Why not?

A real life ‘Swades’

2009-10-03T22:39:00.001-07:00

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/10/02/world/1247464964431/a-somali-american-s-improbable-return.html?ref=africa

Diamond trade in Zimbabwe in possible violation of Kimberly process

2009-10-03T06:40:00.001-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/world/africa/08zimbabwe.html?_r=1

Blood diamonds – Part 2

2009-10-03T06:23:00.001-07:00

Source: http://www.diamondfacts.org/index-2.html

It is shocking to realize that many of us complain of the various comforts that we enjoy in our countries, when there are horrendous atrocities being committed in several countries.

Many of the countries that were regularized under the recent Kimberly process were under civil wars until very recently. (Check out http://www.diamondfacts.org/conflict/background.html for more details). Just thinking of the suffering that the people of these countries endured in the last decade makes one’s stomach squirm. Thankfully, most of these countries are finally on a positive path of development.

One of the countries where the civil war still continues is Ivory Coast.

http://www.diamondfacts.org/conflict/background.html#ivory

Ivory Coast is still under a UN Security Council Resolution prohibiting the import/export of diamonds.

Blood diamonds – Part 1

2009-08-09T03:37:00.000-07:00

Blood diamonds get their name from the fact that they are used to fund military action in opposition to legitimate governments.

This is a fantastic site to get up to date on the fight against blood diamonds.

http://www.diamondfacts.org/index-2.html

I pretty much owe all the information in this blog to the data at the link above.

Today, over 99% of the world’s supply of diamonds is from sources free of conflict thanks to the Kimberly Process Certification System.

The movie Blood Diamond is a fantastic one to understand the implications of the trade in conflict diamonds.

Ever wondered how a DVD player works?

2009-07-26T02:05:00.000-07:00

The DVD player (or the CD player on my computer) forms a central part of my life nowadays considering that I watch 3-4 movies atleast every week.

Took a bit of time to understand how it actually works. Here's a wonderful link that explains it:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dvd6.htm

Some interesting points of note were:

Data is stored in a spiral format - not in concentric circles
As the radial head moves towards the outer of the disc, the rotation of the disc slows down to match the increase in tangential velocity of the data in the spiral tracks.

Custom workflow creation/deployment in Sharepoint Server 2007 64-bit

2009-05-31T00:10:00.000-07:00

This article provides references and tips on how to create and deploy a custom workflow on Sharepoint Server 2007 64-bit using Visual Studio 2008.

The main article that I used as reference was this. This explains how to do the same on Visual Studio 2005.
http://www.documentmanagementworkflowinfo.com/workflow/how-to-create-custom-visual-studio-2005-workflows-wss-3-office-sharepoint-server-2007.htm

I will only list the differences from the steps in the link above in this blog post.

The "Sequential Worflow" project template in Visual Studio crashes when run against 64-bit Sharepoint Server (https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=407711&wa=wsignin1.0). As a result, we use the "Sequential Workflow Library" project template which works fine. Infact, all the steps in the Visual studio 2005 link on this page actually use the "Sequential Workflow Library" project template.
There were a lot of changes particularly in the deployment of the workflow on the server as mentioned in this link http://www.documentmanagementworkflowinfo.com/workflow/how-to-manually-deploy-visual-studio-2005-workflow-sharepoint.htm. First observation is that the workflow.xml and feature.xml files are not created automatically in the Visual Studio project. In my case, I had to manually create the files and add them to the project. The contents of the files are similar to those given in the link above. Ensure that you replace the GUID values (any random GUID works - I took the project GUID from the csproj files for my workflow project), the workflow project name, the workflow assembly name and the public key appropriately in both the xml files. The final issue that was that I could not find any install.bat file that the link mentions. Hence, I manually located the spsadm.exe file at C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\BIN (you should be able to find it at a similar path) and ran the commands mentioned in the link to install and activate the workflow.

Love this ad from MS

2009-02-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

<a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=533e05d2-9f12-4a86-bdda-efd0455fcd36" target="_new" title="Kylie">Video: Kylie</a>

Inspiration for every day

2008-12-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

Oram Po - a light hearted treat

2008-11-21T23:47:00.000-08:00

Got to watch this tamil movie yesterday night with a couple of friends. Totally agree with The Hindu review of the film here.

http://www.hindu.com/cp/2007/12/07/stories/2007120750030200.htm

Definitely a fun filled package for hard-core chennai lovers :)

Awesome. Someone to really look upto

2008-11-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

http://origin.barackobama.com/tv/

Software that makes my day

2008-10-25T06:40:00.001-07:00

As a software engineer for the past 4-5 years, computers have been my best friends. I just felt like listing the software/web-applications that really make my life everyday.

If you are a newbie to the world of computers and are looking for a very handy toolset to start off with, u will find the list below useful.

Feel free to pour out your suggestions on as well in the comments.

Here goes my list

Operating system - I should say that I am still in love with Windows XP SP2/3. This rock solid OS is really the best one around today as well. I do own a Mac running 'Leopard' as well but I guess XP is the one I would suggest for general users. I haven't upgraded to Vista yet. Hence, I can't really comment much on it. But from my talks with friends who have Vista, Vista does a neat job as well - so either XP or Vista should be good. For a web or open-source developer, Mac OS X would be my suggestion because of its fantastic support for such development. Or if you wanna go for open-source, Ubuntu is my choice (http://www.ubuntu.com/). It's one of those Linux distributions that is a breeze to install and also work with on a day-to-day basis with a really powerful package management tool that just pulverises the issues with dependency management of packages. Common tasks like connecting with networks and installing hardware drivers are also made easier in this version.
Email - Gmail ( http://mail.google.com) is the one that I prefer over all other alternatives today. It really neat, professional and responsive interface and the godly 'thread' feature just blows away other competitors.
Media - Video - VLC player ( http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ ) is the winner here. Extremely light. Very easy keyboard shortcuts and support for almost every format make it the first choice.
Media - Audio - I do not use an audio player on the PC often since I have an iPod. I must say that I haven't found a really good PC audio player so far. Please let me know if you fell in love with any.
Office productivity - MS Office 2007 with its Ribbon interface ranks top-notch here.
Messenger - Gtalk is what I use almost all the time. Really light interface. For other protocols, Pidgin (http://www.pidgin.im/) is pretty neat. It enables one to have all the umpteen protocols under one light application - ICQ, MSN, Yahoo and Gtalk. For a Mac, Adium X is just one beautiful piece of software. (http://www.adiumx.com/)
Web Browser - Firefox is my favorite on a PC. Safari/Camino on a Mac are good ones.
Search - The search bar (Google search engine behind) in Firefox works like a charm here with auto-complete suggestions and obviously high on relevance.
Editor (mainly for developers) - Vim is my favorite here where it be PC or Mac.
Blogging - You obviously know this! Blogger of course. (http://www.blogger.com) But I guess there are quite a few alternatives that are good as well like LiveJournal. Not sure about the paid (value-added) services available around though.
RSS feeds - Google reader is pretty neat here. (http://reader.google.com)
Social networking - Wow, how could I forget this. As of today, Facebook with its re-designed interface with plentiful AJAX support ranks #1 (http://www.facebook.com)
Professional networking - Linked-in is a gem of a service in this space. True to its purpose is what I would say about this service. (http://www.linkedin.com/)
Photo management - Picasa is the best one I've seen so far in this space (http://picasa.google.com/)

There are quite a few more areas where I still do not have enough information to suggest a software/service on like - maps, news feeds etc. Hope to add them later on here.

HP touchsmart PC

2008-10-25T05:29:00.000-07:00

Watch the second video from the list especially. Awesome!

Corrs - Joy of Life

2008-10-25T05:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Anand (http://anandps.blogspot.com/) for introducing me to this.

'Tum Ho To' from Rock On - Don't miss it

2008-10-09T03:23:00.000-07:00

Awesome talk on design

2008-10-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="432" height="285" id="VE_Player"

align="middle">

I love this world!

2008-08-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Discovery for showing how I feel about this planet! :)

Another very different piece I found at YouTube

2008-08-17T05:35:00.000-07:00

The first scene is kinda pretty shocking but it sets the pace for the rest of the movie.

More about this film:
http://www.robmeyerfilms.com/aquarium/home.html

Flex'ing my muscles a bit ;)

2008-08-17T02:17:00.000-07:00

Hey people,

This weekend was dedicated a bit to learning about Flex - the programming model to the flash runtime environment exposed by Adobe. This is a great step towards bringing on the not-so-artistic guys into programming Flash apps. Did I say "programming" flash apps? Yup, ppl. It's true that Action script has been around in Flash for some time but the Adobe Flash interface with umpteen features used to scare me off at my earlier attempts ;).

I got really interested when I saw one of the applications that Adobe had built using Flex.
https://buzzword.acrobat.com/ (screenshot above)

I must say that this was one of the most beautiful calligraphy I have seen in a rendering engine inside a browser. It was smooth and flowed beautifully. Loved it!

Flex was refreshing! Got my first AJAX driven app running within about 1/2 hour of installing Flex. Awesome! It just involved a few "good old" :) xml files in the vim editor and a batch script to compile the same.

For beginners, the "Getting Started" app is a great way to learn the ropes - http://learn.adobe.com/wiki/display/Flex/Getting+Started

There is one small setting change which I had to do to get my .swf running. Basically, for security reasons, the Flash Player does not allow random swfs (ones that you dont trust) to access the Internet. The following links help one to configure the flash player to trust the .swf files that you want.

Happyness

2008-08-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

Come long weekends and it's time for introspection.

This time it's been -
"what does it take to be 'happy' at the end of every day?"

Several coke bottles and walks later, it's down to 3 simple things - nothing else - just these 3.

Learn to let go
Be true to yourself
As Nike puts it,"Just do it"

Let me go ahead and elucidate the 3 principles:

Learn to let go

Learn to pull yourself out from stuff that normally have a tendency to make you focus on stuff that does not really matter. For example, "Work" is from 10 to 6 (9 to 5 is kinda tough for the new gen ;) ). Just learn to pull yourself out from it at 6. That is the single most important thing which will spell magic for other things.

Be true to yourself

This one's simple. This is how it goes: Never try to cheat yourself into believing something that you truly don't. If you are afraid of something, agree with yourself that you are. You will then find ways to overcome it.

As Nike puts it, "Just do it"

When you feel like doing something, just go ahead and do it. Whether it is go forward and tell someone you love that you like him/her (or) it is to tell your boss that your current workload is high. Whatever be it, big or small, just do it. Don't bother about the results of these actions. The fact that you did what you wanted to will give you the satisfaction and happ'y'ness you desire.

This post tries to list out 3 very simple rules that I have set about for myself. Am a person who tests out a variety of principles and loves to understand the changes and the impact they have in my life. These 3 are the culmination of nearly 5 years of trying to understand what satisfies oneself. Hope these are useful to you as well.

Signing off,
Hemanth

Beautiful piece of filming

2008-08-16T05:18:00.000-07:00

This one brought my interests in film-making back!

Online advertising

2008-08-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Have started exploring a bit around the online advertising industry lately. Being a developer on the AdCenter team in Microsoft, thought I would start understanding the industry that we serve. Over the coming months, I plan to jot down my learnings about this industry on my blog here. Let's get started.

--------

Have always been searching for a good primer on "Online Advertising". This was one really nice set of articles that I found on the topic.

http://www.liesdamnedlies.com/online_advertising_business_101.html

Every article on online advertising talk about quite a few acronyms like CPC, CPA. Wikipedia had a neat definition of the most common ones. Archiving a link to it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_advertising#Purchasing_variations

This post by Scott Howe (VP and General Manager, Advertiser & Publisher Solutions Group (APS), Microsoft) is a real good one for those looking to understand how to understand and use ad networks to much better benefit.

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/6915.asp

Movable type installation on Mac OS X Leopard

2008-07-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

This is kinda a follow up on the previous article. Tried my hand at setting Movable type up at my home as well on my Mac. (running Leopard).

The set of instructions for windows pretty much worked except for a few changes again. Have archived those pointers for reference.

1) There are no perl addons as such available with Xampp for mac os x. But, the xampp installation itself has perl with some basic modules packaged in it.

2) Also, the developer package for xampp also had to be download for building some of the required perl modules (download location - http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-macosx.html#849)

3) The mysql installation included in xampp is configured to expect the include files at /xamppfiles/include. So I just copied the include folder from the developer package to that folder. (Copying the entire developer package for some reason messed up my xampp setup - that is why I had to selectively copy)

4) The DBD::mysql perl module has to be installed on the perl installation used by Movable Type.. Movable Type on my machine was using the base perl installation from my Mac (at /usr/bin/perl) as against the perl installation on xampp (this can be confirmed from the data that is dumped at http://localhost/cgi-bin/mt-check.cgi

Confirm the perl installation you are installing the modules to is the same as the one used by Movable type. Here are the steps to install the mysql perl module.

Type
> perl -MCPAN -e shell
Choose 'yes' for automatic CPAN configuration if this is the first time. Automatic configuration worked fine for me.

Now in the CPAN shell, type
> install Bundle::DBD::mysql

That downloads and installs the correct versions of the perl module and its dependencies from the internet.

Once that is done, just ensure that the DBD::mysql module shows up as installed at http://localhost/cgi-bin/mt-check.cgi If yes, then proceed with the Movable type installation.

Movable type installation on windows

2008-07-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

Have been meddling around with a blog management software (Movable Type) for the past few weeks. Finally got it running on my windows box after quite a bit of struggle. The problem was in finding the right set of tools/instructions to get it up.

Finally found a good set of instructions at this site http://emptybottle.org/glass/2007/08/installing_movable_type_4_on_xampp.php

I have archived some pointers against the above instructions for reference.

Here they are:

1) The latest version of XAMPP has some issues with the perl addon. When the Movable type installation is started, perl (5.10) crashes with a dll not found error. Had to revert to an older version of XAMPP which was compatible with Perl 5.8 (I used 1.6.0) (Download location - http://sourceforge.net/projects/xampp)

2) Download location for the perl addon (I used 5.8) - http://sourceforge.net/projects/xampp . Choose download -> browse all files -> windows add-ons)

3) Go to http://localhost/security/xamppsecurity.php and setup a password for your MySql database in the Xampp installation .

4) Then go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ . Login as root with the password you specified in the previous step. Go inside and create a new database .

5) mt-config.cgi that I used:
CGIPath http://localhost/cgi-bin/mt/
StaticWebPath http://localhost/mt-static
##### MYSQL #####
ObjectDriver DBI::mysql
Database [database name from point 4]
DBUser root
DBPassword [database password from point 3]
DBHost localhost

Smiles that make your day!

2008-06-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

Could be that I have been experiencing this daily all through my life but been oblivious to it for so long; but, better late than never as they put it.

Was really wondering about people in India. We probably expect the well educated to be ones cultured and polite mannered. But just as an observation, from my brief journey from home to office - which involves a walk from my house to the auto-stand, a brief 5 min auto-ride and then a short walk from the office gate to my cubicle - guess who were the most-cultured, friendly and respectful people I met?

No chocolates for the correct guess :). It was the watchman, the auto-walahs and the office boys. Most of them had nothing to gain from giving a broad wide smile to me as I passed along but they did. Every one of them .. a wavy good morning from the watchman, a jolly hello from the auto-walah and a well-mannered and warm greeting from the waiter at the idli counter at office ...
in fact, just so happened that at a blind corner in the office, I met kinda head along with an office boy. We just missed butting into each other. The office boy was really hysterical and kept continuously blurting out, "sorry, sorry sir .. really sorry". I was surprised. It was in no way any fault of his. I had to really pat him on the back and tell him "kya bhaiyya, kiske liye sorry? " [since am not "yet" aware of the local tongue here .. my broken hindi "what brother! sorry for what? " is the best way to communicate around] athough I have "received a bulb" several times (this phrase in chennai college tamil means "to be embarrassed in a silly fashion") from the office boy who might reply my native tongue (tamil that is) ;)

Many a times, the people whom we kinda take for granted in our lives are probably those who add the most value to it. Am sure every one of those warm hearted smiles did a lot of make life a great one for me today and every other day.

Flight of a lifetime

2008-05-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

This article was written on request by my cousin Deepa (who just finished her 10th grade) about her observations on her first flight experience. I was just amazed by the maturity in her thinking. Wanted to share it with all of you. Here it goes :

FLIGHT OF A LIFETIME

A journey by air is an enriching experience. There are numerous instances of parallelism between a plane journey and the journey of life in general and of a career in particular. Every physical aspect of the plane journey brings to light a deeper, symbolic aspect of life.

First the plane moves slowly over the ground until it reaches the clear runway. At this point, it neither sees nor is seen by the world. Similarly, the beginning of a venture does not show us the destination in its true colours. We must not lose heart and move forward patiently.

At the right time, the plane gathers speed and takes off. In the same way, anyone who perseveres eventually takes off in life. While taking off, the noise made by the engine increases and the plane is inclined at an angle,causing discomfort to the passengers. A drop in atmospheric pressure may also cause ear-ache. All these stand for the trials and tribulations everyone must face, in one way or the other, on the way to the top. Moreover, the horizon disappears into a haze. Likewise, There is no clear demarcation between low and high, Between failure and success. A lot depends on people's perception.

Once the plane reaches its optimum height, the going becomes smoother. Similarly, on reaching the optimum height in life, the hurdles appear to lessen and a sort of uniformity sets in. However, along with the pleasures of success, the risks of failure are also proportionately magnified, just as the impact of a fall becomes more profound as we scale greater heights in a plane. One of the perks of being a celebrity! Also, the skies pose their share of obstacles in the form of clouds, gales or other weather-associated hazards. Likewise, there will be minor hitches in every success story. The heights of fame and success breed negative emotions like envy and even hatred. Controversies are a part and parcel of the lives of celebrities. It is imperative to remember that like the clouds, all rough patches in life shall come to pass.

Another binding factor between a flight and life is our perception of it's speed. While looking down from above, the world seems to crawl at a snail's pace, whereas in reality, the plane is whizzing by at a phenomenal speed. In the same way, while the successful phase of life is on, it appears as though the phase stretches on infinitely before us, but in fact, it is short -lived.

Finally comes the destination. Before the plane takes off, all that is known about the destination is what is heard or seen virtually. In the same way, we cannot have a real picture of our destination at the start of the journey. Once at the top the wide world is spread before our eyes. But the higher we go, the less detail is visible. It is important to have gathered sufficient knowledge beforehand to be able to recognise the destination with the minimal features visible from above in order to guide the plane or ourselves safaly to it.

Further, a plane journey reminds us that we eventually have to land. Just like taking off, landing will be a rough patch too. It will be especially difficult to come back to the ground for good after experiencing the splendour and exhilaration of heights, which would have taken us to new heights as a person. The summit within lies in accepting this basic principle of human nature - transcience. With this maturity, we can keep the landing too gradual and smooth and return to our roots with grace.

Perhaps the most relevant point of parallelism between a journey by plane and life is the risk involved. It cannot be otherwise. Like alternative landing sites for planes, we too need to keep alternative options in life so that if things come crashing down, we still have straws to clutch on to. Just as a plane journey is controlled by a control panel, so too is our life by the divine power, whom we call God. As passengers need to have faith on the control panel, we too need to have faith on God to successfully go through the journey of life. Where there is faith there is no fear.

In addition, passengers need to be aware of safety measures to respond effectively in case of any untoward situation. The more the passengers are in touch with the control panel, the more safe and secure they will feel. Likewise, we need to keep in touch with God for a sense of security and well-being.

The following quotation would be an appropriate conclusion:

"Success is a journey, not a destination."

Ramblings of an idle mind

2008-04-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

Came home early today; feels like I have a lifetime ahead to make a place in the history of this world. Wondering what that would take. What would basically shape the future of mankind in the next century?

Two streams of thought/action seem to be vitally important:

Artificial Intelligence vs. Genetics &
Social Entrepreneurship

You might wonder why on earth did I pick these two from all that I could chose from. Where did - Media, Information, Global warming, the Web x.x, the threat of nuclear wars, human rights violations, health hazards all go?

Confused me as well in the first place. But then, I realized that the above two might pretty much capture the future of the world for many centuries to come.

Let's take Artificial Intelligence(A.I.) vs. Genetics first. Today, the advancement of the human race in terms of technology is actually fast forwarding the evolution of a new consciousness. A consciousness that might outlast mankind itself.

Set's us thinking - by the unified theory - was the human race eventually designed to be replaced by a consciousness that did not suffer the same deficiencies as us? Our weaknesses against diseases, against hunger, against age might eventually prove very costly. I guess you might have an inkling of understanding on where Genetics comes into the picture. Genetics is the solution that the 'civilized' world is looking at for all the problems that are listed above. Putting a 'stopper on death' is probably the catch-word here.

The coming years will define which of the two fields survives.

Ah .. time for the second one, Social Entrepreneurship (let's call it S.E.E from now on).. here we go ..

Today's the world's focus seems to be on comfort at one's finger tips - the explosion of ideas and companies centered around taking advantage of the pandora's box opened by the Web.

But what we are missing here is that - all this seems to be centered at less than 1/6th of the world's population - the same part that is already well to do in terms of basic necessities - in fact, the same part already has enough beyond the basic necessities. And yet, the focus is on keeping them busy "consuming". 'Consumer' is the name of the game here.

The need of the hour is the birth of Social Entrepreneurs (let's call them S.E.E.R.S ;) ) who enlighten the world as to the grave situation and re-align their thinking on what's important. These are the people, the messiahs that the world needs today. People who really care.

Huh! .. Just woke up, was really surprised to see what I had written above ;) .. Anyways, am really hungry now and want to watch a movie ..

What's the website for Pizza hut? ;)

A stroll in the park

2008-04-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

A busy day at office,
Umpteen thoughts in my mind,
Struggling to make meaning;
Walk did I off my apartment,
Leaving them all behind.
Realize did I not until encircled,
By a bed of daisies shivering in the breeze.

Generous had been, the evening shower,
To sprinkle a thousand diamonds around,
Busy bees on their final stop,
Chipmunks tussling over the fallen fruit;
Life's slow in these wonderful moments,
Blessed are they who pause to take a breath.

Gazing at that wondrous spectacle,
Realization peeked into my senses,
Life's a puzzle,
Put together by a multitude of tiny moments,
Race do we through them,
Savoring not them, which matter so much.

The walk back to my apartment,
The transformation from barks to bricks,
Opening my door, landing in my couch,
Pausing for a few moments to meditate,
It all happened then.

A soft touch on my face,
A wet lick on my toe,
Opened my eyes to those beautiful round eyes,
Of an expectant three year old,
His buddy, a lab pup, mirrored the same feeling from
down below.
Leaning back to see the lady of my heart smiling,
By the kitchen door,
The decision was made.
Your heart's desire is right here in front of you;
Just heed its calling.

The Beach

2008-04-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

She stood alone on the beach,
Listening to the hush of the breeze over the waves,
Feeling the gentle flow of the waves over her ankles,
Savoring the ozone filled atmosphere,
Her mind in resonance with the Universe,
Listening intently to her heart's beat,
The rhythm that hath never ceased to sing,
The promise that it held within.

He looked at her,
An angelic silhouette against the golden sky,
A tribute to a promise never broken,
Memories rushing back to the years,
To the moments, so joyously spent,
Never to be forgotten,
A relationship forever carved in stone.

A gush of breeze,
Blows the flowing curls of her hair over her face,
Was it instinct that made her turn or was it the connect,
Eyes meet, history relived in moments,
Then, barriers break, she falls into his arms,
Support so badly longed for,
Rivers of joy abound,
Locked in arms,
Into the mist they walk away,
Their shadows merging into one.

Bangalore and me, scripted ;)

2008-04-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Here is my first attempt at a script. Infact, my friend Sai co-authored it as well.

This was written quite long ago. Wanted to share this one with all of you. (Note: this is written in the traditional script format)

OFFICE, MORNING 11 A.M.

Start off with the sound of coffee coming from the coffee machine.
Sai walks from the pantry to his desk. Receives a phone call
then.

SAI
Hello ma!

SAI'S MOTHER
Hello Sai, where are you?

SAI
At office only ma. Tell me ..
what is it?

SAI'S MOTHER
Are you free for a few minutes? I
have something important to ask
you.

SAI
Umm .. important? .. go on ..

SAI'S MOTHER
What time are you planning to come
home today?

SAI
As usual .. around 9 .. why?

SAI'S MOTHER
Well .. one of your father's close
friends and his family are coming
home this evening ... it would be
great if you are here ...

SAI
Oh ... ma ... you know that I don't
like these get-togethers .. why
can't you and Appa handle this? why
should I be there?

SAI'S MOTHER
Sai .. actually .. they are coming
to see you ..

SAI
See me? What for? ... Ma! don't
tell me that they are coming for ..

SAI'S MOTHER
Well, they are .. And why should
they not? You are 27 now and your
father and I are getting old ...

SAI
What?!!$$ I need to get married
because you are getting old ...[Sai
almost shouts]

Everybody turns and looks around. A bit embarrassed, Sai continues
in hushed tones, moves into a conference room and closes the
door.

SAI
Ma, please ... You know I told you
that I dont like this arranged
marriage stuff ..

SAI'S MOTHER
Sai! I know that ... but you can't
keep us waiting indefinitely ... I
won't say anything if you can find
a girl fast ...

SAI
Ma! Girls can't be found like
fruits on trees ... I need more time ..
Just a sec, ma

From outside, some of Sai's colleagues are making faces at
him. Sai's gestures to them that he will kick them when he
is out of the room.

SAI
Right ma, continue ..

SAI'S MOTHER
Ok .. but atleast just come home
today .. if you dont like the girl
or you say no, it is fine .. but
just come home na, please ..

SAI
Umm ... okie .. but I warn you if
you start more stuff like this ...

SAI'S MOTHER
Okie okie .. sure .. we won't ..
okie kanna, see you in the evening
.. bye

SAI
Bye!! (reluctantly)

Sai cancels the call and walks upto his desk (quite irked up)
and sits down. His colleague Karthik comes up to him.

KARTHIK
Hi Sai, enna da? .. Girl hunting at
home?

SAI
Enna nakkala? Naanae kaduppulae
irrukkuraen .. nee vaerae ..

KARTHIK
Hey, what's the problem? .. You
don't want to see her? .. Just say no afterwards,
na?

SAI
Yeah, I can ... but the problem is
.. why to unnecessarily see someone
when you know the answer is a 'no'
.. it is a bit hard on the girl na?

KARTHIK
Oh .. umm .. yeah .. I hadn't
thought of that .. ummm .. no problem, da
... tell the girl the real reason
.. I guess she'll understand ...

SAI
tell her? [Sai swallows a bit] let's see¬†
.. let's see ..

REST OF THE DAY

Sai is shown to be restless at his desk the whole day.
Seeing the clock. Staring at his desk with hands on his
head. Trying to meditate in the conference room.

SAI'S MANAGER
(Talking something official ..
Sai in a dreamland) .. What do
you say Sai?

SAI
(Jolted out of his
pre-occupation) eh ... err ..
yeah?

SAI'S MANAGER
Enna Sai, thinking of your girl now
itself (with a twinkle in his eye)

Sai throws a frown at Karthik who smiles. Sai gestures to give
him a beating later.

SAI'S MANAGER
(Continuing to smile) guys,
let's not bother Sai today ..
let him dance around with his
dream girl

Everybody laughs ..

EVENING 6 P.M.

Sai comes out of office looking 10 years older. Tense, his eyes
searching for any auto rickshaw he could hire.

It seemed that everyone on earth had decided to take an auto today,
and none passed without a passenger in them.

Then, finally an auto comes by. Sai blurts out the locality
of his destination. The words seemed to put a shock in the
auto driver, and he nodded and then sped away without a word.

A few more auto wallahs like that.

Then, Sai, in a tantrum, now. Does some antics in the middle of
the road to stop some auto rickshaws which speed by empty!!

Another one seemed to approach, but stopped just short of Sai.
A middle aged man boarded it, and with an air of triumph,
commanded his destination. But for the man, this ride could
have been Sai's. A rush of anger sprang over Sai's spine.

Another auto came by. A good looking (rather head turning ;)) maiden in front of him had
also signalled it to a halt. The driver naturally :) stopped
before her, and she told him her destination. Even before
the driver could react, Sai jumped into the picture and
spoke.

SAI
East End Circle ... One and a half
.... ok?

AUTO WALLAH
[looking at Sai and smiling] ok sir
.. get in .. sorry madam (he told
the girl)

Sai threw a gesture of triumph at the girl. The girl stood stunned.
The auto moves by.

AT SAI'S HOME 6.30 P.M.

Sai's parents and two more people are talking in the house. The
bell rings. Sai's mother goes to open the door. It is Sai.

SAI'S MOTHER
Sai! .. appada .. I thought you had
forgotten about the get-together
... come in

Sai walks in. Meets the girl's parents.

SAI
Hello uncle .. Hello aunty ..

GIRL'S FATHER
Hello Sai .. good to see you .. you
must have had a busy day at office.
Go and freshen up and then you can
join us.

SAI'S MOTHER
Yes .. sure ... by the by, it seems
Kruthika is also late. ..

Sai seems a bit muddled at the name. He looks at his mother.

SAI'S MOTHER
Oh .. You have never meet Vijay
Uncle's daughter na? .. Kruthika is
a software engineer like you too ..
she is also coming here directly
from her office .. she will be here
anytime

Sai goes in to freshen up. Joins the discussion and after some time, the bell rings.
Sai goes to open the door.

FIRST(RATHER SECOND) MEETING

Sai is lost in confusion to see the girl he left behind in the
auto rickshaw standing before him. Had she tracked him down?
He swallowed.

The girl seemed to be extremely stunned as well.

Sai looked at the girl in confusion.

SAI
Eh?

KRUTHIKA
I'm ... Kruthika

SAI
Oh .. yeah .. come in

Sai turns his back to her and walks towards his parents. His face gives a
distraught expression that kinda indicated the flow he expected the discussion to take.

SAI
Mom, Dad .. Kruthika vandhurukkaa

SAI'S DAD
Hi Kruthika, come sit down.

Uneasy silence for a while as nobody is ready to talk.

KRUTHIKA'S FATHER
Enna Sai, ivalo naeramma ottawai
irundha nee ... ippo endha paechu
kaanom? Kruthika'va paarthu
bayapadathey

SAI
Adhellaam edhuvum illae uncle ..
[looking uneasily at Kruthika]

SAI'S MOTHER
Why don't you guys talk and get to
know each other a little?

SAI
Hi [Sitting in the same place
.. a little shy but not very
impressive...]

KRUTHIKA
Hi[very unwilling one... almost a
very uncomfortable one]

SAI'S MOTHER
Eh .. Sai, Why don't you take
Kruthika to your room, you guys could
be more free there instead of in
front of us all

SAI
seri ma [rising and looking at the
girl as if asking why don't we go]

[Sai and Kruthika walk away, Sai muttering pochuda to
himself]

SAI'S ROOM

As Sai is shutting the door of his room, Kruthika's irked up face
remains unchanged.

KRUTHIKA
Are you sure you want to do this?

SAI
Yes... No (like a confused dolt)

KRUTHIKA
(with a troubled expression on her
face) Huh?

SAI
As in, I am sure - Yes (moving face
in vertical moves), that I don't
want to do this - No... (nodding
sideways)

KRUTHIKA
(ready to head out) Then let's just
tell them...

SAI
Hey no! I mean, it would be better
if we remain here for some time,
say 10 minutes and then go out...

KRUTHIKA
10 mins!??

SAI
Oh, 5 minutes, then? please ..
eh.. it would better that way
because our folks would think we
did talk and you could go home and
tell them that you didn't like me
and I'll tell my parents that I didn't
like you too. Much more smoother
than the trouble if we head out now..

KRUTHIKA
(Looking at his eyes, twisting her
lips as if considering unwillingly)...
Ok, but what the hell do we do for
10 mins? Stand like this and stare
at each other's faces?

SAI
(trying to give a smile)... no we
could just sit somewhere.. you can
read some magazines over there.
(pointing). I'll probably sit
somewhere here (pointing at other
end) and do something else.

Kruthika, looking not very impressed, gives a troubled stare at
him.

SAI
Hey look here, I am sorry for what
happened. I am sure you have not
become a fan of mine after that
incident, but I didn't know about
this entire thing till this morning
when my mom called .. and believe
me.. I am not in for arranged
marriages anyway... but she was
insistent that I be home by 6 and I ... I
had a meeting till 5:30 and no bloody .. (Sai's checks himself)
... no auto was stopping by .. I
was just getting frantic ... and am
sorry to say, but sometimes these
autowallahs favour girls more... as
in, you know... or may be they
don't.. but I hope you get it. It
wasn't anything personal.. so I am
sorry, ok? So can you please be just normal...
we don't really have to get
anywhere after we are done with
this meeting... probably would
never come across each other... so
just try and don't be so mad at me
the way you seem to be... it just
happens sometimes that I get pretty
irritated...

KRUTHIKA
[Signalling a halt with her¬† hands]
Any idea of stopping?

SAI
Huh?

KRUTHIKA
Ok, got what you said. Are you just
going to continue talking for the
next 1 hour.. or can we just settle
down? (folding her arms) Its ok..

SAI
(weak smile again) Sure... please.

Both go to opposite ends and Kruthika simply starts flipping through
some of the magazines on the bed and Sai sits, looks around
for a minute before grabbing a diary.

After a few minutes...

KRUTHIKA
You weren't brought up in New York,
were you?

SAI
(slightly thrown off track) Eh..
No...

KRUTHIKA
How come no Indian comics here...
TIME, SPAN, Archie's

SAI
(understanding dawning
on the question) No not really
..... now c'mon these mags are
deftly sold here... so they don't
really make me from New York you
see...(QED expression) what do you
want.. Tinkle and Champak?
(Slightly naughtly smile)

KRUTHIKA
No please! Just remembered how you
talked Tamil in the hall too... you
speak as if you don't know Tamil...
was wondering if you thought it was
style or something.

SAI
(flustered at this girl). No
actually I was born and brought up
in Dehradun, never really got to
speak Tamil with others other than my
parents... so it is not a conscious
effort (as a matter of fact
expression)..

KRUTHIKA
Aww.. ok.. anyway.. (and again
looking at the magazines)

After a few more minutes... by this time, Sai has started writing
something in the diary.

SAI
(stopping from writing, looking in
the girl's direction for a few
seconds as if thinking something)
You aren't a very polite girl, are
you?

KRUTHIKA
(Registering a question) What?
(because she didn't hear it right)

SAI
I said, you aren't a very polite
girl, are you?

KRUTHIKA
(finding the question funny) Hello!
Why? What do I sound like?

SAI
No I was just wondering if you were
always biting like geese with fire
on her tongue...

KRUTHIKA
(looks at him with slitted eyes
giving a threatening look at first,
then relaxed face and sighs)
actually I know what you mean... no
I am not this way, only when
required, with only the required
people (smile).

SAI
he he... ok.. agree... (and gets
back to his diary nodding while she
continues looking at him)

3-4 seconds of she looking at him...

KRUTHIKA
Hey you know what? I am sorry
too... ok?

SAI
(pleasantly startled).. for what?

KRUTHIKA
I was irked up tooo.. as in I
wasn't prepared for this kind of a
thing and mom suddenly insisted
that I had to be home.. she had
decided something important and you
know.. all that crap that moms can
sometimes give you. I just had to
heed because of what dad might
say.. and I was also irked up. So
sorry about that. (Now both smile).

SAI
Hey that's ok. I understand. (and
once again starts scribbling
something at his diary.)

KRUTHIKA
So what is it that you find so
important to write while someone is
talking to you?

SAI
Hey no... just my daily journal.. I
thought we didn't have much to talk
anyways...

KRUTHIKA
(kinda ignoring his answer) So what
do you write for your daily journal
today, that you met a not so polite
girl who bites like geese with fire
- on - her - tongue??

SAI
Ha ha (for the first time, a not so
weak or fake laugh).. no simply...
just recording today's events..

Kruthika rises from her position to come towards him... and he
stops writing

KRUTHIKA
Can I see what you are writing...

SAI
(closing the diary with the pen in
it...) No.. not really .. journals
are supposed to be personal!
(Smile) and don't worry I didn't
write you are not polite.

KRUTHIKA
(Looking at another shelf near Sai)
You better not mister!...So do you
write only journals or something
else as well? Don't tell me.. code!

SAI
He he... no I sometimes write short
stories too. but then that's it..

KRUTHIKA
Really? (genuinely interested and
much of the initial uncomfort gone
by this time).. I write poems
too..but only I read them (giggles to
herself)...

SAI
Same with me.. only I read my
stories I guess!

KRUTHIKA
I could probably help you out.. wat
say?

SAI
He he..sure they are all on my
blog...all entries with zero comments!
I'll give you the URL if you are
interested.

KRUTHIKA
Sure, I'll take it when I leave.

Few seconds of silence.

SAI
Hmm.... I guess its around 10
minutes... you want me to write it
for you on a piece of paper, its
not so straightforward to
remember... we can probably leave
now then...

KRUTHIKA
No its ok... unless you want to
drive me away immediately!

SAI
No nothing like that.. its been
sometime, thought you'd want to
leave..

KRUTHIKA
I guess its ok... lets make it 15
minutes... 1 and half times you see
(in an imitating voice)..

SAI
You are really sarcastic, aren't
you?

KRUTHIKA
He he.. maybe and I would want to
add funny too!

SAI
Yeah, very!

KRUTHIKA
Thank you and you can write that in
your journal (winking! wow!)

SAI
he he.. I will...

KRUTHIKA
Hey actually, forget the time, its
not a contract now, ok? They'll
probably call when they want to
call us. Let's just get to know
each other..

SAI
(Smile, large breath) You are sure
you want to do this?

KRUTHIKA
Yes... Yes (like a robot)

SAI
You!! Really cheeky that was!

Ha ha... both laugh...

KRUTHIKA
You see if not anything else, we
can make good friends, a chauvinistic
guy and a sarcastic girl! wat say?

SAI
sure sure.. (again laugh...)

darken the screen... pull away.... credits

This is THE stuff

2008-04-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

Here's an example of how just a beautiful presentation of the truth can change one's perspectives forever. Thanks, Annie!

THE STORY OF STUFF
People with enough bandwidth could directly watch the video at
http://www.storyofstuff.com/

For those who have Quick Time, you can download/watch the movie at http://web.1.c3.audiovideoweb.com/1c3web3536/StoryOfStuff.mov

For those bizzy guys who want a short summary of the video before watching it. Here goes. This poem was written by my cousin Deepa who has just finished her 10th board exams.

THE STORY OF STUFF
(a poem based on Annie Leonard's story by N.Deepa, 16 years)

It all begins with extraction
of materials from the earth.
This trashing of the planet
has caused of resources a dearth.

The second stage of production
uses energy to create stuff.
The toxins in and toxins out
make life on our planet tough.

The third stage of consumption
involves use of manufactured goods.
The large numbers soon to be trashed
put ecosystems into bad moods.

The story ends with disposal
of garbage in different ways.
For the dioxins produced by incineration,
every living creature pays.

People are involved in every stage,
braving a health hazard.
The growing power of corporations
has brought in democracy a blizzard.

As the golden way for consumer stuff,
recycling has been shown.
But for the junk produced upstream,
the solution is yet unknown.

On a finite planet like ours,
a linear system can't forever function.
So making the system circular
would be the perfect solution.

Freedom at Hyderabad

2008-04-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

The fresh air of Hyderabad greeted me as I landed in the Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad on one Saturday morning. It was the start of a weekend that I knew marked a significant change in my life. It was the last operational day of the Begumpet Airport. All flights from the very next day onwards would operate from the new International Airport. I felt that this mirrored the changes in my life very aptly - out with the old, in with the new. Hyderabad to me signified the start of a resolution that, from now on, this free soul would search for what it likes and would pursue it.

Shyam, my best friend right from the college days, met me here. He is a tall lanky guy with broad shoulders. We setup our base here in Hyderabad in a small private colony; a beautiful place, at peace with nature. An entire plethora of wildlife rallied along its course right at our doorstep; squirrels, sparrows, frogs; not to leave out several other birds that I could not put a name to and probably, a snake or two at nights.

Although I did really want to put the practice of doing what I like into place; remembrance of my earlier experience at resolutions always kind of gave me the jitters. They had never worked. Not even one of them! So, there was always a nagging doubt at the back of my mind as to how long I would hold on to this one. But there were quite a few surprises in store for me.

First thing that stood out in stark difference to whatever I had experienced earlier is the fact that two confused individuals with similar resolutions kind of made up for each other's weaknesses. Basically, it meant that when either of us strayed from the line of focus, the other came in handy to pull you back on track.

Second was the revelation that meditation as a practice to seek peace with oneself just does not mean sitting in a secluded corner, closing one's eyes and concentrating so as to control one's thought streams. It just could just be as simple as realizing our oneness with nature.

This is what we experienced when we just took a bike ride on an empty road in the night. It was fresh pure air; and with the cool breeze gushing against our faces, both Shyam and I just melted into silence in nearly a twenty minute ride. I guess both of us thanked the other for not breaking the peace in that interval.

I experienced the same in walking back home one evening listening to some beautiful songs from the movie "Music & Lyrics" on my iPod. Again, a feeling of oneness with all things around me just flowed through my veins. I somehow felt free - free to enjoy and savor every particle of matter, every wave of sound that surrounded me.

Salaam Namaste to Hyderabad for the experience. All this in just one week too! Let's see what else is in store. For one, it has started me writing again as well ;)

A good instant messenger status message

2007-10-19T00:45:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Here's a good instant messenger status message I came across that I felt like sharing with people around. (Thanks to my cousin Roshan for this, for it was from him that I picked it up)

Message:
Here's the test to find whether you mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't.
- Richard David Bach (author of 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull')

Two movies .. and probably destiny ..

2007-05-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend was one in which I chose to spend some time quietly with myself - A mood that I get into sometimes when you feel something's not just right with the way things are going on. People around you are happy, things at work are going great, you've got some good compliments from your boss, from friends .. still .. something feels wrong.

I guess resigning to myself in these times has generally brought out the best .. interesting part is that .. I am a firm non-believer in destiny .. so much so that I believe that God is my friend and guide in life rather than someone above .. that is probably one of the reasons I really do not pray. That does not mean I am a non-believer, I believe in the power of God to guide me .. but .. BUT .. only as a guide .. If I want something, it is ME who will have to do it ..

As usual, I got the guidance ;) and again, as usual, in an unexpected way (This is where I begin to wonder whether there is something in this "destiny" thingy ;) ). This time it was in the form of 2 beautiful films.

The first one, "The Hurricane" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0174856/) .. wow .. this one really blew me away. It was a beautiful portrayal of a mind which refused to give in to what was being forced on it. Another movie of the same cadre is the "The Shawshank Redemption".

The next one is something I've seen before .. found on rummaging through my disc collection in the hope of bringing some order .. (after all, discs were invented for random access .. geeks/nerds .. pardon the irony ;) ) .. this one is a marvellous piece no matter how many times I see it "Spanglish" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371246/) . This one's about believing in your identity .. in what defines you ..

The beauty of films is the way they let you relive the emotions that the characters play. Am thankful for having found these two films this weekend to get back on track and thank God for making some film-makers follow their heart to produce such films.

Lessons for Online Business

2007-04-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

Got the following in a forward from a friend. Could not trace the origin of this article but really good stuff. If somebody finds the source, could you please let me know so that I can duly acknowledge it here.

- Hemanth

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's 3:00 am and I just finished watching 300 for the second time (this time in IMAX). I sit here struck by a moment of clarity. Frank Miller must be an online entrepreneur in his spare time because 300 is the perfect metaphor for online business. Now I know what you're thinking, this guy has completely lost it, and to be honest, that might be not far from the truth
Nevertheless, here are 10 Lessons Frank Miller's 300 can teach you about successful online business…

Know your surroundings, and choose the battleground that most suits your strengths

Just as King Leonidas chose the Hot Gates as the perfect location for Sparta's stand against the Persians, the same methodology applies to deciding on the niche and hook for your new online enterprise. Do your research and pick an avenue where your skills will thrive and your competition will fall. Choose a plan of action that highlights your skills while taking away advantages of your predecessors. Just make sure you cover your back at the goat path! You never know who's sneaking up behind you!

A handful of well trained soldiers can out-perform thousands of weak ones.

The Spartan 300 stood against the million Persians for days because they were strong, well trained, and powerful. The same holds true for sites in the online marketplace. A well done site, where the owner takes the time to build a community and support it with continuous, quality content, has the best chance for success, even against hundreds of sub par competitors. At the end of the day, any successful formula requires repeat business, and you can't get repeat business if your soldiers died in battle!

A few good friends is better than an army of acquaintances.

The Spartan 300 drew their strength from their family of fellow soldiers on the battlefield. When it comes to online business, the temptation to work your way from one end of the web to the other begging for links is very high. Take the time to actually contribute to community sites like Digg, DigitalPoint, or even blogs you read every day. In the end, it will take you much farther by becoming a respected community member then a single comment that is never revisited ever could.

The gods aren't always right, do what's best for yourself, above all else.

King Leonidas knew that the Ephor were wrong when they advised him to stand down on the eve of battle. In online business, it is far too easy to read advice from people with sites that are more popular than yours and take it to heart. A lot of this advice is good but a lot of it is bad as well. Taking the wrong advice can cut you off from avenues that may be right for you, even if it wasn't for the person who gave it. Always do what is best for yourself, and never be afraid to experiment. After all, the Gods were all in the same position as you at one point in time. Remember that!

Keep your skill set sharp, cause you never know when you might have to defend yourself.

At a moments notice, the Spartans were ready to march into battle, with no hesitation. The same applies to EVERY area of business. Never stop learning, experimenting, and improving yourself. The moment you drop your guard, is the same moment your opponents take away your land.

Never retreat, never surrender.

Even to the bitter end, King Leonidas and his 300 fought for Greece, never retreating and never surrendering. While it's not so cut and dry in online business, in most cases this is great advice. A lot of people quit because it gets too tough to maintain their blog or too hard to keep the products up to date on their website. If you retreat, if you surrender, you'll never know if a month or two more of hard work might have paid off. You'll also never be a Spartan!

Constantly adapt to your changing situation, it's the only way to survive.

When the Persians dispatched Rhinos, the Spartans adapted and prevailed. When they charged in with elephants, they adapted and once again came out the victor. The web marketplace is no different. Technology is CONSTANTLY changing. If you want to stand atop a mountain of defeated competitors, you have to stay on the bleeding edge of technological advances to ensure your ready to ride the new wave the second it arrives. A spear is fine and dandy, until your opponent charges in with Lasers!

Never be satisfied with your past accomplishments, it might just get you kicked down a bottomless pit.

When the Persian messenger delivered his ultimatum to King Leonidas, he was cocky and backed himself up by the past accomplishments of the Persian Empire. What did he get for that? A trip to the bottom of a bottomless pit! (is that even possible???). While success is great, always look to improve on what you've done and never underestimate your competitors. The Web 2.0 world moves so fast that one days champion can be another days failure in the blink of an eye. Don't let your site get kicked into the pit. THIS IS SPARTA!!

Even a man-god can bleed.

King Leonidas proved that even the seemingly untouchable Xerxes was capable of bleeding after all. It is easy to look at the true juggernauts in a specific field and think it's impossible to compete against someone of that size. No one is untouchable, and great ideas rule the world. Be innovative, be cutting edge, and most of all be fearless even in the face of god-like competition. The history of the Web is littered with stories of the little guy rising up to conquer the great Internet beasts, with nothing but a better idea to drive them. As King Leonidas showed his Spartans, not everyone who seems like a God really is one!

Even if you're a hideous, misshapen troll, the right networking can get you riches and women.

Even in his hideously grotesque form, Ephialtes knew the value of networking. He made friends with Xerxes who ended up helping him to both riches and companionship. While you most certainly can use the web to find companionship through networking, from a business side networking can help you improve your income by leaps and bounds. If you make friends with other people in your niche, work on link exchanges and mutually beneficial collaborations, and actively contribute to sites with quality feedback and comments, there is no limit to the opportunities ahead of you. Know your strengths and know your weaknesses, and use networking to take advantage of both. If you can't be successful in one route, look at others. Constantly keep your best interests at the forefront of your decision making process.

The Art of Interviewing

2007-02-04T01:01:00.000-08:00

Had always wanted to know what it is like to sit on the other side of the table. But, ironically, one year and about a hundred interviews later, I realized that it is all about being on the same side of the table. Interviewing, I realized, is about sketching the character of a person; and the simplest way to do it is to make the person feel at home in the interview. Otherwise, you unfortunately have the task of figuring out the "true" from the "superficial".

So that's rule number 1: Make the candidate feel at home.

Call him boss or bhai (as we call any friend in India), just make the candidate feel comfortable; anyway you want it. Sometimes, if possible, sit on the same side of the table as the interviewee to stress the fact that you are just there to support their thinking and not to criticize it. Setting the stage can also depend on the candidate. Some candidates are nervous at the start. In such cases, I have found that a small chat about their hobby or favorite game helps a lot. For a geeky guy, a talk about the algorithm in his project or some interesting recent tool he worked on etc. sets the tempo. We also don't have any dress code for the interviews at our company. We just ask the candidates to dress in any way they are comfortable.

...

Another important fact about interviewing is that you are there to make a decision.
So never have an analagous answer scale - he was good but ..., he was average but good on some factors etc ...

The answer has to be a definite "Yes" or "No". The simple logic behind this is that you "might" just lose a good candidate by saying a "No" but the fact is that you will always mostly be able to find another good candidate. On the other hand, a misjudged "Yes" can cost the company dearly over a long term.

So rule number 2: Make a clear decision.

...

Interviewer: What do you do if you want to reverse a linked list?
Candidate: I would just iterate over the linked list editing pointers and go on ....
Interviewer: Hmm ... how do you do it recursively?

Find anything odd in the situation above? Well, the point to make here is that people think differently. So do not try to force your idea or solution onto the candidate. The best interviewers build the interview around the thought process of the candidate. So every interview might be unique inspite of the same questions being asked.

That makes rule number 3: Listen and adapt.

...

Another thing to have in mind while preparing questions for an interview is to decide carefully around what each question tells you about the candidate. Jot down the various areas you want to evaluate the candidate on. Plan the questions and discussion accordingly. You can wrap up the interview at any time you have collected all the data points you were looking for. This will greatly improve the efficiency of the interviewing process.

Thereby, rule number 4: Have an evaluation plan.

...

There is generally a false notion that you need to ask really tough questions to pick out the best candidates. In this sense, there is also a dread in many interviewer's minds is that - if the candidate already knew the answer to that question, then they might not have got a clear idea of the candidate's capabilities.

The best way to counter this is to focus on the discussion around the problem rather than on the actual solution. So design your questions in a way that they involve some discussion. Even if candidates know the question, you can easily judge their prowess from the way they describe and validate the solution. Maybe, ask a few variations on the original question to see how they improvize.

So here goes rule number 5: Focus on the discussion; not on the solution.

...

For industry hires, the best way to recognize a good software engineer is from his code. So, the questions asked are pretty simple. What we need to concentrate on is on the elegance of the solution. This is closely related to my previous article http://ynaut.blogspot.com/2007/01/code-is-beautiful.html . It is about finding how deep a foundation have the coding practices laid into their daily work.

Rule number 6: Ask the candidate to code!

Guess I did learn some of these stuff personally over experience and also from this link

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/GuerrillaInterviewing3.html. So this post is probably my summarization of Joel's article with a few of my own hints.

Overall, I hope you found this article informative.

Signing off.

Code is Beautiful

2007-01-28T04:13:00.000-08:00

If you ask me what is the difference in me as a programmer from the time I left college, I would say it is my view of coding. At college, I loved algorithmic problems. It used to be a favorite post-lunch past time at college; a bunch of us huddling around the Bodhi tree right outside our department building and have a go at some wacky problems. We also used to have rapid-fire coding sessions where we used to code in-order to verify the ‘correctness’ of the algorithms.

Nowadays, as well, it is the same intensity with which myself and few of my colleagues solve problems, but when it comes down to coding them, well, there’s a big difference now….

A simple example, to give you an idea,

int x, y, z; // in college days

is nowadays,

int noOfVertices;
…
int noOfEdges;
…
int edgeConnectivity;

and that too, in different portions of the program, i.e. closer to the context where they are used. Guess you are getting the point.

This love for coding started with the exposure to real-neat enterprise scalable code in the organization. It was not love at first sight though. The very first time I saw how many lines of code change you needed to do something which took about one line of code at college, I was a bit aghast. At first, it gives you the feeling that this is probably some rule of conduct in the industry that classifies it as ‘enterprise’ code.

But very soon the dynamic nature of the software requirements and functionality hits you in the face and you realize the beauty of those lines of code that looked so abstract early on.

Welcome, to the world of design patterns. These nifty set of tips and tricks take the pain of software maintainability away from software developers. But it is important as well that they do not overwhelm you. Two points in this sense are to be noted:
- Inappropriate use of design patterns.
- Overdoing of design patterns.

A few books that are worth mentioning in this context that help you avoid the above pitfalls are
Effective Java (http://java.sun.com/docs/books/effective/)

Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns, and Practices (http://www.amazon.com/Software-Development-Principles-Patterns-Practices/dp/0135974445)

So one of my favorite questions at industry interviews is to ask the person to write some really simple recursive code. Recursive code in-spite of not being the optimal solution in many cases still catches my imagination because of the magic in the way it works. It’s really amazing how a few lines of code can neatly portray the solution to a really complex problem. Potential hires come up with neat and concise code. It also pays to observe the gleam in their eyes as they explain the solution to you. You know that you have a good candidate.

Will cover the “Art of Interviewing” separately in a later post. It’s a cool and very responsible art of sketching the character of a person in half-an-hour.

Signing off.

Management - What it should really be

2007-01-27T04:07:00.000-08:00

If you are looking at some really good discourse on management and software practices, then please move on to http://www.joelonsoftware.com/Archive.html.

This post is from a yankee who landed in the industry in 2004 right out of college looking for some really challenging techie work. Must say that my career here so far has provided me with lots of those, but interestingly, it has also taken me through a roller coaster ride on how exactly do you lead a bunch of people.

Even though at college, we had learnt the principles that make a single guy at the top to manage an extremely large organisation with thousands of employees under him - Hierarchy and Delegation. All that sounded very nice when we learnt it, but once in the industry, the reality bites you hard. How I just wish delegation just meant transfer some of your responsibilities to a person below and get the work done. Probably, it might work fine in software design where-in high-level modules delegate their work to low-level modules. But it is just not the case when individuals are involved.

To get to the point, Management, in short, is about,
- Respecting the individuals under you.
- Trusting the individuals under you.
- Caring for the individuals under you.

[probably I reiterate the term "individuals" often as against "people" but that more goes to say the stress am laying on it]

Management is in reality all about relationships with individuals. Management is personal. In another sense, management is about listening. The more you listen, the more you understand the individuals under you and the better you can care for them.

That is why, people, ahem, sorry, 'individuals', more often don't leave their jobs; they leave their managers. So the key to building a great place to work is not about having great paychecks or great perks for employees. It is just about having a mechanism in place that ensures that managers care for those under them. Any organization that achieves this, whether it be a mammoth organization with thousands of employees or any run-of-the-mill organization with half a dozen employess, is sure to be a great place to work.

Another common misconception in many employees mind's is that once you rise to management levels, all you need to work around with are schedules and deadlines. So when it so happens that such employees do permeate to higher levels, the life becomes tough for those down under.

I would like to sign off for now with the role of management as defined on this site (http://www.fogcreek.com/About.html), [the CEO of this company is the guy who writes the JoelOnSoftware blog (link in the first line of this post), it is one of my favorite sites, so please bear with me if I keep getting back to this site in my future ramblings.]

" ... management, not coding, is the support function. Management is not here to make decisions, but to get all the furniture out of the way so that software developers can do great stuff. ... "

Rebound

2006-12-31T19:47:00.000-08:00

Roses in bloom,
Daffodils swaying in the breeze,
Little birds chirping,
The wind skimming over the fields,
The gurgling stream over the pebbly underneath,
The sunshine winding its way through the green canopy,
Lighting up the mossy terrain,
There's so much in the little things around you,
The past's gone and done,
Leaving behind the golden prize of realization,
So wake up to a brand new year,
To carve a niche in the cliffs of life.

The Glass Door

2006-10-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Stand do we on either side of it;
Shouting our hearts out;
Think do we, that none of us is at fault,
Expecting either of us to wake up;
The transparency deceives us;
That seeing is believing;
What it needs is getting a bit closer;
Realization comes then;
That all it takes, is to break,
The glass door.

2006-10-02T02:46:00.001-07:00

My idol - Steven Spielberg

2006-10-02T02:46:00.000-07:00

At the Tower Bridge

2006-09-28T02:20:00.000-07:00

Symmetry unfolded

2006-09-26T02:50:00.000-07:00

"The long walk" with the Windsor Castle in the backdrop

2006-09-26T02:49:00.000-07:00

Cool blue jelly fish

2006-09-26T02:47:00.001-07:00

Trafalgar Square

The Hyderabadi touch

2006-08-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

Here are a few bill boards I saw on my recent visit to Hyderabad. I could help smiling when I read them.

Most take-offs, ... Lufthansa [ :) I wonder why they refer only to the take-offs]

Drive carefully. Someone is waiting for you - XYZ Hospital

Really hold this close to my heart

2006-05-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,
Today morning, I got up to check mails and I was fortunate to read this forward first thing in the morning. I am posting this here so that many more can experience it.

-------------------------------------------------------

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children,the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

"When not interfered with by outside influences,everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe,that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child."

Then he told the following story:
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,"Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away heir chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"

Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay,run home! Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate,and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.

Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

Life swings but that's the enjoyable part

2006-05-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

Zaadzing

2006-04-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

For the past week, I've been playing around at Zaadz

It is a community of people who want to bring about positive change in the world. The discussion groups are really interesting and evoke a lot of thought. I guess you could say I am looking for ideas for my next story here :)

The community grows like orkut. Either existing members invite new people or you have to fill up a small application form that asks you questions like "how would you like to bring positive change in the world" and submit it. You then get an invitation from the CEO of the site itself :).

I feel it does a better job of networking than Orkut. Ping me if anybody wants an invite. :)

Mika - The Finale

2006-04-05T04:45:00.000-07:00

For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II
Mika - Part III
Mika - Part IV
Mika - Part V
Mika - Part VI
Mika - Part VII

Mika and Arun made their way through the throngs of people at the hospital. They found Hemanth's parents in the lobby. Mika went and sat next to Hemanth's mother.

"Hello mother, how's Hemanth now?"

"He's fine now, Mika. You look tired out! God will definitely help you find the person you are searching for."

"By the by, mother ... do you know Hemanth's email address? ..."

"Umm ... I think Hemanth once gave me his visiting card ... let's see if it has his email address ..."

She searched in her purse for Hemanth's visiting card and handed it over to Mika. Mika eagerly took it in her hands and glanced at it for the email address. Arun looked over Mika's shoulder.

"Is it him?"

Mika nodded in the negative. Mika stood up and went to the porch of the hospital. Amlu was standing there gazing at the garden. White little butterflies were skimmering over the tops of the tender petals of daffodils and daisies. Mika went and stood next to her.

"Do you enjoy watching the beauty that nature has to offer?"

Amlu looked up at Mika and gave her captivating smile and nodded very assertively.

"Yes ... Daddy has always taught me to enjoy the little things that many people miss out on ... Daddy says if you make peace with things around you ... you will always be happy ..."

"Very true ... "

"Mika Akka? ..."

"Yes?"

"Did you find 'neo'?"

"Nope ... I still haven't found him ... "

"Do you want me to help you in finding your friend? ... you see .. all you need is a lot of faith ..."

"umm ... I really wish you could ... but you already have done a lot in locating your father ... I guess you should also take a good rest along with your Dad ..."

"Come on, Akka, .. just tell me his name or something more about him ... you will see I can help a lot ..."

"Umm ..okay ", Mika cheered up a bit with Amlu's antics. "I don't know his real name and you also know his name on the computer 'neo' ... I will give you one more clue ... his email address is catchme.ifucan@yahoo.com."

"Yahooooo .. yahooo .. ", Amlu started dancing about.

"what ... what is it you are so excited about?"

"i ...know ... the .... person ! ...", Amlu kept running around Mika and shouting.

"oh! ... who is it? ... "

"it is my father ... the email address you told is his secret email address known only to him and me ...", Amlu suddenly stopped running. "umm .. how is that you know his secret email address? "

"Secret!", Mika said and ran inside the hospital.

"Arun!"

----------------------

Mika entered the ward where Hemanth was resting. Hemanth was reading a novel as Mika entered. Mika noted the title "A Walk to Remember". Hemanth closed the book and looked up as Mika entered.

"Hi Hemanth", Mika said. "I'm ... Aarthi ... I'm a neighbour of your parents..."

"Oh ... hello ... pleased to meet you ... take a seat .... "

Mika sat down in a couch across the bed.

"Thanks a lot for helping my parents in need .."

"Oh, it was my duty ..."

Both were silent for a while. Hemanth seemed to be deep in thought.

"Are you always very pensive like this?"

"Oh .. sorry ... no I guess - only when I am thinking ... "

"Oh .. I guesss I should be leaving ... I'll see you later ... "

"No ... no ... don't leave please ... I'm extremely sorry ... I guess I'm not very communicative but I would really love if somebody would talk to me ... "

"oh ... right then ... ", Mika sat down again.

"I was just in a deep thought about the novel I was reading ... it's one of my favorites ... every-time I read it, it always revitalizes my faith ... "

"oh ... great ... it must be a very good book then ... "

"yeah, it is ... especially when you are just out of a trauma .. it makes much more sense too ... "

"Did the ordeal test you a lot?"

"umm ... yeah .... umm ... ", he smiled to himself. "what's funny?", Mika asked.

"oh .. it reminded me of something I had said to ... ", Hemanth stopped, then looked at Mika straight in the eyes. Mika shivered a bit. It make her feel as if Hemanth was gazing deep into her thoughts.

"hey, have I met you somewhere before? .... "

Mika quickly said, "No .. I don't think so ... what makes you ask that?"

"well .. err ... ", Hemanth smiled to himself again. "this is the second time in the last few days that I am ready to believe in someone whom I don't know much ... something has definitely changed in me .... changed for the better I guess ..."

Hemanth then looked at Mika and smiled. Mika blushed.

"So ... who is this other person you are talking about ? ", Mika asked with a twinkle in her eyes. She was highly excited within. She could hear her heart beating louder than ever.

Hemanth fiddled his hair with his fingers. "Well .. huh ... I don't know much about her except her name ... I'll keep that a secret for the moment .... well, she .. she ... I don't know really know ... there was something about her ... her faith in me ... it filled a long standing void in my heart .... "

"well ... hah ..", Hemanth laughed again. " ... it is really funny I know but ... "

"What?", Mika asked hardly able to remain calm from outside.

"well ... you see I could be in love with her .... not sure how this is possible ... how I could feel so with a person whom I've never met ... but yet ... "

Mika got up and went to the balcony. "Excuse me for a second ... " Hemanth who had been engrossed in his own words .. suddenly realized that Mika had been in the room... "oh ... sure ..."

After a few minutes, Mika entered the ward again.

"Hemanth, I've got to tell you my real name."

-------------------

Hemanth had been stock still since he heard Mika tell her name. Mika turned and went out into the balcony again, tears in her eyes. Hemanth limped along to the balcony as well.

"Mika ... "

Mika did not turn to see Hemanth.

"Mika ... I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings ... "

Mika simply turned around swiftly and tightly hugged Hemanth.

-------------------

Arun who had been dreamily watching the bustling activity outside the hospital for a long time turned back. He entered the hospital and walked up to Hemanth's parents.

"I've something very important to tell both of you."

------------------

Hemanth grasped Mika firmly and slowly pulled her away. She was beautiful in the evening light. Her hair blew over his face.

"Mika ... look at me ... it might be that whatever blossomed between us could have been ... ... but at the same time, that is the very same thing that gives one the power to look at things as they are ... and the courage to stand up to it ... "

Hemanth continued.. "You were right in your emotions ... and I guess, so was I .. I realize that now ... there is nothing wrong with that ... but ... "

"Appa!", Amlu came running in. "Mika Akka ... Appa, do you know that it was Mika Akka here who saved my life .... "

----------------

A fragile Sunitha entered the hospital with her caretaker. Nearly two years of chemotherapy had sapped most of her physical strength. Yet, she had fought on with Hemanth by her side.

Sunitha saw Hemanth's parents in the lobby. They were weeping. Then she noticed someone who was sitting across them. Someone, who initially had his head buried in his arms. The person looked up. Sunitha saw Arun looking at her with teary eyes. Hemanth's mother saw Sunitha and came running towards her.

"Sunitha ... why did you not tell us the truth earlier .... "

Sunitha consoled her. "Aunty, at least you know now ... "

She smiled understandingly at Arun. Arun smiled back weakly.
---------------

Hemanth held Mika's palms. Both of them had tears in their eyes. Both looked into each other's eyes for a long time. Hemanth with understanding in his eyes released his grip on Mika's hand gently. It was metaphoric to his emotions.

Mika finally said, "Hemanth, you have taught me more in these two days than all my life ... I know that I will tread my life boldly from now on ... and .... I would like to have you as a friend for life to guide me all along!"

"Definitely", Sunitha replied. "You should ... ". Both Hemanth and Mika turned to see Sunitha standing at the balcony door.

Hemanth exclaimed, "Sunitha, you shouldn't have taken the trouble to come all the way here .... you are still sick ... "

"Hey Hemanth, who am I fighting for? ... for you, idiot! ... when you are in trouble ... what's it about me ... ".

Hemanth went forward and hugged Sunitha's frail structure tenderly. They held each other for long. Amlu jumped up and hugged both her parents. Mika smiled at the three of them.

The end

Mika (Part VII)

2006-04-01T02:13:00.000-08:00

For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II
Mika - Part III
Mika - Part IV
Mika - Part V
Mika - Part VI

"Let's go and see him...", Arun said.

Mika hesitated. "Arun, you go ahead ... my mind will not be at rest until I find out about 'neo'", she said firmly.

Mika and Arun had spent the last few hours asking the locals about anything that struck them about the scanty details that they had about 'neo' - his mail id and that he was a computer geek and that he might not have many friends. But since most of them were already in a state of grief about losing their loved ones or in frantic search for them, Mika and Arun could not garner any useful information. In this place, finding a person whom you knew very well was tough. Talk about finding someone you hardly know anything about!

"Mika, I know that we do have to find 'neo' ... but we do not seem to be making any progress here ... in fact, Amlu's father might help you find out who 'neo' is, since he has been here for quite sometime ..."

"No Arun ... sorry ... I can't leave ... "

"Okay ... no problem .... I will go and meet him and also try to find some information about 'neo' from him ... you continue your search ... keep your cellphone handy ... bye"

-------------------

Arun entered the hospital to see Amlu's grandparents sitting in the lobby. He walked up to them.

"Hello Sir, how is your son?"

"He is fine ... he has some suffered a few fractures ... also he was a little disoriented after the ordeal ... he has been currently sedated to relax and recover ..."

"Where is Amlu?"

"She is sitting beside him inside the ICU ... she has told the doctors firmly that she likes to be next to him ..,"

"Oh ... good ..."

"By the by, did you find anything about the person you had come searching for?"

"Not yet .. We are still searching for him ... "

The grandmother was still crying.

"Why are you still crying, ma? You son is safe now ... "

"Well ... I was just thinking that if not for Amlu, we could never have got all these people to search for my son ... you see, he ... he came away from Chennai to be away from family and friends ... not many were willing to help in searching for him ..."

"Oh ... he doesn't like company?"

"Not exactly .... I actually cannot blame him ... His actions made most of his family and friends desert him ... we too deserted him ... "

"What? You deserted your son?"

"Well, if you were to know what he did ..."

"Mitra ... don't bring that up again ...", the grandfather said firmly. The grandmother quietened up.

"Sorry Arun", the grandfather spoke to Arun "... well I don't want to go through that story all over again .... but you could just take it that Hemanth destroyed our faith ..."

"Oh ...", Arun did not know what to say. He looked down and then looked at the grandmother's hands in which she held a photo of their son Hemanth, Amlu's and a girl who appeared to him as Hemanth's wife.

Arun's eyes suddenly brightened with shock. He pointed at the girl in the photograph.

"Is .. is that Hemanth's wife?"

"Yes ... well.... do you know her? .... ", the grandmother asked seeing Arun's expression.

"Err ... sorry no .... I mistook her for somebody else .... I ... let me be going and see Hemanth". He got up, stumbled a bit and then walked towards the ICU. Then, halfway through his stride, he paused, turned and walked out of the hospital.

--------------------

27th December, 5.30 p.m

Mika called up Arun for the umpteenth time since 5'o clock. There had been no trace of Arun since afternoon. She had called up Amlu's grandparents and they had told her that Arun had left the hospital at around 1 itself. She was beginning to get afraid that something bad had happened. She debated as to whether she should tell her parents about this. They would definitely go hysterical. Just then, her phone rang. It was Arun.

"Arun! what on earth happened to you? I was so worried .... "

"Mika ...", Arun's voice on the other end was very soft and shaky, as though he had been crying.

"Mika, could you come over to the beach .. I am near the boat statue near the end of the beach where we were in the morning."

-----------------

Arun sat with his face buried in his hands. Ever since he had seen her in the photograph, Arun remembered nothing but the last meeting he had with her.

---------------

It had been a regular day at office when his desk phone rang. He picked it up.

"Hello"

"Hello, Arun. I am calling from the reception. There's someone to see you here."

"Oh ... ok ... I am coming there ..". Arun walked up to the lobby. It was a huge hall and lots of people were engaged in conversation. Arun glanced at the receptionist. She pointed to a girl who was sitting in the far corner of the lobby where not many others were seated. The girl was seated with her back to him.

Arun walked to her. She turned as he walked towards her.

The blood froze in his veins as he recognized her. "Oh my god ... what is she doing here!"

She stood up as he walked up to her.

"Afraid to see me?", she smiled sarcastically.

"Dont worry", she continued. "I just came to give you this ... ". She gave him an envelope and walked away.

"But ..... what ....."

--------------------

At the beach, 27th December 5.45 p.m

Arun heard footsteps behind him. He turned to face Mika.

"Mika, I want to tell you about a mistake I made six years ago ..."

-----------------
Mika looked up into Arun's bloodshot eyes. She had just finished reading the letter in an envelope that Arun had handed over to her.

"Mika ... that mistake haunts me ... I have never been able to get over it ... I carry this letter with me wherever I go ....."

Mika looked at the letter again.

"Arun,

For years, every night, your face used to haunt my dreams. I used to wake up every other night chilled to the bones. But slowly a smothering warmth started to pervade. Out of the ever surrounding mist, a form began to emerge, it was a face I had known since childhood. A face that brought a smile to my face every-time I saw it. A face so gentle and reassuring - the face of Hemanth. [I know I have mentioned him a lot to you]

Yes, I live with Hemanth now. As a child cuddling with his favorite pet, he has caressed me through my turmoil without uttering a single word. In fact, his silence has been the hallmark of the faith he has placed in me. Now, God has endowed me with a beautiful girl, a
darling whom I hope never is unfortunate to see her genetic father. She will be Hemanth's for the upbringing.

Today, I came here to tell you that I guess it was God's will that I should suffer so and it was his will again that I realize the ruby right in my backyard. I don't know how to thank Hemanth for his sacrifice. May be, I never will be able to. Today, as some unknown virus tries to make headway into my body, I smile to it to say, "Do your worst! .. I have got whatever I could ever hope for!"

For you Arun, I have just a few words before I bid adieu for ever.

"Keep the faith ..... ever"

Sunitha"

Mika suddenly felt something strike her. Hemanth ... left friends and family ... came here to work alone ...

"Arun, let's go to the hospital to see Hemanth"

Continued at Mika - The Finale

Mika (Part VI)

2006-03-30T02:27:00.000-08:00

For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II
Mika - Part III
Mika - Part IV
Mika - Part V

---------

Mika looked straight ahead and saw the old couple coming towards her.

"Hello, we seem to meet again. Amlu told me your son lives here."

"yes ... I am praying that he is all right ... he hasn't contacted home ever since the disaster happened ... ", said the grandmother almost in tears.

"Mother, be brave ... your son will have survived this."

Mika escorted the grandmother to a nearby bench on the road to comfort her.

"By the by, you shouldn't have brought Amlu to a place like this ..."

"You maybe right but ... Amlu might be just five years old but I get the feeling that she is much more mature than myself ... in fact, she believes that she will be the one who finds her father ... in fact, she believes in this to the extent that she said she would never forgive us if we let her behind ... she emanates the same strength of character as her father ... so we had no other choice ... But seeing her here I am not afraid since she is the one who has been the most active ... contacting her father's friends and neighbors and gearing them up to build a search team ... I really can't believe it is Amlu ..."

"Oh, Amlu did so much?", Mika was astonished. She looked at Amlu who was standing at the road with Arun and her grandfather. She turned around and looked at Mika and smiled.

-------------------------------
27th December, some unknown time

Hemanth opened his eyes weakly. He did not know how much time had passed. The loss of blood from the wound on his leg had made him extremely weak. It was extremely difficult to remain sane in the total darkness and there was no way he could end this. He cried and talked to God, "God, why me ....... this is not the way you want me to die!".

The memories of the day came back again and again in spite of him trying to push it back. Now, his mental resistance had died down. He just let himself be drawn to his past .....

------------------

Hemanth reeled over with the unexpected slap.

"uncle .. sto.."

Sunita's father slapped him again.

"UNCLE!", Hemanth growled head facing down.

Sunita's father stepped forward to slap him again. Hemanth caught his hand in mid air and looked up into Sunita's father's eyes.

"UNCLE ... once more and ... ", Hemanth hissed. Sunita's father stepped back surprised by the ferocious anger that he saw in Hemanth's eyes. Just then, his parents entered the house and wondered at the situation.

"Raj sir, what happened? Why are you beating Hemanth?"

"Mitra, ask your son what he did to my daughter ... "

Hemanth's mother looked from her husband to Hemanth.

"Hemanth, what is Raj sir telling? What did you do to Sunita?", she looked beyond Hemanth and saw Sunitha crying.

"Hemanth!", she continued.

"Ma, I did not do anything! ..."

"Then why is Sunitha crying ...", she turned towards Sunitha.

"Ma, leave her alone ..."

Hemanth's mother turned back and started at Hemanth.

"Why? I must know what is going on!"

Sunita's father interrupted, "Mitra, he does not want the truth to come out. What else could be the reason?"

"UNCLE!!!", Hemanth turned towards Sunita's father and then said, "Sunitha, come with me!"

Sunitha stood surprised. "Sunitha, I said .. come with me!", Hemanth walked towards the door.

Sunitha's father opened his mouth to object ."But ... where ... "

Hemanth looked at him again with a deadly stare that conveyed "better not say a word more". Sunitha quietly followed him leaving everybody in the house astounded. They heard Hemanth starting up his bike and they were gone.

--------------------------

Hemanth stood facing the sea. He had brought them to a deserted dock. This is where he used to spend his time contemplating in solitude. Sunitha sat at a stone bench some distance away. He
walked back to the bench and sat beside Sunitha.

"Sunitha, what is the boy's name? Maybe I can talk and convince ..."

"No Hemanth!", Sunitha interrupted him. "No!, I can't marry him .."

"Buy why?? .. that is the most obvious solution out of the problem ..."

"No!", Sunitha almost screamed.

A long pause.

Hemanth spoke very slowly, "Sunitha, I know you well enough not to do anything hasty like the mess you have got yourself into .... "

Sunitha was still silent.

"You are hiding something from me ... tell me what happened"

Sunitha burst into tears and collapsed on to Hemanth's lap for support still crying bitterly.

"Hemanth ... you are right .... I did not lose my virginity of my accord! ", she sobbed.

"What!"

"My family and I cannot bear this disgrace .... I dont know what to do .... "

Both were silent for a long while. Sunitha still crying.

"What .... is that boy's name ... and address?", Hemanth asked.

Sunitha got up and looked into Hemanth's eyes ...

"If I know you, Hemanth, then I know that he is a goner once I tell you about him ... I dont want you to do anything of that sort ... So I will not tell you his details ..."

Hemanth, sat quietly, smiled to himself and said, "huh ... You gauged me rightly"

Hemanth stood up and walked to the edge of the dock again and stared at the ocean for a long while. Finally he turned.

"Sunitha, I ..."

He saw Sunitha standing on the other edge of the dock as if planning to jump. Sunitha looked at him with a stricken face, gave a faint smile and then ... jumped into the void ...

"SUNITHAAA ...."
------------------------------
Hemanth dragged Sunitha out of the water with a final heave and then collapsed with exhaustion. He took a few deep breaths and then stumbled over to Sunitha. She was sputtering water out of her mouth. Sunitha then saw Hemanth and started sobbing again.

Hemanth sighed. He got up and pulled up Sunitha by her arms.

"Hey, I can get you out of this ... but you have to believe me ... dont question what I do ... okay?"

Sunitha looked at Hemanth and nodded weakly.

"Okay then ... come on with me"

-------------------------------
Hemanth and Sunitha returned to Hemanth's house. Both their parents were still there. They noticed that Hemanth and Sunitha were completely wet.

Hemanth's mother came over. "What happened to you both?"

Hemanth walked over to Sunitha's father "I am going to marry your daughter".

Sunitha stood stunned. "Hemanth, what ..."

Sunitha's father replied, "there! I told you .. the truth has finally come out!"

Hemanth's mother came over to Hemanth and started beating him. Hemanth stood still.
"Hemanth ... you have broken the faith I had in you all these years ..."

"Ma, listen to me .."

"No! what more do I have to listen! ... oh god, all my prayers were in vain .... ", she collapsed on to a chair.

"Everybody .. please listen for what I have to say! .. "

Sunitha's father again interrupted, "You ... you ... whatever you say is not going to change the truth ... "

"UNCLE ! BETTER WATCH YOUR WORDS ", Hemanth's anger that he had a hard time controlling started rising again.

"Oh ! ... no! ...", Hemanth realized his anger was taking over him again.

"Sorry uncle! .. ", he said in a soft tone.

"Ma .. please listen, you see ...", he turned to his mother.

"Hemanth", his mother said slowly, "leave the house and never come back .. I can no longer call you my son"
"Maa!!"

"I said leave!"

"Aunty, you are making a mistake ! ... ", Sunitha intercepted.

"Sunitha, dont stop me ... tell him to leave ... "

"Aunty, let me tell you what happened ... "

Hemanth said, "Sunitha! ... no..", he nodded. Hemanth began to leave.

"Ma, remember one thing 'Don't doubt, learn to believe' and you don't hurt anyone."

Sunitha stood at the door. As he came near, she held his hand. "I'm going with you."
------------------
27th December, 12 noon
Mika remembered the talk she had with her mother about three days ago,

Mika's mother:Mika, you are twenty six and still not willing to marry ...
Mika: Mother, I told you: arranged marriage is not for me .. ! I will marry only a boy I love!
Mika's mother: See Arun has been a good boy and married at the correct age. Why don't you learn from him?
Mika: Mother, let talk about this when I come to Chennai tomorrow, shall we?
Mika's mother: Okay, but remember my patience is running out!
Mika: Okay mother! ... we will make a firm decision in my visit to Chennai

A sudden commotion roused her out of her reverie. She turned and saw Arun running towards her.

"Amlu's father has been rescued."

Continued at Mika (Part VII)

Mika (Part V)

2006-03-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II
Mika - Part III
Mika - Part IV

9.05 a.m. 26th December 2004

Hemanth opened his eyes, yet everything was still dark around him. He rubbed his eyes to find out whether he was really awake or dreaming. He felt around with his hands. He felt the cold touch of stone about three feet on either side. On the top, his hands did not reach anything anything in spite of stretching. He started to get up and then a searing pain ran through his legs and set him back flat on the ground. His left ankle was locked below some huge stone. He could not budge it. The slightest moment since shock waves of pain through his nerves. So he decided to stay put.

The total darkness enveloping him was mesmerising. It seemed like time had stopped still. No sound could be heard as well. The events of Hemanth's life played through his mind in this enclosure which he realized could very well be his tomb. His thoughts went back to the most important day in his life.

--------------------------------

Hemanth was rolling over on his bed on a hot Sunday morning in Chennai. It was 8'o clock in the morning but he kept rolling over from side-to-side trying to convince himself to go to sleep again. His parents had gone to the temple.

The doorbell rang loudly. Hemanth got up cursing. Who was it? It couldn't be his parents. They would have taken a set of keys with them. Why did people have to trouble early in the morning on a Sunday?

He meandered towards the door. He brought down the latches and opened the door.

It was Sunitha, his neighborhood friend since childhoo. She looked very uneasy, eyeing the road on either side alternately.

"Hi Sunita. What's up? ... so early in the morning?"

"Hi Hemanth, err ... is aunty or uncle at home ? "

"Nope ... they have gone to the temple.... they will be back in about half an hour I guess ..."

"could I come in?"

"sure .."

Sunita came in and seated herself in the sofa in the living room. Hemanth shut the door after her. Hemanth hastily flattened the tufts of hair standing upright on his head and sat down facing her.

"Tell me."

"well .. Hemanth ... I dont know how to tell it .... ", Sunita seemed to be fighting her emotions.

"hey, u all right? any problem?"

" ... Hemanth, you are the only person I know from childhood and the person who will .... who will understand what I have to say now ....", Sunita started crying.

Hemanth was alarmed. He went over to her and put a hand over her shoulder.

"Hey, whatever the problem is - tell me and we will find a solution. Now please stop crying and gather yourself"

".. ok .. promise me that you will not disclose what I say to anybody ... ", Sunita calmed down a bit.

"uh .... ok ... I promise"

There was an awkward pause as Sunita prepared to tell whatever she had to say.

"You remember the boy I told you about ... the boy whom I met on the train ..."

"Well, yeah .. "

"Well ... last summer I spent somedays with him at Ooty ..."

"uh ... oh ... fine ..."

Sunita looked as if she was going to break down again. She was silent.

"Well? ", Hemanth enquired

" ........ I'm pregnant ........."

---------------------------

Only a few minutes must have passed since Sunita had spoken those words, but it seemed like an eternity to Hemanth. A lot of thoughts had raced through his mind. Why has she come to me now? Maybe something happened to the boy .... My god, what has she to say next?

"ok .. ", he finally said. " ... go on ..."

"he ..... he ..... he says he will not marry me!"

"What?!"

"says his parents will never agree to it ... also, since he would not be married off for at least a year or more ... he says any thought of marriage, if any, is possible only if we ... we ..."

Again a long pause.

"I understand ... so....", started Hemanth. "You disagree to that ...."

"Yes"

"Aaah, .... humph ... what do we do then .... ", Hemanth started contemplating."Anything else you have to add?"

"I can't marry him since I know his true colors now ..."

"Okay ... that too ... umm ... anybody else who knows about this?"

"No one except the doctor who treated me"

At that moment, the door bell rang again. Hemanth walked over and opened the door. Sunitha's parents were standing outside the door. They saw Sunita inside and then turned to Hemanth. Before Hemanth could speak a word, Sunitha's father slapped him.

--------------------------------

Hemanth's senses came back to the present. His forehead was bathed in sweat. He decided he could not let his emotions take over him at this moment. He had to concentrate on survival. He remembered he had his cellphone still with him. He took it out and smiled sarcastically. Murphy's law was too good! The cellphone was on the brink of going out of charge. He realized he had enough charge left for maximum one call or one message.

Thinking for a few moments as to what the best use of this last ounce of charge could be. He started keying in a message.

--------------------------------

8.56 a.m. 27th December

Mika alighted off the train with her Arun brother at Nagapattinam. The past twenty four hours had been a blur with the amazing number of phone calls she had made. Arun on the other hand, had been using his online search skills and his network to find out as much as he could gather about the mail id catchmeif.ucan@yahoo.com. This was the email address from which the messages had come. The email id seemed to be a metaphor for what she had undertaken. Arun had found that the message had actually been routed from a cell in some secure fashion. But some experts at the cellphone company had helped her in tracking down the call to the town where it originated from - and here she was.

The whole town of Nagapattinam was in total chaos. Ambulances rushing past every minute or so. Rescue workers covered with face masks carefully sifting through the rubble that was every house. It was a total devastation here. Distraught relatives screaming for their loved ones. In fact, a fishing boat was grounded and the waves had brought it nearly a kilometer inland and here it lay right in the middle of one of the main roads in the town. There was a stench of death, disease and destruction all around. If all the rubble and bodies were not cleared off soon, this would trigger off a major epidemic. Arun went to a nearby rescue worker tent and fetched a couple of face masks for them as well.

Arun stopped a passer-by to ask how him for directions on how to reach the beach. It was not far away, only about a kilometer. So they started to walk. As they walked, one question by Mika's mother still rang in her mind, "Why did the person decide to send probably the last message he/she may ever send to a person whom he hardly knows?" He had mentioned he hardly had any friends, did he not have anybody else who cared for him? She had been running this question through her mind ever since. More stinging was the statement that her mother made, "Mika, the person believed in you to save his life!"

Mika suddenly felt someone pulling at her skirt.

"Hello Mika"

Mika recognized the voice and turned around in surprise. It was the little girl whose life she had saved in the morning.

"oh! hello Amlu! what are you doing here?"

"My daddy's house is here."

Continued at Mika - Part VI

Mika (Part IV)

2006-03-19T03:09:00.000-08:00

For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II
Mika - Part III

----------------------------------------------------

Mika reached the grandfather first, almost out of breath.

"There's ... there's ...", she fought to regain her breath, half out of shock and exhaustion. "there's a huge wave about thirty feet high headed here ... please take your wife and get to safety as soon as possible ... I will get your little girl .... go!"

"But ... but ... how can I go without my lil' girl ...", said the old man, almost in tears.

"Please sir, get going ... you have to believe me ... I promise I WILL get your child back for you.... GO NOW please ...and FAST"

The grandfather made his way back as soon as he could taking the grandmother along with him. Mika turned around to see where the little girl was. She was swimming in the water about sixty feet away. The girl had moved further into the sea with the retreating tide.

Mika started sprinting towards her. As she raced towards the girl, she looked to either side to see if there were other people on the beach. She could see some boys playing cricket some distance away, she waved to get their attention. She screamed at them, "BIG WAVES COMING! GO BACK! GO BACK!" They could not understand why she was screaming like that. She pointed at the sea and then continued to scream.

She had almost reached the girl. The little girl on hearing her screams had turned back. Mika looked at the sea beyond the girl. She could see the water line on the horizon rising at an alarming rate.

"Oh bloody shit!"

"Come on", she grasped the little girl by her arm and they began to run towards the shore.

"Don't look back! Just keep running!"

They were about forty feet from the shore when the sea breeze suddenly stopped and she felt as though the ocean's breath had stopped for a moment. Mika glanced back as she was running, the wall of water loomed like a skyscraper. The stopping of the breeze probably meant that the wall had reached it crest and it was going to unleash its fury at any moment. She ran harder, the breeze started again, this time it was from behind her. Their shadows on the sand before them grew dimmer and dimmer. She knew that the moment had come. They were about a yard away from the end of the beach when the wave hit them. It was about ten feet high and it swept both of them off their feet. The waves engulfed them with enormous force but she did not let go of the girl. As they were swept along, her head banged against something hard. She instinctively engulfed her free hand around the object. It was round and rough. She did not let go of it. The wave lost its force and the water became still, only just for a moment, and then the water began to recede and take a lot of things along with it. The receding waters started gaining more and more force but Mika still held firm onto the object. Slowly, the water level receded and they began to float towards the ground. Finally, the wave deposited them flat on the ground.

---------------------------

Mika and the girl lay still for some minutes. Mika gradually regained her senses and glanced in the direction of the sea to see if any more waves were to come. But it looked as if the tsunami had lost its fury. She looked up the object she had held onto. It was a coconut tree. Most of the leaves of the tree had been washed away by the fury of the wave.

She sat up and looked at the girl. The girl was lying to her side facing her. Her eyes met Mika's and she gave a weak smile. Mika could still see the shock in her eyes. She lifted the girl and hugged her. The little girl started to cry.

"It's all over... don't be afraid ... we are going home now .. come on ...", Mika comforted her.

She got up, the little girl still held fast to her. She carried her slowly towards the road. The little girl's grandparents who had been taking refuge in a compound nearby came out. When they saw Mika, they came running forward.

"Oh .. Thank god ... Thank god .... you both are safe!"

She deposited the little girl in her grandma's arms. The girl took a while to release her hug on Mika.

"We .. we don't know how to thank you .. you were sent by God to save us ...", said the grandfather.

"Oh .. no problem sir .. I'm glad I was able to help .. take your little girl home ... she needs a good rest to get over the shock ... "

"Thank you, akka ..", a little voice said. It was the little girl.

Mika kissed her. "Hey, go home and have a nice sleep. Then you can go and play with your friends. ok?"

"ok", blinked the little girl. The color was returning to her soft chubby cheeks.

"You have some cuts on the head .... will you come to our house and put some ointment for it?"

"No, problem sir .. I will immediately attend to it .. you go ahead .. my house is just here .. bye"

The old couple gave her a joint hug. "We will never forget what you have done for us".

The grandparents left with their granddaughter, looking back from time to time and waving at Mika.

---------------------------

Mika tiptoed into her house. Just as she was about to go up the stairs. Her mother came out of the kitchen and caught sight of her. She noticed the cuts on Mika's face.

"Mika! What happened? You have hurt your face and you're dripping wet as well!"

"Mama, there was a tsunami just a few minutes ago. I was on the beach.."

"Oh my god. Thank god you are fine. Wait here."

Mika sit on the sofa. She rushed to the bathroom and brought a bucket of water mixed with dettol. She bathed Mika's head wound with a wet towel. Mika winced on the touch.

"It seems to be just a superficial wound but anyway you cannot say anything about head injuries .. we will go immediately to the doctor after you dry up a bit."

"Oh mama, I think it is just a light wound .. it doesn't pain much .. no need for a doctor"

"No way, we must go .. only then will I be happy"

"Oh! .. right ... but not immediately ... let me dry up and take a bit of rest and we can go in the afternoon"

"Umm ... ok ... but if you feel anything uneasy, let me know and we will go to the doctor immediately"

"Ok mama, sure"

They went upstairs to Mika's room. Mika's mother helped her undress and get into the shower. The hot water helped a lot to subside the tension in her nerves. She came out refreshed from the shower and got into the dress that her mother had kept ready for her. Her mother then brought a hair dryer and started giving her long hair a good drying. Mika's brother came out of his room with sleepy eyes. He too had not known what had happened in the morning at all. He peeked into Mika's room.

"Hi Mom.. Hi Miki ...", he noticed the long cut on Mika's forehead. "hey, what happened? where did you get hurt?"

"Oh Arun! There was a tsunami in the morning .. and Mika was at the beach!"

"Oh shit!... you all right now, miki? want me to take you to the doctor?"

"No daa, I feel fine ... I just want to take a good rest to get over the shock ..."

"Oh okay ... yeah, you need a good rest ... "

"Right Mama, my hair's quite dry now .. thx a lot .. now let me take a nap."

"Ok dear"

Mika lay on her bed and her mother nicely tucked her in into her blanket and gave her a peck of a kiss on her forehead and then left the room.

"Come on Arun, let Mika have a good rest"

Arun gave Mika a reassuring smile as he left. "Sleep well"

He closed the door quietly behind him. Mika was left all alone in her room. She looked a while at the ceiling unable to close her eyes. Then, the exhaustion and then the hot bath took their toll. She drifted off into a deep sleep.

------------------------------

A beeping sound roused her out of her sleep. Another SMS! What did this have in store for her.

She realized it was still in the pocket of her wet dress. She got up and took the cell out of the pocket. Somehow, the cell was still in a working state. This must be some usual message, she thought. Every message could not be as significant as the last one she had received. She opened the message.

The message was short :
S.O.S, neo

Continued at Mika - Part V

Mika (Part III)

2006-03-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

For those who missed Part I and II here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II

----------------------------------------------------
Hardly had she logged in that the little blinking star appeared again. She clicked it and a window popped up.

"Hi, your system still has a vulnerability that enables me to login via the ssh port on your system :). If you want to counter it here is the webpage that describes the steps." An browser window opened up on her system.

Mika was surprised. True, she had wanted to find out the person was but this person was tracking her every move. She tiptoed to her brother's room and peeked in. Her brother was still soundly asleep and the system switched off. So, it was not one of her brother's pranks. Who was it then?

She came back to her chair in her room in a very pensive mood and placed her fingers over the keyboard.

"Hey, whatever be the security holes on my system, I think it is rude to intrude into other's privacy like this!"

"Oops ... sorry guy/gal .... I just was ambling around the network to see what vulnerabilities various machines were exposed to. Found yours one of the toughest machines to crack :) ... looks like you have set up some pretty good defenses on your machine ... so I just found it a nice challenge to find a loophole ... and once I did find one .. I wanted to inform u so that you could gear up for it."

"Oh, you are some sort of a cyber evangelist are you?"

"Now that you do mention it, I feel I just help people help themselves."

Mika felt her tension melting away as soon as it has risen. "hey", she said to herself, " here's a guy I wanted to thank for making me feel much better and the first thing I do is to bark at him and yet he handles me with ease"

"Hey, by the by, I wanted to thank you for the message you left on my screen in the morning. It was nice."

"wow, an admirer ;) ... thx .. I've always liked that one"

Mika , for the first time, realized that she had been chatting to him in an application window that she had never seen before. It displayed his name as "neo". Rightful name for such a hacker, she thought. This also suggested that the person was a "he".

Mika: "Hey, do you have a yahoo or gmail id?"
neo: "Umm .. of course, I do .. but .. I guess it would betray my identity to you ;)"
Mika: "Aha, do you know me? or viceversa :) .."
neo: "I only know you as much you have told me since the last five minutes .. no more, no less"
Mika: "Umm .. u expect me to believe that?"

There was a long pause from the other side.

neo: "You got to realize that giving out personal details to an unknown person is quite an uneasy job .. for infact you might be anyone"
Mika (thinking - "does this guy really not know me or is he just pretending!)": "Well, you potentially had and still do have access to my whole system. Have I not sympathised with you for so long that you can't even give me a small info I want"
neo: "What you essentially are asking for is an act of faith ... I need a bit of time before I can make that decision .. . you will hear from me very soon on this "
Mika (realizing she probably had been a bit too hasty) : "Hey, no problem at all. If you dont want me to know your identity then let it be like that .. but on my side, I dont mind giving you my contact details since I would like to be friends with you ... Here's my yahoo id mika.sparkles@yahoo.com"
neo: "well .. uh .. am a bit stunned ... I hardly have friends ... and you are the first person whose reached out a hand to me ... I deeply appreciate it ... "

Mika too was a bit stunned at her own courage in giving her mail id to someone whom she hardly knew. Yet there was something in this "neo"'s character that so deeply connected to her. She did not feel uneasy at all. His reply sent her wondering as to why so nice a person hardly had friends. She could almost feel that his heart was searching out for companionship and yet none had come. Mika decided that she would be his friend.

Mika: My name as the id indicates is Mika. I live at Chennai by the beach.

At that moment, Mika heard her mother coming up the stairs calling her.
"Mika, can you come down here. I need you to help me with the preparations for the party"

Mika (quickly typed) : Hey, my mother's coming up .. I am going to sign off ... catch you later
neo: Looks like I am a secret friend ;)
Mika: Yup :) bye
[Mika closed the window]

---------------------------------------

26th December 2004

Mika woke up early again and went out to the beach early in the morning. She was beginning to love the time spent in quiet contemplation savoring the beauty that the world had to offer. She realized she had unduly imposed restrictions on herself after the incident. In fact, Anand had done nothing wrong from his side. In fact, going through her relationship with him, it had been she who had harbored wrong intentions from the relationship. All this meant something more to her, it meant she had to just go on and enjoy life, it was not life who had let her down - it was herself.

Mika looked towards the sea and saw a small girl playing in the water with her grandfather. The grandmother was sitting on the sand watching them play. An old fisherman in a catamaran passed along quite close to the shore. The little girl waved her arms at him and he returned the gesture. Mika felt a strange peace floating around her. The people, the sea, the sun rays .. everything around her seemed to radiate the same feeling.

A slight vibration in her pocket brought her out of the trance. It meant that she had received an SMS. She reached out for her cellphone in her pocket and brought it out. She opened the message - it was sent to her yahoo id. She had configured her yahoo messenger messages to be delivered to her cell when she was offline. She read the message wondering what it meant. Strange things seemed to be happening to her suddenly. She re-read the message and looked at the sea again. The tide seemed to have retreated further into the sea. She then realized the truth in the message. She jumped up and ran towards the child and her grandfather. The message had said ....

"Tsunami . Any moment . Warn people! - neo"

Continued at Mika - Part IV

Mika (Part II)

2006-03-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

For those who missed Part I here is the link Mika - Part I

----------------------------------------------

It wasn't much, just a few lines but yet they had shaken her to the marrows. But the optimism that filled her after that had made her feel much better than she ever had in the past six months. These were the lines

"True love strikes as disaster does - when you least expect it,
Disaster tests you the same as true love does - when you least want it,
Test do they your faith, upto the last strand,
Face them head on, answered will you be,
The power to believe against all odds,
And that makes all the difference!"

She read the lines and looked at the horizon. She did not realize how long she had been staring ahead but suddenly out of the blue, she heard someone calling her name. "Mika! Mika!"

Mika turned and saw her mother walking hurriedly towards her.

"Oh, there you are... I was beginning to get afraid that something happened to you ... you have been out nearly three hours"

"three hours .. " Mika couldn't believe herself.

"Hey, you are all right, are you not? You have been acting different from morning. "

"Well, Mama, I'm all right, was just thinking about something. Come let's go home."

------------------------------------

After lunch, Mika made sure her mother was busy in the kitchen below. There was a big family party at their house that night and her mother was very busy preparing for it.

She sat at the computer and switched on the power. She waited until the desktop appeared but by some impulse, she went and lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. Her thoughts wavering around the morning's events. What had come over her?

------------------------------------

"Mika! where are you?" Anand's voice rang out through the window. Mika peeked out, her chin resting on the window sill.

"What is it, Anand?"

"Hey, come down fast. I want to show you something."

"Show it from there itself .. I can't come down"

"No way .. are you coming down now or I am not going to come up there and get you!"

"ok baba, coming .. but it better be a good reason"

"come down, you wont regret it"

"ok"

Mika jumped up from bed and hastily made her hair. As she did so, she looked longingly at the computer screen. Her mailbox was open in the computer and it showed a long list of mails from Anand. The mail subjects read ...

"Chocolates by mail from Switzerland by way of Wisconsin :)"
" Snowing at Atlanta .. wish you were here"
" Stars up and away - photo taken at the lawn in the night"
" I'm coming to India in June"
...

She hastily picked a small, ornamental bindi and fastened it to her forehead. Then rushed down the stairs, smiling to herself. She ran to the front door and out into the lawn. Anand was waiting for her there. He looked so handsome in the sherwani. He seemed to be gesturing to somebody on the far side of the house, but he swiftly turned as he heard her approaching.

"Hiyee", he yelled.

"Hi! .. ouch... why on earth do you have to yell like that for? .. by the by, whom were you talking to when I was coming."

"Me talking to someone? .. not at all!". There was a twinkle in Anand's eyes as he said this.

Mika got a wind of something being hidden from her, "Anand!", she said in a mockingly slow manner. "I know you are hiding something from me... come on .. tell me."

"okay .. okay sir, I accept defeat ... that was a part of the surprise"

"oooh ... okay, what's the surprise?"

"You will have to close your eyes ... come on"

Mika closed her eyes.

"Hey, no peeking !"

Mika laughed and kept her eyes closed. She wondered what Anand had in store for her. She heard some shuffling noises by the bushes. She willed to open her eyes, but she kept them tightly shut so as to not disappoint Anand.

"okay now .. you can open your eyes"

Mika opened her eyes to see Anand standing along with another girl. She was dressed in a traditional saree. Mika was lost for words, she looked from Anand to the girl and then back at Anand.

Anand then spoke, "Hi Mika, she is the surprise. Pavithra, meet my close friend from childhood , Mika"

"Hello"

"Hi..", Mika managed to bring out from her throat. What had come over her? Why was she struggling to talk?

Anand continued, "Mika, this is Pavithra, the girl who I am going to marry. We were classmates while I did M.S at Wisconsin"

The lump in Mika's throat hardly allowed a single word to emerge "Oh..cool".

"Hey Mika, are you ok?"

"Uh, well .. I have a bad headache ... that's why I was lying down .. it will go away soon .. don't worry"

"Oh ok then, I'm really sorry for disturbing you but I wanted you to be the first person whom I introduce Pavithra to. All others can come after that"

"oh, come on .. that was not really needed ... err .... hey guys, could you excuse me for sometime ... I want to take a bit of rest now to trash this bad headache ... I will come and meet you guys in about half an hour ..."

"oh, no problem at all," Pavithra said. "take your time .. get completely well and then come to see us ... besides I guess we will be seeing each other much more often in the future". Pavithra gave Mika a wink.

"ok thanks ... bye guys"

Mika turned and ran towards the front door, hardly able to conceal the tears in her eyes.
She rushed up the stairs, ran into her room, slammed the door shut and dropped to the floor crying"

Mika jumped out of the bed, bathed in sweat.

Oh! [Mika sighed in relief] it had been a dream!

She had never been able to remove that incident from her mind. She drank some water from the jug on the table by her bed and looked at her computer again.

The happenings of the morning came rushing back to her. Smiling to herself, she swore to find out who the mysterious messenger was.

Continued at Mika - Part III

Mika

2006-03-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

25th December 2004

The first rays of dawn kissed Mika's tender cheeks as she lay curled up in her blanket. She dismissively pulled the blanket over her head. A subtle tinkling sound penetrated through the darkness under the blanket. Although half asleep, it roused her curiosity; she tried to dismiss it as a dream but somehow it kept continuing. She flung open the blanket and sat up straight in bed. The sound seemed to continue. Strangely enough, it seemed to be coming from her computer which she had left on screensaver overnight. But the screensaver running on it was not the one she had set. It was a beautiful house bathed in snow. Little snowflakes were dropping all over the screen. In the centre of the screen, in shiny carpet red, were the words "Merry Christmas". She then realized it was the start of her Christmas hols and what a way to start than to get up to mysteriously see this greeting on her screen.

She gently gathered the curls falling all over her face with her hands and made a loose knot of them at the back. Her blue eyes twinkling with curiosity, she got up from bed and walked over to the computer. She pulled up a chair and blinked at the monitor. At her touch, the screensaver disappeared leaving her staring at her desktop wallpaper. But something caught her attention. It was a small blinking star in her "system tray" to the bottom right of the screen. It seemed so unreal to her, "who had done all this in surprise for her?" Her father was not in town so it couldn't have been him. Had he returned sooner than expected as a surprise or was it her one of her brother's tricks or her mother? She moved the mouse over the blinking star and clicked it.

-------------------------------------

Mika's mother was cooking a sumptuous breakfast of omlette, bread and butter. The Christmas cake was getting ready in the oven. The aroma was turning heads out in the street. She heard Mika coming down the stairs.

"Hi Mika, Happy Christmas dear, it is a wonderful day today"

"Yes Mama, it is"

Her mother turned around to see her. Mika was dressed in a light pink skirt.

"Wow, you look lovely dear. Fully ready at 7'O clock in the morning! Any new resolutions you have taken?", her mother asked jokingly.

"No, nothing of that sort ... err.. Mama..."

"Yes?"

"Can I go over to the beach for sometime?"

"Well, sure. Go on. I am a bit busy with the kitchen chores right now. You go ahead."

"Great, thanks Mama ... I will be back in about half an hour... bye"

"Bye"

-------------------------------------

Mika's house was about two hundred metres away from the beach. She fidgeted along on the pebbled pathway to the beach. The fresh sea breeze blew her hair all over her face every few seconds. A few joggers passed her on the way. Apart from that, the road was pretty deserted.

She replayed the events since yesterday in her mind as she walked along. Yesterday evening, she had arrived after a nine hour journey from Bangalore. The train had been late by about three hours and the journey had left her totally exhausted. She had just garnered enough energy to have a small chat and an early dinner with her mother and brother. She had also send a short mail to her father in a dreamy state. Then, her senses had just melted away and she had a vague remembrance of her mother gently laying her down on her bed and covering the blanket warmly over her....

"Hi Mika, Merry Christmas!"

Mika turned in the direction of the sound to see her school friend Radhika. She and her husband were jogging back home from the beach.

"Merry Christmas, to you too.."

Mika continued walking towards the beach. She had just reached the stone wall that indicated the start of the beach. She sat on it and looked at the spectacle in front of her. She could not understand what was it that made her do the things that she had done since morning. It seemed so unlike her but something excited her about doing it. She remembered what she had read when she clicked the blinking star on her computer. Whoever the person was, he/she knew what exactly to make her realize on this day and in a fashion that she would never forget. As the person had mentioned, she had taken a printout of the content and brought it out with her to read all alone in this serene environment. She unfolded the printout, closed her eyes for a few moments to calm down her emotions and then began to read.

Continued at Mika - Part II

Music and modern nationalism in India

2006-02-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,
I have started another blog "Chai please" which is around film making, my latest hobby. I have a few articles on it as well. I guess it might be the more active of my blogs for the times to come. Keep a tag on it as well :) Here's the link to it Chai please

2006-01-03T21:28:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and aunty engrossed in Chess at Ulsoor lake

Picture perfect

2006-01-02T05:05:00.000-08:00

Dozing off on a rumbling train,
a shrill cooing escorted by a cacophony,
effecting an underwater drum,
pricked me into reality.
Eyelids half-open, cornerning the source,
Driven by a mind tug locked -
Arise? .... What's the hurry?
Then, a voice so strangely familiar,
Tuned into my dreamy waves.
Wide awake now, straightened to behold,
A face something wrong,
The beauty of light blocked,
Yet a soul undeterred,
Selling wares, head upraised.
A carriage of no profit,
But a carrier of pure gold.

A bit of choc - co - lat - te

2005-12-19T04:22:00.000-08:00

Guys, this is a short write-up on my favorite movie "Forrest Gump". This is how I pay my tribute to it.

I love to remind myself of the words I heard in Forrest Gump "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get". The good part is, we get to choose the chocolates.

Last night, you might be having the time of your life with everyone you love. Today, maybe your best friend will leave you. At such times ,I love to think that life has called me and opened up a box of chocolates for me to choose from. Infact, the best chocolates are the bitter ones (as the Hershey's :)). So it pays;) to take a bitter one since the best relationships are those that stand the test of faith.

The act of Forrest starting his cross-country journey to discover the meaning of life is something that means a lot to me symbolically. Get up and go!! Forrest learns a lot in that journey. I have made it a point to take this to heart, this day as I enjoy my vacation at my home.

I love this scene in the movie as well which happens while Forrest is on the cross-country run.

Bumper sticker maker: You just ran through a big pile of dog shit.
Forrest Gump: It happens.
Bumper sticker maker: What, shit?
Forrest Gump: Sometimes.

"SHIT HAPPENS" -> this hit slogan makes me laugh, yet makes me aware of the fact of how to view life ;) Dont get any interesting ideas.

This conversation when Forrest describes a beautiful sunset to an ailing Jenny is also touching.

Forrest Gump: It was so beautiful.
Jenny: I wish I could've been there with you.
Forrest Gump: You were.

This is a timeless relationship. I love to experience one such relationship. It is as Forrest put it in his own words "We was like peas and carrots."

The end is quite touching as well.
"I don't know if we each have a destiny or if were just floating around accidental-like, on a breeze.", is a classic reflection of the wisdom that experience has moulded into Forrest's heart. It is more of a starting point in his journey to solve that question. Infact, the film's start in which a feather appears to be floating around in the breeze but yet lands 'by chance' at Forrest feet's reflects that very philosophy. The end is similar which goes to say that the process continues.

The light of Diwali

2005-11-03T23:02:00.000-08:00

This year my Diwali plans to go to my hometown Chennai were unexpectedly cancelled because of the torrential rains. I was gloomy that I would not spend this Diwali with my parents. But, I would like to share a few things that I learnt from spending a quiet Diwali weekend at my flat. These realizations probably lit up a lot of diyas in my heart that may not have otherwise happened had I spent a usual Diwali.

Sitting at home, I let my mind be idle. I knew the age-old saying, "An idle mind is a devil's workshop". Yet, I somehow let it do what it could. This was the first time in one-and-a-half years of a software professional life that I totally let myself relax. A lot of thoughts floated about. I could see the various times in the recent year that I had been in a state of confusion of whether I am on the right track towards my dreams, infact, now the question arose, one that I had taken for granted earlier - what exactly were my dreams? Now that I tried to lay them down, I realized that I couldn't put down even a single focussed dream. I realized that I had been drifting from one dream to another not really focussing on any of them. Sometimes, it was to become a scientist in aerospace, sometimes to become a writer, sometimes to pursue higher studies and sometimes to become a millionaire :). (I think the devil caught up properly with me :))

I tried to focus harder on what I would really like. One side my mind was telling me this was a fruitless search that you have done many a time and not gained. Other side, a force that was telling me to have faith and try harder, for it does not make sense to simply let life push you along, and that it was the way of life to make people frequently stop and look down at their future. This second force was telling me that wise are the ones who realize this and constantly realign themselves back on track to their dreams.

This flow of thought also brought one more thing that I had overlooked in my pursuits to satisfy my mind - my family and friends. I realized that family and friends gave me more pleasure than my personal pursuits.

I realized that only if I intertwine and balance my pursuits with my social life would I really be able to get the drive and the support to pursue my dreams.

After nearly an hour of interrogation into myself, I was finally able to define my dreams in three words - Focus, Balance and Innovation. I realized that if I built my life around the above three entities I would really be a happy person. Infact, I smiled to myself since the three words abbreviated to FBI :).

I realized that this was a kind of meditation that I had just experienced - a kind of deep introspection into one's soul. I realized that I had not heard a single sound, nor noticed the passage of time or anything material in that span of time. It was like the whole universe had been inside my mind. I realized the gravity with which my mind had held me. It was simply refreshing and I got up energized like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Thanks God for enlightening up a confused soul this Diwali.

Guys, this blog will be much more active henceforth :)

A tribute to the auto-rickshaw drivers of Bangalore :)

2005-06-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

What I really like about the auto drivers of Bangalore is their consistency. Let me give you examples that stand out.

It is sort of a rule in Bangalore that the first auto that a commuter asks should not accept the deal. I have seen it happen so many times that I am considering writing a theorem on this. :)

Next, every auto driver in Bangalore has straight line vision only. You can't stop an auto by waving your hand from the side of the road. You have to get directly into the path of the auto to intercept his straight line vision.

Another cool ability of the auto drivers is their skill to feign deaf when ask them to go to a location they aren't interested in. Infact, there is an ongoing research in the police ranks as to what interests the autodrivers. As the first result of this research, the police have put up boards to report any auto driver that refuses a customer.

Individual attention is another trait. If you ask a driver and he refuses, you must repeat the request to the next guy who was listening to you ask his friend. And invariably, he will also say 'no' !!

Of course, not to be-little them, they are probably the only drivers in the country who come exactly by the meter. That I must really applaud.

2005-05-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

What amazes me about this image is that it is a painting. Really cool work. Infact, its better than a photo.

The Touch

2005-05-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

I shared a special relationship with my grandmother. The interesting part of this relationship was that it wasn't apparent to anybody who saw us together. In fact, seeing us together itself was rare. Of all my cousins, I must have been the black sheep who hardly stayed at her place. Yet, we deeply loved each other. The only visible aspect of our bonding was the short speck of a kiss that both of us exchanged whenever I was to leave for home after my visit to her place.

She lived in one of the most busiest streets in Chennai. It was the heart of the electronic component market in the whole of India. It was a bustling place with continuous activity. People jostling in and out of shops. It was said that there was not a single electronic component that existed that could not be found in that street and its adjoining ones. In that very place, with shops on either side, was my grandmother's home. Nothing could make her part with that house since it was her standing memory of her husband who died nearly thirty years ago. It was the place I spent every weekend. A weekend would not feel complete without a visit to my grandmother's.

My grandfather died when their eldest son had just finished college. She was left all alone to raise eight boys. She had taken it as her mission to make sure everyone of the boys made it through the tough times and as I see my uncles today, I can see that she has more than achieved her goals. She always told me to never be afraid of the consequences of my actions. "Be true to yourself, then you'll never have to regret later".

She was a person who knew how to enjoy life to the fullest extent. Even when she was seventy-five, she used to have a cup of chukku coffee every evening , a medicinal coffee that had an invigorating flavor that used to rouse me out of even the deepest sleep, and read her favorite magazine in tamil. She used to dress very simply but neatly always, but whenever it was time to go for a function or somebody's house, out used to come a collection of pattu sarees, internationally known as kanchipuram silk sarees, from her wardrobe.

Even when she was diagnosed with some sort of stomach ulcer, she never changed her diet to a flat one. When the doctor told her she could no more have salt in her diet, she looked at him incredulously, as if saying, "Tell whatever you like but I am going to live the way I like" and she did. She never stopped salt from her diet.

Then, one day, she was taken very ill. In fact, she was deteriorating visibly for nearly a year by then. After that sudden illness, I went to see her at her house. She was lying down in her room. She sat up feebly when I went in. We just sat without saying anything for a time. It was one of the many times in her company that I felt sad for not choosing to be a doctor. She had infact wanted me to be a doctor as she saw the potential in me to be one. I was a bit of a pandu you see. A pandu in chennai college tamil is a guy who studies hard. I had asked her once why she badly wanted me to be one for which she had told me that her husband had died due to lack of proper medical care. She did not want anybody else to suffer the same fate. That day when I sat next to her, I realized how she would have felt. I felt a great longing to become an angel and blow her illness away, but there I was helpless, not able to do anything.

Shortly after that her condition deteriorated so badly that she had to be taken to the hospital. It was the beginning of a long tryst with the hospital atmosphere. It almost became a habit for me to go and see her every evening. All she could do was to bat her eyelids in recognition, but eyes can tell a lot. I could a zeal to return home in those feeble eyes. I used to sit quietly next to her bed with my hand on hers. I used to beg god to flow youthful energy from my hands to her fragile body. I understood why Silence is Golden.

It was in those tough days that I got the news that I had stood first in the entrance examinations for the state. I went to tell my grandmother about it. She always used to like to listen to news of my studies. I was shocked to learn that her condition was even worse. Now, she could hardly recognize anyone. I just held her hand for a while and looked into those wizen eyes. "Come on, amma. Make it out of here". Later, I was told by my aunt that I was the only person she had recognized that day.

I guess God wanted to test her to the limits. In my view, she had already had enough share of troubles. Why on earth should she suffer until the end? But I guess that God wanted her to make a greater impact when she was no more. And she did. Today, I am a much more mentally balanced guy only due to her. I am not afraid of failure due to her. I resolve to be cheerful even when troubled due to her. I am what I am today due to her. Never has a task that I started with her in mind gone into fray. Her remembrance helps me keep focussed on my purpose in life.

Thank you grandma. Thanks for being with me always.

Restless

2005-04-18T04:34:00.000-07:00

It was a hot summer afternoon in Bangalore and yet it was raining cats and dogs. The scene inside Manipal hospital however was just like any other day. People rushing in and around labs and operating rooms. Anxious faces all around.

In the second floor, Anand's parents sat at the end of a long corridor. They had got the news yesterday that Anand had been injured in a road accident and had rushed from Chennai by bus. Now, with Anand in the operating room undergoing a head surgery, Anand's mother was crying inconsolably. Her husband could not voice any supporting words for her. He too sat there praying for Anand, his hands continuously fumbling the magazine that he held open. He had not read a single word despite staring at an article for a full hour. He hardly noticed the sounds of two school buses stopping in front of the hospital and the loud chatter of a lot of children.

The receptionist on the ground floor could not conceal her amazement at the marching line of young faces entering the building and going up the stairs. "Find out why these children have come immediately. We can't have this kind of commotion in the hospital", she said to a hospital ward boy nearby.

"Definitely madam", the ward boy said as he rushed to the stairs. He ran up the stairs and overtook the first child. He stopped her and asked whom she had come to meet. She innocently replied, "I have come to see Anand bhaiya".

"How do you know where he is in this hospital?", the ward boy asked her.

"Sister, can you come here please.", the girl called out to someone who was walking up the stairs.

A nun who was almost on the second floor landing turned back in amazement and then rushed down the stairs. "Oh, where are you children?", she came rushing down. She came up to them. "Sister, are you the one leading this group of children?".

"Yes, I am", she replied.

"Well Sister, whom are you going to meet?"

"I have brought them to see - Anand Kumar, who is currently in ICU in the second floor."

"Did you have to bring all of them? We cannot allow such a huge crowd."

"Well, they decided to boycott classes today if they were not brought to see him."

"Everyone of them?", the ward boy asked.

"Yes, everyone of them"

"But we cannot allow so many people inside the hospital."

"Isn't it visiting hours now? And do you have a rule saying that a person cannot go and see a patient? I told you that each one of these children wants to see him personally."

The ward boy could not say anything. He went back to report to the receptionist.

Anand's father was surprised to see a long line of children walking up to the ICU room. He was even more surprised to see the first child come up to him. "Don't worry, uncle. Anand bhaiya will get well very soon. He has all our prayers."

Anand's father was dumbfounded. "All these children have come to meet Anand?", he wondered.

"Why do you all like Anand so much?", he asked her.

"Well, he taught me to paint a lot of flowers. He also taught me singing."

"Oh, that's nice", said Anand's mother speaking for the first time.

"Well, that's a small thing compared to what he has done for the other children. Although each child treasures her relationship with him.", the Sister spoke, "Hello, I am Sister Maria."

"Where do these children come from?", Anand's mother asked.

"They belong to St. Mary's Orphanage"

"I seem to know nothing of what Anand has done in his free time at Bangalore. Could you tell me more about it?"

"Yes, definitely. Has he been doing all this even without telling you? oh..."

"What happened? Any problem", Anand's father interrupted.

"No .. no problem.. I think I found the right person to tell you all about it." She got up and went near the stairs to the window where a girl was seated on the window sill. She was weeping and looking out into the road. She turned as the Sister called to her. "Sunita, how long have you been here? Did you meet Anand's parents?"

Sunita glanced at Anand's parents and gestured that she hadn't. "Come on, there's no problem. After all, he is your best friend."

The teacher brought Sunita and made her sit next to Anand's mother. Sunita kept looking down. Anand's mother gently lifted Sunita's face to look into the watery eyes of the girl.

"Sunita looks tired out. I don't want to bother her now to tell me all about this."

"By the by", Sister Maria asked. "How's Anand now?"

"Well, the doctor said that he has to undergo a head surgery. They have asked an expert surgeon to come from Mumbai. He arrived just now. He has gone to see Anand in the ICU. We are waiting for what he has to say."

She was interrupted by the arrival of the surgeon. All of them jumped up to meet him.

"Well, doctor?", Anand's father asked.

"A bad injury but I've seen people survive through worse. I think he will require all our prayers... ", that was when he saw the children, "have all these children come to meet Anand?.. Well, well.. then I think I don't think we need to believe in luck. I have asked them to immediately arrange for the operation in about 15 minutes."

"Doctor", Sunita interposed.

"Yes?"

"You are definitely sure that nothing will happen to Anand?"

"Well, he has the best care and I too am a strong believer that the most crucial battles are fought in the mind.. Have complete faith and everything will turn out all right. Right, I am now going to conduct the operation. I will talk to you after the surgery. Sister, I think you can tell the children that they can see Anand tomorrow. Today, it will be tough I think."

"Don't you worry, Sir. They are all an understanding lot."

The operation took nearly three hours. Every-time the operation theatre doors opened, there was a sudden rise of expectations as to what had happened. The receptionist on the ground floor had to come up and make sure the children were still there. She had never known such a quiet and disciplined lot before.

Finally, the doctor came out.

"The operation was successful. He needs to be in ICU for a few days so that we can be sure that there are no after-effects. After-effects in head injury are extremely dangerous, but I think if he makes it through the first few days without problems he will be all right. Trust in God. Everything will be all right.". The doctor gave a thumbs up to the children. Immediately, he was engulfed in a wave of emotions. "Thank you Doctor." "Thank you"

Sister Maria came up to Anand's parents."God has answered our prayers. I think I will leave with the children now. They are satisfied now I hope. I will come everyday and gather news of Anand's recovery for them. Dont' worry, all our prayers are with him whether we are here or not."

.....

It was midnight. The children had left in the evening. Anand's mother was leaning on the couch. She was tired but yet she could not go to sleep. She looked down at Sunita who was lying on her lap.

Sunita spoke, "Aunty, I am not able to sleep at all."

"Well, I too am not sleepy. It is always the case when someone close to you is ill. I can see that Anand means a lot to you. He means a lot to me too. I don't seem to know about this particular aspect of his life that is unfolding itself rapidly in front of me. I mean - these chidren ... and you.....I think you are the one who knows how to help me assemble this jigsaw. Please tell me."

Sunita wiped her tears with her dupata, "Let me relive my treasured moments with Anand in my mind and recite along as I do so. Probably then I may be able to relax". She then closed her eyes and started, "Well, both of us got to know each as we were from the same college and we both work in Bangalore. I used to live alone in an apartment in the outskirts of Bangalore. Most of my communication with Anand was by mail and phone. I used to feel restless all evenings. Sometimes, I used to break down and cry. One day, we met in a restaurant on M. G. Road and I presented my dilemma to him only to find that he too was in the same state of mind. For both of us, work was fine but both of us felt that something was missing in our lives, something beyond our known interests in books, writing and music. As we were talking, suddenly Anand rushed out of the door and ran. Only then did I realize that a terrible accident had happened right in the road in front. I was sitting with my back to the road, so I did not notice anything in the restaurant. Anand rushed to the spot. A couple and their child on a motorcycle were hit by a speeding car. Unfortunately, the couple died on the spot. I still remember the scene where Anand sat stunned on the road with the child in his arms feeling the reality hit him - the child had become an orphan in an instant. But the worst was yet to come. We found that child had no relatives who were willing to take her. The couple had loved and married against the wishes of their parents. The child was admitted to this very orphanage... Anand surprised me the next weekend by arriving at my apartment and asking me to go out with him. It was his first visit to my place and it was an unforgettable one. He had told me that he had bought a new car the other day. So I thought he was taking me for a ride in his car. But then we got into his car in complete silence. I noticed that we were going towards the centre of the city. He was silent all the time. I finally couldn't bear it so I asked him where we were going. He gave me a look that pleaded silence. I immediately quietened up. This was the first time in my life that I was sitting in a car with a friend in whom I had faith would take me anywhere for my good. He drove into St. Mary's Orphanage. When we got out, he spoke out for the first time 'I found a solution to your dilemma. It lies inside this building.'. I could not understand what exactly he meant by that. 'Come in', he said. The whole place was silent, I was bewildered. 'where were all the children?', I thought. Anand went to the office and peeped in and said something which I didn't hear. In a few moments, a nun came out of the room. She introduced as Sister Maria. She then led the way down a long empty hall towards a room whose door was shut. It was a huge wooden door. She gave a rap on the door and went inside. Anand followed her, I followed pursuit. I gasped when I entered, there were about a hundred children inside the room in age groups from five to fifteen. All their faces were on me as I entered. Sister Maria then announced 'Children, this is Sunita madam. She is going to teach you all drawing today.' She then came and thanked me for coming and gave a sheepish grin at Anand and went out closing the door. I was lost for words. I then looked pleadingly at Anand who was smiling. I whispered upto him with minimal movement of the lips 'Anand, you idiot. Why did you get me into this trouble? Besides, you know that I am horrible at drawing'. Anand looked at me with twinkling eyes and then faced the children. 'Hi all, your miss is very tensed today. So I will take the class and she will help me out.'

He turned to me, 'happy now? that was just a little prank I played with the Sister's help.' 'Come on, just help me out in keeping this organized.'. My tension suddenly vanished. Somehow, I felt a lot better working with him. That Sunday afternoon was the most memorable of my life. Sitting in the middle of bunch of laughter laden beings is a very nice feeling. I was amazed at the way Anand worked his magic with the children. I just tottered behind him. I knew this was his answer to my dilemma and his as well. I never thanked him for that day but both of us knew that this was the right filling for the void in our lives.

From then on, every weekend, we would take classes for the children. We taught a variety of subjects, drawing, physics, biology, mathematics and music - my stronghold. Anand used to love my music classes. He would sit there mesmerized just as every other of the children. He constantly used to emphasize the fact that everyone should make an effort to become what they liked to be, atleast try to - and that is the thing that will satisfy their hearts. Slowly, some of the older children came up to him and told him what they had liked to become - one wanted to become a chef, one a sailor and another a journalist. Infact, we were amazed that none of them wanted to become a software professional - the craze that we saw in our world. Here were children who were listening to their hearts. Anand was very impressed with them. From then on, he used to spend his time collecting information for these kids on how to pursue their careers. The children trusted him a lot and would work hard on the assignments that he set them that would help them proceed towards their goals.

In fact, the boy who wanted to become a chef became one last month. He is now the chef of Taj West End, one of the best five star hotels here. Anand's training in English helped him clear his interview boldly. Lots of others are now keenly focussing on their interests too...". Sunita had drifted to sleep.

Anand's mother smiled at her remembering what Sister Maria had told her before leaving, "Your son has brought a vigor into each of those children. I am so happy that all of them are now working hard towards their dreams. Anand has been a living example to me of how faith in someone can help bring out the best in them. You have been gifted with a wonderful son." She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes.

......

About 7'O clock in the morning, the nurse came and announced that Anand was conscious now. "Do you want to see him for a short time?" Sunita leapt from the couch and ran towards the ICU. At the swing doors, she paused realizing that she had been too hasty. She shyly turned back, Anand's mother gave a knowing nod. Sunita turned and went into the ICU to see Anand.

She entered the ICU and the nurse pointed her to Anand's bed. She went and stood next to him. Anand was resting with his eyes closed. She sat next to him on the bed. Anand opened his eyes. There was a mischief in his eyes even at that moment. "Marry me.", he whispered. Sunita placed her head on his chest and gently hugged him mutterring, "We already are! you nit-wit"

The raining had stopped. The sun ray's played magic on the drenched garden city. Birds came out of their nests to savour the warmth. Sitting outside the ICU, Anand's mother was resting on her husband's shoulders, she couldn't stop crying. "Anand has been impeccable in his choices".

My first attempt at a short story

2005-03-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

The Governor

The applause at the amphitheatre was overwhelming. Colonel Mathew stood up to face his distinguished audience. The anchor on the stage announced "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, Colonel Robert Mathew, Winner of this year's Peace Prize for his monumental work in campaigning for peace in the sub-continent.". The thunderous applause took nearly two minutes to die down. The colonel could discern the members of his former battalion in the audience. He gave a quick bow to them. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am here today before you not because of what I did but because of human faith and compassion of the highest kind. It is the same faith that enabled me to garner the strength of my battalion members even when they were mortally wounded. It is the same faith that aided me in stopping the bloody civil war in my country.... It all began due to a particular incident .. one that I can never forget ... one that has been the cornerstone of my life for so many years and will go on to be..... Let me share it with you all... "

It was a cloudy day in February about forty years ago. The sun was totally engulfed by a massive mountain of snowy clouds. The few rays that somehow penetrated the barrier illuminated the courtyard of the prison. The moss grew like a fur coat over the high walls making it very slippery. The interior of the prison was quiet. One could hear the water dripping from the tap in the restroom. One could hear the flies that endlessly buzzed around the kitchen. Almost every inmate in the prison was assembled at the courtyard. Every eye was fixed on the boy who stood alone at the front of the gathering. He was a twenty year old. He was staring at the ground in silence. Behind him, the execution stage stood harrowingly with its noose as if waiting to gorge its next victim.

High above from a sheltered seating, the Governor watched the boy. The jail warden who was standing behind the Governor looked at his watch for the twentienth time in five minutes.

He grudged, "Why do the last few minutes always last a lifetime?". This was his the first execution since his five months at office. He wanted it to be done impeccably. He had reviewed all arrangements made to the most minute detail. "Nothing could possibly go wrong", he thought, "The boy would be hung in a few minutes and it would all be over".

The Governor stood silent and erect looking at the solemn congregation in the courtyard.

"What did you say was the boy's crime?", the Governor asked suddenly.

The warden was astonished. This was the second time in ten minutes that the Governor had asked the same question. He looked at his associate, and motioned to him to bring the file which contained the details about the boy.

The Governor turned around to face the warden and said "Could you read it aloud please".

The warden flipped open the file and started to read, "David, son of farmer, doing his electrical engineering, Crime ... Murdered his classmate who was outscoring him at academics in college ......".

"The details?", the Governor pressed on, "Read on..".

"Details ... Called his classmate, Ram to a desolate lake about sixty kilometers from Delhi. Drowned him in the lake after inviting him for a swim. Returned to the city soon after that and went to college the same day. Phoned the police and reported that his classmate was missing... probably as a ploy to take suspicion away from him. But the CBI found incriminating evidence that David had gone with Ram to the lake. David denied his involvement in the crime. Said that he did go to the lake by some instinct. Said he saw something wrong happening in his dream. He finally broke down after intensive interrogation . In a sporadic outburst, he accepted that he had killed him."

"Your opinion of him?", the Governor asked the warden.

"Well, in the five months at office, I have seen him as a sort of a revolutionary. He has raised many demands and brews up a lot of trouble by getting the unions to support it. One of his outrageous demands was to release the high-profile prisoners from the underground into the normal inmate quarters. He spent a lot of time in the underground quarters talking to the prisoners there. I guess they like him. Naturally, birds of a feather flock together. Do you know, the inmates intended to boycott this ceremony if the underground prisoners were not allowed to attend it. I did not want to start a massacre, so somehow I have managed it. You can see the high-profile prisoners on the left. Don't worry, security arrangements are much above normal standards .... I have found it extremely tough to handle his demands. Better off with him gone soon."

The Governor looked at the sober group on the left, one of the prisoners looked up into the Governor's eyes. The Governor thought he saw the reflection of a tear in those glassy eyes.

"Bring the boy here", the Governor ordered.

"Sire?"

"I said, bring the boy here."

The boy was brought to the room. He looked at the Governor and gave a weak smile.

The Governor eyed the boy for a moment and then ordered, "Everybody leave the room, I want to talk with him alone.". Nobody moved, the Governor looked at the warden knowingly and then towards the door. The warden had no choice but to obey the orders.

"Everybody out! Come on!". The doors closed leaving them alone.

About five minutes passed, the warden started to worry. He did not like the thought of the convict staying alone in the room with the Governor. Drops of sweat flowed down his throat right upto his stomach. Just then he heard a loud bang inside the room. Instantly, he undid the safety catch of his pistol and rushed towards the door, pushed it open and charged in with the guards just behind him.

He saw the governor on the floor, his chair had been knocked down. The convict sat calmly on another chair beside him. The guards seized him and took him back out into the courtyard.

Above, the warden kept telling the Governor "Sire, I warned you that he was a maniac."

"Set him free. I have pardoned him", the Governor said quietly, still a bit dazed from his fall.

"Sire? Did I hear you right? Set the maniac free? After all that he has done? I must ask ..."

"Are you the governor ? or am I?"

"Sorry Sire. Your orders will be carried out!"

Colonel Mathew paused to survey the audience, there was a gripping silence all around.

"That boy was me!"

Gasps went up in the audience.

"I know that you are all dumbfounded that a former convict is now the holder of the Peace Prize. I am not worried about losing this prize but what I do treasure is the everlasting revelation that I experienced that day. I shall cherish it throughout my life."

One of the reporters from the press section raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Sir, what exactly happened in those five minutes that you spent with the Governor?"

"Well,...He pulled up two chairs and arranged them facing each other. We sat facing each other. The first minute or so, the Governor and I just gazed into each other's eyes. Both tried to gather the thoughts of the other person. That silence brought back all that I had dreamt of doing in my life. The Governor seemed to be in sync with me. Gradually, the dreams faded way into the desperate situation that I was in at that moment. A burning anger was again growing within me, the same that had made me accept having committed the murder even though I never committed it.... At that precise moment, the Governor said, 'Anger blinds your dreams.... your dreams are big and they require a big heart.... Do you believe in yours dreams enough to avert what's coming ....'. A tense silence followed during which I saw my dreams again, this time with a stronger mental disposition that I would achieve them no matter what. Then, I looked at the Governor again and smiled. The Governor still waited 'Well?..'. I knew I was being tested by the Governor who was waiting for a strong answer to his question. That was the moment I kicked his chair and you know the rest...."

The reporter sat down. The colonel still remained on the podium. The audience shared the silence with him. Tears welled into the colonel's eyes. He continued "........... Infact, I got to relive that magical experience again several times in my life... when I lay wounded along with my battalion members surrounded by the enemy...... when I sat in my house with my family during the riots............ Faith in one's dreams is a power beyond anything you can imagine. Don't question it just believe in it. Thank you."