When waiting becomes humiliating…

Twenty minutes flew by. We are still waiting & my patience is slowly running out. By the way, it is not just 2 of us (me & my wife), but more than 100 people waiting now & the number is only increasing with each passing minute. Everyone is staring at the strong wooden door which is closed & stopping us from entering inside. The blazer guy peeps out of the wooden door every now & then to estimate the crowd. Every time he opens the door to do so, a strong murmur would arise among the crowd & all of us would look at him eagerly, silently pleading him to let us in. But he would not do so, would only nod & say ‘just a moment’ & go back inside.

Let me describe the scene of action now. It is a basement area which has a waiting region of around 100 sq. ft & has 5 chairs. From the waiting space, there is a small passage which is 30 feet long & 3 ft wide & it leads to the wooden door. That’s the passage where we are waiting patiently and we are standing just 4 feet away from the wooden door. There could be around 20 people before us nearer the door & our chances of getting in, once the door opens, is surely 100%. That’s the only consolation we have & I feel pity for those standing far behind us; they may have to wait for a long time.

With time, the crowd is getting thicker & the noise level is ever increasing. By the way, there is absolutely no ventilation there; no fan, no exhaust and no windows. People grumbling aloud; kids protesting strongly with their parents; babies crying profusely for lack of fresh air; the place was getting totally chaotic gradually. On top of it, there is a disgusting sweat smell in the passage & the lack of ventilation only makes things more complicated. Its suffocation time for us. Another 5 minutes pass by. Now people are there everywhere & we are almost standing on our toes. The place is totally crammed & even the staircase is packed. The mob behind us is constantly pushing to show their frustration / misery & there is a kind of disorder erupting slowly among the crowd.

Iam feeling humiliated standing this way & I ask my wife if we should leave. She thinks for a while & says no. Suddenly a photographer appears on top of the staircase & starts to click pictures of the situation. He was adding insult to the injury & I could have strangled him right there, if he had been in my reach. Every minute is like an hour and Iam almost at the verge of breaking down (with anger). I had become extremely moody & am not even answering my wife properly. Suddenly, the wooden door opens & what caught our attention this time was that it opened wider now. Everyone becomes silent instantly & a small feeling of hope arises in my heart.

We are still not allowed inside, but people from inside start to come out. They are quite shocked to find such a crowd outside & with great difficulty they cross the passage to reach the stairs & walk out. As the people are coming out slowly, there is a struggle going on here among the crowd (surrounding us) to get inside. There was utter commotion for a while; people pushing / lunging forward madly towards the open door & the noise level reaches a crescendo. Atlast, after everyone from inside had walked out, the blazer guy allowed the crowd in. This time the ‘thallu mullu’ was even mightier as everyone wanted to get in fast. Fortunately, we were standing somewhere closer to the door & we were able to get in early.

Once inside, we found there were only 7 rows & people were running here & there to occupy the seats. We also hurried & found a couple of seats in the middle row, when we heard the wooden door closing again. We heaved a sigh of relief & as my BP was becoming normal, I observed the place. It was a medium sized air-conditioned hall & can accommodate only around 100 people. Some people, who had not got seats, were standing in a corner & the blazer guy was asking them to leave the hall & join them in the next group. I was feeling sorry for them as well as for those still stranded outside.

We did not want to spend much time in there, keeping in mind the people waiting outside. We came out in less than 20 minutes to find a much bigger crowd. The sweat stench was almost unbearable now. There were no smiling faces in the crowd, but only annoyed & restless ones. Most of them turned to look at us for a moment, but immediately shifted their glance back to the wooden door.

We swam thru the crowd, came upstairs, walked out slowly to the portico, gave the valet parking slip to the attendee (yes.. it was a star hotel at P.H.road). Our car came within minutes; we boarded & left in a jiffy.

Such mishaps have become very common nowadays. People give a lot of importance to the quality, but not to the arrangements. I only wish that this particular part be better organized in such events, especially when the place is quite small. A disciplined team should be delegated the task of running this department smoothly. Anyhow, it was a different experience for us, not pleasant but different nonetheless.

Now, Wait a minute.. this article is not making sense. Why?.. My God.! I think I had skipped the first paragraph. Iam so sorry. It goes like this..

Last Sunday. We had come to attend our friend’s marriage at a star hotel. It was a grand hall, small though, but very neat & nicely decorated. It was a late muhurtham & the wedding took place by around 11.30am. After meeting the newly weds & wishing them a great life together, we headed towards the dining hall which was at the basement right beneath the marriage hall. Although we were not hungry, we didn’t want to leave without having food & so we went down. There were 10-15 people waiting outside the dining hall (in front of the HOLY(!!) wooden door) & we joined them thinking that we would be going in very soon. The manager of the dining hall, wearing a blazer, requests us to wait. ‘Just a moment’ he says. And we started to wait.

Now, go to top. Hope it makes sense this time.. :-)

WHY?

* Why should one bad cancel all that is good? Why can’t one good cancel all that is bad?

* Why should one drop of poison spoil the entire gallon of milk? Why not one drop of milk purify the entire potion of poison?

* Why should one mistake negate all the hard work & efforts?

* Why is it the lessons from life are always taught the hard way? Why not we pick up some important messages from life without difficulty?

* Why is it living as a good person difficult & why is it easy to live as an evil person?

* Why is it the negatives are always stronger than the positives?

* Why is it most of the good deeds go unnoticed & even a tiny offense gets so much publicity?

* Why is it difficult to nurture a good habit & why is it so simple to develop a bad one?

Who created these worldly principles? Who instilled such traits in our system? What could be the logic behind it? If so much of power has been given to the negative things, how can we expect the people to live in peace? If harmony has to prevail, shouldn’t positives be more influential than negatives?

If only all these things had been the other way round, would not the world have become a much lovable place? Then why is it not so?..

Kaleidoscopic News

"A Kaleidoscope is a jigsaw-like puzzle which will have only few pieces, but one can make thousands of different patterns by constantly re-arranging them. Whichever way we assemble them, it would make sense & will form a cohesive model."


Given below are 5 disturbing articles about the youth of India.

News # - Today’s youth losing track.

Family values are diminishing in our society as a whole, especially in youth. The parents do not instill in the children the discipline they need, as they are too busy working than to worry, nurture and care about their children.

Smoking & drinking at young age, lying to parents, addiction to Internet & TV, wasting money on unhealthy food items are the common problems of today’s youth. When these people grow up as adults, they neither understand the family values nor do they have many healthy habits.

They would not invest more time with their family; they would not eat right; they would not rest right; they would like to spend more time with friends at a pub or a fast food joint. They would consider their work to be more important than family, spending long hours at work & the result would be a high price to pay. They could get serious health problems very early in life or would find it difficult to find a proper balance between personal & professional life, leading to more stress & traumatic relationships.


News # - India moves away from healthy food.

As the national accts for 2007-08 show, people have begun moving away from cereals, proteins & other healthy foods towards beverages and other so-called 'Junk Foods'. Spending on hotels & restaurants have also gone up by 30% in the last 5 years. People due to their long & stressful work are finding it difficult to cook at home regularly & are more dependent on restaurants & fast foods.

The statistics showed that the expenditure on cereals, pulses, bread, milk & milk products, meat, egg & fish have seen a sharp decline. On the contrary, spending on high calorie food products like soft drinks, frozen food, fast foods, chocolates & cakes etc is on the rise.

It is also to be noted that public spend on medicines have also gone up largely. Young people of today are prone to some serious health hazards like heart attack, cancer, kidney failure, liver failure etc due to consumption of such unhealthy foods over a period of time.


News # - Steep rise in incidence of heart disease among youth raises concern.

There has been a 79% increase in heart disease among Indians in the last two decades. But the worst part is that the coronary disorders & heart attacks are rising even faster among our youth & 11% of people below 35 yrs have some kind of heart ailment.

Improper food habits, lack of physical activity, high level of stress at the work place, lack of rest, increase in smoking and alcohol consumption are all classic risk factors which can put one high on the risk zone of coronary heart diseases. Sadly all these have become a part of the Indian youth’s life style.


News # - Strained relationship within family on the rise.

India is known for its strong family values & relationships. But, slowly the image is disintegrating & there seems to be a strong decline in family bonding. People are so immersed in their work that they do not have time to spend for their family. They live like robots under the same roof, going about the routines mechanically & concerned only about their careers.

No time to relax with spouse; No time to play with kids; No time to cook for family (Highly dependent on restaurants for food); No time for any physical activity; Its all about work & no time for rest. Such situations not only lead to strained relationships within family, but it takes a heavy toll on a person’s health as well.


News # - Long work hours causing fatigue among youth.

This week, a survey concluded that long working hours increased an individual's chances of illness and injury. The study points out that overtime and extended work schedules are associated with an increased risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, fatigue, stress, depression, musculoskeletal disorders, chronic infections, diabetes and other general health complaints.

It noted that for those working 12 hours a day, there was a 37% increase in risk compared to those working fewer hours & a 60-hour week carried a 23% greater risk. Such long work hours combined with poor eating habits & physical inactivity leads to severe health problems among youth. More seriously, working long hours continuously may even lead to some relationship failures.



That’s it with the news. And I hope you remember what a kaleidoscope is. Now what?

Having read about Kaleidoscope, I thought ‘why not a kaleidoscopic news?’. I mean, the 5 news articles given above are like different pieces of puzzle & if you read them together in any combination or order, it should become one single article & make sense. You can read just 2 articles or 3 or 4 or all 5 in any order & it should look like a continuous story. It is a challenge & I just went ahead with it.

I worked on the concept first & collected the relevant news and edited them suitably. I saw to it, that all the 5 news are different, but connected to each other one way or the other & there be a link between them. My intention was to make them in a kaleidoscopic way, that there should be some logic from whichever order they are looked upon.

Having spent very little time in research & thinking, I know that I have succeeded only moderately in my effort. However, it is a sincere attempt by me to try out something different (Is this a first attempt in kaleidoscopic news? I don’t know seriously) & looking at the outcome, Iam not that disappointed.

The Complete Entertainer

There are actors & there are stars. Very few are both. Even in that few, only a handful can be termed ‘Genius’ & go on to become an inspiration to hundreds of others. The benchmarks they set would invariably stay untouched forever & their acting skills would enthrall several generations to follow. One such talent is known by the name, NAGESH.

As a kid while watching old movies in TV, I was never fascinated by MGR or Sivaji, but it was a magical actor called Nagesh who captured my attention & kept me mesmerized for years. An actor par excellence, an acting institute by himself; his comic timing, gimmicks & body language are unparalleled. Nagesh’s frolics are so fantastic; it brings an immediate smile in your face & produces instant warmth in your heart.

Those days (early 80’s), when they show old movies in TV, I would not like watching them & constantly bother my mother (who would be totally absorbed in the film). The only movies that I watch patiently would be those that have Nagesh in it. Even there, if he is not coming on screen for more than 15 minutes at a stretch, I would nag my mom constantly, until he appears. I remember vividly the way we (me, my cousins & friends) used to jump up & down unable to suppress our laughter, while watching his antics on screen. Over time, my admiration for this great actor grew manifold & off-late this admiration has turned into immense respect.

As far as Iam concerned, he is by no means inferior to anyone as an actor. Give him any role, any task, he would gel with the character completely & the result would be nothing less than magical. He is the only actor who can overshadow people like Sivaji & Kamal on screen. Who can forget his stellar performances in movies like Kadhalikka Neramillai, Galatta Kalyanam, Baama Vijayam, Ooty varai uravu, Anbe vaa, Thiruvilayadal, Server Sundaram, Neerkumizhi, Edhirneechal, Thillana mohanambal, Nammavar & hundreds of other films. I would even go to the extent of saying that Indian cinema has never seen an artist like Nagesh & some of the roles he did could not be enacted by anyone in the world.

When I was aspiring to become an actor in films, there were quite a few dreams that I had & one such dream was meeting Nagesh in person. Infact, I had wanted to touch the feet & get blessings from only 3 people in the industry & ofcourse, one among them was Nagesh. Iam his die-hard fan & can watch his comedy tirelessly for hours together on any given day. Even today, when I watch his comedy clippings in TV, I cannot help marveling at those clean one-liners, his effervescence, his classic timing & his enormous enthusiasm. I feel connected instantaneously while watching Nagesh act.

It is a pity that this gem of an actor went almost unrecognized by the Indian government without winning much awards & recognition. Infact, I feel that our own industry has not paid enough tribute to this legend when he was alive. He was a terrific character artist & he was totally under utilized by our film industry in the last 20 years or so. Only Kamalhassan seemed to have realized his potential & gave him some fabulous roles in movies like Apoorva sahodarargal, MMKR, Magalir mattum, Avvai Shanmugi, Panchathanthiram, Nammavar etc.

With due respect to them all, I have seen every one from Koundamani & Senthil & Vivek & Vadivelu, but none to match Nagesh’s vibrancy & natural acting. He is one among the few, who have given their everything to the film industry & the paying public. As a true lover of good films, I can never forget the immense contribution that Nagesh has made to the Tamil film industry & would always cherish him as a “Complete Entertainer”.

If my message can reach him now, then there is something that I have to tell him (which I had always wanted to tell him in person), 'Sir, you are my first hero'. Goodbye, Mr.Nagesh...