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Friday, March 27, 2009

Its (S)Election Time!!!

"Humble Simple Able Noble, That is what is ABVP!"
Election campaigns during college days invoke these slogans we yelled out in my memories. The vote canvasing, big speeches, ever smiling candidates, fights... a college election has all the flavours of a general election. Every one had their own agendas some work for the party, for some its a reason to cut classes, for a few it was time to pick a fight and take revenge but also there were a few like us who would only campaign where some attractive damsels are present. I have no shame in admitting i must be a harbinger in that group. Yes ofcourse i want the 'side' i support to win, my friends to taste success but this was a glorious opportunity to talk to all those girls who were in your so called 'crush-list'. And i had ideal accomplices in Vijesh and Kutty Shankaran from Mechanical. Its like once we go to a department we will cover all the top 'figures' and convince or try to convince them to vote for our friends. Height of Irony is that Shankaran is gonna marry the same girl whom he talked to the most (geetha was one of our juniors then) ;)

College union election also gives us a lot of funny moments of which many are truly incidental. Like the left supporting (communist) student wing were a funny lot because they were unwantedly serious or loyal to the red flag. I remember certain student leader speaking about 'globalization' in his 'Meet the Candidate' speech (copied from his party manifesto maybe). There were also some serious student leaders in our side who thought the whole political machinery runs because of their
thought process and ideologies. Also this awkward state where your school mate supporting the opposite side and you end up in a heated discussion with him/her. But thinking about it now it all looks funnier than ever. Also the big victory celeberation with all those slogans, songs etc. "Petti thurannappol SFI potti..pappadam pole potti poyii..". My top funniest moment will be my "Meet the Candidate" where i prepare this big speech (with help from vivek) on our plans, promises and ideals we believe...but few moments to the dias i thought 'fuck it' am not gonna be dragged into this storm. So i step in and speak in my normal tone and virtually plead for vote and make some sarcastic remarks at the way our college and our opposition is!! (no details pls)

On a personal front my interest to politics increased by a huge percentage in my college time. The group dynamics are far more than your final year projects. Creative ideas spur in your mind due to some long discussions and team work. For an outsider election and politics is just the fights and stupidness, but you need to feel the energy inside it to understand it. Some think politics as a curse to educational institutions, but are students only supposed to breathe, eat and study rather than explore new ideas and expose them to the real world. All everyone cares about is career and personality development these days (related to corporate placements) but there is a tiny space in your heart called 'freedom' and politics gives us that. It is easy to stand outside and give commentary on the pros and cons
but it takes a bigger heart to take a side and defend it. I am proud in that sense atleast though my involvement was negligible.

NOTE: Its General Elections in India around April, this time around i will be unable or unavailable to vote. I hope/pray my fellow citizens vote for a Secure, Stable and Development oriented Front...If america can vote for a HOPE and CHANGE so can we as well..

Friday, March 13, 2009

Sucker called Nostalgia...

After Effect of a movie is significant in my life. Since childhood certain movies make me adhere to the characters and the story line that i hardly come out of it for a period. Recently i saw 'Rock On' again. A sweet story of gettogethers and an old music band. I was wondering what will be i doing in the same note. Gave a good and sincere thought about it for few weeks that i started reminiscing those beautiful days of my college life. Of all those bird watching(not the salim ali way), politics,laziness,homely and unhomely foods(unlimited food on raghu's account+ikka's quadruple omletes), k-thals in hostel rooms, i think the most happiest time i personally had were on the football grounds. The pride of playing for your college, the big win against sakhavu vijay's team by 'Men in Blue' (i scored the winning goal ahem!!!), morning tea at MH-1 underworld wing after football practise (mostly provided by unnibhai or kk), all those heated discussions before and after a game as if we were paid for it.

For almost 4 years since binu passed away we all are equally trying to make something happen for him. Like in Jeevan's case we organized a scholarship in EEE Dept. Something like that worthy enough for our dear binu. But as easily said or typed we all had a defeatist attittude from the beginning to lose it more than make it happen. Yeah i admit, its not that we did not make an attempt but there was not an iota of honesty in it. The orkut group or yahoo groups and those big-big mail discussions where we all pour in those 100+ ideas but in the end curse the very own time we lack and the miles between us that seperated one another. Having said that its not easy as most of us are just beggining to make a mark in our life the practical ambiguity leads us to nowhere.

This is where i think movies like 'rock on', 'classmates', 'ullam ketkume more' etc breath a new life. Its not about building a statue or library or charity organizations actually its not materialistic at all. Its about the remembrance in the little time a group of friends spending together thanking god for the spirit of jeevan and binu. That will be more than enough for our hearts as well as their souls wherever they are , yeah i do believe in reincarnation. If we all friends could meet up and may be we should play once in our hostel ground ,smoke in manjula and drink in govardhana. Many might think after this blog, i have lost it and recession has kicked me so hard that i lost my senses. But seriously cant you imagine?? I can still hear binu shouting and cursing them sfi's. I dont know when??, but its not impossible that one game at the hostel ground.
Man i am loving it....WooooooooaaaaaaaaaHhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Lemme know what you think..are you in for that one game???

*sfi guys dont take it personally..the hatred against you guys was the binding thing that kept us together. I am sure now its all buried deep some where in those woods in our college.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Ammamma@80

Nancy is the old lady at our cafeteria. A very sweet and caring old lady always busy cleaning, billing and buzzing around. Everyday morning at work the "Good Morning" from her really cheers me up. For many things she reminds me of my ammamma (as in granny)Though nancy isn't that old the very way she carries herself is typical ammamma style. Very restless and active, always reading something or the other, the beaming smile and not to forget the glasses.

Ammamma is 80 years old since yesterday. Her 77th birthday was like 2 days ago when we all went to guruvayoor. Dude time does flies like hell, aint it? With working parents it was most of the time me,shyama and ammamma at home. She would sit in the hall on her chair reading newspaper or some devotional books. Sometimes she even writes down some points from them to a diary for later reading. With hearing aid 'ON' she closely monitors what we do and sometimes gets real finicky asking lot of questions. The best part about her is she would start telling these stories from her past or her friends and gets immensely involved that she starts crying,laughing like the people in the story. I adore those moments because she has gone through so much in life that in the end i feel god has blessed me in every sense.

Since i got this job i have been away from home, its her i miss the most coz she never speaks on phone. I miss those daily morning prasadams she brings from the temple and the sandalwood paste on the forehead. Then i used to remove them on the way to college as i felt they make me 'un-kool'. I miss her big lectures when i return back home all drenched in rain. Am sure she misses my crazy ways as well. Celebrating another ammamma birthdays without ammamma but this time around Nancy. Happy Birthday Ammamma!!

Monday, March 2, 2009

"Ellam Pukazhum iraivan oruvanukke.."

"Ellam Pukazhum iraivan oruvanukke.." these words are gonna ring in every indians ears for a long time.Rahman the genius, the mozart, the wizard..of all the adjectives i prefer the 'down to earth' rahman. A person is measured by his gratitude and love and rahman is immeasurable by any yardstick here. Resul's acceptance speech dignifying the very word "OM" that precedes with silence and ends with a deep silence are well quoted. We are one helluva secular nation aren't we? Resul is now a star and i hope this will encourage youngsters to foray into black and unknown side of movies. As any other indian even i was on cloud number 9 when rahman was on stage receiving his first oscar. I was dead sure about jai ho!!, but background score was the bonus completely (i personally feel defiance had a better bet for oscar, may be i have heard too much of indian films in my life).

Danny Boyle i love him every time i see him on screen, whether on acceptance speech or an interview. Bloody Brilliant person in all senses, he is friendly, big hearted and more over is funnier by all means. Tell me who else would be on an oscar stage and admit that he missed to add the choreographers name in the title credits. The entire crew of slumdog had a sense of unity, from the technicians to the actors you would see a flock of people enjoying themselves. Academy awards was a change for an indian viewer who are bored by indian film awards where every actor gets an award. for example i have even seen riteish deshmukh receiving a best actor award for bluffmaster, lo kar lo baath!! Danny Boyle has just shown the indian film fraternity on how to make a movie for global audiences. Good Story, Attention to details, a fresh cast and some brilliant music and cinematography.
And the best part of direction is his idea of depicting a work of fiction in the most unique way. The blend of hollywood and hindi film was adorable and refreshing.

My friend said Bombay by maniratnam was a better movie than SlumDog. Yes, if its shown in india. Our viewers need that dose of 1 item song, 2-3 fight sequence and a drag taking the movie close to 3 hours. Western audience prefer a crisper version and we prefer a long version to sit in that theatre and forget our sorrows for atleast those 3 hours. So do you think we are gonna get an oscar ever? Our best bet for oscar still will be from technical side of movie making. Unless our directors start making bold moves and cut down the flab of some same old ghisa-pita story line. Its a choice we need to make either apna-indian way of complete entertainment or aim higher in a world platform like the academy. We need to just enjoy the sweet success of slum dog millionaire, boyle, rahman and nammude swantham resul'ikka(mallu's u know) ;)