P.S. I Love You (novel)

"A novel about holding on, letting go and learning to love again." - Goodreads

P.S. I Love You, a debut novel by Irish writer Cecelia Ahern, deals with a love that a man leaves for his wife even after his death and how he eventually convinces her to fall in love again. This man Gerry is so unreal and romantic that he leaves bunch of letters to his wife Holly, meant to guide her out of grief and loneliness. Starting from trivial tasks such as buying a bedside lamp, these letters gives her hope and a new outlook at the society. In the tenth and final letter, Gerry gives Holly confidence to fall in love again and a task to open her heart and follow it.

Highlight of the novel is the order of these letters. The author has stood upon the shoes of Holly and found out what would be needed at what time for her recovery. By doing so, the author has represented Gerry as a husband who has completely understood the feelings of his wife.

The story is more focused on emotions. Sometimes, even the letters have lost prominence to emotions. The author has more focused on how Holly feels upon reading a letter than to what the letter actually says and how important the task in the letter is to Holly's recovery. This has lead to a monotonous story-telling at times, although the storyline had the potential to diversify.

The characters centered around Holly are diverse in nature and add life to the story. Opposite to the main plot which deals with sad emotions, these characters and their little life episodes make the readers feel light hearted. The author could have used more such funny episodes to cut the monotony.

Overall, the storyline is good but the narration could have been better. Not bad for a debut novel.

To Kill a Mockingbird (film)

An adaptation of the novel written by Harper Lee and directed by Robert Mulligan, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the few good courtroom movies I have seen. The film poster says, "The rare film story of a father who must expose his children to a small town's outraged passions...and can only protect them with his love." It is indeed a rare film story which is explicitly mentioned as 'not suitable for children', and yet narrates the story in the view of a young tomboy Scout. 

To Kill a Mockingbird was set in a fictitious town of Maycomb, Alabama in 1932. It looks into the prevalence of racism in Maycomb society through three young children namely, Scout, Jim and Dill, and focuses on the character of Scout's father Atticus Finch. Intertwined between these characters, the story goes on about how Atticus defends a negro Tom Robinson who allegedly raped a white woman Mayella Ewell. Though the case is strong in Tom's side, the racist tendency of the society results in Atticus losing the case. However, Atticus efforts gain him the respect from other black people in the society. In the other hand, the story also talks about Boo Radley, and the children's imagination about his monstrous appearance. Final scenes talk about how the vengeful father of Mayella attacks Scout and Jim and how Boo saves them by killing the attacker.

There are scenes which give scintillating effect to the viewers. Let me describe few here.

1. The courtroom scene: As said earlier, the courtroom scene makes clear that Tom Robinson is innocent, and it was Mayella who tried to take advantage of him, and it was her father who beat her up. In this scene, Atticus' appeal to the all white jury to keep aside their prejudice and consider the case in human point of view, is one of the best pieces of dialogue I have heard. Yet the all white jury finds Tom guilty anyway. The best of the scene is the quietness the verdict receives from either side. Neither the whites cheer much, nor the blacks send cries of protest. This quietness is clear symbol of the faultiness of the verdict and tolerance of the blacks. Jewel in the crown is the saying by a reverend, "Miss Jean Louise, stand up, your father's passin."
2. The lynch mob scene: A lynch mob of white men tries to attack Tom Robinson in a jailhouse. Being prepared to break in and hang Robinson, the mob faces Atticus himself guarding the jailhouse. In that remarkable scene, Scout being unaware of the intentions of the mob, bursts onto the scene and shames a poor farmer into leaving. Despite being of innocent words, her speech shows a strategic exercise. It made me wonder whether a child could turn away such an angry lynch mob? The way the scene is portrayed clearly provides an aye for an answer.
3. Spit on the face scene: After the death of Tom, Atticus goes to his house to inform Tom's wife. Bob Ewell appears there and calls one of the black men, "Boy, go in the house and bring out Atticus Finch." One of them does so and when Atticus is out, Bob spits on his face, Atticus stares at him, wipes his face and drives away. There seem no specialty in this scene as such. But the face expressions by the two actors is the gem. Atticus' angry but confident look and Ewell's unstable fear in the stare down were well captured in camera.
4. Killing a Mockingbird scene: The climax sees a sudden appearance of Boo Radley. Robert Ewell is found dead with a knife stabbed under his ribs, and Boo appears in Jim's room. This appearance is much unexpected because of the descriptions of Boo and the story's focus away from him. Though it becomes obvious that Boo killed Bob, Sheriff says, "There's a black man dead for no reason and the man responsible for that is dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time." After this, so far innocent Scout reaches to her father and with much understanding of the situation and states that what the Sheriff says is right because sending Boo to the gallows would be like "killing a mockingbird".

Added to the excellent story by Harper Lee and direction by Robert Mulligan, the third element that leads the viewer to concentrate on the movie is music by Elmer Bernstein. In fact, till the movie was over, I almost forgot there has been a background music going on. It has so embedded with the screenplay. Hats off to Bernstein.

In total, To Kill a Mockingbird is an artistic depiction of the then society of Alabama. It views, speaks and plays the reality of a racist society and the few good men in it. No wonder it remains in the top 100 in IMDB ratings for the past 23 years.

Beyond the Tropic - A Journey to Rajdhani

Travelling is an unique activity that brings us in contact with various places and people for a much shorter period of time, but teaches extensively about the same. In Francis Bacon's words, "Travel is a part of both education and experience."

I am a traveler, though not a frequent or extensive one, I like traveling. But till the mid of this month, my journeys were contented within Tamil Nadu. Till the mid of this month, I had crossed the borders of Tamil Nadu for only four times. However, within the State, I had traveled across every districts at least twice. My entire travel history changed when I started to New Delhi on 15th December 2013. Though the purpose of my visit was to attend IFS 2013 Personality Test, it was the travel I had taken has been more memorable. Like all the great travelers, I have seen more than I remember and remember more than I have seen. And here, I would like to share things I remember to have seen in my entire trip to New Delhi.

Andhra Pradesh: Starting on a chilly morning of 15th December, myself and four of my friends boarded in Chennai-Delhi Rajdhani express. The first State we entered was Andhra Pradesh, in which we could see two faces. Geographically, the Coastal parts were completely different from rest of the State. In the coastal plains we could see improved agricultural practices with proper shelter belts and wind-breakers. The climate was moderate till we reached Vijayawada. Once we entered the Telengana region, we could see rugged terrains with tank irrigated agriculture and higher temperature. Social backwardness of the region was more expressive in agricultural practices and settlement patterns. Of high mark of Andhra Pradesh as I had seen was the majestic view of bridges across the river Krishna.

Maharashtra: I remember only two things from this state - Pollution and forests. As the train entered Ballarpur, a smoke cloud arising from many parts of the city welcomed us. Accompanying this was the effluent from paper industry here. The most regretful view of the entire trip was Ballarpur. On the other side, the Tadoba forest was extremely calm and fresh. It was my first time to travel through a forest region and it was a pleasant experience. The view of teak trees will stay in my memories always.

Madhya Pradesh: The first all Hindi state we entered was Madhya Pradesh. Lakes and Ravines were the token view of the state. Two of my co-passengers were from Bhopal. One thing we noticed from them was that the North Indians love to sleep. From Chennai till Bhopal, they got up only to eat. It was in Madhya Pradesh, we crossed the Tropic of Cancer, to the land where sun never comes overhead. It was from Madhya Pradesh, fog started to block our vision.

Rajasthan: A small stretch of the journey and a small station of Dholpur were all that was to see in Rajasthan. North of the Chambal badlands was so dry with minimum number of shrubs and trees. As fog became heavier, we were not able to see anything beyond 10-20 metres. This gave us no other choice other than to sleep, resulting in skipping the Uttar Pradesh part of this post.

New Delhi: The train became intermittent as we entered the outskirts of New Delhi, presumably due to heavy fog. Crossing the growing dense settlements, the mighty Rajdhani Express finally reached Nizamuddin station only after 4 hours of scheduled arrival, at 1400 hours on 16th December.

Thus ends the first part of my post "Beyond the Tropic."

Lessons learnt...

It has been a year and half since I started to prepare for Civil Services Examination, and I am in mid way through my first attempt. In this one and half years time, I have understood a few things which I would like to share in this post.

1. Preparing for Civil Services Exam itself is a worthwhile activity. It provides a different perspective on the events happening around us. Such a new perspective to view the problems wouldn't have been possible if at all I did not take up civil service as my career option. For this I thank all my well wishers who encouraged me taking up this track.
2. There is much to learn. Our knowledge is very limited even in the fields we perceive to be strong with. But very few people really accept this fact. When a person understands and accepts the knowledge he/she possess is incomplete, that person succeeds.
3. There are not shortcuts. Hard work and dedication are the necessary criteria for success. With proper guidance, any person working hard and dedicated to do service can get through the process and become a civil servant.
4. Life would see many ups and downs. In all the situations a person needs to maintain consistency. A person who is consistent in thoughts, talks and deeds can become whoever he or she wants to be.
5. Staying positive even when everything goes wrong. Such positive attitude is the very basis of consistency.
6. Every human is respectable. Their status or position does not really matter. Each person is a constituent of the society, so be duly respected.
7. No information is trivial. Everything we come across has its own impact on our surrounding. It is important that a human understands this truth and weighs all the data equally.

These may look simple things. But in the past few months I have experienced the importance of above said statements. I hope this helps other aspirants who read it.

When Plan B turns into Plan A

Back after a long gap, to explain the nihility of posts in this venturous blog, I’m back after a long gap. In fact, I was well aware that I am maintaining a blog here, and I had taken an oath this year to post at least thrice a month. But nothing is certain in life, and that’s what keeps the life alive. Enough for the prologue, let’s get into the subject.

Lastly I scribbled here on April 20, 2012, as the post below states. Just in a weeks time from then, my Final End Semester Exams at College of Engineering, Guindy had started, and in a flash it got over, ending my relationship as a student with the prestigious campus. Still I stayed there for few more days, registering evergreen moments in my memory. Though I had been through this stuff all my life – making friends and leaving them just like that – it was entirely different experience. For the first time I had passed something called “The Slam Book”, and got loads of preserved memories written. It was the only time I could see even the tough guys cry. Then came the D-Day, May 13, 2012. There is a term in Tamil that defines both sadness of leaving and attachment to someone in one sentence – piriyavidai. Being sent off from The Safe Haven by bricks of buildings, barks of trees and a few lovely juniors, I reached my hometown the very next day.

Then started the talk. So many relatives, well-wishers and claimed to be friends, who had never cared what I had been doing these 20 years, started asking the usual chain of queries – “finished engineering?” -> “what next?” -> “selected in campus?” -> “which company?” -> “good company?” -> “joining date?”. Hell with Social Protocol, I answered all these each time patiently. But one thing was well said by all these people – “this is the only time you could enjoy… don’t miss it…”, and I didn’t want to. Starting from Paramakudi, first went to my city Palayamkottai. If getting together with old friends is one thing, going back to the old days is the other. The same old VOC ground, galli cricket and galli cricket with kids, mushroom fry at road side paani poori shop, midnight walks, pointless talks, temple roof, movies, marriage functions (both invited and uninvited  ), food etc., the list never ends. Despite the hapless failure of Kodaikanal plan, other outings – to Tirupur, Salem, Tirunelveli, Tiruchendur, Madurai – went well, and the retreat call came from home. It was lonely Paramakudi days again.

So what about the title?! I had two plans about my career. They were not exactly two different plans, but two phases of a single plan. Phase A: Work for one year; Phase B: Resign and prepare for Civil Services Examinations and become an administrative official of India. Then came this mail from the reputed company which had recruited me, stating my joining date has been postponed indefinitely and the exact date will be informed on October. There is a famous saying in the book The Alchemist, “When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true”. I don’t know whether it is this Global Economic Slowdown which is a possible explanation for postponement or simply my Instinct which made up my mind to take the risk, it took just three hours to decide not to take the offer and go on with Phase B. Thus that three hours on June 20, had turned the Phase B into my Plan A.

Going with Plan A, here I am, in an apartment in Anna Nagar, Chennai, writing this post. Two month for settling in a permanent address here and two more month for setting up in the race, my delayed update is justified, I hope. You may wonder, if something is named as Plan A, shouldn’t there be some other Plan with different alphabet? In my case, sorry to disappoint, there is none. So, when Plan B turns into Plan A, Plan A must be a success 

நீரில்லா ஒரு நதி

காற்றில் எங்கும் கரிசல் மணம் – நம்

கண்கள் அறியுமோ கதிரவன் கனம்…

ஆற்றுநீர் காணாத மஞ்சள் மணல் – அதில்

ஊற்றுநீர் தந்திடும் கிணற்றின் எழில்…

கருவேலங்காட்டு முட்செடிகள் – நம்

ஒருவேளை உணவாய் சில கோவைக்கனிகள்…

ஆடுபுலி ஆடும் கிழடுகள் – மழலை

ஓடி விளையாடும் சுவடுகள்…

வெயிலுக்கு வசைகூறும் பாதங்கள் – மூங்கில்

மயிலுக்கு இசைபாடும் நாதங்கள்…

மறக்க முடியுமா – நம்

வைகை வினாடிகள்…

The lady who Lived

She was born in a rich family with Three Brothers and Six Sisters (as far as I know there were Three Brothers and Six Sisters in that family), ninety years ago. The then Sourashtrian society had clusters of male chauvinists and very few women who fought for their rights. But this woman, neither fought against the male dominant society nor despised it for its ignorance. She survived all kind of difficulties a woman can. Firstly the great culture of Child Marriage had ruined her Education, then Tuberculosis killed her husband just after a few years of marriage leaving her in solitude with a toddling little girl child. As usual, as in old days, brothers betrayed their sisters for ancestral properties. Despite being denied even a single penny from her brothers and being isolated as a young widow, she never lost Hope and Determination. She was left alone all the time, but she never let herself lose her self respect from others. She just adjusted herself with the people around her to survive for almost 90 years to witness the transforms in and around the society, to nurture her grand children and great grand children as good citizens to the country (she might have never known what she was doing then). She never lived her life for herself. She is my Great Grandmother, Vijayalakshmi, who had just passed away this Tuesday (13.03.2012). I am happy that she no longer has to suffer the pain of paralysis which attacked her ten years ago. I am happy that I had the chance to look at her face one last time. I do still remember what she told me when I left for Chennai for higher studies, “Go wherever you want to, but be the son of Sridharan always. Never let anything change you. You will be successful”, and I want to tell her that I have kept my word till date. Rest In Peace my dear Aathamma…

One Dream

ஒரே கனா என் வாழ்விலே-

அதை நெஞ்சில் வைத்திருப்பேன்!

கனா மெய் ஆகும் நாள் வரை-

உயிர் கையில் வைத்திருப்பேன்!

வானே என் மேல் சாய்ந்தாலுமே,

நான் மீண்டு காட்டுவேன்!

நீ என்னை கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சினால்,

நிலவை வாங்குவேன்!

Love the way you Lie...!

On the first page of our story
The future seemed so bright
Then this thing turned out so evil
I don’t know why I’m still surprised

Even angels have their wicked schemes
And you take that to new extremes
But you’ll always be my hero
Even though you’ve lost your mind

Just gonna stand there and watch me burn
But that’s alright because I like the way it hurts
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry
But that’s alright because I love the way you lie
I love the way you lie,
Ohhh, I love the way you lie.

Now there’s gravel in our voices
Glass is shattered from the fight
And this tug of war, you’ll always win
Even when I’m right

‘Cause you feed me fables from your head
With violent words and empty threats
And it’s sick that all these battles
Are what keeps me satisfied

Just gonna stand there and watch me burn
But that’s alright because I like the way it hurts
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry
But that’s alright because I love the way you lie
I love the way you lie,
Ohhh, I love the way you lie.

-Rihanna

Scent of a Woman (film)

"Whoo-ah." I know it is very late to write a review on a movie that was released in 1992, but still, what to do! I was a toddler then and I have just watched it last night..!!

Scent of a Woman is about Charles Simms (Chris O’Donnell), a Boston prep school senior, and the Thanksgiving weekend he spends working as the aide and companion of Lt. Colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino), a stubborn, lonely, blind veteran. The job, which begins as an onerous task performed principally for money, becomes a tour of self-discovery when Slade decides to make an unexpected visit to New York City. There, amidst all the holiday hoopla, the lieutenant’s actions force Charlie into making an emotionally painful and morally good decision, which could rot his entire future.

Acting is a divinely art and Cinema is a dangerous platform. It has seen men who had aspired to become a Super Star and ended as yet another Day Dreamer. But there are certain actors that, when they appear in the big screen, make the audience engrossed on their face (to be more precise, eyes). I can name few of those elite actors – Tom Hanks, Leo Dicaprio, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Brad Pitt… and Al Pacino. These guys above can do any roles given to them to the perfect extent possible. I have seen very few Pacino movies and of those few characters I have seen, Lt. Colonel Slade is the most difficult one – a stubborn, blind man with a soft heart deep inside, and no one could have done this role better than Pacino. His “Whoo-ah“s are ever memorable.

"...I don't know if Charlie's silence here is right or wrong; I'm not a judge or jury. But I can tell you this - he won't sell anybody out to buy his future! And that, my friends, is called integrity. That's called courage..." - Lt. Colonel Slade

Scenes and Dialogues, which apparently impress most of the audience, is one of the big reasons for the success of the Scent of a Woman. Director Martin Brest knew the secret and blended awesome dialogues with beautiful screenplay. Especially Pacino’s tango scene with Gabrielle Anwar, it was magical. Final dialogues from Slade, which explains how much he had learnt from young Charlie, were very convincing for me to believe that the Disciplinary Committee had acquitted Charlie. Some may argue it as an usual Hollywood ending, but I can say there could be no other perfect ending for a pleasant story like Scent of a Woman.

"No mistakes in the tango, not like life. Simple, that's what makes tango so great. You make a mistake... get all tangled up... just tango on." - Lt. Colonel Slade

If you ask for something other than Al Pacino’s role-play or Scenes or Dialogues which gives a reason to watch this movie, I can give you one to listen to Scent of a Woman – Music. Thomas Newman has given a divinely, peaceful and outstanding backscore which could be heard all day. Hats off to Newman!

Scent of a Woman – a masterful product by a perfect trio, which makes you forget your sorrows and makes you feel happier. Never miss it..!!