Dream...

I must've been dreaming! It was so real. Just as always...

There were two new shirts and he let me take the one I liked better! He didn't try even one of them, while I tried on both. In fact, I even tried one over the other. And then handed him the slightly brownish one because I always fancied white-based shirts. They were a good contrast on me...

He was nine years older than me. Like a brother! For a long time growing up we would both get the same material of cloth, he would get a full sleeve shirt and trousers made out of it and I, the little guy, would get short sleeves and shorts. We looked like brothers...

And then I hit my growth spurt, late into the teens and soon I was there, almost as tall as him. It's when I started vying for the same shirts he wore and of course, I was grown up. I wanted trousers! That only meant that we stopped buying the same material. We could have looked like twins...

He took the brownish shirt, without the slightest shrug of the shoulder. He even managed a smile...

We were in that room! We shared it. We both slept on the floor (though he would arise hours before). Half the wardrobe was his and the other half was mine. Really doesn't matter, does it, when we just wore whichever shirt we liked? Neither his, nor mine...

We ate! It was no different then. If there was that last treat left in the dish, he would let me have it. It wasn't the law! It was just assumed. Whoever was serving, they knew it. Everybody knew it. If there was something to be given up, he'd be the one giving it up...

We lay in our spots on the floor! The TV was on. That's how we watched it all night long. No eye doctor would approve of it but none knew why neither of us wore eye glasses either. My son, had he been there then, would've said, "that's how we rolled"...

And then that fleeting moment! He looked me in the eye and said something. I think I heard him. But I couldn't tell. I looked him back in his eyes. Rather in surprise. "Is this real? Did he just say that"? Truly, I was happy. Because finally, he was asking me for something...

Almost everyday, staring at him in that disbelief, I wake up! Then I feel lost. Even so wretched. "What did he ask me for? And why did I wake up before I could give it to him. Why am I so, that even in my dream, he won't let me give...

They say it's a psychological fact that when someone appears in your dream, it means they miss you! How could it be? They must be wrong. For ever since he's been gone, over 9 years ago, I'm the one who's missed him...

Maybe, he never left...

You'll never get a day older Sundar! But soon, I'll be as old as you. Some day I hope to be to someone, an Uncle as precious as you...

Motion...

This piece is dedicated to Krishnan Nandakumar, Karthik Kumaraswamy, Manikandan Narayanan, Rajsekhar Sastry, Madhusudan Natarajan and Karthik Chandran Krishnamurthy. They all know why...


It was before gravity! It was before Isaac Newton even considered science as an interest and much much before he would be regarded "Sir". It was the when he was a goofy young lad who spent all day dreaming...

One fine sunny day, he rose nice and early. He was excited! He had all day to dream. He stretched his arms, looked out the window and set his thoughts in motion (pun unintended) even as he got out of bed...

"I'll go for a walk today", he told himself and stepped out into the sun. It was a beautiful day indeed. The air was clear, the birds were chirping, you get the picture, don't you? He started treading on the gravel path...

Soon, he was whistling a tune, wishing people around and enjoying himself. No matter what he did, his thoughts never left him. He was wandering alright, but his mind wandered farther than one could imagine...

He passed some fields and then some factories. He climbed some hills and crossed some streams. He looked into the deep blue sky and thought what he alone could think. He thought of things beyond...

Noon came and his shadow shortened. He was not done dreaming but his legs were tired. "I'll rest a while", he said to himself and looked around for a place. In a field beside, he set his sight on a mighty apple tree...

He picked the shade, cleared out the leaves and sat himself on the ground. He wiped his sweat and took a deep breath as he looked around. All was quiet, for it was lunchtime, so he continued to dream in peace...

He felt the pang of hunger himself. Had he known he'd walk this far, he would have packed a lunch. He looked around but found nothing. "I'm in a tough spot. What do I do now?", he continued to think...

And then it happened! Something fell, he felt it hit him and rolled out in front of him. He stopped thinking and started smiling, for he was now staring at a fine, juicy red apple...

He picked up the fruit and cleaned it on his shirt. He bit into it and felt the juice hit his throat. In his sweet relish, he started dreaming again. Even as he munched, his mind was not there, wandering far somewhere...

His apple done, he licked his fingers. He was sated and starting to feel rested. "I'll stay a little longer", he said to himself as he stretched out his legs and started to close his eyes. To dream would now be easier...

He rose with a start! "Was I dreaming?", he thought. He didn't feel well and when he pulled himself up, he could quickly tell what was wrong. He stomach rumbled, he felt it grumble. Lo! it was nature's call...

"Oh my God!", he thought. "Home's too far, but I can't wait that long, now I've got a problem to solve"! He did'nt have to look around, he knew where was. "Oh! There's no place to go", he thought...

And then he had an idea! He looked to check if he was seen and once he sure there was no one around, he took a quick peek behind the apple tree. The pressure was building. Clearly, there was no time to think...

In all these days, in all his dreams, he had never dreamt that it would come to this. Not a moment more to lose, he made himself brave, picked himself up and disappeared behind the mighty old apple tree...


I don't know what happened after so I'll stop here. But whatever it was, I suspect, it must have been a real inspiration to what we know and tell in science today as "Newton's Laws of Motion"...

Wish you a Kolaveri New Year (2012)...

Wait, what am I saying? Hasn't the song already been released in 2011? And enjoyed millions of views on Youtube? 30,031,106 to be precise at the exact moment that I write this. Not just that. All you need to do is type "wh" on Youtube and the first match is "Why This Kolaveri Di" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR12Z8f1Dh8. One simple song has changed the meaning of the word viral and gone from Kollywood to Bolloywood to Hollywood and more. The song was yesterday reviewed on CNN as THE MOST POPULAR song of the year 2011...

So what more can Kolaveri offer in 2012. More views? Sure, yes. The original video from the movie? Of course. But what else?

Think harder. Kolvaeri was a BIG IDEA! "The most powerful ideas are the simplest ones", they say and I say they are dead right about this one. Nothing could have been simpler than Kolaveri in its construction and form. Composed by a first time music director for a first time director of feature films and sung by a talented actor no doubt, but one who has no stars on his lapel for singing whatsoever. Playing on the age-old theme of boy hurt in love by beautiful girl with the clever usage of the expression "Why this Kolaveri (murderous rage)", which has been an"in-phrase" among Tamil youth.

The brilliance began when they key crew decided to shoot how this song was recorded in the studio with the singer cum hero, heroine, music director and director. Releasing that video on Youtube much ahead of the actual movie was a master stroke. And (I don't know how on earth they managed to do this), making sure there is only one video that comes up when you search for this song on you tube was the pièce de résistance. Result? 30 million & counting...

There is no doubt that Kolaveri has originated in a fertile field. After all, Tamil Cinema boasts of legends like Ilayaraja and the Oscar Award winning AR Rahman. But Kolaveri has probably surapassed the efforts of these legends and other illustrious artisans by the sheer popularity it has attained. Truly, I'm sure it has left not just the film industry but millions of people around the world wondering, "Sh*t! Why didn't I get this IDEA?"

I think it's safe to say that ideas like Kolaveri don't come by every day. That said, ideas like Kolaveri don't need a Mozart or a Beethoven to be produced. Neither are they produced in any particluar field of work. There is a Golden Idea waiting to be brought to the fore in every walk of life and it lies in the simple heads of simple people like YOU and ME. All YOU have to do is listen carfeully to what is happening around you, keep your eyes open to see what's new and most of all, to have fun at what you do. Nothing is silly, nothing is irrelevant. So long as you can keep that spirit alive, you never know how the dots will connect and when.

To me, that's the lesson from this Kolaveri...

So my dear friend. It is the last day of the Year 2011. The Year that gave us Kolaveri. Go listen to it a few more times today and increase its number of hits on Youtube to a 50 million plus. At the same time, put on your thinking hat. Don't just use Kolaveri to mope about your lost love.
Vow today that in 2012 you will strive to create ONE BIG IDEA that will change the world, no matter where your passion lies. There was a Google, there is Facebook and no one knows what the the Next Big Thing is? Who knows, may be it's sitting in YOUR HEAD. Just bring it out...

Happy New Year 2012! Let every minute of it be filled with Kolaveri...