ROTARACT CLUB

I was asked to revive the Rotaract Club of Madras Central in 1986. It turned out to be a wonderful opportunity as it helped me gain confidence in public speaking. It helped me get the organising skills as i had the opportunity of organising meetings, conferences and events. It also helped me move out of the CA circle and get aquainted with people from different walks of life.

I was the President of the Club and organised several events and programmes. The most memorable ones are the "Arts Competition" for school children and the "Bank Audit" Seminar.

The Arts Competition for school children was held in St.Louis School for Deaf and Dum in Adyar. There were 800 school children in that competition and nearly 500 of those children were physically challenged. It was a wonderful event which was very well organised and went through very smoothly without any glitches or hurdles.

The "Bank Audit" seminar was another big event that we organised. The day before the seminar i met with an accident. I was riding my TVS 50 with Sathyamurthy as my pillion. I skidded and fell and was injured very badly with bruises all over my body. With that pain i managed to conduct the Bank Audit Seminar successfully. The highlights of that Seminar were (1) We introduced the topic "Expectations of the Banker" for the first time and (2) I presented a paper.

We used to have the Rotaract Club Meetings in "Childrens Garden School". It was great fun to have those meetings and address the club members. We had Sabareeswaran of OMS Motors, my brother T.P.Ashok from I.O.B. and so many others in the club as active members.

I had one of the meetings in my office when i was working in Sterling Resorts and one of our members Shridhar Sampath walked through the Glass door in the reception. He literally and physically walked through the glass and brought down the entire glass with huge thunderous noise. The entire staff including the Management came to the reception because of the huge noise. To our surprise and shock Shridhar Sampath was standing there as if nothing had happened.

I used to go to Semmanchery Village on ECR on my TVS 50 to meet the villagers and help them through the community service programmes of our parent club. We used to regularly go to Mr.Kannan's house in West CIT Nagar to do "reading for the Blind". We did a programme on putting the "Bulls Eye" sticker on Motorcyles in Chennai. I went to Police Commissioner's Office to get the permission.

We had the support and guidance of Rotarian Jeyakumar of Raj Paris Civil Constructions - a wonderful person to deal with.

I still remember the meetings we used to have for the Rotaract Club with D.Sriram, Arvind, Sam, Karthik, Shridhar, Ashok, Sabareeswaran being very active and major contributors in the community service and other programmes. My memory is fading and i am not able to recollect all the members and all the programmes....

The two years that i spent with Rotaract Club was filled with lot of activity, responsibility, challenges, experience and thrill. It was a very rewarding and wonderful experience. I cherish those memories and feel proud to have got that experience at the right age...

T.P.Anand
Dubai.
16th December 2010

Ocean Receding Day

It was a lovely Sunday morning and as usual there was general laziness all over the house.

There was no hurry for anything as is normal for a holiday. Children were also relaxed as they were not having college. We all got up around 9 a.m. and I lazily settled down with my cup of coffee and “The Hindu” on my lap. The Hindu carried an interesting news on Ocean Receding Day. It was to happen on that night at 3 a.m.
I had been reading about Economic Recession for almost one year and this was the first time I got to read something on the great Ocean receding.

As a resident of Chennai I always admired the Bay of Bengal. A walk along the seashore is an experience one would relish everyday day after day for ever.
I told my wife and children about the Ocean Receding Day an that we should be there at the Beach that night to watch the “never before seen” great event at 3 a.m. I had office next day and my children had to catch their college bus at 7.15 in the morning. Still, there cannot be anything more important than watching that great event on the seashore.

We all went out for lunch and as usual we went for a long drive along the East Coast Road up to Mamallapuram.

It was very pleasant drive all along the sea coast. We came back home around 5 p.m. in the evening.

All through this time, I kept on thinking about the Ocean Receding Day. After dinner we went to sleep after setting the alarm to ring at 2 a.m. so that we would have ample time to reach the beach to watch the spectacle.
I could not sleep in the night as I was wondering about the Ocean Receding. It appeared mysterious to me especially since it was unheard of before. I could not wait till 3 a.m. to unravel the mystery.

I was restless and somehow managed to get some sleep around 11 p.m. Even before the alarm sounded I woke up at 2 a.m. and felt very fresh though I had slept only for 3 hours. I took a nice cool shower and then woke up my family members.
We all set out at 2.30 a.m. and reached the Marina Beach at 2.45 a.m.
It was a startling sight as the beach was full of men, women and children.
I had never seen such a huge crowd even during Pongal holidays in the last four decades. Everybody was watching the sea.

I stood there with my wife and children and it was very soothing and pleasant to look at the sea. When I looked at my watch it was 2.55 a.m. and I suddenly felt that the waves were becoming slow. Within the next couple of minutes the waves stopped and I felt as though I was standing in front of a lake and not Bay of Bengal.

I saw the water receding rapidly and within couple of minutes the water had gone back by a couple of miles – far away. There was pin drop silence in the Marina Beach with so many children, men and women standing absolutely dazed at the sight of the beach receding by a few miles. In that beautiful moonlight i saw a nice lovely Blue Castle which was glittering in the moonlight.

I felt that blue marble structure should have been built several centuries ago and would have got submerged in the sea. But why nothing had been written about this structure by historians all these years? I was amazed by the sight of such a huge Castle just few meters away from the Marina beach in Chennai.

I looked at my wife and children and they were also standing there with their eyes wide open not able to comprehend the whole scene. We were standing at Marina Beach and instead of the usual sight of the never ending waves on the sea we were witnessing a large stretch of land, almost like a valley, and in the middle right in front of our eyes was the magnificent Blue Castle. Where from did they get that blue marble? Or did it get the blue color because of all those years under the blue sea?

I kept looking at the blue marble Castle – what a spectacle it was. Huge Castle in the middle of the sea and now clearly visible under the moonlight because of the Ocean Receding.

Suddenly the thought of “what goes would come back” came to my mind. I felt the chillness all over my body at the very thought of the Sea coming back to its old position.

The sea will come back and it would come back with a huge force. I also dreaded the thought of the Castle again getting covered by the Sea. That would be a great disappointment. But, sea coming back with a hugeforce sent shivers down my spine. We had to run from the place rapidly. Thoughts of Tsunami came to my mind.

The mixed feelings of fear and disappointment ran in my mind.

I had to do something immediately. My mind started working out possibilities.
And I got up with a jolt to find myself in my bedroom in Dubai and it was exactly 3 a.m. in the morning.

….. T P Anand, Dubai
30th June 2009

முதல் ஓட்டு அனுபவம்

நான் என்னுடய முதல் ஓட்டு பதிவை நினைவு கூர்ந்து பார்க்கிறேன்.

என் தந்தை என் பாட்டியிடம்: ”நாங்க எல்லாரும் ஓட்டு போட்டாச்சு நீயும் ஆனந்தும் போய் ஓட்டு போட்டுட்டு வாங்க. ஹெச்.வி. ஹாண்டேக்கு ஓட்டு போடும்மா அவர் நல்லவர் அதுவும் அவர் ஒரு ப்ராமணர் செரியா?”
உடனே என் பாட்டி : ”யாருடா அது ஹாண்டெ?”

என் தந்தை: ”அவர்தாம்மா போன வாரம் வந்து நம்ப தெருவிலே ஓட்டு கேட்டாரே நம்ப ஆத்து வாசல்ல நின்னு கண்டிப்பா எனக்கு ஓட்டு போடுங்கோன்னு கேட்டாரே ஞாபகம் இருக்கா?”

என் பாட்டி: ”என்னமோ போடா எனக்கு சரிபடலே”

என் தந்தை: ”அம்மா உனக்கு புரியாது பேசாம போ ஹெச்.வி. ஹாண்டேக்கு ஓட்டு போடு.” (என் பாட்டியிடம்) “அம்மா! தேர்தல் சீட்டுல பேரு தேட கஷ்டமா இருக்கும் அதனால சேவல் சின்னத்த பார்த்து ஓட்டு போடு” (என்னை பார்த்து) ”டேய் ஆனந்த் பாட்டி கூட போய் ஓட்டு போடு”.

என் பாட்டி: ”நன்னா இருக்கு நீ சொல்லரது – சேவலும் வேண்டாம் கோழியும் வேண்டாம் நான் போய் சூரியன்ல ஓட்டு போட்டுட்டு வரேன். நீ வாடா ஆனந்த் நம்போ ரெண்டு பேரும் போய் ஓட்டு போட்டுட்டு வரலாம்”

நானும் ஏதோ பிரமை பிடித்தவன் போல என் பாட்டி கூடவே போய் ஓட்டு போட்டேன்.
என் பாட்டிக்கு 80 வயதுக்கு மேலிருக்கும் அப்போது (கிட்டத்தட்ட 23 வருடங்களுக்கு முன்னால்). இப்படித்தான் இந்தியர்களில் பெரும்பாலோர் ஏன், எதற்கு, யாருக்கு என்று தெரியாமலே, யோசிக்காமலே வாக்களிக்கிறார்கள்.

என் பாட்டி சொன்னதால் சூரியனுக்கு வாக்களித்த அந்த முதல் வாக்குக்கு பிறகு, இன்றுவரை நான் என் வாக்குரிமையை பயன்படுத்தவில்லை. இதில் பெரும்பாலும் வெளிநாட்டில் இருந்தது என்பது, பல காரணங்களில் ஒரு காரணம்.

ஆனந்த்
April 2009

Cinema in Chennai

I watched couple of movies in the new Express Mall when i visited Chennai in November 2010. Express Mall is the latest mall to be added in Chennai and they have a nice cineplex on the third level called "Escape". I was reminded of the good old days.

Three decades back there were very few theatres which had multiple screens in Chennai. Devi Theatre (Devi, Devi Paradise, Devi Bala); Saffire Theatre (Saffire, Blue Diamond and Emerald); Sathyam Theatre (Sathyam, Santham, Subham).

In those days there were only three shows 2.30 p.m., 6.30 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. Some of the theatres would have 11 a.m. show which was popularly known as the Morning Show. The 2.30 p.m. show was called Matinee; 6.30 p.m. was known as Evening Show and the 10.30 p.m. show was called Night Show. Later they started having four shows 1, 4, 7 and 10 p.m. Anna Theatre which was opened next to Shanti Theatre (behind GeeGee complex) was the first to start 4 shows with 1, 4, 7, 10 timings.

I did not see any film in the night show as my parents would never allow us to go for night show (which is what i practice now with my children as i also do not allow my children to watch night show).

Blue Diamond was the only theatre to have continuous shows and hence you could get in anytime and watch the movie from the middle and you could get out whenever you feel like (even after watching the movies several times). I heard that was a cozy and comfortable place for lot of young lovers in the 1970s and 1980s..

I remember watching my first English Film in "Children's Theatre" which later became Kalaivanar Arangam (recently it has been demolished). I watched the film "Its a Mad Mad Mad World".

Paragon Theatre in Walajah Road used to be my favourite as they used to always screen old films. I have seen Pasamalar, Pava Mannippu, Rathakkanneer, Then Nilavu, Thiruvilayaadal, Aalayamani, Bale Pandiya, etc. in that theatre. I used to go with my school days friend Ramesh Babu. We used to watch the same movie two or three times.

Noorjahan Talkies near the Saidapet Bridge was a theatre i dreaded the most. While you are seriously watching the movie you would feel some heavy crawling on your foot. "Peruchaali" used to run over the legs. When i went to that theatre for the second time i kept my feet on the seat throughtout the film as i was scared of the peruchaali running over my feet.

Plaza Theatre next to the Devi Theatre (you have to walk a good 500 meters from Mount Road to reach the theatre) was another popular theatre as i have watched a few Jaishankar films there with my father. I have seen Thunive Thunai, Jambu, etc., in that theatre with my father. After watching Thunive Thunai we came back home and my mother was very curious to know about the film and she kept asking my father "padam eppudi erunthathu". My father has enormous sense of humour and he quipped "padam nallathan erunthathu peru thaan seriyille". After a few minutes he said "thuniye thunainu peru vachirunthaalna nanna erunthirukkum".

I have watched "Anna Poorani" first day first show in Bhuvaneswari theatre in Tiruvottiyur. I went with my parents and we had to change two buses to reach the theatre.

I watched Yadon Ki Bharat in Star Theatre on Triplicane High Road. Every now and then i was pestering my father to tell me what was happening. He was terribly bugged by me throughout the film as i did not understand any of the dialogues. When we came home he tole my mother "Yadon Ki Bharat cinema pakkanum". My mother said "eppothane paathuttu vandeengo". My father said "Naan enga cinema pathen ethu en pakkathula okkanthundu thonakkottinde erunthathu".

Alankar was opened in those days and i have seen "Raiders of the last Ark" and few tamil films there. Some of the other theatres that i have known are Midland, Geity, Odean, Chitra Talkies, Broadway, Mekala, Ram.

I have seen some horror films those days like Exhaursist, Omen, Friday the 13th. There were lot of Laurel & Hardy, Charlie Chaplin films those days which was real fun to watch. We also used to see the "Carry On" series which was again fun.

I also remember some of the great films like Mackenna's Gold, Enter the Dragon, Bees, Kramer Vs.Kramer, Three Mosquiteers. The tamil poster for some of these films used to be very funny - "Mackennavin Vairam"; "moondru MGR Veerargal".

We had a choice of English, Tamil and Hindi movies to watch in those days in Chennai.

Good old days..........

Grand Sweets Sweats

Whenever I am in Chennai I go to Grand Sweets in Adyar. It is a great shop to visit and purchase mouth watering sweets and savouries. They also have some ready made stuff like Pulikachal, Tomato Thokku, etc. You can also treat yourself to a hot Adai or Kuzhi Paniyaaram or Sambar Vadai and offlate even hot jelabi.

I visited the shop just before Deepavali and found lot of renovation work being carried out. One of the staff members informed my wife that the sisters who bequethed the shop are now splitting the business into two.

I went to Grand Sweets today and found the whole place in a chaotic mess. The shop has been divided into two and there is a 9 inch wall in the middle to separate the two divisions. The staff, customers and onlookers are all sweating. It is sad to see that the same set of staff and same set of customers, were transacting with so much ease just a few weeks back, when it was a unified shop and today when the shop is divided into two there is still lot of sweet and lot of sweat. The same old staff are struggling now to cater to the customers, do the billing, delivery and there is too much confusion and chaos in the whole place. Some of the popular items that "Thattai" is not available in both the divisions.

Regular customers like me will have difficulty going to Grand Sweets as we do not know which division to walk into and what to expect??? I was rather disappointed with the shopping experience i got today at Grand Sweets. The sweets are still there in two divisions under the same roof but the Grandier and Comfort of buying the sweet is not there any more.

19th November 2010

Sigarangalin Sangamam

True to its name the function "Sigarangalin Sangamam" was a congregation of great personalities who are each a Sigaram in their own way. On stage we had P.Suseela, T.M.Soundararajan, P.B.Srinivas, K.J.Yesudas, Balamurali Krishna, Vani Jayaram, L.R.Eswari, A.L.Raghavan, Chitra, Mano and Hariharan. RMKV organised this programme in Nehru Indoor Stadium on Sunday, 14th November 2010.

P.Suseela Music Trust honoured three legends - TMS, PBS and Yesudas.

P.Suseela started the show with her old song "Unnai kaanadha kannum kannalla". It was very soothing to listen to that song after a long time. This was followed by another P.Suseela hit "Unnai ondru kaetten unmai solla vendum" rendered by the great Chinna Kuyil Chitra. L.R.Eswari rendered one of her all time super hit songs "Kaathodu thaan naan paaduven". While the pallavi was sung well she found it hard to sing the rest of the song due to her old age.

Unni Menon sang with P.Suseela "Kaalidasan Kannadasan kavidai nee nerungi vaa padikkalam". P.Suseela's daughter-in-law Sandya then sang "kaalai thendral paadi varum raagam oru raagam". I am listening to Sandya for the first time and she has a very good voice.

Hariharan sang two songs "Ennai thaalatta varuvaala" and "Aayiram Nilavae vaa".
Hari did not practice this SPB hit and could not render justice to the song. Mano came on stage to sing the great TMS song "Ado anda paravai pola vaazha vendum". While he was struggling to reach the high pitch notes the audience was recalling the TMS original in their minds.

TMS, PBS attempted to sing and could not succeed in singing well due to advanced age. They have given such great numbers and the audience enjoyed their presence on stage. When they were singing the great old numbers the entire audience would have rolled back a few decades into the real time when those songs hit the big screen.

A.L.Raghavan surprised everyone by singing the song "Enginrunthaalum Vaazhgha" and it was a treat to listen to him. He sang with ease and voice was excellent despite his age.

Vani Jayaram also sang very well the great P.Suseela number "Aalaya maniyin osaiyai naan kaetten".

Balamurali Krishna sang very well despite his advanced age. He sang the song "Thanga Ratham Vandadu veediyile" with P.Suseela. It was a fantastic presentation by both of them. Balamurali's singing was the highlight of the evening - what a fantastic performer.

Harish Raghavendra got a chance to sing with P.Suseela "thuyilaatha pen ondru kanden". It is a great honour and chance for this young budding singer to perform with the legend in front of other legends. The joy, pride and happiness was all over the faces of his parents.

Yesudas came as the last performer and stole the show with with two great hits "vizhiye kadai yezhudu" and "poove senpoove un vaasal varum".

Staying in Dubai has its own advantages but nothing to beat the advantage of staying in Chennai where one gets to attend these musical nights and other programmes at regular intervals.... I do not miss any of these programmes whenever i am in Chennai.

Vaali 1000

I was really fotunate enough to attend the programme "Vaali 1000" last night at Narada Gana Sabha. It was a twin function to celebrate the 80th Birthday of Vaali and also to release a compilation of 1000 songs written by Vaali for tamil films. He has written several thousand songs and is soon to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for penning maximum number of songs for films.

The programme started with a few memorable film songs of Vaali which was presented in Bharata Natyam. The dance arrangement for Dhasavatharam Song - Mukunda Mukunda - was terrific.

The book was released by Kamal Haasan. Felicitations were offered by Cho Ramaswamy, P.Suseela, Nalli Kuppusamy Chetty, Saroja Devi, M.S.Viswanathan, S.P.Muthuraman, Director Shankar, Surya, Kamal, Rajini, Vairamuthu, S.P.Balasubramaniam, Palani Bharathy and others.

The auditorium was full and several people watched the programme by standing. I was fortunate to get a seat around 7.30.

Super Star Rajini stormed into the Auditorium at 9 p.m. with Vairamuthu - he surprised everyone including Vaali. SPB was rendering some of the super hits of Vaali and had to abruptly stop singing when Rajini walked into the stage as there was a thunderous applause to welcome the Super Star on stage. SPB must have felt humiliated and insulted as he was forced to stop singing due to the applause for Rajini. After the super star storm settled SPB continued to sing as if nothing had happened. What a great singer he is. At 64 his voice is still the same as what i have heard 30 years ago...

Vaali dedicated his entire success to M.S.Viswanathan and honoured him with a momento and cash of Rs.2 lacs. Vaali's thanks giving speech was excellent and when he spoke i really felt like listening to a youngster. He is 80 years old and is still very young at heart. The kind of songs he has written over the last 50 years is testimony to his youth which is still continuing.

Vaali's songs were one of the key factors that helped the great MGR to become Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Vadivelu, T.M.Soundararajan, P.B.Srinivas, Vaani Jeyaram and Krishna Sweets owner are some of them who came on stage to honour Vaali.

Overall it was a very nice programme and a great feeling to see such great achievers on the stage.

14th November 2010

HAPPY DIWALI

I wish you all a very happy Diwali.

There is a lot of talk about the crackers, pollution, child labour, etc.

I enjoy the fireworks in Triplicane in the evening around Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Temple. It is really a treat to watch.

I also enjoy watching fireworks in the Dubai Creek during Dubai Shopping Festival.

Enjoy the festivities tomorrow with lot of fun, lot of sweets and lots and lots of happiness..

T.P.Anand
Chennai, 4th November 2010

Air Travel Experience

I am travelling tonight to Chennai and thought i should reproduce my article on "My Air Travel Experience" which i wrote in February 2010. I will write a sequel to this very soon.

I first went to see the Madras Airport in Meenambakkam as a teenager when my father was travelling on official trip to Bombay. All of us went with my father to see him off at the Meenambakkam Airport. There was only one Aircraft in the Airport and we could go to the Viewers Gallery and wait till the plane took off. This episode was a half a day affair for the entire family. This first trip to an Airport is still green in my memory though it is more than 30 years old. When my father came back from Bombay after few days he explained to us about how the Aircraft takes off and how it lands. What I saw and heard was very fascinating and I started dreaming about having such experience when I grow up and become an Officer like my father in a big Organization.

I did not wait too long to make my first trip by Air as it happened in 1984 when I was pursuing my Chartered Accountancy Course.

It was the same old Meenambakkam Airport and I went to the Airport with my brother-in-law (my sister’s husband) as he was travelling to Cochin from Madras and I had to take a flight to Mangalore via Bangalore. He cautioned me that the Air Hostess will give a drink before take off and it will be a horrible drink. He left before me as his flight departed 45 minutes earlier than my flight. I was able to look through the glass and see two aircrafts, which was an improvement from the days when my father was travelling to Bombay with only one aircraft in the entire Airport, as there were two of them.

I waited in the small waiting area in the Airport and there were about 20 -30 passengers with me who were taking the flight to Bangalore. I got into the Indian Airlines flight and was quite fascinated by the interiors. All along I was curiously watching whatever I could see through the window. The Air-hostess suddenly appeared on my side with a tray full of some juice and I instantly accepted one glass and drank it. After drinking it I realized that I have been warned by my brother-in-law that the drink will taste horrible (sweet and sour). I did not like the taste of the drink and told myself that I should avoid it in the next flight and also during my return journey.

I enjoyed the flight from Madras to Bangalore thoroughly and the best thing I liked about my first air travel is “the visit to the loo”. I was astonished to see such a cute small toilet and was more fascinated by the way the flush out works.

I kept talking about this for several months to my friends. The flight to Bangalore was very comfortable and smooth though I felt it was too short. The next flight from Bangalore to Mangalore was very turbulent and once the Aircraft dropped all of a sudden (may be by a 1000 feet). It was a frightening experience but luckily lasted only a few minutes.

Bangalore Airport and Mangalore Airports were also very small and there was only one aircraft in both these airports (the aircraft in which I travelled).

I travelled on International Flight for the first time in October 1990 and that was Madras to Singapore by Singapore Airlines on a Jumbo Boeing 747. I landed in Changi Airport at 6 a.m. and was thrilled to see so many aircrafts in the Airport. I would have seen at least 20 Aircrafts in one row when I landed in Changi Airport. One month later I read in the newspaper – Straits Times – that Changi Terminal 2 has been inaugurated.

I travelled several times over the next couple of years to Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, Dubai, India, Malaysia and was thrilled by my experience of seeing both Changi 1 and Changi 2 in Singapore . The Airports in Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur were really huge airports with all facilities. Whilst I continued to wonder how Madras Airport remained the same with small airport and very few aircrafts in sight.

I travelled to Dubai in 1992 and was quite surprised to see a small airport – fully crowded on all sides with kiosks, shops and Cars/Motorbikes on raffle draws. There were airport staff yelling “passengers to Singapore please proceed for boarding”. This was in total contrast to what I saw in Singapore which was much more organized and much larger in scale when I compared with Dubai.

In 1992 I had the wonderful opportunity of travelling to Russia. I travelled on Ilyushin Series Aircrafts throughout the trip except one flight from Moscow to Vladivostok which was on Airbus. That was a wonderful travel experience because I travelled on a 12 hour non-stop flight from Moscow to Vladivostok. This flight covers a distance of nearly 1/3rd of the length of the earth and it crosses six time zones.

When I travelled again to Dubai in 1993, 1994 and 2001 I was astonished to see the improvements in the Airport and the facilities. I was particularly thrilled by the Duty Free Shopping Experience in Dubai Airport.

I left Singapore in 1993 and returned after six years in 1999 and found that the Airport has become even bigger with much better facilities.

My trip to USA in 1999 which was decided all of a sudden was truly a magnificent experience. Myself and my friend Sam travelled to several places in the US and because we chose Continental Airlines for our internal travel (VUSA ticket – Visit USA) we ended up visiting more cities. Continental has three hubs in USA – Newark, Houston and Cleveland. If they do not have a direct flight you end up going through the hub and that is why we visiting Cleveland and Houston Airports though it was not part of our itinerary. Every second day we were in a plane and it was a truly amazing experience. We visited Los Angles, New York, Atlanta, Orlando, San Francisco during this visit. When we landed in Atlanta the aircraft was early by 10 minutes and hence the Pilot announced that we will be in the waiting area before we get a proper arrival bay in the Airport. While the Aircraft was parked in one corner of the Airport I was totally stunned to see so many runways in the Airport. I told Sam that the Airport must have been renovated for the Atlanta Olympics. When we reached the information desk I checked with the staff and was totally shocked when she said “this airport is 30years old and is now due for renovation”. I was immediately thinking about Madras Airport which has remained almost the same for the last 15years 1984 – 1999 (with small changes and expansions).

I visited Singapore and Kuala Lumpur again in 2006 when I went on a short holiday with my family. I was astonished to see the improvements that were made in both the Airports. The waiting lounge, duty free shopping and other facilities in the Airport were far superior and made us feel very comfortable. It was much better than what I have experienced in some of the five star hotels.

In May 2008 I went to Europe with my family and had the opportunity of visiting Paris, London, Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Switzerland. As we were travelling from Chennai on Lufthansa we had to go through the Frankfurt Airport both ways. It is a huge Airport with several terminals and several hundred Aircrafts.

In January 2010 I travelled from Madras to Dubai and realized there were five gates in the Anna International Airport of Chennai. There were only two Aircrafts in the Airport and probably a few more in the Domestic Airport. The number of Airlines operating to/from Chennai has increased manifolds and the number of aircrafts has also increased manifolds over the last 25years . But still Chennai Airport looks very small and tiny in comparison many other Airports around the world. Dubai Airport has three terminals with several hundred gates for the departure and arrival of flights. Now in 2010 Dubai Airport has expanded a lot and has all the facilities and probably it is better thanSingapore Airport in terms of the facilities and Duty Free Experience.

Chennai Airport has only one terminal with 5 gates and of course one Duty Free Shop which sells about 20 varieties of Alcoholic beverages and 5 varieties of Cigarettes.

In the last 25 years I have travelled to several parts of the world – except Australia and Mainland China. I have really had some very memorable and wonderful experience and each time I landed in Chennai I could not help but compare Chennai Airport with other cities around the world. I thoroughly enjoy Air Travel and love to see different cities around the world and hope that someday Chennai Airport will also be a huge Airport with two or three terminals and lot of activity with full facilities.

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Mobile Phone & Radio Technology

The mobile phones are basically working on the radio frequency.  I have seen emails being forwarded on how small petty shops in Bombay in India provide repair solutions to mobile phones.  They brag about 18 year old youngsters providing repair solution to complicated mobile devices like i-Phone, Blackberry, etc.

30 years back we had only Radio - i remember as a small boy, we used to call a big set connected to direct power as "Radio" and a small set which is hand carried and works on battery as "Transistor".  We used to follow cricket matches by listening to "Radio Commentary".

In those days if the boys fail in SSLC (which is the final year at School) they will be sent to Rajagopal's Institute of Radio Technology (behind Hindu Office in Mount Road) which is in Chintadripet in Chennai.  After studying the one year course the boy will be called as a "Radio Mechanic" and he becomes eligible to set up a small shop to repair "Radio" "Transistor" "Tape Recorder" etc.  I have seen quite a few who graduated from this institute and set up their own Electrical Repair Shops..

The technology is very simple in a Radio and thus was easy for a school drop-out to understand and absorb.  I have seen transistor radio being assembled and sold on pavements in Delhi (Chandni Chowk area).

The advent of Mobile Phones is a big boon to those "Radio Mechanics" as the radio transistor concept is what works in a mobile phone "Radio Frequency".  However the present day mobile phones are much more complicated compared to a transistor of those days.  The present day mobile phone has a Phone, FM Radio, MP3 player, Camera, Organiser, Alarm Clock, Watch, Calendar, Calculator and many more packed inside the unit.

The so-called "school drop outs" are able to easily learn the technology and with regular practice and interest they become experts in providing repair solutions for the mobile phones.  It also helps youngsters who are not able to afford Engineering Degree and end up doing diploma or certificate courses in Electronics and Communication.

When new technology comes we all get excited but it is actually the same old technology which gets improvised.  I am happy that there are millions of mobile phones being sold in India.  This would mean job opportunity for thousands of youngsters who could provide the repair solution to customers at every street corner all over India.

Why I stopped watching TV Serials

Yesterday was the first day that i consciously avoided watching TV Serials.  I took the decision last week when i was watching "Thendral".  The amount of sufferings that "Tulasi" is made to undergo is really too much to digest.  Added to that the mother-in-law character and the way she speaks.  I have never heard such sharp dialogues in my entire life and i do not know how the director chose to show such dialogues in a TV serial.

The story line in almost all the TV serials is almost similar.  There are two families who are at logger heads.  There is a constant hatred for one family and its members.  Within that there are so many twists, angles, problems, police cases, extra-marital affairs, family separations, family squabbles, etc.  Whether it is "Thendral" or "Thangam" or "Chellame" or "Idayam" the underlying story is that of sorrow, revenge and ill-feeling.  The extent of sorrow and problems they show is sometimes unsurmountable.  People who have heart problems should never watch any of these TV serials as they will end up in the hospital, after watching 3 episodes in a row.

I am feeling totally relieved because i dont have to worry about "Tulasi" or "Chellamma" or "Ganga" anymore.  I have stopped watching the TV serials from yesterday and i think i have finally made a wise decision in life.

DAILY ROUTINE

Every day when we get up in the morning we are opening a new leaf in our life. It gives us a great feeling when we get up in the morning and start thinking about what is in store for us during the day.

As the day progresses we confront some unplanned activity which happens on most of the days. The execution of the planned as well as the unplanned activity during a day depends entirely on how well or ill organised we are.

It is good to follow a daily routine list so as to structure our day to day living.  This structured approach will also help in executing both planned as well as the unplanned activity during the day with the best of our abilities.

The daily routine also paves the way for defining our lifestyle which is very important for a healthy and happy living.

I have been visiting Dr.Gandhi Murugan in Dubai for regular BP Checkup as I am under his treatment for Hypertension since 2006.  He advised me to change my lifestyle and I took his advice very seriously in August 2010.

We have only 24 hours in a day and out of that 8 hours are spent in sleep.  Out of the remaining 16 hours 3 hours are spent on shower, shave, nature's call, dressing, reading newspaper, having morning Tea/Coffee and having food (breakfast, lunch and Dinner).  Out of the balance 13 hours we need about 11 hours for going to work (including commuting time).  We are then left with only 2 hours for ourselves.  We have to pack so many things in that 2 hours - Exercise, Self Improvement, Family, Friends, Personal emails, Phone Calls, Chats, etc.

Packing so many activities in that 2 hours which is the prime time in the evening is the challenge faced by many of us.  We end up doing some compromise or the other and we also end up postponing things.  If we give priority for family then we cannot spend time with friends.  If we give priority for emails, phone calls and chats then we cannot have time for exercise or self improvement.

It is a huge task to manage the time and rank priorities in life.  The things that are paramount in staying healthy and happy with a positive mindset are Physical Exercise; Attention to Family; Personal Time to Think/Introspect/Stay positive.

Luckily the above crunch for time happens only on Weekdays and the weekends are the days to spend quality time with family and friends.  We get 11 hours on each weekend as free time as we do not go to work.  This time needs to be entirely devoted for Family, Friends and Self Improvement.



Time flies and we cannot control the movement of the clock.  The best way to control our activities and fit into a cramped day is to regiment.  Nothing works better than regimentation.

Going to bed at 10 p.m. is the key to success.  Most of us have difficulty in this as we tend to extend the day beyond 10 p.m. because of phone calls or internet browsing or chatting or watching Television.  It is extremely important to cut out the activities and defining the timelines for each activity so that the day definitely ends at 10 p.m.  Unless we fix this we will not be able to start the day the next morning at 6 a.m.  Hence I feel the most important daily routine should be to go to bed at 10 p.m.

The first alarm should be at 6 a.m.  After a beautiful dream filled night sleep the most irritating thing is the first alarm.  It is inevitable though irritable and hence have the first alarm at 6 a.m.  The second alarm should be at 6.05 and the third one at 6.10.  The second alarm brings us to reality that it has dawned into the next morning.  The third alarm will help us to prepare for the rise up in the morning.  By 6.15 latest we should be out of the bed.  The next 30 minutes can be spent on brushing your teeth, attending to nature's call, having the first morning coffee/tea and going through the newspaper.

6.45 to 7.30 should be devoted for Physical Exercise.  It is extremely important to do the physical exercise in the morning preferably on empty stomach.  The first coffee or tea in the morning should be taken ideally after the physical exercise.

After the Exercise we can devote another 45 minutes for shave, shower, dressing up and breakfast.  By 8.15 a.m. we have to leave for work.

It is always better to start the day at work with a plan - make a "things to do" list and provide time for unplanned activity which will come your way from your boss.  The regimentation at work will help to finish all the tasks by 6 p.m. and leave the office latest by 6.30 p.m.

If you reach home by 7 p.m. you should spend a good one hour with the Family.  Sharing your day's experiences and getting to know theirs is a great way of spending time with Family.  Watching TV with the Family is certainly not considered as time spent with family.

Dinner should be finished before 9 p.m.  If you are able to strictly follow this practice of having dinner before 9 p.m. then it will be very easy to go to bed by 9.45 - 10 p.m.  Ideally 15 minutes before sleeping we should sit and think.  Thinking is very important part of the daily routine as this keeps us focused on top priorities; it helps to introspect on what has happened during the day; it helps to plan for the next day and above all it will help us to stay positive.




I have been following a regimented daily routine for the last over 8 weeks.  I get up at 6.15 a.m. in the morning and go for a brisk walk at 6.45 a.m.  I get back home from morning walk at 7.30 a.m.

I reach office before 8.30 a.m. and plan my day's work.  I take a heavy lunch at 1 p.m. and follow it up with a nap for 20 minutes.  The short nap in the afternoon really helps me to keep fresh in the post lunch session.

When I get back home in the evening I get busy with dish washing, cooking and cleaning which is a good way to relax and unwind.  I finish my dinner before 9 p.m. and the next one hour is spent on telphone calls, chats, emails, sudoku.  I go to bed by 10 p.m.

The change in my daily routine over the last 8 weeks has really made me feel healthy and fresh throughout the day.  I am able to think better and focus better on both personal matters as well as the official matters.

T.P.ANAND
DUBAI, U.A.E.
Article written on 14th October 2010 and published in www.sathyamurthy.com on 18th October 2010.

New Beginning

I have made a new beginning today by creating my own blog "TP Talks".  I love to talk and express my views and hence chose the name "TP Talks".

I have been pondering with the idea of creating a database where i could store all my thoughts and views.  I have also been thinking of writing down the various incidents, experiences that i have encountered in the past.

I have been writing articles in my friend Sathyamurthy's website for more than one year now and I will publish those articles here through my blog.

"TP Talks" will act as a dashboard for me and the rest of the world to see my views and thoughts from time to time.

I request all the readers to send in their comments and suggestions.