Live from Chennai - Part 2

Big news of the week is that Pramod Mahajan, the right hand man of Vajpayee and a pivotal member of the BJP think tank was shot by his own brother Pravin Mahajan. Once this done, Pravin is releasing statements like "I was always ill-treated by my brother", whicle others have suggested that it was over a property dispute (their elder brother disagrees). And still others, like Pravin's wife of all people, have said that Pravin is mentally unstable. Meanwhile, Pramod Mahajan is still in critical condition.

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Irrespective of what happens in the rest of the country, the election juggernaut rolls on in Tamil Nadu. This year, election rallies are a virtual extension of tamil cinema, with all kinds of 2-bit actors, actresses, background dancers, their make-up people and even light boys joining in on the campaigning trail. Just check out some of the names running or campaigning this year - 'Cabtun' Vijaykanth, 'ditch pot' Sarath Kumar, S.Ve.Sekar, Napolean, Karthik, Simran, Bhagyaraj etc. Apparently, the stars attract anywhere upward of 1 lakh rupees per day to campaign, and everyone's making hay. I was hoping that this nexus between kollywood and tamil politics would end eventually once people get educated and start realizing that acting and politicking do not necessarily go hand in hand. To my misery, this trend just seems to get worse every year.

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Took a couple of my nephews for ice cream and then to the Marina beach yesterday evening. Even on a weekday evening, the place was packed with cars and people. Since my mom advised me not to take the kids near the water, I not only did just that but also left them to fend for themselves while I did some people watching. There's a new addition - Beach patrol. This consists of 2 cops atop horses, patrolling down the shoreline making sure people do not wander too far into the water. A desi version of baywatch I guess.

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Just learnt from my parents that the tenant upstairs may be having an affair. The husband travels on weekdays and returns only on the weekends, so the wife has someone come over during his absence. Apparently, its a mutually worked out solution. I tried telling my parents not to jump to conclusions, but when they informed me that both the husband and wife have indirectly talked to them about this arrangement, I had to wave the white towel and give up. I'm not sure how they manage this with a couple of grown up kids though. Anyways, I'm all for open-minded marriages!

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Stopped by at Senthil Softie on Kutcheri Road the other afternoon for some refreshing juice and shake. This was a regular hangout during my school days, and I started chatting up the owner, about the good old days and friends. He informed me that one of my school mates and co-regulars J. Suresh was now settled in Canada, and was part of the Canadian Cricket world cup team. I flashed back to my school days when Suresh and I used to open the batting for our class during the inter-class competitions. Tried searching on the web, but couldn't locate him.

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Opened the Hindu newspaper today and was pleasantly surprised to find a column by famous NewYork Times Op Ed writer and noted economist Paul Krugman. He's wondering how America still manages to remain in business and inspire investor confidence even after building up trade deficit over the last few years, and predicts that all's not well. There's also a news item about Rediff launching the first moblog (mobile blogging) enabled site. Now, rediff members can blog anytime anywhere from their mobiles. Blog culture in India has well and truly arrived.

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