PLIGHT OF SUDAN

I was so touched after coming across various news articles about the plight of sudan. So i just felt like jotting down few horrifying things that i came across.

Sudan's population is impoverished and has been victimised by almost 2 decades of civil war. Sudan is one of those 38 countries eligible for borrowing funds from other countries. It can be rather called as "Heavily indebted poor country".

The most amazing and as well as the sadest part is, Sudan is sitting on major oil reserves. These oil reserves are more than enough for the country to stabilize its economy. Obviously economic development will lead to peaceful life for those innocent citizens who are in need of all basic facilities - food, clothing and shelter.

The same oil production is bankrolling the Government's pursuit of Genocide against its own people. Sudan is one of those countries, where arms trafficking are highly prevalent. Arms trafficking in Sudan are only benefitting few and are an abuse to many.

Sudan also includes massive human right abuses like killing, rape and displacement of more than million civilians. Due to arms trafficking, Sudan is facing major economic crisis. Most of the Developed Countries around the world are involved in arms trafficking either directly or indirectly for getting the benefit of those oil reserves. To add fuel to the fire, the Genocidal campaign of the Sudanese (Muslim) government against native Muslims living in the newly-discovered oil field lands of Darfur has been actively pursued through government-assisted militias, primarily the Janjawid. Yet, the Government claims that it has got nothing to do with it and is totally uninvolved.

It is rather shameful to realise that the developed nations are involved for the sake of its benefit. Innocent civilians are being tested. Long term solutions to the problems would be disarmament, demobilisation of arms in conflict enriched countries. Effective conflict resolutions should be proccessed for countries like Sudan,Somalia and countries fallin on the same line.

Haaa….y need a nano car????


It was a Friday evening I was traveling back home from office. There is no need for elaborating the traffic scenario of Chennai. Everybody should be aware of it. There is a long signal on my way home. Its actually a junction linking all the major places in the city. Every wait is not less than 15 minutes.

I was traveling in a share auto and I was waiting in that signal. I was just peeping out of the window to notice a family occupying a Honda Activa bike. For a minute, I thought I was hallucinating…

I was shocked to see 3 adults and 2 kids on a bike. One adult in the age of group of 45 – 50. Other two were in late 20s. One kid below 2yrs and the other would have been hardly 5 yrs. (Why need a NANO car, when people have found ways to travel in a 2 wheeler frivolously like this?? ). I wanted to take a picture of it, but unfortunately my mobile cam is not that perfect for a zoom.

I was first aghast. The first question that came to my mind was “how did they manage to accommodate five people in a bike?” Infact it is quite an uneasy thing to accommodate 5 persons in a small segment car. Next question was “How could people do such a grave mistake?” Don’t they have any sense of responsibility? The road in which they travel is a marked accident-prone zone. Yet, they care a shit. Honda activa is a heavy bike, if rider loses balance thats it. I could see the rider was struggling to coup with the weight. He was trying hard to balance and I could see the crowds attention on him. I could see worried faces, but this man, he never bothered.

I was so bloody worried about their safety but the man riding the bike was merrily chatting with the other two. Irony was the traffic policeman was standing very close to them and did not penalize them. In a share auto, if the policeman tries to find out an extra passenger, he heavily fines them. Why the hell does he leave those who care a shit about road safety???I couldnt find an answer for this. Solution to curtail such stupid act is to enforce rules. Heavy penalty and proper enforcement can only prevent negligent idiots from making grave mistakes.

Budding Software Engineer

I was once out with my friends to the busy beach bessie. This meeting was organised almost after an year.

I have been to the beach a lot of times, but this day it was so special. I met a small kid selling Sundal and Muruku. It happened to be a saturday evening, the beach was busy,people hardly gave any heeds to this small boy. I could see agony encumbering him, but still found the determination in him.

I called for the small fellow. I asked him why he was selling sundal at this age instead of studying? He replied that he was studying in a government school and he sells sundal only on weekends. That sounded pretty interesting, because he dint waste his glorious childhood days selling sundal.He even added that his father is no more so his mom sells sundals on weekdays and he does it on weekends to make both ends meet.

I became even more curious and asked him about all his details. We also threatened him not to lie and said that we would surely cross verify. He gave us the entire details. The small boy kept talkin to us about his favourite subject.Infact we also questioned him to check the credibility and reliability of his information. He was perfect and upto the standard.

I really felt to happy for having met a kid like him. To much of my surprise, the boy said he would like to become a Software Engineer in future. I was seriously stunned to hear his ambition because there are people who still lacks the knowledge about the advent of Information Tech in the world. I was agaped when the small fellow dwelling in slum says he wants to become a software engineer, i, that moment felt"India is really Shinning".

Common Cold…………..GRRRRRRRRRR

This is winter…High possibility of being attacked by an irritating disease called Common Cold. I found that there is no bloody proper cure for Common Cold till date. I know the effect of it more because I often become the victim of it, irrespective of the weather and season. It has always been a nightmare.

Common cold worries me a lot because I suffer sleepless nights due to nose block. It’s a horrifying experience and you roam about the house, you will envy people at home in deep slumber. You must be terribly tired yet your nasal blockade will hold you from sleeping. Roam there, roam here, you wait for someone to wake up to see your plight. Give you a cup of horlicks. (There are few selfish people who wake up others if they don’t get to sleep properly). Bad day if they seldom notice your plight.

Now, you enter kitchen with the motive of finding something to drink. Your throat is dry and it is waiting to cough. U suppress with all might because if your parents happen to hear it, they will surely yell at you. For next couple of days, they will blame you for disturbing their sleep and dreams.

You look for pills like crocin in the night. Unfortunately, you would have disposed the old stocks and forgot to the buy the new stuff. The thought will just ring only during the frantic search and all your efforts go in vain. By the time, you manage to find a pill and get back to bed, you hear the cuckoos sing and crow’s kaaa…ya its dawn. That’s it cold just steals the entire normalcy out of your life.

“Prevention is better than Cure” is a beautiful proverb. Anyways who gives a damn to it? We would say to our self, oh!!!! Shouldn’t have done this, done that and stuff. In end you suffer. Of course I give a damn to it. Eat ice creams in winter and pay heavily to doctors. I dread if I start experiencing the symptom of catching cold.

From my knowledge and few things from paati’s ideas, I suggest few home remedies that are practical and very beneficial during cold. They have no side effects and are absolutely harmless. These remedies are feasible and do give you a good relief. I know a lot of people might know few remedies yet I would like to share a few.

1. If you have solid turmeric, (not turmeric powder and I guess most of house will have solid turmeric), heat the turmeric in the direct flame, inhale the fumes. They offer best solution to your nasal blockade. The fumes are bit irritating yet the give you good relief after sometime. This remedy is damn good effective for nasal blockade. I felt it reduced the density of phlegm and brought enormous relief to my nasal block.

2. If you are willing to color your hair with red, then here it goes a remedy that is best suited for removing excess water content that causes sinus and head ache. Mix kumkum (kungumum) and Vibhudi (thiruneer in pure tamizh) with hot water and make paste of it. Apply it on your forehead and a bit on your head. This gives to excellent relief. This is called the pathu in Tamil. One the greatest remedy suggested by our good old paatis.

3. Mix pepper powder with honey and consume it for curing sore throat and throat pain. Pepper is the best relief for sore throat and so is honey.

4. Ask your mother to mix turmeric powder and pepper powder in milk. Heat the milk and drink it by adding less sugar. This is a very good remedy and soothing relief to throat infections. Don’t often drink coffee and tea under the pretext that it will relieve the stress. Drinks with caffine is more detrimental to health during cold.

5. You can also eat clove, or eat a piece of onion to help controlling running nose and nasal blockade.

6. Drink ginger tea. Ginger controls spreading of cold. You can also boil ginger with milk and little pepper in it would give you a good relief.

7. There is a stinky remedy for your ear blocks… I know most of them would go deaf when we have severe cold. Just fry few and small pieces of garlic in little oil. Keep it in the entry point of your ears. It removes the block and improves hearing ability. Garlic consumption also helps to control sneeze. People sensitive to it may avoid. Have garlic rasam, its tasty and a good relief for cold.

8. Add few drops of lemon in hot water with a teaspoon of honey will reduce common cold. There is a double benefit. This will also help you reduce weight. For people who are following the strategies to reduce weight might opt for this remedy as well.

9. Apart from all this, Personal hygiene is very essential. Always wash your hands and keep them clean.

10. While bathing, mix few drops of Eucalyptus oil. Makes you feel very good.

The remedies are pretty simple and most of products suggested here would be surely available at home. I guess there is no need for a strong dosage of medicine, which are mildly soporific and puts you in good slumber, reducing your performance. If the above therapies don’t work out don’t blame me. All these have worked out for me pretty well.

There is no Universal cure for cold. These remedies just give you relief and sometimes prevent the attack. They don’t cure. Don’t hold me responsible if its not working out for you. It surely worked out for me.

P.S: Kind advise to people who suffer cold. Please don’t split the phlegm in a public place like roads, bus stops etc. Be educated and be civilized.

Taare Zameen Par

This is my first post for the New Year. I know all my topics in the blog were kinda senseless, but this one should sound a bit sensible.

I watched Taare Zameen Par on 31st December. I am not here to write the review of the movie. I generally wanted to share the special things in the movie that me go nostalgic. I could see my school days reflecting in the movie. Those home works, punishments and exams everything stood before me.

I have always been a great fan of Aamir Khan and his movies. If you had asked which is ur favorite movie of his, I would say Lagaan. But seriously speaking, Taare Zameen Par would top the list now. This movie is even better than Maniratnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal, still this is my opinion and they do differ.

I couldn’t control my emotions while watching the movie and I felt very sad when I walked out of the cinema hall. This was not only with respect to me, but there were so many people who had the same feeling. I guess most of them would have been nostalgic. I was with my friends; still I couldn’t shut my doors of emotion.

The movie was all about a kid suffering from Dyslexia, a disability to recognize letters and words and also read and write. This movie doesn’t sound like a directorial debut of Aamir. He has the touch of matured directors. From mother character, to showing a roadside dog, everything goes natural. Wow, the kid, at this age realizing the importance, essence and strength of its character acted so well.


The pain, the agony and abash the kid undergoes in the movie definitely makes any kind of a person to feel emotional. I just went back to those homework days, where I hardly touched my homework notebooks and kneeled down outside the class without slightest embarrassment(this was a part in the movie). (Fortunately I dint suffer from dyslexia).

After seeing the movie, there is no need for a person to refer google for knowing about Dyslexia, Aamir has covered every angle of it. (Anyways I have personally witnessed a kid suffering from it and I know how it feels to make it understand what things are. But the kid is exceptionally talented).

Waking up in the morning, talking a lazy bath and munching half breakfast, running for the bus, going to school and waiting to get punished for not doing homework. That is typically a school life. I could see those moments in the movie Taare Zameen Par. Awesome performance by every body in the movie.

There are lots of movies wherein you just watch, come out and forget. Taare Zameen par is one those few movies that will make you watch, think and finally never gets erased out of your mind. I loved every bit of it, every sense of it.

I really don’t want to spoil the essence of the movie by writing my version of it, people watch it yourself and I bet it will definitely take you to those days u spent in school without worries and responsibilities burdening your shoulders. I hope this movie goes from India to Oscars. I hope the jury nominating the movie is blind folded. I hope it takes a responsible decision by sending Taare..... .

This movie is strictly for not those, who watch masala movies directed by perarasu and other much-hyped directors in India. If directors like perarasu takes up this project, then the kid itself would speak punch dialogues in front of the camera, does stunt sequences and surely yes, mother sentiment finds its place. You can wonder why I have written only about perarasu, because he is one such director, who is pulling down the reputation of Tamil cinema by bringing out senseless commercial films, which just deviates the kids, rather than educating them. There are still few directors like him in the league. Anyways I am not here to depreciate their reputation, but to appreciate Aamir’s performance as a Director first and actor only next. Aamir is now in the list of “my favorite directors”. Find out yourself if he has the ability to find a place in your list.

We all will become aged one day

I witnessed a pathetic scene few days before in a crowded bus stop... An old lady was deserted by her relatives just because she is OLD...the scene left me shattered for days...



I couldnt resist myself when i saw a very old lady crying in the bus stop that she was being deserted by her relatives coz she is old. I could see the fear of being alone in her eyes. She could hardly walk properly. She must be 75 years old. Finally, when i wanted to complain to the local police station, a lady police present in the scene cajoled that old woman and took her along with her to the nearest station. Her lamentations are still ringing in my ears "My son left me here, my son left me here"



Why is it so bitter to keep elders after realising the fact that they can no more be a use to anyone?

Its happening with everybody. Leave educated, uneducated. Everybody is doing the same mistake.

Imagine our plight when we grow old? Despite of all earnings and savings, we will be left alone. If we dont follow the legacy of keeping our parents?how'll our kids do???

Isolation is the worst punishment given to an individual. Never allow it to happen in your case as well.

Welcome to the world of kuchi mittai and kuruvi rotis

Heard about it somewhere???kuchi mittais and kuruvi rotis???this post is all about that.

There are few things that i was crazy about when i was a kid.

TUBE Pepsi:
I wonder how many know about this divine…this amrit. This is definitely not manufactured by PEPSI Co. Colorful liquids (meaning varying flavours, hardly matters) available in tubes in two defined shapes and sizes. There are two varieties of tube Pepsi. One is the ice Pepsi and other one is the milk Pepsi. It gives you a heavenly feeling. Leave those beverages, this product puts you into great addiction.

You pay 50 Paise for the ice Pepsi, you get the small tube. 1 re for the large ones and largest cost you Rs.2/-. We never miss going to school for this one reason. We get tube Pepsi near our school. My gang was one reason for the shopkeeper to expand his shop. When there is an economic depression (particularly comes end of the month), we expect sponsors from affluent girls or settle down with one 50 Paise ice Pepsi. A person who drinks Paal Pepsi (milk pepsi) daily is considered the most affluent among the gang. There was girl named karthika I remember who drinks this Paal Pepsi almost everyday. So we keep loads and loads of ice on her to get sponsors (during month ends). Mostly our birthday treats are like getting Pepsi for all our close friends. Spend some ten bugs, they are content and so you are.

My strict advice for People with less immunity, never go for it. I tell them that you might end up suffering from diseases like Typhoid, Jaundice and other communicable diseases.

Best way to have Pepsi is to first make a small hole in the upper left corner of the Pepsi tube and starting extracting the contents slowly. That’s how you reach the doors of heaven. I drink it almost everyday. Never mind if I have cold, sinus, wheezing, I never tend to miss this divine. Such a pleasure in having tube Pepsi for just 50 Paise.

Most important of all is that our parents don’t know that we are having this divine everyday coz there are chances of us losing our pocket money of Re.1/day. Parents mostly prevent us from drinking this. Well I must ask them one thing, were they drinking milkshakes and fruit juices when they were young??? They would have been worse than this. Yet they do not allow us to drink. So we hold the Pepsi in kerchief and drink see that no one notices us. My mom is aware of it, yet I manage to get a Re/day by giving her fake reasons. Its worth all this effort.


KAMAR KATTU:
I saw these kamar kattu (stuff made out of jagery and groundnuts) in shops here neatly packed in a famous departmental store in Chennai. It took a long time for me to realize. Who needs all that? You spend some ten paise, get it from the local petty shop finish it before you reach home. There lies the thrill.

These stuffs are usually available in square shape placed in packet kept hanging in front of the shop to attract customers like me. Again there is a THADA for kamar kattu at home by elders because it is kept in open air and they say “No kutti(ya don’t mind) you are susceptible to infections”. My blood would boil if my parents talk about their childhood experience of getting money, i mean oru aana rendaana to buy these kamar kattus. But if you eat it, they are mad at you. Best thing is to hide it from them and eat it in their absence or finish it in the shop and go home as a goody girl (That is what I do most of the time, I sometimes go to the back yard of my house. there are times where I have been caught red handed by my sister. Anyways who cares???).


THAEN MITTAI: (the honey candy):
I proudly present the next product Thaen mittai. Yummyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Delicious. My mouth waters at the site of these candies. Again available in same packets hung outside the shops. The colors of these candies differ from dark yellow to dark orange. Price varies from Ten Paise to Twenty paise depending upon the size. They are round in shape, with mildly hard crust, very soft core and the mantle is filled with honey (mouth watering even now, Thaen mittai where are you??? I am coming). Very famous among kids. I once upon a time hated it to the core though I am a big fan of it now. I searched for Thaen mittai in lots of places, but couldn’t find anywhere. Kind attention to People reading my blog, you can take attempts to get me Thaen mittai.


WATCH MITTAI:
Watch mittai was a sensational hit because the candy resembled a wrist watch. For kids, who were denied even a balloon kaaran watch which costed about Rs.5/-, this is the best option. Watch mittai is very colorful, the centre of it resembles dial of wrist watch. It has two strings attached to either side so if you are not really interested in eating the candy, you can tie it in Ur hand like watch.

Watch mittai is the costliest mittai available among the group. Costed about 1Re and 50 paise (that’s equivalent to 3 coffee bites, 3 caramilk chocolates). Watch mittai is made of sugar and nothing but sugar. Highly demanding during Thiruvizhaas. Because every kid aspires to get this somehow and show uttufy infront of other kids.

You should be very careful with watch mittai. If you happen to go in sun with this watch mittai tied in your hand, then the sugar starts to melt giving an itchy-pitchy feeling on your skin or sometimes negligence can lead you to become a victim of ant bites.

No exception to watch mittais as well. Again banned at home but we somehow cajole mom by saying “Amma come on, am just goin to tie it in my hand for sometime and throw it.” When Amma goes other side, only string of the mittai remains and you burp with a naughty look on your face.


WHITE&PINK KUCHI MITTAI:
I bet nothing can beat the taste of this white and pink kuchi mittai. Again an indigenous variety available in packets hung in the shop. What a taste it has? Spend ten paise it can leave you speechless for sometime. You will get engrossed in its taste. Again a banned variety because, parents feel covered lollypops makes sense… Who cares??? White and pink kuchi mittai was another reason apart from tube pepsi for ruining my kajaana. (for ignorant people this kajaana is nothing but a small box consisting of coins ranging from 5 paise to 1 Re obtained by singing in various houses during navarathiri, varalakshmi nombu etc).


BALLI MITTAI:
Origin of the name: Lizard’s eggs, coz they resemble the size and shape of lizard’s egg. What an innovation?? Balli mittai are the most economical mittais... 2 for 5 paise I guess. That’s the standard measure. Balli mittai are simple sugar candies... Dint impress me much coz I always had a nasty feeling about it due to its shape and size resembling a lizard’s egg.


ELANTHA PODI:
This innovative invention created a wave of happiness among my friends. I endorsed this to all and they became immediate fans. Elantha podi available in small packets…stuck to paper pads, neatly packed. This is the only product which was allowed at home. 20 paise/packet. So bloody tasty. They make you addicts. Not advisable beyond 5 packets (Evlo kammi pa) a day because they generate a lot of heat in your body. Believe me to get this packet, I have to walk to that shop for about 20 min. I had determination to eat atleast 5 packets a day and that let me to the destination.

These were the things that brought priceless happiness in me without much price. Now, I earn a lot of money visit coffee pubs. Order a coffee for 50 bugs, pay 100 bucks for a sandwich. Load it and leave. What happiness do I ultimately get from all this??? We have money but we seldom enjoy our food. Those days, we had time but not enough money to buy whatever we needed, yet we were extremely happy with what we had. I know dough nuts and chocolate fantasy are tasty but nothing can beat the satisfaction kamar kattus and kuchi mittais gave me. I know sweet lime soda and milk shakes are delicious but nothing can quench my thirst like the tube pepsi. I cherish those moments in life where I found happiness in anything and everything. Priceless moments, priceless memories