The parting.....

My last day @ SCS.....

With some heavy feelings.... here is the excerpt from my bye bye mail....

Dedicated to all the people who helped me start my career in such a terriffic manner

Subject: 1267 days ... And the count ends.

Dear SCSites,
Yes, It is that time when I have to part with the SCS family - A home away from home. :-(

It has been a wonderful experience both personally and professionally from the day I joined SCS as a fresher.

I have thoroughly relished every moment of my stint here, courtesy all of you. I am taking back very fond memories for the rest of my life;
Be it the enthusiasm to meet the deadlines, Be it the intuitive trainings, Be it the ever so frequent parties, get-togethers, treats, Be it the opportunity to meet such amiable colleagues, Be it the vociferous cultural competitions, Be it the intense sporting events.... The list goes on.....

As I bid adieu, I am thankful to each one of you for your never ending support that has made me what I am today.

I wish all of you the very best for your future. I will certainly miss SCS and each one of you.
Do stay in touch :-) !!

Signing off only to meet again,
Praveen S

Mail: Praveen.Sangam@gmail.com
Social Networking: Praveen's Orkut Profile

House Full

Ya that is how I should describe my last week.
A week packed with watching some great movies. 3 movies at the theaters in 6 days amidst all the normal weekly schedule... Ya I haven’t counted the ones I watched on the small screen.

The opening…
On Tuesday or so I watched the Kannada movie "KallaraLi Hoovaagi" (Translation: A stone blossoms into a flower) at PVR.
Had gone with two of my friends with a lot of expectations from the promos... At the end of it I was exhilarated. It had excelled beyond my expectations!!

One of my fren Bhattu writes in his mail (It is a direct excerpt!!):
"If you are looking out for a patriotic movie (territorial patriotism) which combines the valor and courage of the then nayakas (Translation: rulers ) and one which upholds the cultural and traditional value system prevalent at that time of Madakari nayaka in Mysore (the then priestly state) .. its a very good movie..
There is very less to whistle (of course if u want u can on the patriotic and 'true love' type dialogues) and the film moves very fast….. Nowhere will u feel that its boring.."

Chitradurga fort has been captured at its raving best... Don’t miss the opening shot of the fort on a full moon day. Powerful performances by everyone in the movie. Director Nagabharana casts a story of the 18th century without giving even a small detail to say that it was shot in 2006. Thanks to the producers for this movie... Kannada movies have come off leaps n bounces.

The middle order…
Friday was the big day in Bollywood. The first big movie of 2007 “Guru” was releasing..
Watched it on the first day of the release with a gang of my frens at innovative… Thanks to those who booked the tickets in advance n got them :-)

Aish n Abhishek in the lead in a Maniratnam movie n that too with AR Rehman. A wonderfully done movie… great story (Picked up from one of the national tycoon’s bio) with superb background score…. It’s a full fledged AB Junior movie. One can see the commitment to give the role of Guru Bhai, his best. Aish rocks all across the time line…. The music is good .. The pics of rural India some 30-40 years ago is soothing for the eyes… The critics say that the director could have looked into some small things, But I aint complaining…. Was worth watching it on the first day of the release……

The tail end….
The last one was “Mungaaru MaLe” (Translation: Monsoon rain) on Sunday in Tumkur. Was there with my friends and sibling almost an hour before the show and the tickets were sold out. Tumkur, A movie not in its first week, afternoon show, I couldn’t believe the tickets were sold out. Had to buy it at other sources paying nearly two and a half times the price :-( . But even that was quite less than what I would have paid in Bangalore. So was it really worh?

I realized that having got used to the multiplexes in Bangalore it was quite a different experience to watch a movie in Tumkur at a theatre. U had background n foreground score all around you with all the whistles, legs were cramped by the end of the movie, there were some unwanted breaks at all the wrong times due to power shutdowns.

Movie was good… I mean decent.. A very practical movie. Some staunch movie buffs have gone gaga… But I wouldn’t join them. The best part of the movie which means Monsoon rains is the rain itself. The rains in the Western Ghats of Karnataka (I mean Malenaadu) have been extensively used and it is a treat to the eyes. The shot capturing Jog falls from its summit on the down fall is truly exotic. The hero is a local Kannada TV channel anchor, who has done well in a role which suits his personality. Songs sung my Sonu nigam, Shreya ghoshal are melodious. Comedy is light n timely. The story is realistic with no traditional movie twists in the climax. It is worth a watch.

So that brings to me the end of this cinematic blog of mine… the Indian cinema is growing technically and content wise only for the good :-)
If I were to rate these movies.. It would be in the same order as I have described….

A passing year.....

Years come n years go
Dec 31st was the show...
Show hosted by my alter ego
Screening the memories high and low.

What did I do, the question?
Answered the host, an introspection...
Came back from my memory lanes, the action
How life like the screen looked in conjunction.

Past was riding the present, in gleeful eyes
Things that were waited for, were fulfilled without cries
Dreams that werent dreamt of - a gift from the skies
Stumbled, bruised, bantered at times, only to win against all odds.

Years come n years go
"Hopes n expectations" - now running the show
Guided by steely resolves to tread the plough
In my eyes, a bigger better n brighter tomorrow.

- Plumpy bones

At the dawn of the sophomore day of the New Year when we sat idly reading some poetic blogs came the inspiration to become a poet. Another joint venture from the two opposite poles who repel away only to be together.

India V/S India

There are two Indias in this country.
One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth and live up to all the adjectives that the world has been showering recently upon us. The other India is the leash.
One India says give me a chance and I'll prove myself. The other India says prove yourself first and maybe then you'll have a chance.
One India lives in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.

One India wants. The other India hopes.
One India leads. The other India follows.

But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more and more people from the other India have been coming over to this side. And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic new India is emerging.
An India whose faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure.
An India that no longer boycotts foreign-made goods but buys out the companies that make them instead.
History, they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions when it's taking a turn. This is that rarely-ever moment.
History is turning a page. For over half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up and dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on. But today, in our 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought us to the edge of time's great precipice.
And one India - a tiny little voice at the back of the head - is looking down at the bottom of the ravine and hesitating.
The other India is looking up at the sky and saying it's time to fly.

INDIA POISED
Our time is now

Thanks TOI for this excerpt and the cause.......

Welcome 2007

2006 was great!!!
But I hope 2007's gonna be better.

I would call 2007 as the year of two 007s:
India and India. As vibrant and successful as never before.

Keep the spirit going.