Nandalala - The Movie - As I would put it....

Nandalala is the story of people who come forward to help when they have no legal or familial obligation to help…

Nandalala is the story of how some people don’t, in reality, deserve that hard slap kept long reserved for them…

It is also the story of how some people don’t, in reality, deserve that hug kept long reserved for them…

Nandalala is the story of how a water bottle could sometimes hold something sweeter than just water…

It is the story of that kind of innocence that leads one to think that the Givers of Light would find it difficult in the absence of the lamps that had otherwise been at Their pedestal… (My favourite scene in the movie…)

Nandalala is the story of how acceptance could put one to sleep in peace even there is a python slithering across…

Nandalala, the movie, is one, of those rare gems, which shines in all its cinematic aspects with an excellent screenplay, appealing cinematography and soul rendering background scores… When it comes to such scripts which demand music to speak, Raja doesn’t fail to deliver…

Nandalala is the story of the human spirit – the niceness of the human spirit and the niceness of the newly showered in acceptance that give one that gentle feel of the water caressing the weeds – visually depicted both in the initial titles and towards the climax…

Well....

Mail Sent to Batch on the 6th of October 2010

Well, since A BHATNA hasn’t said “AB HATNA”, I guess it wouldn’t be too RIGHT if I don’t WRITE….

This mail is dedicated to the couple – Bhatti and Kalyani, to all the folks who are responsible for this mail happening, and to the whole of GiMBA - DEC08 – IT & Finance….

Here we go….

(1)

There were these guys who worked for this call center…. They were used to saying “A as in Alpha, B as in Betty, C as in Charlie, …… , Z as in Zebra….” One Friday evening, they saw the movie Ghajini….

Then, they started saying “A AS IN ASIN”….

On being questioned by the call monitoring executive and by their management, they said “It’s not A SIN to say A AS IN ASIN….”

(2)

Aamir Khan, Madhavan and Sharman Joshi once got tossed around by banana peels that Boman Irani had set as traps for them…. WELL, they have been doing quite WELL in spite of falling into that WELL….

(3)

Sid, I heard you’ve got some new clothes for yourself and you’re PROVOGUE’d as a result….

By the way, is that alarm song of yours still continuing to Wake Up Bala, Rohit and “High 10” too….?

(4)

Sid, did you get any feedback on what the MADURAI folks said to the Robot when it went insane in “Endhiran – The Robot” / “The Robot”….?

Well, I heard they said “MAD, U R Artificially Intelligent….!”

(5)

Ajay and Malcolm, why does the name of your native place (GO-A) say one thing in English and then the exact opposite thing in Hindi….? Is it like saying “Thanks for Visiting…. Do Visit Again….”?

(6)

Have you noticed what happens….

(a) when Bruce fights….?

(b) when Brett bowls….?

(c) when Kamal Kiran dances….?

In cases (a) & (b), the audience cheers ---- saying “Go, Lee…. Go, Lee….!!”

Whereas, in case (c), the audience cheers ---- saying “GOLI…. GOLI….!!”

(7)

Jonty Rhodes, while working as Advisor & Fielding Coach for the Mumbai Indians, once lost his way after travelling a distance from the Brabourne Stadium…. He was stranded at a PLUS intersection…. He called up Deepak and requested him to come to the location and bail him out…. By the time Deepak reached, Jonty was so angry that Deepak had to bump into a CROSS RHODES at the CROSSROADS….

(8)

Praveen saw new roads being laid near and around his home in Chennai.... He thought this was happening since he had started taking his bike to the workplace, but was not amused when he learnt it was happening because of the Elections coming up in a few more months…. Wanting to know whether the new roads would treat his bike better than the old ones did, Praveen went up to the road contractor…. The contractor cut off Praveen abruptly and rushed away ---- saying his immediate TARGET was to GET TAR….

(9)

One fine evening in Dubai, there was this game of Football happening from around 6 pm on the China Cluster Basketball Court…. We played and played till around 7.30 pm or so and were done and dusted, when, looking at Harish, I thought he was thinking – KAAFI ho gayaa…. Ab COFFEE ho jaaye….

(10)

HARLEEN, did you hear that HAR LEAN manufacturing company is now queuing up for a loan….?

(11)

VISHAL, WISH ALL is well with you and that WE SHALL meet sometime….

(12)

RISHI, by the way, how are the other 6 doing….?

(13)

SINGAL Bhai, send me sms’es whenever you can…. I hope there are no SIGNAL problems your side….

Best Regards,

Ram

Wedding Invitation

She gave me a ring. I gave her a ring. We got engaged....
She gave me another ring. Our phones also got engaged....

Dear Friends,

We, Mythili and Ram, are happy to invite you to attend our Wedding and Reception....

Please find attached our Wedding Invitation Card.... (Attachments)

Expecting to see you during these occasions....

Best Regards,
Ram

The Spirit of Freedom....

Man: Come, Parrot.... I'll show you your new golden home....

Parrot: I can't see the gold. I can see only the cage. Don't put me in there and make me feel like a bird. Leave me in the open and make me feel like the Maker of that very bird....

Another Tale of Two Cities (Not Written by Charles Dickens)

Hi Folks,

Charles Dickens narrated many stories. One of them is “A Tale of Two Cities”. He talks about London and Paris, and talks quite a lot about them!

Now, I wanna narrate to you “Another Tale of Two Cities” – “A Tale of Two Other Cities”, and you know which two they are! Just that Charles Dickens talks about London and Paris in a parallel fashion, while I will have to talk about Singapore and Dubai in a serial fashion! ;)

Hat making ~ Mc Ritchie Nature Reserve ~ Pulau Ubin ~ Turning "KAALAA" while everyone else turned "LAAL" in the Pulau Ubin super heat ~ Some dancing like no one's watching ~ FUTSAL ~ Overnight camping in East Coast Park ~ Football on the Volleyball court in Singapore ~ Cricket and Frisbee on the Basketball court in Singapore ~ Bukit Timah rain forest on a rainy day ~ Conan, the Librarian ~ Getting to play President, but a kidnapped one at that, though…. ;)

…. Makkad Man ~ Aaa Aaa Aaa Aaa! Aaa Aaa Aaa! Makkad Man! ;) ~ Jai Ho! ~ Oh! Saathi Re! ~ Singing like no one's listening ~ Kuch Na Kaho! ~ Getting on to the DANDIYA platform but managing to do nothing but DAPPAANGUTHTHU (Street Dance), Badminton around the car parking lot in Dubai, Dhow Cruise ~ Boat - Magic - Some dance again! ~ Desert Safari ~ I guess I have lived, loved and breathed every bit of it! :)

The journey from Room 533 (in Singapore) to Room 209 (in Dubai) and then to Room 407 in Lady Ratan Manor (still in Dubai) has been a happening one! ;)

I am starting from Dubai by a 5 pm flight this evening (November 15th) and will be starting from the accommodation at around 2 pm this afternoon.

I am privileged and honoured to be a part of this batch. I am genuinely thankful for the friends and friendships I’ve been blessed with and for the great times that we have shared. I look forward to more and more such great times, whether we are in the same geographical location or not!

After around 2 or 2 and a half decades or so, I want to be making at least one movie – as a director! ;) If anyone is interested in acting, please let me know. More importantly, if anyone is interested in producing, definitely let me know! :)

All the very best to you for everything that you’re up to! Please do keep me updated with what you’re up to!

Thanks and Best Regards,
Ram
Cell: (00971) 55 2428637

PS: “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein

I belong to the second category. How about you?

Some Reminiscences, Some Recaps, Some Madness....

Singapore Times….

Where is the Business Communication class? 2B or not 2B? That is the question! (Remember Shakespeare?!)

An intro to Micro Economics has just happened…. A game of football in progress one fine evening on the volleyball court…. One team claims “hands”…. The other team counters saying “No hands, man…. Whose hand, man?”
Comment: The Invisible Hand of Adam Smith!

“How’s QT, man?”
“Which one? QT or CUTIE?!”

Question (in a restaurant): You order a glass full of Lassi…. What does the Lassi in the glass become after you take a few sips of it?
Answer: LESSI

Question: What do you do when you wanna celebrate with Hiten?
Answer: You give him a High 10!

Question: Who are the 2 people, in the batch, most loyal to the respective states that they come from?
Answer: Arun Pappala (AP from AP) and Mahesh Holikar (MH from MH) ;)

Dubai Times….

Soon after landing….
Idea to counter the TAN effect caused by the heat: Lie on the COT to carry out a Mathematical cancellation!

Question: Why did Indi Spice serve free ice cream at the end of the meal the first time we went there?
Answer: They wanted to welcome us to the DESERT with some DESSERT!

Question: What do you call an ounce of Paayasam (liquid dessert) given to a camel?
Answer: A SIP of DESSERT for the SHIP of the DESERT!

Badminton Times in Dubai….

One important thing to remember before you get onto the badminton court: Both you and your racquet need to have GUTS!

A game was going on between Harleen and Bhatti on one side and Prarthana and Loku on the other side….
Observation: It was a match between SACC and SPark, and SPARKS were flying as each team was trying to SACK the other….

Question: What do you call a broken piece of Polo or Mentos lying on the shuttle court?
Answer: BAD MINT on the BADMINTON court!

Hope that jazzes up your Sunday….! ;)

And, hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed trying to recollect it and putting it down in black and white….

© Ramasubramanian Sailapathi, Room Number 533 in Singapore and 209 in Dubai, SPJCM ;)

Thanks,
Ram
Cell: (00971) 55 2428637

Quarter Century.... By a Cricketer....!!!!

Mail Sent to Batch on the Eve of Shyam's Birthday in 2009....

Folks,

He’s mostly in BB (Black and Black)….

Even while playing cricket, when he’s supposed to be in White and White, he’s in BB (Black and Black – again!!!!)…. May be it’s ‘cos of the 4 hours that the washing machines here test our patience with….

Talking about cricket, by the way, he’s a BB (Batsman and Bowler)….

When he’s not in BB, playing the role of a BB on the cricket pitch, or rather on the BB (Basket Ball) court, he’s mostly on BB (BlackBoard) or running through his handouts, checking out the BB (Burt’s Bees) case and other cases….

So, come over folks, wearing your BB (Bata Boots), for the BB (Birthday Bash) of this guy who’d mostly be in his usual BB even then, after just having logged out of BB, and after not having gotten the chance to display his BB skills on the BB court around 6 hours earlier due to the onslaught of the football season….

Venue: Room 208; Time: 11.59 pm on the 4th of September 2009

Well…., it’s the guy we couldn’t resist calling Fyaam Fundar after watching the latest Shahid Kapoor – Priyanka Chopra starrer!!!!

Thanks,
Ram
Cell: 055 2428637

"Three in One" Dhamaka: (1) K2G; (2) A Cryptic Clue; (3) A Quick Clue

Mail Sent to Batch on June 19th. 2009 (for Pappala's, Srivats' and Goli's Birthdays)....

Dear Folks,

Make sure you read Parts 1, 2 and 3.

Part 1: K2G? Who or what is that?!

K3G (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham) did not probably run as long as DDLJ did. However, K2G has been running strong and is looking good to scale newer records.

Well, if you are wondering who or what K2G is, you gotta have guessed it’s Kamal Kiran Goli.

As K2G crosses another milestone at 00.00 hours tonight, please be sure to be in Room No. 209 at 11.55 pm to make the occasion a grand one.

Now...., that's not all.

Please also take the opportunity to wish 2 other inmates of the den whose birthdays happened during the vacation. To find out who they are, please check out Part 2 and Part 3.

Part 2: Cryptic Clue: Confused virus sat without you, reportedly, to form respectable Virginia heads of Tourism and Sightseeing.

Solution:

First Part of the Clue: Confused virus sat without you, reportedly
Step 1: Confused virus sat: Take out all the letters in the words "virus" and "sat" to be
re-arranged (as indicated by the word Confused) later.
Step 2: without you, reportedly: reportedly (in cryptic crossword terminology) <=> sounds like -> narrow down to the letter "u" that sounds like the word "you"
Step 3: Remove the letter "u" from the set of letters pulled out in Step 1 (as indicated by
the word "without")
Step 4: As indicated by the word "Confused", re-arrange the letters in this revised set to
give you something that goes with what the second part of the clue gives. The
letters you have now are v,i,r,s, s, a, t (the u is gone).

Second Part of the Clue: Respectable Virginia Heads of Tourism and Sightseeing
Respectable -> SRI
Virginia -> VA
Heads of Tourism and Sighseeing -> The starting letters of the words Tourism and
Sightseeing -> TS
Put the 3 strings together and you get "SRIVATS".

The re-arrangement of the letters identified in the first part of the clue would also lead to Srivats, the name which the second part of the clue forms sequentially.

Part 3: Quick Clue: The guy is AP, from AP, who has worked quite a while in the AP.

You gotta have guessed it's Arun Pappala, from Andhra Pradesh, who has worked quite a while in the Asia Pacific.

So, come, and greet the dancer (from Part 1), the singer (from Part 2) and the action hero (from Part 3). And, in 209, make sure you leave them counting to see if all their (209- 3) are intact.

Thanks,
Ram
Cell: 055 2428637

PS: 209 - 3 = 206 = Number of bones in the body

Mail Sent to Batch on May 17th. 2009

On the Eve of Vinayaka's Birthday in 2009....

Dear All,

In around 12 hours and 6 minutes from now (at 11.59 pm 17th May), please come over to the smoking zone near the cafeteria to witness….

SIMBA roar…. as….
GIMBA continues to rock….

Thanks,
Ram

PS: Aditya, do we need to uproot a tree?

One Special Sunrise, Another, and a Year between Them!

Mail sent to Batch on 31st. December 2009

Hi Folks,

Some thoughts….

1) There was this guy who had a problem with his hearing. The doctor gave him a hearing aid and said “Happy New EAR!”

2) When in C11, I was once looking for a good book to read. For a long time, I couldn’t find any.
Then, I went to Room 103.
I saw one of R K Narayan’s best books there.
Which one?
“Swamy and Friends”!

3) Soham, please sing a song. After all, you’re SPB! (Remember playback singer S P Balasubramanyam?)

4) What’s the difference between a student and bauxite?
The former moves on to join the Alumni Association. The latter moves on to join the Aluminium Association!

5) What’s the difference between an Amit Singh who sits quiet and an Amit Singh who treats us to a melody?
With the former, you get to only see Amit Singh. With the latter, you get to also hear Amit Sing!

6) What happened to the pig when it got wings?
Swine Flew!

7) What’s the difference between a game like badminton and a game like football?
In the former, you get no points for hitting the net. In the latter, you get points only for hitting the net.

8) In the movie “2012”, they show the final all engulfing destruction date to be 12-21-12 (mm-dd-yy). Notice the 3 numbers (in the date) and the 3 states / situations in which the world is shown in the movie. The normal world – the world getting destroyed – the world then recovering and returning to normalcy…. May be the numbers in the date indicate the world situation changing across these 3 different states…. The number 12 indicates the normal world, the number 21 (the reversal of 12) indicates everything going upside down, and then the number 12 again indicates the calm that sets in after the destruction finally comes to an end….

9) What do captains of the Australian, South African, Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket test teams call themselves? “Green Hat” Thinkers!

10) There’s this Paracetamol tablet which misleads you to consume 1300 mg which is twice its prescribed dosage.
Which one?
DOLO 650
What?
Do Lo 650! (Hamaari Hindi kaisi hai?)

So, people, I wish you a Very Happy New Year 2010! Have a good one.

Thanks and Regards,
Ram

A Son's Tribute to His Father

The man who taught me the value of patience and the value of perseverence retired from his banking services yesterday, after around 40 years of unflinching dedication and commitment.

My eyes moistened a bit when Ambrose retired, when Walsh retired, when Lara retired. They seem to be moistening a bit more today, while reflecting on the contribution from this man.

My voice seems to be choking a bit. I wish my Father all the very best in the next phase of his life.

A Pleasant Movie after Quite a While....

I'm attempting to write a very brief review on a recent Thamizh movie that I happened to see. It's going to be about "Pirivoam Santhippoam".

Before I saw the movie, the title of the movie had suggested to me that this was going to be some mushy-mushy story about 2 lovers ---- meeting once in a while, and then being put to situations that would keep them geographically away every now and then, and then getting relief from situations that would facilitate them to have some interspersed meetings, and then finally ending up tying the nuptial knot. It was good to discover that this movie was indeed different from so many of its predecessors that would satisfy the above description I've provided. How many more movies of the same kind could we take?! Luckily, this movie does provide a much needed break. :)

It's about an arranged marriage ---- involving a guy, who's just started working, and a girl, who's just getting done with college. The girl's parents and the guy's relatives are the ones who do the initial talking. The guy's family is a huge joint family. The guy's parents are no more, but the home always buzzes with activity and people. The girl is the only child to her parents and their home is always filled with her friends - combined studies, movies and TV during the night and all those non-stop talks.... :)

Cheran fits the role pretty well. This is indeed actor Cheran's best. There are not many scenes which expose the loopholes in Cheran's acting. (Cheran is, of course, a great director. He establishes a separate kingdom for himself with "Thavamaai Thavamirundhu".) Sneha is homely and appealing. She too delivers one of her best performances.

So, before we go into further details...., wouldn't we want to know what exactly the title suggests or signifies? The title talks about the couple having to go away from the joint family, due to Cheran's employment circumstances and then their coming back to live with the joint family.

Unlike all other joint family movies, there are no negative emotions that run here. The biggest highlight of this movie is that there is not a single character who intends harm to any other character. Everyone is good. It's just happiness and nothing else. Hence, this movie, certainly, is a feel-good movie. The normal course is altered only by situations and not by people. It's nice to not see any of those exaggerated characters you get to see in movies and more prominently in television soaps these days. You feel like you'd also want to be a member of either the girl's family or her circle of friends or of the guy's joint family. No one is shown as a bad person just to project some one else as a good person or as a "too good to be true" person.

All the artists have fit their corresponding characters very well. Oustanding examples of the many good performances in this movie's supporting cast are those by M. S. Bhaskar, a member of Cheran's joint family, and by Jayaram (surprised?) who appears in the setting when the couple move away from the joint family when Cheran gets a transfer. Jayaram plays a doctor and does it extra-ordinarily well to go along with what the movie and the director demand. More talk about his above-average acting skills is really not required since he's already been seen to have delivered a performance on par with the one delivered by Kamal Haasan in "Tenali". M. S. Bhaskar, after his portrayals of "Annaachchi" in "Azhagiya Theeyae" and "Professor Sir" in "Mozhi", does it again in this movie. Brilliant! All of these are portrayals of characters who seem so close to real life, and they're all very touching and brilliant portrayals. :)

After marriage, Sneha gets very quickly adapted to the settings in Cheran's joint family. Everyone likes her and she likes everyone. Soon, Cheran and Sneha have to go to a hill station, quite a distance away from their home, due to Cheran's transfer. Sneha is very reluctant to go, but they have to go.

The rest of the movie talks about all the loneliness and solitude that Sneha is subjected to, in her new home, when Cheran is away at work. Vinodhini makes a come-back. She's one of Sneha's neighbours in the hill station place. Jayaram, the doctor here, keeps helping around all the people in the neighbourhood. Sneha is so bored that she has to invite people home, making functioning equipment malfunction on purpose, just to have a chance to have some conversations with human beings.

"Ganja" Karuppu (courtesy: Pithaamagan) plays an electrician. Though he appears for just 3 to 4 scenes, he provides what he's brought for. The main highlight from among the Ganja Karuppu scenes is the one where he says his complexion is not "black" and that it is "chocolate brown". :)

Sneha's loneliness makes her insomniac. Apart from inviting people like electricians by making things malfunction on purpose, she records different sounds during the course of the entire day and keeps listening to them back to back. I wonder why the director did not think of giving her a computer with an internet connection. :) (You may probably be wondering as to whether there's a TV which you may suggest that Sneha may have wanted to watch. Yes, there's a TV, but it does not have anything interesting to offer Sneha after the first few days.)

So, finally, when it comes to a point where Sneha is subdued because of all this loneliness, and Jayaram, being a doctor, observes this and explains this to Cheran, Cheran has to make the move to get back to his home town again. The film ends with a scene showing all the members in Cheran's joint family welcoming the couple back home again, using an Aarti - the traditional Thamizh method of providing a welcome.

Almost all the songs in the movie are pleasant ones. Vidyasagar stands out with his background scores too. Karu Pazhaniyappan, the director, deserves a lot of credit for the hassle free narration. It is certainly a good piece of work that he has put forward and he has moved several strides ahead ---- after "Parthiban Kanavu". He needs to be applauded not only for his narration, but also for the character sketches.

Like I have already mentioned, this one is surely a feel-good movie. It deserves to be seen atleast once. I may want to see it a second time too. And, I'm not a person who really goes by numbers. So, I will not be rating this movie on 5 or on 10 or on 100 or based on its box office collections. "Hey Ram", the best Thamizh movie, according to me, is supposed to have made one of the poorest box office collections. So, would you still say that numbers do matter?! ;)

Just Getting Back from a Game of Tennis....

I'm just getting back from a game of tennis.... It feels nice to have the sun shining on your face once again.... The warmth is special. The sun's caress feels like the touch of a baby's hand on your face....

It's nice to have been able to break out of the last 4 or 5 months of literal house arrest, imposed by the unforgiving climate.... I'm reminded of a scene from the well crafted movie "Bharathi" ---- a scene where Subramanya Bharathi comes home with a cart full of books, unpacks the sacks, picks out a book and reads P. B. Shelly's lines ---- "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?", keeping himself totally out of his immediate physical surroundings and getting drowned in that piece by Shelly.... :) Oh! Subramanya Bharathi! What an admirer and what a creator!!!!

It was a good game of tennis - an engrossing singles 3-setter. It feels nice to be able to get the limbs to move again. It feels like you want to put into use all the theoretical observations you've made when you've followed all the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments during those good old summer holidays. One player, who all of a sudden seems to dominate the thoughts, is Jana Novotna ---- becuase of the beautiful serve and volley game that she used to put out there for everyone to see....

The good old days of badminton are always cherished.... The few days of tennis I've had so far in my life have been equally close to heart. These racquet games - badminton, tennis and table tennis - the only 3 of this category that I've tried - are pretty cool.

It's always a very special feeling to discover that you're picking up a new game decently well. It's like the feeling you get when you start floating in 6 feet or more of water on the 5th. or the 6th. day of your swimming classes.... You feel in such great harmony with the world. Some feelings are incomparable. They're like the nap that you go into when you put your head to rest on your grandmother's lap or on your mom's lap.

Every game has got a lot to teach. Each time you play the same game one more time, you learn something new, not only about that particular game, but about life in general. Each time you take to a new game, learn it and get used to it, you learn something - once again, towards life in general. You get a feeling similar to what Vasco Da Gama would have experienced when he first saw the Indian sub-continent.

This post is to celebrate the joy of having the opportunity to try my hands at a lovely game like tennis and for the spirit of sports in general.

I remember the following lines from an e-mail forward that I came across a couple of years ago. "How a man plays a game shows some of his character. How he loses it shows all of it."

Refiner and Purifier of Silver

The following lines are ones I got from an e-mail forward. I want to have these posted here too.

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot. Then, she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."

Everlasting Support

The following lines by Mary Stevenson (1922-1999) are ones that will always remain close to my heart. Just wanted to have them posted here....

Footprints....

One night, a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life, there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it: "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied: "My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Born for Cinema!

Like Raja is born for music and Lara is born for batting, this guy is born for cinema!!!! Who else could it be?

A classy scene from one of the classiest ever movies....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmOy6p87TWI&feature=related

There's no way you can't like this movie.

Now, check out and listen to each word in the letter handed over in the next one! Oh! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk62UuX3rHw

We all know about his acting. How come he's also a genius in writing screenplay?

"Virumaandi" must be fit to be a lesson if you're running a university that aims to teach screenplay writing.

Now, one from the all encompassing "Naayagan"....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t963z59MPYk

I was pretty small when I first saw this movie. My brother was still smaller. The theme song "Thenpaandi Seemaiyilae" was the first song he sang (in childish lingo - "Mazhalai Bhaashai" in Thamizh). He probably picked up this song much before he picked up a lot of the other common place words! :) I see at least a few scenes from this movie every now and then. I never seem to get bored of this movie.

How about one from "Aboorva Sagodharargal"? :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWiT1pmLgrk&feature=related

Come on.... I already told you he's a great actor. Take my word. The combination of Kamal in the foreground and Ilaiyaraja in the background is a dangerous one! This combination could easily pull out some lachrymal liquid out of your eyes even if you're trying hard not to succumb to emotion. The "Moondraam Pirai" climax is another terrific example.

I'm not satisfied that this is enough for me to pull the curtains on this post.

The angry young man....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYSbmA2olts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JtbYbnA1vU&NR=1

There was more than just Kamal to those scenes. Don't you see a lot of K. Balachander to them? :)

Could I afford to leave "Salangai Oli" out?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FRYyxIITD4

Jayapradha is a terrific actress too! I wouldn't mind defining BEAUTY as "Jayapradha in Salangai Oli". You could even take it that I some how have some sort of a secret crush on the character that she plays in this movie. :) Oops! Did I let the cat out of the bag?! ;)

And, with regard to that scene, please don't fail to give the due credits to Raja and to the director K. Vishwanath.

Are we done with "Salangai Oli"? Don't you want to see the dancer? I don't intend to put the first movie in the next clip here. Couldn't find one which had the "Salangai Oli" portion alone.... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQwqjQSFbXM&feature=related

If you ask me what I'd consider the pinnacle of film making, I'd say it's the movie "Hey Ram". There's no way I'm going to put a period to this post without something from this movie.... For heaven's sake, don't miss the uncanny wit in the dialogue.... The dialogue is by Kamal himself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_nxg7xXGEc

Well.... That was just a tribute from an admirer to a great artist.... Hope you did enjoy every bit of it.... :)

I'm a fan of all forms of art. I'd really love to have a better chance to stay in closer touch with even those art forms that I do not practise myself. I'd just like to sit out there and listen to some quality music and watch some quality dance. So, do I practise any form of art myself? Yes! :) I do, and that's painting.

In one of the future posts, I'll try to splash you with some colourful experiences that I've had when I've worked on some of my paintings.

Time for Some Rajini Specials?

This is the Rajini that I like most.

A beautiful scene from the movie "Mullum Malarum".... Beautiful characterisation by Mahendran.... Do I like the scene for some other reason too? Is it that I feel the character somewhat resembles me?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R-eX6jJmyk

I admire the title of this movie 'cos I feel I could read its meaning 1 of 2 ways - "The Thorn and the Flower" (Rajini being the Thorn and Shobha being the Flower) or "The Thorn Will Also Bloom".... I'm sorry if the literal translations do not sound too good to the ears! ;) Between, how was Raja's stroke when Rajini gave everyone his surprise?

The next 2 are scenes from the movie "Johnny".... For a change, let's do the climax first and then go to what had happened much much before the climax.... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yhlkotw2QY

That is one of the best BGMs I've ever heard and I'll ever hear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO8O5qInUsk

Well, that's Mahendran's way of weaving the scene. I find it beautiful. Do you too?

Now, are you game for Kamal Haasan? :)

So, what's it this time?

There are a lot of things that I want to write about. I really feel like posting something rightaway. But...., the words are just not flowing all that well currently.... I'm possibly in the same sitaution that Kamal Haasan was in when he had been in the caves (Guna). Just that I'm not writing or trying to write a love letter now.... So, what do I do?!

Being the movie freak that I'm, I wouldn't possibly or realistically go to the extent of thinking beyond cinema when I want to "try to" make some interesting talk.... Or, at least for now....

So, I just thought I'd put up some of my favourite scenes from some of my favourite movies. Howzzat?! :)

Believe me! I can talk pretty well about movies and you may even find out I may never stop if I do start talking about movies....

If you ask me who my 3 favourite cine personalities are, I will have to say the first one is Ilaiyaraja. Then, I wouldn't really want to put the second and the third on 2 different levels.... I would give a combined second place to Rajini and Kamal.... :)

My first tribute is to Raja. He's got many evergreen songs to his credit. I am, of course, a great fan of all his songs. But, more than all these songs, what I admire about his music are his background compositions. The tunes that speak when the words don't....

Check out this scene from the movie Pithaamagan. Rajini and Kamal specials to follow this post! :) And, a lot of those Rajini and Kamal specials will happen to be Raja specials again. :)

The following scene does have some lyrics to the tunes later on, but the beginning is just absolute instrumental magic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6rBGJE-JA4

Catch you soon in the next post! :)

With a Lot of Things Said and a Lot More Unsaid....

With the blessings of the Almighty, I am now here to try my hands at yet something new - blogging! I once read somewhere that Anne Frank wrote mainly to express and not to impress! And, that's precisely what I'd be trying to do too.... Express! And, don't blame me if I end up impressing too as I go by! ;)

With the title of my very first blog, did I sound like John Keats when he said "Heard melodies are sweet! Those unheard are sweeter!"? Well...., I'm just yearning to talk more about more such lines - from the Miltons, from the Wordsworths, from the Frosts.... And, more about a lot more things.... The Kamal Hassan masterpieces, the Ilaiyaraja masterpieces, the Brian Lara master strokes, the Curtly Ambrose master bouncers and what not?!

Well, there's a lot more to come. So, just hang on....