Its not Vada, its Vadai.
Its not Dosa, its Dosai. The 'D' really pronounced as in 'D' of "Dhun".
What are people eating these i's for?
Its not macha, its machan. Pronouncing the 'n' with the subtlety it requires is an art form, learn it.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sonia Gandhi != Annie Besant
I really cringe when people make this Annie Besant and Sonia Gandhi comparison. We accepted Annie Besant so why not Sonia Gandhi. Do I have to really spell it out? The major difference between them?
A Person moves to a country drawn by its culture, rich philosophy it offers. Starts fighting for their right of self-rule when the natives hadnt started it.
Another one falls in love and gets married into the first family of the world's largest democracy(yes, d-y-n-a-s-t-y before d-e-m-o-c-r-a-c-y ). Inspite of this doesnt become a citizen for 16 years till the husband becomes a people's representative clearly spelling out that it was necessity than act of volition. Then joins political party just before her son's entry into politics. Has never really shown any Political acumen or for that matter any sort of acumen.
To compare both is stupidity.
If there are some of you who are cooing, "oh but they both moved for love, one love for country and another for the man". That is stupidity too.
Another one falls in love and gets married into the first family of the world's largest democracy(yes, d-y-n-a-s-t-y before d-e-m-o-c-r-a-c-y ). Inspite of this doesnt become a citizen for 16 years till the husband becomes a people's representative clearly spelling out that it was necessity than act of volition. Then joins political party just before her son's entry into politics. Has never really shown any Political acumen or for that matter any sort of acumen.
To compare both is stupidity.
If there are some of you who are cooing, "oh but they both moved for love, one love for country and another for the man". That is stupidity too.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Oh my Country, thy image
A year or so ago, I read Kite runner. Like every other person who had read the book, I loved it. Particularly liked the way the Khalid painted his country without selling out to the typical western audience. I told myself this is how an Indian author should write about India. Real scenario, real problems.
On finishing the book, I did what any respectable internetaholic would do. Googled* the author's name, reached his website, read his interviews. And there I found him explaining how Afghans actually hated the way the country was painted in the book. That things werent as gloomy there and so on. They thought he had sold out to the west.
So Children, what do you learn from this episode?
On finishing the book, I did what any respectable internetaholic would do. Googled* the author's name, reached his website, read his interviews. And there I found him explaining how Afghans actually hated the way the country was painted in the book. That things werent as gloomy there and so on. They thought he had sold out to the west.
So Children, what do you learn from this episode?
*(blogger doesn't recognize that as a verb, wth)
Monday, July 27, 2009
Achumundu Achumundu
At the end of the movie, a bunch of newspaper clippings are shown which ends up bringing forth the issue much more than movie ever did. Infact, nothing ever happens in the movie. A friend wondered if the director couldnt come up with a story/plot to last more than 10 minutes because he was a short-film maker. We discussed alternate climaxes to make it worth atleast an episode in TV series(half an hr).
Atleast the portrayal of a desi life in USA is accurate. When Sneha asks the overtly friendy Indian woman she bumps into in a grocery shop if she belongs to Amway, it brings a smile. Sneha's overt suspicion at everything unusual at her house or surrounding annoyed me but apparently that isnt unusual for people living in suburbs. It is quite scary, I am told to live in suburbs.
But the main issue that the director wanted to focus on, atleast as I gathered from the newspaper snips might not get its due. By making the villian, a caucasian, people who dont know about this already arent going to understand it can happen in their homes, to their children, by someone much closer to them.
Monsoon wedding portrayed this much better in a lot more relatable scenario to the Indian audience. Ironically, Monsoon wedding was made and shown primarily for non-Indian audience. Non-Indian audience will add this as one more to the list of horrible things that happens in all the Indian homes, look at all the Indians they meet with a little more pity.Tamils watching AA would discuss about the horror that can happen in USA.
Both these movies, by setting the scenario in an alien country has lost the true impact they could have had. Not as much a loss to the north american/western audience who are adequately exposed to this issue but for us it is.
Atleast the portrayal of a desi life in USA is accurate. When Sneha asks the overtly friendy Indian woman she bumps into in a grocery shop if she belongs to Amway, it brings a smile. Sneha's overt suspicion at everything unusual at her house or surrounding annoyed me but apparently that isnt unusual for people living in suburbs. It is quite scary, I am told to live in suburbs.
But the main issue that the director wanted to focus on, atleast as I gathered from the newspaper snips might not get its due. By making the villian, a caucasian, people who dont know about this already arent going to understand it can happen in their homes, to their children, by someone much closer to them.
Monsoon wedding portrayed this much better in a lot more relatable scenario to the Indian audience. Ironically, Monsoon wedding was made and shown primarily for non-Indian audience. Non-Indian audience will add this as one more to the list of horrible things that happens in all the Indian homes, look at all the Indians they meet with a little more pity.Tamils watching AA would discuss about the horror that can happen in USA.
Both these movies, by setting the scenario in an alien country has lost the true impact they could have had. Not as much a loss to the north american/western audience who are adequately exposed to this issue but for us it is.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Dream Job
I am a fraud engineer, you know. The one who would like to shake her head against six sigma model* and draw comfort at chaos theory**. My true passion would have been in one of those government offices, behind the wire mesh counters, as hordes of people wait in line for my attention, i shall take a sip of the coffee that the peon just delivered in a stainless davara tumbler, turn to pakathu seat pankajam and ask her, "aparumm, enna achu?". :)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Nange Paaon Chaand Aayegaa
Pon maalai pozhuthu
"Pot adichutu padran", my brother mentioned. He could be right, I dont recall much of the movie. Vaguely remember it as story about 3 guys and a girl . No, it is not the Bhagyaraj movie that gave us famous "ek gaon mein ek kisan raguthatha".
But this song has been cheering me up from the time I was born. Starting from the initial guitar note, the camera capturing sun glistening in the background, Vairumuthu's lyrics referring to the sky as the bodhi tree, the lilt in SPB's singing, texture of his voice and more than anything, illayaraja's music just makes it divine.
Carrying in the same spirit, not in the same league ofcourse, here is another.
"Shaam Ko Khidikee Se Choree Choree Nange Paaon Chaand Aayegaa" - need I say more?
So how is your friday, folks?
"Pot adichutu padran", my brother mentioned. He could be right, I dont recall much of the movie. Vaguely remember it as story about 3 guys and a girl . No, it is not the Bhagyaraj movie that gave us famous "ek gaon mein ek kisan raguthatha".
But this song has been cheering me up from the time I was born. Starting from the initial guitar note, the camera capturing sun glistening in the background, Vairumuthu's lyrics referring to the sky as the bodhi tree, the lilt in SPB's singing, texture of his voice and more than anything, illayaraja's music just makes it divine.
Carrying in the same spirit, not in the same league ofcourse, here is another.
"Shaam Ko Khidikee Se Choree Choree Nange Paaon Chaand Aayegaa" - need I say more?
So how is your friday, folks?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Red alert America
Remember the seinfeld episode where Kramer gets to be a Santa, he says something to the kid and the kid screams, he is a commie, he is a commie.
It puzzles me, this knee jerk reaction of the country to communism. As if its a despicable thing. How can a country that accepts the different races, cultures, a country that is open to all sorts of idealogies, all sorts of wierd religions, can act as if this is the one evil one needs to oppose. Hard for me to comprehend growing up in a socialist country.
I am not even a supporter of communism, the way it suppresses individual identity, it doesn't even work. has never worked. Enough people have said about it. Equal opportunities, yes, equally bad opportunity, no. But the intention of equal opportunity isnt bad in itself, isnt it?
Was it the cold war?
When O'Reily was interviewing Obama, O'Reily the fox sneaked in the phrase, "redistribution of wealth". No said OBama immediately. There again the knee jerk reaction.
My opposition to commnuism is it doesnt work. The way I see it, the knee jerk reaction seems to be more from the perspective of the loss of wealth of the rich. As if the people are screaming, " oh my god, are you going to take away all this wealth from all these rich people". It isnt fair, I agree, but it isnt the end of the world. We are always struggling with different ideologies, hoping for a perfect world. One of it happened to be communism, it didn't work and a lot of other things we have tried. So why is communism an anathema to america?
It puzzles me, this knee jerk reaction of the country to communism. As if its a despicable thing. How can a country that accepts the different races, cultures, a country that is open to all sorts of idealogies, all sorts of wierd religions, can act as if this is the one evil one needs to oppose. Hard for me to comprehend growing up in a socialist country.
I am not even a supporter of communism, the way it suppresses individual identity, it doesn't even work. has never worked. Enough people have said about it. Equal opportunities, yes, equally bad opportunity, no. But the intention of equal opportunity isnt bad in itself, isnt it?
Was it the cold war?
When O'Reily was interviewing Obama, O'Reily the fox sneaked in the phrase, "redistribution of wealth". No said OBama immediately. There again the knee jerk reaction.
My opposition to commnuism is it doesnt work. The way I see it, the knee jerk reaction seems to be more from the perspective of the loss of wealth of the rich. As if the people are screaming, " oh my god, are you going to take away all this wealth from all these rich people". It isnt fair, I agree, but it isnt the end of the world. We are always struggling with different ideologies, hoping for a perfect world. One of it happened to be communism, it didn't work and a lot of other things we have tried. So why is communism an anathema to america?
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