Weddings and growing up

27th October was the day Randeep, my friend of almost 22 years got married. And the other day I went to the reception of another friend whom I have known for around 16 years. It seems suddenly that I have known many of the people for well over 10 years...The days, when all we wanted was to win the day's cricket match at the Medical college ground seems to be a mirage long gone past. Indeed time has flown. But there still seems to be something I cherished when I spent time with Randeep or Kaala or even when I shook hands with Konni (all resplendent in a bridegroom's dress at his reception).
And this time around, when I saw a couple of "youth" films with Anand(my bro), it seemed as though the days when we used to relish Mohan Lal and Sreenivasan flicks were something which exists somewhere in our remote memories. I dont think it is an identity crisis though. But may be it is all part of growing up!
Anyways best wishes to Randeep and Konni for their married lives.

At God's Own Country

I was finally at home after a gap of more than one and half years. I think every time one comes back home, one notices changes. A few shops having come up, the roads having been broadened and the residents echoing that the traffic has increased. Is this what one calls progress? But the reality remains that change is indeed taking place and it is for the current day policy makers, visionaries and implementors to see that change is for the better.

And yesterday I was with Ashok and Rajkin, my Loyola class mates.(yeah from the nobles group) As it happens everytime, the discussion veered towards dos and donts, right and wrong, black and white and of a variety falling in the same genre. It looks as if we will never be able to manage any other talk. Not even Antony or our esteemed president APJ were spared.

You cannot blame the Loyolites. For they have been known to be bordering on arrogance with an opinion on everything from Bush's policy in Iraq to the Presidential ambitions of Anthony.

In any case yesterday's discussion was on something which we had never taken up? Are Loyolites perennial under achievers in the real world? Do they lack fire to make it to the top and get noticed nationally and internationally? Do they lack the ruthlessness needed to be at the summit of glory?

Alongside some plausible reasons were put forth but real answers were genuinely lacking. Are the qualities of integrity, a sense of what's right and wrong, a conscience higher than what is required, some of the things which holds a Loyolite back? May be yes, but then what is also very much true is that they lack the fire and drive to be famous...

Yet, the hope still remains that one day there will be a Loyolite or may be a "nobles" on the front page of some of the best selling magazines in the country...Who knows? Or is it a case of pure delusion monstered in the minds of a few self loving Loyolites!

Ashok espouses one school of thought, when he said..."There is a duty for every Loyolite towards this society..." A proposition which may not find favour with many like Rajkin, but still the answers need to be found. May be someday...

Page 3...finally an experience!

The last weekend started off on a good note...Back from Hyderabad, I got of those "uninvited" invites to join the NDTV party at the Leela, courtesy Anish. Well it was one of those typical page 3 parties where people like Soni, Pooja, Anupam, Neena, Anu etc were present. Yeah I have left out their surnames and they are all pretty good names from the Bollywood. Well beyond a point of getting a kick from the page 3 experience, I thought it was dignified "vellam adi" from all quarters! In any case it was a good experience, though I did not get to see any of my NDTV stars who I have grown used to.

On Saturday night, there was a Euro qualifier happening between England and Turkey. Well a hugely sadistic experience was that of Becks missing the penalty by rocketing the ball into the heavens. But a draw ensured that it did not warrant a "shame on beckham" kind of news story!

And yesterday was a truly humbling experience when I saw the program Harsha Unplugged with Narain Karthikeyan being the central figure. A current world series driver, he has been an unsung hero for Indian sports, with very little support system in place. I hope he drives in the Formula 1 some day.

Mumbai Matinee...

Yesterday evening, for want of anything better to do, went to see this new Hinglish movie called Mumbai Matinee. I do realise that there is a new genre of Indian cinema happening. The film went on and on about the virginness of a 32 year old Indian male. Off beat cinema is good but thats not a license to put on screen, below average stuff.I am not talking about the subject but the basic things in a film like editing, background score etc. In any case I presume its a free world and finally the audience will decide whether the film is worth or not:-)

The Indian team for the test matches were announced. Ramesh must be extremely unlucky not to have a look in. I also wondered what Yuvraj was doing there after having a terrible outing in the English county scene. In any case he was never considered a good test prospect. The problem with the current NZ series is that it comes just before the Australian tour. Invariably all our batsmen will put on tons of runs in the dead Indian tracks.And to decide the Indian batting line up for the tour down under based on the Kiwi performance, will be harakiri. Which makes me think that the dandiya season will just prolong for the Indian batsmen, until the Aussie tour ends...