Piyu bolae...

Movie : Parineeta

Song : Piyu Bolae

Click here


Adios.

mouna ragam

Song : A piece of music


Movie : mouna ragam



Click here



Dedicated to : myself!!


Adios.

Oz's in India

Well before the series had begun, the 'war of words' as they say has started. Ponting reasserts that his team are the real world champions (Did we take anything away from your team, mr.ponting?) and that the T20 champions will find it hard to cope with increasing pressure. They are supposedly peeved by the extreme celebrations that have accompanied our victory. If someone like me feels that all these stage managed antics are quite over the top, the australian team has all the more reasons to get irritated. Andrew Symonds says that his animal instinct has taken over after watching how humble the reactions to India's victory have been. Hope he doesn't rise to the next level of being a cannibal, when he takes the field!! Sreesanth, beware!

Heck, I dont understand what has really come on these players. Have they become possessed all of a sudden? Isn't this just a game? Aren't we supposed to be a sport, taking a victory in our stride and a loss on our chin?

NO

It isnt just a game. It is a game with a lot of colourful personalities, with pride at stake and with egos to be battered. Let the general paying public be a sport in taking the result of the game lightly. The athletes involved shouldnt. As Robin Uthappa said, fight fire with fire. If they are aggressive, you be aggressive as well. If they are subdued, go for the throat. Here is the most important point of all...Carry on the aggression, off the field. Dont let the opponent get near you, even as a friend. The Indian team does not require international friendships. Nothing else should matter more to the country or to the team, than a win and a series win at that. If someone hits the bowler for a four, let him make the batsman pay for it. Make him see some stars, atleast!!
In essence, the team should 'play to win'. Now, there are various connotations to the phrase 'playing to win'. But the only version of 'play to win' I know of, is to do whatever it takes on and off the field, to make the opposition limp.


I hope history does not repeat itself. Everyone remembers the treatment that was meted out to the so-called "Kapil's Devils" at the hands of the then superior West Indies in 1983. We were blackwashed 0-5 soon after winning the cup.

And I hope, the Indian cricketers really play some good cricket to back up their claims and verbals.

Adios.

Ilangkaathu...

Movie : Pithaamagan

Song : Ilangkaathu...

No interludes. Just the intro and stanza.

http://rapidshare.com/files/18468628/ilangkaathu.mp3.html

Adios.

Conflict Diamonds

Diamonds - Those shimmering stones that adds beauty to the pendant that adorns a girl's neck; those rarest of all the gemstones that smile at you almost invariably everyday as something that crowns ones ring finger; those that convey the timeless qualities of love and affection; those that are in the constant process of being formed after millions of years of evolution miles down the earth and the possibility of which, reaching the surface is as rare as the stones themselves, are truly a girl's best friend. Or so they say!

Some facts about diamonds:

1. An estimated 5 million people have access to appropriate healthcare globally thanks to revenues from diamonds.

2. Diamond revenues enable every child in Botswana to receive free education up to the age of 13.

3. An estimated 10 million people globally are directly or indirectly supported by the diamond industry.

4. The charity Jewelers for Children funds a community based care program for orphaned children in South Africa.

5. The diamond mining industry generates over 40% of Namibia's annual export earnings.

6. The Diamond Development Initiative was established to improve the working conditions of artisanal miners.

7. Approximately one million people are employed by the diamond industry in India.

8. Approximately $8.4 billion worth of diamonds a year come from African countries.

9. The revenue from diamonds is instrumental in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

10. An estimated 65% of the world's diamonds come from African countries.

Fact 8 is exactly where problems lay as long back as 1990 and early 1990's when the revenues generated by exporting diamonds from certain African countries were used in illegally purchasing arms and ammunitions to fuel the already war-torn regions. Thus the name CONFLICT DIAMONDS or BLOOD DIAMONDS. About 4% of diamonds sold all over the world during this period were blood diamonds.

UN defines blood diamonds as "diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council."

Today the flow of these diamonds have been reduced to 1%, thanks to the cooperation of about 71 governments, certain NGOs and the diamond industry. A system named 'Kimberley process' was set in place. The transfer route of diamonds right from the point they are mined to the point they are sold to a retailer were monitored.

However, there are still 3 countries which do not comply with the Kimberley process - Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. They are in the process of stabilizing their social living.

For further information on blood diamonds, refer www.diamondfacts.org

Coincidentally, I have plans of watching the movie 'Blood diamond' tonight. I heard it is a nice one to watch.

Adios.

Guru

Movie : An excellent one. I would watch it again and ,may be, again and, may be, again. In my list of movies that might have had an impact, this is the latest addition. Not as much emotionally, as was the case with Rang De Basanti, though. However, it gives a sneak view of the thought process of visionaries. All said, I have my own reservations about the success of this film because Maniratnam's movies in the north almost invariably defy the law of averages at the box office, for some unknown godly reasons. As most of you might have come to know by this time, it is the story of Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, the one who is credited to have started the equity cult in India. Making an effort to atleast give a cursory glance at the biography of Dhirubai Ambani should not be a futile exercise. Most definitely, not. I would not bet on how precisely the personality of Ambani has been portrayed in the film. However, I tend to believe that he is, indeed, a man of very strong will, a man who relentlessly and ruthlessly pursued his dream. Actually speaking, this should come as no surprise to any of us because we are talking about someone who left a legacy behind, an empire behind.

Songs : As I am typing out this blog, guru is blaring in my onkyo! Needless to say, when the thumper scores music for Mani Ratnam, the album is a sure shot hit. 'Barso Re', 'Ek Lo Ek Muft', 'Ay Hairathe' fell straight into the 'love at first hear' category even before I watched the movie. Started liking the song 'Mayya' at the theatre. Sadly, I have difficulty in comprehending some of the words in hindi. So, I may not be able to appreciate the songs fully. But I can take solace, a heartening solace, that I can understand something more powerful than language - music - just a little bit better. One of the BGM's was really thumping. It would not be a bad idea, to release the movie BGMs along with the songs in an audio CD. I remember a Tamizh audio CD - Bose - including BGMs. With Rahman composing songs and some of the BGMs in his movies, the CD sale will rise further more. Maybe, I am biased towards him. But I am happy to be biased. I have not listened to any of these songs through earplugs yet. It will only help me in liking them more.

Adios.

New york Nagaram...

I had been to New york sometime last year, over a long weekend, to visit one of my friends. I felt that it is a very nice place to be in, as a tourist. I would not want to be a New yorker. I would dislike that pacy life. Every year, a trip to New york for a few days should not be a bad idea.

A truly cosmopolitan city it is, there are many places of attraction - those of architectural beauty, and/or those of historic importance. Though such structures were all pleasing to the eyes, the one thing that really overwhelmed me was the New York underground system. The sort of planning that went into making it into such an extensive network was written all over it. I was so impressed that I brought back an underground map with me, as a souvenir.

An underground station...


Sort of depicts the pacy life of a New yorker - New york Penn Station



I bumped into a website, some time back, that talked about the history of this underground network.

With tens of thousands of immigrants arriving into the city, in mid 1800's, New york became one of the most crowded places. In 1888, a ferocious blizzard brought the city to halt. Horse driven cars and omnibuses were of no use as twenty feet of snow engulfed the city. It was then realized that New york needed an underground system. Construction began in 1900 and a small part of the now existing network was completed in 4 years time, through the hard work of Irish americans, african americans and other immigrants. Atleast 7,700 men were involved in the project and the 21 mile route was laid down by hand. The system was first named Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT). With the success of the IRT, the government wanted to extend the network with the help of private constructors. An ambitious project of the network that would run 165 miles connecting Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and the Queens was undertaken. Through some dirty politics, IRT and Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) company entered into dual contract. However, as years passed by, the government realized that it was not profiting from these private contractors and took over the job by itself through the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). The underground system experienced a slight hiccup post WW II with the job boom offering enough freedom to the commuters to make use of the new found love - the automobile. However, in 1994, 90 years after the IRT started the underground construction, MTA approved $17.2 billion dollars for improvement of the existing system and the network would continue to grow.

This is just a brief story of the birth of underground network. I have left out some numbers here and there for want of memory space in my brain. Anyway, it is quite interesting getting into the history of anything that captures our attention.

"MODERN DAY MARTYDOM CAN BE SUCCINCTLY DEFINED AS RIDING IN A NEWYORK OMNIBUS"

That is Newyork Nagaram for you...


Adios.