I am not boasting now , but my life in Oman was just way too perfect apart from the fact that it was monotonous.I had no problems with strikes or the pollution or the absence of streetlights or power cuts or even the dealing of public garbage.Traffic is controllable cos of the traffic signals.I have probably experienced a power cut twice in my life, once when there was some work going on near my place and second when cyclone Gonu had affected the whole of the Sultanate.A year back when I was moving out of Oman for pursuing my degree, a lot of people had warned me about the frequent strikes that take place in Kerala. I was initially happy about the whole idea of no classes and all due to this , but later on began to realise it's drawbacks.Absence of class led to incomplete portion which again led to inclusion of the whole portion for the models. And I really know how hard it is to learn 20 chapters of which only 8 were taught.

I have always been proud of being a Keralite despite all the mocking people do about the locals accent, English in particular. Kerala would be the only state which has got beauty with brains. If India had a beauty pageant between states it is indubitable that Kerala will win. And musically , if I wouldn't be a Keralite I wouldn't be able to handle all the languages with ease. And c'mon there has not even been one non-Keralite who has been able to pronounce malayalam with the right accent.

Strikes have been an 'in' thing in Kerala. And what is worse are the reasons they hold a strike for. It's absolutely hilarious to see the party members hold a fast for getting their thing done. And not to forget the fast goes on till they don't get their will granted i.e. in other words the fast remains forever, though it is actually broken on the very first few hours of the fast.All of them sit together in peace, many of the ladies discussing about the sarees they have adorned and many of the men discussing about what to have for tea. If strikes are going to remain for a few more generations then probably we must make that a tourist attraction spot. India, or atleast Kerala would mint money that way.It's is completely disheartening to see young students taking action politically. They way students get beaten up is definately a sight not to be witnessed. Every time I hear or witness such incidents I keep wondering what must be going through their parents.


As of now preparing for a ghazal concert on the 24th at the Lulu International Convention Centre, Trissur.It will actually be a mix of filmy ghazals and will also include few bhajans.All are invited.It's an one and a half hour's show commencing at 10a.m. I will upload the audios and videos that I will get of the concert.

Post Cyclone Gonu

Post cyclone Gonu , or maybe I should give you an outline on this.June 6th , 2007 came a cyclone of class 5 (predicted to be of class one-the worst , but the force pulled down as it neared the Arabian coast).The area I stayed in was near the coastal plains.It did affect my area drastically but not cos of the cyclone but cos of a dam which was left open to avoid damages to the near by areas.

The post cyclone effects were visible the very next day itself.To witness people bathing in dirt water that too in a foreign country is definately a sight. Infact my area , Ghubra, had actually become a temporary tourist destination!To have people clicking photographs of the broken road opposite my house, and the path where we used to go for our evening walks was something that will always remain etched in my mind.People were adapting to days without food, water, electricity and for some even without a shelter.I remember that when I and my dad had gone to Lulu to get few stuff for home people were literally getting physical for a bottle of water.One case got that worse that they had to pull in cops to deal with it and eventually started '2 bottles per person' rule.

Life came back to normal , atleast for me , as for me college had begun.Getting used to an autonomous life I had already forgotten about the past.And last week when I landed in Oman for my X'mas leave , there were major changes.Almost 90% of the damages are mended or replaced.Then we had people discussing that if such a thing had taken place in India we would not be able to see it repaired atleast in 20 years. I don't know about India , but the Ministry of Oman has done an incredible job! With monarchy ruling the nation, the orders given by the Sultan are always obeyed.Maybe if Oman had a democratic Government the cyclone damages would have probably not been cleared so fast as you know a proposal has to be passed and the members need to approve of it and etc. Well like I have always said all's well that end's well.

Profile view of the same Mc D!


P.S. Snapshots updated (My pics/photo blog)

I am aware,not a fool

Yes, I hate criticising the Government the citizens elect. But ignorance is bliss. So in my earlier post I had written about the hampered roads and unclean environment our Government seldom takes care of.
On weekdays I have to pick my cousin up from her school daily which is followed by a bumpy rocky road with distant puddles due to the on and off of the monsoon rains.So on a Monday morning being the beginning of a tiring week, I was preparing myself for the bumps. And abra ka dabra...no bumps!! Was I hallucinating or...no..I was sure about the absence of those bumps.Taking my ear phones of, I doubtfully looked outside the window and happened to notice that the roads were tarred!Now I have to acknowlegde the hardwork put in by the Goverment in getting this right. My half an hour journey from college to home has been reduced by fifteen minutes. Thanks to these tarred roads. The Government has done a commendable job.Most of us are critics and seldom realise or tend to ignore the advances made by the Govt. in improving our environment. Or maybe people are too bothered about Rani's discreet wedding or about celeb break ups!

What's with Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt being tried on a regular basis for something they did when I could not even read or write? This is purely being done to attract media attention. What's the purpose? Laws falls under limelight and the celebs run off by bail!Who is getting fooled? Media or the public? Is Salman the only person who hunted the Chinkara or is it that there are others who did it but missed the limelight? I would rather be interested on testifying the Jessica Lal case where Manu is CtrlBstill flying around as a free bird despite public support against him and honest report on the vision witnessed by Jessica's friend.Politics or lack of celeb value?

I'll be writing about a couple of things today. To begin with, being a first year at The Maharaja's Womens' college it's just been only a few days since I've got out of all the hype at the place of admission .To be more precise, the office. I was waiting for my turn at the office along with another 500 who were waiting there for the same cause.I thought I'll go and check the list they have put .Towards the end of the list ,four names were written all of which were SCST and in brackets it was also mentioned that they were exempted from giving the aptitude test .Aren't we all trying to forget about the fact that castes exist. Well we indians say that we have to remove castes and religion in order to live more happily. On the other hand we help the SCST's by making their job easier. Do they become another species just by being an SCST, because if they can be given admission by getting exempted from the aptitude test then why can't I ? The matter here is not about justice. I will only be proud to be selected because of my marks and qualifications, but aren't we people responsible for increasing the problems instead of working towards the solution. By helping the SCST groups aren't we try to make it more visible that they do exist. That shows we still do have castes prevailing everywhere. If they are treated the same just like the 'normal' castes , I don't think we would be struggling for removing castism out of our country. All problems are connected.

September 14 , 2007 .I turn eighteen today. A Major.I've got voting rights. My signature will be valued.I am a responsible girl today. Happy birthday to me!

P.S. : SCST are Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes

Who are to be blamed?

People say that the government is responsible for everything and anything happening in our country and to be precise , all the wrong happenings.We chose the government so aren't we suppose to be a part of those wrong happenings which take place.Anywayz I am not beating around the bush ,we have people debating on social issues whether the Govt. or the citizens themself are responsible for the condition of our present India.All of us know that we as citizens have responsibility towards the country's economic development. But back to square one , who is going to bell the cat ?

I really dont think people dislike talking on social issues. Its not that we are ignorant , we just know as a person we can't really change things.And being an Ex-NRI, I have loved social service cos I knew India needed that desperately.Being a member of the NSS ,I have seen so many parents being hesitant to send their children to clean roads ,or help build houses..cos they are worried about them getting sick ,cutting classes.Who ll want to risk their childrens' lives for the sake of keeping the country clean but yes they wouldn't mind risking for a few marks in their exams(being a member of NSS , you get additional marks). Who are to be blamed?

Maybe the first few days you can see people on the roads cleaning ,but it never becomes a habit.We've read in books ,watched so many footages ,tell me one person whose actually felt like making it happen rather than voicing their opinion each and every time about the same problem. And we better find someone to bell the cat before it gets too late!