Ninaivugal...Thoughts

Nothing can be as heart warming as reading a book on a friday night when you know that you have tests lined up for the coming week! I had the pleasure of reading Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat . It is all about What not to do at IIT! Unlike other weekends, I got up early in the morning to finish up the last few chapters. You would never see me doing that for an exam or a test. But then these are the good things about good books. You never get to know how time flies. A good book on a weekend is the most amazing thing for anybody in the world. If you have time, grab a copy of this wonderful book to have a good time!!

How would you feel if you are travelling in a train at a speed of 500km/hr! yes, that's how I would describe Five Point Someone . A racy book with all the fun elements integrated in a neat package. Chetan Bhagat has come up with a superb debut. What exactly is the kind of life that is being lead behind the doors of the best technological school in India and one of the elite in the world cannot be handled in a more entertaining way. It is a story of three youngsters, Hari, Alok and Ryan . I wouldn't be going into their academics. Nothing more suffices to explain their academic brilliance than getting into IIT. Obviously they are among the best in the country. It is about life beyond academics. Their friendhsip gels to a nicety on the first day at the hostel when they are ensnared in a ragging session with two seniors. Their bare intentions exposed, Ryan takes the plunge in getting the other two out of the rut from the seniors. This brings the three of them close. To describe t...

A book which effectively deals with realistic issues and perfect embodiment of simplicity and values is found in Bachelor of Arts . R.K Narayan has this uncanny knack of portraying Indian values in the most authentic way. He handles it in a way that no author can do the same justice to the Indian conditions. Many foreign authors have tried and faltered to come to terms with the living conditions here. But, R.K. Narayan has repeatedly come up with books that essays deeply into the emotions of the common man, picking out little things from daily lives that makes a big difference to the reader when reading the book. Be it the masterpiece Swami and friends , where any reader can be attributed to have lead a life similar to that of Swami, The Financial Expert which brilliantly deals about the relationship between father and son or The English Teacher , which explores the intricate association between a husband and wife, and the subsequent agony of the husband after his wife's departe...

A story woven out of wafer thin concept, driven by morals, values and ethics with simple entertainment can be translated to a highly meaningful cinema only by a genius. Ashutosh can walk with his head held high!!! He has come up with a gem of a movie, touching the emotional chords of reality. The fusion of the west and east, and its inextricable separation cannot be displayed in a more authentic way. Swades , starts off in the backdrop of NASA, powered by the big guns of the technological field, with one of its high priority projects managed by an Indian - Mohan Bhargav, in the role of a Project Manager, aptly enacted by Shahrukh Khan . Shahrukh can be attributed to have enacted the role of his lifetime. It was really annoying to see Shahrukh in the usual run-of-the-mill roles as Rahul and what not in every other romantic flick. A highly talented actor like Shahrukh could not have had a better platform to showcase his skills. The sheer agony of having to chose NASA or charanpur to l...

The book driven mainly by a single character, Howard Roarke , an architect who is the symbol of ideals, values, morals and principles leaves us in doubt. Who gets the credit? Howard Roarke or Ayn Rand , the author? Ayn has created Roarke to perfection and his ability to stick to his strong ideals in the face of adversity leaves the readers with a sense of deference towards Roarke. The main theme of the book is whether an individual has to live for himself or should he survive by appeasing the whims and fancies of all around. The latter is referred to as the Second Hander. According to the author, the creativity of the owner is modified by the second hander to get adoration and admiration that would prove to be futile in the long run. The Fountainhead is a simple story of the life of two different kind of architects - Peter Keating(second hander) and Howard Roarke(creative idealist). Roarke is suspended from Stanton institute in his final year of his architectural study as he refuses ...

Does it make a difference whether you are in Bangalore or in the United States? I would definitely say no. The general lifestyle tends to change but not to a large extent. Life trudges along the same mechanical lines. The limits are very clear. You tend to do what you have been doing the last twenty years albeit with a touch of independence and measured self-confidence. If Bangalore was all about studies for a student, life here in Rolla encompasses other things too. Cooking, washing, cleaning, reading, surfing, blogging and maybe studying, form the daily chores. What is this talk about International community and overall exposure? Be it a Graduate Students meet or International Students meet or any other meet, the major chunk of the guys tend to be Indians. International students do exist, but it is largely overridden by the vast majority of us, that they other nations form a miniscule of the student population. I many times, feel that I stay in an Indian colony in Bangalore. The apar...

A game of squash is fun - real fun indeed. The recreation center in the university sports great facilities in badminton, basketball, lawn tennis, gymnasium, racquet ball and squash. So, why not Squash today? Experimenting, learning and picking up new things is great fun. Back from a good treadmill session, I happened to meet my friend who was back from an endearing session of squash. I pulled him for another session...obviously I wanted to try out this fascinating game. He came after a lot of reluctance. 25 minutes of back-breaking ball hitting. I was trying my level best not to go for the backhand chops, a habit procured from table tennis. Hitting across the walls, and trying to outwit the opposition is challenging stuff. At the end of a pretty tiring game, we decided we would end the day at the recreation center. And then, casually, we tried to open the door. Oops! The door seems to be locked! Both of us tried rotating the knob in both ways, and it seemed to have stuck. There is no ...