Who's gonna educate the under-privileged?

We recently employed a maid in her late 20's/early 30's for household work. After few weeks of work she asked me for some baby clothes for her GRANDSON. Yep, you heard it right. I was surprised/shocked is more appropriate. She gave me to understand that she got married at 12 & delivered a gal at 13 & got her 13 year old daughter married last year who in turn was blessed with a baby boy this year. At 13 when kids ought to be imparted sex education these kids(gals/women) have got married and delivered offsprings.Who's gonna educate the under-privileged?

Something to ponder seriously!

Is conducting lavish weddings the only way to show opulence?

A lady known to us or related to us is known for conducting her wards' weddings quite extravagantly. Agreed that the wedding was meticulously planned and executed well but it created a big hole in her retired husband's pocket. Poor guy, how hard he would have toiled to save for the rainy day but his better-half spent it just like that! Whooshhhhhhhhhh!!! As for the wedding, what it gained in splendour it lacked in hospitality. The hospitality took a beating big time.

We have been planning a sorta thematic bday celebrations or ayushomam for lolly-polly. First we decided to have it at home but accomodating 120 guests is a big challenge. We have accomodated 80 guests in the past but 120 seemed to be a higher margin. So when I began the hunt for the venue, tough luck continued to follow me. The mini-halls were booked or demanded astronomical sums like Rs. 30K for a 2 hour function. With affortability not being a question, we decided not to yield to this kinda looting. We thought we could spend the money on poor feeding/udhavum karangal. By god's grace, we found a mantap which is sorta a mini hall which can accomodate around 200 people. We went ahead and booked it.

When we called up the lady to get some contact no, she had the audacity to ask my MIL "Why did you book a small hall? Why did you not go for a bigger mantap? You have lotsa money right? Why go for a mini-hall?". My MIL, the super-polite she is(I wish she rubs on that to me) overlooked her words and minced matters saying..."Accessibility is good, moreover it's a divya kshetram(holy place)". But this lady continued and blew the trumpet as to how she conducted the weddings and how she would conduct her grandchild's bday celebrations.

Had she posed the question to yours truly, I am sure I would have had the tenacity to say "We dont want to flaunt our opulence by conducting lavish weddings/functions as we feel that it's not the only way to show it." Unfortunately I was not at this end of the receiver. I just mumbled the words to myself and now ofcourse putting it down on pen err keyboard.

Agreed how you conduct the wedding is eachone's preference but people don't realise that they should not insist their choice/preference on others. What say you?

This post might be a lil awkward but I wanted to give my feelings a vent.

A brilliant one on Superstar!!!

Rajnikant was bragging to Amitabh Bachan one day, "You know, I know
Everyone. Just name someone, anyone, and I know them.


Tired of his boasting, Amitabh Bachan called his bluff, "OK, Rajni how about
Tom Cruise?"

"Sure, yes, Tom and I are old friends, and I can prove it" Rajni said.

So Rajni and Amitabh Bachan fly out to Hollywood and knock on Tom Cruise's
door,

And sure enough, Tom Cruise shouts: --- "Thalaiva! Great to see you! You
And your friends come right in and join me for lunch!"


...Although impressed, Amitabh Bachan is still skeptical. After they leave
Cruise's house, he tells Rajni that he thinks Rajni knowing Cruise was
Just lucky.


"No, no, just name anyone else" Rajni says
.."President Obama", Amitabh Bachan quickly retorts
..."Yes", Rajni says, "I know him.


And off they go. At the White House, Obama spots Rajni on the tour and
Motions him, saying, :----"Rajni, what a surprise, I was just on my way
To a meeting, but you and your friend come on in and let's have a cup of
Coffee first and catch up".


Well, Amitabh Bachan is much shaken by now, but still not totally convinced.
After they leave the White House grounds, he implores him to name anyone
else.


"The Pope," Amitabh Bachan replies
..."Sure!" says Rajni, "My folks are from Italy and I've known the Pope a
long time".

Rajni and Amitabh Bachan are assembled with the masses in Vatican Square
when Rajini says, "This will never work. I can't catch the Pope's eye among
all these people. Tell you what, I know all the guards so let me just go
upstairs and I'll come out on the balcony with the Pope."

And he disappears into the crowd headed toward the Vatican .. Sure enough,
half an hour later Rajni emerges with the Pope on the balcony.

But by the time Rajni returns, he finds
That Amitabh Bachan has had a heart attack and is surrounded by paramedics.
Working his way to Amitabh Bachan's side,

Rajni asks him, "What happened?"

Amitabh Bachan looks up and says, "I was doing fine until u and the pope
came out on the balcony and the Italian man next to me said,

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"Who's that on the balcony with Rajni?"

Courtesy: My classmate!

Here comes the Navratri Kolu...

If you live in Chennai and all set to buy dolls for Navratri, here's the MUST-SEE shops:- 1)Kuralagam (Govt Shop) - Opp Madras High Court 2) Poompuhaar (Govt Shop) - Opp LIC 3) Khadi Shop - There are many but you can check out the one opp. the newly constructed OIL TANK oops Assembly 4) Street Shops at Mylapore (near the TANK) - the best place for bargaining and 5) Bommai Chathram - Near Sri Parthasarathy Temple at Triplicane. Besides these you can check out CP Arts Centre where you can get fancy wooden dolls and terrocota sets and also the 1st floor at Sundari Silks...

I have already visited the 2), 4) and 5) this year :-) Yet to visit the rest which I would be doing shortly...

This years best bets :-

1) Thennangur Pandurangan and Rukkumayi Dolls
2) Narasimha Avtaar breaking out of the Pillar Post with Prahladan and Co.
3) 12 Alwaars
4) 8/14 sets of Krishna Leela
5) Wedding Feast Set
6) Arupadai Veedu
7) 8/9 sets of Ramayana (an old one)
8) Adimoolam Set (Lord Vishnu saves the elephant from the crocodile's clutches)

Then you have the usual Dasavatharam, Ashtalakshmi, Kalyana Set, Cricket Set, Kanchipuram Garuda Sevai etc...

Shubh Navrathri!!!

PS: In case you opt to buy at Triplicane, ensure that you bargain...Its best to visit all these shops, compare prices and then make a decision!

Sulochana Maami's Album on Purandaradasar Kritis...

I learnt carnatic music for a brief while - 6 years to be precise but managed to learn upto 80 kirthanas which includes the pancharathna krithis all before I turned 13. The fact I shifted my house and that put a fullstop to my learning stint is a different story altogether but whatever I learnt, I learnt that well :-). This was possible under the tulage of Smt. Sulochana Sampath. She was a big patron of MLV's style or gharana. She motivated us to come up with short alapana, kalpana swaram and neraval of our own right from the 20th keerthana...Its been 16 years now and this morning when I googled her name, what a pleasant surprise. Sulo Maami has released a brilliant collection of Purandaradasar Kritis.

http://www.hungama.com/artist-Sulochana%20Sampath-songs-40511

Its raining promotions...

Gone are the days when movies were promoted with banners, trailers, posters and more importantly BIG NAMES (includes Actors/Actresses/Directors/more importantly A R Rahman and others). The producer then spent a major chunk on the film, actors and a meagre amount on the promotions.

These days a huge sum is spent on the movie promotions and new gimmicks are resorted to by the entire production crew while promoting a movie.

If you want to know about an upcoming release, all you need to watch are the advertisements, reality shows, mega serials. The stars are everywhere.

And they promote the movies with their weird acts and gestures. Akshay Kumar and Salman made cameo appearaces as a Road Contractor and Police Inspector in Hindi Soaps as part of their Khatta Meeta and Dabanng promotions respectively.

Deepika Padukone shed tears in Chote Ustaad when Rahet Khan Saab sang her favorite number which made viewers wonder who she was pining for A) Yuvraj Singh B) RK C) Sidharth Mallya. Uff!

The I-Know-Everything Khan's way of promotion was funny. He placed 'Almost Repair Everything' placards in every ad he featured in - be it Fair and Handsome, Navrathna Oil, Dishnet etc etc(the list is endless as he features in almost 30 ads right from a toilet cleaner to suitings) to promote "My name is khan'. Alas, the movie sunk without a trace as everyone wanted him to Repair Himself first :)

Even the super brilliant Aamir (Yes, I am biased) was not one to be left behind. During the Ghajini campaign he shaved heads at Multiplexes in Mumbai thereby driving the day lights out of NATURALs and LAKME salons. 3 Idiots was promoted relentlessly in Tata Sky's Help Channel while he promoted PEEPLI LIVE by playing the 'Dhol' in the Jugalbandhi with Raghuvir Yadav helming the mike.

The southern stars are not to be left behind. Thanks to MK and group monopolising the movie distribution business in Tamilnadu, the actors and actresses are everywhere as in Sun TV, Isaiaruvi, ads. The Showman of the south aka Director Shankar promoted Anniyan and Shivaji with novel hoardings so brilliantly that the movies turned out to be big blockbusters.

If one thinks the promotions are the things of the present and future, let me tell you an interesting piece of information which I came to know.

MGR's Vettaikaran and Shivaji's Raja Raja Chozhan released the same time. The stars did not promote it initially. When MGR saw that the crowd liked Raja Raja

Chozhan better than Vettaikaran, he did something which was considered OUT-OF-THE-BOX then.

He brought a caged TIGER from the zoo and kept it in a leading theatre lobby which played VETTAIKARAN and the movie went on to become a huge HIT.

Agreed that promotions are necessary but haven't they become boring? Your thoughts...

PS: Back to blogging after a long hiatus!