Chartbuster

"I really can't believe this. How this song went on to become a super hit." - I said to myself while I was driving across two big cities in the Midwest.

Vaala Meenukkum Vilangu Meenukkum Kalyanam.....

May be my response to the song, I was playing in my steering with my fingers. Its really a pleasure to drive on a not so crowded highway on a sunny morning with trees giving out spring colors. Yes, really nice...until your phone rings.

Kalyanama Kalyanam kalyanama kalyanam....

"Hello?"

"Good morning sir. I am calling from the .... hospital. It has been found out from our records...."

"Pardon. Which hospital?" - I don't understand why only the important words are outsmarted by the loud music.

Oorvalathil aadivarum nanduthane naatiyam....

"Okay. Yeah. It was last week"

"....."

"But. I can't do it right now. I'm driving...."

"...."

What is it I'm hearing? Is this real? No....It must be some kind of illusion. This is incredible. I never thought this song has such a reach. If it is the same song that I am hearing on the other end, what the hell can I call it?

"...."

"Ok. Bye".

Cooum aaru kadalil sayrum antha idathil....

"Crazy freak!"

Maapillai sontha pandham meesa kar erango ....

I looked at my colleague, when he slammed the receiver.

"This idiot is driving with a loud music turned on and he never listens to me"

"Hmm..that happens"

"But, this one is silent to my questions and made me repeat my questions. Seemed he was trying to listen what's going on the background".

"Hmm..."

"Background? What did you say his name?"

"Caartheek...something."

....periya manusan yaarungo ...? Thalaivaru thimeengalam thaanungo !!!!

Shoot! I fogot to bring my headphones today.

What went wrong?

A story from hearsay....

I had plans and still having plans. Can I call them aims or ambitions? Maybe...I could. But better I stick to the word "plans". At twenty-four my plan is simple. Just I wish to be in school for a couple of more years. Looks simple, yet not simple.

Remember question tags? A concept you encounter in high school grammar. I love them since they are easy and mark fetchers. But I started hating them since I encounter them often in life. One sentence gets completed. A question springs. Hunt begins for the answer. I get a twenty word long sentence. Good. But I have a two word question tagging at its end. Sucks!

Getting into the place where I want to be is getting tougher. As the adage says "whent he going gets tough, the tough gets going", here the going gets tough, real tough. I want to get out from the tough situation, but the tough gets going and never stops.

Reading something here and there opens up a lot of new things for us. Read about chaos theory somewhere. On a Sunday morning, when you are still in bed trying to continue your fantasy dream and not cedeing yourself to the reality, in a few minutes you will eventually lose. Then you will recollect the reasons for your loss. Many losses, many Sundays, many reasons.

Surprisingly, reasons lead to a rewind of age. One Sunday I found the reason leading me back to my teens. Nearly a decade before the mistake has started. Right from my senior school, to my undergrad, to my grad and now this day. If I want to rewrite my errors, I must go ten years back to avoid my question tag now. That is not simple. Is that?

Naan Thamizhthan

"Naan Thamizhthan. Unakku Thamizh theriyuma theriyathanu theriyala. Athan formala Englishla paesinen"- I replied her.

Three years ago, in my undergraduate class, she used to sit in the first bench, second row. Five feet back, I was sitting. Third bench, third row.

I am calling her today after three years. If I am somewhere in the Midwest, she is located somewhere in the East. Both are ten thousand miles away from our 'benches'.

Beep..beep..beep. whenever I pressed the keys on my cellphone it beeped. Sometimes we are never keeping in touch - I thought to myself. Seven more beeps. My roommate turned and gave a eerie look. I should turn off my key sound. sometimes irritating.

"Hello"

"Hello, U?"

"Yeah. speaking".

"This is V. Can you recognize me?"

"Mmm.. no"

"Undergrad classmate..V.."

"Mmmm..Mmm"

"I used to sit before A and M".

"The tall fellow?"

"Tall... Hmmm.. maybe". She is so short. Everyone is taller to her.

"We both got admit in same univ, but we both didn;t go there...remember?"

"Not exactly..."

"I now study with S".

"Yeah.. I got you. You used to sit beside R and J"

"Yes.. So finally you managed to get a picture of me..."

"Yeah..yeah.. I could recognize you".

"Good".

"Hey..Nee Thamizh thane?" She asked me then.