Fawlty Towers

Needless to say, I am a huuuuge fan of F.T. and Cleese in particular. If you haven't seen this series, then you have missed out on some serious laughs in your life. I have the book and the dvd boxed set that I gifted to my husband for his big bday. I confess, I was not completely altruistic :-)

My most favorite one is Communication Problems, with the deaf lady, Mrs. Richards. There is a review/synopsis here.

Read on the same site, that Mr. Fawlty was based on a real life hotel owner, one Mr. Donald Sinclair who apparently gave the Pythons a hard time. The actual hotel Gleneagles was recently in the news.

The BBC site has some clips here

Talking about Cleese, he was also in one of my favorite movies of all times, A Fish Called Wanda. Kevin Kline was oh so good as the suspicious boyfriend.

kenny spreading wings

Vikram's national award is taking him places. Literally. Yahoo!movies says he is going to do a Hindi movie with Big B. That is something for sure. So far only actresses have been able to make a stand in the north, that too, only after giving up the south screen. Let's hope Cheeyan leaves his feet well planted in Kodambakkam. Anniyan, nejamave anniyan ayidatheenga.

Talking about Anniyan, the songs are good mostly. Especially love the classical tunes. Iyengar veetu is good with the strong aradhanai flavor. Rest of the songs, beat is good, lyrics fit today's trend :-)

Cars, trucks and bumper stickers

A friend forwarded this interesting NY times article about judging people by the cars they own, politically speaking. Not far from the truth, I would say :-) BTW, I drive a car and a van ;-)

Talking about bumper stickers, I found some interesting sites. Here's a liberal left-leaning one, and an internet store

Some that I like:

Don't believe everything you think

Before giving anyone a piece of your mind, make sure you have enough to spare.

If you can't laugh at yourself, at least let me do it.

Have you hugged your potions master today?

Home is where you hang your @

It infuriates me to be wrong when I know I am right.

cinema payithiyam

One of the characteristics of a chennaite is this slight obsession about movies. Another one, able to talk in different dialects. Aathula naan ipdi pesuven, silaper kitta saatharanama pesuven, narya pernga aanda imma kanka ethu vidven, ah han.

If you meet another chennaivasi, you are assured of at least one common topic for conversation. :-) Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.

Cinema pathi pesa aaramicha pesi kittey irukalaam. blogum pannalam. naanum panirukken ingey

Madrasla vellila ponumna, athu usuala cinema thaan. collegukku cut adichu naanga ponathum anga thaan.

other things have taken priority nowadays and we don't get to see as many as we used to. But we still try to keep up. My last one, though was M.Kumaran... It is high time I caught up.

But I do keep up with the latest news from kodambakkam. Although, is it anywhere near kodambakkam now?

My favorite sites include tamilcinema.com, bb reviews, vikatan and kumudam before those sites started acting crazy, rediff.com.

seri seri, vetti pechu apparam vechukalaam.

most beautiful? says who?

50 top beautiful people

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are among the top of the list. This is the World's top 50 acc. to People magazine. Hmm! Jolie? of the bee stung lips fame as one guy put it? I don't know. I think there are others worthier.

I guess it is really true that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. How do you rate someone as most beautiful then? What kind of standard do they use here?

The complete list doesn't have too many people that a lot of us consider beautiful. Where is Ms. Rai? Considering the umpteen US shows she has been attending? ;-^

Some interesting thoughts

“The beaten track does not lead to new pastures.” Indira Gandhi

“It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.” Agnes Repplier

“Never do anything yourself that others can do for you.” Agatha Christie

“The most important thing in a relationship between a man and a woman is that one of them must be good at taking orders.” Linda Festa

“You are a victim of the rules you live by.” Jenny Holzer

“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask: “Mother what was war?”” Eve Merriam

“Rules are for people who don’t know how to get around them.” Tori Harrison

“I’m not small, I’m space-efficient.” Rachael Leigh Cook

“I would rather lie on a sofa than sweep beneath it.” Shirley Conran

“You can always spot a well-informed man – his views are the same as yours.” Ilka Chase

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” George Eliot

“Wrinkles are hereditary. People get them from their children.” Doris Day

Ok, these don’t make me a feminist, but I do love smart-aleck comments from women. :-)

pirivu

Aaru maatha vithyasam
Nammai pirikka villai
Atharkkuppin vantha
Irandaayiram milegal
Nammai pirikka villai
Pinnaal vantha kadamaigal
Nammai pirikka villai
Innum thooram sendrum
Naduvil irukkum Kadalgal
Nammai pirikka villai
Indro paazhaai pona vithi
nammai pirithu vittathu
muzhuthaai malaramunne unnai
theeyirkku iraiyakkivittathu

thangame thangam

Pillai varam kettanga
Thangame thangam
Konji magizha poo kettanga
Thangame thangam

Poovum thaan kittiyathu
Thangame thangam
ponnum thaan piranthathu
Thangame thangam

Pennai thaan valarthanga
Thangame thangame
Kanmaniyai kondadinaanga
Thangame thangam

Mapillai thedaranga
Thangame thangam
manavalan kidaikka poran
Thangame thangam

Mapillai kidaithaane
Thangame thangam
Porulum thaan kettaane
Thangame thangam

Kannalamum kattinaanga
Thangame thangam
Athukku vilayum thaan vechaane
Thangame thangam


Ponnai thaan mathithaane
Thangame thangam
Pennai thaan mithithaane
Thangame thangam

Palootti valarthaanga
Thangame thangam
Paloothi erithaanga
Thangame thangam

vazhi mel vizhi

kaathirukiren
nee varuvai inraavathu
ethirparkiren
en veetu vaasalil
kannai kotta bayam
un varugaiyai paarkat
avariduveno enru
kangalil vellam
thoosi

minsara manithargal

kaal pathithathillai
suvadugal
mugam paarthathillai
bimbangal
kural kettathillai
ethiroligal
maaya thirai
minsara manithargal
neengal
naangal

pirivu

uyirgal piriyakoodum
unarvugal pirivathillai
unarchigal pirivathillai
paathaigal piriyakoodum
paasangal pirivathillai
pinaippugal pirivathillai
vevveru vazhiyil pogirom
athanaal pirinthuvittomenru porul illai
intha pirivu nirantharam alla
pogumidam ennavo onruthan

puyal

muthalil
onrum ariyavillai
irandavathu moonravathu
puratti edukurathu
antha chinna puyal
naalavathu ainthavathu aaravathu
puyyalin theeviram athigam aagirathu
ezhavathu ettavathu onbathavathu
puyyal ennai aatkolkirathu
pathavathu
adai mazhaiyil vaadi vathangipizhaikkiren
aanaal puyal oynthapadillai
onbathu mathangal
innum oru thodarkathai

saavu

matravargalukku aaradi
ennako ettadi
avargalukku naalu manithargal
ennokko naalu chakaram
puthaikka mann
enakku kaakitham
min kaakitham
avargalukku oru thadavai
ennakku thinamum oru thadavai
aam, seththu pizhaikkiren

karai

amma enna solvalo
kannil neer kothathu
kalaiyil amma sonnathu
nyabagam vanthathu
endi thenam uniformla
ivvalavu azhukku akinduvare?
thoichalum poga mattengathu
innoru thadavai ipdi vaa
tholai urikkaren

bayamaga irunthathu
ithu epdi aanathenru theriyavillai
inru vilayadavum illai.
oru velai busil aagiyirukkumo
veeturkku ponathum
amma parthaaL
thittavillai
aanaal athaivida kadumaiyai
dandanaiyittaL
moolaiyil uttkara vaithu vittaL

nyabagangal

thinamum velai ottathil
maranthu vidugirathu
aanal padukka pogumpothu thaan
ninaithu paarkiren
naan valarntha idam
en siru vayathu thozhigal
ippothu enge irukirargalv
azhkaiyin ottathodu
poivittom veveru vazhiyil
yaaro sollirukirargaL
nyabagangal thaalattum
ennakkum appidi thaan

chakaram

seval koovum munbe
ezhugiraL
kosukkal naduve
vaasal thelithu kolam pottu
palai vangi
kapi pottu
veetil ullavargalukku koduthu
thanum oru vai avasaramaga kudithu
avasara avasaramai kulithu
samaiyal seithu
pasangalai viratti kulipaatti
ellorukkum kalai aagaram koduthu
schoolukkum officukkum anuppi
8:45 bussai pidikka
longu longendru odi
koottathil idipattu mithipattu
velai sendru
odi aadi kaariyangal seithu
kaLaithu veedu vanthu
samaiyal seithu
sappittu suthamseithu
pasangalin thevaigalai gavanithu
appadaavenru padukka selgiraL
aanaal, mudiyavillai
kanavanin anbu thollai
marupadiyum seval koovum munbe...
chakkaram suzhalgirathu

aasai

kadarkaraiyil
kaikkorthu
paathasuvadugal pathikka aasai
alaigaludan mothi
viLaiyaada aasai
uppu kaatrai
swasikka aasai
sundal virkum payyanidam
2 packet vaangi
pangu pottu thinna aasai
manaLil utkarnthu
maraiyum suriyanai
vazhiyanuppa aasai
eppothu niraiverum
en aasai

ninaivugal

nyabagangal
marakka ninnaikiren
mudiyavillai
sila nyabagangal
manathil muLLaai
silathu parangallaai
azhiyaa kolangal ivai
ninaikka virumbugiren
mudiyavillai
sila iniya ninaivugal
roja ithazhgalaai
panchu methaigalaai
manathai varuda
azhinthuvitta kolangal ivai

vidiyal

vidiyar kalai
paRavaigalin suprabhatam
ithamana katru
mottai madi
pazhaiya ninaivugal
manathil kulumai
thedugiren antha inimai
vendum oru mottai madi

Ennaval

un kangal karun dratchai pazhangal
un sevvaai kovai pazham
un kannangal kashmir applegal
sevvaazhai kalgal,
pinchu vendakai un viralgal
matravai solla ennakku anumathi illai
aaga motham nee
koyembedu market

unnai pol oruvan

unnai pol oruvan naan
maranthuvittai athaiyum thaan
nee naarkaliyil utkargirai
naan maN tharaiyil utkargiren
nee pattuduthigirai
nan paruthiyil alaigiren
nee kalanigal pala anigirai
naan antha kalanigalai uruvakigiren
unnai pol oruvan naan
marutthuvittai athaiyum thaan
nee iraivanai ul nindru thuthikkirai
naan avanai vasalil nindru unargiren
thundai nee tholil podugirai
athai naan iduppil anigiren
itthanai vithyasam irukkindra pothilum
unnai pol oruvan naan
marutthuvittai athaiyum thaan.

neruppu

AnRu
neruppai satchiyaga vaithai
InRu
antha neruppukke
ennai kanikkaiyaki vittai





en ithayam
unathenru kodutten
enudaiyathenral
naan enna vendumo
seiyatuma enru kettai
nee ethu seithalum
ennaku magizhchi Enren
Aanal enakku theriyavillai
athai nee
kaalmithiyai ubiyogipai enru




AnRu
nee katRU
naan maram
EnRai
InRu
AC culiril
vaazhgirai

vazhi

vantha vazhiyai
thirumbi paarkiren
vanthathu sariya
illai thavara
munthaiya thirupathil
thirumbirukkalamo
theriyavillai
aanal enge ponal thaan enna
thunaiyaga nee irukkum pothu

niranthara pillaithaichi

nee en thai alla
aanaal pala naaL
ennai sumanthirukkirai

ennai pol pala per
un vayitril sumaiyaga
nee sumai thangaamal
saynthu kondu saalaiyil sendrai

endraikkku pillai peru
enru thinam engugirai
unakku theriyathu
nee endrum pillaithaichi endru.

kittaparvai

oru murai unnai parthapothu
un kangalil enai izhanthen

maru murai parthapothu
un pechil enai izhanthen

pala murai parthapothu
naan unnai izhanthen

naan yaar

nathiyendruennai azhaikaathe
avaigal ibboomiyil
vatri vidukinrathu - maan
endruennai azhaikaathe
avaigal gundadipattu veezhkinrana
poovendruennai azhaikaathe
avaigal seekaramme
kainthu vidum

vathratha neer ootraai
en natpu irrukirathenru
sol, agam maghizhven

padarntha aalamaramai
en thaaimai irukirathenru
sol, uchi kulirven

malayaai en kaathal
unai soozhnthirukirathenru
sol, urugi viduven

bharathi kaanaatha
puthumai pennendru sol
unnil adangi viduven!

pillai varam

pillai varam vendininraal
marathukku thaayathu
pala kadavulgal
pala aalayangal
thavam irunthaal
varamum kidaithathu
paththu maatham
sugamaana sumai
konji maghizha kaathirunthaal
aval kan thirakkum munbe
mulaippaal kudukkum munbe
kalli paal koduthuvittaargal
piranthathu penn aayitre!

Kuzhanthai

kuzhanthai - I
--------------
ennai kandathum
pokka vai thiranthu
palingenra sirippu
chinna viral kondu
en mudiyai allum azhagu
kaalgalai pada padavena
enmel othaikkum kuthookalippu
pennaai piranthatharkku
enna punniyam seitheno!


kuzhanthai - II
-----------------
urakkathilirunthu
uthaikkapatten
paarthaal -
oruchinna kaal
thirumbi padukkiren
velicham illaatha nizhal
ennai kattikolgirathu

untitled

kangal nadathiya pecharangil
paarvaigal parimaari kondanar
konjam purinthum adigam puriyamalum
manasukkul vaangi kondanar
thanimayil athai paalooti
seeratti merugetrinar
athuvum aalamaramai valarnthu
aazhamaai vizhuthitrathu
ullangal idam maarina
puthiya uravugal piranthana
paalam kattuvatharku naal parthanar
atharko vilai pesugirargal
vilai mathikka mudiya
maanickathai petravargal
pethaigal puriyaathavargal

paruva kaalam

1
--
paruva pallaakkil
amarnthirunthavalai
paarvaiyaal padam pidithu
nenjukkul pathukki
pattaampoochi padapadakka
pesa prayathanikkayil
pallavan vanthu
kaaryathai keduthuvittaan


2
--
ilankaalayil
vega vegamai ezhunthu
tatteluthu padikka
odugiraal,
petrorgal bramikka

pada padavena viralgal
tattugirathu
kangal mattum thedugirathu
ora paarvai pattathum
viralgal thedugirathunenjo pada padakirathu

Vaanam

vaanathai paarkiren
virainthu sellum megangal
pin thodarum paravaigal
asthamikkum vannangal
kan chimittum nakshatirangal
noolgal illaamal aadum vellaiyan
etti pidikka aasai thaan
rekkaigal thedugiren

Pillai kaniamuthey

thendral enum thaeril
bavani varum un vaasam

thagitha mannirkku vaan mazhayaai
un sundara punnagai

thenamutham sottum
un mazhalai pechu

thathi thathi nadaipayilum azhagil
annangal naanum

pinju viralgal varudugayil
iragugalin itham

amma enumbothuthaan
ethanai inbam

The Rakhi Horrow Show

Growing up in the south, the custom of tying a thread to signify 'sibling'ness was alien to me. Until high school, actually. It became a sort of craze then to tie a rakhi to the brother figures in the neighbourhood. Some of us used it as a weapon too, if you catch my drift.
The go between in school romances, would be the brother she didn't have and would have a rakhi tied every year promptly, or at least until the romance lasted.

Some others used it to ward off unwanted attention from local romeos. That way, his hands and eyes would be tied. A two way protection that was. One, he no longer looked at the girl with a romantic interest and two, he shielded her from other roadside romeos.
If you think about it, isn't that what rakshabandhan is all about? To protect your sister at all costs? :-)

I remember this girl in college who was teased about it. She wanted to tie a rakhi on a classmate, but she forgot to bring it on the actual date. When she said she would bring it the next day, all our friends teased her, saying that if you tie it the next day, the relationship changes. The second day rakhi is for 'special friends'. She actually believed it for some time. And as far as I can recollect, she never tied another rakhi.

Going back to my high school days, I will tell you the reason why I never got on to that band wagon of enthusiastic rakhi siblings. My friend had a boyfriend with whom I had passing acquaintance. He had a friend who apparently decided that he was interested in me. My friend and her boyfriend would seldom talk to each other. They communicated through letters. So they were aware of this guy's interest. But I was never really informed though I could piece it from what I saw. And that put me in a fix. So my friend and I discussed what we should do about it. She suggested that I tie him the Rakhi and that should solve everything. At that time, that seemed to be a neat solution. And I carried it out.

The poor guy was shell shocked when I accosted him. He was probably thinking that his interest was reciprocated. And what do I do? Fetch my rakhi and tie it around his wrist with fumbling fingers. There! That should take care of it. I mentally rubbed my hands with glee and washed them. And he was still in a stupor that he could not stop me or do anything except walk away.

And I promptly forgot about all this in a little while. A few days later, I receive an anonymous mail. Not the electronic kind, those days, the written postal kind was more popular. There was no sender's address and I opened it with hesitation. Inside I found a chocolate bar. So I consulted my other friend and we thought we should eat it since there seemed to be nothing wrong with the chocolate even though we didn't know anything about the benevolent sender.

I broke a few pieces, gave her some, ate some. While eating, I flipped the chocolate over. There was something written (embossed) on the chocolate! Can you believe it! Unfortunately I could not make out what was written, except for the signed name. And on further exploring found my rakhi in that envelope. I had to throw away that chocolate as it no longer appealed to me.

So you see, from then on, I decided rakhis and pseudo brothers were not for me. But it did provide me with so much entertainment, don't you agree?

To err... is divine

I don't think I want to be right all the time. Sometimes it is okay to be wrong. If I was right all the time, I would be running in circles. Will never get anywhere that way. Mistakes help us learn better. If we are wise, we make mistakes, or rather, we acknowledge our mistakes. If we are smart, we don't repeat mistakes. :-D

Looking back, I think I remember my mis-steps more than my right ones. A reminder to not repeat them. It does help. It is easier to predict consequences of a wrong move, or rather easier to predict if we are making a wrong move. Which is very important. to know that we are making a mistake. If we have not made one before, how would we recognize it?

After all, to err is human. And we should learn to forgive ourselves. But not forget. Experience, they say, is the best teacher. Just because someone advises us that we are making a wrong move does not stop us. We have to make it and then realize our error and try to backtrack. We should try not to repeat ourselves, when it comes to erring. And that brings me to another cliche, once bitten twice shy.

fired up

They all said, "there is a fire burning inside him". He is a fireball. Fiery passions. He moved like someone had lit a fire under his feet. He had so much fire that he burnt the midnight oil. All fired up. But he forgot to heed his mother's warning, do not play with fire. So he got burnt. Burnt out. Nothing left except ashes.

Making Memories

Her laughter, music to ears
Makes one want to dance.
Her eyes, twinkling stars -
Full of mischief when impish;
Full of 'Do you know's,
Round as saucers,
As she tells me her new-found knowledge;
Filled with sadness
When chastised;
Her face, a bouquet of sunrays,
Bringing warmth and brilliance
To the lives she touches.
Sparkling with goodness,
Cherub that she is.
Not for long I know
As I hold on tight to these memories,
Souvenirs saved for my future.

Voices

Voices. High pitched, low pitched, deep midnight kinds, falsettos, baritones, trebles. The captivating ones like Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhonsle. The beautiful youth reflected in Shreya Ghosal's. The range of Rafi. How many of them! All wonderful in their own way.
Have you ever wondered how inappropriate certain voices can be? You would think that a beautiful young girl would have a voice to match. But she opens her mouth and releases a high-pitched whining volley of words. Then there was this girl in my class, whose deep voice made the teacher think some boy was giving her proxy attendance.

Then there are the voices you fall in love with. You don't have to look at the face; the voice touches chords deep within you. It takes you far away to a wonderful place and you want them to keep going on and on. Sonorous, yes. The husky voice that conveys a hidden promise.

As unique as finger prints? An identity? In a way, yes. Who doesn't recognize their favorites speaking and singing? Deep-throated Amitabh B, failed when he adopted a different kind of voice in one of his movies. Who doesn't know the booming baritone of Barry White? The nasal twangs of Mukesh! The dulcet tones of our nightingale, Lata M!

So what kind is yours?

The tangled web called love

Malu, Kala, Giri, Sudhakar and Mahesh were childhood friends. All grew up in the same compound. Mahesh was the oldest in the group and Malu, as in Malini, the youngest. But that didn't prevent them from forming a tight clique. They played 'house', cricket, hide-and-seek and whatever other games took their fancy.

They loved playing house the most. Mahesh and Kala would be appa and amma. Sudha and Giri would be the kids with Malu ending up being the baby. They collected carboard boxes from everywhere to build their houses; they stole rice, tamarind and jaggery from their homes and 'cooked' them in tiny pots over matchstick fires. It was all fun.

The ruins close to their house offered a good venue for their games. They would play there after school, until their parents came hunting for them to eat and do their homeworks. Summers, no question, they were there all the time, except for the times when they had to eat and sleep. When they got a little older, the games changed, but the clique remained.

Things started changing around the time Mahesh left for college. That started the downfall of the clique. They got busy with their day-to-day routines. But they still remained good friends. Sudha and Kala were in the same class and so had a lot in common still.

Malu was a year younger but still closer to them than Giri and Mahesh. Giri was 2 years older than Sudha and Kala and Mahesh was a year older than Giri. Mahesh went off to another city for his college but came home for the holidays. Giri attended a local college.
Things really took a turn during one summer. Sudha and Kala were going to college the following year. Mahesh had come back sporting a light beard. He had started weight training and the difference was very obvious. The girls noticed it. He was no longer their childhood friend. He was a handsome young man.

Kala noticed the changes in her self, when she kept finding excuses to visit Mahesh. One day it was to borrow a book, another day to ask his opinion about her education and so on. Mahesh was his sweet self, talking to her like always. Kala wanted him to notice the budding woman in her. She started taking more care about her appearance. Her face suffused with color whenever she came across Mahesh. She found herself thinking a lot about him.

Sudha, being closer to her than others, took note of her new appearance. For him, until now, she had been just a close friend, genderless. It called to the hormone raging teenager in him. Unfortunately, he did not know Kala's newfound interest in Mahesh. So it came as a huge shock when Kala took him in to her confidence.

Meanwhile, Malu, on her side found similar things happening to her too. She found herself drawn to Mahesh, but was unable to find a similar response from him. For the others in the group, Malu was the baby. She was the littlest one who needed to be protected. It was obvious to her that Mahesh did not see beyond that. She became withdrawn and forlorn. There was no one she could pour her heart out to. Giri, who was helping her with preparing for her college entrance exams, noticed her absent-mindedness. He gently coaxed her to confide in him. It was a shock to him to realize that little Malu baby was interested in a guy, and that too, Mahesh. He tried to talk some sense in to her. He tried telling her that it would spoil their friendship if things did not work out the way she wanted. But no amount of cajoling changed her mind. It was set on Mahesh. She pleaded with Giri to talk to Mahesh about it. After a lot of deliberation, he agreed to act the messenger for her.

Sudha walked around like a zombie. He felt like his world was collapsing around him. Here he was, in love for the first time, but with no hopes of seeing it to fruition. He dreaded facing Kala now. He avoided meeting her. It worked for sometime, until Kala came knocking at his door. She wanted him to help her out, true friend that he was. She could not find the nerve to talk to Mahesh about her feelings. Sudha did not want to be part of it. He just wanted to be left alone and drown in his own sorrow and self-pity. Kala's tears finally made him relent. He agreed to do her bidding. After all, if he cannot be happy, he could at least make her happy. Wasn't that what love was all about?

So it was that both Sudha and Giri found themselves, independent of each other of course, trying to get Mahesh alone, so they could convey the messages. They finally decided to get each other's help. One day, Giri was on the terrace to check on his mom's chillies drying in the sun. Sudha saw him go up and followed him there. He told Giri about Kala's feelings for Mahesh. Giri was too dumb-founded for a few minutes. Then he told Sudha about Malu. The two friends found themselves in a quandary. They were not sure how to proceed. Both Malu and Kala were dear to them and they could not choose one over the other. Finally, they decided that they would leave the decision to Mahesh. He was the affected party. So they waited for the right moment to talk to Mahesh.

The first opportunity presented itself when the trio decided to go bowling. Giri and Sudha would tell Mahesh everything and let him choose. Mahesh himself was in a fix and needed someone to talk to and who better than his childhood friends. They would understand him better than anyone else. After their game they decided to stop at a cafe for snacks and tea. Seated at the table, Sudha started on the topic. Mahesh listened to him with a frown. A silence followed. Then Mahesh talked. Sudha and Giri sat like they had been struck by lightening. What they were hearing was unbelievable. This happened only in movies or to other people. Not to common folks like them. They kept on sitting and staring into space, while Mahesh got up and walked away, unshed tears in his eyes. The waiter with the bill brought them back to reality. Dumbly, they paid him and got out. With thoughts churning in their minds. Mahesh, their Mahesh! How could it be! Mahesh had just confided in them about his fascination for a classmate from college. And the classmate was not a girl!

As the fingers tap...

There are days and there are days. Days when thoughts come at you from all directions. The juices flow. Some days nothing works, the shields come up on all sides. Whoa, let me out of here, I beg, I plead, I suffer. Nothing. Zip. So I just wait it out. The tides will change. As they are wont to.

Then there are those days, I can perceive the waxing and I start to churn them. Words, thoughts, ideas float around me, drowning me. I pick a few from here and there, like I used to pluck flowers from the shrubs back home. Some I take, others I discard. Words that blend a certain way, bringing out a unique tune, which is my own. My very own.

And then, silence. Limbo. Everything vanishes. I grope like a blind person left in unfamiliar surroundings. I reach for those elusive thoughts. But they slip from my clutches. They play a game of hide and seek. And I can't seem to win. I flounder. Waiting. Soon. And I go back trying to rearrange my collection, hoping for more inspiration, a turning of the tides. It will happen. If not today, then tomorrow. And I am willing to wait. However long it may take. And with me waits those half melodies. Yes melodies. They sing to me. Someday the doors will open wide and let in the sunshine, and I will dust those cobwebs.

aval/thedal

aval
-----
chiru vayathil petrorgal sol
manantha pin kanavan sol
petra pin pillaigal sol
thanakenru vazhavillai
unarchi atru ponathu
unarvugal atra vaazhkai
uyir mattum aval kayil


thedal
-------
mutrum thuranthaan
kadavulai kaana vendinaan
koyilgal valam vanthaan
enge nee ena katharinaan
madaya, naan unakkul
nee illathu thavikkum
un illathavalin netriyil
un kuzhanthayin punsirippil
aval mazhalai pechil
verengu thedilum verumai
kadaval sonnathu
avan kaathil vizhavillai
avano mei maranthirunthaan

rayil payanam

mun pin theriyathavargal
saga payanigal
samugamai selginrom
ingematha prachanaigal illai

thoorathil theriyumchinanchiru veedugal
avatril eriyum vilakkugal
avargal yaaro
ullukkul oru aaval

pala oorgalai kadakirom
sila vatril nirkkirom
engum thanguvathillai
nam pogumidam athuvallave
kaathirukkirom

thaayaai thalaatugirathu
sugamai urangugirom
koovenru kathi ezhupugirathu
oor vanthuvittathu
avasara avasaramai irangugirom