Impressions and expressions

June 2nd is Ilayaraja 's birthday (though he celebrates it on June 3rd) and I happened to write a song on him on this occasion, thanks to Suresh Sistla . Suresh, being a great fan of Ilayaraja, planned to organize a celebration to honor Ilayaraja. We were casually chatting about the event when the idea occurred to us that we should compose a song as a tribute to the musical genius. Since we did not have time, we decided to reuse a beautiful melody composed earlier by Suresh Sistla  for the movie "The Girl Upstairs". Writing a song on someone like Ilayaraja is no easy task and after some struggle I could write a decent lyric (or so I think!) in the time constraints we had. Frankly speaking, I was not very satisfied with my lyric but after listening to the recorded version, wonderfully sung by Sushma Suresh , I could say with confidence that this is definitely a very good song. Many thanks to Suresh and Sushma for uplifting the lyric with their musical talent. Here ...

No one can predict the future. Those who keep making fancy predictions based on their ideologies often end up looking foolish. But what can be predicted and seen, if we have the eyes, is the "future that has already happened", as Peter Drucker puts it. When witnessing the spectacular victory of Narendra Modi in the 2014 elections, one is reminded of the political pundits' gross miscalculation of the people's aspirations and their refusal to see the reality of the day. Those who denied the "wave" are now forced to acknowledge the "tsunami". And what a victory it is! Come to think of it, no party other than the Congress has achieved a 272+ majority till now. Credit for this grand victory must go to Modi who led his campaign around development and good governance. His energy, his speeches and his vision inspired the nation to vote for him, setting aside regional considerations. More than anything, Modi has led the nation from pessimism to hope. He ...

It was during my B.Tech final year (2001) that I participated in a debate that discussed Osho. The topic was - "Who is the most influential personality of India?". One guy spoke of Mother Theresa, I spoke of Vivekananda and another guy chose Osho. He obviously read many Osho's works. There was a lot of sincerity and reverence in his voice when he was explaining the greatness of Osho. I had very little knowledge of Osho. From all the information I gathered, he looked like a "fake Guru". Earlier I read one article on the web which was very detailed and well-written. It kind of concluded that "although Osho is enlightened, he is corrupt  and misused his role as a Spiritual Guru". So I argued that Osho can never be a great man with all his lapses. Most of the participants in the debate agreed. I felt glad. When I think of it now, I realize my ignorance. I always had an interest in spiritual personalities. During my school days, I read a lot of works of...

I never thought you were interested in going to US! This is the reaction I heard from a couple of my friends & family members when I announced to them that I am moving to the US. I worked for Qualcomm, Hyderabad and got an opportunity to work in Qualcomm, San Diego. Like many opportunities, this one is a result of some good-luck and some personal effort. I decided to grab it and that surprised some people, including me! What is the motivation to go to the US? Typically - money, life-style and growth opportunities. Among friends and colleagues, it is common to hear someone expressing their desire to go abroad. I never did. Added to that, I had the image of a "Swadesi guy" in the family. Hence the reactions. Some 6 years back, I visited San Diego for 2 months on a business trip. I liked the place and the country but did not particularly feel any "pull" towards it. I like getting more money, but strangely money does not motivate me to do anything. Yes, the ...

Movie: Bombay Music: AR Rahman Lyrics: Veturi Singer : Chitra Notes: A Muslim girl and a Hindu guy fall in love. They don't know each other and yet love pulls them together. The girl sings this song when the guy attends a function at her home. The lyric is very poetic and is quite beautiful. Pallavi: కన్నానులే కలయికలు ఏనాడు ఆగవులే kannaanulE kalayikalu EnaaDu aagavulE I glanced at you and (eye) encounters never just stop there నీ కళ్ళలో పలికినవి నా కంటి బాసలివే nee kaLLalO palikinavi naa kanTi baasalivE (I see that) your eyes express the same feelings as mine అందాల వయసేదొ తెలితామరై, విరబూసె వలపేదో నాలో andaala vayasEdo telitaamarai, viraboose valapEdO naalO (Seeing you) my youth became a white lotus and a love blooms in me నీ పేరు నా పేరు తెలుసా మరీ, హృదయాల కథ మారె నీలో nee pEru naa pEru telusaa marI, hRdayaala katha maare neelO We don't know each other's names and yet heart's story has changed in you వలపందుకే కలిపేనులే, ఒడిచేరె వయసెన్నడో...

I heard of this novel many times before but never really bothered to check out the details. Should be some boring, old fashioned novel, I thought. I chanced upon this novel 3 weeks back (a pdf of this novel is lying in my computer for so many years) and lo, I found myself reading the first pages. And that did the trick. I found the novel irresistible and exciting. It is old fashioned but quite delightful. The characters are strong, the descriptions are wonderful and the plot innovative. I guess this is what is called a "classic". A quick check of the Wikipedia revealed this is indeed a classic novel written by Jules Verne , a French writer. The story is set in 1872 and is about an English man, Phileas Fogg ,  who accepts a bet in his club to travel around the world in 80 days. He starts the journey immediately with his resourceful French servant Passepartout . The story is all about how he overcomes the many obstacles in his journey and returns back to England to win ...

The Bhava Spandana Program (BSP) offered by Isha Foundation is described in their website as "an opportunity to experience higher levels of consciousness". It is an "experiential" program and this has drawn me to it, as I consider myself to be an "always thinking" person. Also this program involves stay at the ashram for 3 days and I thought it would be a nice experience, much like a vacation. Isha does not reveal the agenda of their programs to the participants. So there is always a surprise element in their programs and BSP is no different. In fact, it is nothing like I imagined. Thus my assumed "vacation" turned out to be a "revelation" of sorts. For some of the participants, it was even a transforming experience. The way the program is designed shows the thinking and innovation that went behind it. It is almost like watching a movie with twists, turns and suspense and only in the end you can connect all the dots. I am not sure if...