Looking back at life can be quite a challenging feat, especially when you have already lived more than half of it. And to summarize it in just six words can only be close to impossible, when brevity is not in my nature. Now this post is being published as part of  "CBC's six-word memoir tag" where I have to describe my life in just 6 words. Check out this post by Sowmya Swaminathan who is a journalist in the making to understand what this is all about. And CBC (Chennai Blogging Club) by the way is a group of fun loving bloggers from in and around Chennai. 

When looking back, I come to realize there have been ups and downs, goods and bads, successes an failures, happiness and the otherwise, and I find it quite a task to be able to bundle the whole of it in a 6-word package. And so I thought, why look back, when I can look ahead and see how I want my life to be from this point on. I probably can learn from the past and script my future the way I want it to be. Given that, I cannot think of my life as being anything but a "brilliant, unforgettable, and a successful experience".

This is a poem I wrote 8 years ago when 6-word memoirs did not exist. But today, a one line excerpt from these lines have been used to fulfill the purpose of this tag :)

My achievements, I try recalling.
The ones noteworthy,
the ones that made a difference,
the ones that changed a life,
the ones that moved a soul,
the ones that made my parents proud,
the ones that made me stand tall.
To my shock, my memory fails me.

 As I retrace my path,
I try looking
for the flowers in their full bloom,
from the garden that I nurtured,
for the adherents following my footsteps,
for the mark that I have left behind,
for the memories that I have been part of,
for the soul that could distinguish me.
To my dismay, the search proves futile.
Barren is the entire trail,
bearing no inkling of my stride through it.

 A startling revelation it was.
Now,lies with me the challenge,
of making my life memorable,
of making myself treasured,
that I remain etched in the minds of my posterity.
As I take up this trial,
I vow ,to make my journey,
a brilliant, unforgettable and a successful experience.

Gomathi Shankar, it is now your turn... Go on. Let us know your life in Six Words.

~ Somu

Tuesday, June 25, 2013
It has been quite some fun at home of late. With all the garden plants growing pretty wild in the balcony, a little pigeon has made a humble abode out of the cozy and shady space the outgrowth had to offer. The pigeon has a lone egg that it is protecting from our prying eyes and we are trying as much as possible to not disturb it.


But then, keeping ourselves out of the balcony is next to impossible because that is the only source of ventilation for us. Every time we open the balcony, the little pigeon walks out of its hideout, flies to a spot in the terrace parapet, and keeps a watch until we are back in.


There is so much fun in watching this bird pace up and down the balcony, day and night, and guarding its egg while it is waiting to hatch. There are some cons to living in the outskirts of Chennai. But such simple pleasures sure make it all the more worth it.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
This is what happens when I learn a new trick in using a camera...  I go click click click. I don't claim to be a photographer - professional, amateur or otherwise. Nonetheless, just loved how these clicks turned out and thought would share them here. All photos were taken in Thekaddy during our recent vacation there :)









Wednesday, May 01, 2013
She told him she wanted to watch Anniyan. He was too busy checking his statcounter that he hardly paid attention to her. She made a mention of it yet again, but his concentration was on his new template. She tried telling him about it during dinner, but he was focused on how to bring in more hits to his blog. She thought she could reiterate her request during bedtime. As expected he was transfixed to his laptop making his post for the day. By the time he was done, she was fast asleep.

Frustrated, she left a one-line comment in his blog.

He noticed.

Today they are going out for dinner,followed by Anniyan in Mayajaal.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
It’s surprising how
LonesoME has M E,
SeclUded has U,
But a relationship is missing U S.

It’s surprising how
SinglE Man has M E,
Unattached has U,
But romance is bereft of U S.

It’s surprising how
UnMarriEd has U and M E,
But a marriage is devoid of U S.

Love to me is more like a word game.
If only I could play it right,
U would be in my soUl,
I would be in your lIfe,
And W E would be in WondErland.

~ Somu

P.S. Related post : Number Game
Tuesday, March 12, 2013


The kiss that you blow,
The peck that you plant,
The smile with which you charm,
And thoroughly enchant,

Your angelic language,
And the bewitching talk,
Your adorable crawl,
And the cherubic walk,

The hugs that you hug,
The excitement in your claps,
The softness of your butt,
And the way you wet my lap,

The gentlest of caress, that
Your tender fingers give,
The trouble-free, unpolluted life,
That you always seem to live,

The innocence that gleams,
In the corner of your eyes,
The questions you ask,
That take me by surprise,

The sweetest things you say,
The cutest things you do,
Are just few reasons why,
I completely adore you.

- Somu
Wednesday, November 14, 2012













Personifying truth,
you inspired the disloyal.
Practicing simplicity,
you governed the affluent.
Advocating Satyagraha,
you suffered for a cause.
Exemplifying self-reliance,
you uplifted the dependents.
Demonstrating selflessness,
you preached the self-centered.
Carrying a vision,
you bound the masses.
Instilling a purpose,
you led your countrymen.
Implanting unity,
you ousted the Britishers.
Epitomizing peace,
you liberated the nation.
Being a Mahatma,
you still live in all of us.

Happy Birthday (A little advanced though)


A blast from the past - Written on 1/Oct/2004
Monday, October 01, 2012
Barfi  - The oscar choice
I feel the Indian oscar committee has always had a distorted view of which movie should represent India and which should not. In all these years, only three movies made it to the top five and that speaks a lot about their judgement.

The disappointment on the choice of Barfi (not because the movie is not oscar worthy, but because it is lifted in parts) should only be directed towards the deciding authorities and not on the film maker who has all the while been open about drawing inspirations. 

Anurag Basu has a point when he says that the alleged inspiration / plagiarism would have not come to light if not for his blatant interviews (much before the release of the movie) citing those specific inspirations.

There is a reason why movies like Vazhakku En or any other movie with a strong Indian flavor should be the frontrunners for Oscar. These are movies that draw inspiration from real life instances that no world cinema would have ever portrayed.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Ok. Am a crazy fan on Illayaraja. Even in the era of AR Rehman, IR's songs have not lost its sheen to me. The long drives and the lonely nights in the company of his melodies always enthrall and entertain me.

And so, NEP was something I have been looking forward to. IR, joining hands with Gautham Menon, is sure to spin some mesmerizing music. Or so I thought. 

Now, after few times of listening to the songs, I can either pretend to LOOOOOVE the songs just for the IR factor, or accept the truth and move on. That is not to deny that the music is good. Just good it is. The teaser featuring Neethaane en Pon Vasantham or the Kanmani Anbodu scores only seem like a marketing gimmick. It created an  anticipation in the kind of music that would eventually be rendered. Unfortunately, I do not know if the album was able to meet the hype that was always surrounding it. But for sure I can say that it did not meet my expectations.

P.S. If there was any music director who should have never ventured into singing, it is Yuan Shankar Raja. And Not sure why GVM would insist on featuring him. That was suicidal.
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
You go to an individual’s wall and wish him / her a very Happy Birthday. I equate it to giving the Birthday baby a personal call. Or walking into his / her  home and making a wish. Then why in this world do some folks respond at the end of the day with a very generic, “Thanks to everyone who made my day with your wishes”.

It is like standing in the street and screaming thank you, hoping it reaches everyone that made a wish. In the pre-Facebook era, it was a common bcc mail that thanks everyone in one shot.

When you get a call, you thank them on the phone. When you are wished in person, you thank them on the face. Then why can you not write personal thank you comments when the wish is on your Facebook wall ? When the wish is personal, I cannot figure out why you are so lazy and lethargic to respond with an impersonal broadcast.
Tuesday, September 04, 2012

We were freed from the clutches of the Whites,
yet are shackled by the menace of corruption.
We were liberated from the law of the British,
yet are restrained by the reign of dirty politics.

We have been released from the rule of the company,
yet are imprisoned by the ideals of our moral police.
We were rescued from the evils of imperial authority,
yet are being hounded by the ills of communal riots.

We were cut loose from the harms of the Englishmen,
yet are rampantly endangered by rape and harassment.
We were unchained from the malice of foreign oppression,
yet are handcuffed by the spite of local discrimination.

The peace and quiet that comes with freedom is long lost.
The common man is on a running spree, chased by
bribery, sleaze, poverty, gender bias, inequality, violence and more -
All new-age oppressors in disguise.

What did we really win our independence from, I ask?
Is it just from the monstrosities inflicted upon us by the British regime?
Then it is about time, to redefine and re-establish,
the true essence of what independence means in today’s India.
Until then, August 15th will merely remain to be
another day off from work in my calendar.

(Written for an organization wide competition on the same topic)
Saturday, August 25, 2012

It is indeed true that the human mind is like a monkey, leaping from one thing to the other. However, am unable to draw a similar analogy to the situation that I am in now, where my long-standing passion and obsession for blogging / writing is beginning to wane, while an activity of a completely different nature is taking over.


I have moved on from the comforts of my desk / bed from where I used to write my stuff. And these days I take my place in the balcony where I toil with nails and screws, wood and timber, hammers and pliers. The fascination that I have developed, for what I would call, the basic levels of woodworking is no less than the appeal that writing had in it for me.

The idea of building something from scratch, fixing something that is broken, or redoing something that has lost its sheen gives me a kick now. What started off as building a small table for our own use has now burgeoned into making lampshades, door barriers for kids, picture frames, fixing broken cabinet doors to just about anything within the house that one can do independently. And because of woodworking’s irrelevance to poetry, which is the core purpose of psomu.blogspot’s inception, I decided to maintain a separate blog for my new found leisure pursuit. So, if you are reading this, you should most certainly visit woodooz and let us know your valuable feedback. 
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
4 guys,
a road trip,
to Hyderabad,
for a Cricket match.
Premji Amaran for lotsa comedy.
One nagging wife who has much against her husband's immature friends.
And one of them is getting married after the road trip.


4 guys,
a road trip,
to Las Vegas,for a Bachelor's party.
The bearded guy for some rib tickling fun.
One nagging girlfriend who has much against her boyfriend's immature friends.
And one of them, quite naturally, is getting married after the bachelor's party.


Except for the kidnap and rescue in "Saroja", and that hilarious night in "Hangover", everything else seems to have an uncanny resemblence.


Was one inspired by the other ???


My guess : The next Venkat Prabhu venture GOA was originally supposed to be produced by Warner Brothers... who backed out of the project in April '09. So am assuming they probably had a preview of Venkat Prabhu's earlier movies (Chennai 28 and Saroja). And incidentally HANGOVER is produced by Warner Brothers. Now it's up to you to put things in perspective. And if this resemblance indeed is true, then am assuming Venkat or the producer of SAROJA can sue Warner bros for Copyright violation (unless the screenplay was sold to WB for an undisclosed amount) ;)


P.S. Saroja was released in Aug '08. Hangover in June '09.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
31,556,926 seconds of magical moments.
525,600 minutes of heartwarming bonding.
8,766 hours of blooming romance.
365 days of indivisible togetherness.
52 weeks of undying passion.
26 fortnights of divine bliss.
12 months of sheer fun.
1 year of everlasting memories.
And a lifetime of true love.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY !

Monday, April 27, 2009
My V days have always been mere V days.
But today, because of you,
of your presence, your charm,
of your magic and untainted love,
my V Day takes a magical transformation into
OUR "WE" Day -
One that we would celebrate every day of our life.
Friday, February 15, 2008

Thursday night preview show. Not because I wanted to figure out the big deal about this movie, but because am a hardcore Rajini fan. Local theatre. No fan. No AC. And people smoking their way to glory. Nothing mattered. Because it's a Rajini movie. Very religiously got hold of bunch of flowers to shower upon my hero. Well, that's me - a diehard fan. I write this as a Rajini fan and not as any critic. This is no analysis of the movie, but just a jotting of the volley of emotions that I was going through as the movie progressed from beginning till end.


A powerful introduction, a foot tapping intro number that builds to a crescendo before the superstar enters, comedy splattered all across the movie, his trademark style every now and then and punch dialogues – My only expectations out of the movie. Only this time it was accompanied by the belief that they would be met by the dream team ofShankar.


I have nothing to talk about the introduction scene. I had to stand up to watch what was going on, and had to strain my ears to listen to what he had to say. And I miserably failed. People dancing and screaming made it virtually impossible. But what followed, andremained for the rest of the movie was a total surprise for me – Silence. Not sure if it was because Rajini had the audiences attention or he failed to make a notable first impression. To me it seemed more like the latter.


While the songs have been very stylishly packaged, and I have pretty much only WOW comments on them, Ballelakka needs a special mention. Shankar, the most celebrated director seemed to have lacked the finesse to write a screenplay that had a situation leading to an intro song with the superstar dancing in real life. It has been 5 days sincethe movie, and I still cannot think of another intro song of superstar that was a dream sequence. The song seemed out of place and unwarranted This is when my disappointment began to creep in.


While the Vivek and Rajini duo did manage to make me laugh my wits out, I remember telling my brother how irritating and childish some of the sequences were. I am ok with my hero romancing a 20 year old, but then some amount of maturity in the role could have made the romance and the intended comedy click “throughout”. Solomon papaiya seemed to have been brought in just for Raja to take revenge for all the pattimandra insults. Otherwise, he only contributed to more decibel levels. The Rajini – Shreya family sequences (pazhagura scenes)were irritating, immature, and could have been avoided barring few exceptions.


INTERVAL.


And I was sitting there wondering what went wrong. Did Shankar forget the basics ? Did Sujata not understand the masses ?


Just when I was about to give up on Sivaji, came the Rajini challenge to change the scenario. Post interval had a different story to tell. Excitement mounted with every single scene starting from the Tea shop drama. And by the time motta boss made an entry, he had managed to resurrect all the faded spirits. Yeah. He did manage to change thescenario. Second half had me on the edge of my seat on most occasions. Adhiradi ( would have been an apt intro for Rajini), the hero – villain verbal clashes, Vivek comical interruptions, larger than life heroism of superstar, Rajini gimmicks (Chewing gum, coin flip, kewl, pera ketaale adhiruthula, the tap on the motta thala) the fight sequences, and the motta boss were just enough to keep the second half ticking.


On the whole it was more like a roller coaster ride. At one point it made me feel like puking, at many points it made me scream and I enjoyed most part of it. End of the ride, no one remembers how they felt at each point. But they know for a fact if they enjoyed the ride or not. I loved it just for the one-man phenomenon. I can screw everything else just for the matchless marvel. I can pardon all the shortcomings of the movie for the incomparable Superstar.

To sum it up, Rajini singlehandedly carries the movie on his shoulders with support from very well picturized songs and some good comedy. WATCH IT JUST FOR HIM. Am watching it again this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday JUST FOR HIM.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Gift yourself smiles.
It keeps your life vibrant.

Gift yourself happiness.
It gives your life youthfulness.

Gift yourself hope.
It gives your life a purpose.

Gift yourself strength.
It gives your life a reason to fight back.

Gift yourself dreams.
It gives your life a whole new perspective.

Gift yourself love,
It makes your life worth living.

And gift me the promise,
that you would cherish
your own gifts for a lifetime.
It would give my life a meaning.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Sometimes life blooms, we are born.
Sometimes death threatens, we are gone.

Sometimes winners, victories we taste.
Sometimes losers, setbacks we face.

Sometimes friends, for life and beyond.
Sometimes it pales, and we move on.

Sometimes happy, and smiles galore.
Sometimes tearful, and depression soars.

Sometimes loved, by ones close to heart.
Sometimes betrayed, with soul torn apart.

Sometimes well-off, riches we enjoy.
Sometimes in misery, our wealth’s destroyed.

Sometimes we realize, sometimes we don’t,
that nothing is permanent, nothing at all.

So cherish the moment. Treasure the present.
Value your today. And live your life.
Not just sometimes. ALL THE TIME.
Friday, October 06, 2006

It all started exactly a year back. She was red hot and it was love at first sight for me. As love always has it, I had my initial hiccups with her. She was not easy to get along with and I had to improve my skills at dealing with her with every passing day.

Today, we are inseparable. We go together wherever we go. A long drive in the ECR – Just she and me. A quick visit to the Besi beach – Just me and she. She is one heck of a company. Has never brooded over my choice of songs I played during our umpteen drives together.

And to realize that am just as excited as I was a year back only goes on to prove the power of this relationship.

Here's wishing you and me a Happy Anniversary.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
When I droop,
Thanks to your smile.
I cheer up.

When I fail,
Thanks to your directions.
I challenge myself.

When I err,
Thanks to your guidance.
I learn from my mistake.

When I dread,
Thanks to your presence.
I face my fears.

When I fancy,
Thanks to your love.
I live my dreams.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006
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