Radha KalyaaNa

Ms.Radha was a devout lady who gave Mr.Krishna(Lord) all the love he wanted and more. Mr.Krishna and Ms.Radha never married they say. Ms.Radha to Mrs.Radha never happened. Alas, Ms.Radha could neither say, "Nam yajmaanru Mr.Krishna anta. Ee world affairs ella nodkotaare. Avara jothe ne hogidde monne, Shaanta Bai maduve ge" nor could she say "Nam yajmaanru idaarala, avara 15,678 hendti maga, Dennis anta. Avana second son John idaaanala, avanige nam Kenchammanna kottirodu".

But what if they'd(Krish and Rad) married? How grand would the celebration be? To depict that, 'Radha KalyaaNa' was organised by a really devout lot.

The celebrations began at 6PM, sharp. It opened with Master Sriram's performance. Laudable, it was. The twelve year old mesmerized the audience with his Carnatic music(vocal) talent. Gifted was the boy who maintained the aplomb of a professional singer. Time flew like an arrow. It was 8PM ! Time for some more show of talent.


Let me introduce an extraordinarily talented family. Sriram's mother, Chidroopi, is a brilliant vocalist. So is Sriram's father, Mr.Eshwar Prasad. Eshwar Prasad and his son perform Bharatnatya too. What ye fyaaamileee!

A standing ovation greeted them and they were on the dias before the roaring clap died down. Ms.Chidroopi kicked off the show with a soothing song. Slowly, it gathered momentum and in less than 10 minutes, the song was in full flow. Very expressive, the father and son pair were. Commencing with the birth of Krishna, they moved to the killing of Kamsa and then came the romance with Radha. The father-son duo signed off with 'The Dashaavataara' which received an applause longer than any I've ever heard/seen.


It was 12 midnight. Then came the most wonderful thing. A lamp was lit in the middle of the huge hall. We were about 200 devout people. We all gathered around the lamp and circled it as a Bhajan troupe chanted a shloka. Slowly, a mridangam gave out short beats. The cadence of the same was so mesmeric that unknowingly, there was tapping of the feet. Energy levels slowly went up and so did the pinking.The tempo grew in steps. In less than 10 minutes, the tempo had hit the ceiling. So had the energy levels. Two hundred people which included two octogenarians danced and made merry. For over 30 minutes it went on as everyone shook off all their worries. The dance drew a smile on everyone's face. A night to remember, it was!

Radha-KalyaaNa happens each year. One time slot will be marked in my calender for the same, come what may.

Changes to Formula 1

The GOD of motorsport.
Eighty thousand components.
Zero to 100 and back to zero --> 5 seconds.
Change of 4 tyres, 90 litres fuel, wing adjustments --> 8 seconds.

Determination, Stamina, Skill and Strategy win the game. F1, it is...

But, nothing's been happening on the Formula 1(F1) front of late. I am of the opinion that the game is getting duller by the day. The viewership has come down by 2 million, they say. Here are a few tips Mr.Ecclestone, to get the adrenaline pumping.

1) Strategically/Randomly/secretly place explosives in 20% of the cars. People love watching cars go BOOM!

2) Allow Street hawkers to set up stalls on either side of the track. This would add a festive spirit to the event where-in the audience can have the pleasure of treating themselves to delicacies from all over the world(An Indian hawker, for example, might carry Bhel puri, Idli-sambar, obbattu, kadubu etc)

3) Shoot the driver who crashes out in the first 10 laps. He/She has not provided us enough entertainment.

4) Make arrangements for remote controlled braking systems. Remove/Make a driver's brakes dysfunctional when he's doing 300kmph. After this, zoom a camera into the driver's face to study his expressions.

5) When a car comes into the pit, allow the pit crew to go on a flash strike. Remove tyres and go home.

6) Discourage/Bar drivers from using helmets. Also, at irregular intervals, pop up speed brakers on the track.

7) When a driver is seen at the far end of the track, help a blind old woman cross track.

8) Create/Emulate real workd scenarios. Allow traffic in both directions.

Long live the game!