Movies… Talkies… and now Smellies!

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*/Cinemakaran thats how he calls himself. And thats what he is trying to be, a cinema personnel. We now each other for some 3 years or so and we have had a wonderful time together. Sajeesh ettan came here as a student and now he is a lecturer. He has experienced the highs and lows of life, but am sure he is set to achieve great heights. This article is something he wants to work on. Its feels great to host his article in here. I conclude by wishing him the very best in all aspects of his life.*/

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Have you ever felt cinema is handicapped when it comes to projecting reality? Is cinema lacking something? Give a thought to it. If your answer is ‘NO’, you are wrong! What about Smell?

Didn’t you ever feel the need for smell in cinemas? If a fragrance of love was incorporated with the ‘I am flying’ sequence in James Cameroon’s “Titanic”, wouldn’t it have been more awesome? With the spectacular cinematography and amazing music in the background, a pleasant fragrance of love would have given an extremely romantic experience for the sequence. 

With the sight and sound making cinema a realistic way of representing life, there was always one thing that cinema lacked; the power of Smell. If smell can be incorporated to cinema, it will have the real 3 dimensional experience with the 3 ‘S’ operating, i.e., Sight, Sound & Smell!

 Smell in Cinema

 Smell is one of those sensory experiences which are strongly associated to human memories. It brings back the memories of places and people. It is also associated with spirituality since divine odors are an important ingredient of most of the spiritual practices. Taste buds also work only due to the existence of smell. Recent researches have also proved that the smell can be used to induce certain feelings like nostalgia, fear, romance etc.

 

Once smell was considered least important. In fact smell was ignored and left in the trash in an era dominated by the computers and electronics. But the sense of smell is now considered as one of the means by which visual media’s delineating effects can be mitigated.

The sense of smell is poised to break free from many of its assumed delineation. The mystery of how smell works, for instance, has defied scientific understanding for centuries. However with the award of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine to Neuroscientists Richard Axel and Linda.B.Buck, the basic code by which scents are perceived and cognitively processed seems to be on the verge being   cracked (Nobel Prize Org. 2004)

Smell and Cinema is not a quite new concept. In fact attempts to incorporate smell to cinema dates back to 1916; even before sound was introduced! It was S.L.Rothafel, the owner of a film theater in Forest City, Pennsylvania who deluged the audience of a rose bowl game newsreel in the scent of rose oil. He dipped cotton in rose scent and held it in front of an electric fan, there by suffusing the theater with floral fragrance. But soon, a new fad hit the moviegoers; Sound. The technology that would one day be known as Smell-O-Vision was lost in noise!

 

Hans Laube and Smell-O-Vision

Later on, Hans Laube was excited by the idea of smell in cinema. He invented Scent-O-Vision, a system that released scents connected to individual scents in movie theaters, and debuted it at the 1939 New York’s World Fair. The basic concept involved a projectionist manually releasing various scent vials at specific points in a movie, such as the scent of flowers during a romantic scene or the smell of gun smoke during a shoot-out. The original Scentovision system failed to catch on for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the substantial amount of conflicting fragrances which eventually filled the theater.

Scent of Mystery

For years, the technology was forgotten. But it was re-introduced in 1960’s in the mystery film aptly titled as “The Scent of Mystery”. Laube perfected his technology into a “Smell Brain”; a series of perfume bottles with scents that were released into the theater automatically as the film threaded through the projector. The process was called Smell-O-Vision.

Ads for the film read, “First they moved (1895)! Then they talked (1927)! Now they Smell (1960)! Scent track was incorporated on the film itself to trigger odors, analogue to a sound track. The release of the odors was synchronized with specific audio visual events in the film. Several of the film’s most prominent clues were set to be conveyed by the Smell Brain.

Even though the idea got a positive buzz before the release, the experiment was a flop. In fact Times Magazine’s (2000) Reader Poll has selected it as one of the ‘Top 100 Worst Ideas of all Time’!

Even though smell was synchronized with the audio visual content, its immediacy was restrained by the slow diffusion of scent, especially in a large theater space. Audience members in the balcony found the smells delivered to them several seconds delayed; the entire system was olfactory out of sync. Other parts of the theater barely got the smells.

Release of one scent to another was not instantaneous and had to be carefully managed to avoid odorific confusion which was not desired. Subsequent removal of the smell also had to be carried out to avoid the uneasiness created by the odor in the atmosphere. This also was not possible. Smell-O-Vision was temporarily snuffed out.

 There was also another attempt to mix smell with cinema. The process was called “Aromarama” which dispersed smell through AC with Freon gas. An Italian travel feature about China, “Beyond the Great Wall” (1958) came with this technology whose tagline read “You Must Breathe it to Believe it”!

 All these attempts during that era can be related to the frantic efforts taken by the film makers to retain the cinema audience from Television. Certain techniques like 3D, Cinerama etc never caught on like Smell-O-Vision. But still cinema survived with spectacular viewing experience rendered to the audience. Thanks to Cinemascope and 70mm technologies.

Odorama

The idea of smell kept on exciting film makers through the years. Modern attempts at reviving Smell-O-vision were undertaken by John Waters when he released his film ‘Polyster’ in 1982. He handed over ‘Scratch and Sniff’ cards to the viewers and they were asked to smell it during specific scenes.

The ‘Scratch and Sniff’ cards had some 8-10 spots which were numbered. The audience had to scratch and sniff each spot when that particular number appears on the screen. This turned out to be quite popular and more fool proof. When the MTV re-aired the film in 1992, they handed out the “Scratch and Sniff” cards at convenient stores.

Smell in Gadget Age

 

In the gadget age Smell-O-Vision lives on. Digiscents inc. is developing the ismell personal scent synthesizer; a device that will let smells be transmitted through the internet scent synthesizer can be compared to the desktop speakers.

In Cinema, the Collin Farell starrer “The New World” which was released in Japan in April 2006 tried to bring back the essence of smelling cinema. The film which was released in certain theaters in Japan had an internet based fragrance system. The movie goers were exposed to various scents to heighten their sense of joy, love, sadness etc during key scenes.

The technology was based on NTT Com's Fragrance Communication (Kaori Tsushin) system, which uses a special scent-emitting device programmed with information obtained via the Web. Scents were emitted into the theaters using devices placed under viewers' seats. The system was employed at one theater each in Tokyo and   Osaka.

The system downloads an aroma recipe and distribution schedule from an aroma-control server and stores the information in a LAN box, which can then be disconnected from the network and moved freely. The box is then connected to aroma-emitting devices placed under a number of seats in the theater. Each device contains six base oils, which are combined according to the recipes for specifically generated aromas. The LAN box controls the automatic release of these aromas during selected scenes of the movie.

Future Prospects

Research has shown that the human sense of smell can create stronger, more lasting impressions than sight, suggesting that smell has the potential to greatly heighten the intended effect of communication for diverse purposes. So, the idea of smell in cinema will never die. In fact it will get on to Television and of course internet too. And who knows, if we have more fool proof technologies, the entire structure of cinema might change just like sound changed the structure and story telling styles of silent movies.

There should be provision made to remove the scent as and when it is released to avoid the foul smell sticking on to the environment which inturn will create suffocation in the viewers. And there should be attempts to make the fragrance reach each and every member in the audience at the same time. If minor things like these are taken care off, in the digital age, as the mystery surrounding how the smell works has been almost clarified, there will be no looking back for the idea of  smell in cinema.

Cinema is always a novelty. Cinema has not reached the saturation level yet and it will never reach there! More and more newer things will come up to make the cinema exciting as ever. Let there be more efforts to make the cinemas smell in the coming years with the increased and better understanding of the Odors and how they work and transmit. This will make cinema a real 3 Dimensional visual experience!

 

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SAJEESH RAJENDRAN

Faculty –DFM, SAE, India

 

 

Reference : The Smell culture Reader      Edited by Jim Orobnick (Berg Publishers)

                   http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/biosi/staffinfo/jacob/teaching/sensory/olfact1.html  

Minor's Intellections

Chapter-2

Atul was happy to see her smiling and waving back, "It always feels nice when someone smiles back" he thought. He reached the school in little time and got along with his friends. But still a little of him was busy thinking of something else and so he didn't give his ears to his friends much and to whatever they said, they discussed mostly about cartoons,story books and a little of sports. "I got a new bat" said one of his friends named Rohan and everyone except Atul started intriguing him on the make and details of the bat. Soon they got back to the class and took their places.  

Atul sat next to Jishnu, they were thick friends. Atul is the chubby fellow, got penetrating looks, yeah very much thoughtful boy, mostly silent, stays at the same place every class and a little attentive as well. Jishnu is the naughty, eccentric and electric kid, keeps shifting his place every class, disturbs the class but he is the one who gives life to the whole class. Both Atul and Jishnu are the favorites of most of the teachers. Though their acts seem contrary they make good friends. At the age of six you don't really know much about friendship but if someone asks Atul "Who is your best friend ?" and he would be fast to respond with the answer "Jishnu" and the same happens with Jishnu. They had created some kind of an internal bond that had kept them close and perhaps more closer. 

Anne teacher had come in, "Good Morning Miss" the whole class would uniformly wish her and "Good Morning Children" she would wish back. This has been a routine affair between them. Anne teacher has been in this profession of nurturing these young children for over 2 decades now, and still she loves what she does and does it with the utmost sincerity. Every single child in that class loves her, and she would be the first one they invite for their birthdays and give chocolates. She would take them to the assembly ground every week, narrate stories, recite poems to them. They loved to listen to her stories. 

"Dear children, today i am going to ask you about your ambitions. I want all of you to think of it and tell me" Anne teacher said. Suddenly the whole silence transformed into some discussions. Atul and Jishnu were talking to each other. Rohan, James and Azhar were discussing as well. The atmosphere had become a lot more thoughtful for many who knew about ambitions;it seemed dull for the ones who didn't know much about ambitions;some of them had a mixed feeling, especially the ones whose parents always spoke of them being doctors and engineers.

 Anne teacher interrupted them for a while "Ambitions are your long term goals. They are aspirations. You should be living to achieve them and that will make you a successful person. This is the time for you to start thinking about ambitions. They give us ideas on how to lead our life, plan your future. So i want all of you to decide on your ambitions" she continued "As a young child my ambition was to become a teacher. I was inspired by my grandma who was a great teacher of her times. As a kid i grew up seeing her as a teacher and said to myself that i would be a teacher as well. I took her as an inspiration. And now i am a teacher. I have been teaching for 20 years. I love what i am doing and that makes me happy". 

Not every child in the class understood her conversation fully. But then they recognized the importance of the term 'ambition' and that is just what Anne teacher wanted, despite knowing that they are too young for the challenges ahead she put forward them, that is why Anne teacher is different, different from the rest. She was one who wanted the children to be practical and know the realities of life. "So now let us start from Aashik". Aashik got up quick, he is among the ones who understood a bit of what Anne teacher spoke of, a fatty in himself he is very fond of wrestling and so it didn't take him much longer to say "Miss i want to be a wrestle-man. I want to be like " and sat. The rest of the class had a mixed feeling, Anne miss had a gentle smile. She always expected such answers from them, but as time goes by she knew it would change. But the ones who stay static in their childhood ambitions were more probable to succeed. "Its not wrestle-man Aashik, a person who wrestles is called a wrestler, w-r-e-s-t-l-e-r" she spelled it.

All the young minds were curious and excited to announce their ambitions, Rohan the cricket lover wanted to be "Sachin". "Rohan you can better Sachin, i am sure. But Sachin would be your inspiration" Anne miss said knowing Rohans passion for cricket even at this age. There were many who wanted to be cricketers. "I want to be a soldier" was Jishnu's answer. Anne miss was happy to hear that. "I want to fight for my country like my uncle" he continued.Jishnus uncle is a martyr, there was patriotism in his words. The whole class applauded Jishnu, Anne miss was the first one. And post Jishnu a few others also wanted to be soldiers and Anuj the son of a police personnel wanted to be a policeman. Many wanted to be doctors and engineers as well, just one footballer. Among girls "I want to be a teacher like you" gained the majority. Anne miss always seemed delighted hearing that. All this while Atul was listening to his friends and their ambitions. Atul hadn't decided on his ambition yet. "I will answer tomorrow miss" was his sincere reply, the thoughtful look in his eyes meant he hadn't decided and so Anne miss accepted his plea. "Alright Atul, tell us tomorrow". She knew that unlike other children Atul made firm plans and hence he took his time.

Anne miss's class got over by then, the rest of the day was not as interesting as hers except for the P.T period they had. P.T periods were always fun, they enjoyed jogging around the ground, the exercises and playing some outdoor games as well. And at the end of the day they bid bye to all their classmates, set of for their homes. Atul had decided to talk to his dad and mom about his ambition, he knew that they would be able to help him. He was confused, he wanted to be someone who could do good for the community. His dad always spoke of bad people ruling our nation, he wanted to be someone good among that bad and then turn the bad guys into good. He wanted to be the different among the usual.

He was keen to get back home, but that didn't bury the thoughts on the boy who could not afford ambitions, who had to work for his parents at this young age. Atul's eyes were searching for his unknown friend, the friend whom he feels sorry for, the friend whom he considers unlucky, the friend who is responsible. And he saw him, he felt great. Atul looked at the boy with respect, he was keen to know if that friend of his ever noticed him, but the poor kid was busy at work. Atul smiled hoping it would reach his friend. The rest of the journey was the same thoughtful one for Atul. He was eager to get back home and talk to his parents. His dad gets back home an hour after Atul, mom is the home-maker. So Atul always had the company of his mom, but he wanted both of them together to hear him,  play with him, talk to him. His mom was anxiously waiting for her sons arrival. As soon as the boy reached his place, Atul bid bye to his bus mates and got down.

His mom was happy to receive her son, her lone day at the house gets a bail when he is around and that always makes her happy. That is always the among the most happy things for every parent, to see their children around and seeing them happy. Atul was happy in his world. He held his mom's hand and took her back home, seemed as if he is her caretaker, it was a nice scene to watch. They got back home and finished his evening chores like having snacks and freshening up and stuffs and was anxiously waiting for his dad to arrive. Finally his dad arrived, Atul was excited. He gave his dad some time to relax after his busy office schedule. Then he went to the kitchen and held his mom's hand and brought her to the hall, that was where his dad was having his cup of tea. " Dad i want to talk about my ambition" Atul said.

(Will be continued)

A minor's Intellections

/*Hi i am trying my hand at a little of story writing and this is the initial step. Its just a fiction, hope you like it. Please do leave your suggestions and comments on this, this story might not be a good one but with your suggestions i can definitely improve on this skill. And the story seem to take a lot of time and space, hence i would post a single chapter at a time. Please do go through... Rahul */

Chapter-1

The little boy slyly got up from the bed, he had not slept well all night. Even at the tender age of 6 he has been thinking about his future and everything that he has been doing all day long, he could sense the recursive way of life of his. He found his parents awake so early in the day, "They slept even lesser than me" the boy said to himself. 

He busily ran to his dad and greeted him, then asked his dad "Dad, did you not sleep well?". His dad was not so surprised by this question since the boy never got up so early, "I did sleep well son, its just that am used to getting up early" said the dad to his son and started reading the newspaper again.

 "Oh, so i slept lesser than dad" thought the boy. Then he turned to his dad "Dad i could not sleep well, i want to know few things please help me dad". This time around dad gave his full attention to his son and was listening to him patiently, "Dad i want to know the reason why i need to go to school and study", dad was rather puzzled at this question and he thought for a while and then answered "Son you need to take care of yourself after few years and for that you need to study well and get a job".

Son was nettled by the answer, the other day he had seen a young boy of his age working at a garage "Why is it that he is not going to school for studying?" he had asked himself this question then and since then he has been busy over this thought. He asked the same question to his friends and they found no good answer, so he has come to his dad. He asked the same to his dad, here again dad took his time to answer and then said "He must have been really poor and his parents might not be in a position to afford his education, so he has taken up the task of working in the garage and look after his family". 

Son was again into his world of thoughts and left the place without saying anything to his dad, dad could sense this from his son's face and so didn't interrupt him either. The child went about his daily chores with little care, he had forgotten to make his morning prayers as well which he used to do everyday right after he woke up, he had taken more of tooth paste than he normally did and half of it had fallen into the wash-basin without him noticing it, he spent more time under the shower thinking till his mom knocked the door and called him, "Monu it is getting late for you, come out soon" called out his mom. He quickly finished his bath and came out. Yes, at this young age children don't really tend to know the value of time and that responsibility is always entrusted on their mom, same was his case that day.

His mom could very much infer that her son is unusually careless that day, she had to persuade him to get his things done. She had to comb his hair and feed him while he was wearing his shoes and taking his books since it was already late. "Sorry Amma, i was really slow today" he said to his mom when she was accompanying him to the bus-stop. She responded with a smile and he smiled back. They were just about there when the bus had come, he waved his hands at his mom. He didn't sit at his regular place and rather at another seat because that was where he was sitting when he saw that kid working at that garage yesterday evening. "I will see him today also, poor boy" he thought. But that was too early for the garage to start and so to his disappointment he couldn't see the boy, and he had missed many of the things he noticed everyday on his way to school, he missed to notice the traffic police who managed the traffic with his actions, he forgot to watch the big-boys practicing cricket at the ground, he even forgot to wave hands at his friends mom but just when his friend got in and the bus started to leave he ran towards the rear end and waved at her, she also smiled and waved back. 

(Rest in the next post)

What is wrong?

Finally, after nearly 2 days of horror and terror, India(the world) is tardily getting back. 

Back to terms with what has happened!

Back with loads of questions!

Back after the scenes of blood and death!

Back after the sincere efforts of the commandos and police putting their life at stake!

Back with a pride of having ceased the militants and saving the life of hostages!

But for me more than anything, the questions remain the priority. I still can't reconcile to the fact that around 20-25 militants kept the the whole nation(even the world) gazing at every action of theirs. The country of 1.1 billion watching with fear and anguish at these militants, the Mumbaikars visiting the spots of terror and the rest of India tuning into their tv sets for the latest update and you find different stories coming up every hour. 

Yes, we tend to get angry at the terrorists, think if they have a family, think of their backgrounds and ask ourselves about them, but will that ever give us back what we lost?

The answer is a big NO. Yes, there would be support and a shoulder to cry for the affected but how long will it sustain? For a month or 2? or till the next attacks(elections)? 

I am proud at the way our commandos and military and police did their job. The tv channels did a commendable job as well, if not for them we wouldn't have been aware of the happenings but they did a little too much i suppose. I wonder if it was their mistake, every hour you had a different headline coming up and at times i even felt that they were just commercializing the entire situation. The hotel staff according to me were the real heroes, their efforts to save the lives of the occupants demands salute and respect. Great job mates, we love you. India loves you!

What has the political community contributed? I heard people saying with pride that Mr. Deshmukh flew all the way from Kerala as soon as he heard of the incident. Is that not his responsibility? What big did he do than that? He is just another Indian politician who has just used the opportunity he got and managed to announce his arrival back to Mumbai in the loudest of ways, expecting a better rating for all the way he has been ruling the state of Maharashtra over the years. His ways of approaching the regional conflicts clearly evinces his ignominious governance. I would rather call him a crybaby running a government, sorry Mumbaikars  its your mistake did you not have a better leader? This mistake of yours has definitely proved costly dear fellow Indians!

What has Mr. Narendra Modi got to do there, has he even seen a rifle in his lifetime. I wonder if he is so stupid, a gull. His preposterous and absurd remarks shows his inferiority as a leader. Is he not aware of the situation out there, bloody he himself needs protection and if i were a security person i would have shot him right there, at a time when the life of the commandos and police are at stake his acts had to have some sense. Senseless idiots ruling this nation, poor India again!

I saw the footage of the terrorists in the tv channels, they could get hold of the terrorists where the hell were the policemen then. Its been a regular scene in Mumbai, we don't find the security personnel when we badly need them, even when the MNS attacked the railway station they were no where near the incident and here again they have repeated the same mistake, i wonder when they would learn from their mistakes. Its high time they stop repeating it. Should we arm the journalists and not the policemen?

Both the BJP and the Congress were found to be cooperating yesterday in spite of the various differences and i was just all the more excited and happy but i need to check that again. Days ahead i am sure there will be a lot of voice over these issues, it definitely is a lack of proper security in Mumbai but i hate to see Mr. Advani and his men campaigning for the elections citing this as their reason for a change of government. This is just bad politics being played. They would have done nothing different in the national perspective, without a proper action plan i believe India can never eliminate this. We have one of the most disgraceful and scandalous politics in the world, unless and until we the citizens of India act unitedly and elect the best(among the worst) representative for ruling us.

I am sorry for Mr. Karkare, Mr. Salaskar, Mr. Kamte and all those who lead from the front and sacrificed their lives. Your families miss you, even we do miss you. I hope the significance of your loss is understood by these atrocious politicians and they at least now work against terrorism leaving behind this inglorious game of politics behind. We will see the pictures of these brave men as part of the election campaign as well but this will be limited till the dawn of the election and further that they are forgotten heroes. I just heard Major Unnikrishnan's dad speak of his sons brave death, he sounded a proud dad, i wish even my dad would be made proud someday. Unni, you have done the best a son can do. We are elated by your effort to rescue your fellow mate and sacrificing your life for him.

I cannot stop yelling at this politics of ours, the terrorists stand more united than these ruling men who are so divided and that makes my country fall in every minor issue, wonder what would happen to this 1.1 billion odd people if this politics sustains. 

Whose mistake is it? I ask myself, the coast-guard? They were incapable of making this long coast of ours more secure. The police? They were incapable of acting swiftly when the tv channels could get hold of the militants. The hotel authorities? They had not performed the necessary security checks on the guests. Needless to say of the politicians. But the coast-guard later were capable of locating the ships which aided in the transportation of the militants. The police though a little late put their life at stake to save the people. The hotel staffs who were among the heroes who cared a little for their lives and considered their guests lives supreme and did the best for the safety of the guests many sacrificing themselves. And here again the politicians stand isolated, unitedly isolated. 

Nothing seems perfect, absolutely nothing. As long as these irregularities are addressed in the best possible way i find my India nowhere, transparency rules my country. Everything bloody thing is so transparent that anyone can do anything. I wonder if this is what we shamelessly call democracy and independence. People fear to go out of their houses, explosions at will, no one is spared not even the new born baby. Seeing the Israeli child whose parents died in the attacks at Nariman house made me feel his pain, his parents have left him and he is an orphan now i wished if i could take care of him. India needs to act together, act wise. Each of us need to understand our significance, individually you can do a lot for this nation but together we can do a lot more. 

Finally let me put it this way, the basic fundamental right that every citizen of India has is the right to vote, but even in the recent elections i found the turn around to be just around 50%. Why is it so? Please my dear Indians, your vote is precious and if you ever feel the necessity of a more secure India for your successors and heirs you need to be part of the change yourself. Don't you want your children to live in a safer India? I know the answer is yes, so please vote. I just enrolled myself today. Its never late.

Just log in to: www.jaagore.com

You have all the details there, you just need either your birth certificate or driving license or PAN card to vote. Just go through the website and enroll. I respect the effort by the organizers of that website, please do it. Let our children wake up in a safer India, let the world happily visit our nation with no fear of life, let us go out with the belief of getting back home safely. Let us do it!

JAI HIND

Mumbai again!

They have targeted the financial capital of India again, and the rest of India looks at them with helplessness and sympathy. Terror strikes in 11 different places at regular intervals, it includes 2 important hotels in TAJ and OBEROI-TRIDENT. And they have held around 100(or even more??) as hostages in both the hotels. The hostages include foreigners as well. The worst part, more than 100 people have been killed which includes 6 foreigners and 14 policemen. 

The terrorists disguised themselves to be musicians and entered the hotel and occupied their rooms, the hotel authorities had not checked their baggages and the boxes they had carried, this shouldn't have happened in hotels of such standards for sure which are mostly occupied by the delegates of various nations and the businessmen. The hotel authorities not knowing that they were at jeopardy let them in with no security checks and this act has definitely raised eyebrows around the world concerning the security measures adopted at the various high profile hotels around the country. 

This attack has definitely raised questions not just about the security of our nation but at this period of immense financial crisis and economic slowdown this has come has an even bigger blow to our economy. The foreign investment would definitely take the blow and that will affect the Indian investors as well. This should be the other reason why the terrorists chose Mumbai as their destination again. The best way to hinder the growth of this nation would be to attack and exploit its economy, and they just exploited that transparency that was rather inviting for them. I wonder how the markets are going to act to such turmoil, it does smell much of the 9/11 attacks on America that hit their economy (indirectly the world as well) in a really regretful way.

What is happening to Mumbai? The execution of this attack clearly evinces the amount of planning that has gone into it. 11 planned attacks in regular intervals, the amount of effort that has been put has to be taken into consideration deeply. This indicates the significant lapse of security in the city of Mumbai. From using the sea route to reach Mumbai till executing the attacks, the terrorists have had the upper hand. They have done what they wanted to do, let know the world that India is not a safe country and again targeted the financial capital.I wonder what the people held hostage would be thinking or feeling. As such its been the poor who have been targeted most of the time but this time around i believe this is a deliberate effort by the militants to attack the upper class and the rich. But rich or poor Indians remain Indians. 

The sincere efforts of the military,commandos and policemen sacrificing their lives for the rest shows their commitment towards this nations security. I salute them, but why could they not prevent such an attack? As we know the whole country is in an alarming situation, they should have been more careful. Past is past, there is no use dwelling at it. I am sure that our forces can tame these militants, but the question of hostages still remain isolated. 

The whole political scene has changed today, the different political parties seem to have been cooperating with each other and the Congress led government. Yes though it is just a temporary action, this is what India needs. This should definitely be encouraging the forces who are working hard to wash away the terrorists and wipe them out completely from our nation. The whole nation needs to stand together, and i feel that it is the only way we can decimate these terrorists. 

For now the rest of India needs to pray for the dead and diseased. We definitely need a better system for tackling these attacks and this issue needs to be addressed with significant priority among other issues. May God bless India!

JAI HIND

Happy B'day Mummy and Muthassi!!

It is my mummy's b'day on 24 and my grandmom's b'day on 25th. They are among the most important people in my life.

Mummy for being more of a friend than just be a mother and for being there and supporting me, fighting with me, making the house all the more cheerful, convincing Pappa whenever we wanted her to, making us responsible and working hard for us. She is the best mom in the world. Yes, your mom is too is the best. They are the angels sent by God for making our lives more beautiful and eventful. I don't want to thank her, never will i do that. I will always be her loving son, a loving son will never thank his parents hehe :) . And i know, she doesn't expect anything from us, even when Sunil mama(my uncle) told her that we(me and Rakesh) will not be taking care of them(mummy and pappa) she declined his words. We will prove him wrong mummy, thats all i can say. Love you mummy!! 

Now my Muthassi(i call her muthi), she always remains as the most caring person. I am her favorite among all her grand children and i am proud of that. She takes so much care on me, that she still considers me to be a little child. She is worried every time i go out, let that be in a bike or cycle or in the car. I love my muthi a lot, and miss all the comforts she gives me. Love you muthi, and happy b'day for you!!

I dedicate this song for you both mummy and muthi :

Maa, Meri Maa, Pyaari Maa… Mamaa

Hoo Maa, Meri Maa, Pyaari Maa… Mamaa

Haatho Ki Lakerien Badal Jayengi

Gum Ki Yeh Zanjeerein Peeghal Jayengi

Ho Khuda Pe Bhi Aasar, Tu Duaon Ka Hai Ghar

Meri Maa, Meri Maa, Pyaari Maa… Mammaa

Hoo Maa, Meri Maa, Pyaari Maa… Mammaa

Begdi Kismat Bhi Sawanr Jaayegi

Zindagi Tarane Khushi Ke Gayegi

Tere Hote Kiska Dar, Tu Duawon Ka Hai Ghar

Meri Maa, Meri Maa, Pyaari Maa… Mammaa

Hoo Maa, Meri Maa, Pyaari Maa… Mammaa

 

Yun Tu Mein.. Sab Se Nyara Hoon

Tera Maaa Mein Dulara Hoon

Yun Tu Mein.. Sab Se Nyara Hoon

Par Tera Maaa Mein Dulara Hoon

Duniya Mein Jeene Se Jyada Uljhan Hai Maaa

Tu Hai Amar Ka Jahan…….

Tu Gussa Karti Hai, Bada Accha Lagta Hai

Tu Kaan Pakati Hai, Badi Zor Se Lagta Hai, Meri Maa…

 

Meri Maa, Meri Maa, Pyaari Maa… Mammaa

Hoo Maa, Meri Maa, Pyaari Maa… Mammaa

Haatho Ki Lakerien Badal Jayengi

Gum Ki Yeh Zanjeerein Peeghal Jayengi

Ho Khuda Pe Bhi Aasar, Tu Duawon Ka Hai Ghar

Meri Maa, Meri Maa, Pyaari Maa… Mammaa

Hoo Maa, Meri Maa, Pyaari Maa… Mammaa

The first's in my life!!!

I was thinking a lot on what to write about, and few days back myself and rakesh were talking of our times at Trivandrum. There were many firsts that we did in life there. They are all memorable experiences, from buying our 1st car to drinking my first beer those moments will always stay in me. It always feels great when you do something different for the first time. 

We had the same feeling then and yes even the long journey from Trivandrum to Palakkad and from there to Ooty in the car with our achu(our puppy). Achu is not with us anymore(we handed him over to Vijaya mama), in this busy Chennai life we were not in a position to bring him here, i do miss him we had a great time playing with him. The black and white looks of his, he was really among the cutest when he was really young. With Australian dad and a Russian mom he wasn't that lucky to be living in India but then even dogs were not spared in this century. We took the best care of him. No he was not our first pet, we had Tobby and he is with my grandmom now.

And the first car, its always nice to be traveling with the family in a car. You tend to attach a lot of emotions to it(the first car), and that is the reason why my dad didn't want to sell it even after buying a new one. We gave it to Ravi mama, and now its like our car, Achu and Tobby all are at the same place and are neighbors. What a coincidence seth ji! The first drive on that car, my dad almost went and hit a transport bus on our way, he wasn't that good a driver and the fear of taking the car out on the road was very much evident on him. And we used to get tensed when some vehicle came close to our car(yes,worried for both the car and that vehicle as well).

And then we made the first long trip on our car from Trivandrum to Palakkad somewhere around 350 km, being our first long journey we had Shabeer ettan accompanying us to help my dad out with driving such a long distance. Shabeer ettan considered himself to be superior driver to my dad. We started sometime after 4 i suppose and Shabeer ettan was giving cues to Pappa on driving in the highway. He is a fast learner. The forward journey was accident free and nice, but in the return journey we were not that lucky, we took the route through Kottayam and a bike fellow came and hit our car while trying to overcome a gutter. Our wheel plate was broken into pieces and that noise gave us the feeling that the bike fellow was severely injured but by God's grace though the bike got damaged he was fine. My dad managed to call one of his friends out there and deal with that bike guy and gave him some compensation for the mistake of his. And then we hustled back but with lot more cautious driving by my dad.

Next is the first drink day, we(my family) were on our way to Kutralam on a Sunday, Kutralam is not that far from Trivandrum and dad wanted to go for an outing then so we chose Kutralam. We had Shabeer ettan and Reji chechi(they are not couples) accompanying us, yeah Shabeer ettan was there not because my dad was not a good driver then, he had mastered the art if driving by then but just accompanied. On our way we saw a cycle wala selling Toddy and we stopped there and even myself and Rakesh had some toddy, it tasted nice. And then we reached Kutralam and got under the water falls, it was an enjoyable experience. On our way back we saw a KTDC(Kerala Tourism Development Council) hotel cum bar and so just went inside and Pappa asked us if we wanted some beer, and we were positive and there we were drinking our first beer with dad giving us company. Its not that my dad wanted us to be drunkards ut just that he wanted us to taste them and he knew that we wouldn't like it. He guessed right, i didn't like its taste, but Rakesh fell for it and since that incident every time we go somewhere he urges Pappa to get him some beer(no he is not an alcoholic, just once in a while), but that was Pappa's deal, he was like if u want to have anything like that i will give you company and don't go with your friends or anyone else. I respect that theory of his very much and that has made sure that we are no alcoholics and will never turn into one.

And thirdly, the life at Malloor Nagar, its a colony of 13 houses and we were lucky enough to be part of that colony for sometime. It gave us some nice memories, and some bad ones too. Among the nice ones were the monthly get-together at a house. There was a get-together in our house as well one day. It comprised of dinner as well. I had a nice time at all the get-together. And then the Annual celebrations out there was also great, Pappa's palada pradhaman became really famous that day. And i even won the Tambola(a number game) game that we had played. I somehow managed to win a lot of Tambola games then.

 The sad memory would be the death of one of the family from inside our colony in a car accident. That is one of the most unexpected incident in my life, we were at Palakkad that morning, just reached from Trivandrum in car and on our Journey at around 2 we saw a car lying upside down under a truck. Ravi mama had accompanied us then, and seeing the accident he was like all the passengers would have died. That day morning mummy woke me up and was like the car that we saw belonged to one uncle in our colony and in the incident their whole family perished. I was shocked, he was the person who asked my dad to buy the car and even they had the same car. They were a sweet family, uncle,aunty and their 2 sons, children were very cute and young. God tends to be bad at times.

There were lot more happenings i would like to share with you, but its being too big a post and you will get bored if i go further. I will continue this later!

Cheers!

Special Fever!!!

"Special Fever" i know sounds aberrant, fever seldom is special especially when its just before the day of your all the more important semester exams and it doesn't leave you even on the day of your exam. It is a horrible experience, it was the same for me but then again this time around my fever was special. (I change my stands in the next paragraph)

In an ironical way if i say, fever during exams itself is special. For those studious guys it leaves them thwarted, for the bindaas wala guys it doesn't matter but just another excuse and explanation why they didn't pass this time around, and for people like me who are not among both these categories it would be great to see myself passing the paper and anything extra would be a bonus (Under Anna University passing is never a big deal, but we have made it all the more complicated and say to ourselves that passing is laborious undertaking). And i managed to do the exam pretty well, yes i will surely pass :).

Now the real reason why the fever was special, i am not a regularly-feverous guy. I don't even remember last time i got a fever(come'on not because i have a bad memory, just that it was a longtime since it happened). So this time i wanted mummy to do this for me, i was like mummy it would be really great if you could wet a piece of cloth and keep it on my forehead, its a long term wish and please do it for me. Mummy was telling rakesh, i think your brother has turned mad, he is not letting us take him to a doctor(yeah, at 20 you go to a doctor only if you want and no one can take you like it used to be the case a decade ago,and no i wasn't scared of injection) and he wants me to do this wet-cloth-on-forehead mechanism which will seldom work out. But my dear Mummy, she did it for me, and believe me it is a temporary relief, for me it definitely was.

And yesterday i managed to go to a doctor, i don't like to go to doctors, if you ask me for the reason, well i don't really know. But yesterday i felt the need to go to the doctor, i was really tired that i couldn't even walk properly, am not used to staying at a single place for a longtime and it was irritating me to the core, the most illogical dreams(you get logical dreams only when you get nice sleep, or else the dreams turn illogical) made my sleep all the more no-sleep business. He gave me an injection, and 2 tablets as well. The injection made me dizzy and almost unconscious for sometime everything turned dark for a while and rakesh who had accompanied me to the doctor went to get the tablets from the pharmacy. I got a support and closed my eyes for a while, it took sometime for me to get things back to place, and rakesh got back by then and i managed to reach home. The injection was so powerful that in 5 mins my fever was almost gone(the doctor whom i consulted is very famous for giving injections whatever your problem be).

Yes, We Can!!!

History is created, and here are the words of the person whom the world was gazing at for the past 21 months. He last saw the White House when he was 24, nearly 23 years ago and he is going to rule the White House from now on. He should be special, at 47 and you are at the center of attraction, people believe that he can bring about a change and he proudly says together they can. Mr. Barak Hussein Obama, the President of the United States of America has the biggest job in hand, expectations running high and i hope he should be the answer for all the crisis at present. And Yes Obama, We Can.

Obama's speech at Chicago on 5th November,2008 after his winning the Presidential election.

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."