Dialogs of Desperation

Have you ever been in a position where everything looked bleak? No inspiration what so ever around you... A standstill so motionless that you feel non-living/ non-existent... Well, I never was in that position... But I thought that this will be the thoughts of one in such a situation.

Presenting to you all,

'Dialogs of Desperation'

Why this standstill?
Why no motion?
The path in front seems so uphill
Resolve and will fall to erosion

Where to find a solution
To this problem so huge
And amongst all this confusion
I find no place for refuge

Sinking beneath the surface
I hit a rock bottom low
Out of mind, out of the race
This indeed, is a body blow!

'How to get out of this?' I think
Is there anyone to bail me out?
Pondering over the missing link
In this ever wintry drought

Thoughts conspire an image so weird
An image too blurred to see
And after a momentary pause it cleared
Damn! the answer is me!

Mumbling dialogs of desperation
I look out of the paned window
Into the light I see the inspiration
So bright that it rid me of the dark shadow

-Aswath Prabhakar

Graduated thoughts!!

Hi all...

A string of Questions and thoughts when I had a minute to spare.
Which I though I Should share!!

I call it
'Graduated Thoughts!!'

Am I craving for fun!?
Or is it just an illusion?
A mirage caused by the dry run?
A wanting to set right all confusion?

Is it what the heart really wants?
A walk by the beach or a trek up a hill?
'Yes-No-Yes-No' fills my head as the heart chants
Is it trickery or something to fulfill?

I'd ask again on another day, to do or not to do
But I doubt the reply I'd give myself to be really true
But do I really care? I don't think so!
I'm like time, so steady, so constant! So flush these thoughts into the loo!



A posting after aeons! Hope it keeps coming!


Later,

Aswath Prabhakar

SHOTS OF THE FREELANCER

i've been wantin to post these pics earlier, but got time jus now.





FROM MY TERRACE





AT AN ANGLE





YET ANOTHER SHOT!!!



PICTURE PERFECT!!!


THE HIDING SUN

THE EVENIN SKIES NO PHOTOSHOP INVOLVED!!!
LOOK AT THE HUES!!!

THE TRIP TO THE HOLY HILL

Hello ppl.. good to be bloggin after such a long time… I blame my laziness for this delay (or rather this long break). Well, exams are over. Am into my final yr of engineering. Campus recruitment wil be here soon. Big stage of life (some say so!!)

As am listenin to 4mins of Madonna-Justin timberland (gr8 song-u ppl shud hear it too!!) am gonna write bout my trip to Thiruvannamalai for girivalam. I don recognize myself as a highly devout person, of course I believe in god but the prime reason I went on this trip was a sense of adventure it would offer.

This plan was initiated by Kaarthic Vadivel- my friend. This wasn’t his 1^st. this wasn’t my 1^st either. I had gone for girivalam bout a decade back I think (must hav been 9yrs old then). But tat was wit family. This was to be wit my friends- Kaarthic Vadivel, Ashwin Venkatachalam, Vijay, Nellai a.k.a Hari.

Am including the timing details cuz I took pains in notin them down!!

19^th May , 2008

6.15pm- ash n me took an auto to t.nagar bus stand where we met up wit de other 3. we waited for a bus to CMBT. We waited n we waited!!!

7.30pm- finally we got a bus m27( I think). Commuting inside de city on an mtc bus will be anyone’s nightmare, ours was no different!!!

8.52pm- we reached CMBT. It was a pleasant surprise tat it was a pretty clean place ( like an airport!!). We got something to eat n drink n went to get tokens for de bus to thiruvannamalai. Got tokens for bus H.

9.35pm- we boarded de bus n it started out of the bus terminus at 9.35pm.

The ride inside the city was bad as usual. Too much of traffic, honkin of loud horns, a couple of accidents!!!

11.36pm- made a pit stop at some place after enterin chengalpet district. Kv n vijay slept lik logs. Ash was sleepin in patches. Me n nellai were sight seein.

11.58pm- bus started again.

20^th May, 2008

1.42am- pit stop again for fillin up de tank, somewhere inside Gingee.

3.00am- got down at de final destination-Thiruvannamalai.

THE TEMPLE GOPURAM-SHOT AT NIGHT WIT MY MOBILE CAM.

3.26am onwards- started off for de girivalam after removing our footwear.

It was a 16km path. On an average of 4km per hour, I assumed tat it’ll be over in 4hrs time. We visited each of the 8 lingams(worship forms of Lord Shiva) on the way. It was chitraa pournami. So, doin girivalam on tat day was spl, I was told. The moon was too brilliant at tat time. The pathway was well lighted. We were never alone even for a second. There would either be other people who came for the girivalam or the shopkeepers who formed the border of the road.

TEMPLE GOPURAM-ANOTHER ANGLE

One sad fact was tat there were too many shops. They were playin songs( many were spiritual n some were film nos). the shops were mostly relatin to food- tender coconut, cool drinks, fruits n others, or cassette shops. There was clear degradation of the envt. Plastic cups n plates strewn almost everywhere, coconut shells n straws were in heaps. If only the govt could do something to prevent these ppl from pollutin the place.

THE HOLY HILL-THIRUVANNAMALAI

7.36am- it actually dint work accordin to my calculations, took us 10 mins more than 4hrs to complete the girivalam. Felt lik I’ve achieved something after completin the journey.

8.00am- took back our footwear n started towards a hotel.

8.15am- hadn’t even brushed!! Yet had breakfast at a hotel there n went to the bus terminus there. Kv had to go to his native-Karaikudi n we to Chennai.

9.10am- boarded bus to Chennai. Was itchin to get home from the time I boarded de bus. N wit every passin moment, the wait seemed to get longer.

12.25pm- had reached Tambaram.

1.02pm- was at Ashok pillar.

Me n ash started walkin home from there. Nellai n vijay went to catch a bus to t nagar.

1.22pm- was inside my place. Slept as soon as I came.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!

qWIk tHOuGHT

JUDAS-THE BEST KNOWN (TO ME)EXAMPLE FOR A TRAITOR.




























SHAHEED BHAGAT SINGH-LOYALITE TILL THE END(HIS END)





BOTH TREACHERY AND LOYALTY LEAD TO DEATH.
IT MIGHT SOUND AS A SIMILARITY BUT THE FINE LINE BETWEEN THEM IS, TREACHERY MAKES YOU TO TAKE ANOTHER PERSON'S LIFE WHILE LOYALTY MAKES YOU GIVE YOUR'S UP....

JAI JAWAN

The India Gate in New Delhi is silhouetted against monsoon clouds. This 42 metre high structure is a memorial to the unknown soldier. Designed by Sir Edward Lutyens, it is a memorial arch in honour of the 70,000 Indian soldiers who died in the First World War. Their names are engraved on it.

Hi friends. Waking up on Sunday morning (24^th June 24, 2007), I found myself to be in a very clear state of mind (not that am unclear rest of the time!). I had no plans for the day. So I was free to think.

Ever thought about what a dying man thinks? And what will it be if the man was a soldier? Well, I just imagined a bit and concluded that he thinks the way I wrote.

Presenting to you,

The Words of a Fallen Soldier

Written: 24.06.07

Day: Sunday

Began writing: 7.20 a.m.

Finished writing: 7.40 a.m.

I can feel the wind, I can feel the sun

I seek not to remember the deeds I’ve done.

I was brave in many battles fought,

But in the end I’ve killed a lot.

I run through my life from the day I was born

Till today where my body lays, torn

With minutes left and pulses down

I smile at my destiny with a little frown.

I lived away from family and friends

To make a country keep pace with trends

Keeping the border safe from foes

I weep to God for my never ending woes.

The final battle looms, so large

I am apprehensive to give the charge

Not because am opposite of being brave

But because of the fear of being the reason for new graves.

Now that it has begun, there is nothing to rue

All I’ve got o do is fight, fight, fight

In a second of slack I let a bullet through

And realized, to open Heavens door, I have got rights.

This is the path I’ve chosen

This is the life I’ve lived

But all these years I’ve had my emotions frozen

For killing makes you heart go numb, in that I believed.

Think about the countless jawans who died/dying/will die, for our safety. Freedom comes at a price, a price that’s too big to be paid. Yet to survive and to sustain we need to pay the price. Honor their sacrifice. Wish them luck and pray for their safety.

‘Jai Jawan’.

BOOK REVIEW- THE SICILIAN

Long time since I wrote a book review. This time too, its one of Mario Puzo’s books- The Sicilian (the first one was his ‘The Godfather’). I never cease to wonder at his knowledge about the Mafia. Maybe he fantasized them. This book can actually be taken as a sub-plot in ‘The Godfather’. I say so because the major characters in the former book make their presence felt in this book, namely, Michael Corleone, Peter Clemenza and The Don- Vito Corleone himself. But they aren’t the characters around which the book is centered.

Those credits go to the following characters,

1. Salvatore ‘Turi’ Guiliano,
2. Aspanu Pisciotta,
3. Don Croce,
4. Professor Hector Adonis,
5. Stefano Andolini- Fra Diavalo ( Brother Devil),
6. Terranova,
7. Passatrmpo,
8. Canio Silvestro,
9. The Abbot- Manfredi,
10. Justina,
11. La Venera,
12. Maria Lombardo,
13. Inspector Velardi,

14. Minister Trezza

And many more.

The story revolves around the life of Salvatore Guiliano, also known as Turi. It’s about how Turi grew from being a good natured kid to a feared bandit, A Sicilian Robin Hood. He and his chiefs- Aspanu, Andolini, Terranova, Passatempo and Silvestro loot the rich and feed the poor. Although some of his chiefs had views that were different from his, he was able to command respect from them.

Don Croce, the head of The Friends of the Friends (an organization of all the mafia groups) commanded the 6 local mafia chiefs, namely, Don Siano from Bisacquino, Don Arzana of Piani dei Greci, Don Piddu of Caltanissetta, Don Marcuzzi of Villamura, Don Bucilla of Partinico and Guido Quintana of Montelepre.

The author shows his mettle by showing a crystal clear picture of Sicilian ways of life, their peoples’ nature during the end of WWII. The realistic description of the towns, the terrain surrounding them, the mountains etc. make the book even more interesting.

The Don and Turi aren’t on the best of terms to start with. But later they combine forces but Turi is tricked by the Don. Finally, Turi is forced to leave Sicily for America. Michael comes into the scene to help Turi out of Sicily. The author introduces Michael as the son of Vito Corleone, who had murdered a Police Chief in his homeland and was in Sicily to escape the wrath of the other Families of America.

This, we remember as the storyline of ‘The Godfather’.

Treachery, loyalty, love and affection form the crux of the book. I put treachery first because it was to be the final undoing for Turi. The end is tragic- Guiliano dies, killed by his cousin/ best friend/ second-in-command, Aspanu.

Overall the book is very good, but second only to The Godfather (as of now, because I haven’t read The Last Don)

The book is so famous it finds itself in the wikipaedia. Chk out the link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sicilian

As in the case of The Godfather, The Sicilian too was made as a movie.

For details of the movie visit the below link.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093966/

The cast of the film.

Christopher Lambert ... Salvatore Giuliano

Terence Stamp ... Prince Borsa

Joss Ackland ... Don Masino Croce

John Turturro ... Pisciotta

Richard Bauer ... Hector Adonis

Barbara Sukowa ... Camilla, Duchess of Crotone

Giulia Boschi ... Giovanna Ferra

Ray McAnally ... Trezza

Barry Miller ... Dr. Nattore

Andreas Katsulas ... Passatempa

Michael Wincott ... Cpl. Silvestro Canio

Derrick Branche ... Terranova

Richard Venture ... Cardinal of Palermo

Ramon Bieri ... Quintana

Stanko Molnar ... Silvio Ferra

See u later with another review...bye.

TEN COMMANDMENTS!!!!

Hi friends,


Long time since I updated my blog. The reasons for that are pretty simple. One is that I had no idea what to write about. And the second is that I was too lazy to sit and think (am in my hols).

Suddenly I thought that I should write about some of the policies to be followed in life (also some facts to be known), not that am a perfectionist and a ‘know-all’ guy…. But I think we can try to be perfect by following some principles (we always get credits for trying!!!) …. If not follow them, at least know them…


1. There are 2 kinds’ pf people in this world.
One set of people are those from whom we can learn how to live. The other set of people from whom we can learn how not to live.
So stop complaining about how bad a person is!!!

2. There are 2 other kinds of people too. They are the brilliant people and the genius people.
Brilliant people are those who learn from their mistakes.
Genius people are those who learn from others’ mistakes.
So try being a genius!!

3. If u think we live among people you are only partly correct. We also live among lots of expectations.
We are prone to face disappointments if we expect things from others.
So keep it simple…. Don’t expect anything from others but keep yourself open to others’ expectations.

4. ‘Some things’ in life need luck. Here, ‘some things’ is very few. Most things, to be achieved need hard work. There is no supplement for hard work. Going by the words of Thiruvalluvar… even if god fails to give u success, the amount of work you put in will definitely deliver you to the gates of success.
So, come on…. work hard!!!


5. When you start to work, keep your mind free of other issues. Like, when you’re driving a car, don’t listen to music or talk. Because it diverts your concentration and you end up less efficient, i.e. you end up spending more time and energy than what is actually required to do the work.
So focus!!!


6. Don’t procrastinate. Never put things away to be done later. Be prompt in whatever you do. Example: A man plans to build a house (am not picking on anyone!!), but the plan is yet to take off. 2 years pass away and the plan is finally seen taking shape. But the cost involved in building the house is more than what it would have taken 2 years back. (50kg cement cost Rs.165 2 years back and now it’s about Rs.220-240!!).[SOURCE: PROPERTY PLUS-HINDU]
So never put things off!!!


7. Never do planning for the distant future. Because if you do so and you aren’t able to execute it as planned, there are chances of you feeling defeated. On the other hand you can have short term goals, which are easier to realize. Maybe, as time goes by you can have long term goals and plan ahead. But to start with you always have to keep it simple.
The same applies to resolutions too!!!

8. Learn to say ‘NO’ (of course, not in all cases). You are never in a position to oblige each and every person you come across. Prioritize. Know whom to help and whom not to (or help later).


9. ‘Talk less and work more’ is a well known proverb. The point is, if you work more don’t talk about it at all!! To make it clearer, don’t have any self pity or don’t blow your own trumpet (you can take it either way or even both!).

I have somehow racked my brain to write these 9 points. But I want to make it 10 so that it looks like a ‘ten commandments’ sort of stuff. So… here is the 10th point,

10. The above written will merely be gibberish or just words unless you put them to practice or heed by them. So try doing so.


All the best.