Ram Viswanathan

7ஆம் அறிவு - Tamil Jingoism in top gear

2011-10-26T15:49:00.000+05:30

7ஆம் அறிவு - Tamil Jingoism in top gear

Thanks to my friend Jaya and Shankar, we got to see the much awaited Tamil movie of the year yesterday. As with any movie with such sky high expectations, there is bound to be divergent opinions and mine is not flattering.

After Gajini became a super dooper hit in Tamil & Hindi, expectations were running high as AR Murugadass, Surya and Hariss Jayaraj teamed up again. With a open checkbook from Karunanidhi family, 7ஆம் அறிவு has been shot in exotic locales and in a grand scale.

First the good stuff..

Udyanidhi Stalin (producer) 'proudly' presents this movie and it shows in the movie. He has spent lavishly, be it for exotic locales or for outlandish fight sequences. Besides the open checkbook, producer also seem to have given his prized possession for the film, car. Udayanidhi's Hummer is the villan's transport in the city.

The marketing engine of Red Giant has gone all out to hype this movie and if one were to just go by the media buzz, the change in power (from DMK to ADMK) doesn't seemed to have affected this movie at all.

Suriya (lead actor), as usual has worked hard for this movie and it shows in every frame he appears. He clearly compensates for the lack of charisma with his sheer hard work. He must have worked really hard to get and retain '8 pack abs' all thru the movie. Suriya has come a long way in the last few years.. well done Suriya.. I applaud your dedication and hard work.

Thanks to AR Murugadass for putting the spotlight on Bodhi Dharman. I wouldn't have known or read about this 6th century Tamilian if not for this movie.

Fight sequences have been shot on a grand scale and are riveting. I particularly like the crashing of vehicles and theme in the fight. I also liked the first fight sequence in a Chinese village.

I liked the elephant ride sequence and the song sequence shot in the busy Ranganathan Street. Also, several portions of the film have been shot in South Chennai and I personally could relate to some of those.. like IITM, Thiru Vi Ka bridge, Vet clinic, Elliots Beach etc.,

Now the not so good stuff..

Harris Jeyaraj music is just passe. Expect for a couple of songs, his music score is very average and the background music is jarring in many places. I expected much more from Harris.

Shruthi Hassan, the famous daughter of a famous actor debuts in this movie as a actor and does a decent job. But she should have gone for voice over. She pays glowing tributes to Tamil in a heavily accented delivery which takes the sheen away from the message. Brush up you Tamil & delivery before you attempt to lend your voice again for Tamil movies.

Plot - AR Murugadass's treatment of the story line is very shallow and weak. He shows China as attempting to launch a biological war on India but fails to show the motivations for such diabolical war. Worse, he wants you to believe that it can be handled by a lone scientist with no broader Govt. involvement. And what will this scientist do? She will do DNA re-sequencing on a living human being.. never mind the fact that it has never done before.

Jingoism - AR Murugadass has put the spotlight on the forgotten Bodhi Dharman, but in the process he has shown the present day China in a poor light. I wonder why? What was the need for that? Also, there are factual inaccuracies about 1962 Indo-China war, which India lost badly.

AR Murugadass shows Tamils as victims in many parts of the world and talks about the துரோஹம் perpetuated on Tamils in Sri Lanka by a group of 9 countries... where is he getting the facts from?

AR Murugadass also gets very preachy urges Tamils to 'Awake & Arise'.. and that perhaps is the 7ஆம் அறிவு?

Overall I give ** (out of 5) for this movie.

Revolution 2020 - Written with Movie contract in mind?

2011-10-17T16:14:00.000+05:30

This book is more about Love than about corruption and ambition

Revolution 2020 is Chetan Bhagat's fifth book and follows the familiar theme of someone telling the story to him. In this book also, one of the main characters tells the 'story' to Chetan Bhagat in a Hospital. This time though, the story is told via a character who one might not want to see as the main protagonist if this were to made a movie..

Set in Varanasi, its about 3 youngsters and their 'not so cordial' relationships and the usual 'love triangle'. Reading through book, one gets a feeling that it is written with a 'movie contract' in mind including a dramatic climax. It is quite easy to 'guess' the cast, if this were to be made a movie soon, which is quite likely.

Revolution 2020 has the familiar cinematic themes of love and deception but fails to come out strongly on the title of the book.. revolution part..

The key takeaway from the book seems to be "Everybody has to sacrifice something for the revolution and the main characters in this book end up sacrificing LOVE"

Net net: Easy weekend reading. I would give this book a mere Average (B) grade.. Forget IIT or AIEEE not even 'Kota coaching' colleges material.

Look for a better one next time from you Chetan Bhagat..

A Visionary is no more

2011-10-06T16:27:00.001+05:30


Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011) - Photo from Apple website

I am not a fan of Apple products, but a great fan of Steve Jobs. I try hard to avoid Apple products, be it iPod, iPhone, iTouch or Mac air. I could try rationalizing it by saying I work for IBM and / or by saying I am a Google bigot. But none of these takes away the loving admiration I have for Steve Jobs, who I truly believe has changed the world.

There will be many things said and written about him today, but there are two things that I will remember him for.

Revolutionizing Consumer Technologies - Steve Jobs not only changed focus of Apple in his second act but also made consumer products cooler and smarter than the corporate technologies. Many of us have the latest gadgets from Apple for personal use but wait a few years to get lap tops or phones refreshed at work.
Stanford Commencement Speech - Steve Jobs gave the commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005. It's a great speech with just 3 stories from his life. If you have not seen it before, please do see it today, you will be glad you did.. it takes just 15 minutes.

There are few people, I wish had spent more time in this world and Steve Jobs joins that list. Other people in that list are: Bharathiyar, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

Steve, I will miss you.. Rest In Peace

One Laptop per Child - A dream come true in Tamil Nadu

2011-09-22T17:55:00.000+05:30

One laptop per child might soon become a reality in Tamil Nadu (TN). This will go a long way in reducing the digital divide. Call it a sop or a election gimmick, of all the freebies launched by Tamil Nadu Government on September 15, 'free' laptop scheme stands out. It stands out because of its tranformational nature.

This program will make millions of TN kids computer literate and make them more college ready and employable. I only wish the TN Government takes it to the logical next step, and provide Internet access to the students. While computers in itself would be of value, its value is enhance manifold with access to the Net. All of know and have benefited from access to Internet, I only wish every student have access as well.

Road to Comrades - Dream run or Gone Crazy?

2011-09-09T18:27:00.000+05:30

Imaging your truly with the BIB # 449078

Yes, call me crazy, have signed up for Comrades marathon to do my dream run. After a few clicks and USD 200 poorer, I wondered whether I made the right call in doing what I did. But, washed away that 'toxic thought' immediately only to dream about running past the finish line within the stipulated time. Tired, beaten but happy. As they say, most of the things are created at least twice, once in mind / imagination and then in reality. I got the first part covered, now I just need to work on the second part.. small details..:-)

Now talking about executing the dream, I have one more hurdle to cross and that is to qualify. In order to run comrades, I should have run a 'qualifying' marathon in the past year under 5 hours. My last qualifying run was Big Sur on May 1, 2011.. but I need something later and by May 2012 to run this in June 2012.

Though I did not plan for it, I am hoping to use Colombo Marathon as a qualifier and jump past the 'qualifier' hurdle.

Now, another crucial question I need to deal with is.. 'How do I train for a 90K run?'. a distance that I have never done before. The farthest I have gone is just 48k (Chennai - Mahapallipuram) and comrades would be more than double of that. All along, I have simply be sticking to 3 core principles and they have been serving me well...

No two days missed
Min 10k per run
50k per week

I am not sure if this would suffice for Comrades. What do you think?

My goal is to simply come under the stipulated time and nothing more. Can you suggest few practical training regimen? Looking for your input to shape my Comrades run... Come help me realize my dream.

Where is this in Chennai?

2011-06-27T13:55:00.000+05:30

Where is this in Chennai?

We generally find 'beware of dogs' sign in residential areas.. but this in a residential area in Chennai? What's your guess..?

Dilbert Cloud Definition

2011-06-21T11:30:00.001+05:30

Everything is moving to Cloud.... I like it..

My First Experiment with Vibram

2011-05-27T22:54:00.000+05:30

Raghav, my son says that I go crazy buying 'stuff' in marathon expos. He may be right, I am a perfect sucker when it comes to running gear particularly at marathon expos. I blame it on the atmosphere.. Once I paid double the street price for a pair of Crocs and the other time ended up buying costly Asics running socks sold to me as an 'investment'. This time at Big Sur marathon expo it was Vibram five finger running shoes. The only redeeming aspect this impulse buying was that I may have just paid the 'fair' price for it (USD 100).

Though, I have been talking about experimenting with Vibram shoes, I wanted to transition in to it via the cheaper Bata PT shoes, but ended up directly plunging in to Vibrams at the Big Sur marathon expo.

It has been 3 weeks since I bought but was kind little hesitant / scared to use it for a run. But I finally took the plunge today and glad I did. I was traveling all of this week and didn't get my run fix for 4 days, so decided today's run is going to be big day for the Vibram dive.

I am glad to report that it wasn't as bad as I afraid it would be. My legs are ok even after 3 hours now. They do feel little different but I am on my feet and walking around. Isn't that a good sign???

I will give myself a pass, meaning would continue to experiment with it. I went to Anna University with a my regular ASICS shoes as backup.. just in case. but there was no need for it.

First few minutes were dreadful as I wasn't finding the rhythm so I slowed down but continue to run at 9k pace. I did feel the change in landing rhythm particularly with my left leg. It was lot of tentative and cautious. Also, my stride length reduced considerably.

I am not sure whether it was the draining humidity or the Vibram, took couple of walk breaks. Nevertheless managed to run my quota of 10k for the day at pace of 7:02. It is slower than my regular pace which is generally around 6:00 per k but no complaints. Being the first run with Vibram, I am happy with 7:02 pace.

Now that I got my first Vibram run out of the day, I would continue to experiment with it in the coming weeks. I have no plans to switch to Vibram completely, but would like to do one run per week with it to optimize my landing and improve stride.

Another new release tomorrow.. -:) Yes, I got myself a new ASICS 2160 during my recent US trip and planning to 'release' it tomorrow.

Gas Price - Where is it cheaper?

2011-05-16T16:28:00.000+05:30

With the recent hike in gas (petrol) price in India, a liter of unleaded gas is around INR 68 in Chennai. How do we compare with other places? Here is one sample from my recent travel. Last week I filled gas near San Francisco Airport for USD 4.35 a gallon.

With little bit of math (1 US gallon = 3.78 liter) it comes to around INR 52 per liter. California which has perhaps the highest gas price in USA is still cheaper than Chennai.

Gas price in India has been moving at regular intervals, set by the oil companies (with the Govt. approval of course..). Why not peg the price to the international crude oil price (like the Gold metal) and bring in some amount of transparency to the price of the gas at the pump?

How not to clean fuel belt bottles

2011-01-15T21:09:00.000+05:30

They say humans collectively, don't learn from their past mistakes.. I certainly haven't learn't the lesson from Senthilanand's mishap with trying cleansing the fuelbelt water bottles with rice cooker. My water bottles met with the same fate yesterday.

I tried to clean / sterilize my fuel belt water bottles on a regular basis by putting them in the rice cooker. Yesterday also, I tried to do the same thing with disastrous result. Despite Sita's warning against putting the 'weight', I did exactly that to better wash the water bottles. I did turn the off cooker after 5 sounds, but that was enough for the bottles to melt, disfigure and cling to the cooker lid. The only solace in the whole thing is that the water bottle caps survived. Now I have four spare ones..

So Here is what not to do:

Don't use rice pressure cooker to clean / sterilize you fuel belt water bottles.
If you do use the cooker, don't put the 'weight' (I am referring to the Indian model rice pressure cookers).

Getting ready for Vancouver Marathon

2010-05-02T10:39:00.000+05:30

Staying with my friend @ Kitsilano, a downtown community. A view from his condo. Did a slow jog to the Expo to collect my BIB..

It was less than 5k to the Expo and it was sunny & 14c.. Was a great run.. thru the Burrad Bridge

BMO Vancouver marathon Expo entrance.. it was just getting busy at noon. One of the few marathon that has done away with bottled water.. we will get Brita purified water instead.

Some elite runners.. from Kenya? They had a private reception..

BIB collection was neatly organized and collection process was a breeze... My BIB # 1055. Understand they have live tracking..

What is this stall about?

Will be running in less than 12 hours.. wish me Good Luck.. Good Night..

More photos in flickr

Vancouver is getting ready for marathon

2010-05-01T12:32:00.000+05:30

Vancouver is getting ready for marathon and it shows. Saw these road closure announcements along Cornwell Ave near downtown. You guessed it right.. we will run thru this seaside road on Sunday.

It is chilly, rainy and 9c now and more rain is predicted for Sunday.. keeping my fingers crossed.

Raghav!!!.. This is for you..

2010-04-30T11:40:00.000+05:30

Raghav likes playing many instruments and the latest is Guitar.. When I saw a bunch of kids playing Gazebo and Guitar, couldn't resist taking a snap and recording them for a couple of minutes..

The surrounding was perfect.. kids were relaxing by the Columbia river in Revelstoke and I ended up there at the end of my run.. and enjoyed listening to them.. Thanks kids & Raghav hope you enjoy it..

Wasghington DC Marathon - My 14th

2010-04-30T11:24:00.000+05:30

Getting back to blogging with an easy one..

Posting this as I get ready for my 15th marathon in Vancouver this weekend. Karthik Padmanabhan and I ran the DC marathon (bib # 2888) on March 20, 2010 and was a personal best for both of us. I did 4:19:47. The weather was great and the support from the crowd and the organizers was superb.

I had a shot at even coming under 4:00 hours but the bad cramps around 24miles made me crawl and that took me well over 4 hours. Oh well.. sometime.. I shall overcome the 4:00:00 barrier...

VISWANATHAN, RAM

Bib #2888

M4549

CHENNAI , IND

Overall Rank

Class Rank

Start

10K

Half

20Mile

37K

Gross

Pace

Class Total

Sex Place

Sex Total

Final

1430 of 2418

138 of 192

05:39:00

54:36:00

01:57:41

03:05:57

03:36:23

04:25:27

09:55:00

191

1052

1540

04:19:47

More photos in flickr

Chennai Half Marathon - Pre Run Arrangements - Better than Anticipated..

2009-09-25T16:29:00.001+05:30

Give Life Chennai Half Marathon - September 27, 2009

I know there has been some skepticism around the Chennai Half Marathon, in terms of organization, arrangements etc.. I am one of those skeptics as well. However, if what I saw today is any indicator, this Chennai Half Marathon promises to be different.. It promises to be better than the previously held ones...

Ramani and I went to Lady Wellington College in Beach Road to register, do the formalities and collect our BIBs. I was expecting chaos, crowd and noise.. but the entire process was organized, orderly and cordial.

Registration, medical checkup and other booths were neatly laid out and the folks managing the counter were courteous and helpful. Though I registered online, had to register again because there was no record of my online registration and I didn't have any evidence (email) to show. Even then, manual registration process was simple and after registration, I was advised to go for the medical checkup.

Medical checkup was also neatly laid out... First) A medical assistant / nurse took BP / pulse and asked a few basic questions. Second) A Doctor asked about my running history and advised me to get an ECG as I am 40+ Third) Got my ECG done and went back to the Doctor who verified the results and gave me the coveted 'FIT' stamp.

Last step in the process was BIB collection... Gave the 'FIT' certificate and collected my 'Indian' BIB. The friendly attendant was insistent on giving me an 'International' BIB.. though I repeatedly told her I am தமிழ் and local.. She reluctantly agreed that I am 'தமிள்' and gave me an 'Indian' BIB.

My only crib is this.. All this setup with know garbage management. I hope this gets fixed soon.. like by today... otherwise, it will start stinking from tomorrow..

Haile's Interview

2009-09-19T14:16:00.004+05:30

Here is Haile's interview in front of Brandenburg Gate.. I mentioned in my previous post.. even I show up for a fraction of a second.. you will miss if you blink.. !!!

(Via Anuj )

Chasing Halile

2009-09-19T00:49:00.000+05:30

This is perhaps the closest I will every get to Haile. I was 'sight seeing' around Brandenburg Gate and stumbled across Haile. Marathon organizers were doing a promo film of sorts and presented BIB to Haile. I was fortunate to be part of the ceremony. Here are few snaps from the 15 minutes ever I will be in the vicinity of Haile.

Bunch of runners from Brazil also spotted Haile and invited him for a photo.. I joined the crowd as well.. but my self portrait missed me by miles..!!! Here is the moment anyways..

Promo included Haile running through the famous Brandenburg Gate.

I overheard Haile saying that he is well prepared for the marathon and wanted to do his best.. Is he going to break the world record this Sunday..?

BIBs were handed out to Haile and Peter in a brief / simple ceremony...

Derek Redmond - Will to Finish

2009-09-05T01:04:00.000+05:30

Derek Redmond is the most talked about athelete of 1992 Barcelona Olympics. No, he did not win the most medals in that Olympics and for that matter did not win any medal at all in Barcelona. In fact, he came dead last in the 400m event he participated recording the slowest Olympic time ever. So why is so popular ? This video will give you the answer..

No one might remember the name of the person who won the 400m in Barcelona but almost everyone remembers Derek Redmond. So much so, Visa did an ad on him for the subsequent olmpics. Since then he has retired and goes around the globe now as motivational speaker.

John Stephen Akhwari "My country sent me to Finish the race"

2009-09-04T09:16:00.002+05:30

1968 Summer Olympics - Mexico City

A group of die-hard spectators remained in the Olympic Stadium to see the last finishers of the Olympic marathon. More than an hour before, Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia had won the race to the exuberant cheers of onlookers. But as the crowd watched and waited for the last participants, it was getting cool and dark.

It looked as if the last runners were finished, so the remaining spectators were breaking up and leaving when they heard the sounds of sirens and police whistles coming from the marathon gate into the stadium. And as everyone watched, one last runner made his way onto the track for the last lap of the twenty-six-mile race. It as John Stephen Akhwari from Tanzania. As he ran the 400 meter circuit, people could see that his leg was bandaged and bleeding. He had fallen and injured it during the race, but he hadn't let it stop him. The people in the stadium rose and applauded until he reached the finish line.

As he hobbled away, he was asked why he had not quit, injured as he was and having no chance to winning a medal. "My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race," he answered. "They send me to finish the race".

10th Full Marathon.. Most challenging todate

2009-08-31T14:34:00.005+05:30

Past Sunday (Aug 30, 2009), I completed my 10th full marathon with timing of 4:25:54.. inching slowly towards my lifetime target of fifty. This was perhaps the most challenging ever course that I have run to date. I knew Hyderabad terrain has rolling hills, but had grossly underestimated the 'steepness' of them. Considering the hills, I am happy with the where I ended in terms of time..

Took Chairminar Express to HYD.. while my onward journey went without a hitch and the train reached on time, return journey was a different story. Had to take 4 different transports to the station and though train departed on time, reached Chennai 3 hours behind schedule.. throwing my work day schedule for a toss. Now coming to the photo here.. Found this guy precariously standing in a tall ladder (which was swinging wildly) and clearing the cobwebs in the Chennai Central station main hall. While this guy was sitting 30+feet up and holding on to his dear life, bunch of folks were manually pulling and pushing the ladder.. I said a prayer for him.

Stayed in the Ganchibowli sports complex dorm. The complex itself is relatively new and came up in the last 8 years.

Dorm arrangements were fairly decent and can't beat the price.. just Rs.250. One big advantage was we could just stretch and relax in the complex and the helpful organizers took care of rest. Also, the run ended @ stadium and we had to just walk to the dorm to crash after the run.

Called Ganesha for help with my running. Didn't have to go far to find one.. Lord Ganesha was everywhere and here is a drive-in devotee.. :-)

We were bused to the starting point @ KBR park and by the time we reached that place, it was already bustling with runners. Here are a few Chennai Runners who did a half.

Organizers had romped in police and defense personnel to join the run and that really really helped. With some senior officers running, Hyderabad Police regulated chaotic traffic for the entire period and went out of their way to help the runners. In my case, I had two wonderful officers follow me in their bike all the way through. They regulated traffic at intersections and encouraged me along. Dear Hyderabad Police Officers.. I don't know your names.. but a big Thank You for your assistance, which went a long way helping me run the difficult course.

Overall, happy the way things played out.. decent run.. amicable climate and well organized event.. couldn't have asked for more in India..

More Hyderabad Marathon Photos here and here

What next ? Berlin.. Here I come in 3 weeks.. !!!

Meet Chennai's Bolt..

2009-08-22T13:33:00.003+05:30

Meet John Devasir, he is 84 and never misses a day of practice. Today, he had trekked all the way from Avadi to be @ Nandanam YMCA by 6:30AM.

I got to know Mr. Devasir thru a recent story in The Hindu. Mr. Devasir is very active in the Tamil Nadu veterans athletics forum and mentioned about several upcoming events he is planning to participate.

It is never too late to take that crucial first step.. Mr. Devasir started running 'seriously' only in the last 10 years.. before that he used to play Volleyball.. but infrequently.

He trains with folks half his age... and is a role model several people including our own Venkatesh.

You can catch him @ Nandanam YMCA on Saturdays and other practice days @ Nehru Stadium. He is focusing in the 100 / 200 meters sprint.

So How is Mr.Devasir Chennai's bolt ? For several reasons 1) @84 he is hitting the tracks and active 2) He can do 100 meters in 16.x seconds 3) Role model for several people and mine from today.

Is he your Bolt ? You decide.. Regardless hit the tracks and be healthy.....

Blog Vs Tweet

2009-06-29T15:24:00.002+05:30

If I take my own example the verdict is clear.. In the last 3 months I did 550+ Tweets as compared to the measly 1 blog post. However, I do have the desire to do meaningful blog posts but haven't gotten around to it just yet.

Twits are easy.. are short requiring little or no formulation time.. and can be done via multiple channels. For that matter I hardly do twits via Twitter website. Most of my twits are done via TwitterFox or BB. Compared to twits, Blogs take time... and that perhaps is the primary reason why haven't blogged as much as I would like to ..

Because blogging isn't easy. More precisely, other things are easier – and it's to easier things that people are turning. Facebook's success is built on the ease of doing everything in one place. (Search tools can't index it to see who's talking about what, which may be a benefit or a failing.) Twitter offers instant content and reaction. Writing a blog post is a lot harder than posting a status update, putting a funny link on someone's Wall, or tweeting. People are still reading blogs, and other content. But for the creation of amateur content, their heyday for the wider population has, I think, already passed. The short head of blogging thrives. Its long tail, though, has lapsed into desuetude.

But then, I am not ready to write Blogging obiturary as yet. I am going to make a sincere attempt to get back to it on a regular basis. After all, I do want to make my millions from adsense and retire to take blogging (and running) full time.. :-).

Travelog # 50 - Paris

2009-04-03T00:07:00.003+05:30

Quick update from Paris. I am here with my son for Paris Marathon. We walked, walked and walked looking for Eiffel Tower which we were told was just 4km from where we were staying in Montparnasse. But, we lost our way and language issues didn't make it easier to get back on track. We walked around anyways as the weather was gorgeous. We took this photo at the first 'sighting' of Eiffel Tower.

Kutcheri in the Park - Nageswararao Park, Chennai

2009-03-24T18:24:00.002+05:30

Chennai Sangamam Scence - Nageswarao park, Jan 14, 2009, originally uploaded by rviswana.

This is perhaps one of the best avenues for the budding artists. Young performers to apply to perform at the park which happens on the first Sunday of every month. Sundaram Finance sponsors this program and interested folks can apply here.

Though this is an interesting proposition, budding musicians who are already nervous will have to perform without any audio system and will have to constantly battle the omnipresent mosquitoes. Even with these limitations, this a popular avenue and there is competition to get a slot.

Apollo DKV ECR # 9 - My Last Long Run before Paris Marathon

2009-03-23T13:31:00.003+05:30

I did my last long run before Paris Marathon yesterday. Chennai Runners organized its 9th edition of the popular run called Apollo DKV ECR Run #9. From it early beginnings ECR Runs have come a long way in terms of participation and organization. Earlier we used to park our cars on the roadside and run with out any 'water point' support. Now, we start our runs from resorts like MGM with ample volunteer manned water points. Most importantly, we end our runs with a yummy Idli, Vada, Dosa & Pongal. (I ran the last 5k salivating at prospect of what's around the corner..:-)

(photo courtsey: RV Ramani)
We started our run from MGM Resorts and ECR early around 5:00 ish to beat the heat and traffic. Here the runners intently listening to last minute instructions before being flagged off. See the 'reflective' stickers on the runners ? This small sticker goes a long way in keeping us a safe on the busy ECR.

(photo courtsey: RV Ramani)
I did 30k in preparation for the upcoming Paris marathon. I ran comfortably for about 21 / 22k and after that started doing walk / run combo. While the weather was very pleasant for the first 15k, the other half was a different story. Surya bhagwan came up in all his glory and drenched us with lots and lots of sun light resulting truck loads of sweat.. making last 10k a challenge. Here is yours faithfully at the 15k turnaround point, faithfully using the marked pedestrian crossing.

(photo courtsey: RV Ramani)
This photo must have been around 25k mark.. By this time, I was desperately trying to call on all my reserves to finish the course. I can't remember if I was talking or actually running, but do remember that every part of my body was ready give up.

(photo courtsey: RV Ramani)
All smiles after the run and a great breakfast...

Next ECR Run - July / August..

Google Voice - Potential to Change the Telco Landscape

2009-03-12T13:22:00.002+05:30

Google never ceases to surprise us and with their voice launch they are at it again. It must not come as a surprise with its acquisition of GrandCentral. Nevertheless, it is surprising to see how they have brought many things together and launched a unique service that wasn't available as GrandCentral.

Google voice is obviously a competitor to Skype's domination in this space. However, Google has taken a totally different interface route. While Skype's predominant interface is via computer, Google voice will use any telephone to connect to Google Voice. And, that my friends is cool. With that one product decision, Google Voice has become a competitor to Telco companies across the world.

We could connect to Google Voice from any phone and dial out anyone we want anywhere in the world. Now imagine the possiblities and the distruptive nature this offering. For example, you could call US for free from anywhere in India via Google voice. Imagine the impact on the Telco companies on the International dialing business (particularly to US). Yes, we can do free calls to US now via Skype but that requires a computer.

I was all pumped up to play with Google Voice, but learnt that it is available only to GrandCentral customers for now and will be made available to other in 'weeks'. Can't wait..

Naan Kadavul - Well Below the Mark

2009-03-11T18:16:00.005+05:30

நான் கடவுள்
Bala has a penchant for showing the underbelly of the society without adding any color or sprucing it up. Whether it was his depiction of mentally challenged people (in Sethu) or depiction of an orphan growing up cremation ground(in Pithamagan), Bala has always taken the less trodden path and has made a mark for himself.

However, Bala has missed target by miles in Naan Kadavul. In this movie, Bala deals with a Agori (sect that calls themselves God) in Varanasi and moves the story to a town in southern Tamil Nadu. Bala then interweave the unsavory dealings of begger mafia with the Agori and has tried to provide an interesting mix.

Bala must be congratulated for his guts in taking a story line that many wouldn't touch even with a mile long pole. However, Bala could have scripted the story tightly. Arya was asked (by his Guru) to go back to his family to disengage from all 'blood relationship' and return. However, once Arya returns to his family, story takes a different line and his family abruptly disappears from the story. Also, Puja is shown going to a church and being preached.. but what is not shown is how that relates to the story. Similarly the climax fight between Arya and Thandavan wasn't 'story lined' well. In summary, Bala started would well in the first half but struggled to keep the story line in the second half.

In the acting department, Arya as Agori and Puja as a blind begger have done commendably. More than these two, kids were wonderful. Don't know where Bala got those kids.. but they have done exceptionally well. It must have taken a lot to get them to 'act'.

In the music department, Illayaraja has produced some great numbers but two of them did not come in the movie. While the 'Om Sivoham' song seems to be the highlight of the movie, another good song/s 'Matha en kovilil' seems to have been omitted from the final version of the movie. While the songs were good, background score left much to be desired. It sounded jarring and disconnected at places.

In the Art department, the 'sets' in 'malaikovil' could have been better.. the inferior sets show their color and reduce the intensity of the movie.

It is said that Bala took 3 years to get this movie out.. he could have done lot better in the story department.

Net - I give this movie a "B" and that being very generous..

Bala: We expect a better movie next time and he sure will.. but let's hope he doesn't take another 3 years for it.

Alliance Politics and Alphabet Soup in Tamil Nadu

2009-03-05T20:00:00.000+05:30

National elections have been announced and political activity has started in high pitch and it is all about 'seat sharing' agreements and less about principles. This time around the equations are going to be different than the previous election and will see three distinct alliances: BJP led NDA, Congress led UPA and the Third Front which is potpouri regional and communisit parties.

Congress and Communists bitterly fought over the nuclear agreement with US and have parted ways since the last election paving way for interesting electoral alignments. Barring Communists and BJP, most of the other parties would go wherever they can extract the maximum # of seats.

It is going to be particularly interesting in Tamil Nadu where there is endless list of parties vying for seats and trying muscle their way in to some alliance. The various combinations and negotiations are simply mind boggling. For starters:

While both Communists and BJP would want to partner with AIADMK, Ms Jayalalitha wants to tie with Congress. This puts both Communists and BJP in dilemna as they would not be in the same camp as Congress. (Late breaking news: Ms. Jayalalithaa doesn't want Congress anymore and will be part of the Third Front with Communists.)
BJP struggling to find a partner as it might not open account without some alliance.
DMK trying to play a delicate balance trying to appease both Congress & PMK, particularly on the Sri Lankan issue.
PMK is sitting on the fence and would go with the highest bidder.
MDMK is with AIADMK but have a diametrically different view on the Sri Lankan issue but will end up on the same alliance.
Actor turned politician, Mr. Vijayakanth is playing his cards close to the chest and unsure where he will lean.
Other actor turned politicians Mr. Sarath Kumar and Mr. Karthik are wondering what to do and where to side as there are 'no takers' for them.
The strong lady of UP, Ms. Mayavati (BSP) looking to enter Tamil Nadu. Not sure if she will win any seats, but sure to eat in to vote banks of other parties.
And then of course there are players like Mr. Thol Thirumavalavan & Mr. K Krishnaswamy looking for some peace of the pie.

There is likely to be lot of posturing and maneuvering in the coming days to split the 40 available seats from Tamil Nadu. In all likely hood, there will be 3 'grand' alliances and lots of others in the fray for the political spoils...

Chennai is already hot.. all these political games are likely to 'raise' it even higher..

What does your crystal ball say? Here is my unscientific prediction
AIADMK led alliance will win 20 - 25 seats
DMK led allliance will win 10 - 15 seats
BJP & others will win 2 - 8 seats

Twitter Rage

2009-03-02T09:16:00.003+05:30

Why all this Twitter Rage?
I have no idea.. but I seem to be bitten by that rage as well.. I like the concept of posting SMS like messages easily but disappointed that I get no feed back. I do want to get back to 'blogging' (and continue Twitting) gradually and slowly.

My crystal ball says that the day of Google introducing Twitter like 'micro blogging' in Blogger is not very far off.. what say you?

CNN Video

Auroville Marathon - My Personal Best

2009-02-20T12:35:00.007+05:30

Allow me brag about my PB @ Auroville fist.. I finished my Seventh full marathon with a timing of 4:25:27 and that is my personal best. Now that I have gotten it off my chest.. let me come to the 'rest of the stroy'.

Second Auroville Marathon that I participated in Auroville last Sunday was perhaps the best marathon I have been part of (participated in 11 so far). I am not saying this because I did my personal best, but because of the overall experience. The organizers though are new to this game did a commendable job doing the event and bettered themselves from last year.

This marathon had more participation than last year, yet was manageable. I understand there were about 400+ runners in all and 50+ participated in full.

Though, I would have liked to run one big loop and not repeat the same route again, I kind of liked the route in Auroville because it enabled me to have some company for most part. This helped me keep myself going and get others to keep going as well.

Another important piece Auroville experience is how the community comes together to run the event and done by volunteers organized in a very loose fashion. This collective support of the community is one critical factor for the success of the Auroville Marathon. Be it the various water points or the massages after the run or the salt water soaking pits.. Volunteers made the difference. They were courteous, polite and eager to help. Thanks guys.. you made the difference..

We had two Vans leave from Chennai. One with the Hyderabad Runners from Chennai Central and another one from Dimensions. This is the team that left from Dimensions. (Photo: RV Ramani)

After race pack distribution, We had a good pasta dinner. It had a good spread and was filling. Importantly, it was priced right.. Rs. 90 only.. so all us pigged out.

We were put up in various dorms spread across Auroville Campus. I was in a dorm next to Matri Mandir with bunch of runners from Bangalore. It was bare essentials only nevertheless comfortable and convenient. See the bed with bib # 27 ? that was mine.

We had Van transport us to the starting point at 4:30 AM. That was good because it was pitch dark and we had no clue as to where the starting point 'Certitude' was.

Barring a couple of kms, most of the run was thru narrow trails in the (not so thick) forest and that is one of the USP of Auroville Marathon. Though it was dark when we started, the route was clearly marked and was easy to navigate. (Photo: Karthik Vijaykumar)

Decent breakfast after the run.. See the guy with BIB # 7 ? He is Balaji, one of the Chennai Runners. This guy camped in Auroville for two weeks to work with the organizers to make the event successful. Thanks Balaji.. you unbound energy and willingness to jump in really made a difference.

Massage after the gruelling run was great. This combined with the salt water soaking pits went a long way in recovery.

This is another reason why this marathon was special to me. Thanks to Hari & Venkat's initiative Chennai Runners helped a bunch kids from Sagroli participate in the marathon. These kids traveled all the way from Nanded,Maharashtra to Pondy to run. And listen to this.. they were in the top 3 in most of the events conducted (full, half, quarter etc.,). I am glad Chennai Runners were able to play a small part in getting these kids to Auroville.. Way to Go Kids..

Here is the last few seconds of my finish.. (Video: Venkat Rangan)

In all, it was good a good run.. and I enjoyed. Like anything else, there is always room for improvement. Two areas organizers could improve are: 1) Registration 2) Rack Pack distribution. Registration was fragmented leading to some confusion and last minute fire drills. This could have been avoided by a single window on-line registration. Similarly, race pack collection should be done in a phased manner and not clubbed with the Pasta dinner. This would help avoiding the last minute rush.

More pictures in flickr

Twitter - First Impressions

2009-02-04T21:55:00.003+05:30

I have seen and heard about Twitter for a while now.. but plunged in to the world of Twitter just a couple of weeks back. (you can follow me here).

I still haven't figured out if Twitter is beneficial or just time drain.

If it is beneficial then How?. I understand it can be used / leveraged as a virtual chat with all of your followers and get immediate responses (though that is optional). I have only 7 followers now so, not much instant interactions taken place yet.

When I got in to it, I wondered what is the benefit of telling the world 'what am I doing'?. But, I quickly came to the conclusion that it is not about 'what am I doing' but about posting short / crisp observations / comments or questions.

I like the fact I can 'post' short messages (limit 140 characters) that are to the point and gets the point across. More importantly, I like the fact that I can tweet via multiple devices. Now I am comfortable tweeting from firefox browser via Twitterfox and from my Blackberry via Twitterberry besides twitter web site.

In summary, I am still ambivalent about Twitter's real benefit, but I know one thing for sure.. I will continue to Tweet as I like the concept of posting short messages from multiple devices quickly and easily.

Go on become a twitter and let me know what you think.. I am particularly interested in your read on :

What's your take on Twitter?
What feature do you like and don't?
What's the big difference between blogging and twitting? Why not simply Blog ? Why add another channel?

Slow Blogging - Not Intentional

2009-01-30T15:16:00.003+05:30

First, let me clear up something..
No, I have not taken to slow blogging advocated by Todd Sieling. It just that I got wound up on other things haven't done as much blogging as I would have liked to do in the past few weeks. As usual there are million excuses but they all would be speaking for my own failings.. so will not get in to that.

Have been wanting to post on a few things that I haven't and will do so in the coming days.. here they are

Barack Obama - A New Begining
Travel - Langkawi
Challenges with Flickr upload
Movie Review - Abhiyum Naanum
Oscars and Indian Film Industry
Google News - Tamil / GMail - Tasks / GMail - Offline
Twitter - My initial impressions
Mumabi Attacks and Pakistan - What can / should India do?
LTTE & Tamil Nadu Politcs - a lethal combination
Chennai Music Season - Some thoughts
Cloud Computing - Is it the next best thing?

Now that I have put my neck out.. let me see how much I stick to it..

Ghajini - Damp Squib

2009-01-11T17:58:00.003+05:30

I guess it happens when you have lot of expectations..

With so much media buzz around Ghajini and the moola it has already raked in, I expected a lot from this movie. Though, I had seen the Tamil version of this movie, I wanted to see to the Hindi version for the Aamir Khan / AR Rahman factor. Mr. Khan did not disappoint, but the movie did not have the polish and grandeur that the Bollywood movies generally have.

Seeing movie was not in plans today at all but things fell in place and I didn't want to miss an opportunity. I always try to squeeze in a movie whenever I go to Nanganallur and I went there (running) today to participate in a family event. it so happened that Ghajini was running right next door and the timing was convenient and tickets went abegging. While Ghajini is running to packed houses in the city, Vetrivel theatre was almost empty and Nanganallur is just 15 kms away. Go figure !!!

I felt the movie was dragging in places and certainly not need the three hours it took. Its an out and out Aamir Khan movie and his hard work shows in every frame. From his much talked about six pack abs to stylish Sanjay Singhania, Mr. Khan has done exceedingly well. However, he is little mature to be casted as a 30 something hero.

When you are watching a remake, comparisons are inevitable. I was looking for great music and chart bursting numbers from A R Rahman but he disappointed me. Only a couple of songs are hummable and the background music was jarring in many places. I felt the music director of the Tamil Ghajini, Harris Jayaraj had done a better job. Most of the songs in Tamil Ghajini were solid and the choreography and the cinematography added color to the songs.

In all, as my post title says, Ghajini was a damp squib. We have come to expect quality movies from Aamir Khan and Ghajni was a big disappointment in that regard. Ghajini definitely wouldn't qualify to join the ranks of Lagaan, Rang De Basanti and Taare Zameen Par.

Overall rating - B

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Partial Diary of a Writer & Runner

2009-01-06T09:18:00.001+05:30

Just finished reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. He is a self proclaimed writer first and then a runner. He has been running long distance since 1983 and has over 25 marathons to his credit.

Murakami-san wrote this book in a journal / log format that chronicles his training leading up 2005 NYC Marathon. It is part training log and part travelog as he talks training in many parts of the world. (Tokyo, Athens, Murakami city, Hawaii, Boston, Central Park and a few other places I can't recollect).

I particularly liked his log about running his first unofficial marathon in Athens traversing the original route in reverse.

Another thing that stood out was what Murakami-san would like his gravestone to say

Haruki Murakami
1949 - 20**
Write (and Runner)
At Least He Never Walked

That got me thinking about my tombstone. Ofcourse I will not have one as I will be cremated. But if I had one.. I would like it to say..

Ram Viswanathan
1962 - 20**
He Made a Difference

Now back to the book..
Not sure if Murakami-san wrote this book in Japanese first and then got it translated. His style of story telling does take little bit of getting used.

This was my first running book and perhaps wasn't the most appropriate choice to open the account. Nevertheless I kind of enjoyed his meandring log . It helped me come up a simple simple rule for myself.."Never miss a run for two consecutive days".

Bottom Line.. Not a gripping read, but if you are a runner, you will appreciate few things Murakami-san is saying. Also, you might end up learning a few tricks as well.

Next Book: Haven't decided on it yet. My son loaned me Robin Sharma's Who will cry when you die, but not sure if I will read it so soon (I just read Mr. Sharma's Greatness Guide 2 before Murakami-san's). Might read the abridged version of Bhagavatham (பாகவதம்) again.

Marathons This Year

2009-01-03T20:28:00.001+05:30

Not sure if it is doable but I am raising the bar this year. I am planning to do 4 marathons this year. Coming to think of it, it does look crazy but going to give it a shot.

I am not following any particular training plan, but have set myself two cardinal principles: 1) Log 50k a week 2) Do not miss a run for two consecutive days. My take is, if I am consistent and ensure that my body / muscles learn to take the abuse on a consistent basis then I should be good.

Of course lot depends of my family / work schedule and stuff.. but I have signed up for the following marathons: 1) Auroville in February 2) Paris in April 3) Berlin in September and 4) Singapore in December.

Unlocking iPhone

2009-01-02T15:33:00.003+05:30

This story caught my attention because of the earlier struggle I had with unlocking a Blackberry bought via eBay. I bought a Blackberry advertised as unlocked to work anywhere in the world only to find that it was locked to a carrier in US (AT&T). Tried multiple avenues to unlock and got it done eventually but not before shelling out an extra USD 30 for it.

So, I am kind of glad to see a unlock software coming out for iPhone. It's called yellowsn0w and you can find step by step instructions here... I haven't used this one myself, but if you play with it.. kindly do let me know..

iPhone prices in India are ridiculously higher, close USD 750. Ofcourse both Airtel and Vodafone cite some 'liecensing' / 'royalty' reasons for keeping the price so high. From a consumer perspective, this does no good. I hope this unlock software makes more iPhones available in the 'grey' market forcing the carriers to bring down the prices in the 'white' market.

2008 Chennai Music Season

2008-12-31T16:33:00.004+05:30

Another Music season has come and gone (almost) in Chennai and my 'to-do' is still in the pending list. I wanted to attend several concerts and learn to appreciate carnatic music better. But then, I attended only two concerts and is miles away from learning to appreciate carnatic music and identify ragas. The annual music season in Chennai is like none other in the world and here is why.

Nowhere else in the world would you get to attend the concerts of 'who is who' in the Carnatic music world in such a short span of time. Hundreds of concerts were held in the last two weeks in Chennai and I attended just two of them.

First one was a 'Katha kalakshepam' by Visaka Hari at Kamarajar Arangam on Dec 21, 2008. She started a little late as the earlier programs stretched and ate in to her time. I have heard about Mrs. Hari's unique style of combining the traditional story telling with Carnatic music and got to hear it first hand on that day.
Dressed in the traditional 'madisar', she kept her audience engaged for about 90 minutes with a story about Krishna's birth. It takes guts to take on what some people would call as a vanishing art and carve out a place. Visaka Hari, a qualified charted accountant has taken to the traditional story telling method and has created a place for herself. Till a few years, 'Katha kalakshepam' was not part of the music season, but thanks to Mrs. Hari, it is now.

Second was a concert by Sudha Raghunathan @ Narada Gana Sabha on Dec 30, 2008. This one started right on time at 4:30 PM. Mrs. Raghunathan kept the audience engrossed and eating out of hers hands for the next 135 minutes. She sang in multiple languages in a rapid fire succession with absolutely no break in between. Wonder how she does that.. I would have liked her to introduce each song and announce the raga, but then I hear that it is not a practice in these types of concerts. (it perhaps should be.. then only folks like me can follow and appreciate better!!!!).
Narada Gana Sabha has this neat way of making a few additional bucks by seating 'excess' audience on the dias for a small fee. (Rs. 50 as compared to the 'seats' which cost from Rs. 100 to 500.). I actually enjoyed sitting in the dias close to the artists. We got to observer them up close and get to observe the backstage happenings. The only downside was that we had to squat down and it becomes uncomfortable after a while.. but I am not complaining.

Next year, I would like to go for more concerts. But before that I do want to 'develop / learn' about ragas and be able to identify at least some of them. This will be in to my 'new year resolution' bucket list. Now only time will tell as to how much I empty out the bucket !!.

This is perhaps my last post for 2008 with a wish that I be 'more' consistent with my posts in 2009.

Before I sign off, Let me wish you and your family all the very best in the coming year and beyond. God Bless & God Speed...

How To Tie Your Shoes?

2008-12-22T14:24:00.001+05:30

Do you know how to tie your shoes properly?.

Yeah, I hear you.. We all learnt it in our primary school right? That may be the case, but how many times has your shoe lace come off on you, forcing you to stop and retie only to see it come off again in a minutes / hours? I have seen a whole bunch of new / experienced /young / old runners struggle with their shoe lace (includes me as well..).

I had figured out a clumsy way to keep my shoe laces intact a few years ago. I used to go for lunch time walks in the San Mateo county college while working nearby at Visa. During these treks, my shoe lace would invariably come off but not that of my colleague, Rao Korimilli. It is from him that I learnt the trick of putting a knot over the Granny knot to keep the lace from loosening. That trick continues to serves me well and I am glad to have to picked up that trick from Rao. But, now I have trick up my sleeve to keep my shoe lace in tact. I hope you find this trck useful too. If you are in the mood for reading 5 pages about it then go here.. or simply watch this video

Books - Greatness Guide 2

2008-12-19T10:48:00.001+05:30

Like rising early, reading books has been a continuous struggle for me. But I do know that I need to do them both consistently and easily to reach my next level whatever that might me. That said, I finally forced myself to finish Robin Sharma's The Greatness Guide 2 book.

Though I bought this book for a plane trip in August did not finish is till recently. I did religiously carry it for trip after trip adding load to my already overloaded backpack but did not get to it. At best, I would read a few pages and not touch it again for a few days / weeks only to start all over again.

Here is what I have planned to do.. call it a early 'new year resolution' but here it is.. 'Will read at least one book a month'.

Now back to the book..
My introduction to Robin Sharma was through his book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrai. I enjoyed that one for its easy reading and the Indian connection. With that name recognition, I picked up The Greatness Guide 2 hoping to enjoy and learn from it as well. I am glad to report that Robin Sharma did not disappoint me. Like many of the self-help books, this also urges to be gentle, humble, truthful, give back etc., As we all know, it is the seemingly easy stuff that are the most difficult to practice consistently in life.

As Robin Sharma says in his book, you are the company you keep and keeping good thoughts / reading good books ought to make you act in a positive manner.

One thing liked about this book is that no chapter is more than two pages long. It is easy to read a few pages and continue later. I liked that convenience.. (Richard Carlson's Don't Sweat the small stuff series is also like this.. easy to read.)

Few quotes from the book..

What is Success ? "To me, success is all about being in the process of joyfully creating a life that reflects your highest values, your deepest beliefs and your greatest dreams."

What matters? "At the end of our lives, the only thing that endures is who we became, the difference we made and the love we gave"

Powerful stuff.. much to think about and internalize.

My two cents: I enjoyed reading this book and would strongly recommend it.. I am sure you will enjoy and benefit from it too.

This book and will remain in my library for revisits and will be enriched with couple of other Robin Sharma books soon: 1) The Greatness Guide 2) Who will cry when you die.

My next book: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

Varanam Aayiram - A decent movie but..

2008-12-15T19:22:00.008+05:30

Saw Gautham Menon's Varanam Aayiram last night at Sathyam, my favorite movies in Chennai. The movie experience at Sathyam is perhaps the best in Chennai, but for a small problem. One can't get in or out.. barring that everything else is super... Now back to the movie...

Varanam Aayiram is a decent movie but is awfully long and feels like rudderless in the second half. But to Gautham Menon's credit, he kept me awake for the whole 3 hours and particularly considering it was a late night show. (Unlike Aegan which I just slept through.)

This movie is actually the story of a son (junior Surya) but unfolds as a story about relationship between son and his father(senior Surya). The depth of relationship unwinds as the story spreads out on the screen. It comes through in a gentle but in an impactful manner. Thanks to Mr. Menon, we are spared of loads of dialog or buckets of tear.

Though there isn't any reason why Surya ought to be playing dual role in this film, he has done commendably well in both the roles. He compensates for what some folks would call as 'lack of charisma' with his sheer dedication and hard work, which is evident in every frame of this movie. In some places the director tries to over do it, like in the case of Surya's much talked about 'six pack abs'. They show Surya shirtless in many scenes just to show sell his body. It gets to be little tiring to see him shirtless, scene after scene.

Though it was Surya movie, one other actor has managed to stand out and that is Simran. She stands out taller than Surya in this movie both literally and figuratively. Her mature and dignified portrayal of a mother's role is bound to make her second innings (in the industry) stronger than the first one.

There is something to be said about Harris Jayaraj and Gautham Menon combo that produces chart busters movie after movie. Most of the songs in this film are hummable and pleasant. I am no music connoisseur, but have a feeling that Harris likes to leverage Guitar the most in his songs. Several of the songs in this film too have Guitar base and that makes the songs personally appealing to me. Its unfortunate that Harris Jayaraj and Gautham Menon have split and will not be doing films together anymore... but then I am sure a talented director like Gautham Menon will continue to produce melodies anyone he teams up with.

The movie starts to meander aimlessly after the interval and would have been better off particularly without the kidnap episode and Army stint. Without them, the movie would have been lot more crisper, sharper and forceful.

Overall the movie is watchable for its melodious songs and Surya / Simran's performance.

Overall - B+
Acting - Surya & Simran - A (For solid performance)
Director - Gautham Menon - B+ (For decent story telling.. could have been better though)
Movie Length - B (For making us sit for three long hours.. one hour longer than needed)
Music - Harris Jayaraj - B+ (For melodious and memorable songs)
Story - Gautham Menon - B (For meandering story line)

Marathon # 6 - My Slowest

2008-12-11T12:01:00.005+05:30

I am glad to finish the Singapore Marahton 2008 and not be part of DNF list, but this also is my slowest. I took 5:38:41 and the details can be seen here.

I went in with a goal of coming under 4:30 but took much much longer than that. I have been trying to understand what went wrong. I have a long list of lame excuses along the lines of 'bad hair day', 'Dog ate my shoe'.. let me get them out first..

Couldn't find babysitter : My daughter had come with me to the starting point and I was hoping to 'handover' her to babysitter. But didn't anticipate the problem of trying to locate the babysitter amongst the sea of runners and onlookers. Had to leave her 'out there' with lot of instructions to fend herself.. that weighed in on me..
Didn't empty my bladder: Since I was running around trying to locate the babysitter, didn't have time to empty my bladder and that weighed in on me..
Like a rock: Did too many 'touristy' things in the two days leading up to the run resulting in no rest & exercise. On the run day, my thighs felt like rocks and couldn't lift them.. so my thighs weighed me down.. (otherwise I wouldn't beat those kenyans!!!!)
Too many sharp turns: The route had too many sharp / U-turns causing me to slow down.
Heat: The entire route wasn't air cooled causing me to slow down.

As you can see, I could probably come up with 100 other reasons.. but none of them are valid. The simple truth is it simply wasn't my day. One thing I have realized is, I cannot combine walking and running. The moment I start walking and try to do a combo, I invariably give running. It happened too soon past Sunday. I started walking past the 10K mark and that did it for me. From then on I took too many walk breaks resulting in the time it did. I discussed this with a running buddy in US and he tells me that I need to work on my 'mind' to condition it to alternate effectively. I guess, have some work to do on this front.. may be a lot of work to do.

Now that... I got the weight off my chest, let me come to the Singapore Marathon 2008. Overall the organization and the planning was great. This my fourth Singapore marathon and the experience is only getting better every year. Organizers have improved all they can. barring one thing and that is the weather. Singapore being where it is, gets hot, muggy and humid quite early in the day. Though organizers tried to beat the heat by starting @ 5:30, it does not help runners like me who took a long time to complete.

The location for race pack collection was different this time. Last three years it was near City center @ Esplanade and this time it was near the Changi airport at Expo Center. Nevertheless, it was easily accessible via the ubiquitous Singapore Metro. I could see a drove of people walking towards the Expo Center to pick up their race pack which included the bib number, chip, T-Shirt and Shoe bag.

Race pack distribution was well managed. Lines clearly demarcated and well segregated with enough counters to keep the lines moving.

Belive it.. I wasn't the oldest runner in this marathon. Though I would like to be that.. someday.

Running fair.. lots of vendor ready to gobble up your money.

Entertainment at the race pack collection area.

Some of the Chennai Runners "Ready to go" after collecting race pack. (note the bags all of us gleefully carrying..)

Some of the Chennai Runners.. Rearing to go..

Plenty of water points producing plenty of garbage.. Singapore known for its cleanness had people and vehicles lined to start the cleaning work. In fact, at some place cleanup crew were already at work.

Impossible is Nothing.. hey.. I went through that Finish Point.

Balaji, Raveendran, Hari & I after finishing our runs. I was hoping to connect with all of the Chennai Runners but couldn't. That place was packed and folks had drifted away for some well deserved rest.

More photos in flickr

Interestingly, marathon photos had no photos of me :-(.....

Off to Singapore for my Sixth Marathon

2008-12-04T18:46:00.002+05:30

Leaving for Singapore tonight, to participate in the Singapore Marathon this Sunday. This will be my fourth consecutive marathon in Singapore and Sixth Marathon. Wish me luck.. Have only 44 more to go..

Ich Bin Ein Mumbaikar

2008-11-29T20:11:00.004+05:30

I am no Kennedy and this no Berlin, but as an Indian and as a global citizen I am a Mumbaikar today. I really do not care if Raj Thakerys of the world accepts me as a Mumbaikar or not, but I am one today.

Like many others this morning, I was glued to the TV watching the happenings in Mumbai. As the Army and commandos were mopping up @ Taj Hotel, ATS Police Chief Hemant Karkare's final journey was being broadcast live by CNN-IBN. The scenes coming in were heart rendering with thousands ordinary Mumbaikars showing up to pay homage to a brave and upright soldier who led from the front and was one of the first ones to fall to terrorists bullets.

But one thing that angered me was the sight of politicians at such a solemn occation. They came in their spotless white kurtas with their gun toting security to pay homage to an officer whom they were blaming till a few days back as being partisan.

Where was Raj Thakrey when the Army and NSG were fighting terrorists in Mumbai ? Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan & Havildar Gajendra Singh are no Mumbaikars but they laid down their lives for Mumbai and India as Indians.

Where was BJP & Shiv Sena when the ATS chief Hemant Karkare paid the ultimate price by leading from the front. These political outfits were blaming ATS as being partisan and had called for Maharashtra Bandh on Dec 1, 2008. If common sense prevails, they would call off the bandh, but then these politicians and they could still surpirse us.

If there any good that can come of this, it must have to with our political class. They must change and I hope and pray they do.

Ich Bein Mumbaikar

Mumbai Mayhem

2008-11-28T12:49:00.002+05:30

Mumbai Mayhem

The mindless killings that started late Wednesday night in Mumbai are still going on. Current indications are that the perpetuators came in speed boats, spread out and unleashed what the press is calling as the worst terrorist incident in India.

While the news coming out is conflicting and sketchy, one thing is clear, the perpetuators are professional killers. They seem to be highly motivated, trained and heavily armed. It must have taken several months and good local knowledge to pull off this kind of an operation. What else would explain the attack on a non-descript Jewish house? They ought to have known about this Jewish congregation place and chose it deliberately to make international headlines. So are their other targets as well, all high profile and all in South Mumbai close to the Sea.

While our heart goes out to the families who lost their near and dear ones, I am also afraid that it will be business as usual in a few days. Fourth estate will pen eloquently about the so called Mumbai resiliency, Politicians and bureaucrats would move on to next controversy or calamity. It is the innocent Indians who will suffer time and time again.

Are we Ready?

I believe, we as country are very bad in crisis management. We haven’t learnt any lesson despite of going thru the highest number of crisis since independence. Be it the 1989 kidnap of Rubia Sayeed or the 1999 hijack of IC 814, Indians seem to freeze when they need to act and act fast. India has been repeatedly attacked by local and external terrorists on a regular basis because these guys know that India is a soft state and will forget and move on trumpeting their resiliency.

But compare this to the aftermath of 9/11 in US. Americans collectively resolved never to let another terrorist incident happen again and have so far succeeded in it. One might not agree with all that President Bush did, but you must give it to him for keeping his citizens safe inside the country. (It is another story that Americans are dying in foreign soil due the ill conceived policies of the same President Bush).

While, no one can promise to prevent all future terrorist incidents, India can and must do a lot more on how they respond to situations like this. There must an immediate mobilization of all necessary assets within a span of minutes not hours to immobilize the perpetuators and minimize loss of life.

India Must Stop and take action

I wish India doesn’t move on as usual this time around, but make the Mumbai incident a national priority. While on one side it must methodically and ruthlessly go after the killers and their supporters, it must also shore up its emergency response big time. This must be done apolitical way on a priority basis such way that it sends a clear message to the evil doers.

As usual, fingers are being pointed at Pakistan and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it is going to ‘cost’ the perpetuators. I hope he truly means it this time.

Fixed my Garmin

2008-11-26T13:06:00.001+05:30

Last month I posted about my Garmin going kaput and my attempts to get it fixed in Chennai. I am glad to report that my Garmin Forerunner 305 is fixed and is working well. I have used it for the 5 runs and glad to report that it is working ok.

So, how did I get it fixed?
I first tried to contact Garmin's support directly in US via email. They suggested a few tricks via mail and when that didn't help, they routed me to their Asia Pacific service center in Taipei. This where hit the road block. Taipei guys wanted me to ship the device to them for fixing it and a quick back of the napkin calculation told me that it will cost me over USD 125 to get the Unit fixed.

So I ditched that attempt and looked for someone to service the unit in Chennai and boy I found one. These guys are in T.Nagar (near Brilliant Tutorials) and part of some Marine business. It took about 3 weeks and lot of follow thru to get the job done. At one point, I lost hope stopped calling them, but they fixed the unit after going stealth for a week. The problem apparently was with the battery and it costed me INR 674 to replace the battery.

In all I am glad there is local guy who can fix Garmin. This guy is messy and will require lot of follow through, but they delivered, albeit lately.

Policing the Central Median...

2008-11-25T10:40:00.006+05:30

Yes!!! you read the title right. There are cops out there to prevent you from exercising in the central median. You must be thinking.. where in the world will they do that.. you are right, definitely not in Chennai, but in Santa Monica, California.

James Birch was cited by the Santa Monica Police for using the central median to stretch and exercise. This, after residents complained about people assembling at all hours and causing inconvenience !!!!. Santa Monica Police used a city ordinance from 1970 and deployed 4 police officers to ensure that people are not 'exercising' in the central median!!!!.

I was amused watching the video and frankly don't know how to react. Here, I am sitting in Chennai, where I can't even get out of my street because of the anarchy unleashed by the errand drivers and in some other part of the world Police actually take time to keep median free of unwanted guests. Different parts of the world, different priorities.

Obama Makes History

2008-11-05T10:51:00.001+05:30

Barack Hussein Obama has been elected the 44th President of USA. He will be the first African - American to occupy the White house when he does next year. This is truly a remarkable achievement for the first time Senator from Illinois who almost went bankrupt during the early stages of the campaign. He persevered and toughed it out. He hunkered down through a long and arduous fight with Hillary Clinton for Democratic nomination till early June. Ater winning the primary, he took fight to key Republican states like Ohio, Virgina and Indiana and won them. Through all this one thing is very clear about Mr. Obama, he is no quitter.

His ability to fight and persevere will be sorely tested on many fronts as he takes over reins from Mr. Bush. Mr. Bush will be leaving a plate full of problems and issues for Mr. Obama to sort out. When the campaign started two years back, it was about Iraq and how to get out of that country and now it is about US economy and how to get out of the financial mess. Both and many more such problems will test Mr. Obama's ability to persist and perserve.

Personally, I rooted from Hillary Clinton but today I am glad a Democrat made to the White house.

Congratulations Mr. Obama, the entire world is watching you, hoping that you would bring in the much needed healing touch to many vexing issues.

Registered for Paris Marathon

2008-11-04T18:36:00.003+05:30

Thanks to Shahid (or blame it on Shahid), I am now signed up to participate in Paris Marathon in April 2009. Hopefully, I would have run Auroville in February 2009 and ready for Paris.

Wish me luck.. and there are still 9000+ slots open.. so please goahead and indulge.. run your dream..

NYC Marathon 2008 - Real Winners

2008-11-03T18:59:00.004+05:30

For me these two guys are the real winners of NYC Marathon (Kurt Feamley and Edith Hunkeler). Of course there were other winners as well.. Marilson Gomes dos Santos (2:08:43) and Paula Radcliffe (2:23:56)

btw: I love this image.. of NYC Marathon.

Do You Know Fred Lebow?

2008-11-01T11:00:00.001+05:30

Do you know Fred Lebow? For the uninitiated, he was the founder of the NYC marathon. From the humble beginnings in Central Park to its iconic image today, NYC marathon's transformation can be attributed to Fred's undying energy.

He died in 1994 of brain cancer but his legacy lives on.. now through a movie that hit the screens today called Run for you life.

Do we have a Fred Lebow amongst us in Chennai to start a worldclass marathon?

A marathon that is truly for the runners and celebrates running..
A marathon that the entire city comes together and celebrates human spirit..
A marathon that is truly at par (or even better) than the big 5 (NYC, Chicago, Berlin, London & Boston).
A marathon that becomes a iconic symbol of Chennai....

10 Must Do Marathons

2008-10-30T15:34:00.000+05:30

Recently, Shahid sent a link that talked about 20 must do races and I must admit haven't run even in one of them. That list got me thinking and I created my own list of 10 marathons that I would like to run before I die..

New York
Chicago
Berlin
New Delhi
London
Paris (Might do this next year with Shahid)
Sydney
Chennai (organized by Chennai Runners)
San Francisco
Columbus (my other home town)

(Boston is not on the list because I wouldn't qualify for it... too slow for Boston !!!)

Talking about Shahid.. again.. he recently announced (in a radio program) that he would like to run 50 marathons and has done 5 marathons so far. That got me thinking and I am announcing today that I am also raising my bar.. I also would like to run 50 marathons and like Shahid has done 5 so far. Not sure if I can reach that target at my current strike rate. I seem to be running 2 marathons a year and at this rate, it will take another 22 years and I will be 68.

Now, Shahid.. let's see who gets to 50 first.....

NYC Marathon Happening this Sunday

2008-10-29T15:35:00.003+05:30

NYC Marathon is happening this weekend.. and the excitement is starting to build. There is boatload of articles and stuff in NYTimes about NYC Marathon. They make a good reading. I particularly liked this one..

I thought I was training for the marathon and the Ironman, but I was training for life. The doctors said if it wasn’t for my physical condition, I’d be dead.

NYC is in my list of 10 marathons I would like to run.. Do you want to know the rest ? Watch this space tomorrow..

Trying to Get my Garmin Fixed in Chennai

2008-10-28T15:31:00.002+05:30

As I posted, my Garmin went Kaput few days back and I am trying disparately to get it fixed before Singapore Marathon (Dec 7, 2008). I did some digging around and found that there is a Garmin dealer right here in Chennai and they sell Garmin Forerunner 305 for INR 16,500 + taxes. That's the good part of the story.. the bad part is that they don't 'service' units bought abroad. But I haven't given up.. after much persuasion, I have been asked to call on Thursday to 'find out' if they will service the unit bought abroad. so keeping my fingers crossed.

I also tried another route.. sent a mail thru Garmin support forum and got a reply within 48 hours with some instructions to reset the device. Unfortunately that didn't work.. I am putting it down here.. as it might help someone somewhere..

My Question: My Garmin Forerunner 305 wouldn't 'turn on' anymore.. The display is
completely blank.. and the Unit is only 18 months old..

Response from Garmin
Thank you for contacting Garmin International.

I would recommend doing a reset on the unit:

TO RESET YOUR UNIT:

Remove or disconnect the unit from any power source.
Press and hold the MODE and LAP/RESET buttons at the same time for atleast 10 seconds, and then release both buttons.
The unit powers down. You may not see or hear anything when this happens.
Turn the unit back on. The unit powers on normally.

If the unit does not respond, you can perform a master reset.

PERFORMING A MASTER RESET
WARNING: All of your history and preferences will be erased during a master reset. If you want to save your history, you can transfer it to your computer using Training Center software before performing the master reset.

If you want to save your history, and you have not installed Training Center or you need help transferring your history, refer to the instructions in Parts 1 and 2.

If you do not want to save your history, go to Part 3.

PART 1: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE TRAINING CENTER INSTALLED:

Exit any open or running programs.
Go to: http://www.garmin.com/support/collection.jsp?product=999-99999-04
Click DOWNLOAD next to ?Training Center For Windows? or ?Training Center For Mac,? and verify that your computer meets the system requirements.
Click DOWNLOAD, and save the file to your desktop.
When the download is complete, click CLOSE to exit the Download dialog box.
Close the browser window.
On your desktop, double-click the downloaded file, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

PART 2: TO TRANSFER YOUR HISTORY TO TRAINING CENTER:

Connect your device to the computer using the USB cable.
Open Training Center. (If this is the first time you?ve opened Training Center, a message appears explaining that because it is your first time using the program, your device must be added to Garmin Training Center. a. Click OK to close the message. A dialog box appears requesting your user name. b. Type a user name, and then click OK. Training Center opens. NOTE: After the first time, you can open Garmin Training Center without connecting your device to your computer.)
On the FILE menu, click RECEIVE FROM DEVICE. The transfer process begins. (NOTE: If you changed your user profile in Training Center or your device since the last time you transferred data, you will need to select a user profile (Account) before continuing.)
When the transfer is complete, click OK.

PART 3: TO PERFORM A MASTER RESET:

Remove or disconnect the unit from any power source, and then turn the device off.
Press and hold the MODE button, and then press the POWER button to turn the unit on.
When you see the message asking if you want to erase all user data, select YES, and then press ENTER. The unit will turn off and turn back on again.
Reset your preferences.

Travelog # 49 - Tokyo

2008-10-27T20:31:00.006+05:30

Couple of weeks back I was in Japan for a week. Though it was mostly the triangulation (Airport, Hotel and Office), I did manage to take a few photos in and around in my Hotel in Hakozaki.

Tokyo's Narita Airport is one of the busiest in the world and yet very orderly. I was able to get through all formalities under 30 minutes, that includes finger printing. Yes, all foreigners were finger printed and I am sure there was a camera somewhere taking photos as well. But the overall system was very efficient and the wait wasn't for more than 5 minutes at the immigration counter.

Took these friendly airport limousine buses to my Hotel which was about 75 kms away. They are very comfortable and ply every 15 minutes. It took about 90 minutes to get the Hotel which was near Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT), but the ride was comfortable and I was able to take a quick nap before I reached the Hotel.

Stayed in Royal Park, right next to Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT). Tokyo in general is an expensive city and the Hotel was no exception. This is perhaps one of the very few Hotels that charged me 'extra' to use the fitness center. I remember Las Vegas Hotels doing the same. But it, in a way proved to be good for me. I explored the surroundings and found a solid running track by the Sumida river.

Sumida river was just couple of blocks from my Hotel and offered good running track for miles on end. Though I could not find the 15km running track that the Hotel guys told me about, this running track by the Sumida river was equally good. I did 7-8 km runs for 4 days by the river and enjoyed every bit of it. The track was even and the weather was friendly. This proved to be a way better 'free' option than the 'paid' Hotel fitness center.

Tokyo also has its share of homeless people. I saw a few of them by the river.

I am sure this is a useful map for folks who can read Japanese.

Tokyo is one of the most populous cities in the world and space is at a premium. Most of the roads are double decked and parking charges are one of the highest in the world. Saw a bunch of bicycles parked in the roof top of a high rise near my hotel. This photo was taken from the 20th floor of the hotel.

I found Tokyo to be very orderly. People follow rules naturally. I found this lady waiting for the signal to cross the street though it was practically empty in the wee hours of the morning.

Lot of 24x7 convenience stores. I found them in almost every block, but finding 'vegetarian' stuff is a challenge. I had to make do with fruits and salad for many days. One night we did manage to find a Indian restaurant but that cost us dearly. Each of us had to shell out over USD 50 for a passe dinner.

I found Taxis to be pretty expensive in Tokyo with the meter starting at JPY 710 (USD 7). But they are comfortable and most importantly ply by the meter and the drivers do not expect tip.

This time also I made it a point to go to Akhihabara though was squeezed for time. Last time, I got my Canon there and have been pretty happy with it. So, I decided to buy a newer version of the same model. So, I bought a Canon IXY digital 3000 IS which just came to the market last month. Now, Do I really need a new camera? possibly not.. but gave in to the itch. It is a 14.7 mega pixel camera and I bought with a 4 gb card for USD 400. Haven't played with it much to comment on it, but will do so soon.

More photos in flickr

My Garmin Goes Kaput

2008-10-26T18:31:00.003+05:30

My Garmin Forerunner 305 goes Kaput..
I am kind of bummed with my Garmin Forerunner 305. It goes Kaput just when I was starting to like it. I just bought it in March 2007 and it wouldn't 'turn on' anymore. When it first refused to start I just thought the battery had drained so I ensured it was fully charged when I took it out for my half marathon today.. Alas, it failed to 'turn on' today as well..

I messed around with it a little more and it doesn't even charge anymore... it has gone Kaput...

Do you guys have any suggestion for me ? Is the battery replaceable ? I couldn't find any relevant information on the net.

பொய் சொல்ல போறோம் - Movie Review

2008-09-28T20:11:00.003+05:30

பொய் சொல்ல போறோம் படம் பற்றிய சின்ன பொய் "படம் ரொம்ப நல்ல இருந்தது"

More later

Google Chrome - Do We Need Another Browser?

2008-09-02T12:04:00.003+05:30

Google thinks so.. say that much in their official blog..

We realized that the web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser. What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that's what we set out to build.

Its been a while since I moved away from IE and use Firefox for all my browsing and have been quite happy with it. Now, I am interested to find out what Google has done better. Sundar Pitchai and Linus Upson (of Google) talk about how the web world has changed in the last 10 years and the need for the browser to run applications and not merely display pages. With that and simplicity as their mantra they have gone about creating the Chrome from ground up. They have even developed new java script (V8) which promises to speed up things. Chrome will be out tomorrow and I can't wait to download and play with it. More on it in a week.

Till then, Pl read this comic book and get to know Chrome,

நம்ம சென்னை Marathon - A Case Study on How Not To

2008-08-31T20:43:00.009+05:30

நம்ம சென்னை Marathon - A Case Study on How Not To...

This is my fourth the so called Chennai Marathon. After each one I tell myself never again to run in Chennai but I relent telling myself this is after all நம்ம சென்னை and things will be different this time. But, this time was no different from the earlier ones. For a change, it had a promising start but failed on all fronts.

For some reason, marathons and Chennai don't seem to click and I know the reason. It is simple, none of the Chennai Marathons are organized by professionals or anyone who even is remotely associated with running. If they had even an iota of exposure to running or organizing an event of such a magnitude, things would have been different.. very different.

This marathon had a promising start. Tamil Maiyam, the group that organized Chennai Sangamam organized the marathon as well. With strong political support, funds wasn't an issue. In fact some reports suggest that they had over INR 15 crores at their disposal plus the official machinery. But what good can these funds do if the organizers don't know what to do with it?

But they did one thing very well and that is deriving media mileage. There was enough free air time for Chennai marathon and its organizers in print, radio and TV. This created unprecedented participation leading to crowd management issues at the starting and finish points. Other than the media blitz, everything from registration to communication to BIB distribution to run day arrangements was a mess.

BIB distribution: While the registration was fairly easy, actually there was no need for it. Anyone and everyone who wanted a BIB got one and in some cases more than one. When I called them, I was told the Paypal email was sufficient. So, it was upon the runners to figure out where, when and how to collect the BIBs. I spoke to the organizers personally and requested them to pay attention to the BIB distribution and start early but it hardly registered on them. There was no communication about BIB distribution even after repeated queries and I ended going to their Mylapore office a day earlier to collect the BIB. What I saw there was disturbing. There was no need for any prior registration, anyone could have just walked in and collected a BIB number which was being hotly printed and handed out to anyone who wanted one.

Start Time: Organizers had the celebrities and media in mind more than the runners when they fixed 6:30 AM as the start time. Anyone who has spent even just a day would know that Chennai gets extremely hot and humid and wouldn't want to put the runners thru the grueling heat. But then, Organizers had other things to care about as they wanted to ensure media and celebrity participation. What is even worse is that, they kept the runners waiting for the VIPs to arrive and give speeches before flagging off the run, which happened only around 6:45 AM.

Route: Credit must go to the organizers for keeping the unmanageable Chennai traffic at bay for well over 2 hours. But the narrow width reserved for the runners weren't enough to manage the sea of runners for the first 5+ kms. We ended jostling over each other for space and I hear there was mini stampede in the 7k run.

Volunteers: There was none to regulate the crowd and manage water points. Organizers should have tapped in to NCC for this purpose, but they chose to rely on Chennai Police who couldn't give adequate coverage other keeping the traffic at bay.

Water and refreshment: The arrangement was truly appalling. In the initial few water points, there was a heavy rush and runners were falling over each other to grab something. I was hoping the situation would gradually improve, but to my horror there were no water points on my return trek from Velankanni temple. There were some good samaritans from IOB giving out water from the nearby homes and stuff. Also, the used water bottles and plastic water sachets were thrown around everywhere and proved to be safety hazard for the runners. Several runners had to slow down to avoid slipping and getting injured.

Finish Point: For all the talk of separate enclosure and refereshments for the marathoners, there was no sign of finish point anywhere near Gandhi Statue. As I ran towards Gandhi Statue from AIR office, all I saw was a sea of humanity (7K runners) with absolutely no indication of finish line. I and another runner by name Vikas Grover asked around and finally decided to stop in front of Gandhi big vanakkam to Mahatma. we had enough..

At the finish point, all we needed was a place to stretch and some cold refreshment but got none.

It is pretty sad to see one youngster die due to possible cardiac arrest near the finish line. It might not have been possible to avoid these eventualities, but were the organizers prepared for one? I am doubtful as to how the emergency was handled. Immediate and urgent care is needed in those circumstances and I am not sure if Santosh got it.

Overall, the run was pretty badly managed and conducted. It is sad because Tamil Maiyam had the money and political clout to do a good job. It is sad beacuse, Father Jegath Gasper is a self proclaimed runner and he ought to know. It is sad because runners were treated as mere pawns in a larger game. It is sad because Chennai seems to be cursed when it comes to Marathons. Lastly, it is sad because I am sad and I live and love this city.

For the record, I finished the half marathon with a timing of 2:18:01.

நம்ம சிங்கார சென்னை Marathon

2008-08-23T18:36:00.003+05:30

நம்ம சிங்கார சென்னை marathon

Chennai Marathon is happening in a week's time and from what I seen so far, I am hopeful that this Chennai Marathon would be organized fairly decently. So far the registration has been smooth and they even took some of Chennai Runners suggestions and removed the medical certificate requirement.

I wish they had started distributing the bib by now.. but we still have 7 days and I hope the bib distribution will also be fairly organized.

For the first time in the Chennai Marathon history, MARG and Tamil Mayyam are involved and that shows in the pre-event publicity and the wider awareness.

Just to be sure, we are still miles away from organizing a top class marathon but this might very well be a first step towards that. Interestingly, even though it is only 21.1 kms, it is being called Marathon.

We at Chennai Runners will be participating in full strength and hope to have more the 50 of us hitting the asphalt that day. In preparation of that, we are doing a reverse half marathon from Elliots Beach tomorrow.

Are you ready???

Keep the Spark Alive

2008-08-21T13:11:00.002+05:30

I got the following mail forward at work.. thought you might find it interesting as well..

Keep the Spark Alive - Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program, Pune 23rd June, 2008

By Chetan Bhagat

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start?
I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born.. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.

Disappointment's cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a
long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let
unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today.. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.

Thank You!

Remembrances - Randy Pausch

2008-07-26T20:29:00.003+05:30

Do you recollect my post last year on achieving your childhood dreams? That post was about Randy Pausch who was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer and had only a few months to live. well, on the positive side, Mr. Pausch lived few months more than the few months doctors had given him then. But, the bad news that few months came to a pass and he passed away yesterday at home in Virginia.

I knew of him only after his lastlecture made its rounds in net. But, what is astonishing about Mr.Pausch is that he didn't buckle under the fear of death and tried, tried hard till the very last. By his very lecture and actions, he inspired countless around the world and certainly inspired me. I will always remember what he has to say about brickwalls.. they are there for a reaon..

the brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other peopl

May his soul rest in peace and may god by with his family and kids at this difficult time...

If you had seen his lastlecture, I strongly urge you to take look here..you will be happy you did.

Insightful Article on Mukesh Ambani

2008-06-23T13:15:00.003+05:30

A pretty insightful Article on Mukesh Ambani. One of the most detailed that I have read on Mukesh Ambani thus far. Though he is the richest man in India and has transformed the country like no other industrialist, he has always been low key and an intrigue. This NYTimes articles tries to demystify him a little bit and explores the astonishing growth of his empire. Read on..

வல்லினமே... மெல்லினமே

2008-06-20T14:01:00.004+05:30

I have always been puzzled about our eerie silence towards the horrors of partition. While we celebrate Independence and Republic days with much aplomb, we fail to recognize and remember the countless million who perished just trying to live. Millions of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs were uprooted from their homes because of their religion and the political arrangement to create a new country called Pakistan. Suddenly, people on both sides the new border found themselves aliens in their own home and became easy prey for the religious zealots. The little I know about the horrors of partition, I understand it is comparable or worse than the Jewish holocaust that occurred during the second world war. That being the case, why is it that we don't talk about it?

Is it because 1) it is comfortable ? 2) our own culpability? 3) politically inconvenient? 4)? Whatever may be the reason, We owe it to ourselves to remember them and build fitting memorials in many part of India, particularly in New Delhi.. Lest we forget..

Now coming to the title of this post.. I am avid follower of (வாஸந்தி)Vaasanthi's writings. I latched on to her after reading few of work in Kumudam TheeraNadhi (குமுதம் திராநதி). Now, I see her writing a story in Ananda Vikatan (ஆனந்த விகடன்) called Valliname Melliname (வல்லினமே... மெல்லினமே) and in that she talks about the horrors of partition in a soft but forceful way. woven in to the story, she starkly describes the how we humans heaped the worst on our fellow humans in the name of religion. Eventhough it is just a story, what I read it (Friday, June 20, 2008), it brought me close to tears..

Here is a snippet from her story (9th installment which hit the stores today)
வாஸந்தியின் வல்லினமே... மெல்லினமே தொடரிலிருந்து....

''இப்போது யாருக்கும் பழசைப் பற்றிப் பேச விருப்பம் இல்லை'' என்று அகதி குடும்பத்தைச் சேர்ந்த மதன்மோகன், பூரிக்கு அப்பளம் இட்டபடியே ஒரு நாள் சொன்னது நினைவுக்கு வந்தது.

''ஏன்?'' என்றான் பிரபு.

''ரொம்ப கஷ்ட காலம் அது. முஸ்லிம்கள்தான் அட்டுழியம் செய்தாங்கன்னு சொல்ல முடியாது. இந்துக்களும் செய்தாங்க. மோசமான காலகட்டத்திலே மனுஷத்தனம் ரொம்பக் குறைவா இருக்கும். எல்லா மிருக குணங்களும் தலைதூக்கும். பெத்த குழந்தைகளைப் பட்டினி போட்டுட்டுப் பெத்தவன் வயிற்றை நிரப்பிப்பான். பெத்தவளை விப் பான். கூடப் பிறந்தவனை ஏமாத்து வான். வேற்று மதப் பெண்னை பலாத்காரம் செய்யறதை வீரமா நினைப்பான். யாரும் யோக்கியம் இல்லை. எப்படியாவது உயிர் வாழணும் என்கிற வெறியிலே யாருக்கும் மத்தவங்களைப் பத்திக் கவலை இருந்திருக்காது. அதனால தான் இப்ப யாரும் அதைப் பத்திப் பேசறதில்லேன்னு நினைக் கிறேன்.''

New Beginnings

2008-06-19T08:54:00.001+05:30

Barack Hussein Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee for the November US Presidential election. This is a history of sorts.. and marks a new beginning in American politics and the sensitve race relations.

There has been questions on the readiness of US in having a colored President and that too one with a Muslim middle name. It is still not clear if Mr. Obama will make it to the White House or not, but the mere fact that he has come this far shows how much America has changed. From slavery to Presidency, US has come a long way and this exactly is what I believe is the strength of America. the ability to change and embrace new things. Change comes with uncertainty and risk, but then "If nothing changes then nothing changes'.

Now back to Barack Obama..
It is going to be interesting to see how things shape up between now and November. Unless things go wrong in a big way, George Bush has done enough harm to the Republican party and to its Presidential candidate (John MeCain) to make people shy away from anyone standing on that party's ticket. But, I don't think that alone is the reason why Barack Obama would win the November elections. He would and should because he brings a different perspective on the contentious international affairs of US. He will not be able to pull out of Iraq or Afghanistan quickly, but would atleast start going in that path and not allow US to be mired in to another Vietnam.

The question that is asked in India is.. How would Barack Obama's ascendency impact India-US relations? well, I have mixed opinion on that.. and would reserve it for a separate post..

Regardless of the impact on US relationship with India, Barack Obama will be more acceptable in the Islamic world than John MeCain. This would be a welcome relief as he could start rebuilding the US image to the external world, which has been highly tarnished and distorted in the last eight years.

Whichever way you look it, Barack Obama as the presumptive Democratic nominee is significant and marks a New Begining..

தசாவதாரம் - Kamal ALL the way..

2008-06-16T16:58:00.005+05:30

Kamal tends dominate his movies and in Dasavatharam, he dons 10 different roles to overshadow everyone and everything else in every second of this 3 hour long movie. One might question what was the need for Kamal to play 10 roles and I have the same question. But, he does them to perfection and carries the entire movie on his shoulders. Others, including Asin doesn't have any solid to role to play, they just come and go, including the Bollywood glamor girl, Mallika Sherawat.

From George Bush to Vincent Poovaragan to Avtar Singh, Kamal simply excels in all roles he plays. It is not just the makeup that differentiates the roles, but from body language to dialog delivery, Kamal has simply become the character he portrays. Kamal deserves an national award just for efforts.

But, unfortunately, Kamal's herculean effort is wasted with a weak story line which he himself has penned. The story is about a small vial inadvertently shipped from US to India triggering an international hunt for it. Its the usual good guy vs bad guys (two avtars of Kamal) chasing it. Sounds familiar ? It did to me.. looked lot similar to MGR's ulagam suttrum voliban (உலகம் சுற்றும் வாலிபன்). In that, MGR after inventing a 'nuclear' bomb MGR will run around the world to prevent it from going in to the hands of the bad guys, in Dasavatharam, Kamal does the same to prevent the bad guys from getting to his invention, a biological weapon. While trying to do that, the good Kamal chases the shipment from DC to Chennai to Chidambaram and all places in between with a Japanese twist.

But, the weak storyline has been well masked by the brilliant acting of Kamal and excellent production. All aspects of production looks impressive. From cinematography to art to editing, all departments have contributed and played well together to make this slick end product.

Yet, I am unable to understand why Kamal chose to start the story from the 12th century Saivaite, Vaishnavaite clash. What is the relationship between the (மூலவர்) big idol that what thrown in to the seen then and the (உத்சவர்) small idol that kamal chases around in the 21st century? What is the relationship between the 12th century King and the happenings now? The savior of a weak storyline again is Kamal (and crazy Mohan) with this witty and intelligent dialogs.

In all, Dasavatharam is a different kind of Tamil movie and a welcome one, even with its weak and non-existant storyline.

Direction - KS Ravikumar has done a good job of bringing the best out of Kamal. This is certainly a different kind of movie for him and will figure in 'life long' directorial achievement list.

Acting - Kamal at his best and everyone else don't seem to matter. I don't see a compelling reason by Kamal donned 10 roles.. but then I guess he did because he can.

Music - Liked two songs - 'Kallai mattum..' and 'Mukunda, mukunda..' rest is just passe..

Grade - B+ for a different theme and a slick production.

Bottom Line - Watch it.. Once..

ps: Thanks to KK, got to see this movie on the first week of its release. I wouldn't have gotten to see this movie without his connections and offer. So, once again Thanks KK.

Pitching for 2016

2008-05-12T08:44:00.003+05:30

Saw this in Chicago Airport (ORD).. while in transit.

No.. this is not about IBM.. look closer

This is about Chicago pitching to host 2016 Olympics.. Atlanta was the last US city to host summer Olympics and that was in 1996. NYC lost to London for 2012.. but I feel Chicago stands a good chance for 2016.. as it would have been 20 years (since Atlanta) by then.. will know in fall of 2009. Interesting to see the campaign start so early. I wonder if it is only around the airports or even within the city..

Made in India

2008-05-10T04:31:00.003+05:30

It's interesting to see the kind of stuff India exports..

Spotted in San Diego Zoo..

Why can't Indian Sewer covers be as neat as this one..

Who Will be the Next President of US?

2008-05-06T20:08:00.003+05:30

Two important primaries are underway in US as I write this post. Democrats of Indiana and North Carolina are choosing between Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton today with each of them projected to carry one state with them.

I am not sure if today's vote will be decisive enough to make a definitive call on Democratic nominee but if Hillary manages to carry both the states today, then it is likely to swing the super delegates to her camp and would eventually help her clinch the nomination and the presidency.

I hope she does.. because whosoever clinches the Democratic nomination is most likely win the November showdown as well...

That's my call.. what's is yours? Who do you think will be the next President of US ? Clinton, Obama or McCain?

Vacation - Plan B

2008-05-06T20:07:00.001+05:30

As I mentioned earlier, my family got stuck in Chennai as we failed to note a minor but important detail with passport expiry dates.

We went back to the drawing board, did some last minute scrambling requiring documents to fly across the globe and managed to get a temporary passport for my daughter. American Consulate in Chennai was helpful and issued the necessary documentation enabling my family to travel and are currently en route to LAX. I will be waiting for them when they land here..

The net of this fire drill is that we lost two vacation days and hopefully learned an important lesson around checking expiry dates of important documents.

I say hopeful because, not sure how to keep track of the multitude of documents that expire on a regular basis (passports, PIO cards, drivers license India, US, financal documents, credit cards etc.,) . I thought of putting a reminder in my calendar but couldn't figure out a way to get regular and periodic reminders till I action it.

Is there an opportunity to innovate here?

Who is this?

2008-05-05T07:15:00.003+05:30

Who is this? Can you guess?

I saw this statue in Houston Airport. This Houstonian occupied White house for one term..

No trophy for guessing George Bush Sr.

Running in Toronto

2008-05-05T06:59:00.004+05:30

One of the challenges I have to overcome is my ability to stick to my running even while on the road. Of late, I have been on the road a lot and my running had taken a back seat and I don't like it. I was determined to reverse it yesterday in Toronto and I did..

Though it was raining and cold, I made it a point to look for a park near Markham, Canada and ended up in Edwards Garden. The first site of the running trail wasn't too encouraging, it was slushy and wasn't inviting but fellow runners assured of better track just a few yards away and they were right..

There were miles and miles of decent track which was great. The weather though was in single digits.. once I started running, I felt comfortable and kept running..

running.. till

the rain came down heavily forcing me retreat back to my car.

Overall, I was happy with this run though could have done a little more.. I am in LA for a week now and want to hit the track most of the days... I might be able to do it after all... With my family stuck in Chennai, I might as well make use of the 'free' time.

Different perspective on Cheer Leading

2008-05-05T06:40:00.003+05:30

While India debates the cultural implications of cheerleading in IPL... Canada conducts cheerleading competition for its middle school kids in this Hotel below..

How NOT to plan a vacation..

2008-05-03T23:43:00.003+05:30

We planned everything but over looked one minor but very important detail and that is costing our vacation now. I am yet again reminded of Stephen Covey's simple powerful saying.. "common sense stuff NOT common practice"... That's exactly what is happening to us now..

I am in Toronto now and my family is back in Chennai, India. They were all set to join me in LA for a vacation starting tomorrow, Sunday May 4, 2008. I had already mapped out the places to go, people to visit and reconnect. Sita and the kids are all excited, grab their tickets and go to Chennai Airport to LA via Frankfurt. They wade through the sea of humanity crowding around the entrance, get their bags scanned and go the the Lufthansa counter to get their boarding pass. Instead of giving the boarding pass, the agent drops a bombshell.

My daughter can't travel because her passport has expired. I did all the planning but forgot to check the validity of the travel documentsand that is costing us the vacation now. The entire vacation plan is back to the drawing board now. I am not sure if the vacation will happen at all now...

Lessons learned: Check your passport/s first before any International travel..

சின்ன சின்ன ஆசை

2008-05-02T03:45:00.003+05:30

I have wondered about these Shoe Shine folks for a long time and always wanted to try them out but never did. But my current US trip saw the fulfillment of this சின்ன சின்ன ஆசை...

I have seen these shoe shine folks in many airports and in other busy places multitude of times.. but never once did I use their service.. but I used to always wonder.. what makes them tick in this fast world.. and does anyone shell out money to shine their shoes this way in public?

But then people do.. they do shell out few bucks for it. I did it at LGA (LaGuardia Airport) yesterday. As I tentatively walked near the shoe shine area, the burly looking shoe shiner (let's call him Joe) asked in a hoarse voice if I wanted to get my shoes polished.. I said yes. Joe then 'ordered' me to climb up the pedestal and sit in the Maharaja chair and wait for my turn. I did as 'ordered' with part amusement and part confusion..

As I sat there waiting for my turn, I realized that it is not just about mere shoe shine. Joe offers an opportunity to talk gossip, weather, sports, politics and everything in between. And he does so very quickly and in an entertaining fashion. But, Joe doesn't waste time though, he keeps this hands and customers moving quickly. He spends roughly 5 minutes per customer and charges a minimum of USD 5 per shine.

After some wait, I got my சின்ன சின்ன ஆசை... fulfilled costing USD 8 and walked away quietly.

I think this pedestal / Maharaja chair, chit chat, tabloid and shoe shine combination is uniquely American.. What say you?

Do you work with the likes of Loud Howard?

2008-04-15T10:25:00.000+05:30

There are lots of Loud Howards in the Indian IT offices, but no private offices to isolate them.. leaving behind lots of Dilberts and Asoks.

I Switched

2008-04-14T17:36:00.003+05:30

We made the switch today...

As long as I could remember, the only English newspaper we ever bought was in Chennai was 'The Hindu' and that is when we could afford one. When we couldn't afford one, I begged, borrowed from our neighbors who bought The Hindu. Even when we went to our Mom's village I keenly waited for the only copy of the newspaper to come by the 10:00 AM bus from the nearby town called Kumbakonam. No marks for guessing the newspaper, it was again The Hindu.

Having studied in Tamil Medium, The Hindu was my passport to improving my English, not that I am better at it now.. Anyways, Even if I sound cliched, It would not be an exaggration, if I said I grew up with The Hindu..

In a way, it is not surprising to see that The Hindu dominated Tamil Nadu for so long as they were the only game in town. Yeah, yeah I hear you, Indian Express is also here, but they were never truly at The Hindu's league and were at best also rans. But in the last couple years, two new entrants came in to the Chennai market in the form of Decan Chronicle and Time of India.

And, The Hindu does the unthinkable.. they actually drop the price by at least rupee. It is still higher than the other papers, but rolling back of prices by anyone is significant and even more so if The Hindu does it, which is used charging a premium.

And then, I do the switch...

I would have laughed at the mere suggestion of it couple of years back, but I have increasingly become tired of the stale reporting and left leanings ways The Hindu . And guess what, the price is right for the switch. From today, we switched our allegiance to Decan Chronicle and Times of India on a trial basis for a month.

I am glad there is finally some competition to The Hindu, that will elevate the quality of reporting all around benefitting the citizens like me.

Back in Chennai

2008-04-12T11:19:00.002+05:30

Finally back to Chennai after a slightly longer trip to US, but this got me a good opportunity to spend a week in Columbus, Ohio and connect with our friends there.. More on that in a separate post..

As I drove back home in the wee hours of today, I was surprised to see few visible changes. Here are some changes I observed this morning..

Kathipara flyover is open... just one segment though. I didn't think they were ready to open anything anytime soon, so was surprised to see that one section was open to traffic. Just to be clear, it might still take several months / years for all sections to be ready for traffic. But, even this notional opening would surely help relieve help ease of some traffic pressure at this crucial southern entry point in to the city.

Ugly Billboards are gone... Another thing I noticed was the Billboards or more precisely lack of them. Billboards have sprung in every possible place in Chennai marring the beauty of the city and Government after trying various approaches came down heavily on the billboards and took them down in the past few days.. For once, this highhandedness is welcome... I only hope the billboard lobby doesn't pay its way through and start mushrooming again in few weeks / months.

This picture was taken in 2006 and since then it has gotten only worse..

(photo courtesy: The Hindu)

One Way.. Gone Baby Gone.. As quickly as it came, it disappeared just as fast. City officials had made several roads around my neighhourhood oneway with little or no warning, putting lot of people in to misery and throwing any semblance of traffic regulation for a toss. For us, CP Ramaswamy road became a nightmare at any time of the day and it became increasingly difficult to even walk across the road let alone walk any stretch of it. But this morning, I found all the barricades gone and the cab driver told me that all restrictions have been withdrawn due to public hue and cry. I this bound to make the citizens of சிங்கார சென்னை happy and allow them to gleefully go back to their old ways uncontrolled parking, driving and encroachment.

Drive-in Woodlands may be history.. Drive-in woodlands is a landmark in the heart of Chennai across of US consulate. It has been around longer than I remember and is regular fixture for thousands of chennaites including my family. To my surprise, I read in papers today that it is being shutdown due to some complex Government maneuvers and long litigation. I am sure there is some politics behind it but I have always wondered why such a large tract of prime property is vacant in the heart of the city and now I know that it belongs to Tamil Nadu Government agriculture department. I am not sure about the plans of the Government, but I would like to see that converted in to a park akin to Central Park of New York City, though much smaller in size.

Quite a significant changes in two weeks..This reminded me of the powerful speceh I heard in Orlando. One of our senior executives opined.. "If nothing changes then nothing changes'... Right.. if nothing changes then nothing changes even the one we would like changed..

Run in Rain

2008-03-24T09:11:00.000+05:30

ECR Run # 6 was a rainy affair. Though it rained, it did not stop over 25 enthusiastic runners from participating in the run.. For the first time, we had runners as young as 9 participating in the run. It rained rather heavily during the start and at the end of our 30K run. As a kid, one always get admonished 'don't play in the rain'.. but yesterday, I got to run in the rain and must say enjoyed it thoroughly.

The challenge running in the rain is that your clothes become drenched and you tend carry additional pounds in your clothes, socks and shoes. Though, it felt rather uncomfortable initially, I got used to it and started enjoying the rhythm of splashing water and the mud. But the rain and shine did do a number on my running time which wasn't anything to write home about.. I took 3:24 hours for 30.54km.

Anyways, it was enjoyable experience with several firsts..

Thanks to KK, we gave away certificates for the first time.. our own chennai runners certificate!!!!..
Thanks to Tiger, we got our first sponsorship.. Pepsi gave us a liberal supply of Gatorade & Aquafina.
Thanks to Divya and Deepika Mahesh, youngest runners ever to partipate in a ECR Run...
Also, for the first time, we had families running together.. reminded me of the adage I heard in US.. familes that run (play) together, stay together.. good show Lakshmi, Sandhya & Nithya..

Sandy's pictures and his run report

Travelog # 48 - Great Wall of China

2008-03-23T21:38:00.000+05:30

This was my second trip to Great Wall, but the first with a camera. On both occasions, I visited Great Wall during winter, which kind of restricted my movement, but nevertheless, I enjoyed this trip than the earlier one.. partly because I had company and partly because we walked a lot.. compensating for my lack of 'runs'.

I am not sure which portion of Great Wall I went this time.. but it is not the same as the previous one.. Our guide did tell us the name.. but not able to recollect now. This place is about an hour drive my Beijing 3rd ring road. We started relatively early to beat the traffic and the crowd at Great Wall. Like any other big city, Beijing is famous for its traffic snarls and pollution.. In fact, that is a big concern for the Olympic organizers.

Great Wall has many sections and the one we climbed was rather steep and had lot of steps. My colleague counted over 1700 steps which took us over an hour to climb with frequent stops in between.

It started getting crowded by the time we started descending from the wall. I met folks from Texas, Virginia and many other states US. I even met a small crowd from Bangalore on assignment in Beijing.

Lock to be wedded for life.. Saw a long chain across a section of the wall with hundreds of locks tied together in pairs.. with a red ribbon. Our guide explained that husband and wife come to Great Wall and put these locks up and tie them together with a red ribbon so that they be 'wedded' for life.

The section of the wall we climbed had 6 pit stops (rest areas) like this one. Once used as watch towers, these are now used to sell souvenirs.

Thanks to technology, neat looking certificates with your photos are available for a stiff price. For us, we decided to make do with just these pictures.

Climb at your own risk..

In all, the trip was a memorable one. It took us little over 4 hours to visit Great Wall and come back to the city.

This monumental edifice must have taken tremendous resources and energy to build and is no doubt impressive. But what is not clear is did these walls serve its purpose? I don't think so.. but mankind has not learnt its lesson from it as we continued to build more walls even in the twenty first century.. be it in Indian subcontinent or Middle East or North America or Nicosia or Korean peninsula, mankind is simply building more and more walls to keep his own kind at bay..

More photos in flickr

ECR Run # 6

2008-03-22T19:01:00.003+05:30

Chennai Runners are hitting the ECR again and this time we are expecting over 50 to show up. Chennai got a breather from the early summer rains that has been lashing the past couple of days. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow but we are planning to run anyways.. rain or shine..

If you would like to join in the fun, there is still time.. just show up @ MGM resort by 4:30 AM sharp.. we start the run by5:00 AM...

More details on the run here..

Travelog # 47 - Beijing Lama Temple

2008-03-09T20:08:00.004+05:30

I went to Lama Temple in Beijing last Sunday. We went to this place after visiting Great Wall and had to trek for couple of hours to get to there. The vastness of the temple is completely masked by the Beijing City that has grown around it.

Entrance to the temple.. Surprisingly, this huge temple had a narrow entrance causing heavy traffic snarls on a main road in which it is situated.

Brief history of the temple. Built in 1694, Lama temple was first used as the residence of court eunuchs of the Ming dynasty and was later partially converted to a lamasery in 1734. But the temple was closed during the cultural revolution for many years and reopened only in 1980. Now, Lama Temple is a major tourist attraction and is also place of worship for Buddhists.

Lama Temple consists of 5 huge halls (sanctums ?) housing various types of Buddhas connected by well decorated courtyards. This one is the last such sanctum housing the tallest wooden Buddha statue in the world.

Devotees lighting incense sticks as offering to Buddha. These sticks are large and comes in various shapes and sizes but were devoid of any fragrance.

More pictures in flickr

Next post - my visit to Great Wall

Travelog # 46 - Beijing and Changi Terminal 3

2008-03-07T17:11:00.003+05:30

I came across 2 Terminal # 3 in my travel to Beijing last week. One in transit @ Changi and other one at Beijing. Both of them are spanking new and boasts of incorporating lot of green technologies. Both have lot of glass and steel.

This as close as I came to the Terminal 3 in Beijing. Though it officially opened on Feb 29, not all airlines have started operating from there. But, I hope to land there next time, which would be only after March 26, 2008.

Can you spot the T3 in the back ground. I heard that Beijing's new terminal is the largest in the world and can handle over 60 million passengers a year.

Travel in and out of Beijing has progressively become smoother and faster in the last few years. During my early visits, I remember having to fill 3 different forms and wade through long lines. But this time, the lines were short and filled just one simplified form.

Both during my onward and return journey, my transit was via the new Terminal 3 at Changi. It is already the best airport in my list and that just got reinforced with T3. Changi T3 is vast and has all kinds of facilities a transit passenger would want. From spacious resting areas to free internet to play areas to prayer rooms, these guys have thought of everything and done it right.

Shoppers paradise.. you can shop till you drop here.. Changi mall is targetted not only at travelers but also built to attract Singapore residents as well. Singapore being small and commuter friendly really helps here.. otherwise, who would think of going to an airport for shopping?

Non stop movies.. @ Changi T3

Kids play area @ Changi T3

Array of eateris in Changi T3.. From Indian to Italian, restaurants to suit many different taste buds.

If the Changi T3 is cool, the Singapore Airlines lounge @ T3 is cooler. From free wifi to plush sofas to spead of snacks,this lounge is the best lounge I have been to.

Are You an Architect ?

2008-03-04T19:38:00.003+05:30

Are You an Architect in IT Industry..? This is for you..

My Favorite Writer Sujatha is No More..

2008-02-29T13:58:00.003+05:30

My favorite Tamil writer Sujatha is no more.. but his writings will always be..

I have followed Sujatha for over 2 decades and have been fortunate enough to meet him twice (1 2). Each time, I left the wondering how come this guy knows so much stuff..? I wouldn't get another opportunity to meet him as my favorite writer Sujatha he is no more..!!

It was his versatility that first attracted me to him. I still vividly remember his கரையெல்லாம் சென்பகப்பூ (Kariyellam Sengabbpu) in Ananda Vikatan where he mixed science and rustic village background in to a Tamil thirller that I got hooked.

I also remember his கறுப்பு வெளுப்பு சிவப்பு in Kumudam which created a huge backlash from vanniyar community forcing the magazine to abandon the story. But it did reappear later as ரத்தம் ஒரே நிறம் (Rathham Oree Niram) in the same magazine somewhat diluted in its vigor but nevertheless gripping enough.

Yes, my favorite Tamil writer Sujatha is no more.. but I will be reading his writings for long time to come and he will always be my favorite Tamil writer.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time and may god give them the strength to tide over this loss.

Secret to Lasting Marriage

2008-02-27T09:21:00.002+05:30

For sure, this is a email forward.. but found it interesting enough to put in my blog. Guess who forwarded it to me.. my wife!!!!. hidden message here?

Here's to all my buddies who are married, getting married, and looking forward to getting married.....

The Secret to a Lasting Marriage: Embrace Imperfection

When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet, all my dad did was reached for his toast, smiled at my mom, and asked me how my day was at school.

I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned toast."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said,"Debbie, your mommy put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides, a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!"

In bed that night, I thought about that scene at dinner...and the kindness my daddy showed my mom. To this day, it's a cherished memory from my childhood that I'll never forget. And it's one that came to mind just recently when Jack and I sat down to eat dinner.

I had arrived home late...as usual...and decided we would have breakfast food for dinner. Some things never change, I suppose!

To my amazement, I found the ingredients I needed, and quickly began to cook eggs, turkey sausage, and buttered toast. Thinking I had things under control, I glanced through the mail for the day. It was only a few minutes later that I remembered that I had forgotten to take the toast out of the oven!

Now, had it been any other day -- and had we had more than two pieces of bread in the entire house -- I would have started all over. But it had been one of those days and I had just used up the last two pieces of bread. So burnt toast it was!

As I set the plate down in front of Jack, I waited for a comment about the toast. But all I got was a "Thank you!" I watched as he ate bite by bite, all the time waiting for some comment about the toast. But instead, all Jack said was, "Babe, this is great. Thanks for cooking tonight. I know you had a hard day."

As I took a bite of my charred toast that night, I thought about my mom and dad...how burnt toast hadn't been a deal-breaker for them. And I quietly thanked God for giving me a marriage where burnt toast wasn't a deal-breaker either!

You know, life is full of imperfect things...and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook. And you might be surprised to find out that Jack isn't the perfect husband! He likes to play his music too loud, he will always find a way to avoid yard work, and he watches far too many sports. Believe it or not, watching "Golf Academy" is not my idea of a great night at home!

But somehow in the past 37 years Jack and I have learned to accept the imperfections in each other. Over time, we have stopped trying to make each other in our own mold and have learned to celebrate our differences.You might say that we've learned to love each other for who we really are!

For example, I like to take my time, I'm a perfectionist, and I'm even-tempered. I tend to work too much and sleep too little. Jack, on the other hand, is disciplined, studious, an early riser, and is a marketer's dream consumer. I count pennies and Jack could care less! Where he is strong, I am weak, and vice versa.

And while you might say that Jack and I are opposites, we're also very much alike. I can look at him and tell you what he's thinking. I can predict his actions before he finalizes his plans. On the other hand, he knows whether I'm troubled or not the moment I enter a room.

We share the same goals. We love the same things. And we are still best friends. We've traveled through many valleys and enjoyed many mountaintops. And yet, at the same time, Jack and I must work every minute of every day to make this thing called "marriage" work!

What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting marriage relationship.

Have a great day! May God bless your marriage.

Snake Vs Rabbit

2008-02-25T07:42:00.001+05:30

Saw this interesting clip in youtube, where the hunter becomes the hunted. A slight change strategy by rabbit gave the snake run for its life.. take a look

Pushing the Envelope

2008-02-20T13:35:00.003+05:30

Talk about pushing the envelope / boundaries. This program in Vijay TV is going to do it. Vijay TV's இப்படிக்கு ரோஸ் (Ippadikku Rose) talk show program will be hosted by a transgender, a first of its kind in India and possibly world.

The main attraction will be Rose herself, who now goes by only one name. A poised, 28-year-old, American-educated former Web site designer with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, she started wearing women’s clothes full time four years ago and is still waiting for acceptance from her family and society at large.

I am kind of surprised to see such a program coming from conversative Chennai, but then it also explains why I picked up this story in NYTimes and not in any local media.

Going to kind of interesting..

Marathon # 5 - Auroville Marathon

2008-02-19T19:27:00.001+05:30

Auroville Marathon
Five down.. five more to go my target of 10 full marathons.

After my fiasco at Chennai Marathon, last week, was determined to finish Auroville Marathon and I did @ 4:55. This timing is slightly better than my Singapore Marathon timing but could have been lot better. Here again, my target was 4:30 and it seems to be as elusive as ever. But, I am determined to get there in the next 5.

Here is illustrated report of Auroville Marathon.

Chennai Runners hired a small bus to trek to Pondicherry to participate in the marathon. We were about 25+ that went from Chennai. One bus and a few cars. Karthik.. at times, it might have felt like herding a bunch of cats, but you handled the 'cats' well.. thanks for taking the initiative and going out of the way to make this trip happen. Also, Thanks to Big Toe (Senthil) for arranging for the bus and the goody bag. Sorry Big Toe, we missed you.. hope to see you back in action soon.

We reached Auroville around 5:30 PM and waited for the organizers a little bit. Chandresh and a bunch of volunteers distributed the race packet which was followed by a sumptuous carb loading dinner.

After the dinner, we were taken to a dormitory style accomadation which was kind of bare minimum but served the purpose very well.

Full marathon started at 5:30AM when it was pitch dark. The first half hour or so was challenging as there was zero visibility. Each of us were given a pen torch to follow the arrow marks on the ground and look for volunteers. Even though, this was unsettling initially and was was unable to get in to a rhythm, started liking it after a few minutes.

Much of the course was like this.. dirt pathways, undulating and uneven. This was unlike any of the other marathons I have run before. This made this one challenging but at same time very interesting.

Rajendra Patel near the finish line.. he is an example of grit and determination. Going beyond what we believe is possible and never giving up.. We caught up with each other at the first km or so and pretty much ran together till about 25 kms. Then he stopped all of a sudden due to bad cramps.. It was so severe that I thought he would stop and take a ride to the finishing line. But Mr. Patel is no quitter, he fought his way through the pain, shed his shoes and started walking and running and finished. Hats off to you Sir.. have much to learn from you.

Yours truly at the finish line with the timing of 4:55:32. I am came 7th (in a field of seven !!!). I was good till about 30kms or so and then the hit the wall, I wasn't strong enough to break through it and just barely made it thru the end. I kept giving all kinds of excuses for not running and started walking. At one stage, when there was a remote chance of 'losing my way', I wanted to take that as a reason to call it quits. But, with the Chennai Marathon fiasco still fresh in my mind, I somehow continued and finished. And, what a feeling at the finish line.. that alone is sufficient to forget all the pain..

Thanks to wonderful bunch of ChennaiRunners who made the trip enjoyable and pleasant. Now my target is Turin on April 13, 2008.

Chennai Music Season 2007 - 08 - Report # 3

2008-02-16T11:10:00.002+05:30

Chennai Sangamam
This is a new kid on the block. Mrs. Kanimozhi and Father Gasper Raj of Tamil Maiyyam started this last year and it seems to have come a long way in just one year. Chennai Sangamam showcases the vibrant music & dances of the soil in many parks across Chennai during Pongal week.

I got a glimpse of it on Jan 15th in Nageswara Rao Park and here is illustrated report of that day in the Park.

Came across this interesting decoration while heading to Nageswara Rao Park. A small roadside Pillayar temple decked up with all kinds of fruits.

Paraiyattam - It was a repetitive fast beat with tempo building up slowly..

Guess Who? - Her concert was next

You are right.. if guessed Sudha Raghunathan. It was quite a contrast to to see her perform right after the paraiyattam. But then both of them equally represents 'Tamil Culture'.

Chennai Music Season is equally popular for the 'canteen' and Chennai Sangamam was no exception. Chefs from Five star hotels around Chennai were romped in to put up open air stalls. At times, it looked as though there was more crowd here than at the open air auditorium.

A short clip of Paraiyattam

A short clip of Sudha's concert

Off to Pondicherry

2008-02-16T11:06:00.002+05:30

Off to Pondicherry to participate in Auroville Marathon. I will be attempting to do full marathon.. wish me Good Luck..

Chennai Marathon & I - Not a good combination ?

2008-02-13T08:32:00.000+05:30

After my Chennai Marathon fiasco past Sunday, my son came up to me and said.. "you know dad, you are kind of jinxed as for as Chennai Marathon goes.. you participated in 3 of them and didn't complete any".

He is right.. I haven't had much luck in my home turf. I participated in three marathons since 2005 in Chennai and didn't complete any of them. In the first two, I wanted to do the full marathon but the cops asked me to stop after 3+ hours. Last Sunday, I wanted to do only half marathon but I stopped after 10.7kms..

May be I am jinxed as for as Chennai Marathon goes.. but I ain't giving up as yet.. will try complete the next edition of Chennai Marathon for sure..

Rahul Verghese Column in The Hindu

2008-02-12T16:08:00.000+05:30

Rahul Verghese of RunningAndLiving.com has started a column in The Hindu and the first one appeared last Sunday.

This is what Rahul says about his begining.. "I could barely run a km without getting out of breath at 40 and now, at 47, am readying myself for my 23rd full marathon. I know if I, as a non-athlete, could start so late in life, anyone can start running. So go ahead and start."

I can relate to this in a way.. as I also started after 40 and ran my first marathon when I was 42 and have participated in 6 full marathons, completed 4 and readying for my 7th. So, my friends it doesn't matter how old you are and how unfit you are.. take the first step today.. and it will change your life forever..

இது நம்ம ஆளு (Idhu Namma Aalu..)

2008-02-10T18:09:00.000+05:30

இது நம்ம ஆளு (Idhu Namma Aalu..) Syndrome at Chennai Marathon 2008

In the last few days, Raj Thakerey's utterances about North Indians and the resultant violence has been making national news. It is kind of interesting to see that similar thing being played out at a much smaller scale at Chennai Marathon 2008 today.

Watch this clip and you will know what I am talking about. It is all about the prize money and who should win it. The participation as such was very low and one of the organizer wanted to prohibit three Army runners from participating as they might take away all the prize money. Needless to say, the folks from the Army are from North India and are not sons of soil.

I did not have a good run today.. I went in to do a half marathon but ended up doing just half of that. It was just not my day today..

Ram, Sandy, Shumit & Mohan at the finishing point..

Chennai Marathon is Happening...

2008-02-08T10:23:00.000+05:30

Or so they say..

Having missed the bus in 2007, Chennai decided to organize marathon in 2008 and man they are in a hurry. They just gave less than a week for the public to participate in the marathon and are organizing one this Sunday (Feb 10, 08). All we have seen so far is the brief announcement and nothing else.. there is NO website, information, no nothing.. wonder how the marathon is going to be organized..

I join the organizers in hoping for miracles to happen...

I can't let my home town down.. so I will be doing a half marathon. (In 2006 I wanted to run full but was stopped) But my expectations from the organizers are very clear.. nothing. I will be carrying my own water, snacks & first aid. I only hope to get the BIB and possibly completion certificate.

Chennai City wants to be global city (and I want it to be..).. but that wouldn't happen just by wishing, wanting and organizing marathons in a shoddy way. Chennai can become a global city only creating the best infrastructure, global landmarks truly get integrated.

Singapore, a city state country with less than half of Chennai's population and is global city because it strives to be the best in whatever they could do. They started organizing marathons just a few years back and already Singapore Marathon is one of the best organized marathon in the world. They have parked themselves on Dec first Sunday and got on to the global marathon calendar in a matter just 5 years. In 2007, over 35,000 participated and the organization was spot less. Why can't Chennai do the same? (Mumbai is starting to do that..) I am sure, Chennai can.. but that will require professional help, planning and lot of public education.. but then, all that it is unlikely to happen anytime soon...

EMail Limitations

2008-01-14T11:07:00.000+05:30

We all live and swear by our email these days. We are attached to emails so much that we get fidgety if not on the grid even for a few hours. Yes, email is great and a great way to communicate across the world almost instantaneously at little or no cost. With unlimited storage and always on connectivity, it is easy to see why email is the most used technology internet functionality and kind of infectious.

But does it always aide in improved productivity? This interesting article thinks otherwise and makes a case for good old face to face meetings / teams in some cases.

“When you communicate with a group you only know through electronic channels, it’s like having functional Asperger’s Syndrome — you are very logical and rational, but emotionally brittle,” Professor Shirky said.
“I’m part of a far-flung distributed network that at one point was designing a piece of software for sharing medical data; we worked mostly by conference calls and e-mail, and it was going nowhere. So we finally said we’d all fly to Boston and get together for two days, just sit in a room and hash it out.”

What's your take? How does email help you and where does it fail you?

Two Very Different Movies

2008-01-13T18:14:00.000+05:30

I happened to see two very different movies this weekend.

One is a remake and the other is refreshingly new to Indian Cinema.

One has been made four times (twice in Hindi and twice in Tamil), still the story telling was very shallow.

Other has successfully explored a totally new domain for Indian Cinema and has told it very nicely.

One relies entirely on Hero's star appeal, high glamor quotient and foreign locales.

Other relies entirely on story, a new kid and domestic locales.

One makes you yarn and go to sleep.

Other makes you laugh, cry and most importantly think.

One I want to forget..

Other, would see few more times..

If you still haven't guessed....

One is Billa 2007 a poor remake of Rajni's Billa which itself was a remake of Amitabh's Don. Director Vishnuvardhan got lot of ink time for this movie which seemed to have made aping Holly Wood. But, he seemed to have missed bus big time. He relies entirely on Ajith's star appeal and the high glamor quotient of Nayanthara & Namitha. The story telling is so bad that all ones remembers about the movie is the endless slow motion walks of Ajith, characters just starring at each other in photo op locations and endless car chase and guns. Mr. Vishnuvardhan could have done lot better than this and his audience deserved better.

Other is Tare Zamin Par by Aamir Khan. Mr. Khan has donned the mantle of the director for the first time and done exceedingly well. This movie is very different from the usual fare and relies entirely on the power of the story and story telling. There is no female lead actress, no fights and no sentiment. Just simple story about a dyslexic kid and his turn around. What the Schools and Government policies couldn't achieve, Mr. Khan has done through his movie. This movie has raised the awareness about dyslexia and the needs of the children afflicted. The actual hero of the movie is NOT Aamir khan but a 11 year old boy who makes you cry, laugh and shudder.

I saw a very unique thing today. Generally people would starting walking towards the exit when the movie ends and credits starts rolling. But after the end of Tare Zamin Par, majority of the folks just stood and watched the credits till the end. Hats off of Aamir Khan for making a such a wonderful movie. Though I know Hindi a little bit, I would have better understood the dialogs and its power had they been in Tamil. I wish Aamir Khan dubs the movie in Tamil and other languages.

Ratings
Tare Zamin Par - A+ (A must watch and is bound to impact you)
Billa 2007 - D- (Avoid, sleep instead)

Side Story
I saw both movies at Sathyam Cinemas. The New Zealand guy running the show at Sathyam has done a remarkable job of improving the movie going experience. From online booking, to refreshments to the courteous attendants to ambiance to plush seats. This guy has paid attention to everything and has changed them for better.

Now, only if he could replicate that outside the movie going experience would be lot better. The moment one steps outside the theaters, you are mobbed by the pushy auto drivers. Even if you escape them, chances are you will get stuck in unrelenting traffic grid lock.

But there is very little Sathyam Cinemas could do for that. They have changed a lot inside and it seems to be continually improving. Thanks Sathyam and the New Zealand guy for a pleasant movie going experience.

Running Marathons - Tips for Beginners

2008-01-12T15:37:00.000+05:30

A thoughtful forward from my father-in-law

Immediate Impressions of an R2I

2008-01-11T10:35:00.000+05:30

Immediate Impressions of an R2I who is now doing R2USA

Here is an article that one of my acquaintance wrote immediately after returning back to India. He wanted to publish this in The Hindu, but that never happened. However, he readily agreed to post it in my blog.

Here comes the article verbatim, without my color commentary...

You cannot Change the system or the people, things are going to be the same no matter what you do!!!

Couple of months prior to me deciding to return back to INDIA from US, I had a chat with my manager. My manager at the US firm had already been dealing with IT people from INDIA since our company had started outsourcing part of IT jobs to INDIA. During the course of the conversation, it just came out of my mouth that once I go back to INDIA, I will have to tune myself to the way business is being carried out over their. My manager told me, “Don’t change yourself or the way you do things, try to change and better the system, since you know the pros and cons of both the systems”.

I returned back to INDIA and took up a job here at Chennai, and in the last five months since I have been here, I can recollect at least 10 times when people have told me – “You cannot Change the system or the people, things are going to be the same no matter what you do!!!” I am refusing to give up because I feel that if one puts up an honest attempt to change the way things are being done, he/she might ultimately succeed. Couple of incidents comes to my mind. Two of my uncles met with car accidents in my home town Kochi, in both the cases the truck drivers were at fault. The truck drivers involved in both the accidents pretty much told my uncles that they do not have any insurance nor is he going to give any compensation for the damages caused. He literally challenged us to register a case and fight it out on the court, knowing well that with the kind of legal system we have in INDIA, it is much likely that the case will get dragged for the next five to seven years. Cops who came to scene shared the same opinion of the truck drivers. I know that these are not isolated incidents and lot of us might have already dealt with similar situations in the past. I believe that, if we make a change in the legal procedures and make it compulsory for all drivers to have at least liability insurance and strictly keep a tab on drivers not having them, issues like this can be avoided. Liability insurance would ease the pain of the end user and let insurance companies handle the situation. Another thing which comes to my mind is our attitude towards keeping the public premises clean. In the US, people are conscious about throwing litter at public places. They look for dust bins and at least make an attempt to keep public places keen. Here there are people spitting in public places, throwing litter all over the streets as if they don’t care about the surroundings. All it takes is one little step forward, to locate a waste bin near you. I believe these are things which one could do to help our country improve and to make our country a better place to live.

But, for all this to happen every one of us should make an honest attempt in whatever way to correct the system as and when we see some room for improvement. The purpose of this article is by not to criticize a system or to tell that one system is better than other. There are good and bad aspects in any system you take. It’s up to each one of us to make a conscious effort to better the system by taking the good qualities of other systems.

ps: This article written about 7 months back and this gentleman has now decided to returning back to US. He agreed to respond to my questions on that subject. So, if you have questions to him on why he is going back to US, please to put them in the comment section and email me by this Sunday.

Blogger Stress???

2008-01-11T06:39:00.000+05:30

I am NOT Om Malik of GigaOM by any stretch of imagination, but can kind of understand and relate to this story. However, I don't think it is just related to blogging but can be generalized to any profession and how one internalizes / responds to the challenges.

A Short Clip on ECR Run # 5

2008-01-08T10:10:00.000+05:30

A short video clip on ECR Run # 5. Thanks to Shahid for sharing it with the team..