A daydream just like that  :  

Today i was free for a few hours in the afternoon . After lunch i started to daydream . It was not a passive daydream but rather an active daydream .  I mean i dreamed of Russia actively  though the computer was not near me to type the words . Can i call it a dream or daydream?. You decide  . 

I always had a fascination about russia or the soviet union which was what it was when i was a child . Those fairy tales from russia which were available in india due to cultural exchange policy . That influenced me  .  Tales of Masha and ivan with the villainess babayaga , of loving fathers and mothers , beautiful nature , small adventures what else a child needs .  

Coming back to the dream . I am in Russia  . I am in Volgagrad the place with the huge statue of mother russia with her sword raised to the sky . One of the biggest statues in the world commemorating the great patriotic war and the millions of lives lost defending their country  from nazi germany during 1940s  . I am a tourist visiting there . The year is 2024  .  I am lying prostrate in front of the statue out of respect and  a deep fascination . For me russia is an emotion and have been learning the language and history for more than an year  .  I stood up and saw a man recording me on video what i had done . He found it curious a non russian bowing in front of mother of russia statue .  He asked me about myself and why i did it .  When i knew that he was from russia i started speaking in russian  and words started flowing along with it snippets of russian history as i understood it  . The mobile video was recording . He told he was an amateur youtuber and asked if he can post it in his russian group  . I agreed .  

That night i slept in my hotel and next day there was a knock on the door . Two russian policemen were at the door .  The minister wants to see you , they told  .  I tried to wake up from my dream but could not .  Which minister ? kak ? Chto ? I mumbled in my russian .  Did you have your breakfast , Sir  ?  They asked . I thought my last breakfast before the gulags of Siberia .  Yes . I mean No .  They smiled .  Sir in russia we say either Yes or No . Not both . Sir seems like you dont know what happened . You became viral yesterday .  Your video of bowing to motherland statue and the interview in russian got a million views . The minister of culture wants to see you . Oh my God . Nadia , the famous protestor and punk rock artist had become the famous culture minister of democratic russia by this time . Did i say democratic  ? Yes  .  Russia had become a democracy in 2023  and in the new ministry with former chess champion Kasparov as head Nadia had become the minister for culture and overseas relations . The funniest was she was the only minister in the world who held rock concert still once every month inspite of official duties .  

My heart got excited . After all i am not going to the gulag  . The limousine stopped in front of a beautiful building . All moscow buildings are beautiful just like the women .  pazhalyuista  . They told me  . I was dreaming in the car  still shocked at this surreal experience . Wow . Nadia looking as gorgeous as ever i had seen her only in music videos .  Dobrey din  .  Dobrey din i replied automatically  .  And then i went mute  .  Are you the one who did a speech in russian about our culture . But you are mute now  . She laughed .  Ya magu smeyetsya ?  Can i laugh  ?  I dont know what possessed me but i blurted out . Kaneshna , patriot  ,she told .  

The temperature outside was -20 degrees . Its a cold winters day  .  Rather than an official meeting it felt like a meeting of friends .  She sang a song  for me  and i sang viktor tsois songs grabbing the electric guitar kept there . The dinner that day was fabulous .   As was customary i had already given her a big bouquet of flowers ( odd number  )  and a small gift from kerala which i had kept in my bag . We have a gift for you  .She told  . A padarak  .  Where is your passport . I got panicky  . There was no passport with me  . Then i remembered . The police had took it when they visited me in the hotel  . Those two were nowhere in sight .  I started mumbling . There you go mute again . why indians are like this ? she giggled  .  Then it happened .  I saw a tall policeman handing over a passport to her .  Is this your passport ? I  got it through sweaty hands and confirmed it was indeed mine .  Eta tebye padarak  . what sort of russian joke this is ?   Handing over my own passport as gift  ?  She was smiling  .  Look at the last page  .  It was an order rather than a request  .  I obeyed .  I saw the familiar russian tricolor and a stamp .  Eta nashe droog . This is our friend  .  He is given a permanent visa to visit anytime in russia  .  Tears rolled down my cheeks  . "Russian men dont cry "  . She said and  was laughing again  . "Eta ne russkie sloz . These are not russian tears they are indian .   " I told her  .  

 It was time to leave . A hug and then it happened . A kiss on my cheek  .  There was a news announcement that it was the coldest day of the season ,. Temperature outside was -40 degrees . It was my dream  come true  .  Odin tselovat devushku v russie kagda temperatura -40 degrees .  Wake me up  ..  pashalyuista  .  

PS :  Lets be honest with no humility . None of this is totally impossible  except the kiss perhaps . Thats ok  :)   Wishing for a great future for my lyubimaya silny strana , russia moyo lyubov  .  Hope it becomes democratic and let Nadia become minister of culture  .  Maybe that is what the real russian motherland  wants who is crying at present  .  

 If there is heaven or hell or anything in between .   

I dont believe in any of the major religions . But i am sort of spiritual .  I wish to believe in another world and a soul . But there is no proof  that exists or doesnt exist .  Anyway if there is one what i want there ?  

I want to meet all the beautiful languages i am learning personified . As a budding polyglot i want to meet all the 4 Romance ( i know it has nothing to do with Romance :) ) languages in the form of 4 beautiful women . Polygamy ? Not really . They are after all languages personified and cannot be jealous of each other . Also its another world where jealousy doesnt exist . Or does it ? 

Anyway first i want to be hugged and kissed by the spanish girl . I mean the language personified . Few people can deny the beauty of spanish language . Especially in music how it beautifully rhymes with the melody and the words are full of passion , angst and whatever emotion . With my love of latin american culture and the people and spanish being my first love as the first language i started learning online its only correct that i want her hug first . Abrazos .Jaja . And of course the besos .  

Who next .  My favorite brasiliera . hey mr playboy :(  You are getting naughty . You meant languages and now you are saying brasiliera . Its because i was learning brasilian portuguese and for me the language is as musical and upbeat as the culture of brasilians . I love the way they speak , they look , their friendliness . Muito bem .  Eu gosto minha portuguese . "Your grammar is wrong"  .She told . " Give me a hug and a kiss first " . I told her .  She  gave me a hug and a kiss and a beautiful brasilian smile .  

Oh that man who was struggling with the r and j in class . The french language personified told the others . The smell of Parisian perfum was strong . But he was trying his best and he was even trying french songs with his limited french . She told others . I am going to hug him . But his french sucks . Others told . She smiled a monalisa smile . let me check how he kisses :)  

The italian lady was last . She plainly refused to kiss or even to hug . The others told . Isnt it rude . Why dont you at least give him a shakehand .  Italian woman told the others . But he doesnt know a single word of italian . he knows all the other three romance languages . i hate him . he neglected me . She asked  me if i knew even a single word of italian . I blushed . Then i had a great idea . I smiled and told " pizza " . Hmmm,  Hug ... This man is the limits . take him away and feed him to the lions Caesar . After the hug and kiss of course . 

Suddenly there was a drop in temperature .  So cold . The girls shivered , i tried not to shiver . The temperature became -20 degrees .  A beautiful woman , one of the most beautiful i have ever seen appeared .  Roosky devushka , ya znayoo eyo . The inner voice was checking if the russian grammar cases was correct ."  Daaa . Kaneshna .  Mush ."  She replied . My inner voice was again checking if her russian grammar was correct .    The other girls were looking in dismay . They tried google translate to get what we were talking about in russian .  

Ya hachu tselovat . Mne nushna obnimi .  I tried to tell her through frozen lips . The russian ever so beautiful and ever at ease in the coldest of the cold came closer and gave me a kiss and a hug . The warmest kiss in the coldest weather . 

Payyahali . she told . The others watched while we were walking towards the horizon ... of heaven or hell ya ne znayu  .  After all i havent committed any sin except getting kissed and hugged .  is it a sin in the netherworld . I dont think so ........    Viktor tsoi song was playing loudly  .  

 It is said life is short for good souls. Maybe she was too good . Except for the occasional insects she caught she has not done any crime . She was always sweet . The daughter of the cat who has been around our home for many years . Her grandmother was the oldest cat around the house .  I still remember the day when her mom brought her to our home back door . For a full day she was on the compound wall hesitating to jump down and her mom doing her best to encourage her . Cats have nine lives . I wish they had . This one had only one . She died yesterday night . A dog bite .  

She was at first never looking at me in the eye . I was never a cat person and i also thought that since she was stray cat she had no reason to gaze at a humans eyes . But as the days gone by the kitten started being more and more playful . It started staring at me . I used to give her food .  She graduated from eating from the ground to eating from her dedicated bowl .  She used to sometimes be in the bowl as she was small . Later even when she was bigger it was funny seeing her trying to fit in it . She was extremely playful to her mother and the pappa cat who used to visit every afternoon and be near the door . Dad who used to fight with the male cats around  and even was not so friendly with his wife had a special place for his daughter . She used to play with his tail and jump and irritate him . But he was always so patient . The daughter used to lick him from head to toe .  Even when she was older she tried her best to drink her moms milk .  

She was one of the few cats who used to climb the tall trees around . We had to shoo it away as we were afraid it may catch some birds . But it was interested only in climbing . Sometimes scared to come down .  

We had our play routine . And one of the few stray cats which came immediately to the door when i opened it . We were scared the ceiling will fall as she used to jump and come from a high wall when the door was opened . 

Yesterday night there was a cats cry and a dogs bark . Rarely dogs come from outside .  Morning there was no response to calls , And soon she was seen . Spread out . Just a few months old , just after the first few weeks of her finding a new boyfriend she died . Killed by a dog .  Natures course . But she is too young . I wish i will see her in the netherworld . I want to see her first before all the animals which have formed a bond with me .  What else to write . Nothing .... Momu her name ..... Given a portuguese name moca which she never responded .  Malayali kitten never reached proper adulthood as fate had other plans for her .  

MUsic the solace

 The 9 mm semiautomatic pistol was aimed at his heart . The white police officer could easily get away with it . For the victim was a black man . Yes after the shootout there will be the "usual " uproar of a racist overtone . But in this case he could get away with it as the circumstances he could explain . And yes with his ingrained racism he wanted to pull the trigger .

But a second before pulling the trigger at the black man he saw it . The 6 stringed instrument freshly strummed alongside the black man . And that second hesitation was enough for him to escape with his life . For though a criminal he had better things to do than to kill a police officer or be a martyr in a police shooting .

After the criminal escaped the officer was still standing staring at the 6 stringed instrument , a crudely made acoustic guitar left behind by the black man . And the middle aged officer was thinking back to his  own  teenage years .

A product of a broken home which doesnt discriminate between black  , brown or white . Bullied terribly in school and college he found solace in music . Specifically the music of the blacks . As a youth he knew though discriminated against in every sphere blacks were disproportionately represented in the music industry . And all his heroes and heroines were black . It was not a conscious process as music didnt have any color that he knew of . But he read somewhere that music of americas originally came from africa . He read that every day the slaves had one respite from their agonising and mundane existence . The world of dance and music which their forefathers gifted .

Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson , Gloria Geynor , Ray Charles , Stevie Wonder , Whitney Houston the list was endless . And in his troubled youth these were his gods and goddesses who took him out of his troubles , gave him hope and made him pursue life once again . He thought again . Without them he may not have survived his teenage years . And for a moment he stared at his gun . The instrument he carried to protect the people but which lost its meaning . That was his last day at work .

He took up a job with an agency working with  homeless black youth guiding them and integrating them into mainstream society .And yes in his sparetime he started to strum the guitar with them . And the black gods and goddesses of music were watching him many from the nether world .......

Heal the world ... Make it a better place ,.. for you and for me ,, and the entire human race ..( Michael Jackson ..)

Black music

 If you ask me what sort of music i listen to and like i would say .."I like numerous artists but i have a soft corner towards black music " . Last two weeks i have been repeatedly listening to two jamaican beauties both black . One is Liz Mitchell and her group which is world famous . Yes  , she was the lead singer of Boney M the jamaican born singer who thrills us with heavenly music like Brown girl in the ring , Sunny , Rivers of Babylon etc. If this black jamaican beauty was just a coincidence in my favorite list what about Precious Wilson , the lead singer of the group Eruption which gave us famous songs like One way ticket to the blue. 

My favorite as well as your favorite Michael Jackson whose album Thriller is in the guinness book of world records again makes black music my favorite genre  . Bob Marley , Ray Charles , Stevie Wonder , Rihanna , Alicia Keys the list is endless . (Yes i understand Alicia Keys has mixed racial heritage ) . And when they were segregated and put to the ghettos still new music they made as exemplified by rap music and the like . I like Akon too . 

Speaking about Black music much of the music which we dance to originated from blues music . And blues music is intimately related to the blacks . Packed like sardines in slave ships nearly 2 million of them perished at sea . Those who survived and entered into slavery in americas had only music and dance to continue their humanness . Of course with the abolition ?  of slavery the music entered mainstream and mixed with various music but still retaining the thump of the african drums . Though their music became mainstream still racism in its subtle forms is rampant . 

Swahili is an african language and yesterday was listening to Boney M version of this beautiful song . It was awesome hearing and seeing the translation of this african song , sung by a black jamaican and to the booming music . Though the song is upbeat is the music telling us to give the blacks the place they deserve , a retribution to the 2 million who were killed before they could spell human rights.. I read somewhere that though the civil rights movement helped it was the black music in the decades that followed that helped further to reduce racism . We have numerous black artists these days and very popular . But still in mainstream life still racism lives on showing the double standards .   ...

Please read up the middle passage in slave trade in wikipedia . Many blacks refused food and died , some jumped into sea , some were fed to the sharks . But a few cursed their captors with their african spells . Maybe that spell maybe the reason even a person with  most racism stands up when listening to a music live  perfomance by a black artist .(see live perfomance of Gloria Geynor I will survive )  

For me black music is just that : a melodious but survivor of the spirit of their forefathers  . And lets fight racism with music . 

  

music teacher blog 2015 ---old blog

 My music teacher who taught us music in school passed away today . He was a nice man . And he taught music the language of the gods . That makes him doubly nice . It was one class which all of us looked forward to not because all of us were so musical but it was a very relaxed atmosphere where he used to teach us to sing . And it was a realisation that all of us can sing , and in that class there was no class difference . A few of my classmates became professional singers , most enjoys music , some amateur singers . And remember our school was a highly competitive school of course not a music school . 

Coming back to my teacher maybe subconsciously he made us connect that music means relaxation . I think in latter part of class he resorted to story telling maybe after getting fed up of our raspy voices in an all boys school . And on a personal note again I  wanted to gift him a musical instrument an electric keyboard as he lost his voice for singing in latter part of his life . I take life for granted and though i had the money i kept postponing it due to various reasons . Afterall i thought whats few weeks delay got to do with a gift of which even he is not aware . 

Anyways i heard today of his death and reminded that never take life for granted , We all will die one day but never delay anything especially expressing gratitude . Stopping this short post and may his soul rest in peace . 

Food options trivandrum --old blog from year 2015

 Though being a trivandrumite minus the full blown trivandrum langauge ( its famous :) )  i was hesitant to write about eateries in trivandrum mainly because we had few eateries compared to comparable cities be it ahmedabad , kochi or coimbatore . Not anymore trivandrum has a range of choices these days serving all sorts of delicacies . 

Arya Niwas , near Thampanoor : If you want to sit in style and have vegeterian food there are many places in trivandrum but for a nice dosa and filter coffee one of the good places is Arya Niwas . This place is easily reachable and walking distance from railway and bus station even for the laziest like me . Service is brisk and a upscale feel (read 3 star like )  . When you go with family / business associates this is important and especially as a visiting group traveller  . 

Mothers Kitchen near Bakery junction :  Trivandrum is famous for sadya the traditional food of kerala . Depending on style it can be 10 to 100 side dishes though 100 + was for Maharajas in ancient time . Still a good sadya usually had in times like Onam is a spectacle to eyes , ears ( typo:)  ) and tastebuds . The nice thing about Mothers kitchen is they serve this awesome sadya 364 days in a year . Thats great indeed . They have different varieties of sadya but stick to pure south indian sadya .  Evenings they have dosas different varieties but sadya is sadya  . 

Villa Maya : Its near west fort area and this is a renovated old palace like building with history from Maharaja times . The ambience is top class . You feel like you are the maharaja or maharani or prince when you visit there as many of the old furniture is still there . One of the top rooms is like fully airconditioned even with no airconditioner on because of traditional construction . Food is expensive ( read 4 to 5 star prices ) but visit it for the superb ambience . Food is good but not value for money so eat less , look around more and if lucky may find a princess there :)   They have live music too some days  . 

Indian coffee house :  This is more for nostalgia especially for people who have lived in trivandrum years back . They should try out the MLA quarters indian coffee house or medical college branch . They have beetroot predominant filled masala dosa which is unique and cold coffee which is also nice . 

Zamzam hotel , palayam :  If you want to eat a lot of chicken in all its varieties along with falooda ( thats not a combination i know )  head straight there . Without putting a hole in your pocket they have a variety of nonvegeterian kerala and arabian dishes and is a popular local eatery . Crowded during weekend nights good to go with a hungry stomach . Even if you eat to your hearts content wont have to wash the kitchen plates . 

Thathkaaram :   175  metres from statue junction . : This place more of kannoor cuisine has nice fish biriyani and north kerala dishes . Food is tasty and dont forget to finish with a sulaimani .The ambience is good with some models of buses etc built inside the restaurant . My only grouse is the place is mainly for eating and less for talking . So eat there and for talking go to any of the lounges in trivandrum . 

Cherries and Berries : Kerala had connections with outside world before america was born . But food was never cosmopolitan here . Luckily these days to have good continental food no need to go outside trivandrum . Cherries and Berries is a lounge coffee shop place where in a coffee house ambience you can talk and eat continental food . From cupcakes to pancakes , meat filled european things ( names i dont know being a local thirontharamite knowing only malayalam:) )  this place has been tested by my friends and certified as European as far as it can go .  

Nirvana lounge : Music and food always mixes . A place with a buddha theme and music to fill your ears and the soul (does it ? )  a very relaxed ambience  and at a posh locality near golf club . So take a walk and listen to music and eat seafood momos , the specialty there  . And if you are really tired ask the band to accompany you for a song which you can sing . They will oblige . 

Saurashtra hotel near East fort (122 metres away : my geography is poor , you might have guessed now , directions always google )  ..This place has awesome pooris and some side dishes which are unique . Dont expect the gujarathi thali of ahmedabad but this is a unique but cheap in price place . For less than 65 rs ( 1 dollar approx) can fill the stomach with hot pooris . This place is not great in ambience and is a "local " place in thirontharam language . But i love it . Place is little congested too so may not be appealing to a tourist . 

Kethel chicken hotel at plamoodu junction: This place is the place to go for coconut oil fried chicken in a special spicy gravy with lime juice and chappathi . Dont eat anything else from there but eat minimum 3 full chicken per person if u can . The chicken is small and good for placing a bet on how much chicken you can eat . 

Mubarak fish hotel : chalai :  a very busy ethnic place this is also not great in ambience but fish lovers will love it . Prawns  , squid and the usual things available at sea is made tasty there . Have it with rice and prepare to queue up at midday . 

Will write on Kovalam eateries in a separate blog . Please comment and share if you like , Someone might be hungry and their life may be saved  

Post from 2016 -- food calicut

 Recently i visited a restaurant in  Calicut (Al Baik , near baby memorial hospital ) after 10 years . The taste was just like 10 years back (awesome ), the service the same ( though new faces ) and price just the same ( im kidding about this ) That visit and half broasted chicken re-energised me to say the least after a speaking assignment in town . And  i mentally gave many stars for the experience and plan to write a good  food review .

But surprisingly when i saw the reviews in tripadvisor it was mixed reviews . That is not surprising considering each person ( even foodies )have their unique priorities in an eating place .

But for me,  after taste ,service always comes as an important priority . For one , when we go to a restaurant and pay 50-100 Rs for a coffee which costs less than half the price  actually partly we are paying for the ambience and for good service . But more importantly its something more visceral beyond "customer is the king " attitude .

Food is available in  prisons and also available after standing in  a queue during famine time . Maybe when service is very poor and food is served in a take it or leave it manner it tugs at something deep and visceral  . Though havent suffered hardships regarding food  so far , maybe poor service gives me associations from countless movies which shows the hero /villain standing in  line for food and food gets thrown at his face . \

So next time when you are treated like a hero or a zero in a restaurant express yourself if they have a feedback form or if thats missing write in tripadvisor . Every foodie owes himself or herself food served with a smile .

And for those in trivandrum please comment on which restaurant you had the best and worst service 

From sa ri ga ma --music learning

 She was crying ... As a 10 year old i was confused why she was  crying .. Of course,  it was the first session of my classical harmonium class  and we had given her the customary betel leaf as dakshina . An ancient indian practice of respecting the guru and she was overwhelmed when we had given her the dakshina . 

For me,  it was my first proper music lessons and mornings i was enthusiastic to go to her class where she taught me sa re ga ma along with harmonium . The divine atmosphere as well as the music kept me away from the fatal attraction . Since our all boys school didnt have music classes i went for the music classes to the nearby girls school at alleppey with special permission . 

When i was in trivandrum this music study stopped except for the one day one hour music session as part of school curriculum . That was interesting not only because we could sing in that class but he used to tell us movie stories . Maybe the lack of time i used to look longingly at the guitar and drums kept in the music class . 

Years passed and then i joined for guitar classes . I learnt the basic notation and nursery rhymes under that guru . But to tell frankly i stopped learning because of mosquito bite . Maybe my lack of commitment or the number and intensity of mosquito bites i quit after 2 months . 

Years passed and i got a new guitar master . This time he was very good . Learnt the basics of classical music in guitar western style . When i think of him i could think not only for his great classes with full commitment but also of his punctuality . For an owl like me to wake up at 5 am was a problem . But he was so strict that he wanted me at his door exactly at 6 am . Not 5 minutes late or even 5 minutes early . Tried both :) He is no more now and i still remember him when i play the notations on guitar . 

Years passed again actually a decade . Hearing the wail of the electric guitar in my favourite songs be it bohemian rhapsody by queen or hotel california by eagles never thought once again i will start learning the guitar . 

As they say .... right time has come once again for my left hand to feel the sweet pain of the guitar strings and right hand strumming away ...This time an awesome teacher who is as inspiring as the previous but who belongs to the pop and soft rock genre .. He was a performer during his younger days with these very same songs ... So once again started learning .... 

You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave .. (hotel california ) feeling excited and humbled at the same time learning music

P.S  :  This was a blog i wrote two years back and thanks to persistence and passion thankfully could play most of guitar songs these days and even tried keyboard too ... One of the best hobbies  is to start learning an instrument . Its never late to start 

Music learning

 Mosquito is one of the creatures that kills maximum number of humans in this world . Not the lion , not the tiger not even crocodile . For me though it hasnt killed me yet , mosquitoes were responsible for killing my guitar learning many decades back . I still remember i was proud of my newly bought guitar but each time i tried to learn it a mosquito bite not only irritated me but it added to the frustration of learning a new instrument  . In those days i was too timid to complain to the then teacher about the mosquito problem and i saw the easy way out .. stop the class and it was the end of a juvenile music prodigy ( kidding )  

 Thus i had to put the guitar to rest for a few years .Then i got a teacher who taught me the basics of guitar in the western classical style . He was amazing and his teaching was superb . I learnt for a few months and then discontinued . This time i couldnt say the excuse of mosquitoes . 

But the real learning of the instrument came when i was old ... really old considering most child prodigies start at  age 3 . This time my guru came home to teach  and this time there was no excuses . He came to teach at my home which is fairly devoid of mosquitoes . And being a big fan of pop music , this teacher taught me guitar highly customised to my  taste . This was a few years back and i never turned back after that . Didnt become a child prodigy or even a prodigy but could accompany my favorite songs on the guitar . A professional guitarist takes years to master it but if there is passion within ( and absence of mosquitoes )  guitar is an easy instrument to learn . The fun part is it is never too late to learn as these days when i talk to people many of them say they are too old to learn an instrument  . 

There are hundreds of scientific papers published on benefits of learning a musical instrument and the surprising part is learning an instrument even helps brain in other areas which are not related to music . And of course the fun and passion of making music cannot be explained in words . 

And lastly ingredients of learning an instrument is :  1 passion for music   2 . getting a good teacher , friendly and reasonably knowledgeable 3  . absence of mosquitoes . Wishing  you a happy learning experience

Lyrics touching the soul

 There was once  upon a time i used to try to write the lyrics of Michael Jackson's songs while it was being played on the tape recorder . .These days, thanks to the internet ,  by a few clicks we can  get the lyrics of any song . Malayalam songs and hindi songs lyrics are beautiful . But these days i really analyse the meaning of english songs . Not only is the music heavenly but many of the songs tell about every condition a human being experiences . As they say music is the language of the soul which transcends manmade barriers . 

Recently was listening to Paul Anka the legendary singer's hit song " Papa " . Whether your parent is alive or no more the lyrics say about parental love . Even though separated by the seven seas the song written and sung by this Canadian singer many decades back , evokes the same feelings whether the listener is an indian , chinese or spanish . No wonder the comments in youtube of his songs tells about many listeners feelings on hearing it  irrespective of nationality . 

Coming to romance , heartbreaks have always been one of the themes of many popular music . The song by Adele a  world famous singer called "Someone like you" tells about heartbreak . The raw emotions is really given musical life by Adele by her soulful voice and the beautiful lyrics . No wonder it topped the musical charts in 17 countries .She wrote the music in response to a heartbreak . 

Loss in any form is painful and the wail of the electric guitar and " wish you were here " song lyrics of Pink Floyd music band tells the tale of loss . It is penned in response to the band members yearning for their former bandmate who had to leave the band due to  cruel fate . 

Each songs lyrics tell a tale . Many songs are based on songwriters actual life and being an art form its a beautiful expression of the pain . I used to always love western music for its music and rhythm . But its been only a few years i started focussing on each of the songs lyrics and musical history of each song and singer . Its been an amazing journey and for those interested please see the youtube videos of these songs and also read the lyrics and if still with me read the song context on wikipedia . 

Everyday my papa would work
To try to make ends meet
To see that we would eat
Keep those shoes upon my feet-----Paul Anka song ": Papa " 

uber and volvo --- on travelling in kerala

 Sir , my mood get spoilt the moment i land at that place . My junior colleague was saying to me . I give an understanding look  but except  that i can do nothing .He is complaining about the auto people in a city which is known for its polite people . And the people are polite except for the auto people . But for frequent travellers usually an autodriver is the first person they interact with and overcharging and rude behaviour is often the norm . 

Except for a review or blogging there was hardly any recourse for the poor consumer of this transport mechanism. This problem is still there in many cities of india . Be it a tourist or official traveller nothing spoils the mood better than an auto driver who overcharges you and takes your minimal intellgence and politeness for granted . 

God exists . Karma exists . For why else suddenly a company called uber landed and saved the consumer from the auto drivers . For many months i hardly get into an auto . Not that i am a VIP who will travel only in air conditioned cars even for a kilometre . Its because as a consumer i have been taken for a ride for decades by autodrivers . And this was payback time . I wait patiently for ubers these days( they take a few minutes )  though i can get an auto in a few seconds sometimes . And its not about money either. Ubers are often quite cheaper and with their frequent discounts sometimes are lesser than auto cost . Adding to that they have  a feedback mechanism after every ride . 

All it takes is download the app on your android and start using the uber car service . Ok do i sound like a marketing professional ?  I am not affliated to uber in any way . 

Again, the  volvo ride is the next thing which is worth the rupee we spent . KSRTC buses has a subset of volvo fleet fully airconditioned and with huge windows of glass . It is one of the best ways to travel in kerala as we can see Gods own country without the dust or the bumps on the road . Music and better behaved conductors and lesser rush means this is a nice way of travelling long distance. The timings are easily got from website and are typically available every hour . 

My junior is now in a foreign country which is famous for its cabs . But for me i am happy here in my city and each time think of him when i enjoy a ride in uber or volvo . Karma exists .....   Interested in knowing your experiences of uber , KSRTC volvos and also autos as comments . 

new year resolution -learning an instrument

 How many hours per day you spent on social networking sites ? And how many you spent shopping? By shopping i mean not the essential shopping but the shoppaholic shopping . Admit it . We all do it . Its ok . But i am telling this new year make it a priority to learn a musical instrument sparing some time off your social networking and alcoholism ( sorry shopaholism :)  .)

Study upon study has shown learning a musical instrument has a host of benefits . And it even helps better in other non musical areas.  Age is no bar in  learning an instrument as that is one fear many people have. They feel  that it is too late to start learning . Another impediment to learning is it is perceived as too tough . But actually if interest is there learning an instrument is easy . There are no deadlines and no levels to attain unlike career . So if you go easy on yourself its not difficult to learn an instrument . 

Then you may still say "I am busy . I dont have time "   . Really ? Refer paragraph one . Most people who are very busy spend enough and more time on social media and shopping . So taking off a few hours each week for learning an instrument is not difficult . And the rewards are tremendous . Listening to music is great but playing an instrument is even more rewarding as numerous studies have shown . It is even proven to increase new brain connections . 

It is christmas time and have you ever thought wouldnt it be nice to strum a guitar along with christmas songs ?  Believe me , its easy if you have the right teacher and have some amount of interest . So lets meet next year same time and hopefully some of you uploading your songs played with the music instrument you have learnt . Guitar , keyboard , violin or ukulele ..... I am waiting ... Merry Christmas ....2016   

Germany , shanghai and jaipur

 Is travelling to a foreign country overrated ?  For those who havent travelled overseas grass is always greener on the other side . I mean as a tourist , the grass in germany is greener than india . Frankly , before travelling overseas i too thought any overseas travel is awesome compared to any touristy place in  india . Of course it is awesome depending on the destination and also your personality ( we will come to that later ) 

Coming to overseas travel , though i have visited a few countries , i ask travellers who have visited other countries about the attractions i am interested in  .But i wasnt prepared for the answer from my  software professional friend from USA . In malayalam he was telling about a world famous tourist destination which i always dreamt about visiting . "Ede , ath verum oru kuzhi . Ee parayunna polonnum illaa"  ( malayalam meaning : That is just a large pit , Nothing as great as its marketed to be ) . Then he told about the marketing tactics of americans who market everything though india has more treasures . I asked another friend of mine about the same tourist destination and she also told the same .They were talking about the Grand Canyon .    

No, i still am very keen to see it . But the point is perspectives matter a lot even in something as grand as grand canyon . Just like i find sunny leone more beautiful than aiswarya rai :)  

Coming back to germany , there is no doubt i enjoyed my trips there . But i enjoyed many of my indian destinations equally and at a much lesser cost . Especially rajasthan -jaipur and udaipur . Partly its because i grew up reading amar chitra katha childrens books in which rajput heroes and heroines were numerous . And when i started travelling a visit to jaipur and udaipur was like visiting the places where my heroes and heroines once resided.  You guessed it ,.I am a  history buff . So for me , history which i am interested in will colour my enjoyment of a place i visit . And that too at a fraction of the cost and in a maharaja style accomodation  for a lesser cost . 

Talking about shanghai , it was nice . Especially travelling in one of the worlds fastest trains there . But still if it was an extended stay i would have run short of touristy places to visit . And again personality comes here . I can tolerate big cities only for a few days . And yes i hate the chinese girl who called me shahrukh khan and talked to me in  hindi . She was pretty too . She was trying to sell me a bag and calling me shahrukh khan was to encourage me to buy it . I hate big city people who tell lies . Shahrukh  will cry if he hears what the girl told all for  selling a bag . ( i didnt buy it from her finally ) . I prefer simple people of rajasthan . 

Cruising in the autobahn at 200 kmph plus in a car was enjoyable . The cool weather in germany was enjoyable . But my point is overseas trips are overrated especially considering the cost . Enjoy indian destinations as much before venturing out . Though i travelled for 8 years , I still havent covered many places in this magnificient country . From the gol gappas of bareilly to travelling in the konkan railway the grass is green on both sides . 

P.S At time of writing this Trump is planning to deport both of my friends for calling grand canyon a giant pit .

memories of christmas

 Christmas was always festive season for me . Because in kerala , not only it is always a festive season with the stars and christmas cakes , as children ,it was the time of an extended holiday . The christmas holidays was an important 10 day long holiday   , the other being Onam holidays and summer holidays . As children especially decades back Christmas meant the plum cakes the hard icing variety .As children we werent bothered about all the big things . Christmas meant holidays , plum cakes and stars and meeting friends and relatives , We used to get gifted Christmas cakes and me and my cousins used to " fight " for the one or two sugar icing flowers on top of the cakes . It was a different era when we didnt have all these varieties of cakes . These  days we can even customise cakes with enough flowers (sugar icing flowers) so that it will be there for all But those times cakes had 1 or 2 sugar icing flowers .  We cousins were more than 10 and we used to meet in family house at alleppey during the christmas holidays. 

Even before the holidays before visiting native place there will be star at our house . My father being an engineer used to mostly make a star using colored paper and coconut leaf sticks ( eerkili in malayalam )  and put it together with electric bulb and small blinking circuit  , I think i found it more beautiful than the stars bought from shops . And yes , it was real fun seeing all the carols come to our house . Once , as a child my curiosity of knowing the identity of the christmas papa was so much that i gave a tug to his beard while the carol was going on . I still remember his facial expression , not anger , for it was the festive season . I returned  his beard promptly . 

I also remember the dark liquid which looked like cola ( that was the era of thums up and goldspot cool drinks ) when we were invited to a large christmas party . My father had a tough time explaining  to me that , that particular cola is not for children . Later i realised that that dark liquid(wine )  was alcoholic and just because some people had it ( my hosts family and many others ) didnt mean they arent good people or that they cant be good hosts . We learnt the freedom of choice and concept of peaceful coexistence inspite of differences even at that age . These days some people highlight the differences and fight. 

In our primary school we used to visit the church . We used to sing christmas songs. And yes we used to eat those plum cakes . 

For me christmas always remains a festival of great energy . And plum cakes are still my favorite cake inspite of 100 different cake varieties available these days . Yes , memories . And lastly my interest in playing guitar increased after hearing some new christmas songs  a few years back . 

Merry christmas to all of you and lets use  each festival to strengthen the unity of humanity . 

Bachata dancing

 1 2 3 Tap .  Before i knew it i was dancing the latin dance bachata .  Bachata dance is a beautiful partner dance from Dominican republic . These days it is catching up in india along with dances like salsa which many have heard and Kizomba dance which very few may have heard .  These dances unlike other dances require lot of non verbal communication between dance partners . Salsa is fast paced , bachata is intermediate paced generally and kizomba is slower in some ways . 

It has been a journey learning the steps of these dances and never in my life has there been so much information put into me in such a short time . And though some of my friends had long ago warned me never to take up dancing ( they were jealous :) )  really it was challenging to learn some of the steps . Swimming , driving , martial arts , music , radiology all were much easier in early learning stage but till i got the hang of it ( still learning) dancing was no easy piece of cake . Reading google dr it is found that partner dancing though interesting is no cake walk for males in the early stages .This is because they have to learn a lot of things in the earlier stages . Not only dance properly, they have to initiate which steps to take and the followers do the initiated steps. Also in crowded dance floors without becoming territorial have to protect the space of dancing without clashing with the dancing pair in neighbouring areas.  

Though there is lot of work in the initial stages the results are amazing . Other than some degree of coffee addiction this is one of the things that has me addicted . Not only there is the joy of  doing an art form automatically you are exercising . In addition you meet a lot of interesting people . This includes both your fellow territorial males (remember the dancing space we have to protect :) ) and the women followers . I have met a person from japan who has become a good friend who came to classes during holidays , many software engineers , doctors in short a range of professionals who have taken up this interesting hobby .  

My body awareness has improved and that has both physical and psychological benefits . Also started seeing new places thanks to salsa and bachata festivals . Bachata music is also very addictive and many of the remixed songs like senorita etc are hits by themselves . Will write more on this topic some other time . As of now 1 2 3 tap . Thats how the steps go for bachata . So let me tap and end this small blog . 

I would suggest please see videos of senorita song bachata remix on youtube by cornel and rithika . I attended one session by them too . Very friendly and good teachers . 

#bachata #latindancing #dancingbenefits #senoritabachata 

Womens day little thoughts

What one word describes a woman ?  For me at least its the word "give "  .  From my grandmother to mother to aunt to friends who are girls i find one common factor is they give more than they receive . 

Even when you look at nature ( i am a fan of animal planet )  even predatory lionesses give more than they receive . Be it childcare or hunting women disproportionately contribute . Whether it is fully acknowledged by soceity is another question . 

Even in the liberalised west , and even in the case of women doctors in the west study after study shows women not only juggle workplace , childcare as well as home . Actually i was surprised to read because i thought only in india women beared the brunt of this juggling and i really thought the western women made sure that men did exactly 50 percent of their share .  

In a country like india , there is no beating around the bush in saying that inspite of all the progress still theres a lot to go in giving the woman the recognition  for what she is doing . Many top managers these days are women even in india . They are represented in the professions . But it is surprising inspite of the progress if you consider india as a whole where current status of women lies . 

It starts from birth with the skewed sex ratio . Not wanting a girl child . As they say statistics dont lie . In childhood and teenage years and beyond inspite of laws protecting her the risk of abuse as well as rape . Delhi rape was just the tip of the iceberg which held the attention of the world . Then the institution of marriage itself . Lets be honest . India has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world . Its not because of some ideal relationship between indian men and indian women . To put it bluntly many dont divorce because even in this 21 st century after divorce women are treated much more unfairly than men . So they put up with all the abuses within marriage to save their face in front of soceity. 

All these years they continue to "give " not only to the family but the soceity at large . 

                                                                          I sincerely hope we all give women at least the acknowledgement of what they do instead of seeing their jugglery. Just an appreciation which is sincere to the women in your lives beyond the courtesy happy womens day . No happy womens day from me ... lets correct the skewed sex ratio first and then talk .

 PS : Please write blogs on these topics in social media .

Lessons from rottweiler dog --- boundaries

These days i see a lot of animal videos  and read up on dog breeds . The cute ones , the documentaries etc etc . But i found one important lesson from one of the famous breeds of dogs the rottweiler .

Rottweilers were originally dogs which were used to herd cattle the large horned variety many times its size . For a dog to control a large herd of unruly cattle it mainly uses body language and posturing . Seldom does it resort to biting if at all . By assertive and firm behaviour it makes sure  the boundaries of herding are not violated . Of course it also protects herd from intruders and wild animals .

Be it professional life or personal life anyone can vouch there are some difficult people we have to deal with . Most people approach these people with a flight approach or if really brave a fight approach . But experience shows both doesnt work well in the long run . Its here that the concept of "boundaries " which is also mentioned in psychology is important .

Each person has a boundary psychologically especially in the things they are comfortable with , their value system etc . Difficult people who make up a minority often try to violate these personal boundaries of others . In professional life they could be a difficult boss or a coworker , and in personal life could be a relative or a "friend " . It is difficult indeed to deal with them but saying a polite but firm no is important in many situations .

From dealing with the bully in school who stopped his bullying on one fateful day when i just stood my ground to one of the coworker who was difficult person for most but less for me because i used to say the greatest number of polite nos , the upkeep and maintenance of personal boundaries is very important . It saves lots of our time in long run as well as enhances self esteem . Do i remind you of a rottweiler . Rottweiler or rottie is one of my favorite dog breeds ( the well bred ones )  and yes the concept of boundaries whenever i think about i get reminded of a rottweiler herding the horned cattle . 

Dog or child quiz

Let me be honest . I am a dog lover . Of course with all their shortcomings i love my species too (humans,  not dogs to be clear ) .

In the recent debates on "dog menace " and the vocal support by leading animal activists including a tv star i thought i should put my thoughts here . Of course you can disagree .

Its been years since i am seeing animal planet channel and reading books . Its common knowledge that a pack of wild dogs are one  of the most powerful predators on earth . With their small size but with pack strenth and dynamics a tiny wild dog as a pack kills even tigers with ease . The same is the case with wolves . Its not the individual but its pack behaviour. Many children (read somebodys daughter , sister etc ) has been killed and even eaten by stray dog packs . I am an animal lover . But that doesnt mean that i go to extreme fanatism and support glorification of stray dog packs roaming around in our "civilised " cities .

Regarding animal rights activism , yes its great thing indeed as the innocent animals be it dog or cat need protection . But most of animal activists including me have a car . And the affected persons by the dog menace are primarily ordinary humans (yes we have a responsibility to them too ) who need to walk for their livelihood . I have been in middle of a dog pack in delhi at 8 pm and had to use all my survival skills to escape. few years back . (I was walking then )

Coming back , those who are so vocal about animal rights let them ( i am not that extreme an activist )  come forward and adopt one dog each from the street . I think with the number of extreme activists this is not a herculean task . And without further armchair and car seat based comments let each one prove that they are really that much caring towards stray dogs . And remove the stray dog menace from our streets . Yes keeping packs of stray dogs on our streets is not only uncivilised move its a dangerous move . Lets still retain our logic inspite of our activism extremes .

Afterall getting killed by a pack of dogs is worse than being killed by a lion . Check the internet . And let none of your children , brother  , sister fall prey to stray dog packs while we debate .. We were more sensible a decade back .

little thoughts on Doctors day

Happy doctors day all fellow doctors .  It was a happy day indeed for me today when i saw an article on a leading newspaper forwarded by a friend . It showcased positivity about doctors and the noble profession .

After reading scores of articles on doctors , patients and doctor patient relationship it was a welcome relief on doctors day . I myself has written many articles over the years on the doctor patient relationship and amidst the celebration let me suggest a few new year resolutions on both sides . I think being doctors day it can be a day of new resolutions for both doctors as well as patients .

1. Still most of the doctors and most of the patients are nice people inspite of the media induced stereotype . Nice doesnt mean they are the perfect human beings but most i have seen in close contact (be it a friend or as a patient myself or accompanying relatives  ) are nicer than most people , After all few people will wake up at 2 am for another person on a frequent basis especially strangers . ( Yes , i do understand the money hungry concept even for this but few people will do 2 am waking up even for greed , try it and see ) . I agree there is a section of doctors who are real black sheep but let this day be a reminder to identify them and as a bare minimum avoid them .  As a fraternity too doctors should identify them  and make sure that they are brought to book . There should be a mechanism to identify the black sheep in the profession and that system should be free of vested interests . Vague generalisations wont help either doctors or patients and at present is only serving to demoralise the hardworking white sheep (opposite of black sheep )among doctors  . Also even in media there is a section of media whose aim is to benefit by conflict in any form and they encourage conflict . In modern era its easy to understand which newpapers are spreading rumors and which are going by journalistic fairness .

2. Let go of the ideal . Lets face it . This is 21 st century and we know doctors are not gods . Lets not hang on to age old concepts and myths . We have doctors who may be god like in certain circumstances . But the reality is they are humans with families who try to combine a livelihood with some elements of missionary work in a world which is increasingly business oriented . Doctors are increasingly employed at business establishments who have money and i know personally many of my friends who changed their job because of unethical business ideals of non doctor management . Even doctors as management sometimes (remember black sheep ) resort to unethical means .  Let this doctors day be an opportunity to have a realistic dream of what to expect from a doctor . It took me years to see doctors from that perspective . Its all too easy to criticise someone when you expect the "ideal " from anyone .

3. Spend your hard earned money and make doctors rich .Was it too sarcastic . Yes it is . But i  mean it and i have done it and proud of it . Lets face it . Most doctors spend more than their fair share of time , hardwork , and their youth for patients . And frankly i as a patients relative want to see that they do get rich to show my gratitude towards them . And i have often seen the very people who dont crib for spending on a 10000 rs saree cribs for 100 rs doctors consultation fee . Yes , have seen it  numerous times . And sadly its worse nowadays that even if a "missionary doctor " foregoes his fees the patient has to spend thousands on medicines which cannot be bargained or got for debt .

4 . Embracing technology  : Good news for both patients and doctors is technology is making the doctor patient relationship different . Here too "anxiety " on how this will affect them is common like the free availability of online information which has made doctors anxious about the internet savvy patient . As with any new thing there is a growing up period and lets allow both the doctors and the patients the growing up time for embracing technology .

5 . Dont play doctor ( hey come on ... blogger just because you have doctor friends you cant support doctors ... they are bad .. )  ....Just an year back  i had one of persons known to me tick off the investigations which her "trusted " doctor had written . Though a multimillionaire she being stingy herself wanted me to cut off some of the investigations which her specialist had written . I was looking at awe at her when she was trying to decide (with full entitlement ) what she wanted and not wanted . My role was to say yes to her ignorant and arrogant remarks .   Let me be honest . Modern medicine is vast and the key thing is trust your doctor . If you feel he is not trustworthy instead of generalising ask around and change your doctor (white sheep , remember )  . But even if you feel entitled dont play doctor .(its a complicated science which after 15 years even i have an awe ) .

6. Lastly my personal theory :)   Ignore it if you want . 9 percent of the people suffer from personality disorders . I have blogged on them before and observing and talking to numerous doctors and patients i found that these 9 percent of personality disordered people who come both in the form of doctors as well as patients are responsible fully for the bad doctor patient relationship . In short this minority decides currently the stereotype and many of the issues which is plaguing the relationship of the nice 91 percent majority . I would call this minority the "black sheep " in both the profession as well as the patients(usually a relative who wants to make trouble )  . In this doctors day both as doctors as well as patients lets make a pledge to identify this group , report them , isolate them so that the lost glory of the profession is regained . Yes , its not an ideal dream but a "practical" dream . Happy doctors day to both the doctors as well as their patients .