Just Joe

Thulasi, here is your requested song.

Song: Akale
Movie: Akale
Music: M. Jayachandran
Singer: Karthik

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Thulasi also mentioned in his blog about how Cuba survived hurricane Wilma and also gave this link of UN reports in his blog.

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This was happened around 4 years back. I was in Bangalore for an interview at AOL call center and stayed at my friend’s place. He took me to a chinese restaurant which was opened just a month before my visit. There was his girlfriend and we all had food. And afterwards, he asked me “Do you need fingerbowl?” I haven’t heard about that before. I thought its something like Fish Finger or Finger Chips. I felt ashamed to ask what it is, because there was his girlfriend sitting opposite to me. So I said “No”. And then the “dish” came with hot water and lemon and to my surprise he dipped his hands in it and washed! Only then I came to realize what a fingerbowl is. ) He again asked me “You sure you dont want this? This can help you get rid of that oily touch in your hands”. Then I pretended thinking for a while and nodded yes.

Lesson I learnt that day: There is nothing wrong in asking and clearing your doubts with anyone. That is how we can improve in our life.

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Listen to Narayanan Venkitu sir’s song here.

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This song is composed and written by Narayanan Venkitu sir. I never knew he compose songs. This one is really a great piece of work. Check it out:

Lyrics here:

vaazhvu chezhikka varam thaan — iraivaa inke
vaazhvu chezhikka varam thaan

pon vENTaam enakku
poruL vENTaam – inke
maN vENTaam pukazhin
maNi vENTaam

viNNavanE enthan mannavanE
viNNavanE enthan mannavanE — intha
chinnavanai koncham kaappaai nee (vinnavane)

vaazhvu chezhikka varam thaan — iraivaa
vaazhvu chezhikka varam thaan (2)

ESuvum neeye, allaavum neeye
ESuvum neeye, allaavum neeye
raamanum neeye krishnanum neeye (esuvum neeye)

maayankal pala saiyyum thooyavane…
maayankal pala saiyyum thooyavane — emmai
thayaai thanthayaai kaatharul saivaai (maayankaL)

vaazhvu chezhikka varam thaan — iraivaa
vaazhvu chezhikka varam thaan (2)

Got tagged by Vatsan and here is my try:

He thought it would be an ordinary journey. Standing behind the pillar he watched the train snort arrogantly into the station. With each snort he was reminded of his grandfather’s words “You will fail in the city and return penniless”; with every heavenward whistle, he heard his cousin, “Don’t worry. Come here and I will get you a job at the construction site.” Now he had a 34-hour journey to prove one of them wrong, and he expected the excitement at the end of the journey. He looked at his ticket once again: compartment S9 berth 23.

Pushing his luggage under the seat, he sat close to the window. “Papa, when will you be back?” – his four year old daughter Munni asked innocently. He stared into those soft brown eyes of the motherless kid. He held her frail palms in his, through the window. “Munni, Papa will get you a nice gudiya from the city..Say tata,” his sister spoke to the kid, to avoid an emotional outburst. In a minute, the train pulled forward, and Munni’s little fingers parted from between his. “I need to go..”, he thought, “I have to, at least for Munni’s sake..”

The humid summer breeze and the rattling train coaxed him into an uncomfortable state of drowsy consciousness. He dreamt that Munni ran away, the closer he ran to her, the farther she was, like a mirage. He woke up with a start and squinted at his watch.”What is the time please?”A smallish woman, a meek voice as if she was scared that her existence would annoy someone. Her only noticeable feature was her rather large, expressive eyes.”4.30″Something made him look at the woman again. He had stopped noticing women long back. Ever since Meenakshi passed away…

But this woman was different. She reminded him of someone he knew. In an instant he realized who and the painful memories came flooding back. She looked exactly like his childhood sweetheart Madhu. As teenage lovers in a conservative society, they had often met secretly and had declared undying love for each other.

Then someone had found out and all hell had broken loose. The elders in the village Panchayat had ostracized Madhu’s family as she was from a lower caste. Unable to bear the humiliation, she had committed suicide by drowning. That was twelve years back…

Could it be? Could it really be him? He seems different, weary and downcast. Oh no will he recognise me? No, I am dead to the world. Still she cautiously wrapped her saree end around her head and across her face. Behind the cotton screen, her mind drifted to happier times, languid strolls in the corn fields, games at the riverbed, his gentle caress, whispered sweet nothings, stolen glances at the temple fair.

Tempted to take one last look, she consoled herself that he wouldn’t notice. Slowly she lifted her eyes only to find Rupak staring back at her.

She quickly glanced the other way.

“Hey Ram!, a young girl cannot travel safely in this country without being stalked!” the old lady muttered angrily.

The girl walked briskly away from him, trying to escape his glances, as though she was hiding something, not wanting to be discovered. He stood confused, she had said her name wasn’t Madhu, and should he run after her? Or should he let it pass, after all he still had a train to catch.

His heart told him it was Madhu, followed her, all thoughts about going to the city vanished; he was on delighted to have met Madhu after such a long time. He was filled with memories of their time together. He finally caught up with her. Looking into her eyes he said ‘

“If you’re not Madhu, where from you got that pendant on your chain?”
She was shocked and immediately hide the chain inside her saree and kept looking out of the window.
“Madhu…?”
“I don’t know who you are looking for… Am not Madhu and dont you disturb me anymore” She turned to him and said in a very hard voice.

Then she stood up and walked past him to the doors. One of the doors were open and she stood there looking out and watching the settling sun. She couldn’t wipe out the tears fallen out of her eyes when she remembered the sunsets in the red street…

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Everything below the dashed line above should be copied and pasted with every accepted tag)

This is a Story Tree and is best nurtured as follows:
1. A blogger can add only 90-100 words (not more or less) at a time
2. All previous snippets of 90-100 words need to be copied before the new set of 90-100 words are appended.
3. Each entire snippet should be linked to the respective author (and not just the first sentence or so)
4. Characters, scenes, etc. can be introduced by an author
5. Bizarre twists, sci-fi, fantasy sequences are best avoided.
6. A tag must be accepted within 7 days else the branch is a dead branch
7. After appending 90-100, the Story Tree can be passed on to at most 3 bloggers.
8. If more than 1 branch leads to a blogger, s/he is free to choose any one of them but cannot mix the snippets of the individual branches.
9. The Story Tree is best left to grow than concluded
10. Please attach the image of the Story Tree below with each accepted tag (the link address can be copied and used).

Now three people who have to continue the story.

And the winners are…

Achinthya / Chechyamma – (Sorry for this but I’m sure you will love this)
Mahout aka Paappaan
Priya

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Today am posting two English songs which I have posted here sometimes back. That was actually uploaded with my trial account so its not accessible anymore. So I thought of posting it again here. I sung these songs not because I sing it well, but I love these songs. Music is touching, lyrics are great. These were recorded 3 years back. Recorded in a cassette, then re-coded it to the MP3 format.

1) Hello — Lionel Richie
2) Wonderful Tonight — Eric Clapton

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UPDATES:

I think I caught cold today. Some plans were there, but looks like the cold wouldn’t allow me to do it. Well, lets see…
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There is a film festival coming up next year in Thrissur. I’m part of the publicity committee and I made a few suggestions and Fr. Benny (of Chetana Media Institute) was kind enough to consider those suggestions. A little something about the film festival:

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VIBGYOR 06 Film Festival
Celebrating identities and diversities

VIBGYOR 06, the latest invasion of chetana media institute in the territory of film festivals gets set to celebrate this time the vagaries of identity and the richness of its embodied diversity in the festival of short and documentary films to be held in February 2006 at thrissur, kerala.

Drawing on the past experience chetana intends to make the event a national festival of shorts and documentaries broadly mapping identity politics and its scope. Festival includes competition section at national level for documentaries of one-hour duration based on the theme WOMEN FRAMES and fiction of 30 mnts duration open to any theme. However, VIBGYOR 06 festival’s focus of the year is Water. Besides festival will also have a retrospective section on national and international filmmakers.

Non-competitive section includes national and international short fiction, documentaries, campus films, music videos, animations and spots based on the theme identities and diversities. Non-competitive section shall also include tv features made by women at the regional level.

VIBGYOR 06 Film Festival Organized by Chetana Media Institute shall be held on 23, 24, 25, & 26 February 2006 at Trissur, Kerala, India.

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Looking back to my past, (no, I’m not 70 now), I remember every person who took part in my life. I wouldn’t have reached where I am now without them. When I was about to join the computer course, almost everyone in the family told me that “you must get a job with this. Remember your brother is spending 18K just for this course so that you can find a job in the computer field.” Those were the words from my sisters. I told them I cannot assure anything, but I will try my level best. My brother didn’t tell me anything. He spent 18K for my course and then paid 37K for my PC. He didn’t ask for anything in return. If he hadn’t helped me with it, I would have remained as a goldsmith forever.

Going to back to the old school days, there were a lot of good teachers who were kind to me. When I was in 10th, my Chemistry teacher (her hubby was a doc) would give me vitamin tablets and she said “You must be really tired these days with your studies. Have these with a glass of milk everyday.” At that time in our house, milk was something bought occasionally. Amma maintained a very tight budget and there would be no milk with the tea. A glass of milk tea comes as an honor. Well, let me go back to the school, there was another teacher named Sarojini, she subscribed to the Labour India books (guides) for me. What she wanted in return was a distinction in 10th. I couldn’t give that. I got only a first class in 10th. She taught English and she was my class teacher.

Another one was Renuka teacher. She was my physics teacher. There was a time that I was selected for the sub-district youth festival from my school and that year’s event held in my school. So the teachers wanted me to prepare for that with a good light song. We were not allowed to sing movie songs for the light music competition. But I never had any music gurus, and all of the competitors from other schools in the district were very well trained in the carnatic classical music. Renuka teacher asked me to learn a song from a music teacher nearby and she offered to pay the fees. She spent 25 rupees for this. And I won the second prize + A grade for this song in the competition. Although I got the same points (5 points) as the winner of first prize, I wasn’t allowed to go for the district level because I was in the second place. There was a fuss made about this by my seniors (SFI-Student’s Federation of India- leaders) because they said it is unfair to give me second prize when I got the same points as the first prize winner. Later I came to know about all this.

Years passed and after 11 years I visited my school in the last year end and by then Renuka teacher had become the school headmistress. The amazing thing was she recited 2 lines from a poem which I wrote long time back (almost 12 years back) in a school competition, right at the moment she saw me!!! God! She remembered that well! I didn’t know even one line from that poem!!! It was something like this:

നിൻ മുടിക്കെട്ടിലീ, മുല്ലകൾ ചൂടുവാൻ,
ഇന്നു ഞാൻ നേരട്ടെ സുപ്രഭാതം…

[nin mudi kettilee, mullakal chooduvaan
innu njaan neratte suprabhaatham...]

And she asked me “who was that girl?” God, I told her I don’t know! There wasn’t one for real. Well today’s first song is dedicated to Renuka teacher and all other lovely teachers I had in my school. This was the song I sung for that sub-district competition:

Song: Paathiraa mayakkathil
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Album: Ponnona Tharangini
Music: Ravindran master
Lyrics: Sreekumaaran Thampi

And now in the blog world, if it wasn’t because of you, Narayanan Venkitu sir, I wouldn’t have been able to post these songs here. My sincere thanks to you.

And I want to thank all my blog readers/listeners for appreciating/criticizing what I post here.

Why am I so senti sometimes?

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The next song is also a light song. I used to sing this in the lower primary school competitions. I still remember the lines very well. I got several prizes for this one. A song of my childhood. I don’t know any details about this song.

Song: Thalirum poovum

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I’ve been tagged again. This time by Melody.

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20 Random Facts About ME
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1) In my boyhood, I wanted to be a priest. Me and everyone else (in the family & the neighborhood) thought I would be one. Later, I came to realize I am not good enough to be a good priest. My friends tell me that I would have been pushed out of the church if I had become a priest.

2) I do not have an academic degree. I haven’t written my second year pre-degree exams. (+2). I was in the cinema halls throughout the exam time. My neighbor was also studying in the same college and when he got the results, Amma asked for mine. I told her that I haven’t written the exams. Then I saw the tears forming in her eyes. That was the only moment that I truly regretted about not wirting the exams.

3) There is only one person whom I hate more than anything/anyone in this world. That is my father. [Please don't comment on this, I won't elaborate. I know you all love your father, and if I hate my father that means I have my own reasons.]

4) My sisters are my best friends also. I have no secrets to hide from them. But it is not the same with my brother. We do not communicate very much with each other. But we both know that we love each other. My sisters would ask “What is it with the men in this family?”

5) I quarrel or fight with the people I love the most. [Not always]

6) Once I really hate someone (whoever it is), it is not easy for me to be in a good relationship with him/her again. I would do anything to avoid them in my life. But still, I won’t be hard on them when I see them.

7) I love my mother a lot, but it looks like she doesn’t know it. Because I always yell at her.
I am only 5″4 in height. I used to feel bad about that in my school days. But later I realized that if there is something that you cannot change even if you try hard, don’t waste your time worrying about it.

9) I will easily get hurt.

10) To the date, I do not know how to ride even a bicycle. My friends used to ask “why, why??”. Anyways, I am going to take a driving license on the coming Saturday. My 2-wheeler class will be on Friday. I plan to buy a two-wheeler after learning it.

11) There was a girl whom I met through a choir programme in our church. She was staying nearby. She was so beautiful. I think we both had something in mind to tell each other. But things went unsaid and later she got married and now she is a mother. Just a look at the face of her can bring back a lot of good old memories.

12) I worked as a bakery salesman, telephone booth operator, cyllinder mechanic, office boy, worked in a juice shop and as a goldsmith for 4 years.

13) I am a pessimist, but not always.

14) I think it needs a great courage to commit suicide. Saying good-bye to your loved ones or this world is not that easy.

15) Piano is my favorite western instrument and Veena is my favorite eastern instrument.

16) I can’t make friends so easily. Atleast not in the first 10-30 minutes.

17) I like to listen to any kind of music, but not the heavy metal music like Marilyn Manson or Megadeth. But I like Metallica. When I’m depressed, I’ll play their live video.

18) I cannot think when I talk. I think better when I write. (and that ‘better’ may appeal to you as ‘worst’!!!)

19) I have a couple of friends whom I met through Internet who taught me it is not necessary to be born in the same family or blood to be a good bro/sis.

20) I love this life, eventhough I curse it at times.

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I am visiting Chennai on Nov. 3rd and hope to meet some bloggers (Vatsan, Balaji sir, Prabhu Karthik & Jeevan) there. Am really excited to meet them.
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Scroll down for some Hindi songs of mine. As usual it has a lot of flaws in the pronounciation and other details.
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TODAY’S SONGS:

Song: Main shaayar to nahin
Movie: Bobby
Singer: Shailendra Singh

Song: Aa bhi jaa
Movie: Sur
Music: M.M. Kreem
Singer: Lucky Ali

The other day, I was thinking about the mallu versions of Christian names. The mallu versions are very much difficult to say when we consider the originals. So I wonder what was the purpose of changing the names. Anybody have any clue, please comment.

Yohannaan — John
Mathaayi, Maathukutti, Maathan — Mathew
Luukkos, Luuk, Luukkaas — Luke
Poulos — Paul
Pathros — Peter
Yakkob — Jacob
Ousepp, Ouseppachan — Joseph
Anthony — Antony
Thomunny, Thomutty, Thomaas — Thomas
Eleesa — Elizabeth

Does anyone have similar name stories to tell?

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I called that ‘buster’ friend and everything sorted out. I talked to someone else before and as per that conversation, I think I should stand beside him in his present situation. So I decided to forgive him. Or what kind of a friend would I be?

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There was a Shakespeare play on Saturday and I went along with Chechyamma to see it. It was “A midsummer night’s dream”. I haven’t read anything of Shakespeare. I’m not into that. But those guys who played amazed me with their performance. Remember the Finnish students who were blinking at the Kunnakudi concert? Those were the guys peforming. They were amazing!!!

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