'feel-good' day; something tells me that I've done good today.

Ullam Ketkume: Good

2005-11-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

Shaam loves Priya.
But, Pooja loves Shyam.

Eman loves Irene and is even willing to sacrifice his career for her.
But, Irene firmly tells him that career is more important than love.

As all these five meet after a long time in Eman's marriage, their college memories flow. It's a beautiful thing; old college-mates meet each other after many years. Another beautiful thing is that Pooja(played by the bubbly Laila) joins the guy she really loves, Shyam. Such beautiful things make 'Ullam Ketkume'(earlier titled 'Pepsi') worth watching.

Director Jeeva tried a different narrative style in his earlier movie, '12B' and that failed to go well with the audience. With 'Ullam Ketkume', he employs a simple style of narrting the college lives of five teenagers and this is sure to go down well with the audience.

For one, he's chosen his actors well. You could find these two-guys-three-girls gang is almost all colleges, and Jeeva's five actors play their parts well. Shyam impresses a lot when he speaks at the farewell function, Arya looks very much like someone who listen to their hearts rather than their mind and Asin is apt as 'Perumal Koil' Priya. But, the best of the group is the bubbly, vivacious Laila. Inspite of all her pranks, one does like her, as did Shyam towards the end of the movie.

Music director Harris Jayaraj gives us some excellent tracks; 'Ennai Pandhada' stands out. The 'Ullalele' chorus is super, and blends brilliantly with the content of the film.

'Ullam Ketkume' rekindles fond college memories, it reminds you of those days. It's filled with days of fun and frolic, yet it's also filled with days of misery and madness. That's where this movie succeeds.

(This movie was a filler in Anaswara theatre here but I saw it as I hadn't watched it when it released in Chennai.)

A bike ride is absolute bliss

2005-11-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

A Royal Enfield Bullet, a Pulsar 150 and a CD-Dawn. Six of us guys set out in these three bikes to Kumarakom this afternoon.

With huge drops of rain falling on us, we made our way through lush-green fields and scenic roads to Kumarakom, some 10 kms from here. Zipping in a bike in Kerala roads is a pleasure; probably this is the only place where a car would go on road, and ferry on a backwater alongside. There are 2 huge stretches of road from Kottayam to Kumarakom - one where a backwater is nearby. You go in bike/car, and there's a boat-man rowing in water alongside you.

And, the other stretch of road is full of green fields. The road is a narrow straight strip of tar in the middle of huge green fields. Looks awesome.

A Friday review

2005-11-11T23:50:00.000-08:00

Three informative and interesting things happened today. Dunno which one to write... so will put all of them in brief.

1. Goodbye, TF

One of the three main instructors here, Miss TF, is leaving. She's got this kick-ass of an offer in a Delhi-based company. We had a small farewell party this evening. Speaking on the occasion, our Director joked that if he had known earlier about the money, allowances that this company paid he would have definitely applied for it.

TF is about our age, but had lotsa newspaper experience in the US. She was good help for most of us, coming up with ready synonyms of words. She handled some lectures for us. As one of the girls pointed out in the party, "TF was one person you could go to when you were in trouble cos she was 'more' approachable".

It was thoughtful of TF to pin a 'best-of-luck' note in all our workstations. Best of luck to you too, TF.

2. A 'challenging' man

We had two classes devoted to the problems of "physically challenged" and how the media should handle this touchy subject. Our guest lecture for this was S P, a man who was a broadcast journalist. S P too was a physically challenged man; he was blind. Yet, in all respects, he was like any normal man and had achieved SO much in his life this far. Was very inspiring.

3. A crime we all gotto committ

This is a strange custom that I'm sure nobody would have hear of. Kolkata hosts a book fair in the month of February every year. A Bengali pal here claims that it is the "biggest book fair" in India And, IF you are caught stealing a book from this fair, all you gotto do is to write an essay and then you get the book for free! The logic is that books are "sources of knowledge" and the person who is trying to steal them has only a craving for knowledge and thus shouldn't be punished. I haven't heard anything crazier.

A distressing love story

2005-11-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

One of my classmates, N, says lots of 'kadi' jokes and fools around.

All this in the midst of troubles and extreme trauma. Yet, he doesn't show it out one bit. He has a distressing love tale to tell; a tale that moves you.

In his college years at Calicut, he fell in love with his junior, V. She loved him back, and this went on for a year. Then, after he finished his college life, he used to hang around for almost six months, vetti, near her college and near her house.

It was at this juncture that he joined our institute.

And now, the girl's cruel dad(who is like the villain in Tamil movies) has arranged for the girl's engagement. Our hero N tried his best to stop the whole issue by calling the guy X who was coming to see V, and told him the whole story. X promised to help N. But now, the thing has gone off hands as X's parents and V's parents force them to marry. And, V is helplesss in this - she can't even call my friend N!

V's engagement is to be held at her house in Calicut this Saturday, two days from now. She's been given permission to invite my friend N ONLY if she agrees to marry X. Talk about cruelty.

Just think: What can V do? Nothing. Caught in a cruel-dad-forcing-her scenario, she's helpless. All she can do at the moment is one thing: pray.

What can my classmate N do? Nothing. He says that he'll go for the engagement this Saturday but is afraid that he'll cry if he sees his girl getting engaged to some X guy.

Nothing. N and V can do nothing now. They're helpless, just like thousands of wannabe-couples throughout the world are.

Back to normal

2005-11-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

At 1.45 exactly(after lunch), we all saw her. Well, to be frank, it was like seeing a dead person alive.

To all our shock-yet-delight, K is back. She's standing, she's smiling, weakly, she's walking ... and well, she's even talking.

All this inside 24 hours after we saw her in a "ghostly" state in the hospital, a state when she didn't recognise any of us, a state when she was crying out loudly.

Right now, she's fine and normal.(just a bit weak, maybe). Some of her relatives are here, they spoke to our director and he's now given her permission to go home for a week. This transformation again reminds me of the line - Yenge sellum intha padhai yaro yaro ariway...

The ultimate reaction to her coming back was from C, a guy who is often teased with her. He stood near the computer lab door, shocked to see her at first. Slowly, and gradually, the "shock" turned into a smile. One could see the inexplicable happiness in his face.

A solemn moment for all of us

2005-11-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

It's a solemn moment for all of us here.

Cos one of our classmates, K , had severe mental problems and depression and is now in hospital.

It all happened so quickly and so suddenly. Somebody reported that she was feeling sick throughout last evening and night. This morning, she's crying, she can't recognise faces, and she doesn't respond when people call her. So, she was taken to hospital.

We went to the hospital(some 7 kms from here) in the evening. One look at us guys, and she buried her face under the pillow. We all know that she isn't asleep, but for some strange reason, she keeps her eyes closed.
And suddenly she starts crying.

It's a sad state that she's in. All this for a girl who was as chirpy and bright yesterday. She was her usual self yesterday, asked questions to the cop who came top lecture us. She also spoke to me about the smart way in which the cop had answered questions when we had visited a month ago.

All this for a girl who was wearing a really pretty dress the day before yesterday. We had a small farewell-cum-birthday party that evening for TF, a teacher of ours who is leaving us in a week. K wore a great dress that day and was looking pretty, she helped our maam in distributing the cake and it was she who took all pains in buying a birthday gift and card for her.

All this for a girl who was really sweet to everyone of us. It reminds me of the line - Enge sellum intha padhai yaro yaro ariway...

It's a solemn moment for all of us here.

'Chennai's a separate world'

2005-11-08T05:45:00.000-08:00

We're a separate clan, we live in a separate world. That's what Chennai is, according to a top cop here.

While speaking on the role of police and society, he said that the situation in Kerala is a lot different from the situation in Chennai. But Chennai has its advantages too - cops gotto bow and run behind only ONE person, but in Kerala, they have to run behind many!

The cop gave many instances when the media had portrayed the wrong side of an issue. Seems that once, in J&K, almost five batches of ten policemen each were sent into tall grass, where four terrorists were hiding. The cops opened many rounds of fire and killed them(a cop was killed brutally in this encounter). After this exercise, two media people came there and wanted to know why the cops had killed the terrorists and other stuff about human rights, but were least bothered about the injured cop.

It was an interesting and informative two hours.

Happy Birthday, Kamal Haasan

2005-11-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

Today is actor-director Kamal Haasan's birthday. I cannot forget this day last year. Even as songs of 'VasoolRaja MBBS' played in full volume, almost 500 people waited to greet him and give flowers and gifts. I was at Kamal's office doing a story(he officially announced the launch of 'Mumbai Express'), and wished him. It seems like it was only yesterday but alas, one year has flown. No wonder they all say: Time flies.

A date with a magician

2005-11-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

Am thrilled.

Went at 9 to the auditorium for an interview with magician J A. As I waited patiently for my interview, the man was talking to a few local magicians and told them about some tricks. And, I overheard them!!!!

Before I brag too much, I did hear something but not something that entirely made sense. Cos it seems that even magicians have their "own jargon".

After that, I got in my questions to him and he patiently answered them(we sat on the chairs there...maan, WHAT smell of 'paan' from his mouth). Anyway, I'm a journalist and my job is to get the story despite all difficulties(which, in this case, was a staunch smell of paan), and I did it.

Athu Oru Kana Kalam: Very slow

2005-11-07T04:52:00.000-08:00

Srinivasan(Dhanush) runs from one end, Thulasi(Priyamani) runs from the other and they both embrace each other and kiss. A cliched ending to an astonishingly-slow 'Adhu Oru Kanaa Kalam'.

Maybe this is how director Balu Mahendra set about this venture. I have a one-line story, two decent young actors, a cameraman and a gifted musician, so how do I fill scenes so that the one-line is streched for three hours? So, I gotto have the usual erotic song(I have no clue why he chose to put in the the beginning and end up with no songs in the second half), the sober-looking Dhanush, a chase sequence, some 'amma' sentiment, some college 'kalai' ... and that's the end of it.

Rich boy loves poor girl. Families don't approve. Due to some fight, our rich boy hero lands in jail and is, as usual, harassed. Oh, the horrible conditions they have in jail(the director fails to realise that we've been shown such stuff a million times). And then, a kind-hearted policeman re-joins the lovers. People, let's just hope that they are many more inspectors and policemen in our force; then, anybody could committ a crime and rejoin his heart-broken girl.

To make things worse, the movie moves at snail pace. Three long hours taken for what could have been taken in twenty minutes.

Before the release of this movie, it was tipped that it would be career-saving for Dhanush, specially after his 'Dreams' debacle. It certainly isn't. Yes, Dhanush plays his character well but it's hard for such a movie to run to packed houses. I think Dhanush has to bank on his brother Selvaraghavan's 'Puthupettai'.

Priyamani, after wearing hep, modern dresses in 'Kangalal Kaidhi Sei'(remember the 'Aah Aah Thamizhamma..' song?) changes to pavada-davani for this role. And, she looks comfortable in it. She looks very pretty when she raises her right eyebrow. Yet, it's a role that she could have played(sorry, not played, but cried) in a mega serial and not on the mega screen.

'Athu Oru Kanaa Kalam' is a very slow, very insipid movie.

Sivakasi: Typically Vijay

2005-11-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

Ini sara vedi.

So says the message in the interval of Ilaya Thalapathy's 'Sivakasi'. And, director Perarasu lives up to his message in the second half - a thrilling game of chess where hero and villain pose 'checks' to each other.

'Sivakasi' is a typical Vijay movie, specially the first half of it. The routine fireworks-kinda fight in the beginning, the I'm-your-pal introduction song(Vijay calls his audience as his 'thozha') and the love at first sight sequence. But, the real essence is 'Sivakasi' starts from the flasback when Vijay reveals that his real name is not Sivakasi and nor is he an orphan. In fact, he has a father, mother, sister and brother in a village. Asin's insistence makes him go to his roots.

And what does he find there? A brother who is cruel, a mother suffering because, and a sister serving tea. Sivakasi doesn't reveal his true self to them, and vows to give them the place they deserve.
In other words, Sivakasi starts to erupt.

An action-packed second half it is, yet it's a different kind of action. Instead of flexing his muscles and performing stunts that defy the laws of gravity, director Perarasu gives Vijay a different 'action' role, something like what Vikram did in Dharani's 'Dhill'. Vijay engages in a game of chess with Prakashraj; a game where every move has an equally intelligent move.

If Vijay brought look-alikes of MGR and Rajni to get votes(and Vijay says that "Namma ooru aalukku veliyooru than pudikkum"), Prakashraj counters it with bringing Superstar's 'jodi', Nayanthara. How Vijay finally manages to make a mastermind of a move and checkmate Prakashraj forms the rest of the movie.

Excellent dialogue delivery(specially in the scene when he tells Asin that she's wearing a 'bra and a jetty'), some great dance steps(specially in the last song), along with a dose of punch-dialogues and fights, Vijay is indeed the 'Ilaya Thalapathy'. There's one thing very positive about Vijay. You go to his movie expecting to get entertained, and you get it in plenty. Nothing more, nothing less.And, with mass-movies like 'Sivakasi' and soft movies like his previous 'Sachein', Vijay is managing his career very well and is well on course to occupy the seat of the 'Dhalapathy' - the Superstar.

Asin gets a meaty role too and plays her part well The 'Hari-Giri' combination in one scene in the movie works well, and the other comedians(specially that 'Kaadhal' kid) do their small-yet-significant parts well. The foot-tapping numbers that Srikant Deva has composed are tailor-made for Vijay

A pat on the back for director Perarasu. He's given his audience exactly what they expect. And, he's given his actor, Vijay, great scope to showcase his dialogue-delivery, dance and stunt skills.

'Sivakasi' - a cracker that will erupt, rather than burst, and be heard in every place in this world where Tamil movies are watched.

(Stood in a queue this afternoon(and chatted with two people) for tickets and successfully watched the movie, in Anupama theatre.)

A day of maidans and magic

2005-11-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

Tirunakkara maidan is the place I head to this morning. The maidan is being renovated and is going to be like its glorious self in the past, when it was witness to some landmark events. Spoke to the site engineer and the municipality guys. Gotto write a story on it.

And, in the evening, went to the magic show held here. The magician(Jadu.Anand) was brilliant, performed all sorts of tricks. He even asked one of our classmates to come to the stage, hypnotised her and made her fly in the air. Was great. And, there was one more "great trick" promised - that he would vanish an elephant in thin air. Blink your eyes, and an elephant will vanish - said the banner before the auditorium.

For me - expecting something awesome and breathtaking - this trick turned out to be a damp squib. The elephant was real of cos, but the trick wasn't. It was a simple one. He just switched the colours in the grill gate that enclosed the animal.

Spoke to the magician after the show and got some quotes for my story. Thanked the manager(who made us sit in the Rs 500 seat even though we had paid only 50 bucks), the red-tshirt guy who helped us get perm for taking pics.