Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Fighting to lose
Do people fight to lose? Since most adults don't get into physical fights, we must talk about the psychological ones, and the verbal ones. We mostly fight with the ones we love. So do we fight at first and later lose to keep a relationship? And yet we don't want to lose completely. We want a compromise. I may have lost, but I want you to acknowledge that I won. Does losing give us much as satisfaction as winning? When you lose to a loved one, do you feel a sense of fulfillment? Like the dad who tells his son he good for nothing. All his life the son proves his dad right. He feels accomplished. The accomplishment is that he proved his dad right.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Existential crisis
O.K., you got to know by now that I am no Satre. My crisis is not gonna change the world, but you can bet it's bloody real.
A couple of days ago, I went to watch this movie called Vegam to review it. I can't begin to tell you how depressing it was for me. Having decided to review films to earn a few extra bucks, I felt that perhaps I should not be too optimistic about my career choice.
During the interval as I sipped my coke adulterated with extra water, I pondered a career change and realised my passion was for films alone. But if I had to watch two, three movies in a row like Vegam, wasn't I sure to lose my sanity?
What would I do if I had to watch 10 movies like this one?
Post interval, the frustration did get to me a bit. I wanted to jump on screen and knock some sense into the characters.
It took a couple of days to relax. I am cool again. Hope movies like that one never get made.
My review of the movie is somewhere around here. Read it if you have to.
A couple of days ago, I went to watch this movie called Vegam to review it. I can't begin to tell you how depressing it was for me. Having decided to review films to earn a few extra bucks, I felt that perhaps I should not be too optimistic about my career choice.
During the interval as I sipped my coke adulterated with extra water, I pondered a career change and realised my passion was for films alone. But if I had to watch two, three movies in a row like Vegam, wasn't I sure to lose my sanity?
What would I do if I had to watch 10 movies like this one?
Post interval, the frustration did get to me a bit. I wanted to jump on screen and knock some sense into the characters.
It took a couple of days to relax. I am cool again. Hope movies like that one never get made.
My review of the movie is somewhere around here. Read it if you have to.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Friday, October 05, 2007
A new couple and five odd balls
In the centre are my friend Shainu and his wife Chinju. From left to right are: Roal, me, Jimmy, Kelly and Joji. All of us have one thing in common: Madras Christian College.
The wedding happened in the town of Thiruvalla in Kerala. I will write another post on my three-day vacation soon.
Posts on my time in MCC are here and here.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Calming down the mind – A diary note
(I started writing this months ago. I finished it on Aug. 29)
I had first been at the yoga camp in Bangalore in 1998-99. I visited again in 2001. The first time my mother had recently died. The second time I was on the verge of quitting my job. Both times I had no clue what path my life would take. Taking the path of yoga seemed both stupid and inconclusive. What would I ever do for money? I needed lots of it and needed it fast.
Yoga can help you earn money. However, in 1998 I wasn’t seeking a career in yoga. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to become. In 2001, I was already a journalist, but my success had been “limited”.
This year I had the occasion to visit the yoga camp again. There wasn’t a crisis looming over me like the previous times. I was a bit ill, but I would have survived without the camp. My career is journalism had taken off and finally I was going somewhere with it. This time though I was restless at the camp. Suddenly, mediation and prayanamas didn’t seem so good.
Today, after I have left the camp, people often ask me what I benefited from it. It’s not in the end, but in the means, I like to tell them. It’s in relishing the experience. It’s like a journey to nowhere in particular. You enjoy the journey, not the destination.
But having said all this, I must also confess I didn’t relish it much this time.
Yoga, they say, is the calming down of the mind. Your asanas would achieve their end if your mind slows down a bit. But my mind was like a high-speed highway. I would wake up at an unearthly hour of 4 am to do my meditation and asanas. I would also promptly show up for the evening hour of asanas. But in between I mostly ate and read and fretted.
I don’t like conservatism. I hate organised religion. But conservatism, yoga and organised religion go together. If they don’t, yoga fails. When Osho combined his liberal ideas of free sex and communes with yoga, he failed.
On the positive side of things, I did quit smoking for 10 days. I puff again today, but those 10 days I was proud of what I had done. It’s a pity that the pull of nicotine was greater than my pride.
When I entered the camp this time, I was guilty of allowing my life to go astray. My fight with bipolar mood disorder had ended in my defeat. For the last five years, this fight has cost me a lot. Now it was costing me what I thought was my freedom.
In the camp, you can’t go on your own. You have to confirm. But I am rebellious by nature. I can’t stand routine. And the seeming ideological drivel at the camp was getting to me.
The first time at the camp, I was caught by surprise. The philosophy of yoga can be seductive. And it is essentially good. But it does have the ring of propaganda I abhor.
All through the 30 or so days I spend at the camp this year, I was constantly up against one question. What next? The easiest option it seemed was to return to my job, which I had not lost.
But after having spend eight years in journalism, two of them in training to be a journalist, I realise that work at any office is essentially non-creative. After a while, any work you do does gets tedious. When I was younger, the attraction was that I would be in a position from which I would inform and educate the world. And with luck change it a bit.
What I wanted to be never matched what I was. But in those days I was sure I would get there. Now I am not so hopeful. This isn’t a bad thing. Work could be something you do for bread and butter. You can always do things on the side. A colleague of mine spends her weekend hours at an NGO. She probably finds that more productive than her work at the office.
Let’s get back to BMD. In all the years I have combated with it, I have learned one thing. This is the one disease that I would find most difficult to fight. It requires discipline and a trust in doctors and modern medicine. I don’t have discipline. I sleep at dawn and sleep through the day. My distrust of doctors was O.K. till I was 20. I never had anything serious happening to me anyway. But after being diagnosed with BMD, I have constantly struggled to believe in my doctor.
Today, I have learned the hard way to rely on my tablets. To keep supplying my brain with the chemicals it needs. I have also learned that you can’t out think BMD. It’s like malaria minus the fever.
At the yoga camp, I tried to reform myself; to question ideals that I had stood by for years. I realised I had to change. I could not afford to wallow in things that were not good for me.
When I came back, all that remained in me was the urge to get back to work. For someone who is so undisciplined, I have surprised myself with discipline in office. It’s been weeks now since I have had trouble meeting deadlines or performing well.
The yoga at the camp did little to help me. But I like yoga if it isn’t done in a secluded place like a camp. I am going to try yoga again soon. This time in the city.
(I took a break from work late December last year till Feb-end to go do yoga. My BMD has since then recurred. My resolve to fight the disease, however, remains as high as ever.)
I had first been at the yoga camp in Bangalore in 1998-99. I visited again in 2001. The first time my mother had recently died. The second time I was on the verge of quitting my job. Both times I had no clue what path my life would take. Taking the path of yoga seemed both stupid and inconclusive. What would I ever do for money? I needed lots of it and needed it fast.
Yoga can help you earn money. However, in 1998 I wasn’t seeking a career in yoga. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to become. In 2001, I was already a journalist, but my success had been “limited”.
This year I had the occasion to visit the yoga camp again. There wasn’t a crisis looming over me like the previous times. I was a bit ill, but I would have survived without the camp. My career is journalism had taken off and finally I was going somewhere with it. This time though I was restless at the camp. Suddenly, mediation and prayanamas didn’t seem so good.
Today, after I have left the camp, people often ask me what I benefited from it. It’s not in the end, but in the means, I like to tell them. It’s in relishing the experience. It’s like a journey to nowhere in particular. You enjoy the journey, not the destination.
But having said all this, I must also confess I didn’t relish it much this time.
Yoga, they say, is the calming down of the mind. Your asanas would achieve their end if your mind slows down a bit. But my mind was like a high-speed highway. I would wake up at an unearthly hour of 4 am to do my meditation and asanas. I would also promptly show up for the evening hour of asanas. But in between I mostly ate and read and fretted.
I don’t like conservatism. I hate organised religion. But conservatism, yoga and organised religion go together. If they don’t, yoga fails. When Osho combined his liberal ideas of free sex and communes with yoga, he failed.
On the positive side of things, I did quit smoking for 10 days. I puff again today, but those 10 days I was proud of what I had done. It’s a pity that the pull of nicotine was greater than my pride.
When I entered the camp this time, I was guilty of allowing my life to go astray. My fight with bipolar mood disorder had ended in my defeat. For the last five years, this fight has cost me a lot. Now it was costing me what I thought was my freedom.
In the camp, you can’t go on your own. You have to confirm. But I am rebellious by nature. I can’t stand routine. And the seeming ideological drivel at the camp was getting to me.
The first time at the camp, I was caught by surprise. The philosophy of yoga can be seductive. And it is essentially good. But it does have the ring of propaganda I abhor.
All through the 30 or so days I spend at the camp this year, I was constantly up against one question. What next? The easiest option it seemed was to return to my job, which I had not lost.
But after having spend eight years in journalism, two of them in training to be a journalist, I realise that work at any office is essentially non-creative. After a while, any work you do does gets tedious. When I was younger, the attraction was that I would be in a position from which I would inform and educate the world. And with luck change it a bit.
What I wanted to be never matched what I was. But in those days I was sure I would get there. Now I am not so hopeful. This isn’t a bad thing. Work could be something you do for bread and butter. You can always do things on the side. A colleague of mine spends her weekend hours at an NGO. She probably finds that more productive than her work at the office.
Let’s get back to BMD. In all the years I have combated with it, I have learned one thing. This is the one disease that I would find most difficult to fight. It requires discipline and a trust in doctors and modern medicine. I don’t have discipline. I sleep at dawn and sleep through the day. My distrust of doctors was O.K. till I was 20. I never had anything serious happening to me anyway. But after being diagnosed with BMD, I have constantly struggled to believe in my doctor.
Today, I have learned the hard way to rely on my tablets. To keep supplying my brain with the chemicals it needs. I have also learned that you can’t out think BMD. It’s like malaria minus the fever.
At the yoga camp, I tried to reform myself; to question ideals that I had stood by for years. I realised I had to change. I could not afford to wallow in things that were not good for me.
When I came back, all that remained in me was the urge to get back to work. For someone who is so undisciplined, I have surprised myself with discipline in office. It’s been weeks now since I have had trouble meeting deadlines or performing well.
The yoga at the camp did little to help me. But I like yoga if it isn’t done in a secluded place like a camp. I am going to try yoga again soon. This time in the city.
(I took a break from work late December last year till Feb-end to go do yoga. My BMD has since then recurred. My resolve to fight the disease, however, remains as high as ever.)
Monday, April 30, 2007
RTFF, the second edition
On Saturday night, I attended the second edition of the Roof Top Film Festival. After lounging around all day, making pointless and lengthy phone calls, I finally moved my butt to Sid's place in Mandaveli, which has a great rooftop, where the festival is held. Sid is one of those perfect host types, discreet and genuinely hospitable.
A quick guide to the festival for dummies: RTTF is an all-night festival of films held on a roof top. The march version of RTTF being a success, the second edition was held on the day of the cricket World Cup finals, April 28. Details of the movies shown are here.
What's right with the festival:
Enthusiasm of the participants. Even when a boring, pretentious movie like Elephant was shown, about 10 people survived. A few even wanted to discuss the movie, despite Kiruba's threat that he will throw me off the roof for choosing the film. I was ethu, in case you are wondering, because of the similarity of the film's story with the Virginia tech massacre. Great roof. We seem unable to move the event to another roof. Sid's is so good. Discussions. I love them. I learned that I like to show off too, like everyone else. I flatter myself that I am subtle about it.
There are a good many other things that come to the mind that is great about the festival like its lack of stuffiness. But let's get to the points that we may have to correct the next time around.
Organise it better. Start at 9 pm and end at 4.30 am. Show only three features. The rest should be shorts. Even show old ad films. Download films from U-tube you find interesting. A sequence of Rajnikanth dancing to Rock can lift the spirits of the audience and make them ready for the cruelly boring, but rewarding films. Show films that are not seen widely. Stick to the theme of the edition. Don't lean towards cult films. Strike a balance between the classic and the timeless and the contemporary. Invite more people to come and participate. Even if they are not part of the in-crowd. We could also host a veteran film critic for a day, who may stay, if he/she wants to, only for the first feature.
At the end, Syed called out for a theme for the next edition. No one volunteered. Half of them were sleeping. Some were watching the match. No bother, can we have a weekend of CGI movies? Syed seems to think Twister is a great choice. I watched this movie in Coimbatore with my cousin. There is a moment in which a cow caught in a twister flies past a jeep. Pure, unforgettable CGI moment. I still hear the cow moo in Dolby. Lately, CGI movies have taken a rap in Hollywood because it dishes out so many of them. I remember A Perfect Storm being very good, while I hated Day After Tomorrow.
Sagaro has written about discussion with the CNN-IBN reporter. I don't agree with him completely, especially when he credits BlogCamp as one of the reasons why Chennai is the blogging captial and when he says it became so due to the IT boom. I thought about the issue as I was driving home last night. I really don't have the foggiest idea why this city is the blogging capitial of India, if at it is. I really don't have the figures either - like say how many bloggers are there in Delhi and Mumbai as opposed to Chennai. But couple of contentions made seemed absurd. One is the link between the peninsula's history of never been invaded and blogging. What's that again? I kept blanking out each time this was discussed.
An even stranger thing happened. This reporter had called up and we had what she said was a detailed conversation about blogging. I arrived at RTTF without recalling this conversation and after she mentioned it, I realised she was right. Calls that you attend in the middle of your precious daylong sleep are that way bizarre, I guess. About four months ago, I had a fairly serious and almost career-deciding conversation with my editor. Didn't recall it when I arrived in office the same day. She was so angry.
And finally a reminder, those who took photos at RTTF please upload them on Flickr. I would like to add them. At the moment, there are some photos here, including of course, some of mine.
A quick guide to the festival for dummies: RTTF is an all-night festival of films held on a roof top. The march version of RTTF being a success, the second edition was held on the day of the cricket World Cup finals, April 28. Details of the movies shown are here.
What's right with the festival:
Enthusiasm of the participants. Even when a boring, pretentious movie like Elephant was shown, about 10 people survived. A few even wanted to discuss the movie, despite Kiruba's threat that he will throw me off the roof for choosing the film. I was ethu, in case you are wondering, because of the similarity of the film's story with the Virginia tech massacre. Great roof. We seem unable to move the event to another roof. Sid's is so good. Discussions. I love them. I learned that I like to show off too, like everyone else. I flatter myself that I am subtle about it.
There are a good many other things that come to the mind that is great about the festival like its lack of stuffiness. But let's get to the points that we may have to correct the next time around.
Organise it better. Start at 9 pm and end at 4.30 am. Show only three features. The rest should be shorts. Even show old ad films. Download films from U-tube you find interesting. A sequence of Rajnikanth dancing to Rock can lift the spirits of the audience and make them ready for the cruelly boring, but rewarding films. Show films that are not seen widely. Stick to the theme of the edition. Don't lean towards cult films. Strike a balance between the classic and the timeless and the contemporary. Invite more people to come and participate. Even if they are not part of the in-crowd. We could also host a veteran film critic for a day, who may stay, if he/she wants to, only for the first feature.
At the end, Syed called out for a theme for the next edition. No one volunteered. Half of them were sleeping. Some were watching the match. No bother, can we have a weekend of CGI movies? Syed seems to think Twister is a great choice. I watched this movie in Coimbatore with my cousin. There is a moment in which a cow caught in a twister flies past a jeep. Pure, unforgettable CGI moment. I still hear the cow moo in Dolby. Lately, CGI movies have taken a rap in Hollywood because it dishes out so many of them. I remember A Perfect Storm being very good, while I hated Day After Tomorrow.
Sagaro has written about discussion with the CNN-IBN reporter. I don't agree with him completely, especially when he credits BlogCamp as one of the reasons why Chennai is the blogging captial and when he says it became so due to the IT boom. I thought about the issue as I was driving home last night. I really don't have the foggiest idea why this city is the blogging capitial of India, if at it is. I really don't have the figures either - like say how many bloggers are there in Delhi and Mumbai as opposed to Chennai. But couple of contentions made seemed absurd. One is the link between the peninsula's history of never been invaded and blogging. What's that again? I kept blanking out each time this was discussed.
An even stranger thing happened. This reporter had called up and we had what she said was a detailed conversation about blogging. I arrived at RTTF without recalling this conversation and after she mentioned it, I realised she was right. Calls that you attend in the middle of your precious daylong sleep are that way bizarre, I guess. About four months ago, I had a fairly serious and almost career-deciding conversation with my editor. Didn't recall it when I arrived in office the same day. She was so angry.
And finally a reminder, those who took photos at RTTF please upload them on Flickr. I would like to add them. At the moment, there are some photos here, including of course, some of mine.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Turning 30
Felt like a normal day. A couple of friends stopped by to wish me and have lunch at my place. Metbloggers, by coincidence, were to meet that day. Got my only gift of the day. Lavanya had 'thoughtfully' bought me an address book and a fat pen. Well, I must be the only journalist, I guess, who doesn't have contacts. I don't keep an address book. The last one I wrote in still lies unused for more than 3 years gathering dust. Hopefully, now I will start anew.
Turning 30 isn't a big deal. Like I said it felt like any other day. I didn't look back on my 20s. I didn't think "ah! now finally I am a man". I hate my birthday. I hated this one too.
There were two things I did want to do before I turned 30. One was to be a chief sub. I missed this round of promotions in office. So that went unrealised. The other was to get married before I started to hate marriage. That didn't happen for a whole lot of reasons. Well, now I get a creeping sense of being a failure. No matter, I guess it will go away. Besides, there's plenty of snobbery in being a failure, you know. When things don't happen to you is the only time in your life when they can happen to you. Warped as that sounds.
Ok. April 17 was my birthday. I turned 30. That's for those who don't know.
*****
Amit Agarwal has listed the top blogs in India. I didn't make it. Was really surprised to find Rohini there listed under journos. Envy is a hard thing to get over with, lemme tell you.
Turning 30 isn't a big deal. Like I said it felt like any other day. I didn't look back on my 20s. I didn't think "ah! now finally I am a man". I hate my birthday. I hated this one too.
There were two things I did want to do before I turned 30. One was to be a chief sub. I missed this round of promotions in office. So that went unrealised. The other was to get married before I started to hate marriage. That didn't happen for a whole lot of reasons. Well, now I get a creeping sense of being a failure. No matter, I guess it will go away. Besides, there's plenty of snobbery in being a failure, you know. When things don't happen to you is the only time in your life when they can happen to you. Warped as that sounds.
Ok. April 17 was my birthday. I turned 30. That's for those who don't know.
*****
Amit Agarwal has listed the top blogs in India. I didn't make it. Was really surprised to find Rohini there listed under journos. Envy is a hard thing to get over with, lemme tell you.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Unexplained hiatus
It didn't seem that long a time, but it's already over 10 days since I wrote a post. I really don't have any excuses for this. Anybody miss me yet?
Monday, March 19, 2007
Games I played
Mario, Wolf, Doom, Need for Speed...What was the first computer game you ever played? When did you first lose time consciousness to a programme? When I was about 14, my dad's bank got computerised. Which meant that the top management send them early versions of the home computer - 286s and 386s - and my dad and a few of his colleagues were packed off to Chennai from Nagercoil to study COBOL. When dad came back, naturally he was excited. So he decided that his son - that's me- should also be well-versed in computers. So he send me off to study BASIC in a fairly good institute. It was a three storeyed building I remember getting lost in. I did it over the summer between my eighth and ninth standards.
Those guys had four games: World Space Commanders, Chess, and two games I don't remember the name of, but let me describe them to you. In one of the games, you get a bat which was flat 2cm long thing and you had to keep hitting it on the sides of the screen. After you play a while, two balls appear in the screen and you will have to hit them. In the other one, the computer screen was a grassy surface through which you send this cylindrical eating tiny monster that eats points as it is chased by the system's monsters. All the four games ran on MS-DOS. Nagercoil had not heard of Windows yet. I am not sure if Windows 3.1 was released by that time.
I don't remember a darn thing about BASIC anymore. But I have not forgotten anything about the games. Even today, I kinda know what keys I pressed to do what, etc.
The next games were played when I went to learn windows and word at Brilliant's Tutorials. Guys preparing for competitive exams must remember this institute as a drab place. I had fun there.
Later, at the insistence of my brother, dad finally bought a run-down, assembled, second hand PC. I don't remember what processor ran on it. But it wasn't very fast. And Nagercoil in the mid-90s still had not heard of the Internet. By brother and I used to play Wolf on it. But the game that really we obsessed over was Doom. You may have played it. I have often wondered if that game made kids more evil than they were.
Today gaming has come a long way from those early days. A couple of days ago, I was reading the two links given below. Thought I will write about what games I have played.
BTW, what games do u play?
Here's a link to a Guardian blog on PS3.
Read about LittleBigPlanet here
President Kalam with family
President of India A.P.J Abdul Kalam with members of my family (from left to right) Mythili Kannan, Kamala Ram, Kannan, Mukundan, Sarangan (the two standing kids), Thangu Ram, and the baby Manu. It is the 75th birth anniversary of my grandfather and writer Sundara Ramaswamy. It was celebrated along with 100th anniversary of writer Puthumaipithan and 125th anniversary of Bharathiyar. The event was held in December in Coimbatore. The picture was taken on the sidelines of the event. My uncle Kannan was one of the main organisers of the event.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Money
I hate it. I don't hate it. Well, I can't seem to make up my mind. But I hate people who often fly to the US. I hate it when they walk into The Taj. I hate it when they are born into it. I hate it when they have leisure. I hate to see rich couples hold hands in posh restaurants. I wonder if I will continue to hate them when I have some money.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Back in office
Am back in office after two and a half months. Regular readers of this blog would know I was at a yoga camp in Bangalore. I also got to spend time in my hometown of Nagercoil. Now, I am itching to go and chop chop chop some copies. *******
You may have seen this huge tome called A Thousand Days in book shops. If you are the voraciously reading kind, you may have even read the Pulitzer award winning work. The author of that book on the JFK administration, Arthur Schlesinger, died in Manhattan last night. I read his obit in NYT today. There are geniuses that we come to know only after their death. Historian Schlesinger is one such. Do read the obit. I am sure you will find him fascinating too.
*******
A close friend has started linkr. The site is in Tamil. If you know Tamil, please check out his blog.
*******
Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita, has written this very long critique of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. I am just putting this on the blog to remind myself to read it.
Link via: Dabbler
Monday, February 19, 2007
Bro
From left to right - Ram Narasimhan, my brother Rahul, Manu and Thangu.
My brother Rahul was in the US recently. Manu is the latest entrant into our family. I know that some family members drop by this blog once in a while. This post is for you guys. I love ya all.
*******
And oh, btw, Feluda, Satyajit Ray's creation, is on the BBC. Read more here.
And here's the new India Uncut, the website that evolved from a blog.
Here's a decent review of Pachaikili Muthucharam.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Camp Diary
The routine at the yoga camp is gruelling. I wake up at an unearthly 4.30 am and have a hot water bath. The water is heated using solar power. Next I have Asanas and Om Meditation. Meditation is particularly tough, but I am gaining new ground in the Asanas classes. My body has become flexible in the three weeks I have been here. I have also lost weight, which I am putting back on. Well, almost. But most people who are gonna see me after the camp are going to notice the difference. We have Gita chanting and lecture classes next. Through the day, we have cyclic meditation, pranayama, special techinques - asanas meant to focus on the individual rather than a group, and a hundred different things. We also do kriyas - cleansing techniques - though not in a big way.
I bought a few books at the store today. Among them is a diary by a pilgrim who went on a trip to Mount Kailash. Looks promising....
This place is teeming with people from the North East. I have made friends with people from different countries. A girl from Kenya. Another from SA and Holland. But most are kannadigas, who seem more amiable than even Tamils. On Thursday, we are staging a skit. It is to be based on miscommunication through the use of too many languages, an apt topic for a camp like this.
A bitch - the animal kind - in the camp has given birth to six pups. It's fun to watch them. They were sleeping till last week, but have become active now and often play with each other.
There is a tower on the one end of the camp from where we can see the sunset and sunrise. On the other end, there is a huge statue of Vivekananda, the patron saint of the camp. There is a hour called in camp parlance as 'tuning to nature'. I spend most of my time in the two ends of the camp. I hate the classes anyway. I love the serenity though.
There is no spell check on the program I am using to type this blog. So if there are any spelling errors, don't blame me.
I bought a few books at the store today. Among them is a diary by a pilgrim who went on a trip to Mount Kailash. Looks promising....
This place is teeming with people from the North East. I have made friends with people from different countries. A girl from Kenya. Another from SA and Holland. But most are kannadigas, who seem more amiable than even Tamils. On Thursday, we are staging a skit. It is to be based on miscommunication through the use of too many languages, an apt topic for a camp like this.
A bitch - the animal kind - in the camp has given birth to six pups. It's fun to watch them. They were sleeping till last week, but have become active now and often play with each other.
There is a tower on the one end of the camp from where we can see the sunset and sunrise. On the other end, there is a huge statue of Vivekananda, the patron saint of the camp. There is a hour called in camp parlance as 'tuning to nature'. I spend most of my time in the two ends of the camp. I hate the classes anyway. I love the serenity though.
There is no spell check on the program I am using to type this blog. So if there are any spelling errors, don't blame me.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Arrived at Prasanthi Kutteram
The one-month-long yoga foundation course will begin on January 12, Vivekananda Jayanthi. I took the night bus yesterday from Nagercoil at around 6 pm. I watched Madrasi and the first half of Giri on the bus. Both are worthless movies. Had the feeling that Vadivelu may do good in Giri, but could not watch the entire movie.
I reached Bangalore this morning at around 8 am. Had a breakfast of Palak Puri, Vadai and some really strong coffee. I caught a call taxi to Prasanthi Kutteram, where the yoga camp is happening. It is about 32 km from Bangalore city. It is almost a village by itself, with a sparsely stocked store. Hot water is made through a solar power system. I have paid the required amount of Rs 5,000 for the course, which would include accommodation and food. I may have to spend a little more for the extra week I am staying here.
My mobile is no longer working as I have run out of validity period. I am trying to get a local prepaid number.
The Internet connection is really slow here. I don't have a camera to shoot the scenic location. So I will try and get in a few words everyday when I have time to spare. The routine here, which begins at 5 am and ends at 9.30 pm, is gruelling. So please bear with me if I am, indeed, unable to post.
I reached Bangalore this morning at around 8 am. Had a breakfast of Palak Puri, Vadai and some really strong coffee. I caught a call taxi to Prasanthi Kutteram, where the yoga camp is happening. It is about 32 km from Bangalore city. It is almost a village by itself, with a sparsely stocked store. Hot water is made through a solar power system. I have paid the required amount of Rs 5,000 for the course, which would include accommodation and food. I may have to spend a little more for the extra week I am staying here.
My mobile is no longer working as I have run out of validity period. I am trying to get a local prepaid number.
The Internet connection is really slow here. I don't have a camera to shoot the scenic location. So I will try and get in a few words everyday when I have time to spare. The routine here, which begins at 5 am and ends at 9.30 pm, is gruelling. So please bear with me if I am, indeed, unable to post.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Retreat
Two movies that I have seen, The Departed and Veyyil, need to be reviewed. Both are excellent movies in their own right and their is a very good reason I am not able to complete the reviews. Both are lying half done in my gmail folder.
Today I am leaving Nagercoil for Bangalore where I am taking part in a yoga retreat on the city outskirts. The camp is a few kilometres from the Bannergatta National Park. I will try and update my blog from there, but no promises. :)
In other news, I have been diagnosed with rheumatic arthritis, a condition that affects the joints of the body. I have had it for around five years on and off, but I had my blood tested only two days back. I usually don't post about such stuff on my blog, but I want to write about the disease using my experiences. I hope to do this once I return from the yoga camp.
Keep commenting guys for each blog written from now on is sort of precious to me.
Today I am leaving Nagercoil for Bangalore where I am taking part in a yoga retreat on the city outskirts. The camp is a few kilometres from the Bannergatta National Park. I will try and update my blog from there, but no promises. :)
In other news, I have been diagnosed with rheumatic arthritis, a condition that affects the joints of the body. I have had it for around five years on and off, but I had my blood tested only two days back. I usually don't post about such stuff on my blog, but I want to write about the disease using my experiences. I hope to do this once I return from the yoga camp.
Keep commenting guys for each blog written from now on is sort of precious to me.
Monday, January 01, 2007
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