Cyber Astrology--- Horoscope Matching

Most of you who read this blog are aware of how matchmaking is done in India.

The girl's parents identify " A suitable boy" and then send the girl's horoscope to the boy's parents.The boy's parents then send the horoscopes of the boy and the girl to their family astrologer.

He compares the two horoscopes and then ticks off a checklist ( I don't know how this is done.) Anyway, the maximum score is 36 and the cut-off is around 18 or 20.If the score is above the cut-off, the boy and girl are deemed compatible and then the boy and girl "see" each other.

Here's how I see this happening in the future.

There will be cyber-astrologers equipped with an I-Pad or some other tablet PC.The parents of the boy and girl will now send him the Facebook profile or the Google + Profile of their children.

He will now have a new checklist with him.

Do both like "Friends?"----- 4 Points

Do both have more than 10 common friends?----- 6 Points

Less than 10 common friends?----- 0 Points

Do both like Music?------- 2 Points

Do both like the same type of music?  English, Carnatic, whatever---- 6 Points

Do both spend at least 1 hour on the Net per day?-------- 8 Points

Does one not spend any time on the Net at all?------- 0 Points

This is how it would go on and then the Cyber Astrologer will give his decision on whether their " Cyber Horoscopes" match. This is the signal for the preparations for the big, fat, Indian Wedding.

1992-1993------ A milestone in my career

1992 marked a milestone in my career.

I had all along been involved in Sales & Marketing and most of my travel was to visit customers, even though I did make the occasional visit to my factory in Viralimalai.

In April 1992, at the start of the new financial year, I was called in by my boss and told that I would now have to handle Operations in the Trichy factory.I asked whether this would mean that the family has to shift to Trichy.

My boss said that was not necessary. I could travel to Trichy every week and be back in Chennai on the weekends.So that became my routine for the next year.
I would leave Chennai every Sunday night to Trichy by Rockfort Express and return on a Friday night back to Chennai. I still had to go to my Karapakkam Office every Saturday.

In Trichy, I stayed at Hotel Sangam and would travel the 25km route to Viralimalai every day.I entered into this job with gusto.I found that my customer contacts was helping me take decisions faster and just talking to them helped me get many clearances.

One of our prominent customers was in Bombay and we were required to speak to them frequently over long distance.Since I also had the responsibility of cutting down on operational expenses and since I had met the telephone operator of this customer during my frequent visits to Bombay, I would ring her up and then ask her to call me back.

Around this time, there was some simmering issue over wages with the workmen, culminating in the workmen stopping work and not attending the factory.I helped set up a war council and we carried on work with just the officers and staff.We even called up our people from the Branch Offices and there was a spirit of camarederie that one often encounters in periods of difficulty.The work stoppage went on for 40 days after which normalcy was resumed.

In spite of this, we grew our business by around 30%.

The travel and work put together was gruelling.There were days when I would wake up in the middle of the night while travelling and I didn't know whether I was going to Trichy or coming from there.

In August 1992, I was in the factory one day when I suddenly felt extremely uneasy. I straightaway decided to go to a hospital in Trichy.The doctors did some tests and told me that I had very high blood pressure. I was advised rest for a full day. Next day, I returned to Chennai and underwent some more tests.

Since then, I've been on medication for hypertension. I was, of course, a bit shocked. I thought I had an easy-going nature and couldn't imagine that I was hypertensive.

Anyway, the diagnosis was made and since then I've been religiously popping my pills everyday.

In spite of this hectic schedule, I still found time to take part in a Kannada play "Siri Sampige" staged by Kannada Balaga.Sudha was the Queen Mother and had a major role. The director of the play was H C Srinivas and the leading lady was Veena, son of M.N.Gopal ( a senior Kannada Balaga member--- I think he was the President at that time).

The rehearsals would take place on the terrace of our flat or in Karnataka Sangha, T'Nagar.Srinivas would then escort Veena home. A romance blossomed while he was teaching her the nuances of dialogue delivery and voice modulation and they remain happily married to this day.

The financial year ended in March 1993 and then my stint as an Operations Manager ended.It was back to Chennai again but I didn't know what my future role would be.

Let's wait for the next blog to see what that was.

Tiruvannamalai---- Nobody told us about the blisters!!!( 13th and 14th Apr, 2011)

Malathesh,Geetha,Sandeep,Greeshma, Sudha and I spent a very nice couple of days in Tiruvannamalai on 13th and 14th Apr.

A group of us in my company donate Rs.100 each per month which is sent to Tiruvannamalai.This has been going on for many years so it was not difficult to get confirmed accomodation in the Ramanashram Guest House.

Tiruvannamalai is almost equidistant from Chennai and Bangalore.Geetha and Malathesh came by car from Bangalore.Sandeep and Greeshma came in their car and Sudha and I travelled by my car because Sandeep and Greeshma had to be back at work on 15th Apr morning.

We left at 6.30 AM.13th Apr was Election Day in Tamilnadu and we could see brisk activity in all the towns and villages we passed through.We passed through Gingee which was the scene of a big battle between the East India Company forces and Tipu Sultan in the late 18th Century.The Gingee Fort looks impressive even today.

( A couple of days back I read an article vy Janaki Lentin on the proliferation of puff adders - a variety of snake- near Gingee.However, we didn't have the good fortune of seeing any during our drive.).

We reached Tiruvannamalai at around 10.30 AM.Geetha and Malathesh had already reached there before us and taken the room keys for the Ashram.We had booked 2 rooms but were lucky to get 3.Lunch was at 11.30 AM so we decided to have Lunch in the Ashram before getting back to the Guest House.

We left our footwear in the car and walked around gingerly.The Ashram has a wonderful ambience that is greatly conducive to peace and silence.We went around the samadhis of Ramana and his mother and sat for a few minutes in contemplative silence.

We then joined the queue for Lunch.Promptly at 11.30 AM, a bell was rung, the dining hall doors were opened and people filed in silently.Lunch was spartan but filling.The volunteers who serve lunch are unfailingly courteous and a great many foreigners have no difficulty in sitting cross-legged and eating from a banana leaf.One cute little foreigner boy was going around filling up water.

It was quite warm and the caw-caw of the peacocks was loud and raucous.Yes, peacocks abound in Tiruvannamalai and one can see them everywhere in the Ashram.

After Lunch, we went back to the Guest House which was a short distance away and had a nap.We were back at the Guest House at 4 PM for Coffee, followed by a Veda Parayana. At 5.30 PM, we all went to the Arunachaleshwara Temple which is about 2 Km away.This is a massive complex.To our great fortune, the temple was almost empty.We were told that all the people had gone to collect their blenders, dhotis and sarees ( offered by the political parties in Tamil  Nadu as an inducement for the Election). Unfortunately, we didn't know where to go and collect these items, so we stuck to the temple.

We got back to the Ashram by 7 PM, stood in the queue once again and had our dinner at 7.30 PM.We then walked across the road to get ice creams.

We were back at the Guest House by 8.30 PM and turned in early because we had to be up by 5 AM the next day for the Girivalam.

For the uninitiated, Girivalam means going around a hill.Giri means mountain or hill.There is a hill in Tiruvannamalai which is shaped like a Lingam.This is considered to be a manifestation of Eshwara and is called Arunachaleshwara.
In effect, going around the hill means circumambulating the Lingam.The circumferential distance is 14 Km and is considered best done on foot ( bare feet at that) in order to attain Moksha ( Liberation of the Soul). I had asked my factory colleague whether I can do the Girivalam by car and he said in that case my car will attain Moksha and not me.

Sudha, Geetha and Greeshma did the wise thing ( in retrospect) and walked with their shoes/slippers.Malathesh went barefoot and so did Sandeep and I ( except that I also carried my slippers with me as insurance).

Sudha,Malathesh and Geetha set off at 5 AM and Sandeep,Greeshma and I left 15 minutes later. The road was tarred and there was also a pavement.However, there were tiny pebbles which still poked my delicate feet.The pavement was not smooth but they had these small tiles with gaps in between which were painful to my feet.I was told that the entire expense of tarring the road, lighting  and putting the tiles was borne by Rajanikanth , the Super Star, after the tremendous success of his film "Arunachalam".

The crowd was not much which was again something to be thankful for.On fullmoon days, the Girivalam is said to be teeming with crowds.

The road had signs that said "You have walked 3 Km--- 11 Km to go" and so on.Here was a road that was actually perfect for Johnnie Walker ads "Keep Walking".

We walked and walked.Sudha felt tired and stopped to rest.Geetha and Malathesh carried on.We caught up with Sudha.Sandeep stayed back to walk with her and Greeshma and I carried on.

The last 4 Km is within Tiruvannamalai town.By the time we finished 9 Km, I was finding it difficult to put my feet down eventhough there were no pebbles or sharp objects.I looked down and was shocked to see angry red blisters on the soles of both my feet. I decided that my slippers getting Moksha was better than my walking with the blisters and put my slippers on.

We came to Hotel Aparna in the town and had a hearty breakfast.Geetha and Malathesh were already there.Malathesh's feet were in pretty bad shape but he was very stoic and decided to complete the girivalam in bare feet only.

The previous day, I had seen some people walking around in the Ashram very slowly.I assumed this was because their activities slowed down while in the Ashram. Now I knew the real reason--- they also must have done the Girivalam the first time.

The walk through the town gave me some good marketing ideas.Imagine coming across a Chemist shop that boldly advertises " Foot Cream for Blisters--- Rs.200 only" or  a Spa advertising " Foot Massage-Rs.2000 only ( per foot)". I would have taken up the offer in a flash.

The Girivalam tradition is to pass through the Arunachaleshwar temple but all of us except Malathesh bypassed this. We reached the Guest House at around 10 AM and flopped in bed.We painfully pulled ourselves up at 11 AM so as to be in time for Lunch at 11.30 AM.

The Ashram runs like clockwork and the atmosphere is really serene.The heart rate automatically drops by 50% and I've decided that we should go there at least twice in a year.

We again came back to the Guest House for a nap and went back to the Ashram at around 4.30 PM after tea in a local chai kadai ( delicious). Again the quiet meditation in the Ashram hall, the chanting of the Divya Prabandham and the Dinner at 7.30 PM.

Plenty of foreigners and some of the ladies were so beautiful that it was difficult to concentrate on the prayers.One in particular looked almost divine in her pure white dress with big kunkuma and vibhuti pattu.I'm sure she must have been disappointed in love and had come to the Ashrama to seek solace.

Sandeep and Greeshma had already left by 4 PM and called to say that they had reached by 8 PM.

14th Apr happened to be the 61st Death Anniversary of Ramana Maharshi and a prayer meeting was organized opposite the room where he died.

Sudha and Geetha stayed back and said that it was a wonderful experience.I went off to sleep by around 8.30 PM.

Next day ( 15th Apr), we all got up by 5 AM and left together--- Malathesh and Geetha turned left for Bangalore and Sudha and I turned right for Chennai.We reached Chennai at around 10 AM.

End of Tiruvannamalai adventure and it was a wonderful experience.Sandeep,Greeshma,Geetha and Malathesh provided wonderful company.

Mangalore Express--- A Nightmare of a Journey--- 10th Apr 2011

I'm a frequent traveller to Trichy from Chennai.I take either the Mangalore Mail that leaves at 10 PM or the Rockfort Express which leaves at 10.30 PM.

I'm usually a sound sleeper on trains and I've never had a problem travelling by either train---- until yesterday, that is.

I had had a very tiring week end on 9th and 10th Apr.On 9th, we had an Office Meeting followed by a get -together in a Beach Resort.We had played cricket there and then I got back at 8.30 PM.Sandeep had booked tickets for "The King's Speech" for the 10.30 PM and we got back at 1 AM. Next day, Sudha & I  had gone for a Sathyanarayana Pooje followed by a heavy lunch. When we got back, Deepali was at home and we were exchanging a lot of stories including how she met Anil Srivatsa for the first time and their whirlwind romance and wedding.

Immediately thereafter, we had to rush to R K Nagar for a Colony meeting and got back at 9 PM. I packed my luggage for the trip to Trichy and wolfed down by Dinner and left by 9.20 PM.On the way to Egmore Station, I made calls to Malathesh and Sachin. All this is to let you know how frazzled I was and therefore I was really looking forward to settling down in my 1st AC compartment and having a good sleep. My co-passengers were a 12 year old boy accompanied by his 80 year grandmother and they were to get off at Srirangam at 3 AM.My other co-passenger was a business who was getting off at Karur ( after Trichy).

I had a lower berth.The first thing I noticed was that the lower berths were occupied.I soon sent the 12 year old boy upstairs and snuggled down to sleep.

In a few minutes, the Karur businessman was on to a long business call.By the time he finished, I knew all the details of his business.As soon as he finished, the 12 year old got a call.It was from his dad,asking if he had settled down.Our chap said that he had settled down very well, was into the 3rd page of his Tinkle Comics and also wanted to know whether mum, sis, little bro and their Pomeranian had gone to sleep.He then gave the phone to his grandma who said that she had said her prayers and was settling down to sleep.She also wanted to know whether Prabha( d-i-l), Priya( granddaughter) and Parthiban ( grandson) had gone to sleep--- and oh, she had forgotten to ask about Dolly, the little Pomeranian ( a fuff, in Greeshma's words).

Everyone was well and sleeping ( except me!!). Just when the little brat switched off his dad's call, he got another call--- this was from his uncle at Srirangam.Did he and Paati get on the train and were they well settled ? Yes, said our boy, and for good measure asked if Chithi( Aunt), Vignesh and Prabagaran ( his cousins) had all gone to sleep.Chithappa said everyone was asleep ( except me!!). Our brat then said how he looked forward to getting to Srirangam and playing with Vignesh and Prabagaran and whether they still had the cricket bat. I wished the cricket bat was in my compartment and I would have put it to better use.

By now it was 1 AM and everyone in my coach was sleeping except me.

I was just drifting off to sleep when I was woken up by ( you guessed it!!) our 12-year old. He was on the phone to his dad asking what time the train would reach Srirangam. I looked at my watch.It was 2 AM.His dad said he didn't know and asked the boy to ring up Chithappa.Our friend duly rang up Chithappa and was told it would reach by 3 AM.The sadist in me was happy that I wasn't the only one now awake.

At 2.45 AM, the boy rang his Chithappa again and asked whether he ( Chithappa) had reached the station.He then rang up his dad ( in Chennai) and informed him that the train was nearing Srirangam and he had spoken to Chithappa and Chithappa was waiting for him at the station.

I had borne all this patiently till now.I then got up and told the boy to shut up and let others sleep.He kept quiet for some time and then started speaking to his Paati in loud stage whispers.This was worse than his speaking loudly.

I gave up and resigned myself to catching up on my sleep in the Office next day.

Kota Travelogue-----24th to 26th Mar 2011

My colleague Siva Kumar accompanied me to Kota where we visited University College of Engineering for GET recruitment.

I had just got back on 24th Mar morning to Chennai from Melkote and rushed home to refresh myself and then take a car to the Airport to catch the 11.45 AM flight to Delhi.

The start was ominous.Half-way to the airport, I got a call from Sudha that I had left my laptop behind so I had to turn back and pick it up. There were no further mishaps and we reached Delhi at 3 PM in time to catch the 4.45 PM Paschim Express from New Delhi Railway Station.The car driver had the tickets for us.

Because the trip was made at short notice, we travelled in Sleeper Class.The train from Amritsar pulled in on time and we soon settled in our seats.The India-Australia World Cup match was going on in Ahmedabad and we were getting periodic updates on the score from our fellow passengers.

The train chugged past Okhla,Hazrat Nizamuddin,Ballabgarh,Mathura,Bharatpur etc.There was a Jat agitation going on in Haryana with the result that the railway track to Jaipur was blocked, so all people intending to go to Jaipur and beyond got on this train.The fact that we had reserved seats had no meaning and we got the impression that our fellow passengers were doing us a favour by allowing us to retain our (reserved) seats.Overall, they were a very decent bunch and we all made the journey in companiable silence with the occasional shout coming forth when we got an Australian wicket.

We had our dinner at 8 PM and then my fellow passengers were kind enough to permit Siva Kumar and I to sleep.The train was to reach Kota at 11.30 PM.
I got up at 11 PM and was shocked to find that the entire compartment was choc a bloc with passengers sleeping all over.I gingerly hopped over some of them to go to the bathroom and then got an even bigger shock.There were more passengers sleeping close to the door and this included some infants.How on earth was I going to get across the door without trampling upon them was the dilemna I grappled with.

Kota arrived at 12.30 AM and soon Siva Kumar and I somehow made our way out of the train without killing anyone.A student volunteer from the college was at hand to take us to the University Guest House.By that time, we were also informed that India had won the match so I went to sleep in a happy frame of mind.

I got up at 7 AM on 25th Mar and had a hearty breakfast of Aloo Paratha with Curd, cornflakes and an apple and set off for the college with Siva Kumar at 9 AM.By 5.30 PM, we had shortlisted two candidates.We came back to the guest house, had a shower and then set off again to see the Chambal Udyavan.The river Chambal flows past Kota and is the only river in India to flow from South to North.Just 80 Km away, there are deep ravines that have been cut by the river in the valley.This is where the famous dacoits such as Man Singh,Phoolan Devi etc operated and was virtually ungoverned territory.Even today, tales are told of the heroic exploits of the dacoits and how they cocked a snook at the Establishment and the feudal Thakurs.

We had a boat ride in the Chambal river and then went to see the Kota barrage.
On our way back, we stopped at a dingy shop to taste the famous Kachoris of Kota.Yummy!!! And the Ratlami Namkeen was even better.

We got back to the Guest House in time to see New Zealand give a pasting to South Africa and then caught the 11.30 PM Mewar Express to Delhi.This time we were in an AC compartment and thankfully didn't have to step over anyone to get into the train.

We got back to Delhi at 6.30 AM on 26th Mar.I went to my company Guest House, had a shower, shave and breakfast and again rushed to the Airport to catch the 10.30 AM flight to Chennai.
End of Kota adventure.

1991------ The second freedom for India

1991 will be reckoned as a momentous year for India.In some ways, it is a more significant year than 1947, when India got its independence. 1991 is when economic reforms were introduced. Today's generation has no clue about how things were pre-1991.Let's say you wanted Hershey's chocolates.You would actually have to wait for one of your friends or relatives to get it for you when they went abroad.Anything that had to be imported required an import license and there were many items ( like chocolates, for instance) that were on the negative list because they were not considered essential for India's economy.
I remember when I had to go abroad in 1988 , I had asked for foreign exchange of US$ 2100 ( 21 days @ $100/day). I was called to the local RBI office in Chennai and an Officer there asked me about the purpose of my trip ( it was for product training) and whether it was really essential for me to go.He concluded by insisting that I should give him a copy of my training report!!

Anyway, let me start at the beginning of 1991.Chandrasekhar ( a Young Turk of the Congress) had become the Prime Minister of India.Karunanidhi was the DMK Chief Minister in Tamilnadu.Padmanabha, a leader of one of the splinter Tamil Groups of Sri Lanka had taken shelter in Chennai.He was assassinated in his Kodambakkam apartment and the general news was that the killer gang was allowed to move unhindered to the sea coast from where they escaped to Sri Lanka.DMK was considered to be close to LTTE at that time and therefore, on the grounds of national security, Chandrasekhar dismissed the DMK Government.
Very soon, the Chandrasekhar Ministry also fell in New Delhi and so elections were ordered both for the Centre and for Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, the economic situation had deteriorated. India's foreign exchange reserves had dropped down to something like 300 Million Dollars ( it's close to 300 Billion Dollars today) and India had to sell some gold in its reserves to the IMF.

Rajiv Gandhi had been out of power since 1990 ( mainly over the Bofors scandal) and he was criss-crossing the country in trying to win back power.The Congress appeared to be doing well and it was widely predicted that the Congress would sweep back to power in the elections to be held in June 1991.

Unfortunately, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur on 21st May 1991.The Special Investigation Team headed by R.K.Raghavan immediately picked up clues pointing to the involvement of LTTE.The reconstruction of the events leading up to Rajiv Gandhi's assassination was brilliantly done and the duo of Sivarasan and Dhanu were constantly on the run till they were cornered and shot dead at Konanakunte in Bangalore on 21st Aug 1991,3 months to the day after Rajiv Gandhi was killed and on his birthday.

The Congress rode on a huge sympathy wave and emerged victorious.The DMK was routed in Tamilnadu and AIADMK led by Jayalalitha came to power.

P V Narasimha Rao was made the Prime Minister and he chose Dr.Manmohan Singh as his Finance Minister.Soon the Union Budget had to be presented and it was a landmark Budget with the first hint of economic reforms.All controls were abolished and licenses were required for very few industries.

Can you imagine that any industry wanting to increase production above its licensed capacity actually had to seek permission from the Government to do so? The younger generation will hardly be able to understand these issues but these were the very hurdles to the growth rate and India's GDP growth rate of around 3% was derisively called "The Hindu rate of growth".

Meanwhile, the balance of payments position was so alarming that no foreign supplier was willing to execute an order placed by an Indian buyer unless a Letterof Credit was opened up front.Even when a Government Bank like SBI opened a Letter of Credit, the foreign banks were unwilling to trust the LC so the Indian buyer actually had to deposit money equivalent to the LC amount at the time of placing orders.

The Union Budget of 1991 removed all exchange controls and foreign money started flowing in.The cap of 40% on JV holdings was removed and foreign players were allowed even 100% equity in some sectors.

Was this liberalization too late? Perhaps by a year or so, but my personal opinion is that the controls imposed earlier were good for the country.It enabled India to become self-reliant and develop indigenous technology to the extent possible.All this stood the country in good stead when the economy was opened up.If not, we could have perhaps been too reliant on foreign capital and technology and may not have become as strong as we are now.

I've covered the economic situation in some detail because , when India's history is written in the future, 1991 is sure to be reckoned as a watershed year.

Sachin's Munji was performed in May 1991 at the Rama Mandira in Jayanagar.He had completed 12 years and was fast growing into a handsome young man.Sudha was just establishing herself as a dubbing artiste and was also busy with some monthly programs in Doordarshan. Sudha and I did the occasional Kannada drama in the Sourabha programe of Doordarshan.

One of the dramas we did was "Ward No 420"--- supposed to be hilarious but it didn't quite turn out that way. Doordarshan is a Government organization and its staff ( except for a few dedicated men at the top) was notoriously unionized.The cameramen and light boys, spot boys etc went about their jobs mechanically and were not really concerned with the outcome.

The Director for Kannada programs was one Mr.Bhaskar and he would call us up now and then to present a program.We would go there by 9 AM and get our make-up done.By the time this was completed, it would be lunchtime and so the actual shooting would start around 2 PM.If there were any mistakes during shooting, the cameraman would tell us to carry on and said that this would be taken care of during editing.

One such scene involved a person who is supposed to die. Lord Yama comes down with his "Pasha"( Rope") which he would throw  like a lasso and take the hapless person's soul to Swarga ( or Naraka-- depending on the debit/credit of good deeds he had done in his lifetime).

OK, so here was Lord Yama on stage and he throws this lasso to the victim who is off stage.Ramesh was the poor victim.Anyway, when the lasso was thrown, it didn't quite reach off stage so Ramesh put his hand out and caught hold of the lasso and put it around his neck.This action was caught on camera.I pointed this out to the cameraman and asked for a retake.The cameraman assured me that this would be edited. Imagine our horror when we saw the final telecast and the entire scene of Ramesh reaching out, catching the lasso, putting it around his neck and then being "dragged" on stage was shown in glorious Technicolour!!! The people who were watching the TV program with us roared with laughter when this was actually supposed to be a very serious and poignant scene !!

That's it for now.My next blog will cover our drama adventure in Neyveli.

Shafts of KGF

Here's a list of KGF shafts that I remember:-

Edgar's Shaft
Henry's Shaft
Bullen's Shaft
Tenant's Shaft
Gifford Shaft
Oriental Shaft
Golconda Shaft
McTaggart's Shaft ( I think there was one by this name)

Am inviting people to add to this list.