Dec 13

Me and my blog!!

Ok.. herez what one of the websites had to say about my blogging, ie. after I answered a few of their questions.. ehehhe.. what do u guyz think?

Your Blogging Type is Pensive and Philosophical

You blog like no one else is reading…
You tend to use your blog to explore ideas – often in long winded prose.
Easy going and flexible, you tend to befriend other bloggers easily.
But if they disagree with once too much, you’ll pull them from your blogroll!

Dec 13

Rivers of Blood

Ok.. I seem to have written this poem when the carnage at Godhra and Ahmedabad happened. This poem was dedicated to all the victims of these massacres.

The Rivers of Blood

Deep in the interiors of the battered lands
Carving the courses with shapeless hands,
Unhindered flow, a thousand scarlet streams
Fed by sadness, endless tears and shattered dreams.

The monotonous, moaning, deathly song
Piercing the stillness all night long,
Filling it with stories-of mistrust, betrayal, and hatred.
Thence they flow- the rivers of blood.

Parched throats, barren eyes, seeking love all their lives,
Thousands wander on the land, shadowed by bloodened knives.
Deep they suck, with never ending thirst,
Lest they dry, fall down and rust.

Down beneath the trickled blood seeps
Sorrows and sighs – it hoards and reaps.
To nourish the stream, down it goes,
Joins the troop and along it flows.

Woe! Begone! To the hand with the glistening knife
Alas! Its my friend of yesters who holds strife.
Yet its he, who brought this gloom-
The drought of hell, the message of doom.

One wonders why, in the stead of love,
We always choose to hate our brethren?
We choose to kill, we choose to burn
Them whom we would love and be loved in return.

Its an attempt futile – we fail to see,
The game of death fills us with glee.
Blinded by rage – the glisten of scarlet and burning red,
Like fools we swim, in the rivers of blood.

-Praveen

Dec 13

What a discovery!!!

When I was ravaging through some of my old documents, surprises of surprises… I discovered the collection of my English poems and short stories “Hope and Despair”. It was a mushy moment.. as if I were watching Hrithik Roshan and Shahrukh Khan meeting eachother in K3G (yeah true!! Duh!!). Well, without much ado about nothing, lemme go on a spree of posting some of them here. Isn’t it gonna be a welcome change! I mean.. for a few days, I can get to bug you with prose, that not just runs across, but instead runs down, and what more! It rhymes too!!! For those of you wondering when these were written, hehehe.. well when I was in my high school.. boy was I romantic since then!!! (My first kiss was when I was in 1st standard..hehehehe).

WHEN THE HEART CALLS!

Deep in my heart, a voice echoes
A melodious, sweet song of distance-beckons,
Me to a far off land, of dreams, of paradise;
And lose myself in the enchantment of beauty.

It takes me to the land of starts,
Twinkling far away, all the hours.
It carries me through moonlit ways,
Off to a land, where love tune plays.

A voice unknown, a face unseen.
Just a feeling of love inbetween.
Yet somewhere deep in my heart,
She dwells to make my life smart!

The elixir of heaven fails at her lips,
My heart leaps at the touch of her tips.
The beauty of the flora queen,
In front of hers, seems too mean!

She binds me with her locks,
With her looks, she sends through shocks!
And paralyzes me with her smile,
Making me wonder all the while.

The nights are spent with no sleep,
Thinking of her in my heart’s deep.
Every beat of my heart calls for you-
Just tell me – I LOVE YOU!

Dec 13

Lost in the celestial music…

I am not a connoisseur of music! I probably am not a layman in terms of it too, and hence, can feel a good song, when I hear one! Transcending the boundaries of language is probably the greatest achievement of music! Albeit, in the current scenario, the negative elements seem to have gained momentum in defeating this purpose too, for die hard romanticists like me, there still seems to be some hope. Some of my favorite composers in Karnatik music, are varied – ranging from our very own kannada composers to tamil and telugu. One such composer of divine songs is Oothukadu Venkatasubbiyer. His compositions were predominantly in Tamil, as well as in Sanskrit. They were written on Lord Krishna, celebrating his childhood pranks, and divine deeds. One such song that has always held me enraptured by its sheer brilliance of expression and grandeuse of composition is “Alaipayuthey”. This song was also featured in the movie by Maniratnam of the same name, under the efficient music direction of ARR. The chorus effect on the song is what renders it a celestial magic, quite different than when one hears it in a solo voice. Some of the renditions that I really enjoy are from Maharajapuram Santhanam, Bombay Jayashree, and Anuradha Sriram. After a lot of patient hearing, and some research on the web, I was able to zero in on what I feel is a rather accurate presentation of the song, and one can really see the sheer devotion and love oozing out of its lyrics, the eagerness of the lover to be encompassed by the divine music of Lord Krishna’s flute, as if it were a burst of the morning dew waiting to be sucked up by the flowers and convert to nectar, or as the moonlit drops of the swati rain, waiting to be transformed into radiant pearls! It is the sheer magic of music, at work in this song, and hence is my most favorite of his compositions.

alaipaayudhe kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
aanandha mohana veNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhe kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
[O Lord Krishna, my mind is wandering, lost in the divine transcendental music of your flute]

nilaipeyaRaadhu silaipolave ninRu (2)
neramaavadhaRiyaamalae miga vinodhamaana muraLeedharaa
en manam alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa

[Without moving, I stood rooted and transfixed like a statue. I did not realize nor care for the passing of time, for lost I was in the enigmatic music emmanating from your flute. My mind is aflutter.. O Krishna.. ]

theLindha nilavu pattappagal pol eriyudhe (2)
dhikkai nokki en puruvam neRiyudhe
kanindha un veNugaanam kaatRil varugudhe (2)
kaNgal sorugi oru vidhamaay varugudhe (2)

[In this radiant moonlight that has made a day of the night, I strain my eyes and look in your direction. Even as the transcendetal tunes of your flute come floating unto me in the cool breeze, my eyes close in ecstasy and a new feeling envelopes my heart.]

kadhiththa manaththil oruththi padhaththai enakku aLiththu magizhththavaa (2)
oru thaniththa manaththil aNaiththu enakku uNarchchi koduththu mugizhththavaa (2)

[Mould my tender heart as you wish, filling it completely with love for you and joyous feeling of your company. Carry me off to a remote, lonely grove and release on me, the flood of the ecstatic emotions of love making and celestial union with you.]

kaNai kadal alaiyinil kadhiravan oLiyena iNaiyiru kazhalena kaLiththavaa
kadhaRi manamurugi naan azhaikkavoa idhara maadharudan nee kaLikkavo (2)
idhu thagumo idhu muRaiyo idhu dharmam thaanoa (2)
kuzhaloodhidum pozhudhu aadigum kuzhaigaL poalavae manadhu vaedhanai migavodu

[Aren’t you the one dancing on the waves on which the rays of the sun too are dancing! Here I am pleading with you, with a bleeding heart, endlessly, while you there you are making merry with other women! Is this right on your part? Is this a proper conduct for you? Is this what you call dharma? Yet, at the sight of the dance of your ear rings to the tunes of your flute, my pained heart rises in joy and happiness]

alaipaayudhae kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
un aanandha moagana vaeNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa

[My mind is afloat, O Krishna, in the joyous, enchanting music of your flute, my mind is afloat]

It is hard for me to imagine a being that wouldn’t be touched by the ardent pleadings and arduous pains suffered by the bereft lover, burning in the anguish of viraha! Do not hear the song, but listen to it, closing your eyes, and opening the sight of your heart! And trust me, when I say that the overwhelming emotions, shall water down your eyes! Such is the magic of music! Let’s get enchanted!

Dec 11

On Chronicles and Potter!!

So I did say that “Chronicles of Narnia” deserves a special mentioning of its own, in a separate blog altogether! The movie, it must be specially mentioned is all about one of the books – “The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe”. The Chronicles, itself has different sets of books, probably 7 in number, totally. The movie in consideration deftly presents with ample special effects, the story line. It is well told, taut in presentation and remarkably enchanting. The Lion is probably the highlight of the entire movie! It is so majestic, one has to see it to believe it. Ofcourse, its animated! But yet, it made me wish so much that it were not! Imagine having Lions as huge and magnanimous as Aslan!! I could find traces of Lord Of the Rings, here and there, afterall C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien were very good friends. Well, don’t miss it for any reasons.
Today, I had been to watch “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”. Frankly the movie is a bit of a disappointment. It made me realize once again, the difference between a book and a movie. The books weaves magic in every page! It is so extensive in its description, that it sets our imagination free to explore the magic world of Hogwarts. The movie seemed to be done with a lot of hastiness, skipping the nuances that would make the movie memorable! A lot of precedence has been given to express the adolescent wishes of the characters, and trust me, its over done!! Whatz with moaning myrtle hitting on Harry Potter!! One really notable point of the movie is the return of Voldemort. Joseph Fieness has been chosen for the role of Voldemort, and he certainly suits the character! His return has been effectively picturized. Personally, I also find the character of Albus Dumbledore in the movie a bit funny! While the character in the book is refined, stately humorous and very patient, the one in the movie is restless, and unsuitably mannered. I miss the Dumbledore of the very first movie, its a pity he had to pass away so soon. One can definitely see the charm slowly withering away from the movie! I do hope the next one succeeds in making up for the loss. Else, the good ol’ books and the brain shall raise to occassion, and its the journey to the magical land of dreams, that is going to be in vogue! Ready for the call?

Dec 10

Of movies and more..

Ok.. today I went on a rampage in terms of viewing movies. I watched “The Chronicles of Narnia”, “House of Wax”, and a disgustingly horrible telugu movie “Idiot” (well.. thankfully its aptly titled). While the Chronicles would warrant a very special mention of its own, and a separate blog altogether, I would also not like to group it with the rest of the mentioned insipid and senseless movies.
Ah! the pleasure of criticisms!! I mean, coming to think of it.. there isn’t much of a difference between Indian movies and Hollywood movies when it comes to being senseless! Know why? Well, while the movies in India choose to gross out the viewers by having actors like Ravi Teja, Meghana Naidu (wow.. both of them together in a movie.. would probably be the most horrifying movie ever made!! Eeeks!! am already getting nightmares!!), Himanshooo, and the likes; Hollywood has its own refined way of grossing us out with their idea of “horror”.
Gone are the days when they used to make classic horrors that sent the creeps down one’s spine! Exorcist, Poltergeist, Omen, The Ring, and such other movies had given me sleepless nights! (The most embarassing thing was to go to the rest room during nights by waking up others or making loud noises.. or switching every damn light in the way! Well for one, the demon would have known for sure where I was heading for, and what exactly would have been the purpose. Now that I have matured enough, I know that all I need to do to scare the shit out of it is to put on Ravi teja’s movie.. and bingo, the devil is runnin’ for its life! Or better still, prance around like Mithun in “Classic”).
Coming back to tackling Hollywood, it has degenerated horror into psychopathic killings, gross murders, and a lot of shrieking by the females!! There are quite a lot of things that actually baffle me when I watch Hollywood movies! For instance..
  • Why does the killer strike in moments of intimacy? (My understanding would be that the depravation of physical proximity has made him highly caustic towards such behavior, and he is hell bent on denying anybody the pleasure of it, including the viewers for that matter!! Oh! you guyz, don’t squirm.. after all there isn’t anything else that is worth watching in such movies!!)
  • For heaven’s sakes, won’t someone knock some sense into the feminine species!! In majority of the movies, it is always the female leads who put the life of the entire platoon in jeopardy with their stupid tantrums, and emotions!! Well.. one can’t really expect much from blondes.. can they?
  • And for the last time.. DO NOT GO AROUND ALONE IN A LONELY HOUSE FAR AWAY FROM CIVILIZATION CROONING LIKE A CONSTIPATED CAT!! “Helllooooo… anybody there? Here I am.. dressed in as less clothes as possible.. and walking around waiting to be hunted down.. hey you killeeeeeerrrr… where are u… come and get meeee… aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh” *rolling the eyes* Well duh!!
  • And whenever they are walking backwards, you can always expect a shock! Most of the times, its their overly active partners, trying to joke around scaring the hell out of their girlfriends whose shrieks only end up giving us a headache!

Well, but seriously no horror can get better of the movies churned out by the good ol’ “Tollywood” (hehehehe.. funny name.. ain’t it?) It is hard for me to decide which is worse! Watch Raviteja in “Idiot” or walk around with a toilet paper stuck in the place-that-must-not-be-named. Well, the latter atleast can be gotten rid of instantly! But the former is like that stinking piece of sock that spreads its stench all over the house and lingers on for days to come! Am I exaggerating? I don’t feel so!

Personally, when I watch a movie, I look for a wholesome entertainment! Humor is my panache! But one would certainly want to feel like an intelligent viewer and certainly would love to be treated as one! Nowww.. wait a minute.. did I just see someone pass by me.. or was it an illusion…. I see the remote is moving all by itself….. it has turned on the TV… whoz that… its Meghana Naidu.. in a Kannada movie!!!!! AAAAAAAAAahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

PS:- Surprisingly enough, Meghana Naidu has acted in a Godforsaken Kannada movie “Kattegalu saar Kattegalu” .. need I say more about the movie?!! 😛