Siege!

India's two top metropolis both under siege, one by terrorists and the other by nature. Chennai (actually the whole of TN state) is drowning in water, while Mumbai in bullets, bombs and blood as death toll rises in both places

Mumbai: While the city was under siege with 100s of lives lost and an even greater number injured, two things were reassuring. The absolute courage, dedication and sheer grit shown by the Indian armed forces, from the firemen, police, army , navy upto the NSG and MarCos and the extemely responsible media coverage spanning the whole terror strike (I would have to specially mention Arnab Goswami and his team at Times Now for a job well done).
The Nariman house tragedy saw a two year old israeli boy orphaned on his birthday, while he was saved by his nanny. A man who came to the VT station to put his family of 6 into the train, went out to get them water and came back to see them all dead. The newspaper is full of horror stories of the survivors and the dead. The terrorists causing this carnage are said to be all in their early twenties. (I don't understand why I am surprised everytime, by the human ability to destroy brutally and ruthlessly)
The one thing that irritated me and the nation to the core was the political game playing that was played by the bureaucrats. One idiot politician actually came to the Nariman House while the terror situation was still on, and contributed his part in/by hampering the situation by collecting a crowd and attracting media attention to himself. Should this person be locked and key thrown away or should his sheer dedication to grab every bit of limelight be applauded, I am not sure. Our PM for once seems to have acted decisively and maybe for the first time in my memory all the political parties showed an united front.
But I hope against hope that this would not turn in to the usual 9 day wonder and be forgotten once all the juice has been squeezed out of the situation (which is what happens whenever our politicians are involved).
I really believe, India needs a strong national anti terrorist policy, especially as it has always been under terrorists' attacks from the time of its independence and not the wishy-washy excuses given so far to pacify us. Will the last two days awaken the urge to do it? Time should tell. Even as I write, 3 of the 4 places taken over by the terrorists have been brought under the NSG control and the war is still going on at the Taj Mahal hotel and I hope to wake up to the news that everything is under control and Mumbai is back.

Chennai: Nisha, the cyclone terrorizing Tamilnadu, is not yet ready to leave her hold on the city. After just four days of her creating havoc and mayhem, the city is almost at a stand still (it has to be, since even my company declared a holiday today :-)) and news sources say that we have enough water to last us for more than a year without another season. The water levels at lakes and dams have reached perilious levels and had to be drained by 1000s of square feet, bringing in more water to the already drowning low lying areas. Death toll has been on the increase as dams got breached and lakes flooded and people have lost their homes and are waiting on the streets for shelter and food promised to them.
The whole thing sunk in to me, especially yesterday, when my office let off early and I was coming home with a colleague in his car. I live in a relatively high area and we were about a mile from my place when I was commenting to my colleague that if the rain continues, we will need a boat and not a car to travel, when I felt something cold and wet on my foot, I turned to see, that the road was totally under water and it was lapping near the edge of the car window and slowly seeping in to the car. We were nearing a signal and praying frantically that it would be green (which it was... thank God!) or the car would have stalled and we would have had to leave it there and walk. If this is the condition of higher areas, I shudder to think of what is happening in the lower lying areas, especially with no electricity for almost a day and hardly any let up in the rain.

While it makes me sad that I am am not really equipped to help out in either situation much, what I can do is pray for the Victims and their families and hope we never have to face such a situation ever again

Rain

The sound of rain never fails to bring a smile on my face. Just as the thought of walking out on it never fails to put a frown.

When I am walking down the road, with the dirty rain water flowing at some places and stagnant at some.. never sure if I am going to step into an open drainage or ditch and break my leg, Wet. cold and miserable, the only thought running in my head is "Who ever said walking in the rain was romantic must be hit upside of their head and made to walk down this road".

But today when reminiscing ... one of my favourite memories is of my friend and me caught in a warm summer rain while standing in the cold water in the beach.

Now as I am all cozied up in my room, snuggled under a quilt and reading books or writing, listening to the soft patter of rain and loud growls of thunder all around me... sigh!! I can smile, for it truly is a wonderful feeling and I am content.

PS: For those who have not had a chance yet, the beach just before a storm is one of most beautiful places to be. You can actually see the two great forces of nature fight for dominance

This corner of the world!

It all started as friction between two factions of students in the Ambedkar Law college over wording in a hand notice and blew up into a major riot situation.
The pre- informed police and college management stood mutely by and watched while three of the college kids were brutally beaten up.

The whole thing was covered by the media and the violence shown by the instigators were shocking and the callousness of the police and to an extent the media, breath taking.I have been trying to imagine - what kind of mentality would it take to catch a running man and hit him with a thick stick, so mercilessly and brutally, throw stones at his head and still live with themselves... all over a piece of hand notice!

Even bombing can be understood, 'coz the cowards are nowhere near the place of impact. But to actually be there and inflict the kind of horrendous injuries on a fellow human being... to see the person break and bleed and still stomp and throw stones and sticks .. and dare to show their faces on the national TV with absolutely no fear of repurcussion (Divine or otherwise)... God!!!!

There was this boy... badly hit, bleeding and trying to get up and failing and the cameras were all around him trying to capture his pathetic condition until it was thoroughly utilized for ratings, before sending for help.
Another beaten student was dragged by two constables and dropped into a waiting share auto which did not even have a driver.

And while all this was happening, the government was busily collecting money to save the Tamils in the neighbouring country, as everything is milk and roses in our own. While the opposition was busy trying to glean as much support for itself and gain points against...

The capacity of the human species to cause so much pain, havoc and destruction and flick it off like so much dust, incessantly continues to surprise and nauseate me.

Sometimes I really feel sick and ashamed of my own and how sad is that? :-(

PS: My aunt says this kind of violence has its basis on movies. I don't really agree.. How about you?

Michael Crichton - A tribute

Michael Crichton, bestselling Author of many novels, such as "The Jurassic Park" and "The Andromeda Strain" passed away in Los Angeles on Wednesday. He was 66 and suffering from Cancer.
Today’s newspaper screamed this news, shocking and saddening me.

I am a fan of Crichton and consider him to be one of the best writers of his genre.

The best part about his books was the way he explained complex scientific phenomena in such layman terms, so that everyone could understand and still not make it sound patronizing. We would not require going back and forth to the Appendices or post-notes to check them either.

Though he has not churned out innumerous books, like many other authors, Crichton's style of writing and the depth of research shine out of each of his books, making it a best seller.

While his Jurassic Park, The Lost World and Prey remain my personal Favorites, I found every one of his books equally gripping and a compulsive page turner .

Salute to a great Author, whose loss will surely be felt.

Sherlock Holmes

One of my favourite characters has always been Sherlock Holmes. His style, his powers of observation, his sense of humour all strikes a chord with me.

So well, I have always wanted to look at a friend and observe casually that she got up at 6.00 AM, ate dosa for breakfast and travelled half the distance to work by the metro and rest by share-auto, which she shared with 5 other people, all by looking at her ...say finger nails... a la Holmes
Today, I decided I would try and note my observations on anything that catches my fancy and when there is something to note, can a post here be far behind?
So here goes....

=> People dont take kindly to be gawked at by "Observers" ... :-p

=> Wished I had a camera when I saw this Macho looking guy, wearing a mean-looking Helmet, Denim jacket and boots, driving a scooty :-)

=> Obama Won... glad it happened to an ethnic .... but will it help India?

=> I was digging through my bookshelves and was sooo delighted by my collection. So many old friends forgotten and waiting for me to rediscover them.

=> Street Hawkers have a pretty interesting and colourful collection of great and unbelievable stuff available at such bargain.

=> Along the same line, there are no greater creative thinkers and sales people than those available in the big shops, such as Globus. I saw a bracelet made out of 100 or 150 safety pins and a piece of elastic, costing 200 bucks. (That's what?... like 10 times profit?)

=> There is a fat rat living in the crack on the platform near my bus stop... (I do mean the four legged variety)

=> Its pathetic the level drinks make a person drop to. Was most astounded and disgusted by a drunk's antics on the road today.

Life sure is interesting when one takes a few minutes time to slow down and look around.

I am tagged!

After a looong hiatus, I am back again to blogging and I have to start with an Apology to my friend RS. (Sorry dear! I have not read or written blogs in over a month and Thanks for tagging me, I think :-) )

Alrite so RS has tagged me and I am supposed to : "Jot down 5 of your favorite quotes from the various books you’ve read. If you don’t have the books with you now, googling (Wikiquote and the like) can be used to find them. Tag five people and acknowledge the person who tagged you.”
So here goes

1. All animals are equal but some animals are more equal
- Animal Farm - George Orwell

2. Well I give it two weeks and it just don't work. She makes me get up the same time every morning. She makes me wash. I gotta wear them fancy clothes that just smothers me. I can't smoke, I cant chaw. I gotta wear shoes all Sunday. I gotta ask to go swimmin, I gotta ask to go fishin'. Well I'll be damned if I don't have to ask to do everything. I tell ya, I had to sneak up to the attic and cuss for ten minutes just to get the taste back in my mouth
- Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

3. Let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet - or to save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves."
-Ian Malcolm - Seventh Iteration "Destroying the World" - Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton

4. Discovery is always a rape of the natural world. Always.
- Dr. Ian Malcolm - Jurassic Park

5. If you keep quite and mind yer own bisiness, you might live until you die
- Sudden - Oliver strange

Now I have to tag some other people ... aah! that's more difficult than I thought.. So am tagging only two who i think may enjoy this exercise

Tamanna
Archana

.

Flu -- Hmph!!

There is something very diabolic about getting the flu. Everyone suddenly notices you and you are pampered to death and you can't even enjoy it, coz you are busy feeling miserable.


You go to the doctor hoping for a quick check up and a prescription and end up with having to take a helluva lot of tests, which always includes blood test or something similar that requires piercing or cutting your skin.


Armed with the test results you go back to the Doc, with a hopeful look on ur face and tell him please no injections.. he grins at u ( the devil!!!) and says its best if you have a course of 15-20 injections of some medicine or other... and it has to be intravenal... in other words.. most painful...

And this is one time when parents and relatives all ditch you to your miserable fate ..

Well! Yeah! the doc has asked me to take injections for 15 days and I hate injections... Waaahhhh

Nostalgia :-)

Someone asked me "If you could go back time and change some event, what would be it?"
My answer then (and now) is that I would not change anything for I have always been a staunch believer in Butterfly effect, even before I knew the term.

But I would love to have a chance to turn back the clock and go back to some of the times of life's joys

A time where the only responsibility was to get up in time to reach college/school.

A time when all our friends were just around us and going to a movie or just hanging out meant turning your head to call out to them or at most call them over the phone. You never had to worry about your appointments or theirs.

Cutting classes, snickering about lecturers, playing pranks, teasing the "pairs", fighting with friends... feeling miserable and them making up, spending hours over the phone talking god knows what.

I remember a time when six of us, got together at a friend's place for group study and the next thing we knew...we ended up in the VGP Golden beach. It rained cats and dogs and we ate everything on sight and went on every ride and got sick. What Fun!

Another time when almost 15 of us went to see "Bend it like Beckham", bought wrong tickets at the theatre and went to see a Hindi movie (i don't remember anything about the movie except it was totally lousy) and none of my friends understood Hindi..

And there was the time when 10 of us and some of us meeting that day for the first time, went on a bus tour in the US. The bus was filled with Chinese, except us and another Indian family of three. I doubt the tour company will ever take Indians on another tour again.. hehehehe

Walking to the beach everyday with a friend, where we used to play in the waves and make up stories of all the people out there.
Sigh! where has the time flown away. When did we all grow up and away from each other. Different priorities and responsibilities.

Sometimes I wish....
my boss would let me dream in peace.. OK folks time to go back to work.

Ghost in the empty house

I move around restlessly in my sleep and suddenly jerk up awake... sweating and totally disoriented.
Tick tock tick tock... the only sound in the dark empty house.... I stare at the place where there should be a clock trying to remember where I am. Its either 12.15 or 3 in the morning...my eyes are too blurry... my heart starts pounding as I realize I am alone in the house after having bravely accepted to house sit.

Crrrrkkkkkkkk Crrkkkkkkkkkk ... the fan slowly starts rotating again as the current comes back up... when I suddenly sense a movement from the corner of my eyes...
I turn my head slowly towards the veranda,.. and there it is... it has a mop of dark shoulder length hair , pale body and is watching me with its head tilted to one side and floating some 2 feet from the ground....

I grab my pillow petrified... Just when a Whineeeeee loud enough to wake the dead (pun unintended, of course) ... by now I am shaking from head to toe and stumbling up to put on the light, all ready to run screaming out of the apartment.
As I fumble with the door latch, the light comes on and I turn my frightened eyes towards the veranda and stare in disbelief at my ghost.....


Sigh!!! A white plastic overturned bucket was sitting on a dark platform, on top of which there was a small pot, tilting crazily and a mop was placed next to it, so that the stick was hidden and the mop was hanging over the pot. The mop must have moved from the breeze....the Whineeee BTW was a police car going on its rounds.

As for me... my knees wouldn't hold me after I finished scaring myself half to death. So I sat shaking right by the door for sometime, before going around the house once, to check there were really no one (hey! better safe than sorry) and then spent the rest of the night cursing myself for seeing horror movies late in the night.

Needless to say next day I was safely cozied up in my room at my house :-)... *Phew*

Boys will be Boys

If you are a guy, you are probably nodding your head in agreement with the title. Well!!! dont
Having been lucky (touch wood and all that) most of my life, I have hardly had to fight my way through road side romeos and other leches at work or school... until recently.
Suddenly a whole group of flirts seemed to have sprung up around me and I was most irritated. I did not find it funny and they did not care how I felt about it.
While this was shocking by and of itself, what really made me mad was when I was cribbing about this to some of my friends of the male variety, they blitheley brushed it away saying that it happens everywhere and I should not take it personally... after all boys would be boys...

Hello!!! while I did not expect them to stand in front of me with a sword and armour... this is hardly the kind of response I was expecting and not take it personally? It is something very personal and not the kind of behaviour to be condoned at all, especially so matter of factly.

For all these boys and their approvers - GROW UP. We dont find you amusing... just pathetic.

PS: Tut tut! I do seem to be doing a lot of lambasting the last few posts.. hmm!!!! gotta change that

Back to college

Had gone to a college to meet a prof. Was waiting for him in the teachers’ lounge in his department and there were other lecturers and profs hanging out in their leisure time.
I wouldn't have been surprised if some of the ladies were probably only my age.

Anyways there I was sitting twiddling my thumbs and thinking about my college days and grinning at the students' antics outside...when suddenly one of the ladies came to me and said "excuse me ..."

For a moment I forgot I was not a student anymore and the long forgotten college etiquette, of standing up when a teacher talks to you, blasted into me and I shot up from my seat...
The poor lady had just wanted me to pass a book to her, but my getting up so startled her that she dropped the things she was holding.

Anyways it ended up with both of us apologizing and me going my sheepish way.

Funny what lurks in the bottom of your subconscious to spring up and embarrass when you least expect it.

Rediscovering books!!!

For as long as I can remember books have been my most loyal and staunch friends. I could lose myself in so many different worlds with so many different people, sometimes even at the expense of whatever work I needed to do. (I've been known to bunk school/ college or work just so I could finish a book :-))
Some of my happiest memories include cutting classes in college to sneak into the library, sometimes just so I could smell that lovely perfume of old books. Hiding a book between my class notes and reading it while my lecturers droned on.
It used to amuse my friends and parents that I loved the smell of books and I do, it ranks right up there with newly soaked earth...mmmmm
But I digress....
The last few years I have hardly been into any libraries or book stores. I had discovered the eBooks and it was so much more easy to just read it off my computer as I am on it most of the time.
Last week, thanks to a friend, I had been to a book store after God Knows how many years... oh!!! what an experience. I had not realised how much I missed it until then. Though I was tempted to buy every book out there, I controlled myself to just three.
Reading them now was like falling in love all over again.

On the flip side, one of the books I got was a self help/ philosophical kinda book and reading it reminded me why I generally run from them ;-). Can't remember the last time I fell asleep so fast.

PS: Tamanna, I did like the Kavitha Dasavani you suggested I buy.... Thanks :-)

Rambling in to the night!

Its 00.35 AM and my work requires me to be here for another hour or so.
I am sooo sleepy I can't think straight.

I think I have been staring at my monitor for the last 15 minutes and not been able to make any sense of what’s on it.
I have a deadline for tomorrow.. but hey wats a deadline when u r half dead...

Two people are fighting over the mails and I am following it with some interest until everything smoothens out and everyone is friends again *sighhh* :-(

They have cut all access to the Net and I am sure I totally enraged by it....ummm!!!! yeah I am... totally ...

OK! I got this great idea suddenly to see if I can post a blog from my mail id.
I am punchy as hell… so will stop right here before …zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!

PS: Next day: hehehehe reading back, it sounds just like I was drunk and rambling... thought for a minute I should remove the post... but then Naahhh!!!

Losing Independence ?

Last sunday's "The Hindu"-> Open Page featured an article about Women Losing independence after marriage. It struck a nerve as I was discussing about something quite similar just a few days back.

The example the author had quoted was this. Her well educated and well employed colleague was engaged to a guy abroad and when she wanted to go out with some friends for a party, she called him for permission and he refused. The girl did not go.I bet the thought in most of your minds is "So what?"... right?Do you think if the guy had been in the girl's place, he would have even thought of getting her permission?

We were sitting at the canteen eating lunch and in the course of our discussion my friend casually commented, how his sister hated cooking but after marriage she has no say but to cook. Everybody noddded their head like it was something common (and sadly it is)

I know this lady who got a great job offer in India and her husband got one abroad. There was no question of her taking up her offer, instead she quit her job to follow her husband. Sounds Familiar???

A girl married off even before completing her studies and in the family way, Pronto!, despite her wishes. Why? "Its God's wish, what can we do?" (I had to bite my tongue to not say anything for that excuse)

After waiting the longest time, this friend of mine got a chance to go abroad. She was quite excited about it and she did leave too. Hardly four months later she was forced to come back ... her husband was not sent by his company and he was not ready to go on a dependent Visa.

In so many interviews with Kiran Bedi, they ask her how her family and husband have adjusted to her work and if they approve of it. Have you ever had the same questions asked of a male policeman?

I can go on quoting more examples...

Yes! I do know of a few cases (a very few instances) where the guy has adjusted to the girl's requirement. But in these cases the men are so feted for being so understanding (and don't mistake me, I am real glad to know and see such men do exist), while when the same is done by the girl it is taken for granted.

While there is a lot of talk about equality and modern thoughts, traditions and out dated values still bind us very tightly, stopping us from making much progress . :-(

Numbed to Violence?

Two weeks back in "We the people" in NDTV, the debate was "Have Indians become numbed and indifferent to Violence?"
The answer is a Big Fat YES. Everyday and I do mean every single day there is news of one or other death, maiming, massacre, suicide, murder and mayhem in the news.

A 14 year old girl and her 45 year domestic help are brutally murdered and the media, police and everyone involved are having a gala. Every bit of blood and gore is shown, multiple times a day... just in case someone misses it. The father of the child is suspected and all kinds of vulgar innuendoes are flying around.

Brother kills brother, parents kill children and vice versa, father abuses a 4 year old daughter and the court gives the guardianship of the child to the same father. Police brutality is a by word. Women cannot walk down a road and expect to reach their destination safely. Bomb blasts by terrorists and then bomb blasts for saving the people from terrorists... (like we had in Afghanistan). Irnoically enough in both the bomb blasts its only the innocent people who suffer. Hundreds dying due to drinking poisoned alcohol.

And the reaction from the masses varies from lurid, obscene interest to a total indifference.

And where humans stop killing, nature takes over.
78000 people were killed in Myanmar, thanks to Cyclone Nargis. 65000 people killed in China due to an earthquake. And this is just yesterday's news.

I guess the phrase "Familiarity breeds contempt" holds true here too.

Stereotypes

Girls gossip, girls love cooking and cleaning. Girls cry.
Guys just grunt for communication and don't even know what gossipping is all about, a Macho guy does not cook and definitely not clean. Guys dont cry.
Well! Hello! The ice age is over and its the 21st century. Grow Up!!!Maybe in the Ice age, the men hunted while the women kept the house.But now men and women work at offices and the old ways are no more.
I am sure there are girls who like to gossip... Just as much as guys do. Dont u dare deny it! for I see it every day around me.

During a tea break, my colleagues of the male variety, were cribbing about how women are not "domestically trained" anymore (Sounds like maybe a puppy???) and dont show any interest in cooking and cleaning. I obviously could not stand this kind of a statement so I casually mentioned that I dont like to cook. You could have heard a pin drop. Then a colleague with a most baffled look on his face turned to me and said "But you are a girl!!!!". Well Gee!!! thanks... I did notice that. But where does it say I have to like cooking?

I will vouch that some of the best food I have eaten were made by men and as for keeping a neat place. Well! anyone who is interested in living in a house rather than a pig sty would be neat. Why should that be gender oriented?
Girls cry and guys dont. I totally agree and my full sympathy to you guys. Its a great way to vent emotions and its closed to you just cause it will not be macho... well boohooo...
I really do get pissed with women who use their tears to get their way though...

People! look around you! It is one thing to do something because we enjoy it, but is it not unfair that tradition, peer pressure or stereotyping forces a person to do what they dont like or prevent from doing what they like?

Beautiful day!!!

Got up smiling... was sure it was going to be a beautiful day. Didn;t realise how prophetic I could be, especially as my office starts in the middle of the day.

Stepped out of home in to the cool weather. Walked to the bus stop, and the bus was late... of course.
Did I forget to mention that the weather in chennai is hovering at a low 110 with a humidity factor, thanks to a depression in the Bay of Bengal, of infinity. And the weather guys dare forecast rain.

By the time bus lumbered down to where we were standing I was ready to bite the driver's head off... but contented myself with a glare and sat down... *OOOWWWW* the seats were #$%$% hot. The open window was blowing in a gentle breeze... I swear I could feel the gentleness when my skin was being peeled layer by layer.

Just in case we did not realise that it was summer... There was a huge machine spewing out HOT air to welcome us right at the entrance to the office.

Came in ready to tear someone's head off... hmph! everyone here is sitting with a scowl and the same idea in their minds... In the name of cost cutting... the office had reduced the AC...
Aaargh!!!

PS: Anyone enjoying cool weather, snow etc... Pls don't tell me about it or I shall not be held responsible for my actions .. boohoo

Languages, Accents and Places

A colleague of mine and I were discussing about accents and how the places affect it. I was cribbing that I was not able to get an american accent during my tenure there and he was cribbing that even the americans at his place were now speaking in Indian Accent :-)

Which of course started me on this journey...

In my last company, the helpdesk recorded message was changed to a man's voice that gave us the different options in a Spanish accent. What an accent!!! I used to dial in sometimes, just to hear it. Music!! Of course I would probably have suffered if I had not already known what the different options were, for it was very difficult to understand him. Nevertheless...Music!


Antonio Benderas for example, I like the Italian accented English too but not French ... Kevin Kline in French Kiss, Hugh Grant and Rupert Everett's clipped British accent (hmm though I think I like the actors better than their accents :-p) ... I will ofcourse hold back further comments on the very great hope that I might actually visit these places and research... all in the name of furthering my knowledge, you understand!

I love to hear urdu mixed hindi too.. the kind you can hear in movies like Jodhaa Akbar and other old Muslim related ones. The way they caress some words and clip others, sounds so ... posh?!
The first time I went to Cochin. I was staring at everyone wondering if they were really talking or singing... but now with time and exposure I seem to have lost the music in that language... :-(

Speaking as a perfect novice who does not understand a word of the language, the first time I heard Konkani was at a function. This old gentleman was "scolding" my friend for a long time and I was wondering how she could smile at him all through it. It was later I was told that he was actually blessing her in Konkani :-)

Oye theenk oye weel finis ze post heere ;-)

Power of Mom

God Knows I have faced many situations in life and not been nervous but I have no armour against the "Power of Mom".

I don't remember my mom ever scolding me, even when I used to get caught after doing some mischief, nevertheless her glance and the thought I might have disappointed her was enough to make me squirm. (not that it stopped me, when it was time for the next mischief)

Its funny how even now, as soon as my mom calls me by my full name and says she wants to talk to me, I start quailing.

I rapidly go through the last few days trying to find any mistake I may have done, what could mom have found ???? and start getting nervous :-p

Ofcourse most times she just wants to talk to me about something innocuous.
Guess this is one piece of my childhood that is never going to vanish.

Asianet's Idea star singer 2007 - :-(

A really big but expected disappointment for all the viewers of Asianet channel's Idea star singer reality show when the results for its mega finals was announced.

I have always wondered why a marked partiality was shown to the one mediocre singer who won the show when many really great singers were pushed out during the eliminations under one guise or another.
I am still not sure what could have initiated the three masters in the music industry to consistently give high marks to a most undeserving candidate, despite people's disgust. Because sure as hell, it was not his singing capabilities.

There was even a furor sometime back in Kerala about this one guy being consistently shown up by the judges and rumours going around that the judges have already decided that he would be winning the 40 Lakhs worth of flats, which was the prize for the first place . The three permanent judges, naturally, vehemently denied any such claims.

This was a person who should not even have come as far as the semi finals and now he seems to have won the show... all due to extreme partiality from the judges. While the best singer came up at the 4 position, the third and second position were taken up by extremely good singers... its just the first place that grates on my, and every viewer I know's, nerves. After patiently having followed it for one whole year.. I really dont think we and ofcourse the contestants, deserve to see this end.

The one good news I hear is that while most of the talented singers have been booked by music directors, no one seems to have booked this guy to sing in their movies. Sounds catty , sure, but it is good to be vindicated.

The 2008 star singer starts from April 28. Here's hoping this one is not going to be as much of a disappointment as 2007. :-(
PS: Its almost 1 AM and I am still so pissed that I cant sleep... grrrrr