Thursday, October 27, 2005

Reel friend

Yesterday in the evening shuttle, we got to know a lot about one of the cab mates. Our chests swell in pride to know that we have such an influential friend among us!!! I wanted to just jot down about the REEL V. It’s too valuable to miss out.

All these stories\connections are as told by V himself infront of atleast 10 people in the cab.

Political Influence
1. Dharam Singh's daughter in law is V’s very close cousin. Recently Dharam Singh invited V and family for his son's wedding in Palace grounds. Inspite of his busy schedule V managed to attend the marriage, but could not give an appointment to Dharam. So there is no snap of Dharam with V.

2. Mallikarjuna Kharge's son is a very close friend of V. Mr Jr Kharge has told V to approach him in case of any problems.

3. Jalappa's son stays in the house adjacent to that of V. Obviously they share a very close relation. Jalappa has named his grandson V after he met the charming neighbor.

4. V was the brain and star campaigner behind SM Krishna's victory in Chamarajpet during the last assembly elections. He campaigned for him in Vijayanagar !!!!!!

Film World Influence
1. Upendra had invited V and his friends for the "Grihapravesh" of his house. Unfortunately Upendra forgot (intentionally) V at the time of his marriage. But the relationship does not stop there. For the last Diwali, V presented Uppi with a box of crackers which was received with a hug. Uppi also gave V Rs 101 for Ganesha pooje near his house.

2. During the Grihapravesh, V built contacts with "Dheera" Rockline Venkatesh. V gets free tickets to the movies produced by Rockline.

3. When Dr Rajkumar was released by Veerappan, V went to Rajkumar and garlanded the icon of Kannada movie industry. Rajkumar bowed down in front of the icon of route 6.

4. On Dec 31st 1999, filmstar Srinath had the luck to meet V in the Hosakerehalli Ganesha temple (yes, V goes to temples!!!). They not only exchanged greetings, but Srinath invited V for the "Adarsha Dampathigalu" program. But sadly V is still single (officially atleast) and had to reject the invitation.

5. V made a guest appearance in the mega hit movie "Chinnari Mutha". Nagabharana wanted some rhythmic tunes in the movie and found that V was the best person to give the drum beats.

6. Master Hiranayya is V's chaddi dost. V gave a missed call and Hiranayya came as the chief guest to his college function. Incidentally Hiranayya's son-in-law stays in the same road as V.

7. Hatrick hero Shivarajkumar had the previlage of standing next to the Reel hero V for a snap. This was possible when V was a kid. Now Shivu is not getting an appointment.

8. Hatrick director Prem (Jogi director) is\was V's friend's tenant in Basaveshwara nagar. Now you know the inspiration behind "Bin Laden Nan mava" song!!

9. Navya - heroine of Sachhi, is V's senior in school. She is also a very good friend of V. V had a hand in getting her the role. Budding heroines can contact V!!!

10. V went on a padayatra with Ambarish from Bidadi to Mandya shouting slogans for Ambi and against Jaya. Ambi was impressed and invited V for a booze party.

11. Malavika alias Madhavi Patel of "Mukta" serial fame used to "carry" V to his school because they were neighbours and good friends.

12. Arundati's ("Mukta" serial) sister ran away from home with V's cousin brother. Now they are happily married.

13. Late Tiger Prabhakar, used to ask V "yenappa school inda bartha idya? chanagi odu V..." when ever he saw V during school days. Not to mention V followed Tiger's instructions dutifully.

14. Talking of Tiger, V became the hero of heros (and heroines) in a Bannergatta safari. A leopard attacked the bus and V fought with the leopard and chased it away. V has a mark on his finger (made by Leopard's finger) to prove his point.

Reel continues......

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Missed calls mahime

I am getting accustomed to the mobile culture. I forget to switch to silent mode in meetings and switchoff the silent mode at my home. In the former case it is embarassing to get the call and in the latter case friends curse me for missing the call. All this is OK, but the what I am not getting used to is the missed call funda. I wanted to list down where and how this is being used because I find this very amusing and interesting.

1. Give a missed call to a friend or spouse...He\She will return the call back because the person has a connection which is paid by the office. The other scenario could be that the He\She has a connection with free calltime.
2. An executive gives a missed call to his driver. It indicates that the driver should bring the car to the gate. The driver gives a missed call to his boss. This indicates that he is at the gate. Thus the work process flow is smooth.
3. A cab mate gives a missed call to one of the guys in the cab. This indicates that he is on the way and halt the cab till he\she comes.
4. I have booked a taxi and given the address for pickup. Thr taxi driver comes near my home and gives a missed call. Then I need to call him back to check where he is and guide him to the address.
5. On the way home, give a missed call to the office friend. Within seconds a SMS arrives with the latest scores of teh cricket match.

Now the best one...
6. Daughter sleeping the first floor of the house gives a missed call to her home landphone in the ground floor - Indication that she has woken up and its time for tea. Mom arranges for tea. After tea and some more time theres another missed call. Now she is ready to take bath and hot water is needed. Mom arranges for hot water.

So many things are communicated via missed calls!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Family size

I counted the number of people in my family. 'My family' here means my grandparents, their children & their spouses (my dad, mom and uncle aunts), grandchildren & their spouses(me and cousins), great grand-children & their spouses(my cousins' sons and daughters).

Some details about the process
1. I had a use a paper and pen.
2. I had to ask my parents about some cousins and their children.
3. On one instance there was a lengthy conversation to verify whether a cousin has one kid or 2 kids.
4. We counted only the people who are alive.

When I finished the half an hour exercise the final count was a whopping 149. The split was father's side 121 and mother's side 28.
My next tasks are
1. To get a male to female ratio.
2. To get the names of all the family members.
3. To get to know what everybody is doing.

I am ashamed about my knowledge about my family.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

War never ends!

There has been huge cries all over the world regarding civilian casulaties in the war of Iraq. Some thoughts about this...

1. there is no war without civilian casualties...this everybody should be aware of and there is no need to make big issue of this...whereever it happens......we are not living in an era of rajas and sainikas...common men die fullstop...
having said this....we shud also keep in mind that...in kashmir there is no war...terrorists cooly can do what they want...no clear opposition for them...

2. the definition of terrorism has changed over a period of time...general dyer who killed so many indians in jallianwallah bagh was a terrorist...nobody except me say this maybe...bhagat singh used violence and threw bombs in meetings...would you call him a terrorist?...what is happening in iraq today...a grp blow up themseleves in protest against american occupation...they kill people who in someway try to help americans...people who want to join the us lead army or people who try to be pro american journalists...sometimes
so called innocent people...but if bhagat singh was not a terrorist, why are these iraqis called terrorists...is it wrong to fight for freedom?

3. islamic fundamentalists...treating islam as one is a mistake...islam like all (most) religions has 2 parts...shias and sunnies \ rich and poor...the tussel started as a tussel between these grps and a tussel of money...there are islamic nations who are filthy rich and there are islamic states who are exteremely poor...the rich became richer by selling oil to the christian nations...and not assisting the poorer nations, who expected money from them...the pressure on the rich went so high that they wanted to show that they do care for islam...they started funding madrasas for study of islam...some were satisfied...but some more wanted more...when they dint get more...they used the democracry vs communist battle and took support from the opposite sides...islamic world was broken...when communism broke...the islamic guys lost money and power...now to get back the power and money they used the quran....

unlike hinduism (i think only religion in the world who dont have a binding of any book or saying)...islam lives on quran, like christians on bible...they used the funds to madrasas to develop their base...in the name of islam they extracted more and more money from richer nations....and in someways they are still doingit....today majority of the top religious(heads of mosques) guys are fundamentalists...and in islam where religion and quran is more than anything else....the fundamentalists thots are spreading faster and faster...
its hard to remove the islamic fundamentalism...till somebody tells them that quran is not the end of world...this wont happen...so war does not end...

quran is also the reason for the violence like below...iraq is under seige...so what happens to muslim in london...iraq is not the end of islam...but still they fight...iraqis fighting for their freedom is right...but londoners fighting for iraq is not reasonable...its like burning deve gowda's photos in kashmir for what he did to siddaramaih...;-))

Monday, October 17, 2005

On the way...

I was walking from blossom bookstore on church street to trinity circle on Saturday evening. I took the less crowded footpath of MG Road, on the yahoo office side. I was passing behind one of the telephone junction boxes, which bisected the footpath. From the opposite side came a couple carrying a baby around 3 yrs.

The guy stopped me and asked "Marathi?". My first thought was that he was going to ask me some location and answered "Hindi..". Then the couple started telling me their story. They have come from Pune, but lost their bag in the train. They have no money with them. Since morning they have been roaming without food. Before I could ask anything, he continued that he now wants money to reach Pune. The charge is 210Rs for one person. They said that they are decent couple and would send the money back to me if I give them the address. I just blabbered that I do not have so much money with me and within a second I told them that I can give money for thier food now. It really came out instantly. The middle class sentiments just got onto me I suppose. I took a 50 Rs note and handed it to the lady. She blessed me and told that Sai Baba will bless me. The guy asked me to shell 150 more so that the lady atleast could go back. He said he would return it. But then I told him another lie. "I do not have money and I am a student". The guy gracefully shook hands and they moved on.

As I continued my stroll, a galore of questions filled my mind.
Why did the couple come to Bangalore? Don't they know anybody in Bangalore? Would anybody keep all the cash in one place? What were they doing in MG Road when there is no rail station nearby? Why din't they ask me to call Pune for help? Did they goto police station and lodge a complaint?

But it was too late to get any answer. And is it worth to get an answer for these?
I just hope that the 50 Rs really helped them in someway.

Friday, October 14, 2005

The feel that never ends - Jogi

No romance...But love is in air, love between mom and son.
No duet...But there are super songs.
No vulgarity in dialogs...But there are hardcore rowdies and good amount of bloodshed.
No foreign locales...But super background for the songs.

This is the feel which the hat-trick director Prem leaves you with. The feel is not extraordinary but it's good.
The story is about a village innocent who lands in Bangalore and becomes a rowdy because of his love for his mother. This transistion is depicted well. The innocent Jogi alias Madesa(Shivanna) is taught about the crime world in a song "Hodimaga Hodimaga" which has become a huge hit. Infact all the songs are big hits...Jogi is the album of the year. The so called heroine (so called because, she is not hero's girlfriend or wife) is a good samartian who helps Jogi's mother find her son. Arundati Nag as the mother and new face Jennifer have excelled in their roles. The ending is very dramatic, but has the thrills of a Kamal Hasan movie ending.

Jogi has created a new marketing dimension for Kannada industry. The story of the movie is sold for 63 lakhs to a telegu director. The ringtones have been made available in indiatimes.com. The movie was released in the USA on the same day as its release in Karnataka. The hairstyle is trendy and the dressing is tapori. The release of the movie was broadcast live on the web in viggy.com. Jogi has completed 50 days in all the theaters in which it was released.

I saw the movie on the 50th day and so was given a sweet by the theater authorities. The hall had almost 40% seats occupied by ladies...after being marketed as a rowdy movie!!

Monday, October 10, 2005

Kannadiga vs Non-kannadiga

Recently there was a small tussel in one of the buses. A person asked the driver to stop the kannada song that was being played. The person who opposed has supposedly told that he does'nt care for Kannada and does not want to learn kannada. This has created an uproar among my friends. My views on this.

I like it

R and G are 2 friends of mine...who had raised their opinions earlier...I do not want to post it without their permission.

What is referred here...music...but why is this an issue today? This was happening in our cab also...why dint anybody complain then? Because....is it that more than "kannada abhimana", the "non-kannadiga virodha" has increased now....good...i like it..

I agree and disagree with some points of R....because personally I listen to all language songs...that does not mean that everybody else shud do this...also let me know one thing...there are 10 guys who want rainbow fm (which is not only a kannada channel)...but 2 want radio city...the 2 will win...any reason for this....because for them it is just a mindset that rainbow fm is a kannada channel...isnt this wrong? On the lighter side....Somehow R has great affection for hodi maga song ;-)...every chance given... she wants to take the song for a ride...good...i like it...

But the larger picture( as R pointed) of this issue is "kannada saitha ide"....how many kannadigas have contributed to this process of death and how many non kanndigas have contributed to this ?...within a small grp...there are people who don’t watch a kannada movie by paying money in theater just because it is a kannada movie....no other damn reason....now u may question...does seeing movie help the cause of kannada? The reply from me wud be...does "not listening to kannada music in cab" cause death of kannada?...the argument cud extend to kannada books\paper etc etc...is G ready to hit me now!??? ;-))

But I disagree with R on another aspect....as G has mentioned...its not about not listening to the song...the way he\she has put it across is more important...there has to be some tolerance level....he\she may have had a hectic day at work or a bad day at home...but to show his frustration on a song and the language in that manner is an extreme scenario...if one cannot respect the language of the region( mind u....we are states formed on the basis of language...thanks to sardar patel)...it is logical for people like us to get upset...isnt it stupid to make statements like i dont like kannada and kannadigas etc...he\she deserves a mouth bashing...the basic thing is to learn to respect...then take it further....

these extremes are a problem now...one grp has a moto..."hate kannada...dont respect kannada and kannadigas"...the other extreme grp is having a moto..."hate non kannadigas...everybody shud learn kannada and speak kannada else they shud be thrown out of karnataka"....we need a school of thot which is inbetween these two....i know that it is easier said than done...some of us (atleast me for sure) move from one extreme to another...mostly because of lack of support/unity and because of the fear of insulting somebody...it is difficult to take a stance....and this confusion is sometimes really interesting....i like it...

but why this sudden extremism now...bcos of the keeda planted by the govt of karnataka in the minds of kannadigas that kannadigas are being illtreated by others...they have managed to successfully divide us...finally they wont help either of the grps...for example....our cm demanded a reservation for kannadigas in IT sector....but what are they doing in the public sector industries(like hal, bhel, isro) which r based in blore...they have a stake in it in some way...let them provide reservation there first and then come to IT.....their aim is not to provide reservvation...but to break us and cover up their inefficiency...good political game....and good bakra citizens like me...i like it...

i ahve the book "Tamas" written by bhimsham sahni...it is a jnanpeeth award winning book...it talks about how muslims, sikhs and hindus who lived together for hundreds of years went on to kill each other during partition....amazing corruption of thots by a few extreme thinkers of either side....read this book...u will conclude that indian mentality has not changed a bit from 1947 to 2005....atleast we are consistent :))...i like it...

but the bomb of pro kannada and anti kannada fight is ticking...these incidents (ibm, oracle and now this) are drops of water filling the vessel....its only a matter of time for this dangerous bomb to explode...when it does...i am waiting to c if it causes real damage or will it be tuss pataki....but one thing for sure...it is an emotional issue and cud be very powerful....the wait is interesting...i like it...

for the time being we have a new topic to discuss in the free time (including cab)...good...i like it...

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Discrimination

The bus was full and some of us were standing. The cleaner of the bus had occupied the first seat to assist the driver in traffic. He was big hearted and gave his seat to a lady to join me at the footboard. As the bus started dropping the employees, most of the guys got seats except me and the cleaner boy. After one stop the guy in the first seat behind the door got down and so I was seated. Later one more guy from behind got down. So I asked the cleaner boy to sit in my seat and still manage to open the doors at bus stops. I moved to the seat vacant in the back. Here comes the shock. As the cleaner boy sat in the seat, the smartly dressed ass sitting next to him got up (not to get down). It was a damning insult, which I did not expect from a so called educated software engineer. The cleaner boy could not take the insult and with all humility got up so that the educated, neat bastard could occupy both the seats.

We speak about racial discrimination in other nations. There at-least the skin color is different. Here in India, Bangalore - what is the difference between this bastard and the cleaner boy? It is just that the cleaner boy is poor and did not dress as smartly as the bastard.

But I could not do anything...and was a mute spectator. Feeling ashamed that the bastard is working with me.