One day trip to ​Hogenakkal

"a journey is always sacred to me..!

Usually I spend a lot of time browsing about the place before my ride. But this one happened instantly at the call of my friend, Priyan & I had to oblige his request. Hogenakkal falls is located around 180 kms from the city of Bangalore. We took the road from Hosur via Rayakotai & Anjatty towards hogenakkal. At nature's grace, we were blessed with a fabulous weather during our 2 hour ride. Any day it would be a rider’s paradise, as all that is before you and with you, throughout the journey are small huts standing tiny, infront of colossal hills & mountains. It's a one way road which is bumpy throughout, making you glide swiftly, like a boat in the river.

We gathered momentum after a tea break on top of one of the hills & rode straight in to the feet of the falls. The falls as it happens to be a tourist place, as in any other tourist spot in India, was crowded & looked dirty & awful. Soon we packed up fried fishes from the place & got couple of beers & rode downwards to reach the river. We hid ourselves behind the unending small & big rocks across the river. Although my relationship with the cauvery river & its tributary named Kollidam goes long back to my childhood, seeing the river flowing in between the mountains was majestic & a spectacle in itself. I took out the beer & soaked my legs in the cold water. One of my favorite lines written by Vairamuthu about the river goes like this.

"ஓஓஓ காவேரிக்கரையில் மரமாயிருந்தால் வேருக்கு யோகமடி"

(How fortunate is the root of a tree growing on the shores of river cauvery..!)

We let the time die, amazed at the beauty of the river, as we gulped down our beer steadily. Mountains have always inspired me but this was wholly a dazzling experience of eyeing both the mountain & the river at one go. Without any surprise, I jumped in to the water for a quick swim. A one day trip it was, but the satisfaction and experience was unending. Annoyed at the sight of darkness setting in, we had no choice but to move on. And we did move on. Travelling in an awakened way......!

Everytime I leave the place, where I belonged

​In search of a new path, I have always

​been tranquilized with the beauty of woods & hills.

​​The roads are no more wide, yet
my eyes begins to feel the warmth

of the narrowness it beholds...!

Walking past our motor vehicle, were

those enthused souls, not much

tampered by the noise of human creations...!

When I take myself to the roads, I let

the cautiousness die in me..! as an

aesthetic wanderer, I find home

in the roads, in the woods & on the shores!

When life seems to be getting offtrack,

as you begin to get restless every minute,

you end up feeling exhausted often

haunted by chasing too many things, too often!

A walk on a silent pathway, seduced

by the spring flowers on the ground

with the river running steadily

in between the mountains, brings forth

the amity between mind & heart.

In the wink of an eye, it

unsettles the scores of insecurity,

and opens ourselves to us endlessly...!

I have enjoy'd, I have suffered 

But the moment of eternity shores

on the path not taken....for now

am yet to discover that path...!

Accepting the Unacceptable

It’s not that, we stumble and bumble in becoming a sportive nation, the fact that none of the player’s houses were pelted with stones or effigies burnt, shows that we are raising our standards. Moreover the kind of support and sympathy the players won in social media after yesterday’s loss was cheerful and heartening. I am not reading much in to what kind of debate the savior of India (Arnab Goswami) conducted on his news channel last night. In fact, the most trending tweet for the day has not been #Shamed@Sydney but #ShameOnTimesnow. Even the chauvinist who doesn’t have the balls to do anything, taking a dig at Anushka Sharma or Virat Kohli can be ignored. These noises are omnipresent and the impotent opinions of these jerks can be ignored.

“For, Game is players battling and cowards whining”

To Dhoni - “I do have emotions, but I don’t show it often” is the phrase, I would chose to live with on any given day. You have been an inspiration for the whole country. We take pride in ourselves to have a leader like you.

To Virat - After the legendary Sachin Tendulkar retired, it is you who have brought smiles and pride to the Indian cricket. You need not bow down either to the fans or the country. Your efforts and performance has been the limelight for us to travel till Semifinals.

To the team - Well boys, a fact very well known before the world cup started was, we never had the firepower or experience like what we had in 2011. Nevertheless spending four months away from home, with quite a lot of defeats but still hanging out there to deliver the best was an impressive show. Hats off to you guys.

I would proudly tell my kids, that this was the team going in to the world cup with a handful of heavy defeats in the series prior and still went on to reach the semi-finals. I would tell them, we never had a potent and fiercely competitive bowlers in the squad, but they bowled out all the opponents they met on their way to reach the last four stage. I would tell them, that the batsman were expected to crumble and tumble in the bouncy Australian pitches, but they proved it all wrong by combating every strong bowling attacks they played against. And I would tell them, that this was the squad which never had a Sachin Tendulkar. The ten Spartans were led by the 11^th who was fearless like the gods, who had the power of tranquility to destroy any opponents on a given day, alas yesterday was not his. I would proudly tell them, that this was team which never surrendered meekly but fought valiantly till the end. I would, would You?

The Dream

Now that I was affected by it,

I could no longer pretend to be lifelike,

right there, as it is ought to 

become more dramatic than you have thought, so

bringing the lines for you is

the discontented sojourner in me.....!

Where were we? 

We were standing in that hermit pathway,

there was absolute silence in the air

the wind was trying to intrude in to our dialogues,

as my arm fans your cheek, the

solitary road looked like a solitary world to me~

Let me freeze that moment, let me 

freeze the time and the world around us...

I'm too week to move ahead 

what if I don't experience it all again...

this moment of isolation except you,

surrounds me with scores of insecurity!

As I hop on to a dream within a dream

I deceive you to the world of buoyancy,

For years together we create a world

where the oceans meet a bleak desert

for us, to dine under the aroma of seabed!

I'm scared to live in reality, I 

refuse to endure with you not being near,

Whatever my mission was, I could never

tolerate even the soft breeze to come near you!

Perhaps that was the reasoning behind a

dream within a dream, a well conceived whim, 

which I brought through my fantasy mime!

The earth is all before me, indeed before us,

I see the liberated soul in you,

from the wandering clouds, the shining stars,

quietly blinking moon, to the brightly eruptive sun,

there was nothing which could match up to the

joy as You!

We walk past the endless palms, till

the sun had almost touched the horizon,

peeping at us, with a backward glance.

All that, I have created for you, are the bunch

of memories which I recollected from our real world,

All that I'm ought to create for you are the

heap of dreams which I wish to recollect

after a thousand years, Such hope was mine!

Time, Place, People, I don't seek anything,

except for your soul, my passion for you

was so eternal, that at times I went in to the

zone of envying even the lover in me!

Even if a thousand worlds were to 

descend upon us, I would fight

spear to spear, sword with sword

for the glory of you!

Even I were to die a slow and gradual death, then a wish,

My last, with so much of yearning is

that, we become the immortal souls 

in a world of dreams, created by us, for us! 

Let me dream, let me dream

and never wake up! 

Tramp

As I stare hard at the pool of water,

I could see, the little drops of drizzle

making my face cloudy and blurry,

I face towards the skies which offers

me a wicked smile filled with satire!

I walk the roads, perhaps

the walk of my life, searching

for nothing, but to encounter

the raveled edge of life,

I walk along one more mile, one more mile,

yet a thousand miles far from home!

Home? Which was my home? What is a home?

Which was my family? Who were my friends?

Not knowing the answers,

I chose to walk a mile!

I have had always taken the stage,

with a glee on my face,

with no fear to encounter the race,

it all seemed way too natural and easy for me,

yet, I walked a mile!

I talk, not to many, yet a few 

whose faces glowed even in the darkest of hours

when I closed my eyes, coz they were 

my sole torch who eased my way 

wend towards the journey!

When the foot seemed too heavy to step further,

when fatigue took toll on me,

I always found a hovel to rest my soul 

And those were the few faces which stayed yet!

I don't choose to be an isolated animal,

it's just that, every soul had a

reason to be part of our life,

when their cause was met, they were long gone,

some stand close to leaving you, while

only a few would stand by till the 

wheel of your life is spun. 

Now, I knew, I can't stay put,

I need to move, that was my purpose of being here,

I chose to break away from my kith's and kins,

Although, I'm too far to regret my sins!

I have had many a jobs for a while,

yet, I chose to live on my own style,

ofcourse, there is nothing with me, but

there is always a road, stretching mile after mile

I had nothing to do, but go!

No matter wherever I go, wherever I dwell,

I would dally with the winds and laugh at hell,

For now,

I'm sitting,

I'm thinking,

I'm yearning,

to go far away, to go way too faraway...... ! 

Make hay while the Sun shines ~ India’s Fat Chance

Oil prices have plummeted in the last 8 months from $115 a barrel in mid June’14 to below $60 a barrel in Feb’15. Why the drop in prices is so sharp? Why are many countries not rejoicing the drop in price than as expected? How long this slump in price would sustain? Are the reasons and rationality behind this continuing drop in price more of a political than economic one? What does it mean to India?

OPEC the acronym for Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries produces more than 40% of the world’s oil consumption. It is spearheaded by the Middle East countries, mainly dominated by Saudi Arabia. The cartel decides on the production & supply of oil, although the prices are determined by the market forces. Focusing on the cause of this sudden slump in oil prices can be reasoned around many factors.

The first such factor is the huge drop in the oil imports made by United States, one of highest oil consuming countries in the world along with China and India. They were able to achieve self sufficiency and curb their oil imports because of the boom of Shale gas.  Between 2005 and 2013 the number of oil wells drilled and fractured for the production of shale gas, increased from a meager 150 to more than 2000 wells which is 10 times higher than that of Saudi Arabia’s total oil wells. Although critics forecast the drop in prices would not be prevailed longer leading to their skepticism over the production costs of shale gas which is almost 90% higher than that of oil. I see this forecast too vague in nature, for technology has always played a vital role in bringing down the cost of production of any commodity for that matter. Taking cue from shale gas itself, the production cost for the same has dropped from $70 per barrel to $57 per barrel. I see no reason why this can’t drop further and I would love to gamble on the same. While the discovery and usage of shale gas has proved as a vital clog in the oil prices drop, other factors such as decreasing consumption of oil, fuel efficient vehicles and the rise in usage of renewable fuels such as solar and wind power has added to it woes.

Not many countries seem to be rejoicing the drop in oil prices afterall. Countries like Russia, Venezuela and Nigeria have not only lost a bitter battle due to slump in oil prices, but also given their current economic scenario this might just hit them hard towards a recessionary environment. It does seem like the current cycle has more to do on political front rather than economically. Given Saudi Arabia’s stubborn stance on not cutting down the production, it does seem like they are betting on their $900 billion cash reserve to save themselves some more time to get their strategic plan right on track. Their tactics not to cut down on production will throw other oil exploring countries out of business in selling it at such a lower price. Again the Saudi’s seems too mindful about their bitter experiences in 1970s, when a big leap in prices brought out new oil field investments leading to a decade long glut. In simple terms, let the prices fall and put the high cost producers out of business esp. Russia in particular, which would lead to higher prices sooner or later.

Along with China, India might well be one of the biggest beneficiaries in the cycle of oil price drop. Infact decreasing oil prices has come as a Midas touch to the Narendra Modi’s government. Although both business and consumer confidence are back in the Indian market almost after a decade, the price drop of oil could further strengthen the economic mood in the country. Firstly, India will look to cut into the huge diesel subsidies that are being offered. By reducing fuel, food and fertilizer subsidies it can save up to a massive $41 billion annually, which is roughly 2.5% of GDP. Since the government has been compensating the sellers of oil for their losses, deregulating the fuel prices would significantly cut down the current account deficit by a large margin.  As oil import constitutes a lion share of our total import bill, there is every chance that our foreign exchange reserve will improve by leap and bounds. Inflation rate has dropped from 10.2% at the end of 2013 to 5% in January’15. For sure the Indian market wouldn’t have dreamt of, such a bigger stimulus to their economic growth and development coming in terms of a huge slump in oil prices.

For once it looks like; it’s only the ‘I’ that stands tall of the term BRICS coined by Jim O’Neil. It’s time for India to make hay while the sun shines.

Aravind

You are so Inhuman

You feared the Nature,

You feared the Ugly,

You feared the Non-existent,

By the virtue of Your fear,

You brought evil in to this world!

Fear led to the lousiest of all the

miscalculations ever made by You,

To equal the sphere of minus,

the birth of plus took place.

You feared the Nature again,

You feared the beauty,

You feared the Non-existent again,

Again by the virtue of your fear,

You brought God in to this world.

Invention of the Gods perhaps, was the 

most feeblest of all the inventions ever made You

To balance the power of evil, again the

most ridiculous fear of God took stage. 

You matched weakness with strength

You judged good & bad,

You observed sunlight & darkness,

You spearheaded right & wrong

Sapiens became the proud group of organisms on earth. 

Yet, You were so modest to call, it

was all by the grace of God.

You became a jerk!

If only You would have trusted your reasoning,

than just your belief & faith, the name of the

Gods would have been put to test long back. 

For the survival of birds, even a

thorn in a tree, becomes a nest,

But humans built divisions among them,

in the name of religion, caste & faith.

Slaves were created among their own species,

Women & Children were traded as slaves

none lesser than animals and beasts,

its no different today, nevertheless they

boast to live in a globalized society!

Children from the east to the Women in west,

to the Men in North, the echoes of every soul

who were deprived of their freedom, liberty & independence

would linger at the feet of so called 

fictitious Gods!

Family, Friends, Politicians, 

Hypocrites and You Pricks,

I am sick!!!!

let me quote Thoreau here,

Rather than love, than faith, than fame, than fairness,

Give me Truth! 

Society ~ You are a crazy breed!

There aint any glory in death

if the reason behind is unknown,

For You & I to coexist,

lets not fear the non-existent

Trust a DOG, than a GOD

You are so Inhuman!

'i' from my eye - Movie Review

Hype, expectations had rather become the synonym of 'i', in due course of its release. When I realized that the movie would releasing a day later in the northern part of the country, my anticipation got busted. Because I was pretty sure, that to refrain from looking at the review of the film for next 24 hrs is gonna be a tedious task. I couldn't help but to call my friends and ask so desperately for spoilers. The two things, I was prepared for or at-least I was told before I got a glimpse of the movie was it's not atypical story, its predictable & it's one time watchable.

All guns firing from inside, I hopped on to my bike, put on my headphones, playing "Ennodu Nee Irundaal" for the umpteenth time. It was Delhi winters, so heavenly was not

just the road & fog in front of my eyes, but the song made a soulful journey towards the theaters.

Apparently after 3 hrs, 3 mins when I took the stairs to climb-down, my footsteps were heavy. The only question that lingered in my mind too long was, what has Shankar done with three precious years of Vikram's life?

My friends who gave me the spoilers were apt & over generous. The problems with 'i', was too many. It's not that the audience from this part of the country, would not accept such a story-line, they would have glorified it, if the protagonist would have been Vijay or Ajith. It is not that the expectations has let them down, they never accepted a super fantasy movie like 'Ayirathil Oruvan' and any day they would laud a movie like Kathhi or Arambam for that matter. It's just they that did not come to see this script from shankar.

For sure the movie is not out of the world with its twist and turns. It's so foreseeable and for it's group of villains who are pathetically acquitted but the director himself. If 'i' was all about love & emotion, I never expected ‘i’ too be so painful in its romance as well. I wasn’t even pleased with the romantic routs of Lee & Diya. The amorous scene at the dug in China was so miserable that I was longing for the dialogues of Gautam Menon, for that beautiful location & lovely BGM by ARR. For those fight sequences were too long, typical and boring. Though Santhanam, tries to amuse us with his one liner gimmicks, Shankar has him controlled only to the first & last part of the movie. The carryover of the film was a huge drawback; Shankar would have yearned for the presence of Sujatha.

‘i’ for sure, ain't just a movie, from the genius of Vikram, a glossy PC's lens, to the majestic art work of Muthuraj and the dream of Shankar, ‘i’ is an experience in itself if not less. 

But to the question, was ‘i’ worth for its longing & the time taken to deliver, the answer is indeed it has fallen short. Ironically I never played, 'Ennodu Nee Irundaal' when I returned back.

Verdict: Vikram's beauty just surpasses, to save Shankar's ugly 'i' from biting the dust.