Thinking Out Loud

யாழ்ப்பாணத்திலிருந்து கொழும்பு செல்லும் பேருந்துகளில் தேனிசைத்தென்றலின் கானா பாடல்கள்தான் பிரபலம். He reigns supreme... More than ABS brakes. என்னதான் Canon photocopier என்று நானே கிண்டலடித்தாலும் அந்த தேவா-கானா nostalgia எப்போதும் மனதிலும் உதட்டிலும் ஒரு புன்னகையை வரவழைக்கவே செய்கிறது. "ஜிஞ்ஜினக்கா ஜிஞ்ஜினக்கா ஜினுக்குத்தான்... என் ஜீன்ஸ் பான்ட்டு மேல ஒரு கணக்குத்தான்." Besides, I identified with the character in the films that gave brotherly advice (in a song, obviously!) to the protagonist/hero... Usually played by தலைவாசல் விஜய். "கவலைப்படாதே சகோதரா" காலங்காலமாக காதல் ஃபெயிலியேர்சுக்கு (so-called soup boys) தெம்பாக இருக்குமென்று நம்புகிறேன். Deva was a great influence in my teen years. Correct me if I'm wrong, but he was undisputed in the 90's. His music alone drew crowds to the box office. It's great to reminisce now and again. "கானாங்கத்த மீனு வாங்கி..." Over and out.

Have you ever seen a movie where you wish the ending was different? Have you ever thought, if I had done it, I would have done it differently? Maybe Ilsa ends up with Rick in someone's version; maybe Neil McCauley does not end up dead at the hands of Lt. Vincent Hanna. It is this sinking feeling that infuses my thoughts each time I listen to "Stan" by Eminem. I wish Stan would treat his doting girlfriend ("your picture on my wall, it reminds me, that it's not so bad") better and stop wishing that he and his idol should "be together". Dido sings a haunting melody and I feel a sense of dread (even though I have listened to the song many times) and the car crash at the end of the third verse brings a melancholic feeling no matter how cheerful I was prior to listening to the song. How far would our obsession with the celebrities take us? Do we really want to worship the celebrities and be like them so much that our identities end up disappearing? What ...

It was a mixture of emotions, more of a pleasant contradiction as I realised while reading " The God Delusion " by Richard Dawkins , I had "Thiruvasakam" by Ilaiyaraja playing in the background. The music was providing a beat (in my mind) to the words of Dawkins. I have heard that music brings people closer to God (the unspecified God; who knows what people really believe in) and I could not help but smile. Usually it is either a book or a song blaring from the earphones, but on this particular day I was engrossed in Dawkins's words about the ontological argument and this person sitting next to me proceeded to talk on her phone and as the conversation progressed she became excited and her voice levels grew to an alarming pitch. As Peter Finch said "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!", so I put on my earphones and chose random and what should play but Thiruvasakam (Thamizh hymns written by poet Manikkavasakar about world...