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LINGUISTICALLY INSENSIBLE!
Sunday, May 29, 2005
The phrase "Unity in diversity" does not apply to languages specially in this part of India.One can do away with Hindi in any part of India except in tamilnadu.One has to necessarily know tamil here.A series of protests have been going on in recent times for the elimination of english and substitution of tamil.These protests are triggered by a political party called PMK.(that's a P,not a D or AD).

PMK was a "behind-the-screens" party till 2002 with DMK and ADMK being the main players.The leader of PMK,Ramdoss(let's call him R),is hell bent upon spreading tamil everywhere in the state that he cannot tolerate even a tinge of english.It is a caste-based party which wants a separate state to be carved out of tamilnadu.

PMK came to limelight when R protested against Rajinikanth's Baba.PMK activists stole reels of the movie in trichy,madurai and salem.Rajini's fans in turn ransacked PMK offices in most other parts of tamilnadu.But PMK had now become a main player.

PMK was initially at loggerheads with a dalit party called Dalit panthers headed by a guy called Thirumavalavan(let's call him T).Now they both have joined hands.How?The story goes like this:
Later in october 2003,another dalit guy calledKrishnasamy protested against Kamal hassan's Virumaandi which was in the making.R appreciated this.Now K and T were the thickest of friends.Got the connection now?R and T joined hands.

R and T have started a movement called Tamil protection movement(TPM).As if they are the real founders of tamil,they've coined the exact tamil words for car,bus,bicycle,cover etc.Just head to a busy spot in chennai and u would find a banner of a different kind---exact tamil words for tanglish words.The motive of the banner is for the people to learn those words and practise them.Disgusting!Imagine a guy asking u "Uyarneedhimandram perundhu nilaiyathukku entha perunthu sellum?(Which bus will go to high court bus stand?).Would u understand?Definitely not.Or even if u respond "Mandaveli perunthu nilaiyathukku sendru irupathi ondram enn perunthil erungal.(Go to mandaveli bus stand and catch route 21),would he understand?

Recently they poured coaltar on some english hoardings opposite to central station.Rwants stations to display names only in tamil(Oh god!).They've also targetted a few tamil movies which had english titles.R has requested southern railway to remove the english and hindi LED lightings in central and egmore.

Why r films and state govt agencies being targeted?The answer is simple:for want of publicity.R wants to be famous.He's projecting himself in a unique manner.Wonder what he'll do to tidel park or ascendas park?There r so many other issues to be discussed like desalination plant for chennai,kaveri river problem,etc.Y dont he conecentrate on such things?So my dear Chennaiites,dont be surprised if u find that yellow concrete sign showing the street name,missing.It must be the work of R or T.What do u do in such a case?Nothing.Leave it to the corporation.

The TN assembly elections are due next year.R is thinking of tying up with jayalalitha this time.What if it happens and if the alliance scores a majority?R's next demand would be a separate country called tamilnadu.Tn would be separated frm India.Then that would be UNITY IN DIVORCITY.
Property of Sheks @ 12:17 am   0 comments
35 MILES FOR NOTHING!
Saturday, May 28, 2005
There are certain things that have been pending in my life for more than a year.I last watched a movie in sathyam in 2003.I last window-shopped,bird-watched in spencer plaza in 2004 may.I last went to mayajaal in 2004 jan.To break the jinx,I decided to watch Bunty aur babli in mayajaal,yesterday.
I along with my classmate started off from tiruvanmiyur in my "ever-reliable" splendor.As luck would have it,the fuel gauge that was beyond the "reserve" mark had now dropped below it.After fuelling it in palavakkam,I set off again maintaining the speed @ 50kmph to be economical.
We reached mayajaal @ 2.Both of us had only 100 bucks each.We headed to the ticket counter and asked for 2 tickets.The guy @ the counter quoted the price--300."300?",I asked."Yes boss",he replied."80 illiyaa?",I asked again."Illa boss",he answered.I changed my mind and decided to watch Kaal.Again the price,he quoted was 300.Needless to say anything we both left.
Entertainment tax had been reduced from 25% to 15%.Then how come mayajaal alone hikes ticket prices?
I was disappointed @ not being able to show my friend,who had come all the way from kovilpatti,what a multiplex theatre is.Not wanting to disappoint him,I decided to show him muttukadu and kovalam.
I rambled along and after MGM,my friend instantly recognised the bridge where the climaxes of "gentleman" and "avvai shanmugi" were shot.At kovalam,I saw a sign that read "Kelambakkam-4kms" with an arrow pointing right.I turned right and reached Kelambakkam.That was when I discovered that I was in kanchipuram district.
I showed my friend,Hindustan college(thought of meeting sandhya,but decided against it),2 TCS,2 CTS,Infy and all those engg colleges that came in the way.I reached karapakkam and spotted a sign showing KCG college of technology with a sign pointing into a street that looked like wat they call "sandhu" in tamil.I went along and saw a lake.Right in front of the lake at the far end of the road was the college hardly noticeable frm IT hi-way.

I returned to ITH and went along to tiruvanmiyur non-stop.I dropped my friend in the bus terminus where he said "A multiplex outside the city is a good excuse for the high rates."What a waste of time and fuel,I thought as I started off home after seeing my friend off.But wait,I have 100 bucks with me.What do I do with it?There was a newspaper stall in front of me.The latest India-Today was beckoning me.This time it is Lalu yadav on the cover.Grab it!
Property of Sheks @ 12:55 pm   0 comments
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL GUY!
Friday, May 27, 2005
"Bollywood is a family",remarked Aishwarya Rai in 2003.This is true since we dont come across much movies with multiple stars,in the other "woods".But sometimes this remark is not justified.An instance was when preity zinta,kajol and rani mukherjee reacted to Shakti Kapoor's nasty comment that they too were involved in that 3-letter word affairs with him b4 coming to act.But otherwise it's a well knit unit whose legacy has been handed down generation after generation by the heirs in that city on the far left corner of India called mumbai.
Today was get-together time for Bollywood.It was to condole the death of sunil dutt.What a sight it was,seeing the khans and kapoors under one roof,thanks to AAJ TAK.
Sunil is better known as Sanjay dutt's dad and little known as nargis' husband and union sports minister.A versatile actor and an unassuming screen-personality,he joined politics in the early 1980s.He was elected 5 times to the parliament.He represented north-west bombay constituency in the recent elections.
In an interview to India-Today last year,he was asked if he felt he was a good father.He regretted that he had not been one since he did not back his son when he was caught by the long-arm of the law sometime in 1993 for some cases.
As sports minister he did little for the development of sports other than cricket in the country,during this one year.He had mediocre knowledge of sports.When Rajyavardhan Rathore won the double-trap shooting gold,sunil was pleased.After much celebration,lasting for about 2 days,he put forward the question,"what is double-trip shooting?"Also when awards were named for outstanding sportspersons last year,chennai's Joshna chinnappa was left out inspite of winning 3 squash championships.Sunil was informed of this yet there was no response.It took him sometime to realise his mistake and Joshna was presented the award early this year.
But recently last month he passed a law which enabled coaches travelling overseas to get financial aid from the ministry.
Sanjay dutt in tears with vivek oberoi,abishek bachan and salman khan beside him was an emotional sight.It still goes on.Catch it on AAJ TAK!
Property of Sheks @ 12:20 am   0 comments
BLOGGERS MEET--YET ANOTHER ONE!
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Posting after quite a long time.Another bloggers' meet was held on Sunday the 22nd.It was attended by India's no.1 blogger,ravages,magix,(now sports a moustache),murali,sandhya,vani,divya,nilu,nirenjan,mukund,vijay,anil
and a few others whose names I can't recollect.

15 mins of waiting @ the bus stop after which a 47A came rambling.Someone inside the bus called "Shekar" and I turned to find Nirenjan behind.I got down @ t.nagar bus stand.Ravages' directions to the venue seemed a bit rigmarolic to a guy like me.It was like going to bangalore from chennai via kerala.He missed out 3 important words,North Usman Road.I completed a 360 degree revolution around panagal park.When I was gearing up for the second one,I spotted it.It was right at the corner of north usman road.Y didnt I c it in the first place?Cos my eyes drifted left and right but not straight.

I went walked in to find nirenjan introducing himself.I was the last one to do so.A girl was seated at the centre who was in the LIMELIGHT.I came to know that she was divya aka NIMBUPANI who had come all the way from singapore.

Blogger no.1,kiruba shankar,who was the main speaker,that evening,described the bangalore bloggers meet,he had attended last week.He then proceeded to talk about bangalore marathon and a lot of other things.Vani and Sandhya retired to a world of their own completely oblivious of the fact that there were 12 other souls near them.After the 12 gave them a momentary stare,they joined us on track.

A few moments later I found that I hadnt ordered anything to sip.I was tired of those choco and butterscotch stuff and I wanted something different.EMERALD GRANITE.This name in the menu caught my attention since it was a blend of orange and lime.I've drunk only plain nimbupani b4 so I decided to settle for this.

The conversation rose to a high with almost everyone chattering and the next moment fell to a low with a complete silence,like the Bombay sensex.

The meeting concluded @ around 730.Nirenjan and murali accompanied me till t.nagar bus stand.Murali was successful in boarding a PP49 that was just about to leave the bus stop and we were at about 22 yards frm the bus stop.I and nirenjan boarded an M23 bus bound for tiruvanmiyur only to find a 47G overtaking it @ saidapet.

I reached home @ 815 and planned to blog about the meet,the first thing.But that plan backfired since my PC had crashed.

For photos and more details visit BLOGGER NO.1.

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Property of Sheks @ 8:48 pm   0 comments
Musings again!
Friday, May 13, 2005
It's been a week since my semester exams concluded.As usual it's gonna be 2 months of vacation.It's vetti time again.I've been doing nothing useful this whole week.The 40 degree mercury in chennai is taking the toll on me making me stay @ home.
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I finally watched chandramuki yesterday.I never believed i would get a ticket.The story was like this:
After seeing off my dad in koyambedu bus stand,I decided not to be vetti and decided to go to Udhayam theatre and see if i could get a ticket for c'muki.I saw a fairly long queue and waited.Then a guy walked up to me:
Guy: Ticket venumaa??
Me: aamam.
G: Evening showkka?
M: aamaam.ungakitta irukka?
G: Oru 50 rupees ticket irukku.Venuma?
M: Kudunga.
G: Just 60 rupees kudunga.
M: ungalukku vendama???
G: Naan 5 times paathuttaen.
Since i was so desperate to c the movie i bought it.I was happy to find that it was a BOX CLASS ticket.

As the show was supposed to be @ 615 and the time was only 4,i decided to do something useful.I went to guindy in a rickety 18M bus.From there I travelled all the way to tambaram by electric train and came back to Udayam from tambaram by another rickety bus,70.On the way I had a sudden doubt,is the movie ticket original??Y should any1 forfeit a Box class ticket??I hurried to the theatre and enquired @ th gate.Thankfully it was original.Lakka lakka lakka lakkka lakka!

Heading home after 930 was a problem.I had no problem going to guindy.At guindy I was forced to walk about a kilometre to guindy bus stop from kathipara.(guindy march).There was not a single bus to adyar or anna univ.I boarded a share auto whose driver kept yelling "adyar,adyar adyar,.........".Sweaty,sultry inside the auto i wished i get home soon.No sooner had the auto started than a vestibule PP21 came with the route board showing "UPTO ADYAR DEPOT".Damn it! I thot to myself.I got down @ adyar signal(tht was wer the auto was actually heading).Waited for a besant nagar bus to come along.None came for 20 mins.I finally boarded a M49,got down 2 adyar depot and was walking to vannanturai when a 23C and a 47A went past.Damn it once again.

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I was shocked when one of my old frnds from coimbatore asked me if i was caught changing the answer sheets.
I couldnt understand wat he was asking.He coolly asked "Ur college students were only caught in the answer paper scam,rite?"I explained to him in detail that it was a pvt college that was involved and many other stuff.

Moral of the story:Not everybody in pakistan is a terrorist.

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Ever since CAS came into effect in chennai,I've been watching news channels most of the time.The policy of all the news channels is the same--THE REAL STORY,UNBIASED.Add an extra fitting---EVERY SINGLE TIME.This is probably the reason Y the same bulletin is telecast the whole day except in Headlines Today where a bulletin is repeated every 15 mins.
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Talking of Headlines today,it's a must watch for all those who want to cool off in this 41 degree mercury in a different way.The female news-readers r all pretty if not hot.Particular cases r Tina sharma(the one with a twisted jaw),Avantika singh(not sure whether she comes nowadays),Tracy shilshi(the assamese girl with a compressed face ) and many more.Also try checking out the correspondents.
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As far as coverage of news is concerned u'll find that mumbai gets the maximum coverage.Every minute incident is covered(a dog run over by an electric train,BEST bus strike,etc).Mumbai police were recently put to much shame b'cos of the hyped coverage of the marine drive rape.
Delhi comes next followed by bangalore,hyderabad and pune.Tamilnadu and kerala get the least coverage(the north-east gets zero coverage).
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Check out the live temperature on headlines today.I was shocked to find chennai @ 36 degrees yesterday @ 12 noon.
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Mumbai gets featured during summer and rainy seasons.Last august the monsoon had begun in mumbai.Rains r not unusual phenomena in Mumbai.They come every year.NDTV covers it this way:
Studio:The rains have begun in the commercial capital and our correspondent ........(some name)reports from mumbai.
Corr:Thank you barkha.As u can see I am standing on marine drive.It is raining.I have an umbrella with me and so do the other people over here.There u can see raindrops striking the sea.(Camera zooms).Buses r wet.Taxis r wet.People r running for shelter.(Camera zooms towards the sea again).But there a couples romancing out here unmindful of the rain........

It is probably in march that summer sets in in mumbai.
Studio: The summer has begun in the country.To know how much it has affected the country our correspondent reports from mumbai(again)
Corr:Thank you rajdeep.It is hot everywhere and i am now standing near the gateway.Lots of tourists here.Tourist buses keep coming in.There's the arabian sea and those graceful waves....(topic goes wayward).

But it is better to stick on to news channels till good programmes like university challenge come again,rather than watch that 50 yr old mamiyar with malliyappoo in head torment her daughter in law just because she spoke to her dad.
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Property of Sheks @ 6:45 pm   0 comments
PUDHU VEEDU,PRAMADAM!
Friday, May 06, 2005
I've finally moved out of tiruvanmiyur.My dad's bought a new house in Vannanthurai.Yet to settle.

I'd been in tiruvanmiyur since 2001 which was the time I landed in this city.After a few initial hiccups my mom finally rented a house near marundeeswar temple.It was during my stay in that house that I completed schooling and entered college.The new house is close to besant nagar but the pincode still remains intact @ 600041.

Sights from old house:marundeeswar temple(adjacent compund),the blue horizon(a small strip),2 gigantic hi-rises near magix's place,tidel,ticel and the upcoming IT park behind ticel.

What remains unchanged is the majestic view of tidel park.Otherwise all u can see is apartments,apartments and only apartments.

The responsibility has fallen on my shoulders.I've to take care of my mom and sis since my dad has been transferred to trivandrum.

(posted from vannanthurai).
Property of Sheks @ 6:44 pm   0 comments
OVER AT LAST!
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Finally my sem exam has come to an end.2 months of vacation.Normally the time to laze around,but not this time since there's this industrial training in ICF from may 18th to jun 18th.Lots to do this summer.Finish off pending(or rather,untouched since purchase)novels,one movie per day,3 blogs per week.Add aptitude puzzles which my dad insisted I solve in order to keep my brain cells constantly grey.Apart from this there are also plans to go to bangalore to escape this sweltering heat but it's no longer hot here in madras.There's also a plan to go to coimbatore or bombay.Gotta see which one works out!But the one plan which I hope I'd carry out for sure is catching up with old dudes from school.One of my friends from coimbatore is now in chennai studying in HCE.I've got the contact ids & nos. of most of them.As for those dudes from chennai, magix,kannan,barath etc seem to have 4got10 that there is a beach in tiruvanmiyur, where we all used to meet.

About the sem exams,this is definitely my best.My internal scores all crossed 35 this time and my joy knew no bounds when i came to know today that i was one of the 5 people in my class who had secured 70/75 in work system design practicals.Hopefully my grade point will soar this time.They'd been decreasing since 2nd sem.Whether I was a pandu or not,ask magix or murali.
Property of Sheks @ 6:37 pm   0 comments

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Name: Sheks
Home: Madras, TamilNadu, India
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