Cheruvattath

When past is unveiled.....

2011-10-09T00:24:00.000-07:00

On 8th October, 2011..I with my wife Rajam and son, Rajeev visited Cheruvattath House (Our erstwhile home) at Ethanur. I collected a few black and white photographs from Devi, my cousin and clicked with my camera on them to take the pictures of the photographs. The photos belonged to an era of yesteryears, to a nostalgic past. I have made a slide show of those photographs. When you look at them, you will realize how time had elapsed mercilessly.

Four Decades back

2011-08-26T02:11:00.000-07:00

TERI PYAARI PYAARI SURAT KO | Upload Music

Forty four years back, I sang this song to her. She blushed with an innocent smile. Today again I sing that song to her, she blushes again with a glow in her eyes clouded by a tearful mist. I told her you are the same girl in her teens to me. The glow in her eyes returns with the same red colour spreading over her cheeks. She is always the eighteen year bride to me irrespective of the ravages of the years.

Popatlal's Day of Glory

2009-10-03T01:07:00.000-07:00

It was the day of felicitations to my friend, Mr Popatlal. Mr Popatlal was recently selected as the employee of the year and the management very dearly wanted to bestow that honour upon him. They arranged a get together at the Hotel Horsemouth in town on a Monday evening, as always had been the practice, to honour all the eligible staff. It was also the annual get together of our college. On weekends Popatlal, generally travelled home which is about eight hours away by train from our town. As promised, I went to the railway station to bring him to the hotel. His son was also with him.

Popatlal was very excited. As he sat near me, the smell of mustard oil emanating from his body, strongly pierced my nostrils making me gulp fresh air continuously. Popatlal seemed to have had a thorough massage before starting from home on this historical day. It reminded me of my colleague in the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department, Sri Sinha Saheb, who always ate green chilly pakodas made in mustard oil and drank hot tea to drown them down his throat with a hissing noise. He was one real master of mustard oil.

At the Hotel entrance a tall bearded red uniformed gentleman resembling a Maharaja, opened the car door, for us to get out. Popatlal's son continued his journey to his hostel. While getting down from the taxi, I noticed that Popatlal was wearing different coloured socks. The socks were suffocating themselves in his shoes trying to get some fresh air and in that process were contaminating the atmosphere. Popatlal looked a little nervous as he had never gone to a hotel or to a reception like what was going to happen. He wiped his sweat frequently. We followed the arrows directing us to the venue. The corridor was laid with red carpet and the cool air-conditioned atmosphere was filled with the mixed aroma of perfumes and freshly cooked food. We stopped at the entrance of a big hall. At the door head a board was visible, written "BALL ROOM". A clean shaven male in a dark suit directed us into the room, smiling profusely and exhibiting his golden tooth at the canine position.
"Are we going to play balls here?" Popatlal's query was rib tickling.
"No, this is the hall for tonight's get together, Popat", I removed his suspicion.
The hall was laid with round tables at the centre, covered with beautifully embroidered table clothes. At the far end was a raised podium from where the awards would be presented. On the right were tables on which different kinds of dishes were placed with gas lamps burning beneath. The walls were adorned with awesome paintings. Instrumental music tranquilized the atmosphere. We sat at one of the tables.

Guests started to pour in. It was very colourful and a feast to the eyes. There were many persons who proved that "a thing of beauty is a joy for ever". Girls wearing tantalizing uniforms were moving like butterflies with trays full of soft drink glasses. One girl approached Popatlal and said "sir, please have a soft drink".
Popatlal looked suspicious and asked her "what is the price for one glass"?
The girl said with a smile "it is on the house, sir"
Popatlal's face glittered and he took two glasses of juice, one orange and the other apple.

The podium chairs were populated with the officials and our principal had occupied the chair at the centre. The secretary of the college association made the welcome speech which was followed by the principal's announcement of the various awards for the year. The winners were called one by one to receive the awards. It was then the turn of Popatlal.

The Principal with a very toothy smile announced: "Friends, I now announce the name of the employee of the year and it is none other than Mr Popatlal, our Head Clerk".
Applause reverberated the hall as Popatlal walked to the podium. He placed his right hand on the first step and touched his forehead. With folded hands, he approached the Principal and received his award. He was profusely garlanded.
Popatlal. Popatlal…the chant filled the ballroom.
Wiping his tears off, Popatlal folded his hands again in gratitude and awe.
"Mr Popatlal will now deliver a speech and also read a poem" the secretary announced.
With a cordless mike in his hand, Popatlal started his dynamite speech:

Leddies and Gentulmens, I thanks all bodies for this prejent.
Contemporaries, students, this is my first maiden speech. If
small small mistakes get inside my speech, I ask pardon. Stickly
speaking, I wanted to come to the hotel more fastly, but for the
following reason:
Too much time lost in getting slipper reservation for the train
in three-tyre compartment. The clerk rejected to give ticket. I
put complaint on station master. He said me to go to lady clerk.
At first she also rejected. I then pressed her for long time and
at last with great difficulty she gave a birth only to my son.
Anyway I thanked the station master because he was responsible for getting birth of my son.
You students are future dynamic generators of the Nation. Look into future time only. No backside looking, or looking at your behind.
You know genius, no? It is one per cent perspiration and ninety
seven percent evaporation. After we finish you here in the college, you can get other decrease. Then you can become great liars in the supreme court, shattered accountants, or leacherers in college.
The college is like a garden. You are the seeds, college is the soil. We will bury you in this soil, pour water of knowledge on your heads and one day will become great flowers. Many vacancy job come in newspapers. Only yesterday I saw in paper "Wanted for refuted engineering firm: Generators, highpower condensors" so and so forth, etc. These jobs may be teknickel, but you can rise. If you have flare in English, you can become teacher.
I am now ending this fastly. May God blast you! Thank you and
Thank God I am finished.

Claps!!! Claps!!! And muffled laughs echoed in the hall.

Popatlal was very pleased with his speech. He continued:

Dear friends, on this occasion, I lick to deliver a poyam on a romantic man who sent it to his wife. I teared it from my friend's book. It tells:

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.
But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead
The sugar bowl's empty and so is your head.

Oh loving beauty you float with grace
If only you could hide your face
Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;
This describes everything you are not
I want to feel your sweet embrace
But don't take that paper bag off of your face
I love your smile, your face, and your eyes - Damn, I'm good at telling lies!
My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:
Marrying you screwed up my life
I see your face when I am dreaming.
That's why I always wake up screaming
My love, you take my breath away.
What have you stepped into smell this way
My feelings for you no words can tell,
Except for maybe "go to hell"

Thunderous applause!!! Popatlal blushed and came down the podium.

The dinner was sumptuous and Popatlal licked all his fingers and enjoyed the food. At last the finger bowls arrived. A peel of lime was dancing in the lukewarm water and Popatlal's eyeballs protruded. "I wanted it very badly" he said and raised the bowl to his lips.
"Popat, it is not for drinking. It is for cleaning your fingers" I said.
"What is left there to clean?" he reluctantly kept down the bowl.

I hired a taxi which bumped every now and then on the so called asphalt road. By the time we reached our hostel, Popatlal's head was systematically tossing on my shoulders and he opened his mouth and entered another phase of metabolism called snoring, very rhythmically.

Popatlal was dreaming away to glory……

Cheers!!!

Note: The jokes about the speech and the poem are from the internet.

The Breeze and I

2009-09-28T23:32:00.000-07:00

The breeze always makes me smile

Even though I have walked a mile

The aroma it brings along

Makes my walk prolong

Old age creeps into my muscles

My bones and joints always tussle

My eyes blur looking yonder

Ringing in my ears a stark reminder

That years have rolled over

But the breeze makes me always smile

Even though I am in turmoil

Once it was said by a man

Frailty, thy name is woman

I am a man but I feel

I am so frail

I am a shadow of the past

I can smell a rat

But the breeze always makes me smile

Something is lurking behind

It is always on my mind

It can leap at any moment

The breeze will caress for a while

Trying to make me smile

Destination, India......a Travellers' Paradise

2009-09-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

India, the Travellers' Paradise

We are proud to be Indians

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

2009-09-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

Royal Challengers Bangalore, is owned by one of the charismatic and successful Corporate Tycoons, Dr Vijay Mallya. Anil Kumble, the Captain, a gentleman always, knows how to harness his forces and to ensure victory in a match. He is a mesmerizing bowler who has in his cap many tricks. His leg-breaks, googlies, flippers, fast cutters, etc. are nightmare to the batsmen. His achievement in Test Cricket is par excellence. He repeated Jim Laker's feat and for years to come, this will be remain in golden letters in the book of Cricket.

Rahul Dravid, Mr Reliable, the Great Wall of India, is also my favourite. He is one of the most stylish batsmen in the world. He has a flurry of shots, cuts, pulls, glances, straight drives and you name any other in the book . He is a cool customer, gives great confidence to the batsman at the other end to flourish with runs, while he will shape his innings with utmost care with nonchalance. I have never seen him panick or misbehave or make a fuss. I would call him an ambassador of cricket fairplay. All other teammates also are real fighters. RCB came from the dark to reach the final of the last IPL. It was due to the sheer dedication of all the players. I wish them all success. I reiterate the fact that I am proud to be a fan. Bangalore is always dear to me because of G.R.Viswanath, B.S. Chandrasekhar, EAS Prasanna and the greats like them.

My team

Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Manish Pandey, Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Virat Kohli ,Robin Uthappa, Mark Boucher, Dale Steyn, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar

Anil Kumble.............Stunning leader, exemplary bowling with tons and tons of experience.

Rahul Dravid............Greta Batting and fielding.

Jacques Kallis..........Good Batting and Bowling.

Manish Pandey .... ...Blasting Batsman.

Ross Taylor.............Good Batsman and a great fielder.

Jesse Ryder.......... ..Good batsman and Bowler and a greta fielder, too .

Virat Kohli...............Bats well and fielding is good.

Robin Uthappa...... ..Bats, fields and can be a wicketkeeper, too.

Mark Boucher..........Bats well, is a star wicketkeeper.

Dale Steyn...............Good opening bowler.

Praveen Kumar...... .Good opening bowler.

Vinay Kumar........ ...Good bowler

My idea of opening match strategy:
Well..... I will check the condition of the pitch...and if toss is won, I will bat first and if it is a good batting wicket or field if the pitch has green grass on it, the weather is cloudy or overcast. While batting will insist on fast scoring and no balls will be dot balls Bowling...will shuffle the bowlers frequently, see which bowler has an edge, insist on 100% dedication in fielding, scrutinize the weakness of the batsmen and employ bowlers accordingly, smart and apt field placements. If the weather forecast says that dew is expected in the night, if it is a day/night match, bowling will be difficult in the latter part of the game,due to the wet ball posing problems for the bowler and the fielders may face problems, too.

My best T20 match:

Venue:

Wanderers, South Africa

Date:

24th May 2009

Anil Kumble won the toss for the RCB and chose to field first. Kumble bowled Gilchrist out in the very first over. He took 4 wickets but still could not win the match for his team. At the ten overs time out mark, RCB were 62 for 3. Gibbs and Rohit Sharma batted well to give some respectability to the score and the Deccan chargers were 143 for 6 after 20 overs. When RCB started their innings, they lost wickets at regular intervals as Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli fell of two successive deliveries from Pragyan Ojha(3 for 24). This stopped them from achieving the target.RCB needed only 15 runs in the last over. In a 20/20 match this is easily achievable. But on 24th May 2009, it was not possible.Robin Uthhapa could not score well and two dot balls sealed the fate of RCB. They made only nine runs from the last over. Deccan chargers were the winners by 6 runs and won the tournament. It was a day of disappointment to me. Well!! That was not the end of everything. RCB will rise up again and will emerge as winners in the future.

The Immortal King - Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

2009-09-24T05:50:00.000-07:00

The Evergreen Song....Billie Jean

Gladiator....an epic saga

2009-09-23T04:18:00.000-07:00

I had seen this movie years back when Russel Crowe had bagged the Academy Award for the best actor. Last evening I happened to watch the DVD of this movie and I enjoyed it like sipping an old wine. One must congratulate Ridely Scott for the presentation of such a movie of the highest cinematic excellence. I decided to write a review on the movie and hence write below.

Civilized man’s greatest achievement is the Empire of Rome. Several writers have combed history books to unveil the grandeur of this empire. On the historical truths thus unravelled, various extravagant movies have been churned out from Holywood and other film producing nations, to throw light on the life of the people, on the wickedness and injustice of the tyrannical monarchs and the oppression of the subjects. There was no regular army in the early stages, and soldiers were drafted into the army from farmers as mercenaries. They did tilling of their lands as well as fighting on a part time basis. The Roman rulers waged many wars to extend the boundaries and to enhance their personal greatness.

Director, Ridley Scott has presented larger-than-life characters, magnificent scenery and fantastic sets. He enthralls and immerses the audience in an ocean of reality. He has used historical personages to suit the fictional screenplay. He deserves praise for the way he has created a second century Rome with all its splendour, very credible and stunning. The civilization of ancient Rome has been depicted in its true historical reality. The Collisseum has been resurrected to its full glory; any modern architect would not have been able to do the same, thanks to the modern technology. The games, the fights and the bloodshed at the Collisseum, truly portrayed by him, throw light on the stark grisliness of the rulers of Ancient Rome. They laugh, clap and enjoy at every drop of blood shed by the innocent slaves, very intriguing.

Ridley Scott is a great showman. Gladiator is the story of a burly and magnetic General named Maximus (Russell Crowe). He is a farmer having a loving family at his village and he always expresses his desire to go back to them as soon as the war is over. He loves the nature. He wins many wars for the Roman Emperor. The Emperor dies and his son takes over. The fate has another say and Maximus loses everything, his family, his home and is forced to become a slave. He becomes a Gladiator and fights at the Collisseum in Rome with the fire of vengeance burning inside him like a volcano.

The photography and special effects are par excellence. The music of Hans Zimmer is extraordinary and mind-boggling. On many occasions the pathos of the music stretches the strings of your heart and makes the eyes misty.

Russell Crowe as Maximus is most awesome. He fills the screen. He is a supremo who truly shines as a protagonist who defies all odds. He is commanding with temperance. He dominates with his clenched jaw, cold stare and a sure gait. He expresses feelings, on his rugged face, that come straight from the bottom of his heart.
Phoenix has excelled in his role of a weak but wicked emperor in the roll of Commodus. He has truly given life to a spoiled and ruthless Roman ruler, as venomous as a snake, coiled and ready to strike. Richard Harris as the ailing emperor, Derek Jacobi, the late Oliver Reed and Connie Nielsen have all done justice to their rolls. Djimon Hounsou plays superb as Maximus’ brother-in-captivity.

Gladiator is the saga of the victory of a heroic human being over insurmountable obstacles. It is an irony - a slave taking on the Roman Emperor.

Temples of Love at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh - India

2009-09-23T03:04:00.000-07:00

Khajuraho is a picturesque village in the state of Madhya Pradesh of Central India. This village is the abode of unique, richly carved and astoundingly glorious temples, renowned for their inimitable architecture and fabulous sculptures. The artistic minded and imaginative kings of the “Chandela” dynasty, during 950-1050 A.D, built these temples and presented them as a gift to the world. Those kings probably believed that the fulfillment of the desires on this earth was the way for the ultimate liberation of the soul, “Nirvana”. This theory, therefore, might justify the theme of “erotic love” of the sculptures found on the exterior walls of the temples. The beautifully carved images on stone depict men and women engaged in their daily lives of love, desire and conjugal union, in various positions.

Only 22 temples of the 85 built in those days withstood the rage of time and in the year 1838, Captain T S Burt discovered them from an abandoned state. He categorized them as “extremely indecent and offensive”, as he could not fathom why the sculptors had explicitly selected the theme of love in their carvings. Every art has a purpose and so has the art of Khajuraho and why the Chandela kings had chosen to engrave the art of love may be justified thus: In Indian books on performing arts of music, dance and drama; and temple making, it is said that the purpose of art is to evoke in the beholders a taste for a particular human emotion. The nine human emotions listed are erotic love, humour, compassion, anger, courage, fear, disgust, wonder and peace. So on the walls of these temples, the artists have carved very splendidly those images to evoke in the audience an experience of the subtle moods of love, various and different from one another, and in turn they instill an emotion of wonder and not “erotic love”.

These temples are the second most visited after the Great Taj Mahal.

How to reach here
***************
There is an airport in Khajuraho with convenient daily flights from Agra and Delhi. Twice a week there are flights from Bombay also. Those who wish to travel by train can do so from the railheads of Jahnsi, Satna, and Mahoba. Buses also ply to Khajuraho from these places.

Climate
******
It has hot summers and cold winters and the best time to visit this place is from July to March.

Places to see
*************
The temples are divided into three groups Eastern, Western and Southern, each of them having breathtaking architectural features and sculptures.

There is an archaeological museum displaying sculptures and panels in stone and huge statues.

There is a sprawling complex in the centre of Khajuraho where craftsmen from all over India work to produce handicrafts of various ethnicities, for sale.

Kalinjar Fort: About 100 km from the temple complex, this is a fort built in the 10th century.

Dhubela Museum: About 65 km from Khajuraho, this is another old fort which has an exceptional anthology of art works.

Pipraghat: There is an excursion spot, 24 km away. Boating and swimming can be done in the KEN River.
Pandav Falls: This is situated at 34 km away. It is a scenic waterfall into a valley of the shape of a bowl, on the river KEN.

Ken Gharial Sanctuary: About 24 km from the temples, this is a home for crocodiles.

Benisagar Lake and dam: This is a beautiful picnic spot 11km from Khajuraho. Boating is famous here.

Ranguan Lake: 25 km from Khajuraho, this is another scenic picnic spot with boating facilities.

Panna National Park: This is 32 km from Khajuraho. On the banks of river KEN, this picturesque park has jungles housing a variety of species of wild life like tigers, leopards, wolves, bluebills, etc.

Hotels
*****
There are many hotels in Khajuraho of different ranges. Some of them are:
De-Luxe: Jass Oberoi, Clarks Bundela, Taj Chandela, Holiday Inn

Medium: Casa De William, Hotel Payal, Hotel Jhankar, Hotel Zen
Budget: Hotel Gem Palace, Hotel Jain, Hotel Lakeside, Hotel Surya, Hotel Sunset View.

A few more words: I had visited these temples in the year 1968 with my friends, when I was a bachelor. I could only identify the sculptures as images depicting erotic love. But when I visited them in April this year, with a more matured mind having seen the world with a broader outlook, those images evoked in me an awe, a bliss and a wonder and I saluted those kings and the artists of the past glorious days for their magnanimous vision and imagination.

If you plan to visit India, don't forget to visit this place of tranquility. You will be really thrilled with the experience.

Helmut Lotti....the Great Singer

2009-09-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Helmut Lotti (born Helmut Lotigiers on October 22, 1969 in Ghent, Belgium) is a Belgian popular singer and songwriter. The son of Luc Lotigiers and Rita Lagrou, he began his singing career with a visual and singing style in an obvious imitation of Elvis Presley, and was described as "De Nieuwe Elvis" (in Dutch) or "The New Elvis". His first two albums were Vlaamse Nachten ("Flemish Nights", 1990) and Alles Wat Ik Voel ("All That I Feel", 1992). After a few more albums, he changed direction in 1995 with the first of what became a long series of "Helmut Lotti Goes Classic" albums, which proved to increase his popularity.

Since 2000 he has also made successful recordings in traditional Latino, African and Russian-style music.Helmut Lotti sings fluently in Dutch and Afrikaans, English, French, German, Russian, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. He has sold over 13 million albums worldwide and received over 90 platinum and 70 gold albums.
He does volunteer work as an ambassador for UNICEF. Lotti has vowed to take part in the 0110 concerts against racism and the extreme right, organised by Tom Barman..

Background information

Birth name Helmut Barthold Johannes Alma Lotigiers
Born October 22, 1969 (1969-10-22) (age 39)
Origin Ghent, Belgium
Genre(s) Classical, Pop, Rock & Roll, Easy Listening
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1988 - present
Label(s) Universal Music Belgium

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A few songs I like are in the following playlist.

When you are sleepy all the time: India Today - Latest Breaking News from India, World, Business, Cricket, Sports, Bollywood.

2009-09-22T07:08:00.001-07:00

When you are sleepy all the time: India Today - Latest Breaking News from India, World, Business, Cricket, Sports, Bollywood.

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It Was Fascination

2009-09-22T04:32:00.000-07:00

When I was adolescent, I had my fascinations. When I became a young man, they grew into enormous proportions. Some are lucky to turn their fascination into love, some are not. They cherish it to the ultimate end. Nat King Cole had to say:

It was fascination
I know
And it might have ended
Right then, at the start
Just a passing glance
Just a brief romance
And I might have gone
On my way empty hearted
It was fascination
I know
Seeing you alone
With the moonlight above
Then I touch your hand
And next moment
I kiss you
Fascination turned to love
It was fascination
I know
Seeing you alone
With the moonlight above
Then I touch your hand
And next moment
I kiss you
Fascination turned to love

India to Provide 25 Buses, 96,060 Metric Tons of Rice for Liberia | Liberian Observer

2009-09-22T00:11:00.001-07:00

India to Provide 25 Buses, 96,060 Metric Tons of Rice for Liberia | Liberian Observer

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Future of Cricket ODI's

2009-09-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

Destination Bahrain

2009-09-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

31 August 2009

It was a winter morning during January, 1975.

The taxi was waiting outside. My youngest brother took my luggage and kept it in the taxi. My mother came out. The morning breeze was playing through her hair.

She held my hands. Her eyes were full. “Take care of your health. You are going to a foreign land.” A few drops fell down from her eyes and made a watery channel on her aging cheeks. I burst out in tears and hugged her.

When I flew out of India to Dubai, my heart was heavy.

Last night, my heart was heavier when my son hugged my wife, his mother, and kissed her on the forehead. It was a strange coincidence. She said the same words to him. “Take care of your health. You are going to a foreign land.”

There was a sudden pain in my stomach which ended with a choke at the throat. Sons and daughters have their lives to carry on, I thought. In the evening of our lives, the thoughts of them living at far away places give us ample hope to continue living.

At the Nedumbassery (Cochin, Kerala,India) airport he hugged me, his fluffy cheeks rubbing my rough ones.

I gazed at him till he disappeared through the main entrance for his flight to Bahrain.

And life continues, though with a difference.

Happy Onam

2009-08-30T03:44:00.000-07:00

Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala, India.

I wish every one a Happy Onam....