Challenge Chatni

It was a busy saturday.Had too much to look out for.There was the Army recruitment,FOSS meet at MCC Calicut,The Class at IBM ACE and Challenge Chatni by Doordarshan.


FOSS was something attractive.Army recruitment was too much to digest my physiques won't allow that.Class at IBM ACE was suspended due to improvement exam of collleagues.So in Chatni was the last and only thing to attend.We 3 were to be a team.There were 3 other teams and we were given 4 problems.We had to solve the problems .The best solution for each problem will be selected to finals.

We started with a shot with all of us saying "Qabool Hai".They had got the anchor from NIT Calicut,a final year student.There was just a Camera person and director.One camera,one channel,one India.I couldn't but laugh when they arrived at college in an auto-rickshaw.They spoke Hindi and were lucky enough to find Hindi speaking people ,in our college,as participants.
We had several shots about 2 days.We had to pose the plan then make a model and make it working too.

For the problems and solutions watch Doordarshan "Challenge Chatni" to be telecasted on January 2009.More details only after that.

Superstition and belief

I have been intrigued by the way people believed in the god,the evil and billion superstition.I used to tease people for their silly beliefs.

The Cat
One of the most famous objects of superstition.The Cat sometimes is itself contaning an evil spirit,Sometime it is the pet of some evil soul,the first cat which feared me was a dark one in the famous horror story"Lisa".Some cats bring bad luck,misfortunes,business failures,bad examinations and in extreme cases a death.

I had a friend who would throw a stone in the path crossed by a cat.He would say that the stone will remove the bad effects caused by cat's interference of our way.If someone whom we dislike walks in front of us,then also the curse is removed.

Wonderful isn't it.

The Ghost

There have been a lot of research and hard work from many people debating over the existence,presence or effects of ghost.Most horror movies have their success on white or dark ghosts,mostly feminine ghost(just to add beauty to the evil).

There was a challenge sometime back.One of my friend challenged others.If they could stand at 0000hours midnight at an open place and close their eyes for 5 minutes,after five minutes they are supposed to turn back and look what was behind them.A white light like that of a ghost is supposed to be seen.

Some took the challenge couraged but later returned(after the challenge with goosebumps)

God-fearing

Some people argur that if one is god-fearing then one shouls\d also be believing in Ghost/Devil.
That is quite foolish.It is said that all creatures living or non-living are creations of god.So the "Ghost " (if at all it exist) must be a God's creation.God who has no shape ,colour who is indefinite and incompletely defined;will He ever making such a thing as ghost?The synonym for Evil; Lucifer is said to be a disciple of Jesus(the messenger)..Should he create devil,then we should worship the devil too.For all God's creation deserve equal respect.To frighten people is no God's job.He probably has better things to do.Hon'ble Albert Einstein said "God does not play dice".God being an idealisation and perfection.


Belief is one thing and an exaggeration of believes accumulated over ages prone to one's emotion lead to superstition.Control the emotions and control the self.The mind will then be free from the shackles of fear.


But there is one incident which made me slightly superstitious:
Here goes the event

I wanted to dual boot my PC with Linux and Windows XP.Since I was spending most of the day in front of computer,my ma asked me to shut it down and take rest.I didn't care.I continued to work.After some more hours she again insisted on me to power it off.I didn't,I was trying to install the buzzz word of IT ,Linux.Then,she sort of cursed "Let the system get damaged!"(I need a better MALAYALAM->ENGLISH translator).
Then after few minutes the problem started.The windows won't boot.I couldn't get into Linux either.I tried to procure an installation CD from my friend,after installation the registration key couldn't be found.It was sleeping time.I to fix the problem on the next day.I eventually got the registration key after a long search,now the windows won't boot again.i installed the OS again.Then all of a sudden the CD drive stopped working.I tried to fix the connection inside the tower.No,the CD drive won't work.A computer service professional was called for.The computer was taken for repair.After one week of trial they said that the system cannot be restored,the only way out was formatting and reinstalling.It was done and later I got the Linux installed in it.

But no one knows what had happened.was it a problem with partitioning,while Linux installation?Then why didn't the CD drive work?(By the way,A new CD drive had to be installed.).Why didn't the recovery CD for windows work?

May be,some part of the incident arouse superstition,some coincidental,but some mystery is involved..imperceptible.

Excerpt from Doordarshan- debate on Textbook issue

Textbook issue

There was much hype about the 7th standard textbook.Political parties,the government,the public and even the kids were involved in the following harthal and other stuff.

The problem with the christian priests and the Congress and other people was that

1. The book didn't have any content to be learned.
2. In spite of having a competent expert, Prof.Khadar as Director of SCERT ,he had no role in preparation of textbook.
3. It is anti-religion and propagating atheism.
4. It didn't give or propagate the values of religion.
5. Local history is highlighted.
6. Only some part of history is told
7. The text had hidden agenda of propagating the ideology of CPI(M)

The Doordarshan had a debate programme with the Education minister ,Sri M.A.Baby,P.C.Viswanath M.L.A,Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan (Ex Minister and M.L.A),FAther Tholekkat.Prof.Khadar,Ragesh(President,S.F.I),Moderator Asharff Kadakkal.

Prof.Khadar clarified the following:-

1. The book was prepared based on NCF recommendations,using new pedagogic techniques with the objective of the student approaching the lessons in a research and problem solving mode,rather than learn things by-heart.
2. A test was conducted ,by SCERT,for forming a panel of teeachers to prepare the textbook.The entire process was tyransparent.
3. He was actively involved in the preparation of the textbook.

M.A Baby clarified:-

1. There was no intention of propagating atheism.The value of secularism has been highlighted in consanance with the policy of India Govt.Similar approach had been adopted my NCERT textbook.However,it was pointed out in the textbook that al regiligions basically propagate peace and love.A catholic priest who happens to be a school teacher as awell has reported that there was nothing unacceptable in the textbook concerned and has been using it to teach his students.
   
2. The importance of local history cannot be overruled.the history of a region is made up of many local level actions.However,this does not mean trivialissation of the national level history.Mr.Ragesh intervened at this point and pointed out that there had been no reference to Peer Mohammed in the first war of independence(1857) while Mangal Pandey alone had been lionised in the past,this textbook does justice to the role of a freedom fighter like Peer Mohammed.Ragesh continued and pointed out that local level Muslim congress leaders in Malabar who had contributed handsomely to the freedom movement had been referred to for the first time in a history textbook in this.
   
3. The approach of SCERT was to conbsider thetext book of all subjects for all standards from first to tenth are to be considered in a sequence.hence it is a specious argument that many parts of history are not included in the concerned textbook.What has not been covered in first standard could be covered in other standards.

A retrospective of my poems ( a poem)

Incoherence is what some call,
Tolerance is that way tall.
Same applies to my work all,
The thought reddened my eyeball.

I wrote that just for fun,
Serious batter there was none,
Put it in me silly blog,
And invited all who said they jog.

They made me think,
Some bade me wink,
Others asked me the link,
Most called it a junk.

The poem in the blog lacks rhyme,
The ones in Kindergarten got good rhyme,
The poem kindles the dart of aim,
The incoherence and rhyme is all the same.

What I think isn't what I type,
What I type isn't what I see,
What i see isn't what I meant,
What I meant isn't what I get.

So much for a poem,
On the infinite web-podium,
Move,march for a diadem,
To hope for the best is my aim.

Nanotechnology (a poem)

Nano is the tiny word we use
Ten power minus nine we deduce
Why do we need another word?
For good?bad?or the pity mad?

When it's raining
And afraid of draining
Get under the nano
Rain is no problemo.

When you want a car,
And your purse is on the tar,
Think of buying nano,
Car is no problemo.

This is how they sell,
Just ring them a bell.
To the place you dwell,
They bring it very well.

All these misnomers,
Attract all customers.
The company turns prosperous,
Since the world is delirious.

What is there in a name,
For the life is just a game,
Don't be dumb and lame,
Or have fun watching the mime.

Nano is in technology,
Take Chemistry or Biology,
All follow the very pedagogy,
Call it never a bad bogey.

Come on all,for its your day,
March your way,Come what may,
In the the path of knowledge,
And burn the common effigy.

Mobile maniacs

Mobiles have been of high usage recently.

It had been found that it causes cancer.
Many have started using earphones and limit their duration of talking ours.

mobile phones had been of great help.To talk on the go was a dream in the olden days.
















Mobiles have advanced so much that you can nowadays type and print big documents with a few clicks.Besides the Internet on the go and FM radio,Camera and video,the mobile has almost become a palmtop.

But the non-sensible use of the phones are causing much harm to the students,teachers and the common man.

People talk incessantly,play loud music and capture videos and photos whenever they get time.These non productive activities has degraded the standard of society.
















Many a time we can see mobile phone kept for charging.In railway stations,government offices,in schools and colleges!Nobody cares about the battery life nor energy saving.For them entertainment and communication is everything.Nothing can stand in its way."To hell with Energy saving.The life we have should be enjoyed the maximum.A little of mobile charging or music won't do much harm."This is the attitude of many.
















Many use mobile for sheer pleasure.Music and videos are the most preferred applications.They don't listen to music but they love noise.Even though there are enough and more opportunities for citizen journalist in newspaper and on the net rarely do people use them.In a state like Kerala the citizen journalism can do much to improve the social conditions and bring happenings to public and Government notice.
















With the rapid advancement of consumer electronics,large demand,and smaller prices,the telecommunication and mobile industry,no doubt, is going to flourish.The Reliance Telecommunications is one of the examples of how the telecommunication industry can grow.
A little management skill from the Ambani would do the trick.
















Is there an end? Apparently No.One thing human beings love to is communicate.Since we remain human beings the mobile revolution is never going to end.
Recently an English channel had news on Blackberry addiction.People read emails in toilet!
The condition is almost same here in India.If we do to get a miss call or an sms we start worrying and the day is lost.I am leaving the topic of most mobile users(who happen to be lovers).
















The Effects and Impacts

Students have thrown away their books and started on e-books,some people cannot learn if there is no music.When the addiction goes to a large scale,the students lose their attention and patience,they perform poorly in exams and start cheating in the examinations.Thus what would have been a bright future would turn to be dark and dull.The addiction in any form viz. drugs,drinks,Internet or any obsession is unwarranted.
















The Indian environment has cultivated very good brains but to lose the brain's capability by unwanted activities must be controlled and the brain's should be brought back to track.Strict regulations on mobile phone usage must be implemented.The government can do much to curb the problem of energy.think of 100 billion people charging their mobile phones!Mobile phones should be banned where landlines are available.




To talk about the biological impacts:

Radiation in any form is undesirable.Strict scientific methods should be taken for placement of towers.
A public awareness campaign should be conducted on proper usage of mobile phones.In a constitution like ours the industrialists should be enlightened that the public security came first and not their business ventures.


Looking forward for a prosperous nation...

|| Swami Saranam ||

A Sabarimala trip which happened 6 month ago.

It was decide to board the Malabar Express on a December night to Chengannur.Had to wait at railway station.There were enough and more mosquitos to keep me awake.Checked my weight ,it was 70Kg,checked also the suitcase,it weighed 11Kg.There was a cute and healthy looking dog with a policeman.Didn't know why it was there.but it was very silent.barking dogs seldom bite,this dog seemed to be capable of ripping a the limbs apart from the body.Then the train came.

Got into the train the RAC was confirmed to berths,I got the upper one..It was not so cold inside the train and the mosquito count was also less.I didn't use the sheet.I had taken,to cover myself.Alarm was kept for 0530.When TTE came I asked him whether he could wake me up,he refused.

At 0530 I was up .I just roamed aboput the decide to stand near the door.Other's were sleeping,I felt like humming a song.When I opened the door very cold wind rushed in,hetrain was late and was trying to catch up with time.The all pervadsing darkness was getting lifted.I could make out the coconut trees in the semidarkness . A misty cover hung over the abundant coconut trees outside.At the door I watched the sunrise.In between I just glanced at the doorway.i thought I saw a familiar figure in between two bulky policemen.I tried to smile,got no reaction from the other side.The figure in white and white went to the toilet.I asked one of the fatty whether it was our Chief minister V.S.Achuthanandan.He replied"yes".At the next station I saw more and more police on the platform.The reason for the cute dog's presence was clear.
The policeman asked me my whereabouts and my destination.I replied with due respect.I queried about the CM's destination.He answered"To thiruvananthapuram".Accompanied by the policemen the whte and white dissappeared into the AC two tier coach.I had seen him really close ,just less than 2 feet.WOnderful.

After some phone calls i heade to the Mannar panchayat.There was a marriage function to be attended.Before the function I got the opportunity to visit the Thrikkurutti Mahadeva temple.A very nice temple with lot of free space.the Banyan tree in the front ,I felt represented the unity of all human beings,the unity of all religion.For the base was thick,it got divided into two after some height from the base,then it spread into uncountable number of branches.After the function,and the banquet.Then came back to main course of the journey.
Planned to stay at Guruswami's house in the evening.the next day We were to head to sabarimala.the Guruswami's house was very near to the Pamba river.The sound of the small waterfall was mistaken to be that of rain.I had a dreamless sleep.

Got up after a quick prelimnaries.Went iin jeep to Pamba river.At first I didn't want to take a dip due to hundred reasons,I may get cold,fever,fungus in ears,etc.So i carried a bucket to take water and pour it over the head.As i got out of the jeep my kneeshit the jeep's door,got a pretty good swelling(never mind).Went to Pamba.After pouring three bucket full of cold water onto my head,I felt like taking a dip.I took one with my glasses on and holding one of the nearby fellow;s hand.Great feeling,Great experience.taking a dip in a holy river for the first time!

Woke up at 0400 at headed to pamba to take a dip,so that we need not spend much time at the Pamba en route.the Swaraj Mazda with all decorations was ready for the trip.I got a comfortable place.We started on some devotional songs.Every sang in chorus repeating from the Guruswami.My mom had insisted on me to use a monkey cap.i didn't take it from my bag.Had my shirts collar buttoned.There was a brief stop at a tea shop just to energise everyone,I didn't have the tea.Entering Pamba,I saw the crowd,I saw the river,the shops,heard the announcements.The way up was busy and crowdy.Climbing up the hill,I tried to walk fast ,and felt like i could carry myself up all the way,i was adviced to take small patient steps.

The PeriyaSwami had some hold in the polilce so we didn't have to satnd in the queue.Apachimedu and saramkuthiyal all passed.Atop,First saw the PambaGanapathi idol,looked like what my grandma's decoration.Great.


Towards the sannidhanam.I had by cocnut ready to be broken.But somehow i had a bad feeling of my mundu(dhoti) getting loosened.tightened it up.Everybody wanted to touch the 18 holy steps.I touched the first three then one in between,mundu loosend,my hand got stuck wioth somebody else's,the towel was now over my eyes.The police was "helping "me up.I stopped where i was ,tightened the mundu again)I had actually stepped on my mundu-that was why it loosened.Everyone in my group were already up there.

I realised that I had lost my handkerchief(never mind).I was fortunate enough to get VIP Darsanam.After all other rituals,we got out.But three from our group were in the original queue,they missed the quick path.They were asked to get out of the queue and go by the easier path.The rest of usdecided to have food.the waiter said that they will provide meal only at the three rows athe other end,we were asked to go and sit there.I was not really hungry.The head of ourr group got angry,because there were smal children who were really hungry and tired after the long journey.We all got out.then at the exit a man said that we had to go by the queue near the cashier.Everyone got angry and fired at the restaurant people.There was something like a goat,(or was it a donkey?).Trying to move away quickly,my Irumudukettu fell down.
After the row we heade to the only other restaurant there.This one was not as neat as the earlier one(who bothers?)i was hungry now.We demanded tem to serve us where we sat.The resataurant people had to comply.The meal was a bore to many,manageable for me.The late three had appeared ,after their lunch we started back.for me there was a bus in the morning 0530 .Stayed at the Periyaswami's house.

I got a window seat,the wind was cold.I saw the Vavaru moque,people moving with colours all over them.After some time I had an uneasy feeling.I had my monkey cap,shirt buttoned up to collar still it was cold.I saw the Amar jyothi college of engineering.There was some kind of reading room(there was no room though),Somemen were seriously reading newspapers.Devotional songs were being played through the speakers.At 0700 the bus stopped at a stand.the song had changed to adipoli-dappankuthu.Songs from the Tamil film "Pokkiri" were being played.That must be real management and marketing.

A nice journey not to be forgotten.

The Blog! (A poem on blog)

I wonder why people blog,
With not much of mental clog,
With so much of backlog,
Who would clutch the big log?

Staring at the TFT,
Thinking of a cute beauty,
Mind goes wild and hands go cold,
In the end the blog was build.

Scratching my head,
Making a thud,
It shook the board,
And I felt very bored.

Why type online,
When we can write offline,
With no apparent fear,
And no one to interfere.

Over the night I surfed,
Why the blogs were stuffed?,
I found only then.
And retreated to my den.

In the daylight,
I saw the fight,
On the net's might,
Man pondered his plight.

None can try to stop this,
None can even dismiss this,
For its the public's fire,
To trounce it: is to dare.




____________________________________________________________________
NB:
Those who know me please do not mistake,for it is just poetic and I have no cute beauty to think about.

What made a good friday

There was the general excitement on joining a new course:the IBM COWT.Got attracted by the subjects taught and the IBM certificate,the fee was an add-on.We needed a minimum of ten people.But got only a tentative number of 7.needed three more,3 days to go for application,could we make it?Constant thoughts of future plans haunted the day before.The daily routines,the schedule,will it be hectic,and all kinds of funny things and ideas.Sometimes the mind unleashes itself away from the prudence,and the result is frustration and mayhem.

The plan was almost out of hand at a time ,then all of a sudden we got 7 confirmed.The four people we had contacted weren't sure whether to come or not.The last day arrived thoughts went wild.

in the morning we were confirmed of 10 people.Oh!how happy my friend was.i had to catch the train i the evening and also fill the application form.But the sir engaged us with a derivation till 1535.The train was at 1600.I filled up the form and decided to go to the railway station by auto rickshaw.After getting my baggage to the junction,I was forced to get into the public transport(the bus),for no auto could be found,the watch worked very sincerely.I got into the train without a ticket.Never in my four years of frequent rail journey have I done this kind of thing.My friend jokingly prayed for "oh god let the TTE catch him".I listened to his "loud prayer without expression.

It is said that the bad and the evil will hear our pray sooner than the mighty gods.It really happened ,TTE arrived,there was also a police man.I told him that I was a student and that There was class and the crowd at the ticket counter at the railway station.He listened ,but said"I understand that you have genuine problem,its second Saturday and there'll b rush,I am charging you only a minimum of Rs.318/-"Fortunately I had about 316.When given he said "OK I'll give you a ticket to Aluva".Then a man near me gave Rs2/to the TTE.(Was he god?May be yes)

I did have six of my "friends"who didn't move an inch from the doorsteps,but this unknown man helped me!

At Shoranur we all got out.My purse was empty.Nothing could be bought which could satiate my stomach.My "friends" gathered around me,asked about the fine and stuff.The"Friend who prayed asked me sorry.The journey was to resume ,the train moved,I slipped my step,was about to fall,but managed to get inside the train(thank god).We had a lot of fun inside the train till the end of the journey.


"All is well that ends well"-said Shakespeare

So did the "good Friday".

1.5 hours on Activa

I had to go to the Ernakulam market to purchase some vegetables,it was uneventful till I got the required and hit the traffic.

The Shanmugham road cause no trouble except for the "red-killer"bus'rash driving and some freaking guys with pulsar in wrong place.

The Chittoor road near SRV school I got held up in the usual traffic,first time in the driver's perspective.The potholes did cause trouble.Most of the two-wheelers took themselves through the footpath,I also tried it for a short strip.I have only did that in the computer game"Roadrash".There was a long pause just before the Valanjambalam junction.

The two wheelers continued their footpath journey,to get the feeling of being traffic-jammed I kept silent and started humming my favourite"Munbe Vaa" song.A biker which was not near the footpath edge moved between the buses,I saw the bus driver silently swearing at him,at first glance it seemed like he was chanting some slokas.There was a small movement in traffic but not enough for me.

An old man and some guys and some women got into buses at the junction,in spite of warning notice from the police.There was a notice signed by commissioner saying not to get into buses at the junction since a so-and-so tried the same and got a free ticket to the heavens under the wheels of red-killers.Nobody cares the warnings,nobody care about themselves and so no one cares about others.The Malabaris hate the place for this one reason.

After getting over and out of fly-over its just home ground,S.A road,no problems par the the usual negligent and ignoramus drivers.

If someone short-tempered needs to be patient just put him behind the wheels and send him through the Chittoor road,a quick medicine.

Chennai:travelogue

From one metro to another I didn't know there was a huge difference.

I have gone to Chennai only a few times,to see one of my relatives.I never needed to go to another place for, Kochi ,the queen of Arabian sea could satiate all necessities.


Chennai was a place where I got mad of heat.People had to carry water or get packaged water wherever they got to hot that you can't be inside a concrete building under just one fan.I had a dreamless sleepless night which comes to my mind whenever the sounds"Chennai "reach my ears.

This time I was warned "its summer,don't expect anything less than 40 degrees,drink water whenever you get near it".The journey took a break at Vellore famous for all the industries,the Vellore fort and Jalakandeswara temple.From Vellore we took a bus,it was written on the front glass "102 Express ெசனை்ன ".But the way it went was frustrating.I got a seat near the driver close to the gearbox.They way it crawled through the smooth clean zero traffic road evoked no feelings from the otherwise slogan raising public.It crawled,crawleeeeeeeeed,
cccccccrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwllllllllleeeeeddd.

Then I thought, there must be some speed governor the only possible reason.

On either side of roads,(no such beautiful smooth scratch-free pothole-free road can be found in Kochi) I saw Hyundai,Maruti,Motorola,Nokia,Saint-Gobain manufacturing units.No wonder why these people didn't come to Kerala to produce their products;constant harthals,the attitude of politicians and the people have kept them away.So much for development,hm.

The crawling like a snail thingy got us to the Chennai-the metro,big place.The heat ,the low humidity winds etc simply absorb the water content of the body.I had heard someone say that Chennai has just two seasons;hot season and very hot season.I wondered why all these people built up this place so large ,put all their industries and offices and invested in such a place where better climatic conditions prevailed to the west of the Nilgiris .



Its the people ,the government, that made this place good.It is said that inside the IIT campus the temperature drops to 20 degree Celsius,it just looks like a wild place at first glance.The flyovers all of them are marvellous.More amazing is the way they utilised the bottom of the flyovers;they use it as parking area;and effectively use them.The best ever junction I remember is the Adayar junction;of course there is a huge traffic,but the traffic lights work very sincerely for the pedestrians too.Very laudable is the government in TN,though big parties and peoples are there sometimes low-level campaigns are done,the state has always developed.The elections or party rivalry hadn't caused much to deteriorate the developmental efforts.
Hats off to them......


It'll take ages for Kochi to become something like that but since I lived in the place I love the place.But I don't mind if Kochi turns out to be a big metro of the standard.It's being called the "Chotta Mumbai"(small Mumbai),not for bad reasons.The Metro rail concept of Mumbai which is also being used in Chennai can be used in Kochi.But the authority needs some eye-catching stuff.The light rail project implemented in Delhi is an expensive one,attractive for others,but strictly speaking it was a mega-waste when you can implement the Metro rail,which is cheaper.The folks in Delhi may love it, since they have big pockets.


I didn't stop at the beach,for very hot winds were blowing.
The Asthalakshmi temple near Besant Nagar was next stop,a very nice temple,they've a free-of-cost footwear keeper.The temple had some additional idols besides all eight avatars of goddess Lakshmi.The temple priest would give a lotus to all girls and women,a usual practice in TN ,I suppose.Through narrow passages we go to the top where there is a nice view to the beach.

A rest was inevitable and an A/C room was most welcome,sleep took over me when the vessel of mineral water was drained to the last drop.

A journey to Kovai :travelogue

A journey to Kovai

It's been a very wonderful vacation with a lot many chance to see places, and feel them, coming up.

My journey began from the business heart, the commercial capital of Kerala, The Queen of Arabian Sea. A single day journey with a specific purpose to Kovai (Coimbatore) was planned.

The road was good, too good. But the driver being lazy didn't pull up even to 100kmph.Bright sun, good road, and low traffic, what more could be asked for? The Inside of the city had traffic congestion as usual although it was after-office hours.

Kovai was far away, considering the speed at which the vehicle moved. So, it was decided to put on movies and glue our thoughts to the LCD screen. With enough toffees and chips at hand, the film turned nice refreshment. There was a halt at the Indian Coffee House, the place which you can trust for good food, anytime, anywhere. Had biriyani, for lunch, and replenished ourselves with choco bars and still more chips and other edibles.
Movie continued.........


Entering Palakkad, one of the dry lands of Kerala, the heat began to build up. Fortunately there were enough trees on the road side for most part of it. Palakkad clearly distinguishes itself from Kerala landscape Palm trees grew more abundantly than coconut tree in this region. The palm resembled a chick trying to get out of its egg while the coconut tree reminds me of a hatched chick getting ready to wander here-and-there with its tiny happy little wings.

Entering the Tamil Nadu border-The Walayar check post.

The vehicles passing through the post needed a permit of Rs. 300/ for LCV and people passing through the post in the vehicles were to be named in two sheets of white paper. There was a pettikkada selling white papers opposite to the Walayar post. The story of film 'Runway' starring Dileep and Kavya came to my mind while the driver went to buy the required paper.

The guy at the post gave a permit (a coloured paper).We moved on. At the physical check post the permit had to be shown, we entered TN.

Now this is very strange. When we get a license it says we have permit to drive anywhere in the Indian union. We pay road tax and it goes to the Government too. We buy the vehicle and pay all sorts of formalities, the insurance, registration, pollution control etc.

Why then should we again give some money at some check post? Anyway things are weird in every part of the world. Somehow we manage to live with it without much indifference.

Not too far, in fact Kovai was very close we reached there in apparently no time. Lot many of people and many vehicles on the road. But the roads were quite nice, no bumps, no unwanted humps, nice smooth and safe road. For a person from Kerala it was too good to drive the vehicle on it. Chances come seldom, when it comes grab with both your arms, so did the driver enjoying every second he drove on road, with reverence and cheerful face. We had a stop near Gandhipuram junction .Entered some of the too many textile shops there and had flying colours thrown in to our eyes every now and then. Some things were purchased, it was getting dark. Out of the showroom the streets were fully lit by the neon and other sorts of lamps and lights. We headed, to fill our tummy lightly, to Anandabhavan, famous for everything they serve.

Our dear driver was very font of parrots. It was learned that the birds and other pets were available at the Ukkadam market, which was 65% open even in the dark. We went into the only shop which was open for sale of pets at that time. They had love birds, finches, parrot, geese, sparrows, pigeon and white mice and rabbits. After shifting three parrots to their new prison (a cardboard box with holes), we continued our journey.

Our hearts were light, our tummy full, and eyelids heavy, the driver took us to home sweet home .Nothing can be better than the place we call hometown. Nothing, however developed can match its comforts. We reached home at very early morning; somehow we managed to get on the bed and pull over our bed sheets, hoping for a very sweet dreamless sleep of tranquillity. When we woke up everything seemed to be a distant dream, the bag of purchased clothing and sweets from Anandabhavan reminded us of the reality.

Out on the road-a simple poem

Cool dudes go to rock,
Watch 'em pluck the chick;
They play the game well;
Funny is the way they dwell.


Oh! I thought I was blind;
For I was not of their kind.
Blame me if i were one
I don't want to copy anyone.

Are they just showing off,
Like a bulb never switched off,
Spreading the light in the dark;
To burn out at the next daybreak.

Lazy like a cow in the meadow;
Gazing at the suspended orange-yellow;
Am I what I used to be?
Has the wind took me like a baby?

Hark! the bell has rang!
It's time to fill the lung.
Out on the road I got to run
To enjoy the life with the bright sun.

Human Welfare?

I have always wondered why humans do things for human welfare and benefits.Aren't the life of other living things not worthy of the same or better welfare and care.

Then I heard that Cockroaches have been on earth from time non-mappable,they are the organisms which can resist even nuclear/radioactive reactions and radiations.
When I was too young I was told by grown-ups that they have a life equivalent to that of Bheeshmacharya(Heroic warrior in the greatest of all epic-Mahabharata).He had a unique boon of choosing when to die.

All these silently imply that it doesn't really matter whether we care about others beings,other species,or other life forms.
We are the only species which can cause extinction of our self.So careful.......


its for our benefits that we live.Always be careful about ourself and if possible other human beings around.