The Bangalore Mutation

1. You develop a false sense of intellectual superiority to peers from other places..umm..aa..we work at Bang-a-Lore(bang a what).
2. You start cribbing when you realise that your hometown/village does not have the likes of Dominos/KFC/Chillies. Not even Ronald McDonald!!These places are probably under Maoist control!
3. Start whining that the mundane and nonchalant restaurants(oops "hotels") there are bereft of the royalty called "home delivery".
4. Take the phone and abuse the Internet guys in Bang-a-lored Inglis that their connection sucks."You know, we have 4-16 Mbps connections in B'lore.Go and replace your scrappy medieval age stuff"..um..aa...(sign of bangalorean royalty).
5. Exclaim silently :"Uncivilized beggaerz(Jayan style)!!", when your attention is called upon by someone with a "ssssh/aye" instead of namma "Axzcuse meee".
6. Be clean shaven and flaunt that retarded grin at all times.
7. Shudder at the cruelty of some states' liquor laws. Keralites have to queque up(yes,stand in line!!)at BEVCO to get some over priced God knows what s@#t drink."If they don't have bars, ask them to go to pubs"(Queen Marie Antoinette style).
8. Jump signals, honk as much as you can, esp near hospitals/schools and try to "fill up the gaps" at all places, left right left...
9. Wonder why the shanty grocery store guy at some non descript village can't understand cards!

All this when a a couple or more years ago:
1. You would swear eternal royalty to the Rs 12/- meal at Pappachan's.
2. When a recharge of 100 bucks would last for a couple of months(now 333 lasts for approx 3.1415926 days) .
3. 9k was not seen as a cocktail treat but a semester's tuition fees.
4. You used to call strangers as "ssh/hello/oye".
5. Bike stunts were seen on TV with the warning: "Please do not try this at home. The following acts have been performed by professionals under trained conditions".
6. Having a pot biriyani at Mezban's in Calicut was wow.

Neelathaamarae(Blue Lotus)

One of my friends MKT took this pic during our days at Calicut.

Recall some lines of a song:
നീലത്താമരെ  പുണ്യം ചൂടിയെന്‍
ധന്യമാം  തപസില്‍ ......

which translates to :
Oh pure blue lotus,
Deep in meditation....

Aadhi dhoop aadhi baarish

Snapped these using a modest cell phone cam at Nandi Hills sometime in Oct 2008.

My name is Swami, and I am innocent

I suggest Karan Johar make a movie titled "I am Swami, but I am innocent" which could show that not all religious leaders are like that- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, saying religious leaders are portrayed in a bad light by the media whenever any untoward incidents occur.

The Naxalbari Hydra

 Seasoned tribal, Insas rifle flung on shoulder, this is the first image that comes to my mind whenever I hear of the many headed monster called Maoists. Is it because of a skewed mining policy coupled with gross neglect and exploitation of these regions that has alienated the tribals(99% of Maoists are tribals)and forced them to cold blooded methods? Or is it fanned and fostered a bit too much by the dragon which has a gameplan to create an East West Divide across the heart of the tiger? 
     A method akin to the one followed by Hercules of using a burning firebrand to scorch the neck stumps after each decapitation has to be followed, the root cause to be tackled.A word for the likes of Ms Roy-the scores of the CRPF formation who were sitting ducks and the innocents aboard Jnaneshwari Express, didn't they deserve to have human rights?

A New Sunrise

 The sun is burning ember on the azimuth,

The tranquility catches up with me,

As the waves thrash about to make a deal,

The sea gulls hover around screaming

Heralding the onset of another day of light, despair and hope?

The wind thrashes at my face,

Awash fish and shells and foam,

A conch to the ear, and a wish to hear,

How mutinous would be the waves this year....