A Letter to Remember !!

When was the last time you wrote or received a handwritten letter? Did you ever receive or wrote such cards at least? 

Many of us think whats the big deal in it. right ?

There certainly is a point in sending or receiving handwritten notes. I am a tech whore and I do love my gadgets. At the same time, I love myself with a pen in between the fingers and a paper underneath them waiting for the thoughts to be inked down. I have found myself deeply interested in the "lost" art of letter writing. The only way to preserve thoughts is to write them down every now and then. 

I realized the happiness in sending or receiving such letters just a few weeks back when one of my friends insisted me to write letters. One day I was so determined that I wrote a 5 page letter sharing all my life lessons and experiences ( I know I sounded like I am a celebrity :P ) and posted it to my bestie. That feeling I experienced when I posted a letter almost years later, is ineffable. 

The reasons for I love writing letters are 

• The smell of the cover ... 
• The awaiting of the virgin papers inside ...
• The begging of it for the touch of an ink ...
• The flow you get when you pen down a single word ...

I can spend all my life experiencing these eternal things. 

On the receiving end, the recipient will surely agree. It shows that the sender took sometime in writing the note and is meaningful. The joy of receiving a letter ( we actually got something to open ;) ), something to hold, something to re read and treasure is indelible. One has to write a letter to receive one. The only way is to take initiative.

Letter and Diaries I received

The reasons for I love receiving letters is 

• Exciting to open ...
• Makes me feel important. ...
• It can be kept as a keepsake or a reminder ...
• Triggers you to write one ...
• Makes me feel happy ...

Why don't you write a letter and receive one ? If you are interested in doing so and if you don't have any to write to, this link ( click here ) takes you to the perfect platform. Post your address in the comments if you want to receive a letter from me or send a PM ( tbmadhav@gmail.com ).

PS : The handwritten word is beautifully human 

WhatsAppia ?? Sell-Phone

Well, I am here, back into the blogosphere. It has been a long time since I wrote something in this space, the reason being ... hmm... ????? .... simply no reason.... :P

Coming to the plot, I recently met an old school friend and when the time to exchange contacts has arrived, I heard her saying "I don't own a cell phone, I never have."

As soon as I heard this fact, My sound was off and I was with an exclamation of shocked disbelief, as if she led some sort of unfathomable existence of depravation. I realized that I have finally ran into a walking anachronism who practically did not exist in my world.  

After blowing out the candles that night, a small thought process started eating my sleep...

Unimaginable, Unthinkable, Impossible...

This is how each one of us would react if asked to spend an entire 24 hours with out mobile.

Everything went well in my world till the end of the year 2010, when I got my first cellular which was already in a very battered state. I used it with a rubber band wrapped around it and my friends used to call it "Rubber band" series phone. Back then, All I wanted was just "a phone which works". Things would have been better in my life If I wouldn't move on to a "smart" phone.

Today, the world is overly connected with the over"smart" phones. I would rather say that these days, either of you or your mobile can be smart and either you should be cell-less or brain-less. "Oh god, I forgot my mobile", this mere thought send chills down my spine. From the attitude of Know-It-All, I myself got transformed into a freak who depends on smart phone for every simple thing which I can even get through senses.

source : http://www.pinterest.com/explore/cell-phone-humor/

My 8 year old brother plays temple run in I-Pad mini rather than running in the 22 yards between the wickets.  I sometimes think that our generation was the last one to enjoy the real "childhood". 

source : http://quicklol.com/phone-addiction-is-a-terrible-thing/

The above picture says it all. Whenever I call my friends, instead of talking directly, they suggests me to "WhatsApp" them, as if they are doing a favor for me. No wonder if in the near future people forget how to talk.  Its official that continuously using WhatsApp may cause the disease "WhatsAppitis" (details here ).

Here are the steps I want to follow to use technology with intentionality

• Moving mobile out of bed after blowing the candles for the day
• keeping messages short and purposeful
• Scheduling time for being online
• Use it for texting, whatsapping and email too, but only in the loo 

One day, a legend created a "smart"mobile

which was indeed an invention

It never let relationships to prevail

as we are now in total addiction

It is making humans so frail

making brain unaware of its own destruction

It is making our dreams surreal

with many a different applications

He used it for texting, skyping, whatsapping and e-mail

making the small gadget- a contraption

But still, he tries to hail

Unaware of its jerky explosion.

Tried to make it rhyming. ;)  Ignore if it didn't.

PS : I will soon get rid of "smart" mobile with out any Nomophobia and become more smart.

'L' for ??

'L' for ... ??

own art :P 

Laptop?? -- no

Lipstick?? -- no

Love?? -- Huh !! Never in my life at least

Leave it !! You can't make it.

Betaa... !! Man me laddu nahi Phoota kya ?? :P

L for Laddu :) :) !!

When someone asks me about my favorite sweet, I immediately say unequivocally "Tirupati Laddu" !!

No sweet can compete with it in terms of taste and quality... it is full of dried fruits like cashew nuts, cardamom, dry grapes, almonds etc.. and so yummy... ummm :D 

Is this the same with you??

Welcome to the "Tirupati Laddu Fans Association" which doesn't exist till date. :P :P 

Tirumala is a holy place where people in lakhs visit to have the darshan of God of Seven Hills as well as to taste the paradigm of faith and sweetness "laddu" which is given as "prasad".

It was Sunday, 20th of July, around 3.00 A.M. We started for having "darshan" of the so called world's richest god, lord Sri Venkateswara and to my surprise the queue for the darshan had its tail at the cottage where we lived, which is way too far from the main holy shrine. 

Some how we were done with the darshan by 11 A.M, and as soon as I came out of the sanctum sanctorum, I ran to find the queue for laddus with lightning speed only to find the tail no where. I thought that the queue for laddu is far bigger than for darshan. 

Now I was left with only two laddus which I got them for darshan. :(

I wonder what, apart from the grace of God, makes Tirupati Laddu so famous and revered ? I have only a few moments to think before savoring it to the fullest. 

This Laddu serves as a prize, as recognition for thousands of people, traveled so far to Tirumala braving all the difficulties and inconveniences, climb the hill, walk, stand in the queue for very long hours, sometimes with infants, just for a glimpse of god for a few seconds.

I guess, the time we get to see the lord may last for just a few seconds, but the taste of laddus is something ever lasting and indelible. The large size and taste gives magnanimity to every one. 

No wonder if Android names it's next version L as Laddu.  Whoaa !! What a funny name :)

PS : Now, please don't ask me for a bite of  laddu. Better luck next time !! 

A Confusing Confession !!

Dear you,

I may know a lot of things in life, but I don't suppose I know what the purpose of this letter is. Most certainly, it isn't to announce a profound longing for you, as I am sure we have known each other , I have made it a known fact not only to you, but all my friends. It is just to say how important you are in my life so far. 

I sincerely thank you for being on my side from the last two years and now I feel that I can't even live without you. You have been oxygen to my life. You stayed awake with me many nights soothing me whenever I was depressed.

The kindness you show , sometimes makes me feel cry. Why do you love me so much, dear ?  

I never shared my joys and sorrows with anyone like I did with you. The day I got you was the signpost for my life. May 30th 2012, I can never forget this date in my life time, for I got you on the same day when I was totally lost. 

I want to tell you how I am proud of you...

I want to tell you how I value you in my life...

I want to tell you how your absence would destroy me.. 

I want to tell you how I am just a piece of flesh with out you..

I want to tell you how I feel lost when I don't share my feelings with you.. 

I want to tell you how I am empty, as a wrinkled paper bag, without you.. 

You listen to whatever I say and never get bored of me. Lucky to have a such a sweet one. I never thought that I can have YOU in my life until you met me. 

Where is the eternal bliss that one gets when you write your heart out in a paper to the dear one? 

and Oh dear, you gave such an eternal bliss. I wrote and I still keep writing for you. I started reading a lot from the day I started talking and writing to you. 

From the very beginning, I've looked up for you, and strived to be a better person for you. 

Dear my blog (Jolly Jottings), as you are turning 2 today, I wish you a happy birthday dear. Be with me always and I will keep you happy. 

Yours lovingly,

A Jolly Jotter.

Yes, it has been two years since I started blogging. It has not been easy so far and I want to say thank you to everyone who has commented or viewed this blog one way or the other. I also want to say a big thank you to Priyanka and Vivek , without whose support I couldn't manage to be what I'm now and yes there are still miles to go... !! 

Life in Bangalore !!

As many of you think, I'm not writing the review of the recent Malayalam movie "Bangalore Days".

It's 1.00 A.M in the night, and I can't sleep. As I heard Arnab Goswami echoing on Times Now, there's a head ache.

Came to bed at 12.30 a.m, been tossing and turning on the bed with eyes burning, yet I can't sleep. The mind just don't stop thinking and it rewind the past things, as if it is under a spell. 

The thought process never stopped.. 

A lot has been happening in my life, but not much writing. It has been six months since I came to the beautiful multi-cultured city, Bangalore. 

Like any other Engineering graduate, I too landed up in an ocean of Software Engineers. My relocation was a kind of signpost in my life, like how we feel when suddenly a door of fun, friends had opened and I am overwhelmed with everything that came my way. 

Calender flipped very quickly every month, may be because of the new friends and new life. I didn't do anything useful which I can take credit of yet. What the city taught me is the value of money and how easy it is to spend it :( ..  and the thought process never stopped until I felt a lump in my throat. May be I felt thirsty talking to myself.

And at the dawn my mind is out of the spell that I found myself happy with fresh mind. The windows of my room face east without any curtains or shades to block the view, so am immediately aware of the possibility of a beautiful sun rise, with light glowing behind the buildings.

The weather is so mild that I grabbed my camera and went up stairs in bathrobe and slippers wishing to capture the hot sun in my Moto-G. 

Even nature can make us smile everyday. It depends on the pursuit of the things in life. Cheers !!

Electrified Election !!

Om NaMO NaMo NaMo .... ... .. . !!

No, I'm not chanting any vedic mantra here. Today, 2014 May 16th, the whole world awaited for result of such a great election ever and the result is so obvious ever without any ambivalence. 

Even my 10 year old brother was chanting NaMo. As Martin Luther King rightly said, Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. 

The most ubiquitous thing in the Indian social media space is the NaMo bhakth. 

For the first time in my life, I enjoyed an election where a single party can unanimously form a government without any allies. A party that didn't even exist at the time of Independence. Landslide victory, Tsunami, Modi wave. In fact, the victory strains one's vocabulary. 

From the early childhood, I was a guy who hated democracy for no particular reason. But now, I sincerely admit that it is the real power of India. May be, I realized what democracy is exactly about !!. More than 800 million voters and a single battle to rule the largest democracy of the World. How great it is sounding. 

Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters

                                                                                                                 --- Abraham Lincoln

Besides the Loksabha polls, another interesting fun of friday is the Andhra Pradesh Assembly election result, more precisely Seemandhra's result. I was very elated seeing the result in Seemandhra. 

The things expected from the so called NaMo bhakths are ..

• NaMo will teach Pakistan a lesson if that country again attacks Indian jawans at the Indo-Pak border. 

• He will bomb China if it ever shows the belligerence to claim as their own any of India's territory in the west.  

• Once NaMo becomes the PM, corruption would be a thing of past and all the Bhakths will give him support to do that.

• NaMo will show a bare hand towards terrorism and will shoot them at sight. 

• Within five years, Dollar will come in great numbers, industries bloom up in India as their lotus bloomed up, India will be modified into a greenest and wealthiest nation.

For all the practical ones reading out there, this may sound illogical. But haven't the people of India modified the conventional logic ?

The Funny Side of a Language !!

How funny is English !!

Such a crazy language in which there is neither pine nor apple in pineapple, Guinea pig is neither a pig nor it is from guinea,  "Wise man" and "Wise guy" are just opposites. Sometimes I think that all the English speakers should be sent to an asylum for the verbally insane.

The other day when I was peeping through a magazine I came across a paragraph which made me laugh my teeth out that I couldn't resist myself sharing it in this space.

You think you are good in English ??

Then try to get the meaning of this paragraph.

So here goes-

Two individuals proceeded towards the apex of a natural geologic

protuberance, the purpose of their expedition being the procurement

of a sample of fluid hydride of oxygen in a large vessel, the exact

size of which was unspecified.

One member of the team precipitously descended, sustaining severe

damage to the upper cranial portion of his anatomical structure;

subsequently, the second member of the team performed

self-rotational translation, orientated in the same direction taken by the

first team member.

Look for the answer below. (First test yourself !! ) 

Were you able to figure it out.. ? I didn't .. ;)

...

..

...

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

KEEP GOING... 

>>

>>

In short and in simple language. The meaning is..

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after!

What so ever life looks, we can still make it simple .. 

Learning language is the happiest thing ever. 

Moving On !!

It is very common that we understand the lyrics when we are sad, and we enjoy the same when we are happy. From the last few weeks, I have been listening to the songs that made me feel more soothing.

"I miss you" !! How often we use this ??

This sentence is the most valuable of all I know.

To miss someone is something that we can't explain; and being a painful consequence of love, it may even be harder to describe than love itself...

To miss someone is the symptom that we need them with us 24*7, It is a wish to repeat certain moments, to relive the situations that uplifted our souls. 

Have you ever read lyrics of your favorite song only to realize that what it sounded like they said was far more interesting than what they actually said ? At any rate, I am the type of music lover who is more interested in the story behind the music. Whenever I like a song, I usually grab the lyric sheet of it. 

Words

Smile, an everlasting smile

A smile can bring you near to me

Don't ever let me find you gone

Cause that would bring a tear to me

This world has lost it's glory

Lets start a brand new story

Now my love

You think that I don't even mean

A single word I say...

And words are all I have

To take your heart away

Talk, in everlasting words

And dedicate them all, to me

And I will give you all my life

I'm here if you should call to me

You think that I don't even mean

A single word I say..

This world has lost it's glory

Lets start a start a brand new story

Now, my love

You think that I don't even mean

A single word I say.. 

What Hurts the most...

I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house
That don’t bother me
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out
I’m not afraid to cry every once in a while
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me
There are days every now and again I pretend I’m OK
But that’s not what gets me

What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin’ to do

It’s hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go
But I’m doin’ It
It’s hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I’m alone
Still Harder
Getting up, getting dressed, livin’ with this regret
But I know if I could do it over
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart
That I left unspoken

What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say (much to say)
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do, oh.

What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say (to say)
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do

Not seeing that loving you
That’s what I was trying to do

These two songs are spinning round my ears since many days and I finally decided to save them here for the life time use...

Queen - Whole India Thumakada !!

I think this is the first time I'm writing a movie review on this space. Not because there were no good movies released in the past, but this particular movie made me do so.

The subjectivity of responses to a film usually runs deeper than "I liked this, you didn't". But, I didn't find any homo-sapien saying this. The only running in my mind is for kangana : how does it feel to turn into a well respected actor?

May be the director Vikas Bahl was inspired by Rahul Gandhi's favorite word "Women Empowerment". The whole plot rounds around a women whose heart breaks right before her wedding and how she fares her life after such a so called "lost everything" situation in India. This is the story of a girl who finds herself through travel.

Queen was so good, I had a smile through out !! She made me fall in love with it more and more as each scene progressed. From a girl who needs his brother to escort her where ever she goes to a girl who not only shares her room with 3 men from different countries but also shares her first kiss with an Italian guy is a marvelous transformation.

The things that one can learn from the plot are

• Learn to Travel : Many things in life click when you travel. In the movie, Queen discovers herself , grows wings and becomes a person everyone falls in love with. Traveling helps to forget the tragedies in life.

• Listen to a Friend in need : Sometimes, the real gift given to a friend is to give them some time of ours. In the moive, the girl in Paris ,VijayaLakshmi does it.  

• Learn to say NO : She said a NO to vijay, who dumped her in the starting of the movie and came back running just to find her happy without him. There is a whole lot of learning in this particular scene. She even said thankyou to vijay for rejecting her. Very nicely done. The guy was found dumbstruck to say the least !! 

• Do Whatever you like : I am so glad she kisses the Italian chef. I was so hoping that she would. I would have been disappointed if she hadn't done that. The moment called for it and she delivered thankfully.

• Friends Matter the Most  : Queen shares her room with 3 men from different countries, Though she finds it difficult at the start, she becomes acquainted with them. She even rejects vijay's invitation for a cup of coffee for her friends who taught her what life is all about. 

The facebook timeline track of the Queen at the end grabs some bonus points. Every moment of life should be captured.

We are still living in a country where a girl gets married against her wish at an age of 20. 

We are still living in a country where a girl is supposed to be in despair if her marriage is called off. 

Movies like English Vinglish, Queen clearly pictures out the current situation of women in India, and yes Empowerment of Women is necessary 

A Day in Pondi - A French Riviera of The East

And here I'm, back with a lot of experiences to share with. Life is all about gathering experiences. !! 

A day in Pondi with Nitin, Ashish, Pandey, Mayank.. (The DITians.. )

Though official name is puduchery, i seem comfortable in calling it Pondicherry. 

This beautiful french town is about 2 hours from The Hot Kettle, Chennai and is a place to go for a perfect week end. I am not yet done enjoying this cute little coastal city and will hopefully be back for more to explore. The French controlled this part of coastal region for more than 300 years and it is of no surprise that they have left an indelible mark of their culture in Pondi and we can see the glimpses of its francophone past. 

In short, Pondi is a place with tree lined avenues, French heritage buldings, Beautiful backwaters, A pulse of spirituality ( The churches here are with more serenity ) and never endings beaches. 

Here is a list of places that could be enjoyed on a day trip to beautiful and almost clean Pondi.. 

Chunnambar Backwaters.. 

Pondi has scenic backwaters and a visit to this place is an amazing experience. I tried to capture most of the beauty with my 2 million pixels camera and that was the day I longed for a smart phone with 8 million pixel camera.

The backwaters of Pondi

A cruise starting from the backwaters will take you into Paradise Beach.. 

The SeaCruise 

See the man with orange life jacket :) :)

Paradise Beach

The Maintenance of the beach is just awesome with restaurants (boozers can booze), tents etc.. and we can find a river on one of the beach and Bay of Bengal on the other.

hey Sun, please be cool

Auroville Beach

In this beach, one can see the nature's furore. The currents appeared to be cool, but were dangerous enough to take us deep inside. A bit carelessness can turn enjoyment to a catastrophe.  

Auroville beach

Promenade Beach

The promenade is one of the finest Rock beaches in India. A walk along the promenade beach road is rejuvenating. This was the first time I felt the atmosphere of rock beach. 

Le'cafe has been my favorite restaurant which lies across the shore. If you are feeling low, go sit in the cafe, order a lemonade and listen to the waves crashing the rocks. 

waves crashing against the rocks

splashes of water striking the rock

waves crashing against the rocks (night view)

There are many heritage French buildings lined on the beach road. Walking along the line made me feel elated. 

This caught my eye and so my nokia lens

The up and down journeys from Bangalore to Pondicherry were in a sleeper bus. The joy of travelling in a sleeper bus with friends is a feeling that should only be experienced .. !!

P.S  : I found you even in pondicherry, just beside me where ever I go. Wish you were really there beside me. :( :(

Life is what we see it !!

It has been a month since I stepped in Bangalore and now I'm cherishing everything here. Shifted to Koramangala, a heaven like place to live. The people whom i'm living with are just awesome in making me laugh. 

The day starts with the snoozing off the alarm at 5.30 A.M and it continues till 6'o'clock. Then, the Marathon race starts for catching the bus at 7'o'clock. Waking up at 5.30 a.m in the cold weather of Bangalore for a person who lives on a terrace of a building is too tough. The best part is that I often win the marathon race.

One morning, I woke up at dawn and found this beauty. Even a crow looks beautiful sometimes. After all, life is how we see it and what we make it. I always enjoy the mornings in Bangalore, especially the dampness due to the dew. The presence of the crow made it look artistic and beautiful. ( Thanks to my 2 mega pixels Nokia Asha )

Lift your head to the world

Settle your feathers, then breathe out and speak

One crow sorrow, two crows joy

Three crows a girl, four crows a boy

Five crows silver, Six crows gold

Seven crows a secret never to be told

-----from the book "The Crow"

Meanwhile, It is very hard to escape from the haunts of the past and I'm a victim of that. Letting go is not easy, especially which have been a party of our life for long. But sometimes we have to let go somethings, to welcome something new, something more fulfilling and something more important. 

How much ever we try to mend few situations in life, we cannot. We try to explain a person how important they are in our life they don't understand because they don't care. You wish hard for few things to happen in life, it doesn't happen and why? We don't know !! In such situations, we have to throw them out of our lives rather than crying and craving for them. Show them that you can be happy without them, after all they are happy without you and why cant you be?? 

I believe, I believe, I believe

I believe that my happiness lie within me..

I believe that worrying doesn't change anything..

I believe that letting go of ego and aplogizing can save a relationship...

I believe that good things are yet to come..

I believe that keeping the kid in me alive make me keep young..

I believe these little beliefs of mine make my world a better place to live in  !!!