News and Views of the Day

I am at risk of sounding like Idlivadai, but this is funny. A day or two after our CM stated that he waited like a good housewife for the return of Bharathirajaa, comes the news that he had a secret love affair with R.M. Veerappan. Apparently, though belonging to the rival party, AIADMK, RMV corresponded with the DMK Supremo in secret. Considering that ADMK broke away after 1971, and that RMV was faithful to MGR till his death, this one is surely a long drawn love affair.

The power situation here shows no signs of improvement, though I read that thanks to wind power, power cuts are down by two hours. There seems to be a permanent situation of low voltage, a friend at Kodambakkam tells me that there has been no light in home for the last few days- but he is able to keep his AC on, thanks to the stabiliser. Life should be simple, but it is not easy.

And the heat. Hopefully it has peaked- today is the last day of Kathiri. I am itching all over, and it is worse during the night. During the daytime, sleep comes easy, especially if you sit near or under a creaking fan that blows hot air about you- it helps if you have had a good lunch.

A white pigeon from Pakistan has been arrested for spying. The pigeon, white in colour, is recognisably Pakistani, and the evidence of its spying activity is a cell phone number written in red over its body, and a rubber stamp that gives away its origin- Wazirabad, I think. The pigeon is kept under observation in an air-conditioned room, no one is allowed to see him, and the man who reported the pigeon- he will not be allowed to go out until the investigations are over.

This should be first hint of a change that is coming: NASA administrator, Charles Bolden, has expressed fears that they can no longer depend on Indian scientists. I don't know how many of them are over there, but it seems like ever since the success of Chandrayan, they are looking to return to India to lead a hassle-free life (ha ha!), and help support India' drive to conquer the skies.

I'll note down my small pleasures at the end of posts such as this, so that we come to an upbeat end: the decoction at the base of the coffee tumbler. It is not supposed to be there, but it is, the way we make our coffee (shame!). I drink my cofee real hot, and I drink it real long. When the first scalding sip comes to end with a lukewarm gulp of bitter decoction. This should not make my happy, but then, consider that some of the days, the decoction is sweet with the sugar that has not dissolved. If you were me, you'll be shouting for joy.

Poems by Wendy Cope

I've been reading a collection of poems by Wendy Cope- "Two Cures for Love". They look like light reading, small poems that speak plain language, but reveal complicated lives:

Timekeeping

Late home for supper,

He mustn't seem drunk.

"The pob cluck", he begins,

And knows he is sunk.

Defining the Problem

I can't forgive you. Even if I could,

You would't pardon me for seeing through you.

And yet I cannot cure myself of love

For what I thought you were before I knew you.

Perfect.

And this is the one that made me laugh out loud-

Loss

The day he moved out was terrible-

That evening she went through hell.

His absence wasn't a problem

But the corkscrew had gone as well.

Poems that are simple the way these are, they are not easy to write. Wendy Cope does that amazingly well.

One year of UPA II - What has changed?

Today our Prime Minister was all over TV screens, answering questions from journos. Well not exactly answers but expressions, hopes and some answers. Any one going through his answers to questions on Spectrum issue, A.Raja, Naxal problem and Inflation worries would get a sense of Dejavu. There is nothing new in those responses (I desist from using the word answer anymore) from our PM. He himself wouldn't be satisfied with those responses if he were to be in the shoes of questioners or among one of us looking forward to answers.

Honestly, I did not expect him to give proper answers. Then why am I whining? I am because of the state of our politics and the way democracy is practiced in our beloved country. No one in power is accountable. People dare not question them. If you dare then be ready to face the wrath which may come in many forms from boulders to acids. Things have only worsened in the last 20 odd years of my close observation of Indian politics and the way democratic values are upheld here. Constitution has become another Bhagavad Gita, which is often quoted but not learnt or followed. If you have the power you can bend anything.

Coming back to the title of this post, what have they (UPA) achieved in the last 6 years that NDA did not in their term. What we have come to witness is mediocrity across the table. No one is different. Nothing separates anybody. Comrades are no better if their handling of affairs in their last bastion is anything to go by. Indian politics is commoditized. You are not going to get anything different by voting to 'X' or 'Y'. Now, how helpless is that?

We can all live, surely, because we all have thick skin and conveniently ignore things. That is, show apathy to things and issues you consider as beyond you. We are going spineless and even many of us are becoming abettors (கூட்டு களவாணிகள்) by taking bribes to vote and availing freebies where not eligible. May be, as people say, we deserve what we get.

Singam - Music Review

If there is one thing that I hate in the songs of this film, it is the chorus mouthing mumbo jumbo. They are there in every song, and the mumbo jumbo gets totally trashier and meaningless as you listen along. It is tiresome. May be the songs are not meant to be listened one after another. Or listened to.

'En idhayam ithuvarai thutitthathillai, ippo thutikkirathe, en manasu ithuvarai paranthathillai, ippo parakkirathey..." is a lilting song, with feminine voices whooing in the background (angels, There are some delectable bits of guitar, supported by the 'hullaahi, hullaahi, hullaahille" of male voices which bring a special zest to the song: the slow paced ending that almost terminates each stanze of the song into speech is something that grabbed my attention.

"Everybody listen samba bamba ramba thumbathumba..." is a high voltage dance number: totally crazy in a way that is likely to catch on. The lyrics are not great, and there are enough aahaas and oohoos in the background to push the song along, which runs like real zippy. It has a telugu feel to it- which is what you would expect in a Prasad number. I think we will hear it a lot in the radio and tv, and in our homes, we will have to put up with this numba shrieked about by our kids.

"Eh naalu kaalu paaicchalile, rentu kannu meicchalile, ettu thisai koocchalile..." is a song, yes, you guessed it that is too loud for my liking. And there are some novel improvisations with instruments, but the song has a real old 1990s feel to it. It is a bizarre song, I don't know how to classify it. I am not enthusiastic about it, but who knows, it might well be the hit song of the film. Such is my taste.

From the beginning to the end of it, "Singam singam, he is thorai singam- Everybody listen, listen, make way for the king..." filled me with dread,. It brought to mind all the antics of Vijay, and the punch dialogues that we endure film after film. It is a odd quality in this film, not so odd may be, every song has the chorus joining in with some nonsensical jingle: in this song, they go, "gabbagabbagabba..."

"Oru vaartthai moliyaale ennai uruga vaitthai"- has guitars going like raccoons that were forced to go without food: "she stole my heart she stole my heart" is shouted like the heart was something that needed to be gotten rid of urgently, like it was maybe a hard case of piles. Again, may be it is just that I try too hard to be clever, but this song is total chaos. You can't figure what emotion is behind this sloganeering, could be they thought this is the way a peppy song should go. I hate it. 

"Mussellamussellasanamsanam"- what kind of a chorus is this! Possibly Devi Prasad could think of no instrument that would make a sound like that, so he put a bunch of girls to go mussellamussella... And fittingly the song expires with a long drawn out slow whine, like a roistering cat that got its throat slit.

And there is another song like that, same tune, only slower and all guitary and groovy like they realised they needed a vinnai thaandi varuvaaya kind of number: this is a broken heart song. It is slow and moony, but the chorus is still here, they don't know where to go to, or what to do: they all go, "she stole my heart, she stole my heart"- as if in mockery of a case of piles that didn't quite go away.