A Bend in the Lane

For many reasons, I have been captivated by Clarence Darrow for over a year or more now. I narrowly missed reading about him when I first came to know of the Leopold and Loeb case after watching Hitchcock’s Rope. But, fortunately, I came across him on two separate occasions : 1. When reading Inherit the Wind, the play that denounces McCarthyism under the context of a trial on the controversial Theory of Evolution. 2. When looking up racism and miscarriage of justice in law, 1 , of course, is a liberal dramatization of the Scopes Monkey Trial. 2 lead me to the Sweet Trials. 1 and 2 both lead me to Clarence Darrow. I discovered that these two trials, involved the same lawyer who saved Leopold and Loeb from the gallows. I dug a little deeper into the sensational Chicago trial (technically a ‘hearing’ as Leopold and Loeb pleaded ‘Guilty’ at Darrow’s insistence). In the process, I was completely and entirely bowled over by Clarence Darrow. This man is one of the rare manifestati...

This seems to be the latest 'youtube' :-) But its awesome. Sudha got me to post it on my blog.. Its the shortest, most accurate personality thingie that i have done so far. It kills me how well these people know me. Read my VisualDNA ™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Dear Man On the 7.33 am Bus Who Sits on the Fifth/Sixth Seat on the Upper Decker. Every morning, I catch the 7.33 am bus to work, climb the 10 stairs to the upper deck, walk past you, plop myself onto the tenth seat to the left of the aisle, and wait. At about 7.34am you, the man on the 7.33 am bus, who sits on the fifth/sixth seat to the right of the aisle switch on your music. It is always the same melancholy and soul stirring chanting Is it Tibetan? Buddhist? Taoist? Whatever it is, for the 24 odd minutes I am on the bus, for that pocket of time, you bring me pocket-sized liberation from the hurry burry of life, from the battles won and lost. Melancholy chanting, sunlight winking, folliage rustling against the windows, nurse with french knotted hair, hunched old man with white duffel bag, me with my working day’s wounds, from battles won and lost. Thank you, my man. For those 24 minutes, you rescue me from the conformity of life in the city.

Another massacre. Another crazed being. 80-100 rounds. 32 lives. In a place where respect, learning, kinship and knowledge are supposed to burn bright - in a university. Quo Vadis? Quo Vadis?

Everytime someone sees me dishing out my cell phone, I have to listen to hilarious comments like: “What is that prehistoric looking thing in your hand?” “Your cellphone belongs in the fossils” “This must have been Jesus’s very own cellphone.” But I have no plans to abandon it. Not due to love, bur rather due to apathy. To start with, I did not even want one. For the longest of times, I disliked the ease at which someone could reach me. I disliked the ease at which I could reach someone. I can no longer use the “I called your house, you weren’t home.” excuse. There are days and times, when one doesn’t want to be reached, to be part of the glorious anonymity - for just a couple of minutes. I never understood D when he used to rant on and on about how he wanted to disappear into anonymity. I never could fathom this desire. Now then I realise, that my not wanting a cellphone was a manifestation of similar feelings. Albeit, of lesser intensity. But, now then, I am resigned to this neces...

The countries in red are those I have set foot upon. Reminds me of how many more there are to cover. Africa is completely untouched! A wasted 20 odd years. create your own visited countries map

Varsha is a marvelous gal. In spite of all the gaping years of separation between us, I have no idea how two souls have managed to be in such perfect harmony. She and I. We have survived the different lives that we lead, the different experiences we had, the different people we met, and the different choices that we made. An instant connection, a clairvoyant understanding of the other's need to hear a soothing word, or a word of repraoch. It's phenomenal. Every person should have one such friend. No, I am not one for looking at friendships through rose-tinted glasses. We had many ups-and-downs. Loves to envy, grades to grab, jealousies to subdue, competitiveness to tackle. But we still are the best of pals ever since the first day of school (LKG) in SSSVV.