Songs Review: En Kaathal Puthithu

Disclosure: The music director (Sathya Dev) of this movie is my friend

I have purchased the audio CD of "En Kathal Puthithu" upcoming Tamil movie. Here is my short review of the songs.

1. Chinna Chinna Kannathula - This is a peppy song with folk touch. A song that you can enjoy while chilling out with friends, in a crowded town-bus, or in a loud speaker at a wedding hall or a village festival event. Catchy song!

2. Vizhi Aruge - This a very melodious and heart soothing song. The lyrics and music blend seamlessly to treat your ears and heart. Especially the clock sound effect and rain sound effect used for lyrics are awesome. Usually these are included in rerecording and only comes with the video. But as a bonus, we have it in audio CD itself! This song is suitable for hearing in silent nights and lonely hours.

3. Kanavoduthaan - This is also a melody but with some melancholic touch. This too has good lyrics, but not up to Vizhi Aruge level.

4. Oru Vathai - A melody again. But not so soft. With a bright tempo and good beats, the song is nice. Vijay Jesudas' voice is awesome. This song is suitable to hear during morning times.

5. Kaathal Kaamam - This is song is bit different. I don't say it is bad. But it doesn't match with my taste. But still, one of my friend said the song is good. Taste differs right?

I have tried my best to honestly review the songs. Sathya Dev has done a great job to prove himself in his first movie. I am about to hear the songs of his next movie. Will share the feedback once I hear. Overall the songs are good and worth the money you spend on the CD. If you wish, you can buy the audio CD from shop near you!

Quote Octave

I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings. -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

I want to seize fate by the throat. -Ludwig van Beethoven

Dying, dying, someone told me just recently, dying is easy. Living is hard. for everyone. -James Hetfield

Don't get too comfortable with who you are at any given time - you may miss the opportunity to become who you want to be. -Jon Bon Jovi

I'm an egomaniac with an inferiority complex. -Eric Clapton

The boy that you loved is the man that you fear. -Marilyn Manson

I recognized my own creative voice filtered through those six strings, but it was also something else entirely. Notes and chords have become my second language and, more often than not, that vocabulary expresses what I feel when language fails me. -Slash

The future is not fixed, it's fluid. -Bono

Killing Plants for Food?

A Case for Plants

Plants breath. Plants grow. Plants reproduce. Plants die. And hence plants are living things. Whether they feel pain or not, let me discuss in later. But for sure we can say that they are living.

Everything is life... You have to open your eyes!

Killing for eating. Is it correct? We uproot carrots, beets, radishes, onions, garlic, ground nuts and other innumerable plants just to satisfy our hunger. Is it ethical? Is it acceptable for rational human beings to do this to plants which can’t even defend themselves when attacked?

Is not killing a carrot plant for it’s food reserve which it stored day by day is like killing an old man for his wealth he accumulated in his entire life? Is not boiling a cup of rice is like boiling thousands of unborn foetus removed from dying mothers? Won’t those innocent rice and wheat grains grow in to new plants if they are provided with soil and water instead of being boiled and eaten as idlies and chapattis?

Where are your ethics when you kill a plant which can’t even express its will to live? In the name of farming, we kill thousands of insects using pesticides. We kill ants which are almost always harmless to human beings. Also innumerable plants are killed in the name of weeds. Are we really behaving with responsibility?

If we have to be humane to animal, why not to plants and insects? They are also living beings. Why there is discrimination? Why some animals are considered even more venerable than some other? Why people are ready to share their dining table with pets (which can harbour lot of diseases) yet they throw an entire meal in to trash if an ant lays dead on it (which is almost always harmless)? Is this not discrimination?

Let us assume killing plants is ok as they don't feel pain. Then comes the question. Is it ok to kill and eat animals/humans in comatose? Or is it ok eat animals killed in road accidents or died naturally or nearing their natural death? It is the same logic used by people accuse meat eaters being unethical to justify their killing of plants.

Here is my summary on this topic:

I feel, killing any animal/plant just for fun or for no use is unethical. I believe endangered species should not be killed for any reason. But growing animals in a good and acceptable condition for meat/milk/research is acceptable. On the other hand, factory farming, where animals are not allowed to move and live a natural life should not be allowed. Those factory farms pump animals with anti-biotic and hormones for extra meat and milk. But don't think agriculture is any better. Ruthless agricultural practices also damage nature comparable to factory farms. Extensive use of pesticides and fertilizers pollute land, water and air in irreversible ways. They also pose threat to human health.

Meat from animals grown in good conditions are better ethical choice than vegetables from aggressive farming with hazardous chemicals.

So there is no denial that, we as a species have to kill in order to eat. We are omnivores(both meat and veggies eaters) by our design/evolution. So whether it is meat or plant, there is no guilt if we don't over hunt, aggressively farm or over consume them by wasting the resources. With that said, no one is morally superior on the grounds of their choice of food.

Being a BE

Everyone of us are born unique. Our tastes differ. Our choices vary. But when it comes to education, everyone is pushing for BE. I am here to share you what I feel about the entire BE-mania.

My Case

When I was a kid, I always dreamt becoming an astronomer. I was very much interested in space. Before we even had our own TV at home, me and my parents used to sit at the steps of our house during nights and I used to watch the sky and ask a lot of questions. Days rolled. My dad took me to a computer center when I was 7. He told me that to become an astronomer, you need to learn computer (really he meant it, as there was no IT boom back then). I was very happy. Those were the days of QBASIC and Lotus 123. When I was 10 years old, my demand was a telescope if managed to get first rank. But I didn't make it that time. Hmm... But by that time, my dad bought me lot of books about space. Almost all of them were printed in Soviet Russia, the pioneer of space. So, they served as a paper telescope for me.

Night sky was my playground!

When I was 15, things changed. Everyone around me started to tell me that unless I get "good" marks in SSLC, I won't get "science group" in higher secondary school. OK, so what? Then I can't study engineering or medicine. But, what about my astronomer dreams? Then I realized that I myself had lost my interest somewhere in the middle. I was shaped by the education, society and lack of opportunities. The same parents who encouraged me when I was a kid, started to say, you first improve your handwriting or you memorize the poems, when I watched programs on space in Discovery channel.

I scored moderately good in SSLC, and landed in science group. By that time, my dad had some health issues, and I couldn't give lot of thoughts about space or anything else for that matter apart from school and family. But at the same time, I was blessed with great teachers. Back then, we had entrance exams for engineering. So I joined a coaching center like everyone else. My friends who were with me know how much I hated the entire engineering thing (even though I had interest in electronics and computers it was not up to the level I loved physics and space).

My first DIY FM radio, while at school

But the pressure on me as the only son to take up the family responsibility before my dad retired was so bad. I had only 5 years in hand to study, find a job and earn to support my family as my dad's health continued to have issues.


I was left without options. I didn't even apply for any other courses apart from BE "as everyone did". There was literally no one to tell me. No one to support me. If this is the case of the only son from a middle class, educated family, imagine what will happen to the rest. I joined BE, electronics and communication in a private college through merit (That is just a lie, I am coming there). Even at that time, I thought if I can study well, I can become anything I want. I did so. I envisioned lot of jobs. I thought, at least, I should become an electronics engineer in some space labs. But people told me that I will not be able to find a job with a decent salary as I am not studying in a "good" college. FUCK! Everyone is studying Anna University syllabus right? I was wrong.

Believe me! It is a trap! But you have no choice...

I was one among the first 4 who got selected in an IT company in our college. I didn't even know the name of that company when I was selected. I believed for sure that I will not work in that company. I was very much interested in circuits and micro-controller programming. But when I finished my education, even with a good streak from primary school to college, I couldn't find any job that I dreamt. I became, not an astronomer, not an engineer in a government or private space lab, not a circuit designer, not even a guitarist but a "software engineer" (I still hate that title). The company that recruited me took people in batches. It was not until you are called, that you know which technology you will work on. I was called in a batch. Until I went there and joined, I didn't know which technology or nature of job I am supposed to do. I didn't even know whether it was a development or support or testing or anything else. It was much like "Shut the fuck up and do what we say or else get the hell out of here!". There was so called "bond" too!

Yet another faceless person in the crowd! I feel that I have lost my identity :(

I thought that they would fire me within the training. But cleared it. I thought I will resign after the bond ends. But fortunately or unfortunately I was tied up to work and earn. People say, "if you don't get what you love, then love what you get." That happened to me. I slowly started to love what I got. Life as a programmer goes on. The only achievement I can boast till date is my resistance against onsite positions. I was offered to travel abroad to client location many times. I declined. I hate to follow crowd. Especially those who want to go to US on whatever cost. By ignoring their family. By playing dirty politics in office. Just to earn money and become inhuman. I don’t want and never wanted to become one of them. This is my life. Not only mine. Many of the BEs live like this.

Why parents are forcing their children to BE?

If I tell that the government policy is the main reason for all this mess, will you accept? I am not saying DMK/ADMK/BJP/Congress are the reason. No matter who rules, the policy is determined by corporates and rich elites. That is the reason. At least, that is what I believe to be the reason. The greed and culture of the society is having a minor impact too.

The government opened doors for corporates and multinational. The corporates need skilled labor for their air-conditioned sweat shops called IT companies. So the government increased engineering seats. As it can't afford cheap and quality education to everyone, they bargained with rich industrialists/movie stars/politicians to open colleges. The fees is rightly set so that not too low to make the parents and students feel that the education is cheap. Not too high that makes parents think this is not for us. It is rightly set to the level that every parent can pay after getting loan or with very tight economic planning. The students are preached day in and day out that they are risking their parents money and their future. So they should not talk with girls, involve in politics or social movements. Instead they should present paper in symposiums. Join IEEE and add weight to their resume.

Students should not talk with girls, involve in politics or social movements.

Hand picked students are sent to campus interviews to lift the college's image. The students are brainwashed to become mute and not even in their thoughts they rebel against authority. That is the corporate mindset. That will make them obey their PM unconditionally if he shouts at them and force them to work on weekends. That is how they shape the young generation to become aware of the world. "Keep quiet and live! Else, suffer.", "Cultured people won't fight for their rights, they just live calm", "Settling in life is more important than doing what you love." Good lessons indeed. These colleges are run by rich people who see it as yet another business. They exploit poor people and milk the middle class everything they have and force them to take loans and sell properties. They call it is merit seat, yet demand Rs. 60,000 every year! Is that the respect you pay for merit? Fuck off bastards!

Which parent will think, "let the kid next door become a doctor or engineer. My son will become a hockey player as he wishes."? Everyone wants to see their grandchildren. For that they want their children to marry. For that they need own house. For that they need money. For that they need a job which can give lot of money. For that they need to do MBBS (only few seats and need for MS/MD makes it hard for many) or MBA (only B schools or foreign universities makes it hard for many) or the last option BE, which can land you in an IT job with "onsite" option. For that they need to score well in 12th. For that they need to study in a "good" school. For that they need money. For that they need to earn more. And this cycle never ends.

The people who study other courses are forced to feel inferior to their BE counterparts. They have to force these BEs to take loans, drive their cabs, build their apartments, manage hotels, serve them as air hostess etc. We are just chickens from newly opened factory farms to meet the demand created by KFC and Mc Donalds. Other are just local chickens left with no food to eat and no water to drink. They have to eat the leftover of KFC and Mc Donalds and drink the water they wash their hands.

A typical parent's mindset:

I will join my child in a high class school even if it takes 1000 times more money compared to "normal" schools.

I will take up the interview to join my kid in LKG.

This will make sure that my kid will get seat in a good school for 6th.

For 6th admission, even if he doesn't get good marks, I will give donation and get seat in a good CBSE school as Matriculation follow the same syllabus as government schools after "samacheer kalvi". YUK!

If my son is interested in kabadi, who cares? I will join him in skating class. No matter there are no good roads to skate in my town.

I will start sending 10th tuition from 9th standard itself.

Even if he gets lesser mark in 10th I will get recommendation or pay donation and get seat in a strict school with good coaching.

There is no 11th. My kid will study 12th for two years.

After that I will join him in a engineering college with "campus interview" through merit by paying 60,000+ per year!. Even with donation.

If the company he got selected doesn't have good onsite option, I will send him to B School or MBA in foreign university.

My kid will pay the loan for first 4 years of job.

After that 2 years onsite.

After that an apartment with 20% down payment, rest EMI.

Marriage with 1 kg gold and 5 lakhs dowry, apart from car and all home appliances from soap box to AC.

Force his wife to work and have only one kid.

He will pay EMI for 20 years. Else go to onsite and reduce it to 18 years.

Join my grandchild LKG in a good school to start the cycle again.

I will close my eyes in peace!

Shit! You better eat shit, than living like this.


Frankly I Don't Know!

I don't have much idea to say what we need to do! I am not expert. All I have written is the emotional outburst I have everyday. I think we should diversify our education and allow young people to do what they love. Opportunities should be created equally across various sectors. Science and arts should be given importance. Agriculture should be given priority.

We are an agricultural nation. We need lot of research in crops and irrigation. We need to build dams and power plants. We need to explore the space. We need to build bridges. We need to establish food and social security for all. We have to afford free education. We have to invent and discover new things. That won't happen with the our young generation locked in BE/MBBS/MBA and forced in to slavery for corporates.

I know some may think that this guy is in IT, living a comfortable life and writing something to fool us. I am sorry for still working in IT. But I have no other option. I am still trying hard to switch to some other stream. But the harder I try, the more frustrated I get. Only thing I do is, I live cheaply. I try my best to keep luxuries like AC, microwave, LCD TVs etc at bay. I try not to join the crowd in traveling to onsite, killing time in malls and pubs, buying car and apartments on loan. I call on everyone to do the same. If you are in IT, just earn for your life like everyone else in other fields. Don't let the excess money entice you to get addicted to luxuries. Once you are addicted, you can't leave that IT hell for ever. You will demand for more and more and more money, until you forget all important things/people/joys in the life.

Can Christians Get Interest for Money

First, Christians should take Christian faith as a guiding light in this world, not a blinding dark glass that distorts every view. Some people take everything in Bible literally and cause so much pain to themselves and others. Can Christians get interest for money? If so how and by what measure? Here is my personal opinion on the same.

Is There Love in Interest?

When we are going to lend someone money, then we should follow the three principles below:

1. We should try not to lend but gift the money. i.e. You should not lend the money expecting your friend to pay it back, instead you can give it to him as a gift. I know it will be hard if the amount is larger. So this rule can be suitable for small amounts. For example, your friend may come and ask, "I need Rs. 200 to visit doctor. As this is month end, can you help?" In such cases, just give the money and assure your friend that as a brother you are helping him and not expecting the money back. The small amount is dependent on your economic status, and the decision is up to you.

2. We should lend the money without interest. This can be done even for large amounts. But be extra cautious. Don't lend large amount of money to people you don't trust or you know for sure that they can't pay you back. It is better not to give and allow that money to create hatred or spoil your peace of mind. This option is better than lending money for interest in short term. For example, if someone asks Rs. 50,000 for a major event like marriage or buying a home, give them and tell them that you need the money as soon as possible. It is ok to set a deadline too. For durations within a year, there is no need to think about interest is what I feel.

3. Lending money for interest(some sort of interest, not the conventional one) in case of long term loans involving huge sum of money. Here comes the actual problem. It may seem to be breaking Biblical rule for some people. But let me explain. For example, a person gives Rs. 1,00,000 for another person's son's education. The money is returned after 8 years without interest. Is that acceptable? Bible was written in a time when there was no inflation and value of money and price of goods rarely changed for years or even in a lifetime. So it was usually unethical to get interest on those days. But today, imagine, what Rs. 1,00,000 can buy 8 years before and now? For simple standard, let us take gold. It was Rs. 840 per gram back in 2006. Now, after 8 years it is around Rs. 3,000 per gram. That is more than 3 times the value. Consider the person who gave the money also has a son, can he count on the money to spend for his son's marriage?

So what can Christians do to evade money loss in such scenarios? First option is to not to lend the money. This can be simple. But what if when you have lot of surplus money and want to help the other person? You can make an agreement over some commodity. For example, you can tell the person that you are lending money equal to so and so quantity of gold or rice or land or anything whose price can be easily agreed upon. When he returns, he should return money equivalent to the same quantity of same commodity. By this, we are not taking interest but getting what we deserve honestly. Even simple terms like nett change in national inflation or gold sometimes result in negative returns. Remember gold prices suddenly fell in 2013. In such cases, we should assume that we have bought the gold and the loss is ours and should not accuse the person for paying back less. These type of deals can even be made as legal bonds. I don't know about exact nature and ways of doing that though. You may need to seek a lawyer for help.

Can We Get Interest from Banks?

Banks usually offer very less interest and most of the times the interest will be lesser than inflation and rise in price of food or other essential commodities. So we can get interest from banks without guilt. Also most banks invest in market and hence business profits are 100% clean, we can get the interest without feeling bad. It is actually the bank that gets profits from our investments.

What Are The Other Options?

The best way to invest money is to diversify your investment. That is what Bible says. So if you have lot of money, buy lands or houses (don't buy apartments). If you have even more money, start a new business. If you have relatively lesser, go for gold or long-term investments or insurances. If you have even lesser, allow the money to stay as liquid cash in you savings account. If you have not much money, Praise God for not giving you the burden to mange it and ensure that you just earn money in good ways and meet your ends in a honest way. Investing in shares, joining hands as a sleeping partner in businesses are also clean options. While investing in business, try to avoid businesses that contradict Christian values. For example, go for food business even though you know that a wine-shop can earn you more profit.

 When We Need Money?

If you are in need of money prayerfully get government bank loans or get loan against land or gold from government banks ONLY! Never get money from private banks or from bankers. That is going to pull you in to an economic black hole. Also don't take loans for luxuries. For example, taking education loan, agricultural loan, for medical reasons etc are acceptable. But taking car loan or for a foreign tour is unethical. Such loans increase overall economic burden and makes your life more miserable.

Conclusion:

Whatever I have written here are my own understanding and ideas. We live in an ever changing world. So we can't say anything black or white as there are lot of gray areas. What we can say for sure is that God loves us and provides us so that we can love others and help them. So ask yourself in whatever you are doing whether it will be acceptable in God's sight. Again, never lend money to others so that it becomes a burden for the person who takes or creates enmity in a beautiful friendship or spoil your peace of mind. Also don't compare your lending with those bankers and money lenders who extract money by tormenting innocents and taking possession of their properties. Also don't get tempted in investing in illegal businesses, private chit funds, money doubling, pyramid schemes etc. They may sound great options, but will make you regret for a lifetime at best and cost your life itself at worst.

Food Review: New Maggi Chicken Noodles

Myself and many in my family are fans of Maggi Chicken noodles (old flavor). Recently Nestle silently changed that in to a different packaging. So I thought it will all be the same inside. But surprise awaited me... The flavor is entirely different and there were lot of red chili flakes added to the tastemaker. :(

So I rushed to the super market and purchased some 3 to 4 family packs of classic Chicken flavor and kept stock for few months. I hoped that they will sell both classic and new flavors parallely. But sadly, after 3 months, when I went to shop, there is no classic version available.

Now what I do is to empty the tastemaker in a small plate and pick out all chili flakes and then use it. Still the flavor is not par with the classic version. We all badly miss the classic version. Hope many of the reader too will miss it.

So let us ask Nestle by sending emails/posts/commenting in their websites and writing blogs to bring back the old Chicken noodles.

Old Maggi Chicken noodles fans kindly comment how bad you miss it!