DMK AIADMK & I


I was 11 years old when JayaLalitha swept TN polls & she became the Chief Minister for the first time… She won because;

  • of publicising her saree removing episode in the assembly…
  • of the alliance with congress and gained the sympathy votes gained by Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination…

That was an age where I was not interested in politics & that would be the talk of the town…

JJ’s first tenure started when I was too young and ended when I was 16 & an age where I started following politics…

That was a rule filled with autocracy & corruption… The whole state was against her & year 1996 was an entertaining year…

  • It saw congress splitting in TN and Tamil Manila Congress emerged and allied with DMK…
  • Super Star RajiniKanth almost entered into politics…
  • Sun Tv emerged into prominence because of Sandlehood smuggler Veerappan…

All the above factors & anti-incubancy against JJ saw the end of her rule… Entire TN cherished & it was almost end of road for JJ…

Then 1996 was also a turning point for the state of TN… State was lagging behind other states & pro -capitalist DMK came to power both on the Centre with Third front & in the state…

Tamil Nadu saw true development in terms of infrastructure & with industries…

When left front collapsed in 2 years in centre… BJP lead NDA came to power & DMK right fully joins NDA…

Then everyone felt DMK would make it back… As JJ was facing corruption charges & still her autocratic rule was fresh in the mind… But there was an under-current which made all political observers wrong…

DMK collapsed & JJ returned to power… This time she did good governance with her autocratic attitude…

In between NDA collapsed in the centre during 2004 & DMK was prompt in changing alliance with Congress lead UPA and won all 40 parliamentary seats in TN & Puducherry…

Then came 2006 and people were applauding JJ’s rule & it was thought she will win… But DMK chief’s last minute promise of 1 KG rice for Re.1 clicked… Also it was perfectly timed & JJ couldn’t do much…

In spite she won 70 seats & DMK formed a government in spite of being a minority…

It was return of UPA for the second time… This 2 year rule is full of corruption & DMK minister was in the lime light of India’s biggest corruption till date… Also UPA 2 was filled with controversies like;

  • 2G Spectrum Scandal
  • Common Wealth Games Scandal
  • Appointment of Chief Vigilance Officer
  • Inflation

Now it is 2011 and the political scenario in TN is heated up… DMK has gone for polarisation politics & gave lavish numbers to number caste based parties… Their ugly quarrel with Congress happened in public & finally DMK bowed down…

As per vote share DMK is comfortable with 49% against AIADMK’s 41%… But DMK has to fight;

  • Anti-incubancy
  • 2G Spectrum Scam
  • Already fragile alliance with congress
  • Inflation
  • Monopoly & Domination of Real Estate, Media, Movies & Television
  • Groupism within the family

So far nothing is going right for DMK… Also seeing their feud with congress there can be post election alliance if there is a broken verdict…

Also DMK was in power in the Centre for last 15 years… May 13 should be an interesting day & it time to have fun…

Are we emotional idiots?


At least with me it is true… Being a person who has favoured DMK since my childhood; I decided to vote for AIADMK… Reason being too much domination of Karunanidhi’s family on almost every industry; particularly Movies, Real estate & Television…

Also the 2G spectrum scam added fuel to that fire…

I being educated & the ability to think fell prey for emotions…

Yes this current feud between DMK & Congress made me to sympathise DMK… For a moment anger against them became sympathy…

Only now I realize the importance of emotional voters whose mindset fluctuates & can change the game…

Faking Life


Yesterday I was getting repeated calls from my Mom & Dad… I’m missed picking their calls… It was something & they have never done like this before…

Then I reverted back to their call at late night… My dad picked the call in the very first ring & he started shouting at me for up loading photos of me drinking toddy…

He said he didn’t like me posting such pictures… He said for the position I’m holding I must not do such things…

Immediately several questions flashed my mind;

  • Why should I fake my Life & live a masked life…
  • If wine tasting is a festival culture; why can’t I enjoy tasting toddy

Since I didn’t want to let down my father I immediately agreed to delete the pictures…

But really I feel frustrated for bowing down to emotional pressure which arises out of societal pressure #sucks….

Allow others to win as well


There once lived a great Mathematician in a village outside Ujjain. He was often called by the local king to advice on matters related to the economy. His reputation had spread as far as Taxila in the North and Kanchi in the South. So it hurt him very much when the village headman told him, “You may be a great mathematician who advises the king on economic matters but your son does not know the value of gold or silver.”

The mathematician called his son and asked, “What is more valuable – gold or silver?” “Gold,” said the son. “That is correct. Why is it then that the village headman makes fun of you, claims you do not know the value of gold or silver? He teases me every day. He mocks me before other village elders as a father who neglects his son. This hurts me. I feel everyone in the village is laughing behind my back because you do not know what is more valuable, gold or silver. Explain this to me, son.”

So the son of the mathematician told his father the reason why the village headman carried this iMpression. “Every day on my way to school, the village headman calls me to his house. There, in front of all village elders, he holds out a silver coin in one hand and a gold coin in other. He asks me to pick up the more valuable coin. I pick the silver coin. He laughs, the elders jeer, everyone makes fun of me. And then I go to school. This happens every day. That is why they tell you I do not know the value of gold or silver.”

The father was confused. His son knew the value of gold and silver, and yet when asked to choose between a gold coin and silver coin always picked the silver coin. “Why don’t you pick up the gold coin?” he asked. In response, the son took the father to his room and showed him a box. In the box were at least a hundred silver coins. Turning to his father, the mathematician’s son said, “The day I pick up the gold coin the game will stop. They will stop having fun and I will stop making money.”

Moral:

Sometimes in life, we have to play the fool because our seniors and our peers, and sometimes even our juniors like it. That does not mean we lose in the game of life. It just means allowing others to win in one arena of the game, while we win in the other arena of the game. We have to choose which arena matters to us and which arenas do not.

Facebook Lures & Punishes


I’ve been barred from adding friends for 5 times… So, here is how you are punished;

First Time – 1 day Ban
Second Time – 4 days Ban
Third Time – 8 Days Ban
Fourth Time – 16 days Ban
Fifth Time – 30 days Ban

Ban for sending friend request to unknown people… But every-time when I add a friend I get a list of suggestions who are my friends friend and more importantly they list only Girl Friends in the suggestion box… I cant understand what sort of a trap it is… If I get banned for next time I think it should be for 60 days :)…

Look at the screenshot which lists only girls are recommendations / suggestions;

Lessons from Bed Room


When I woke up this morning from bed & asked myself;

What is life all about?
What are some of the secrets of success in life?

The answers were right there in your room;

  • The Fan said – Be cool.
  • The Roof said – Aim high.
  • The Window said – See the world.
  • The Clock said – Every minute is precious.
  • The Mirror said – Reflect before you act.
  • The Calendar said – Be up to date.
  • The Door said – Push hard for your goals.
  • The Carpet said – Kneel down and pray. 

Carry a Heart that never Hates. Carry a Smile that never Fades. Carry a Touch that never Hurts.

Being AnandNataraj


I’ve blogged about this often and I think I’ll be blogging about this topic in future too…. For those who keep reading about this often; please excuse me because I use my blog as a tool for expression…

It all started when I uploaded a bunch of pictures while consuming toddy…. Immediately I started getting advice from my friends to delete it or to make it visible only to certain friends…. Though they advised me as a well wisher…. I didn’t want to follow what they said…

So what are the effects of posting such a picture?

  • My image as a entrepreneur gets a beating…
  • My marriage could get affected because of this…

But if I start thinking about what people will think of me…. I’ll start leading a false life & over a point I might loose my Identity…. For me I want to me as open as possible…. Though I paid heavy prices for this openness I don’t want to change because of some bad experiences….

Though there might be certain hiccups initially once I become big acceptance will get bigger…. Some great personalities are;

  • Vijay Mallaya
  • Richard Branson

These people have shown me path for leading a life as we like and never bother about society or succumb to pressure it gives….

So what is Being AnandNataraj?

  • Someone who doesn’t bother about society and lives life for himself is Being AnandNataraj….
  • Someone who give damn for Privacy is Being AnandNataraj…
  • Someone who has the guts & fire on the a$$ is Being AnandNataraj….
  • Someone who thinks RISK & failure is a part of life is Being AnandNataraj….
  • Someone who is a Decision maker even it is right or wrong is Being AnandNataraj….
  • Someone who agrees his failures / mistakes / embarrassments is Being AnandNataraj….

Though it is hard for common people to accept me and my acts…. I’m happy Being AnandNataraj thought my actions leads to criticism, embarrassment etc.

 

KBC & SMS!!! Similarly weigh Airtel’s Forced activation of your mobiles for Worldcup Cricket Alerts


A little behind-the-scene info won’t  hurt……assuming it’s correct!

You all know it’s a good business. But have you ever pondered… How Good??

Any guesses?? Let’s see…  Airtel is charging Rs. 6 per SMS sent for this contest.

Assuming there are only 100 entries from say 10 cities of some 20 districts and 20 states…

6(Rs/SMS) x 100(entries) x 10(cities) x 20(districts) x 20(states) = 6 x 100 x 10 x 20 x 20 = Rs.24,00,000  (2.4 million) in 20 minutes. (People trying for the 2 lakhs cash prize)  Imagine what if 1000 entries try out from 100 cities????

The figure simply grows by 2 more zeroes and yields a whopping 24 Crores!!!!

And it does not stop there…  In practice it could be another multiple of 100 or worst case a multiple of 1000 on an average.  In that case it is 24 x 100 crores earnings in just 20 minutes on every episode!!!

And the prize money : A mere 2 crore (and from whose pocket?)  Smart Business By Siddharth Basu!  And the best part of this calculation is just the SMS earning!!  What about the Ad money???

A rough annual profit calculation goes like this:  2400 x 5 x 4) (episode/month) x 12 = 5,76,000 crores.  Let even 50% get dissolved in taxes and other payments, still you will be left with (which includes even the meagre 480 crores of prize money i.e.if every episode bags 2 crore prize)!

2,88,000  crores profit (only from SMS)

Simple Question “KAUN BANEGA CROREPATI” and your options are—
A) SONY TV
B) AIRTEL
C) AMITABH BACHAN
D) SIDDHARTH BASU,

Computerji iska jawab batayiye….

Ans : All FOUR.

Mistake made me feel great!!!


Yesterday while driving to office I got a call from the person who sold Hotel Accord Metropolitan membership to me… She wished me Happy Birthday & said one more celebrity was celebrating his birthday today and asked did I know who he is???

  • I said it was Shahid Kapoor & she said that was a news for her and she said it was someone else…
  • Then I said it was Premji Ameran & again she said it was a news to her and she said the person was different…

Since I ran out of options she said it was Gautham Vasudev Menon’s birthday too… That made me think more special as he is one of my favorite directors… She said he is also a privileged member like me & she said she has called me after wishing him… I was doubly thrilled to be a a part of a club which had such celebrities & my favorite director as a member…

Then she said there was a complementary cake offered as a gift from the Hotel… Since I was busy treating my folks I asked my office admin to collect the cake form the hotel… The packing was nice and I thought I must share this cake with my parents & sister as I didn’t offer them for my birthday…

When I reached home & opened the box I was in for a shock… I got the cake which was supposedly prepared for Gautam Vasudev Menon :)… Though the cake neither had my name nor the flavor I requested I didn’t get angry… Gautam must have got my cake and would have wondered who Anand Nataraj was?? I just realized that I must have registered my name as AnandNataraj.Com so that he could have at-least hit my blog ;)… Not sure how he reacted or felt about the mix up… I was happy & the cake was really delicious… Gautam was good even in selecting the flavors he choose :)…

This is what i got :)…

Yet another Birthday to Remember!!!!


As usual it was yet another Birthday to remember and thanks to all Cogzians… In fact first to wish for my birthday from Cogzians & Vimala was the first to call me… It was followed by Major Karthik & then my mom & sister wished me… From then on;

  • Got calls till 2 AM & it started pouring from 7 AM… I got up by 10 AM and started picking and reverting calls…
  • Then emails were pouring from midnight… Parallel task 1 is to reply to emails while talking…
  • Then it was pouring wishes in FaceBook… Parallel task 2 is to reply FB wishes while replying to emails & picking calls :)…
  • Then Got a call from Hotel Accord Metropolitan to wish me for my birthday… I asked them to book table for 12 people & my bad luck all tables were full… I got a bit nervous and upset because I asked all my folks not to carry lunch…
  • I asked Boopathi to book for some other star hotels for buffet & almost all star hotels were full with reservations :(…
  • Then I started to office by 12.30 PM & reached office by 1 PM… While driving I got the news that no hotel had free table including Green Park… Then I called a influential friend of mine & bang we got table in Green Park & that too with a discount with 30%…
  • After doing some small task we immediately started to Green Park… We were made to wait for 30 min to get the table…
  • In the mean time I found a friend of mine & invited me for a drink… After two shots to tequila I joined the team for lunch…
  • Before lunch I was asked to cut the cake & time to receive the gift by Team…
  • As usual it was time to pull down each other & time for showing our lighter side… Though we can’t blog about the fun we had… We spent almost 3 hours which ran in a jiffy…
  • To my surprise Bill I received was Rs.3600/- for a 10 member buffet…
  • Came back to office & gave home made cakes from Cakes Allure…
  • Then I went to Adambakkam office and must thank Aravind who made the moment special by putting my true age “22” :)…

I must thank Bala Murugan, Boopathi, Ramanan, Sowmya, Soniya, Patrick, Sangeetha, Suganthi & Brigadeesh for making the day special… I really missed Vimala (first person who wished me :)) & Dhanalakshmi… Here are some snaps of the special moment;