Velankanni: Longest Car Trip

This is not our first journey to Velankanni, as we had been to the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health the last time in 2010. But this is the first time that we are traveling in that direction by car. Tata Tigor was ready for the most distant location from its origins, and the journey was a memorable one. We took the journey in two different routes – on the way there, we went through the Palakkad-Coimbatore-Karur-Trichy route and while returning, we took the Trichy-Dindigul-Pollachi-Nenmara route, and I would suggest that traveling through the return route, but avoiding Nemara would be the right choice, for traveling from Trichy to Pollachi is joyful. While getting to Velankanni, the route through Mannargudi was better than the shorter Nagappattinam route, which was undergoing repair. Well, we reached Velankanni at a time when there less visitors. There are times when so many people go to the pilgrimage site, and there is rarely even the space to pray in peace.

The better roads in Tamil Nadu made sure that the journey was not troublesome, and only a few areas were troublesome for the vehicle’s suspension. I don’t remember much about that earlier journey to the sacred place, but it didn’t feel like something that far away from memory; yet the place has changed in twelve years. Velankanni is part of Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) for urban planning, economic growth and heritage conservation, which means that we have hope for the place to feel better. We prayed in the Lourdes of the East, and hoped for the best, as we live in an uncertain world. These are the times when life in this world seems irrelevant, and therefore, such spiritual journeys seem to be the need. Among the requirements to survive in this world, the connection to the other world becomes more important than ever. This trip has been pending for a long time, and the completion of this one provides more confidence and self-belief.

The trip anywhere would require a Tata Tigor and the usual food.

There is something about visiting Velankanni that never leaves us.

The beauty of the basilica will continue to enchant us.

The basilica has been visited by all of us for such a long time.

There is always something about the prayers and penance around here.

You keep looking towards divinity for the spiritual guidance.

Resting at places of divinity has never ceased to bring blessings.

The shrine of the old times continues to be a place of faith and belief.

You look up to God and hope for redemption in a world of chaos and hatred.

No journey is complete without Tata Tigor stopping by the side of highway for tea.

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***The images used on this blog post were taken by me on my Samsung mobile phone during my visit to Velankanni.

TeNy

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Kerala Needs You Now

Kerala, the Southern state of India needs your help.

What you see below is a photo taken by me during the floods of Kerala in the year 2013 from the top of the apartments where I lived. But when we consider the situation right now, this doesn’t even come close to being called a flood – this time, water got into most of the areas near Periyar and other water bodies close to Aluva. During those times, Aluva suffered. But these times are different, because it was not restricted to any place. The riverside was no longer the problem. The beautiful town of Aluva suffered the most, with so many parts of Kerala, with no place really considered safe. It became the case of a state suffering without any place or any person spared.

We witness what is happening this year, 2018, a photo taken by one of the residents at the apartments (I don’t live there now). We are looking at the other side of the apartment, which is an elevated area with height a lot more than what is seen on the first picture – it is a place where the water from the river has never entered in history. A few days ago, the water reached this point, and it was still rising. An image with the River Periyar at its strongest point is not available to me, but from what I figured out from the talks, it has reached higher to go through not just the ground floor, but also the first and second floors. From here, water seems to go on to reach the rest of the water-logged areas of Aluva, leaving not much of the ground visible. The main part of the town itself has water coming up at dangerous levels, with boats needed to travel through its major areas. It was one of the most beautiful towns as shown in the movie Premam, and it is in big trouble.

We live at Perumbavoor, a town about 15 kilometres from Aluva, and even as most of the town is doing comparatively better due to its main area at higher grounds (there are low-lying areas of the town which is in trouble), it is currently surrounded by water on most sides, with traffic non-existent on almost all major roads, all water-logged. The road between Aluva and Perumbavoor has been affected for days, and same is the case with the roads to other major towns nearby. Its nearby towns Kalady, Muvattupuzha & Kothamangalam, all suffered, and these are just a few towns in Ernakulam district among those large number of towns and villages which are suffering from continuous rain and shutters of dams being opened. From Trivandrum and Kollam to Kannur and Kasargode, all districts have been in trouble, with no idea where the water will rise and bring death. There are clear photos of terror being shown in the news channels, and the situation at some areas are much worse. There is no chance to go to the friends’ or relatives’ place because you don’t know where is safe! Even the Cochin Airport is closed with operations expected to begin again on a date about which we can’t be that sure. This is where we stay at home and hope.

Almost every place in Kerala is affected directly or indirectly, which is why we need the help of each and everyone in India and outside the nation. All kind of help matters, not just in the form of money. It will take a long time for Kerala to return to normal, and for the same, a lot of help is needed. All Vodafone services at my place is down as of now, and Airtel service was back just yesterday. Most people don’t have access to mobile services or internet, and electricity, food, clean water – all are in shortage. People are caught in isolated areas with much more needed to be done. So many people are living in relief camps after leaving all their possessions behind, and the college where I studied is one of them, and my school in another. More people are being evacuated from their homes as rains haven’t stopped and flood waters continue to cause terror. Even after the waters are gone, there can be diseases, reptiles, broken roads and all kinds of scarcity. We need you. Please help Kerala, for it is water everywhere, with none to drink!

Please help and contribute to the relief efforts by donating to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) ad help Kerala get back to its feet:

The details given at CMO’s Offical Facebook Page is shared below.

Please visit the website below for further details and to contribute in one way or the other.

https://keralarescue.in/

This is the donation portal of the Government of Kerala:

https://donation.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in/

TeNy

Requirement for a Dream

We all have our dreams; sometimes we keep them there, not wishing to get it out of that stage due to the high impossible nature, but there are those other dreams which we have no plan to keep there as dreams. We need to get hold of the second type, even though there are times when we are not really sure if they can actually go to the next stage. Maybe those related to competitive examinations and getting a better job can go on forever, but with those related to travel, we do have a certain amount of power to accomplish them.

There will always be the factors which try to keep us away though, and they might be stronger; still there will be a time when we just have to go. I have had mine, but I haven’t let them go, and I haven’t even tried to make them happen yet. I have my travelling list on hold right now, and I hope to keep reminding myself of the same, so that they don’t disappear right into one of those nightmares that I have during those darkest of nights. My dreams about travel go a long way back; and they are deep in those books, those belonging to the horror genre, beginning and ending with Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but not limited there.

Dracula and the rest of the Gothic: There is a certain call!

As I have told a good number of people already, the one dream related to travel, that I have had since my childhood days was to visit the Dracula Castle; not just to reach there, but to get to the destination after wandering through the Carpathian Mountains. I have read many other works which relates to the Gothic horror, located in places which are more appropriate to be called the “land of the dead”, but the Carpathians stayed, not just with the legend of the world’s best known vampire, but also with its natural beauty.

There are the locations which can make a normal person happy; that should include Paris being the City of Love, New York as the City of Skyscrapers, Rome known to be the Eternal City, and all those sobriquets that came with these – then there are the rest of the places in North America and Europe which should be second home to some of our relatives, the grand cities with huge shopping places in the Middle East, the places of pilgrimage, the frequently featured places of natural beauty and the rest which have made into news for one reason or the other.

Then there are those places, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand – it is as if everyone wants to go to at least one of the three nations; most of my friends have, if I go back and read flashback memories of us talking; and I have also been to two of the three already. Then, we know which are those few cities around here that everyone visits frequently – those names are even better known to the crowd. But they won’t make it to my priority list, as I haven’t been in that usual “normal list” for a long time; for I have evolved enough to get my name darkened so much that no sign of it remains there. This means that I will have to travel alone? That would be my pleasure.

So, with the lack of existence in that list of people, I have managed to get into another list, and instead of those usually preferred trips, here is the journey to the historical Bran Castle to which the legend is associated, and it will have to be one trip through those beautiful lands. The imposing Corvin Castle and Poenari Castle, the two other castles which are also connected to the legend, will also require a visit, because the dream is never limited; it is something that is spread over all these. The great castles will have tales to tell, all of which, I will be very happy to listen to, for I also have my own stories to tell in return.

All journeys need a big turn like this one even between all the beauty.

I have hoped to be there within that dark fantasy world which I had dreamt about; I have wished to be part of that special world of the unknown which was beyond human understanding, and to be part of myth and history at the same time. There was to be those days of the darker side of mysteries which go a long way beyond our knowledge – it was to make life better for me, even without that magic and that fantasy there, but is that to happen soon? Well, we will know at some point.

I am blogging about my dreams and passions for the Club Mahindra #DreamTrails activity at BlogAdda. You can get a Club Mahindra Membership to own your holidays!

***The images used in this blog post were taken by me.

TeNy

Impact of Being Good

We have always wondered about the best way to make the world a better place to live in. Well there are many ways to make a positive impact on the world, and among these right thing to make the best impact, I would choose “being good” to be the best option. doubt if many people have checked for the impact of being good. They look for the impact which they can make by being rich and influential, but the best idea, if you ask me, is to be good and remain so.

Haven’t we been appreciating good men and women in the past? Didn’t saints have a better role to play in each religion than the common people? Aren’t those people whom we respect as great men, saints and social reformers the people who were good and wanted to change the world to make it a better place not just for them, but also for the future generation? Haven’t we all agreed to the fact that these people were great and have made a positive impact?

Well, people have short memories. They find it difficult to remember their past, and this is more of a memory loss of convenience because they don’t want to be that good either. They want to be wealthy and famous in every way possible. They have found it easier to lie to their conscience if there is something like that left with them. If Mephistopheles had asked for their soul in return for luxuries, they would easily give it along with an extra soul from one of their friends. The world is different now, it truly is!

But one has to wonder how and why this world has changed, and when this radical change took its roots. It might not have been a sudden procedure, but it has been a powerful one, no doubt about that. Nowadays, a successful person with money and influence is a lot more liked than a good person – it is a case of shame and a reflection of the pathetic situation of our society. It should be left for a good person to make that positive impact, and a lot is to be done if the world is to have enough goodness in it.

I would say that the first thing about being good is to be nice to others. Actually, it is actually the most difficult things to do these days for some people. In a world of hatred, being good to others in words as well as in action is not that easy. Hate comes easy in this world, and abusing others is fun for the new generation. The truth is that nobody wants anything good to happen to others, and so there will always be the reason to hate others. As it is a natural thing, there can be no questions about it.

Hate and abuse has never been the solution. The impact that hate makes won’t stay forever, but the true change can be brought about by goodness. It is by the power of goodness that the world has to go through that change, and it has to be the light of the world, in a world which has been brought down by haters and abusers, a good number of them being taken over Facebook – do you see any goodness in social media? Well, it is quite rare if you ask me. A lot of people have been too much into showing their lack of culture.

There are many opportunities for us to do good, and it is part of our daily lives. We see people who are in need each and every day, and the impact that we can make in their lives will be a lot. It might be a small thing for us, but something that will define their lives with the impact that it creates. It is from these small and random acts of goodness that a better world comes into the picture. The responsibility for the same lies in each one of us, as we strive to make that impact – the best one possible.

***The images used in this blog post were taken by me.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

2015 in Review

Happy New Year 🙂  [Official] 😀

The WordPress.com stats helper zombies prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog. According to Uncle Dracula, the Vampire Team has worked harder than he thought in order to make it more popular among the humans. He would like to thank all the readers on this blog and has promised to provide vampire shares when the New Vampire World takes over the realm and bring the New Utopia into existence. He would make a request to all of you in order to pray for the same. Btw, the Vampire Team hopes that you have watched Charlie, the movie of Christmas 🙂

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 81,000 times in 2015. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 3 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

The Tales of 2015

Another year is coming to an end, and 2015 has been a different year – all years have been different frome each other, even though nothing huge happens with life, and whatever happens, things just go back to nothingness which has been part of my life. 2015 will also have its own tales which the year doesn’t want to share with 2014 or 2016. There will be something different each and every time making the years not the same. It was better defined when we were in school or college as each year had something special; but now we have to think more to find those events.

Maybe the best or the worst of the year are yet to happen, but as of now, the best moment was winning the passes for the India Today Conclave at Delhi with BlogAdda. It should be my best win ever at any stage, and that happened with the post The Vision of a Lost Bat. I did go to attend the conclave where the main talkers were Sachin Tendulkar, Ranveer Singh, Katrina Kaif, Lisa Haydon, Viswanathan Anand, Chetan Bhagat and others. It was a great experience for me and it also made sure that I should blog more, and I would credit BlogAdda for that motivation to write more.

Well, I have written at least one post on every day of this year in this year, and I am still continuing that trend which I hope that I never have to stop soon. 2015 also had many other contest wins for me, and I would call it a rich year which has inspired me to write more and more. 2015 has made me realize that I should do many things, but the one thing that I should always do is to blog, which is why I bought the domain for Movies of the Soul, about which I feel very good. Until 2014, I was only a blogger who wrote something when I had time, but now I find time for writing each and every day, and I shall carry this over to the next year.

Life just keeps hitting the rocks, doesn’t it? But there is always hope.

But there is one big New Year resolution which I really need to make with 2016 right around the corner. In 2014, I fell short of watching 100 movies in the theatres with the final count at 89, and this year, it is at 81 so far, and it seems to be all prepared to end before touching the nineties too. So, in 2016, I want to get it to one hundred movies like I watched 109 of them at the theatres in 2013. I need to take the pledge to be more consistent with this; the problem with this year was that we shifted home and I prepared for some of the PSC examinations. But now I believe that I should keep my movie world alive with the rest too!

I also hope to get a job next year, and it has been the Mission Impossible for me this year. I had sent a huge number of resumes this year at various e-mails, but only a few of them replied and only an even lesser number gave me an appointment. It is a hope which I really need to provide the wings because the relatives are becoming more and more violent every day – the salaries of the cousins are getting higher and they are getting married to rich people which brings a lot of contempt on me. I really need to get somewhere to come up with a direct reply.

Somehow, this relative problem has to be dealt with – we call it The Relative-IT Theory about which I have already written a long time ago. Surrounded by the relatives who are always trying to boast about the salaries and bank balance of their children along with the acres of land and the properties which the children’s off-springs own, will only get worse next year. They will get richer and I will get older in 2016, and so the only precaution to be taken here is to be prepared for those words of vanity, but try to avoid them as much as possible. I have also prepared a few dialogues in case of an emergency situation.

So, you are on this boat to 2016 – lets go through the troubles.

The biggest hope is to become a better person than I am now; but that is going to be complicated because when I get older, I don’t get any stronger. Still, I hope that the upcoming year will bring something better. We have thought in a similar manner about other years too, but this time, Lets think that 2016 is going to be different. Maybe we can take life as one year at a time. The world might be the same anyway, but we can change and above all, we can hope. After all, it is something which costs nothing. May the year 2016 be better than 2015, and lets wish for the best to happen!

I’m sharing my #TalesOf2015 with BlogAdda.

***The images used in this blog post were taken by me on my Sony Cybershot DSC-W310.

TeNy

Hate Brings No Good

Vampire Owl: Are you sure that we are supposed to be here? This is the world of the dead and we are kind of immortal. By arriving here, we become the immortal dead which is kind of paradox.

Vampire Bat: You are now an emissary to the world of the dead. We are the only connection between the dead and the undead, which in turn connects the living and the dead. So, lets not think about unnecessary things and wait for the Representative and the Left Hand of Lady Death to arrive.

Vampire Owl: I don’t want to, but that creature is looking at us. It feels strange. What is that thing? I have never known that one.

Vampire Bat: Maybe we should go and ask.

Vampire Owl: Are you sure? It looks angry and frustrated.

Vampire Bat: It looks sad and depressed. We are diplomatic representatives, and we gave immunity against all attacks from the dead. Don’t worry.

The Creature: One plus one plus one and add another one to the total, makes it a hundred; I killed a hundred and I don’t know why even now.

Vampire Owl: I think that this one failed in Mathematics. It is a subject that makes many people mad. A dangerous thing indeed.

Vampire Bat: What is your name, creature?

The Creature: I have had many other names, but for now, please call me The Disfigured. I am not of this world, but I decided to belong here as I was dumb.

Vampire Owl: So, you have nobody to blame. It is really a sad thing. You should make more friends.

The Disfigured: I used to have many, and one day, I lost them all. I made the decision to choose the wrong ones, and that made me miss them all.

Vampire Bat: Why do you talk in riddles, The Disfigured? And why do you call yourself by that name?

The Disfigured: It is part of my penance. I disfigured myself and made me what I am now. The world of the dead has its own special punishments, and among them, I was given the choice; I decided to choose the one which I inflicted upon myself.

Vampire Owl: You are too weird even for the vampire standards. Are you really dead? And if yes, what has brought you to this situation?

The Disfigured: I lived at a place where people of all religions were leading happy lives, respecting each other for their beliefs. I had friends from all religions and communities. I was a religious person, but never felt anything bad about the other religions. I studied science and scored well in the subjects, but kept religion and God close to my heart. But one day, that man came to our land, and he changed things a lot. Even after he left, some people followed his path and made things worse.

Vampire Owl: The great bringer of death?

The Disfigured: Something like that, yes. He came to our worship place and told us how the people from other religions will one day come and murder us. He told us that our religion was perfect and the other religions were worshiping the devil, and their cults needed to be destroyed. He brought a long list which he carried inside his huge bag. It was so long and as he told us the problems of other religions and made us believe that our religion was never wrong and will always be right till the end of the world. He gave us the idea that only our religion can save the world with us as the selected people, and that is the will of the God, the right God, which is our God.
Vampire Bat: That is quite natural for some people; but an educated person like you fell for that speech? Didn’t you study a lot of science?

The Disfigured: I learnt things by heart for the exams. That was all which was needed. I was never really taught values with studies. I was told to study everything by heart, get good score, find a job and bring money home. But then, this idea sounded better. I could stop studying and get my reward in another way. I could be a hero of my religion and my people who would keep screaming my name.

Vampire Bat: But what about the people from other religions with whom you were very close? Were they not your people too?

The Disfigured: I forgot them at that time. They were my friends and brothers by love, but I decided to go through them too. I was taught the art and science of murder in the name of God. I had decided that those who said something unpleasant about my God and also everyone else from that religion should die; if the ones from other religions also died, it came as a bonus because only we worshiped the real God.

Vampire Owl: So you killed your own friends and neighbours in the end?

The Disfigured: Yes, I pulled the trigger. I saw the river of blood, fire and the ashes as I felt myself becoming the abomination in their eyes during the few last moments of devastation. During those moments between life and death, I saw and heard the screams of the mothers, the cries of the helpless orphaned children, and the souls of the little children leaving that world for the other. I saw my former best friend, and he pointed at me and I knew he was asking me why. I was here, and I found nothing here; not the glory of a martyr or the reward for being a murderer for God. I understood that I made myself unworthy of even going near that God whom I once worshipped.

Vampire Bat: I don’t understand why you would think that God would want you to kill his own creations? It is a terrible misunderstanding. You felt that murder can bring you heaven and not good selfless deeds? Even zombies know better.

Vampire Owl: And now what has happened to you?

The Disfigured: I still awaited my chance to be lifted to firmament, but nothing like that happened. I was left here surrounding by the inferno and I could see the people I killed right on the golden clouds high above me, with wings made of star-dust. I tried to jump into the fire, but it brought me back each and every time, more and more burnt.

Vampire Owl: I am not surprised at all.

The Disfigured: One day a woman appeared before me, pale and wearing dark clothes, with a huge black cat and a big dog which burned bright on her side. She was wearing a crown made of parts of a giant skull and bones decorated it. She told me that I had a choice, to enter the inferno of eternal torment to be punished by the demons of the other world or to stay here, in the world of the dead as a symbol of what happens to those who hate their fellow beings, and punish myself as instructed. I decided to choose the latter, as I stand here, burning and impaling myself, being the symbol of what reward hate brings. May be doing these myself as penance can give me a second chance. I haven’t lost hope yet.

Messenger of Death: Greetings, emissaries from the Vampire World. Lady Death’s representative will see you now.

The Disfigured: Let me get back to my schedule then. I have to jump into some boiling oil now. You should go and meet them, but please be careful about that dog.

Vampire Bat and Vampire Owl continued their journey into the interior circles of the world of the dead with the Messenger of Death. They wondered what it would take to make the humans stop hating each other. There will be religion, caste, race and community now, and during other times, there will be some other reasons. They felt very much relieved that they were not among the humans. They reached the Dark Gate of the Palace of Death, and as they looked on, the gate opened by itself.

#BloggingForPeace with BlogAdda

TeNy

Secrets of Life and Death

He had always struggled in his life, and had absolutely no say in his life until he had gone past his teenage and even after that, there was trouble. The whole thing was always a struggle because the relatives always made sure that they knew what he wanted to study and where he wanted to go to school or college, and they made sure that he never got them. The relatives always tried to bring him and his ideas down. The result was that he never really got anywhere, and the relatives wanted to make fun of him and at the same time praise their own children.

There was going to be a marriage function on the very next day. Another one his cousins was going to get married, and he knew that he was going to be ridiculed there because of one of the cousins marrying a rich girl and having a lot of property while another person had got a new job with high salary. He decided to write something about it for some peace. He took his old diary and checked if there was something there which he could add. There, he noticed a letter lying between the books.

Darkness spreads. But how fast can that happen in the life of a common person?

It was about a book. It told him to look for a book which was to answer his question about what life was. He had thought that there was nothing much about it other than to dance to the tunes of some people. He checked under the huge collection of books to find a huge book which seemed to be very old. He noticed what was written on the cover page – “The Secret of Life and Death”. He found that each page of the book was of a different colour and he decided to start reading.

The first page said “Do you think that those who show that they are really happy got any kind of joy in their life? They just pretend. They show off to make you look depressed. With your hopeless behaviour, you are making them happy, and that is their only way of happiness. They actually do this to many people and you are just one of them. They tell you that their huge collection of money is the secret of all kinds of happiness, but it is not. If you keep looking at their faces, you will understand that they can’t always pretend”.

He turned the page to read further “They think that they can hold on to money forever, and can make a fool out of you. But they can’t. There is a certain truth about all rich men, women and empires, and as proven by history, they do fall. This will happen now, later or a long time from now, but it is sure to happen. In the cases of these people, they are not even loved by others. All the appreciation that they get is from the people who are just like them, and they will abandon each other whenever the right time comes. It is the way of their life, and it is how they thrive”.

He moved on to the next page “With the desire to be with their sons and daughters which never happens, these people just pretend to be the great parents of the successful off-spring, but it is just an act of vanity which is powered by their need to show the world that they are not failures. History had such parents who made their own empires fall into nothingness, and the world is only going to know a lot more of them. The darkness is in their blood and it will only get stronger. It won’t matter how you respond, because they have a lot of such dark matter in store”.

Is there a sign of relief among the dark clouds, or is it just vain hope?

The next page turned out to be the last page with clear letters “Therefore my dear, do not fall into the fake paths to victory. There is no need to fall into the abyss of those judgments. There is no mystery here, but you. Only you can find it. Do not listen to others because the only place where you need to look is right inside you. Never let the people around you weaken your cause, as they have absolutely no role in your life just like they have nothing to do with the lives of their own children. We have always known that this day will come for one generation or the other, and make sure that you use this advice well”. He closed the book and decided to make a point.

I am participating in this creative activity organised by makers of The Path of Zarathustra in association with BlogAdda.

***The images used in this blog post were taken on my Asus Zenfone 5.

TeNy

The Undead Book of Life

It was a beautiful evening with Uncle Dracula having gone for a movie with most of the vampire minions. Vampire Owl came out of the castle with a huge book in his hands. It was written as a mixture of Old English and Latin, and he put the book in front of the Vampire Bat who was having a cup of tea in the garden.

“This is the book I was talking about. It is called The Undead Book of Life and has been passed on from our ancestors. It has the secrets to a better life. There is also a letter on the first page which explains things in detail. I found it at the darkest corner of the Great Vampire Library” said the Vampire Owl.

“It is a work which is often considered as the nemesis of The Book of the Dead. Do you trust something which was found at the darkest corners? Don’t you feel that such works will have a certain amount of darkness in themselves ready to be unleashed, taking control of our dark side?” wondered the Vampire Bat.

“We are the creatures of the dark, even though we rarely exhibit those characters in light. But humans do, and their darkness is in their souls. The book talks about it, about how easier it is to be evil compared to being good. You search for goodness, and you end up finding darkness most of the time” added the Vampire Owl.

“It is a well-known thing. Evil is too easy for the humans. These humans do things that we could never imagine. What they don’t understand is that it takes a lot to be a real human. It is actually easier to be a vampire, even though it is tough to be a responsible one”.

“There is a lot of detail about the same in this movie. It talks about the universal brotherhood, and how humans have perverted the idea of equality to provide the same for only a few people. I can say that this book goes back to those times when the elder vampires lived with the humans, and had so much to teach each other” said the Vampire Owl.

“This idea of equality has its origins in the vampire community itself, as we have always supported each other throughout the history because it was necessary for our own survival. It is clearly depicted in a good number of vampire history books. It was the humans who took so much time to understand and then twist it” added the Vampire Bat.

“It is surprising that humans need to be taught morality and love for their fellow creatures. We developed it ourselves. We have tried to teach them the same through centuries, but have failed. Even the religions couldn’t teach them that”.

“Well, I see it here. Life is all about loving and having mutual-respect for your fellow beings. It has always been the idea, right? But why these humans are fighting each other for no true reason is really beyond me” added the Vampire Bat.

“The true essence of life is known to everyone already – it is love. There is a long detail about it in this book, but it exists in true forms. Still people find it too difficult to get the thing enabled. The selfish needs take over. There is envy, vanity and hate which erases all things related to love” said the Vampire Owl.

“So, are we giving a copy of the same to the humans?” asked the Vampire Bat.

“I don’t believe that we should do that. They should be allowed to make their own choices because love is not something which has been unknown to them. It is how it was always supposed to be. You still write a lot, don’t you? Such an interference in the lives of the characters won’t do that good to the story of life. Don’t you think so? the Vampire Owl wondered.

“Yes, lets give them an opportunity to find what they have always known. I doubt if they will still find it though” said the Vampire Bat.

“What is life, but an opportunity to love your fellow beings? What is a better truth?” the Vampire Owl wondered.

The Path Of Zarathustra is an Indian Magic Realism film releasing on September 4th.

I am participating in this creative activity organised by makers of The Path of Zarathustra in association with BlogAdda.

***The image used in this blog post is from the page mentioned above.

TeNy

Some of the Changes

In the last few months, I have made the changes that I thought that I never would. I still don’t know if there are positives or negatives because I still doubt them. Sometimes, I feel that there was no real point in the same and all the decisions were quite wrong. Then I think that change is good and can bring something fair in the variety. Well, life is very confusing as long as you decide to live it; otherwise things are quite easy and right into the grave. May be I should ask at the cemetery. These are the changes.

Buying a domain instead of using the free WordPress.com option: I never really wanted to buy a domain because I am a jobless person and I seem to go on without having a job or income forever; so this buying a domain might never stay forever as far as I am concerned. I still have no hope to continue having this domain because I have no salary, and I expect to lose that domain anytime and return to that WordPress.com site. Movies of the Soul might not stay with me forever as a separate domain.

But I had to buy that for now, because I thought that I needed it. Many of my friends has told me that it was better, and I was afraid that I might not be able to get that domain if I had chosen to delay – so I had to take that. May be it will bring something good for my movie reviews – it hasn’t done much until now, but I hope that it will be good some day. May be something will come up and I will get a job before I have to pay for the next one year. I would otherwise hope that parents won’t mind another year of Movies of the Soul.

Using Bing instead of Google: This is surely what I never thought that I would do, as I have shifted from Google to Bing, thus permanently changing my Search Engine. I have used Google Search for a long time, but I later found out that even though we won’t really matter in the end, Microsoft’s Bing is rather more caring for the common users. Even though things will always be in favour of the corporate side and we are just those little cockroaches for them, I have found that even my blog links appear better on Bling than Google.

Bing uses a reward policy for searching, and I have found that inspirational in searching; I see no reason why it shouldn’t. It provides separate credits for computer as well as mobile. It took some time to let me into the program after registering for the Windows Live Account, and I haven’t completely figured it out, but everything looks nice as of now. There are also rewards for inviting friends. Well, I would like to keep my search useful rather than do it for no reason.

Using the other browsers consistently at least on the mobile: I still use Google Chrome on the laptop even though I have installed other browsers too. But at least in the mobile, I hope to use the other browsers by default, and I mostly use the UC Browser and Opera. I have been using them consistently and hope to continue doing so. I don’t know why, but Movies of the Soul looks a lot better on UC Browser when looking through the mobile. It also seems to be the faster browser among them all.

Getting a gamepad and speakers from Flipkart: I still have not understood about this – I don’t play computer games or listen to songs these days. The games have left me because I can’t even come close to winning any game of life. The music no longer makes me feel anything too. So, I wonder why I bought these. Still, I hope to play some games and listen to any song. May be, I will get some of my interest back. Things have been going mechanical these days, and I hope for some twist to happen.

TeNy

A Few Weird Wishes

I have had many wishes during my life-time, even though I have not retained many of them right now, not because they have happened, but because the chances are only becoming less as I become older; as I get older, I only become weaker. I haven’t been completely against miracles in my life, but when nothing really happens you have to cease believing in positive things – miracles is just one of them, and goodness can follow the route to extinction as there is a lot of time left for the world to end. At the same time, there will be wishes.

To see the world while falling down from the sky: I have been to a number of very tall towers, and even when I was standing at the top of those tall church towers here, I used to wonder about this. The view was very good from the top. What would happen if I jump from there, and how the image will be during my fall. I have only felt that during the first person shooter games which had quite a lot of buildings, and may be this real fall will help to have a more realistic view of the same.

To go to sleep and never wake up: This still remains one of my wishes. With life having no real point, this might be the right time to have this wish. I thought about this yesterday, day before yesterday, and the day before, but nothing reall worked. Well, the nights never end, and so lets see what can happen on the days to come. After all, what happens more than the rest of things in my life is sleep. Can I at least go the other dimension like in the Insidious movies? That should also be fair.

To be adopted by aliens: When we are denied too much by the humanity, we have to look for the next species not belonging to this planet. With the basic human nature returning to evil with ease, we have to depend on the others for hope. The undead should be the first option, but as too many humans are in this planet who outnumber the undead, we have to look for the best option, which will be on another planet. So, I have been looking for a spaceship to appear for quite a long time.

To die and return from the dead: Being dead and back; I have always thought about it as a lot of fun. The other world might be something which can provide a lot of valuable experience to make us succeed in life. After all, they should have met a lot of interesting dead people who have passed or still remain in that world. We will just have to make sure that the return is made before our bodies are buried or cremated – otherwise, we will be caught in that world forever with no existence left here.

To find a city underwater: I had special love for the underwater cities, a lot more than the cities built in the air, underground or on other planets. No, not under the smaller water bodies, but under the oceans rather than anywhere else, because the chance of being taken over by the saline water is more. The wish developed early, but got further strength after playing the game Bioshock, which had an underwater city of Rapture with enough horror to bring the enjoyment – the graphics remained so good too.

To have a detailed discussion with death: I have kept this on my wishlist for quite some time, and it still remains there. I have been interested with this since I read Emily Dickinson poetry for the first time. The interest had also developed earlier with Pappan Priyappetta Pappan, a Malayalam movie which features Yama and was the first movie of the famous Siddique-Lal team. Death is not the kind of person who has many friends, and so, I think that there will be no problem in having a discussion.

***The images used in this blog post were taken by me only.

TeNy

What Needs to be Remade

How much do we help of a person in need? Ranjith Sankar’s directorial debut talks about the same in the form the 2009 movie Passenger. He has brought the genre of social thrillers to full power into cinema, and he continued the same into the less efficient Arjunan Sakshi starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Ann Augustine. Even though that movie also brought a picture of the society and criticized the system from the government to the police and the other people in charge, and reiterated the common man’s need to take the responsibility for the society, it was nothing like Passenger.

He had also shown the problems faced by someone who wanted to start a new business venture in Kerala with Punyalan Agarbattis and a different perspective in Molly Aunty Rocks!. But each and every time we watch Passenger, we realize that none of them can be a match to this debut movie from the same director. It was there on television on the day before yesterday too, and one has to wonder how it manages to be so fresh even after being watched so many times. I have watched it more than twenty times myself, and it was the big reason why I watched Arjunan Sakshi on the first day itself.

In the life of modernity and tall concrete, what is it that we can do for the society?

The story has Sathyanathan (Sreenivasan), a common man who works in a private company as the major protagonist. He is one of those simple people who goes to work in the city and comes back to his place in the regular passenger train. He finds happiness in the simple things like the local temple festivals, talking about news with the friends and having a few cups of tea. There is nothing special going on in his uncomplicated, predictable life which goes on and on, as he follows the machanical procedure. But as he is the last among his friends to get to down, one day, he falls asleep and misses the station near his place.

On the day on which he falls asleep, he wakes up to find that he was sleeping for so long, and asks another person Nandan Menon (Dileep) about the present situation. After a few moments of humorous conversations, they get down at the Guruvayur railway station and separates. But as Nandan is suddenly kidnapped by a group of goons in a car, Sathyanathan wishes to help, but is caught in a situation in which he can do nothing. He decides to travel to the man’s place inform his people about the same. But it is about more than what meets the eye, as he is a lawyer fighting a case against the home minister, and his wife is a leading journalist looking into the same case.

The journey of life continues, but as we reach that end, what do we earn?

There are no songs in this movie, and there are no stereotypes either. But life of the common man caught in a strange situation is brought to light here in a realistic manner. There is nothing spectacular done by the protagonist, but simple acts, as he goes on to make a difference without trying to be the superhero. There is a certain amount of simplicity in the portrayal of the character by Sreenivasan as he perfectly fits the role of a common man, something which might not have been the case with a superstar added. It is the kind of role which suits him without anything special added to it.

Dileep also plays a role which has no heroism, despite the character consistently trying to bring a change in the society while fighting the powerful politicians and businessmen in a legal way. Meanwhile, Mamta Mohandas has played the role of a determined journalist hoping to bring change in the society, with a lot of strength. Jagathy Sreekumar plays the man who wants to hold on to the political power in any manner possible, and Nedumudi Venu plays the character who is a reluctant helper and he turns the man who realizes his duty as the story gets tougher and things get to the next level. I would love to have Irrfan Khan or Naseeruddin Shah in the lead.

Passenger is a movie which should have been remade in many other languages, and not something like Bodyguard. With its situations, Passenger asks a question to the common audience about why one should help a fellow human being when there is a chance. It asks the common man to understand that one simple help might mean many things, and may be this helping hand can bring a big change in the society. May be someone will think that he or she is not capable of that change, but it is the sincere attempt that makes all the difference in the end because none of us know what results it can bring despite we being the weaker ones. It needs go further like the original Drishyam to be remade like Drishyam in Bollywood.

***The images used in this blog post were taken by me at Aluva (Alwaye) on my Sony Cybershot Camera.

TeNy

300th Post Nihilism

This is my 300th post. The Tea Cerebration(s) has completed 300 posts in 394 days, after its beginning in July 2014. My last 200 posts were done in 194 days. I have done the last 100 posts in 95 days and the last 50 in 46. I did post a minimum of one post on every day. By doing these, I have once again proved that I have no other job. May be I should have another job, but unfortunately, I have none. In the next two hundred days, I will reach the 500 posts marks, if life keeps going this way. Well, there is not really any point about life.

I keep wondering where do I reach with my blogs. Sometimes I think why I should write here. It keeps going on and on, and nothing really happens that would bring a clear change to my life. Each and every day, I write about something or the other, and then I post it, and then nothing else happens. I just go to sleep, and then I wake up and I write. It seems to me more like a loop which goes on eternally. Well, people do many things which seem to be constructive and good for their future. I wonder where does blogging stand.

Doing good with blogging has very less effect on my daily life. I remain the random jobless, useless person as I have always been. The India Today Conclave Win came up as a small relief, but the situation still remains the same. Sometimes, I feel that the particular post came from a part of my brain which I know very less about. The fifth month has arrived after that positive thing, and I am sure that most people have forgotten about that. My life remains empty and I believe that worst things are waiting to happen without giving any slight chance of an escape.

Sometimes, I think whether it does anything which counts at all? 300 posts here and 200 posts at Movies of Soul later, with the extra on other two blogs making more than a 100, thus making it above 600 posts in total, I still remain the person I used to be when someone looks at me. Is it doing good or bad for me? I wonder how it will define my future. Can something really positive come out of this or will this go as how I wasted my life? Will it even make sense to most of the people, the majority of the world?

I have never thought that I would ever reach the number three hundred in my life time. I was completely out of ideas when I started my blogs. Now I do have more ideas, but not sure if it is really a positive thing. I have been just writing and writing without caring about anything else. But I have still reached nowhere even after trying regularly. I am still stuck at the abyss from which only depths call, and not a soul to return to the surface.

I wonder if many of you have read my previous post, Time Machine’s Child, which has been a reflection of my world. It has been recently selected as a WOW post at BlogAdda, and I have been wondering about the same situation. Is the search for a better timeline, or a deviation into a better reality just an illusion? Is there light at the end of the tunnel or is it just a fake belief just to make us explore more of a tunnel which is infinite, and ends for each person only with death?

Will the search for a better alternative end up in the worst situation? Or is that alternative waiting for us after death? Isn’t it easier to have trust in after-life than the present one? There is no justice in this world, and shouldn’t that make the idea of after-life more exciting than the present one? May be if death is the entrance to that better life as religions talk about it, embracing it before being a bigger sinner to ruin it is the better option, right? And if there is no after-life at all, still isn’t it better to finish it off now than later?

***The images used in blog post were taken on my Sony Cybershot Camera.

TeNy

Quote Challenge 2: Tennyson

“We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
― Ulysses (Lord Tennyson)

Alfred, Lord Tennyson – that name itself had a lot to do with my life. I was often asked about by name by my English teachers, and they have always loved my name while I was in school. I never really realized that it would mean that I could be doing a degree and also the post-graduation in English Language and Literature, but yes, even though late, I did realize what I was supposed to do. Even then the name helped; having the same name as the greatest poet of an era and the longest reigning Poet Laureate has its advantages.

To add to it, I do love his works, and my favourite among them is Ulysses which I studied more than once, and read so many times – then there is this quote “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”. Well, it is a nice quote, but among those which I want to talk about and wish to relate with life includes most of the lines in Ulysses rather than anything else. Among them, the one I have mentioned here has a lot more significance, at least for this period of my life.

The quote is about something that we all face, about not being good as we used to be. I have always thought about the same. I am sure that as of now, I am able to write better and with more variety than I used to, just an year ago. I am able to write about things that I never thought I would write about. Two years ago, when I began my other blog with the pen name, The Vampire Bat, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Why The Vampire Bat? I had no idea. But then things got better. I never knew I could bring anything new to my writing style.

But there are things with which I am not getting any better. They include most of the things which are not related to writing. I know that I won’t have the stamina to play more than one singles game in Badminton if I give it a try after such a long time. I know that I might not be able to bowl two consecutive deliveries without sending one for a wide. I also know that I might not have the energy to withstand one single football game any more. I am not that good, and I am not of that strength as I was when I was doing by degree.

I know that I don’t understand things that well as I used to, and I feel that I won’t be able to memorize things that well. I keep having that feeling that I have done with reading, studying and all; and even when writing about a movie, I feel that I might not be able to do justice. When I understand that almost everyone that I know from my college got a job and a good number of them are married, I do feel that I am trailing, and when I get to do one of these things, I won’t be as good as they are now, because I will be tired and older.

I am always reminded of the same, by one person or the other, being the oldest person without a job, and about the rating in the marriage-alliance market going down as I get older. The strength of that old days – we all miss them, and I miss my friends from those wonderful days too. I also feel made weak by time and fate, but I hope to do well, and overcome the weaknesses that have come upon me. I am surrounded by two things, immortality of one world which I love and the mortality of the other which I have to embrace.

I cannot take a step backward, not at this period of time. May be we can dig through the dead end. There are people who want me to, and events which are fair enough to make that call for me. Inspired by my favourite single line of all-time, “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield”, I still leave myself with some hope for miracles, and at the same time keep doing what I hope that I can do well till the end end of time. In the name of the great poet with whom I shares my name, it might really be depressing for his soul if I gave up. Ulysses had a sea, and I have an ocean. But I am still younger. The last times were used to inspire athletes for London Olympics 2012, so why can’t it continue to do so for me?

***The images used in this blog post are from the game Age of Empires III which I used to play.

I have been nominated by Kiran, at https://drkiranacharya.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/day-three-quote-challenge, for the three day quote challenge. Thanks for the tag 🙂

Rules for the challenge:

• Post one of your favourite quotes (different quote on each day) on three days. The quote can be from your favourite book, author, or your own.
• Nominate three bloggers to challenge them.
• Thank the blogger, who nominated you.

For my day two, I nominate my blogger friends:

Ranjini (http://rangelz.wordpress.com)

Tara (http://crimsonapril.com)

Archana (http://drishti.co)

TeNy

Appreciation: Version Two

Ever since beginning its journey on 5th February 2013, Movies of the Soul was not a blog which I was expecting to be popular. It reached one lakh views just after its two year anniversary, but that was also not something which I expected so early to happen. Beginning with the movie Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, it was not initially meant to post Malayalam reviews, as the idea was more Hollywood, which explains the 132 English movies which I have reviewed there.

This explains why I haven’t reached fifty reviews in Malayalam yet on Movies of the Soul, as the number of Malayalam movies which I watched at the theatre only decreased, and it came down in the last year while the number of Hollywood movies remained the same. It was not just about the quality of the movies which was the best for Malayalam in 2013; for it was also about the appreciation which was rather less for Malayalam movies which were like people only wanted to criticize whatever opinion you came up with.

The only significant change was related to the movie Angels, when my blog was mentioned in a video created by the Official Facebook Page of the movie, which was shared by the director Jean Markose and also the one skilled actor who played the central character of the movie, even though not the movie – Joy Mathew. It was important for me as I am not someone used to appreciation. Most of the people I know are only consider people who make a lot of money as “humans”.

It has been a major feature of “The Theory of Relative-IT”, which Albert Einstein might have also thought about. I have been writing so much for no reason, and it was becoming a mechanized process of writing opinions when this appreciation came. It has been like that for quite long, with and even though I had tried hard to write even better, and wrote so many times about the movie Mili, there was almost no appreciation for my ideas. Then I thought that Angels would be the last review from me which would get noticed, but I was wrong.

It was some time since I watched a Malayalam movie; the last one being Fireman. So I finally watched the movie Ivide, and wrote on all those ideas which came to my mind after watching the movie. It was only later that I noticed that Priya Chokshi, the assistant director of the movie had chosen to retweet my tweet with the link to the movie review. She did share other opinions, but I was happy to see someone in the movie field actually choosing to share my review having the link to this review post.

I have been writing Hollywood reviews at Kiagia.com, and so haven’t been caring about the Malayalam movies much. Malayalam movie industry has been going on too much with its fans rather than the regular viewers. But I am glad that I watched this one in the end. The word “ivide” means here, and I am glad that I am here. The Official Facebook Page of Ivide also shared my review on their blog with what I wrote in depth. It is the first time that an Official Facebook Page of a movie is sharing my review too.

It surely feels good when I write about a multi-starrer movie with two of the biggest young stars in the movie, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Nivin Pauly, and that big name in the actress list, Bhavana, plus that amazingly skilled director Shyamaprasad – and then it get shared. It might not be that big for others, but for someone who is always blamed by the relatives in the name of not getting a job and not being married yet, it is the big boon from the heavenly abode.

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of Ivide. For the review, please check: [https://moviesofthesoul.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/ivide]

TeNy

Making Further Choices

I hereby go back to the #CrashThePepsiIPL activity and choose a few favourite commercials for which I wish to vote for. As the voting process starts from 7th May and is to go on till the 14th of May, I hope that one of these advertisements which I list below gets to win. I have felt that they are quite close to making it to the top, as they are very interesting and innovative. You might need to have a look at these.

Crash the Pepsi IPL – The ‘Un’commercial
Uploaded by Prashanth Ramachandran

The Uncommercial as they call it here, is very good innovation, and you have to love some Pepsi advertisements without all those extra features that you see all around. This time, Pepsi has things simple and it will be nice to see this one the television. Yes, it is a commercial, but still not like those other ones, and we only need to know that it is Pepsi, as it you don’t need to keep saying that Pepsi is this or that, because someone is going to drink it when there is the need, and the need for a commercial is actually not there expect for having a certain need for an existence. Yes, the girl has done a very nice job too. I am thinking simple right now, and I see the need to vote for this one.

Crash the Pepsi IPL – Ahead of Time
Uploaded by Paul Joji Kokkat

I have talked about this before and would do the same again, because this is an excellent innovation of the basic idea which has always been there with fighting for the drink, especially Pepsi. Here they have made the same thing better, and there is no possibility of finding fault with any of the details. They have made the right shots and have managed to cut right where it should have been cut. You will see the details, and it is impossible not to think that this was not professionally made. Who needs Jacques Kallis and Virat Kohli playing in a packed stadium when we can have innovation with common people? This one is like made for the common man, and I would surely want to vote for this commercial too.

Crash the Pepsi IPL – #ThePerfectPartnership
Uploaded by Saachi Agrawal

I somehow missed this one at the first look at the video collection as there were many of them, but not with the smaller list of finalists – this one is sure to catch one’s attention at the first watch itself. In this video from Saachi Agrawal, you have to love how things come together in the end, and you know how the strangest things will begin to have a meaning. The pieces of the small puzzle come together in the end, as there is something awesome which comes out of what seems to be an annoying or ridiculous thing. Yes, there is more than what meets the eye with one’s life, and this is another commercial for which I will vote because of the innovation – nice collection of drawings used too.

Crash the Pepsi IPL – Living It
Uploaded by Kaushal shah

This one has surely made the point by bringing to almost all parts of life. Yes, we see the bottles and cans of Pepsi all around the bakeries, restaurants and even smaller shops, but not really used in the way as it is shown in this advertisement. Here, we see it as part of our lives, and it is surely a big boost to the brand. Well, it might be exaggerated, but not by that much, and we will surely admire it by the way in which it is presented. You can use the cans for the last two occasions for sure, and it is just unfortunate that I don’t play the games any more. I wish to give this one a vote too, because it has made the point so well and it has given an extension for the existing ideas.

Crash The Pepsi IPL – #We Unite Nations
Uploaded by Santhosh Naga Rajan

This commercial is nicely created with colours, and seems to make a fine point with the idea of IPL, even as the game is not what it used to be. IPL might not be that awesome as it used to be, but this advertisement surely has the core at the right place. The ultimate aim of the game here should be to unite people, not through the states of India, but from all around the world. By using these colours and the cricketing imagery, this one surely lets us know what IPL can do as long as all the scandals and the thoughts of hatred are kept away from the sport – this could surely use a vote.

I have made all these choices from the #CrashThePepsiIPL activity finalists list, and I hope to add a few more to this with a possible second part to this post. I do hope that the best ones win the most public votes and go on to become the People’s Choice Pepsi IPL Ad. Let’s use our right to vote here too, and being in the world’s biggest democracy, we have to put it to the best use as we make the choices which we think are the best.

I’m voting for the best ads in the #CrashThePepsiIPL activity in association with BlogAdda from 7th May to 14th May. Are you?

TeNy

Liebster: Extra Soul Food

I am really glad to be presented with Liebster award for The Tea Cerebration(s). It is Gowthama Rajavelu @http://creatikaa.blogspot.com who has provided me with this wonderful award. He also blogs at http://snapometer.blogspot.in which you need to visit 😉

I accept this Liebster Award (http://creatikaa.blogspot.com/2015/04/liebster-award-acceptance-and.html) and shall nominate my choice of bloggers 🙂

What are 10 random facts about you?

1. Whenever I search for a job, I feel like it is against all hopes.
2. I have more doubts about life than it can be imagined by a single person, unless proven wrong.
3. I do thinking as a part-time absurdist 😀
4. I love the season of monsoon.
5. I really need to play Age of Empires multiplayer; so someone should join me 😀
6. Game of Thrones is my most recent addiction.
7. I love my new Asus Zenfone.
8. Simona the kitty is the best kitten that I have ever known.
9. I wish there was more awesome dosa in the world.
10. The win for the post The Vision has surely brought some positive opinion on the jobless me outside the blogging world for may be the first time 😀

Where does your blogging inspiration come from?
I write because of whatever comes to my mind from anywhere, at any moment of time.

Is your blogging simply a hobby? What kind of dreams do you have for it?
Yes, it is a lot like a hobby. I hope to do something good with my life and this is the only way in front of me now.

What is your support system like and who are your biggest supporters?
I think that it keeps changing.

What do you enjoy most about blogging?
That relief after writing down what I had to say.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed with too many tasks at once?
I keep doing them without thinking about anything else.

What would you do with a large sum of money given to you?
I would travel, starting the journey from Romania or Spain.

What was one of the most moving books or movies you have ever read or seen?
Dogville starring Nicole Kidman.

Where would you like to see yourself in the next couple of years?
At Dracula Castle, Romania.

Do you have a bucket list? Name 5 things on that.
Please read the recently posted Bucket List with 5 things.

What is your single best piece of advice for someone starting out in the blogging world?
Forget about everything else and just write.

And here goes my list of Nomination

Sahithya (http://sahisridhar.blogspot.in)

Roohi (http://roohibhatnagar.com)

Abhijit (http://gadgetgarrio.com)

Najm (http://angellicfrenzy.blogspot.in)

Ankita (http://makeachange1.wordpress.com)

Attention Nominees: Here are the instructions:

Nominees, it is your turn to answer the questions and award some blogs if you are willing. Answer the above questions in your own blog post and then nominate some of your favorite blogs. You can either make up a new list of questions for your nominees or just use the same.

TeNy

Religion and Love

There might be a lot of people who have achieved more, and a good number of them got the potential to reach the summit of greatness like nobody else – it is the quality of the list of people related to #WillOfSteel by JSW that makes us feel proud of our fellow countrymen at the first look. But then there is the realization about what we really want. Above all, what comes to the mind is more about what the nation needs than anything else. It is not people who make a lot of money or those who become famous for being good at a random thing – it is more.

Each and everyday that we spend on Facebook or the internet as a whole has become more of a curse, and it continues like there is no end. There are more hate messages than there is the true essence of any religion. Everyone has their own idea of bringing hatred, and they go on with the same. People hate all who spread the message of love just because they are of another religion, and we know how the venom spreads when some people opens their mouth.

Therefore, Krishnadas becomes the man whom the nation really needs and should inspire a lot more with the message “Follow your religion, love everybody”. He has spread the message for years as he stands at the centre of the busy street holding the placard having the message; also leaving something for the people who visit the beach. With a few declarations which have been made in the recent days, I would expect the intolerance to rise to a new level and people are going to be doubtful about the other religions. Some worship centres are going to be closed to others due to fear of mob violence, and some devotees are going to avoid certain places of worship due to fear of the same. This is where people like him can do wonders.

When we wander through the dark realms of the internet, we see those high achievers and those men with lots of money, education and fame that make ridiculous speeches spreading hatred against other religions. Then we have this man who spreads love in the name of all religions to everyone alike. If your religion is not love and kindness, but hatred for other religions, you need to rethink in the name of any God which you follow – is this what your God has taught you? If hatred comes free with some people, you have to wonder what kind of devotees they are.

Some people bring the past to hate other religions, but if you do repeat what has been happening in the past in present modern age, it only gets worse in your case. It doesn’t get any better, and extremism in the modern world of globalization is plain stupid, no matter how much you can fool people. The world has changed, and it is time for people to stop going through the Dark Ages again. Yes, some people need to be reminded of love very often and may be we can have this written everywhere! This is actually with a potential for the end of religious terrorism that we have here!

What we need are people like him, not politicians who divide us in the name of religion, caste and many other things. We need educated people who understand the true meaning of religions, and spread the message of love. We don’t need the religious leaders who spend their time talking about how bad the other religions are, and we don’t need those who care about others only after looking at what has been filled in the “religion” column. Yes, love people regardless of their religion – why is it so difficult these days?

Well, all we see on the road these days are religious processions and political protesters on the roads, but it is so difficult to spread love. May this man’s #WillOfSteel be inspiration to many, and work as a device for not hating other religions just because some of those so called “leaders” say so. If anyone comes close to being a true sage these days, it is him. We need someone like him everywhere as we always see the loss of respect towards other cultures and religions. People need to know that being Indian is beyond religions. This man is more than just a sign, because his sign is the new hope. He has #WillOfSteel.

I’m voting for Krishnadas’ #WillOfSteel and blogging on BlogAdda to help him get felicitated and eventually enabled by JSW.

***The image used in this blog post is from the BlogAdda page related to the same.

TeNy

Tea for Inspiration

It has always been about the tea. Throughout my life, I have believed in the power of tea which has worked like the elixir of life for more than one occasion. Even this blog itself is carved out of the same stone of belief. We have heard it more related to our Prime Minister than anybody else. The drink which is known to mortals as tea, has changed too many lives. It has had a very significant role in my life, and there has been so much of tea each and every day.

This brings us back to the man whom this post is all about, Vijayan – he has had more travel experience than any of us by selling tea at Kochi. He has witnessed more variety in those landscapes and has set foot in more nations than I might ever manage to visit. The first time I heard about the journeys of him and his wife, I wondered if I can ever come close to those journeys in my entire life. The story of the man also gets a mention in the Malayalam movie How Old Are You.

So, here is the man who sells tea, but is just that elixir of life that he is providing? He is giving us hope, and a direct transfer for the realization that we have to go chase our dreams no matter how much limitations are there around us. It is not the limitations which define us, but how we manage to overcome them and chase our dreams, and it is a message well provided. It is the man’s spirit that we can take home; not for today or tomorrow, but forever.

Sometimes, it is all about seizing the moment and not worrying about what can happen in the future or what all factors can become the big villains in a later stage of our lives. It was never meant to be about being better than the rest each and every day, or about making the most money – it has always been about following your heart and doing what you think will be the bliss, and this man has done just that. There is no room for denial here.

People might stop travelling at an age which gets close to the seventies, but not this man for sure. There is no age for dreams; they can just fly as long as those wings are not cut off. The problem about being a dreamer in one’s own way is that people will come up with all wrong ideas about the person. They want to dream about all luxuries, but the true dreams are personal and not defined by the society. Our dreams should be ours alone, and it is to be no territory for others to do some random inception.

It might never be too late for us, and never should we be pulled back by the limitations. There is only one life and it belongs to us – as Lord Alfred Tennyson says in “Ulysses”:
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

There is something about #WillOfSteel. Sometimes, a few people are just credited with the same because it seems to be so for a certain number of people from a distance. But I would vote for Vijayan on any day. It is not because of any other reason, but for his will to go through a path which would be considered impossible by any average person at this part of the world. He decided to make the decision, and it was to make the right choice, worrying not of the limitations or any possible problem in future.

I’m voting for Vijayan’s #WillOfSteel and blogging on BlogAdda to help him get felicitated and eventually enabled by JSW.

***The image used in this blog post is from the BlogAdda page related to the same.

TeNy

Joy of Being Together

There are many forms of happiness in one’s life, as they become the other side of that coin which has sadness on one side. One of them is that bliss of being together with your loved ones – friends, relatives, and all those who find a nice place in your heart. The need for people in our life is a certainty, and we need some good support to remain motivated through the dark times – after all, life is not a soft bed of flowers on which you can just lie down and enjoy.

This brings me back to a memory from some time ago. We had shifted to our old home again, and it was a return to the past. But there were still not many friends around there, and couldn’t find most of my childhood friends there, as most of them were having jobs somewhere else, and a few others couldn’t be contacted at all. I was lonely there and the scope was there to be eternally alone unless there was a nice twist to come.

Then one day, I had a Facebook message from an old friend of mine who stay near my present home to which we have returned after a gap of around fifteen years. We had studied together for the tution classes, and it was good to hear from him. He was getting married and told me that he will be coming to visit me. I told him to come whenever he wanted because I wasn’t much hopeful about it – this had happened before with nobody really coming and I was pessimistic.

But that was not the case this time. As I was going through my normal pessimistic model, he came to my home on the very next holiday. We talked about a lot of things, like how he was going through the difficult times in his life, especially with facing people without a job, and it was easy to relate for me because it was the same on this side too. Society wants all of us to get a job, then get married and afterwards, bring kids to this world.

He told me that it will pass, like in his case, as it has only gotten better for him. He had been going through the same phase as I was, without a job and writing for entrance for his post graduation. There might have been times when his case was worse, as I always had some other things to do. He was like for this all the time, but never really achieved the good results for a very long time. He struggled real hard, and I have been the lazy one with my studies, even with my good scores.

He told me that there is always the right time for the right thing, as it happened with him. After his marriage, he was going to go for the Doctor of Medicine, and his wife was also going to pursue the same. He made it clear that things did finally came right for him, and what you have to do was to keep trying. There was never going to be a substitute for hardwork, and he was another example for the same.

So, we had porotta and paneer butter masala at the nearby restaurant, talking a bit more about it, finishing the small meeting with a cup of tea each. It was a fine day which proved with ease that being #together is very important, and we all need our friends in our life. This was that little nudge that I needed to get back on track, and just like Housing.com, lets believe in the power of optimism which can be attained in one way or the other. Check this link for more details about Housing.com and how they can be helpful: https://housing.com/

***The images used in this blog are those of St George Basilica, Angamaly – another symbol of optimism for me. These two photos were taken by me on my Sony Cybershot DSC-W310 #together.

TeNy