Reflection

Picture by Jeevan

A bubble
breathes for a brief
like a fish out of water.

Reminds,
how colorful our world
being a transparent globe.

Like a projector
 reflects creative lights
using its thin layer of film. 

Smokey and the Bandit

I had fun on Sunday watching the film Smokey and the Bandit, a comedy action entertainment featuring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Jackie Gleason. The 1977 film, based on a series of high-speed pursuit has commendable comedy scenes comprising action and hilarious lines, settles on a simple track of transporting a truckload of beer across state lines of US.

Two truck-divers (Bandit and Snowman) accepts the challenge of picking up a truckload of beer from Texas to southern Georgia, which is illegal at that time to transport specific kind of beer across state lines, for the refreshment of two big-shots.  Soon enough both were at the highways; Bandit on his black Pontiac Trans Am (a speedy car) kept roping the police towards him (as a decoy) to keep away their attention from the illegal truckload driving by Snowman. Meanwhile Bandit picks up a runaway bride ‘Carrie’ on his car where he becomes the target of Texas Sheriff ‘Justice’, a senior law officer whose younger son was yet to be Carrie’s groom.

With specific time and distance in miles, the film runs at high speed chasing, skating, jumping and floating of cars was highly influenced by CB radios, through which they seek acquaintance from fellow truckers that help them to escape from police pursuits. The most interesting part of the film was music, which captivate the mood exactly while on pursuit and increases the speed thrill. The best of all was legendary Jackie Gleason’s character as law officer targeting the Bandit, whose serious intentions all make laugh as it become funny.

Apart Burt Reynolds and Sally Field - as lead make charm and become sweet companion on the pursuit - the ‘Pontiac Trans Am’ has been hero wades through different terrains. The film seems to be inspiration for many films unrolled on the series of pursuit and I could relate many Indian movies with similar stunt sequences which perhaps could be a replica of Smokey and the Bandit. The film director (Hal Needham) himself been a stuntman has left impression. It is the only movie I have experienced with constant chasing entertainment… may be there could be some need to check.

வட்ட நிலா / Round Moon

Picture by Jeevan

நீலவானில் வட்ட நிலா

இரவு வேளை கண் விழிக்கும்.

இமை எல்லாம் கருவிழியாய்

கவர்ந்திழுக்கும், வெள்ளை நிலா.

எட்டாத தொலைவில்

ஒரு வெள்ளை பனியாரம்.

மறைந்தும் மறையாமல்

என்றும் உருகாத வனில்லா (பனிப்பாகு).

ரசிக்காத கண்கள் இல்லை

வர்ணிக்காத கவிஞன் இல்லை

வட்ட வடிவில் பெண் நிலா

வசியம் செய்யும் வெண்ணிலா. 

Round moon on blue sky
wakes up during the night.
Everything as eyelids as iris
attractive white moon.

At far beyond
a while dish.
Hidden but never hideaway
ever melted vanilla (ice cream).

There’s no eyes fail to admire
 there’s no poet fail to describe
A female moon in round shape
the mesmerism.

Ayyanar statue on the outskirt of Chennai!

One Sunday afternoon we were at the outskirts of Chennai and not so far from the city border but almost inside a village surrounded by green fields and buffaloes emerging around. 5 km from Medavakkam on the road to Mambakkam that connects the Vandalur-Kelambakkam road, one could get a glimpse of a taller statue of Ayyanar (the guardian deity of villages), only if you looking for it really, because the trees or houses could hinder the view easily as it lies inside a small village.

 added warm tone to get a terrific look :)

A narrow concrete road leads to this statue, after few rights or lefts inside the village, an open space appear and there a two story height Ayyanar statue sits on an elevated platform. Looked like a newly erected one or recently painted stands solemn with a long size sword hold to his right hand, this is the biggest Ayyanar statue I have seen ever. The Ayyanar statues are spread all around Tamil Nadu and I have seen them many in numbers while travel through the south-western districts of Tamil Nadu.

village buffaloes

The time everyone was suppose to take a nap; the men of the village were playing cards sitting on the empty roads under the tree shadows, as a group here and there leave little space for our car to pass on. A mother feeding her kid from a small bowl in hand directed us to the temple.  Adjacent to the Ayyanar statue, sat his cousin Karupannasami - a black small statue similar to the larger one with wood fence around. On the other side was an Amman Temple built with enough space around, and I guess the statue was erected on behalf of the temple and there’s also a tank behind the statue.

green coconut palms near the temple

Apart these, one could also find vast landscape of green fields around this village and Siththalapaakam Lake is right opposite to this place with a patch of forest area… I find it quite pleasure and leisure taking this route (Medavakkam-Mambakkam Rd) few times. 

Auto rickshaws and fares

There are number of travel options in Chennai and of course overall India, Auto rickshaw is one of public transport easily available in cities and small towns - share autos has no boundary - but it has been a troublesome commutation forever and many a time a auto ride ends with quarrel related to fare. I have witnessed number of incidents on this line and sometime there will also be clashes between auto drivers and commuters settling on fare. It’s been very long time I traveled in an auto, but still I hear about the disputes continue to fall here and there on the line.

image courtesy: google

In Chennai, autos rarely drop their meters to calculate the fare fixed by authorities rather the amount is predestined by auto drives depending on the destination. But that doesn't mean a content commuting; the fare may rise above the spoken amount when we reached the destination. The auto divers will not hesitate on requesting excess fee above the amount showed on meters but we can’t blame them quite, as we all know the price of petrol has been on hike boundlessly and moreover almost auto drives come from poverty what can be their priority other than money.

I too know money is not all about and not all auto drivers are similar to mentioned above.  There are very few drops for less fee or fare free understating the hardship of others, just like the one who helped my mom for just approaching his auto without knowing customers inside. He came back after dropping them at their place to assist mom walking back home bearing home needs, for which he requested nothing but left it to her choice of anything.  For any emergence the auto comes first when others hesitate to help thinking not to get into any trouble.

Many autos bear words of ‘free for delivery’ (I don’t know they truly follows the lines), their sentiment towards women are high. The movies contribute to autos are much higher and many top actors had been auto drivers in films has showcased how much one could help with autos. The government’s revised auto fare announced on Sunday (after six years) have brought hope with both auto rickshaw divers and commuters; the autos that about to fit with GPS meters, electronic digital printers and panic buttons (on pressing, the police will immediately come to rescue the commuters in case of emergency), the auto ride sounds safe and comfortable.

New fare details:

Rs.25 for first 1.8 km and Rs. 12 for every additional km

50 % high on late night (11 p.m. to 5 a.m.) rides

Rs. 3.50 for every five minutes of waiting and Rs.42 for an hour.