The Record Loss and The Freak Out

So hey there! Nice to see you reading my blog again. Ah, it feels so good when people actually read what I write. The Good Times.

I really have to tell you about the thin between me and the Records Notes. I have a very special relationship with them. I handle them with ultimate care. I Wrap them, label them, decorate them. I am just kidding, I’ve never done these stuff unless it’s the day of that record’s exam or when I have to get sign for that record. I handle records so badly that  I tend to lose them quite often and I usually just find them the day before the exam.

I am this guy  in this class who everyone gets the record to write from. Well, I am in no way to brag here but I lend records to help people complete theirs. Not everyone wants to be this guy. The one who will take all the effort and completes the records/assignment whereas the friends can just take the privilege of just copying from this guy. It’s insane. Really. But it also feels good when you think deep that you’re actually helping people. I mean, your friends. Well, there’s nothing here to brag about, I finish a lot of my Records/Assignments usually a day or two delayed from the due submission date only but truth is that there are students who are in the mindset that they can get the signature on the day of exam before entering the examination hall.

I’ve never been able to be like that. If I ever was like that, I’ll probably die from the fear whether or not the course teacher will be available at the Examination Hall to get signature. But my friends are hell brave and Confident. They never lose hope, they’ll just casually swing by an unsigned assignment to the Exam Hall and even Braver they bring the Records too straight to the Hall. You know what, it requires certain amount of…wait….a humungous amount of guts to do that. To be frank, I can’t be like that. Take it your way; I am way too afraid to do that. The way the External Staff comes is one thing that you can never guess. You expect an easy staff but BAM you get the Eternal Psycho. And when you fear your external to be a brutal Animal you get a Bunny rabbit. You get the point, right?

The fact is, I lend my records/assignments just the moment I get sign from the Course teacher. Say, I am getting signature for my “Crop Production” record from my Course Teacher Mr. Ravi Kumar sir, as soon as the ink dries after he signs and I walk with a smile back to seat, all I’ll be hearing is a “machan, machan, machan” and “POOF!” the record will be in someone else’s hands. I mean, this is good. I don’t have to take the record back with me to my room, so that means “Weightage Reduced”. We get too excited for the temporary things and the stupid mind wouldn’t even think of what is in store for in the future.

This kinda happens to me the day before every exam: “I can’t find my Record”

See if you've been reading my blog for quite a while now, you must have known that I am a huge Absent minded guy. So that’ll mean that the “Machan machan machan” sound will just mean the sound and my stupid, idiot, nonsense, country brute mind wouldn't be able to recollect of whose sound it was and to whom I gave the record to. I’ll be all at sea and deep in thoughts meditating about to whom/where I gave/kept my record. But it’ll be in total vain.

Have you ever seen this movie THE RING? You sure might have. The movie has this concept of getting a phone call as soon as you watch a video from a videotape. The call will be out of nowhere right? Just like that, I’ll get a call from a friend before the day of the exam and he’ll say “Machan, un record enta iruku da” (Bro, your record is with me) or I’ll go to my three spots where I can search  for my record. It’ll be there definitely. Because, whenever I go these friends’ rooms, sometimes I leave my stuff there. So there’s a big possibility that I might have left my record too or even when some friends who take my record from me and complete stop by here and drop it in this room which is my friend Raj Kumar who is the representative of the class.

I was happy when I always kept experiencing this shit. You don’t know the pain of loss unless you've experienced it yourself (Guhan, this is an way big quote for your simple record book theory, so just quit it) I kept getting my record back exactly when I needed it, no problems arose so I never had to bother even a bit. Universe always has this special place for you when it can literally sweep you off the floor when you expect it the least.

So, this story happened this semester. Yeah, yeah the story is just beginning. Lose the yawning. This was a big semester for me. But the record works were quite easy on the whole. So, before the attendance was over we did and completed, well, I did and completed all of the records and got signature before the attendance closure. I thought “That escalated quickly.”

Then after two days of holidays, the practical exam started and the exam were a pain in the neck. You know why? I had exams by 6:30. No, not p.m. but yes a.m.  Can you believe that? Exams before even the roosters are up. I feel like crying now. Why should I always be the one who gets in these tricky batches anyway??? Well, to be true, I have no friggin’ idea. I had to wake up way too early and study (only in the mornings) and then have to make sure that I don’t fall asleep in the middle where my mom will be calling repeatedly to check on me. So this being the case, the practical exam was quite a pain in the arse. Yeah, it was. Man, it was horrible to be waking at those undevil-ing hours.

So, yeah. This Biochemistry exam was the very next day when I completed my “that day” exam and came to my room and decided to take a nap. And I took for like a long time, a really long time.  When I woke up I searched for the record and I couldn't find it. I wasn't surprised as I thought that it’ll be somewhere in my friend’s room. But when I called the Raj Kumar’s room up and asked he said, it was not there. I repeat  “It is not there”

There. It’s time for me to start panicking. Not so soon. I thought maybe I’ll make some calls to my friends. See there are these three spots I told you about no? where I go or my records end up being. My Representative’s room, The Malligai Hostel, The Kurinji Hostel. You know about the representative’s room, the Malligai illam is where some of my friends are staying. Sometimes my records would have been borrowed by them and they’ll have it. And my one friend who often comes to my room stays in the Kurinji Illam and sometimes he too has my records. So I called them up and told them to search for it. But it was total waste of time, they too didn't’t have it.

Now that all my chances of getting the record were lost, yes, you’re right. It was time for me to start panicking. AHHHHHHHHH! Well yeah, now. I went to tis rep’s room that evening after that nap. I slept till 3 in the evening. So I probably got ready and went there by 5.30 I guess. I told them that I’ve searched everywhere. The problem was that I've never lost a record like this and even so not till the day before that specified exam. The thing is I can make a new record that night itself and I have to get sign from the respective course teachers before the exam. When was my exam? 6.30 and when? In the friggin’ morning. Mostly the course teachers are hard to meet before that. You know, the tension you’ll be having to know whether or not the staff will be available. This was a collaboration subject where it was split with two subjects and the subjects being handled by two staffs which means I have to meet both of them for the Signature.

So as I reached this Rep’s room, there’s a guy in his room who already lost his record of the same subject. One of the staffs of this subject really was a strict guy and he would be pissed off so madly that he actually tore my friend’s record when he took a new record for getting sign after he lost his old one. He probably drew a diagram illegible due to the hurry. He told sir that he lost the record and the sir replied “Just because you lost it, doesn't give you the rights to draw whatever the way you want” and tore the record and threw it towards the door. This was one that I was scared of. Well, I have heard a lot about this sir. He is very..you know..ah..yeah….you know…kind of….way too strict.

A really good thing happened to my friend that after he got his new record torn and thrown away he found his old record which had been already signed. But after his record was torn and thrown ( I am telling that way lot more I guess ) he bought a new record and during his process of writing it, he got the old one back. I had this option, I could write on his record because he hadn't written name on it which turned out to be a good thing for me.

It was a small record only and already my friend had completed half of it. I had only a half to draw. I began without any further ado. I wrapped it up very soon (well I am scribbler. You guys know me) Then the other thing has to be achieved. The Signature. After finishing, I called up both of the sirs and both of them asked me to come to their places by the night and get the signature. I couldn't waste anytime. In the meantime, the friends in the room went to solve a problem. A 2^nd year boy hit our friend with a stump. So they went to clear the problem off.  On the other hand, I borrowed a TVS Scooty from my friend Rahul Tangkhu. I zoomed in search of both of their houses which I had no idea where they were.

This is probably the first time I was asking for their home directions on the phone, for what, getting sign on the record. I mean, they are kind enough to do that, I couldn't be more happier. The first home I went was the “Strict Sir”. He was so polite to me and took the record and signed it and gave it back to me. And he wished me for the exam too. Man, that was cool. I was fearing a lot but he said no word. And yes, I had another stop to make. I found directions to the other staff’s room and he too was waiting with a Red pen in his hands. As soon as I entered I explained it all again and he didn’t even utter a word other than “It’s okay.”. He was in his free-est in his home. It was good to see him without his formal dresses and all but he still rocked his Samsung S3 in his hand after he signed my record.

I was on luck that day. Thanks to the already half written record. Thanks to the good moods of the staffs on that day that was warm enough for me to go get signs in their respective homes too. Remember the problem my friends went to solve, yeah, the guy got beaten by a stump and got his hand bone cracked or something. They were in the college hospital, yeah, my college has a hospital (Which we call the OP) so I went to see him. Usually I would be wandering in my cycle which makes my going places very low. But now that I had this TVS scooty with me, I fueled it for 50 bucks and zoomed to the hospital. Yeah, that guy ended up okay and they just patched his hand up. Good thing is that he got injured in his left hand.

SO we all came to The Rep room (It’s kinda getting like a thing now). And we talked for sometime and then we slept. Then the next morning people were stumbling to read for the morning exam. The guy with the injury also was in our batch of the morning exam. As I woke up to read for the exam after the sleep. Suddenly I received a call from a friend.

The phone rang for like a single ring and I could see the caller Id for a second 

“Vaepam Poo Calling”

(It is a big story behind that name)

It was obviously a Missed Call. So I called him back, it was unusual of him to call him that time. Some people call me at that time to tell me to bring Brown Sheets/Stick Files/Labels for the records/Biscuits (;p) whilst coming. But this guy has never called me up for something like that. I called him up and asked what was up. He was in his sleep talk. He said something which made me laugh. I couldn't believe it. 

He said : “Dude, I have your Record”. There was nothing I could do but to laugh. I was standing outside and talking.i went into the room where my friends were already reading for the exam . I told them,“ Dudes, Vaepam Poo has my record”

And I replied “Why couldn't you have broken this news to me when I have reached the Exam hall?”

Well, that’s kinda it.

So yeah, while reading it might sound lame but you don’t even know how I felt all throughout. I panic a lot which made the situation even more harder for me. I know this was a stupid post to make, but well. I typed this. And yes, I wrote the exam well and good. That’s a good sign till now.

Anyways, thanks a ton for bearing with my words.

Regards,

Guhan.

Daddy, I got the License

When you are gonna celebrate your Eighteenth birthday, you add two things in you To-do list.

1. Booze

2. Getting Married

No, not that two. They are unofficial. But officially you make sure you do these two things. 

1. Getting the Voter's ID Card

2. Getting the Driver's Licence

Since I am not that much of a political guy, I was never interested in getting the Voter ID anyway. I still don't. But I do hope, I'll get it someday and punch votes (that's the old system na?). Okay then, I'll press buttons to cast my Vote. I think I probably will be doing a neutral vote. 

So, here's a flashback. My 18th birthday was so memorable. I was in Dharmapuri back then. I used to sleep a lot. Believe me, A Lot. I always kept dreaming that my 18th birthday would be awesome. But the reality can sometimes hit you so hard that you stammer to even get up. Yes, I didn't get up that morning. That morning I had like 16 missed calls or something. I was in a such a deep sleep that, I put all the calls that my phone received in Silence. Mom had gone to her college, and dad was in Karaikal and bro was in school. Since it was me all alone, I slept through all the calls and woke up in the early afternoon, like 12.05 or even earlier 12.03. 

I didn't return any of the calls. You know why? When someone calls you on your birthday and you couldn't take the call, you call them back. And you're like "Tell me Happy Birthday". It doesn't seem appropriate for me, so I didn't. So they also didn't. And that's how awesome my Not-a-kid-anymore-birthday was. People would have been pissed or happy that I didin’t answer their calls or they saved a call’s cost respectively with my not-answering-the-call.

So...yes, the Driver's Licence. I've always thought of applying for the licence, exactly the day after the birthday which wasn't that happened. But I delayed a very short period of 365 days, where I crossed my birthday again (Yeah, 19).

So, after getting into college, I became less-active. To speak in easier words, I became freaking lazy. I was so lazy to drag my butt to a driving school and get an LLR (Learner's License Rule). I am not sure whether this is the proper abbreviation. I applied for this LLR in February. 3 days after my brother's birthday, I finally applied. We can go for the final test once we complete 30 days from the date of application of the LLR. 

And the LLR is valid for 6 months and from the 31st day, we can go for the test and you can show your stuff to the RTO. If he approves of you, you can then get the License.

So, back then, I had been juggling with three things at the same time. Maybe workaholics can handle three stuff at a time, but not me definitely.

1. The Passport : My college had a tie-up with an Canadian University (Dalhousie Univesity) on Agriculture that offered course that I can continue there after completing my sixth semester here. Dad was very eager in sending me there. If I was to go there, I would be needing a Passport. The pressure was on. The guy who hardly gets up from the chair is made to go to a travel agency and constantly inquire about what to do next. Most of the time, I don't really understand what they tell me and I don't really give a damn. And all of a sudden, my college was took over by the government and the tie-up was locked out. So, No Canada. No Passport. Dad has told me to get it any soon. It's still on the cards. It's on its way.

2. The G-Tech Computer Course : My dad and mom said that I spent too much time on the computers and should utilize my time more efficiently. What did they do? They put me in a Computer course. They had been telling me to join in one for so long and I didn't get up and drag myself anywhere. One day, we were out for shopping when I got down from our car and was getting some things at a shop, they entered this G-tech Computer Education and were discussing about the courses offered there. I was like "Whatever, let's give it a try. Maybe I can meet some girls."

I chose hardware and Networking as I have wanted to do this course whenever I had a chance to do a Computer course. But when I got there "The Internationally Qualified staff was a guy from a nearby village who was 20 years old. The Advertisement reality. But he taught okay. The thin is I got fed up when they started teaching me the "Software Installation". They would put in a CD and ask me to click "Next" for the installation to progress. After that, it was a freaking slow system and it would literally take forever to complete and I sit through the whole process awkwardly staring at the screen. From then, I didn't go there. Well, for obvious reasons.

3. The Driving School : After a two-day of search, I mean trying to search, we found a Driving school and inquired. They told that I should have completed 18. I was 18. But the funny thing is, I and my Mom had this sudden confusion that we came to the conclusion that I wasn't 18 and walked out from the first Driving school. Stupid. While we were on our way back to our home, we found that I actually was 18 already. We were embarrassed to go back to the same school. So my dad signed me up in another School which had part of my name, Raja Driving school. Maybe I was meant to learn Driving there. Universe knows what's best.

The thing that the driver who taught me did was, he never told me what the Gear shift was. Nor did he tell me anything about the ABC (Accelerator Brake Clutch). In fact, he told me nothing. But he would let us drive the vehicle. Then, when we make a mistake, he would say "Is that how you'd do it?". And I'll be like "Sucker, what have you taught me? I am doing it on my own, so shut the pipe up" in my mind. The thing with driving is that if someone teaches you, they will guide you to drive the way they drive the vehicle. Everything should be done exactly how they do it. If that guy who is teaching you slows as soon as he sees a vehicle approaching at a distance of, say, 500m, he wants you to do the very same. We just have to learn the basics and then we have to feel the vehicle by ourselves. As days progress, you'll know when to press and when to shift. It's all about the connection of you with the vehicle, be it a car or bike or whatever.

This being the condition of the school that I was learning in, it did hold me back. But luckily, we had a car for ourselves and that gave me the opportunity to learn on my own. My mom, on the other hand, was scared about taking the car alone and she never would let me take it. Even so, I drove the car daring without her knowledge at times and I did connect with our car. The connection varies obviously for different cars while you are learning. The more you drive, the more you learn. Then it becomes easy with time. 

In the third year of my studies, my college was taken up by the Government. Yes, I’m a part Prviate College and a part Government College Guy! This led to the Attendance factor a crazy one. Before that, it was okay to get low attendance but then, it was freaking serious. So, I had to think twice before I took a day off. After I put the LLR on february, I totally could have took the Driver’s test one month after the applied date. But I didn’t. And the LLR was about to expire in July 3^rd. I had to take the test any soon or the LLR will expire which will make me apply for it again and wait a month. After much of hurdles, I took a day off on the final expiry date of the LLR and finally went up to the RTO Office, one fine Monday. I drove my car (yes, I could drive) to the office and reached there by 10.00 in the morning.

It was a long wait, that I had that day. I waited from the morning till the lunch time in that office in the scorching sun (No, they never gave me a waiting hall). So, this long wait was to see the RTO Officer and to show him my skills in driving. The funny thing was I didn’t know how to put an ‘8’ in the two wheeler. I was kinda nervous.

It was nearly 1 o’clock when the officer came out. My driving school coach or someone, talked to him. HE waved at me in the meaning “GO get the car”. I rushed out , opened my car springing up the keys from my pants and jumped into the Driver’s seat. I gave the car life and drove it inside the office. But suddenly an office car was coming out and I had to take the vehicle out to give space for them to come out. So, I parked outside and went in. I was taken by surprise. The Officer was putting his helmet on and was about to leave. I was puzzled. He was leaving. I was afraid that if I couldn’t get it now I would have to come again in the evening. But they won’t take tests in the evening which means I can’t get it today which will result in ending the LLR. I would also have to take a day off again.

I stood there and gave him a Salute. He responded with a nod. I began, “Sir License?”. And he replied “I passed you, go!” and he took off. That was it. I was approved of a Driver’s License. I didn’t have to show him the ‘8’ that the rule insisted. To my fortune, I was lucky to have this opportunity. 

But yeah, I know learned to drive. Don’t worry about me rash driving and making accidents. I know my limits and actually I am a pace driver. So, it’s not a problem at all. And yeah this is how I got the license.

That’s it. I’ll wind up here.

Anyways, thanks for reading (uh, no) for bearing with the words.

Love,

Guhan!

The Mystery in the toilet (Well, kind of)

So, back in my third semester (why am I talking like Ted?), I moved out from the room where I was with 5 of my friends in a place called Mariyappa Nagar in the second semester as I had some issues and problems at the last month with them. And also I was not comfortable being in a group after all. The thing is, they expect each and every frickin' thing that you do should be, you know, kind of Shared. It's like you lose your freedom totally. You can't do anything on your own. I wasn't all through uncomfortable there but there are some certain moments where I can't tolerate being there. And when the semester came to an end, there occurred a problem during the search of the next Room for the following semester as the House Owner of the current residence didn't like us staying there.

Luckily, one of our friends Ramesh was living a street back where our house was. He only became friends during the end of the semester and he was once (when I not having any fights or something) telling me that he was looking for a Roommate and this came to me as a bit of an advantage so that I moved in with him in the 3rd semester. Simple as that, if it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't ever have had to write this in the first place.

As I said, this place is something very peaceful with my House owner's home in the front and trees like Coconut, Sapota, Mango, Citrus surround the house. It is a three roomed home with a Kitchen a Hall and a so-called bedroom. Rooms are very small, not anything to boast about, but are cool. It is a perfect place for two bachelors to stay and do their studies (well not all the time), well, it is one heck of a place to be precise. It is a great place though.

(Dude, there is nothing that you're saying relates to the title? You telling the story or what? )

Yeah, I am getting to it. As I said, I moved here and things were normal. The toilet was clean, pipes didn't leak, and floor didn't break down. One sudden day, there was something on the toilet that caught my attention. My roommate was not in the room. I was called by the nature (if you catch my drift) and I answered it like everyone does. For that I had to enter toilet and to my surprise and I saw something weird inside. Near the toilet, or whatever that you call the whole setup, I could see a brown squeezed-out version of pickle-like thing. I was puzzled. What could it be? So, after I answered the call, I poured water into the toilet along with this and got out. Then I didn't have the necessity to keep this thing stored in my memory cell.

This went on for a few days. Whenever I come back from my classes I will get to see this. I will just flush water to get rid of it. And one day I started to think about what it was. My first doubt was that it was a Frog's excreta. You know something? There are so many frogs near my room and there tends to be more moisture in the toilet so frogs love these spots and tend to stay here more often. As the doors of the bathroom and the toilets don't cover till the floor, the frogs enter inside freely and stay inside. So, whenever we had to use the toilet, we had to get these frogs out first and then we can occupy the restroom all for ours. But they do come back before we finish, that's another plot. Let's just not go there. All I could believe in was that the black thing was frog's excreta and I was satisfied having this the answer to the puzzle. I wanted these black-things out of the toilets ASAP. We had a packet full of salt that we were not using for the whole semester like our books of that semester. What I did was, I put all the salt into the water exit pit which was the only way I thought the frog was coming because the size of the excreta made us decide that the enemy that we are looking for is a Giant one. I thought that salt harms the frog and it would eventually die because, I have put 'the salt'. Maybe it was my own imagination, I didn't know whether it was really a fact or not.

After I did this masterpiece of mine "the salt pouring" I was free from the excreta. I was happy that I had some detective skills of my own that I can brag about. I told my roommate that I had got rid of the giant and now we didn't have to clean the toilet every time we were to use the toilet. I loved going to the toilet that day because, it was giant-free.

Has this ever happened to you? You are so content that you have accomplished something and something devastating comes following. For example, say, you have secured a State rank in your High School (yeah, a hard example) and just before you enjoy that, someone comes and tells you "False Alarm, you're not it". How would you feel? Well, it's kind of how I felt when I got to know that I really haven't gotten rid of the filthy frog.

Then later one day, I came home and I had to go to the toilet, hard to be telling about my bathroom stories, but anyways as I entered the toilet, I was not aware of anything that was already in there. But, something was. It was there, inside the water hole of the toilet marble or whatever they call it. There it was. Peeking half submerged in the water inside the toilet. It was when I gave out my rare "Ew!" Boys never find anything so gross so easily that we never have the urge to use the ew-word. But there it was. My Ew. I mean, the creature was completely wet and it was in that very small room that had to be the one of the two rooms that we had utter privacy (the other being the bathroom) but this creature was just making that wrong.

What was that? I dragged myself towards a corner of the toilet and looked closely. I got to know what it was. A sewer rat. It all made sense now. The excreta. It was of this guy's. I had made illogical assumptions till then. A Giant frog? I, myself, looked stupid at that moment. This was exactly a sewer rat. It seemed a little different as it was forcing itself out of the toilet water to run away somewhere. Not only me, it was also having me around there. I had disturbed its privacy. It had a long nose, I could make out what its species name was. I was not generous enough to make him feel at home rather I ran out of the toilet (of course with my pants still on). Few moments later, Ramesh came and I explained what was in there. He casually went in and took a look.

He came back with a simple answer. 'It is a Monjoor' he said like he knew it so well. I still can't figure out what it is called in English. We were talking about what it was and how it came there and solutions came as everything was so simple. We discussed on how lame we were to think of the excreta was of a frog and that too a big, giant one. Stupid. This talk ended soon. I was thinking to go criminal with this one. Neither of us had a gun, don't worry.

We had to kill it. But how gross would it be if a rat runs around and you try to kill it, just not a good idea. We tried flushing the toilet with buckets and buckets of water. But it was of no use, it was capable of breathing under water for a relative amount of time. We could estimate that, after all we were students. It definitely should have had some oxygen mask or something in that water. Maybe it had gills, I don't know.

I asked Ramesh, 'How about we make some hot water and pour it down the toilet'. It was so rare that we kept hot water for us to even bath in the winter, but there I was, asking him to make hot water for a freaking rat.

He agreed and we did make some in the electric cooker that we had for our cooking. I knew it was a chance that had only small success rate. But we carried on. The first attempt seemed like a victory, the rat was gone after we poured the hot water down the toilet. Soon before we could enjoy the victory the bastard came peeking out again.

'Damn you, evil little rodent' I told myself. Ramesh had already begun attempt number 2. He was making the hot water again.

I was still checking on this rodent's activities. What does he think he was doing? Maybe he didn't have a path down the toilet, or else he would have been long gone now.

Meanwhile the second round was good to go, Ramesh was standing behind me with the boiling H20 ready to throw it at the monster, or maybe that was just a scared soul, I don't know. Humans, we don't just care about what happens to these animals or rodents. Once we establish our territories, none can enter but us.

The round two was the end of the game; we were successful in getting Mr. Sewer out of the house, or mainly the toilet. He probably would be happy in a different toilet. You deserve that much, Rat. Ours was not even a penny's worth to you.

Ramesh went back to his routine, but I had something else to do.

I so badly wanted to go to the toilet.

And as the doors close behind me, there is a dim light where I sit down and....

You don't wanna hear more than that, this itself is more than enough to make myself embarrassing!

So, this is the biggest gap I think I have ever took between my time between the blogs, I don't know. Just not feeling good enough to be typing these days.

Anyways, hope I made you smile at even a slightest place. Well, if I haven't, no miracle. Happens  ALL. THE. FEAKING.TIME.

Regards,

Guhan.

Paul Harris Daniel - Red Tea

Hey There! Let me not blabber this time. You all know that I wrote a so-called My Views on the movie Paradesi. And I sent it to Visitors' column in Behindwoods. And someone who read my has shared some thoughts on the Author of the Novel Red Tea. Since so less information regarding the author is available on the Internet, I just thought of putting it on my blog and contribute to the answers of those who are searching for this great Author. I sincerely thank the person Mr. Devadas Mohan for taking his time to send what he knew about the Great Person who wrote the Novel "Red Tea". Thank you, Sir. If you're reading this, I am happy like I am in heaven!  So, Mr. Devadas Mohan sent me an Email expressing his love towards Paul Harris Daniel who named Devadas Mohan. Pretty interesting, huh? :) 

Dear Mr. Raja Guhan,

Recently I have gone through your article in ”Behind Woods” regarding Bala’s Paradesi & Dr. Paul Harris Daniel’s Red Tea.

Many people unaware of Dr. Paul Harris Daniel and his Novel Red Tea.

I am sharing here the details of Dr. Paul Harris Daniel, which are in my memory for long time.

·         He was a Chief Medical Officer of Peria Karamalai Group Hospital, a plantation Hospital at Peria Karamalai Estate, Valparai and was living with his family in the Bunglow provided by the Plantation Company near by Hospital.

·         My memory never lost, because I was the first born child in the said Hospital in 1956 ( 1955) and Dr. PH Daniel named me as ’ Mohan Das’, as he was staunch supporter and admirer of Gandhi.

·         In those days, the plantation life was very miserable, and every thing good or worse, was happening around the plantations were known to him.

·         He was also visiting other Plantation Hospitals, like Mudis, Paralai etc., and the doctors working there are well known to him.

·         His visits to different plantations instigated him to write the novel ‘ RED TEA’ which I read when I was in 8^th Std. The narrations in the novel are still in my memory.

·         What I read in the novel were really happening in our presence.

·         My father was also working in the said hospital till his retirement and we were frequent visitors to there and know the doctor PH Daniel.

·         The photographs of Dr. PH Daniel were with us for long time and have been lost in the changing locations.

·         He started the co-operative movement of Anaimalai Staff Association at Valparai.

·         As a part of Election Campaign, he organised a programme at Valparai Ground. Mr. T M Soundararajan & LR Easwari were invited by him, in the year(not exactly known)

·         He was a faithful Christian. But never involved in Conversion of plantation workers to Christianity.

·         Always he fought for the betterment of plantation workers, health, hygienic living conditions, sanitation etc.

·         Bharat Scouts & Guides – movement was in the Plantation School ( Peria Karamalai Aided Middle School) and then Head Master Mr. P Israel worked closely with Doctor Daniel for the children of Plantation Workers.

·         After leaving the plantation, he was at Coimbatore for quite some time (ref.Personal Interview by Mr. Raviraman for his thesis ‘ Bondage in Freedom and Colonial south India Plantation Area-1797-1947”.

·       Photograph of the Hospital, where Dr. Paul Harris Daniel worked.

The Slum Dog Millionaire Effect

First of all, let us get this straight. I am not from Mumbai. Just letting you know, because you might have jumped into wrong conclusions after seeing the title. Neither am I gonna be participating in any Game show and win money nor am I gonna escape from a Child-kidnapping Group.

This happened to me in the second year of my college. I was volunteering my Agricultural College's Literary events 2012-2013, and all thanks to Dr. Kothandaraman Sir for giving me that offer. I surely wouldn't have had any more experience and exposure elsewhere. It was literally the best week I've had in that academic year. So many new friends, Bonding with the participants, getting to know the Seniors (for the first time, seriously!), motivating fellow students to participate in events, Self-participation ( and winning, it seems like I am bragging, doesn't it? Anyways..) and having a wonderful time away from classes. Sir, if you're reading this, I am extremely grateful for getting me that volunteering. Thank you so much, Sir!

I was so much into this Volunteer-thing that I loved it so much and did each and every thing with all my heart and soul (bro, we only have one heart and one soul. People, introducing the disastrous Guhan!). There are couple of things that I needed to work on when I go there.

1. Getting the names of the Participants as a Name list.
2. Serving Tea to the Volunteers and the Judges and the Guest Professors present during the event.

I had to take care of these two jobs with utter care ( Why am I using this word "utter" in many places? Yeah, in Facebook  in my movie reviews and here. Hmm. Suspicious) My personal favourite is the serving-the-tea part. My juniors Yuvaraj, Naveen and Boopathi were co-operating so good. Thank you, Junior Volunteers.  So, here's the thing, they would buy Tea from the canteen and place it outside the competitions hall. And I would serve them to the Judges and whomsoever I am told to serve.

That day was the day for Quiz. yes, it was a General Quiz Competition. There was a Professor hosting the show after a Preliminary test for selecting the 5 finalists. So, my first job was to collect all the question papers from the participants who participated in the Preliminary test. So Number One : CHECK

Before going to Number Two, (No, I am not making a Poo-poo joke ) get this. There were some of my friends who had come to participate in the preliminary. And they all did their best but among them was a friend of mine named Raj Kumar hailing from Pudhukottai district. Actually why I am mentioning his name with his place is that there are 13 Raj Kumars in my class, so to break the confusion rings, I did that. Anyways, he participated and after writing the preliminary, he and his team ( a team has three participants) said that " We're leaving" but luckily, they were luckily selected for the Finals and guess what they bagged the second prize. A Special Shout-out to him and his Team mate Jeeva and another guy. This shows what? Participation does matter.

Then the second job is......Serving. Yeah, you remember? Guess I am not boring you this time. No? I am. Well, Some things never change. Back to business. The juniors picked up tea and the Finals was going on inside where I was filling up the tea cups to get crackin' ( I mean, to serve ). In the competition, if the participants don't answer, the question goes to the audience and if someone from the audience answers he/she gets a chocolate. LET THE GAMES BEGIN. (Guhan, wrong time, wrong Dialogue) Sorry, got distracted.

There was this one round where they would show a personality with 1/4th of the photo and the participants have to find who the personality is. It was going when I was ready with the Tea tray and Biscuits arranged on the tray entering the hall. Before I tell you that, I watch The Big Bang Theory, right? The show is very popular that they sometimes talk about this popular Physics guy and that guy has even appeared on the show. I hang out at a place called Calorie Corner in Chidamabaram. There, they keep the walls with the pictures of Scientists like Einstein, Newton, and this guy! So, I am so familiar with this guy.

As I said, as I entered the room, the participants were looking at the Screen in a puzzled manner. I planned to give tea to the Volunteers first before giving it to the Professors who were there that day. Because the benches and the seating arrangement was like that. While walking towards the volunteers, I glanced at the screen. I didn't even know what the round was. But I am no duck, I could easily understand what was going on there. "They have to guess who the personality is". Bam! Nailed it. And whom I see there? That Big Bang Show guy's one quarter picture beaming on the screen. I was so excited that I wanted to answer and I didn't know that there would be an audience's turn. The Participants were all silent and the question was passed to the audience. And now who watched "The Big Bang Theory"? Who was bringing tea? Who knew that guy? Well, all these questions could be answered with a simple monosyllable. ME!

It was none other than Stephen Hawking. I answered and the audience roared with applause. Never expected it, still don't believe it. They gave me a chocolate and I gave that to someone. It was a very fun day and yes I did serve the remaining tea to everyone. Don't worry.

Dude, What does this have to do with the Slumdog Millionaire?

Well, in that movie, he is a Chai Wala ( Tea Guy ) and he serves tea in a Computer Company or something when he goes into a place where there's someone teaching and the one who teaches asks a question and a guy doesn't know the answer and this protagonist answers. You've seen this? Well, as soon as I answered with that tea tray in my hand, I felt as if I was a part in the Slumdog Millionaire. Yes and that film got Oscars.

But you get the point, right? Anyways, this time, I think I've bored you less. I am capable of more.

Jokes apart, thanks for reading. Love, Guhan! :)

A Poem that got me an actual Prize

You should first know that I am no poet or something. I am a friggin' normal guy with a talent (I don't know why I claim this to be a talent ) of Scribblng words and not making sense. You all know that I scribble a lot. And yes, I scribbled like this in a place where it was actually in a contest and the Scribblification that I did won a Prize. Yes, yes, you can't believe it. Neither could I. I was like "What in the world...?" when it happened.

So, There were many competitions such as English Essay Writing, Elocution, Painting, Drawing, Verse Writing and all such things. I gave my names in all of the writing contest but didin't participate in any except for this Poetry. When I come to the event, I'll think "Maybe we'll participate in this" but suddenly my plan changes and I end up not participating. Even on the day of Poetry I wasn't really in the mood of writing.But yet I sat down got myself a paper from a fellow volunteer and sat there till they gave out the topic. I thought they'd give a single topic but they gave: Global Warming, If my dreams come true, Friendship, Nature and My College Life.

Hmm... Let's see. I can't write about Global warming as I can't write Co2 and all that stuff poetically. Maybe I could have but I didn't choose that. "If my dreams come true" Well, I don't have dreams and if they come true they'll be stupid. So, can't take on that one. "Friendship" If I take this, I'll insert cinema lyrics inside. Creativity can't be maintained. So, NO! My College life. I haven't completed Colleging so I don't know about it completely. But I could've written under this also. I can make it funnier. But I chose the Nature Topic. Yes, I felt like taking it.

 I sat there in silence thinking about what to write. Nothing sparkled or came up or Glowed like bulb or snapped into my mind there. So I began with a line the my brother used to sing a song with a wrong lyric. There is a line in one song in Kama Hassan's Vishwaroopam : "I wanna be there someday" and my brother would sing it like "I wanna be the sunshine". I used it because it has sun which is Nature. I had no idea of what to write further and then I wrote like I was in an Examination where I keep a pen and the flow of words comes up like a river. So did the poem develop. And after many childish well-known words and things, I completed the poem.I signed it and gave it for the judgement. I told everyone that it was not that much worth of a Winning poem. But I had my Fingers Crossed if I may say that.

I wandered here and there as I was too, a Volunteer. The judge came onto the stage to announce the winners and instead of announcing it from third to first he decided to announce it from First to the Third. He began." And the first Prize goes to....." and I wasn't really expecting this but he continued "....Raja Guhan". There was applause from the audience. The people to whom I told that I wouldn't win were in a surprise and they were all smiling at seeing my "I won?" expression. I was literally with open mouth when they announced the winner. Dr. Kothandaraman shook my hands. It was an honour. and I really was at sea and surprised at the same time.

My heart bounced with joy. I was really, extremely happy. They called me on stage to read out the poem. They handed me the paper in which I wrote the poem. I was still making faces.Then I began to read with slight mistakes as I am no Englsih person and still trying to make sense and making the poem look like a real poem. You don't know how hard it is to do that. But anyways, my boundary-less brain let out something on a paper and got me an actual friggin' prize. Thanks for that, Cerebral or whatever that is responsible for that.

Read my poem here below. I am saying you, don't have a mindset that it'll look like a Poem if you're expecting that. It's something that came out of a stupid person's mind. So, here it goes...

I want to be the Sunshine,

The big bang turned out just fine.

I see the sunrise and sunset

Adding to mother earth's modest pride mountains!

I wonder how these magics happened

I want to be with, till the end.

Sparkling Springs and marvellous air,

We are just tenants and claim this to be our lair.

Jungles made of greenish trees,

Water that reflects blossoming blue,

Soil that sources the brown,

Flowers that bloom in ecstasy,

I got eyes to feel them all,

This miracle is the power of nature.

So evolved are we? Spoiling the earth's beauty,

Have we lost the trust that even animals carry?

Here we stand arguing about how it all formed,

But we lose to enjoy while we still got time.

Let's get the machine guns armed

To eliminate the harms we do to earth in time! 

                                                  -R.Raja Guhan

Once again, thanks for bearing with my words. 

I want this in my Cheek so hard!

Hi guys, Welcome back! I gotta tell you something that I wanna experience in my life so friggin' bad. This may sound crazy to many of you (if you're still reading this) as it kind of looks like a thing that no one usually wants to happen in their life! So, what do I wanna experience? It is simple. It hurts. IT involves an another person. Can do on our own but will look silly. So, stop guessing! It's a SLAP!

I said this would be crazy. Now, DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHO RAJA GUHAN IS? DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT HE IS FIRE? Sorry. Vishwaroopam interjection.  Slapping is a thing that involves a person who will use his/her hand to hit another person on their cheek. I don't know how it is expressed in words (Yes, I searched in google, it was not there) but here's how I'll say it. "Chat" "Tishhhhh" (as in the cinemas) "Palaaar". No, I can't do this anymore. I'll just mention it as "Slap". Damn it.

I just want to get slapped so hard on my cheek. Why do I wanna get slapped so bad? Well, I really don't know why but it just makes me feel that I wanna get it experienced in my life. To be honest, frank and other suck words, I swear I haven't been slapped by someone till now. Wait! I remember now. I was once slapped by my Tamizh teacher when I was in my 6 or 7th grade. Actually she is my Mom's friend and we are in touch with her even now. She lives nearby Karaikal only. That must be the only slap in my history that I remember. Well, I can't remember whether my mom slapped me when I was an infant, well, who knows? I haven't got that hell of a memory.

You are welcome if you are willing to come forward and do this to me. Wait, hold on, before you get to conclusions, I don't want to get slapped without no reason at all. You gotta have a solid reason if you are about to slap me. Say, I am coming to tell my love to you and you frickin' hate me. In that situation you have the full rights to slap me so bad that my cheeks turn red. And also if I have done something wrong and that hurts someone literally and figuratively.

So, I am waiting for that very moment! Hoping that it doesn't come this Valentine's day!

Cheers, Bye!

The Kumudham Fever

Well. Well. Well. Look where I've reached. This is not something that I am proud of but I feel immensely to let you all know that I am ready to make you regret once again and yes this is the fiftieth time. Hurray for the 50th post. Wish me for being even more stupider and more Non-sensing idiot and write as many Blogposts as possible. Please pardon me for the "Seerum Sura". I am so sorry, if that had hurt your feelings.

Maybe I haven't told you something of how I spent my twelfth holidays. I became a Book-reader and yes I was off reading some novels. I have always been a Novel and a fictious kind of guy. I read only fiction and this went through the whole of my vacation period. Suddenly, something happened. What? What? vacation ended and I had to get to college. I was getting a little bit of sad, so I took some my books along with me to College. Those books are Chetan Bhagat's Five Poine Someone, Arthur Conan Doyle's Detective Stories, Rohit Sharma's Discover Your Destiny ( obviously not a fiction or a novel, it is a Self-motivation book and it is my cousin's book. I still don't remember this thing, did I give it back to him?), and two Rajesh Kumar's ( I believe you know him, if not kindly GOOGLE) pocket novels.

These books are still there, I really haven't gotten any time to read all of these again (Yes, I have read them all). When I was in the first room (or home as I like it to be called) I started reading this Kumudham stuff. You know, this weekly magazine, putting up stuff that mainly comprises of Cinema and small politics stuff which actually isn't much worth reading if you'll ask me. Well, to be frank, I was too much into that thing as I actually read the magazines without fail, Every. Single. Week. It became like something that I began to expect when the time came for that magazine to be in the stores.

This thing went on for like four months or so, that is equal to 8 magazines in a row. And then things became sour for me, you, I started getting bored with the usual repetitive shit that comes over and over again. And the short headlines on the Book's cover are truly misleading and are just put up to make the people buy it, marketing tricks. But I can't blame them for doing that. They have to make sales, don't they?

But I do read it at times, the part inside the book called the One Page Story lightens me up. It feels so good that people come up with awesometacular things in just a single page story. I also like the questions that readers can ask the guy called ARASU. He gives creative answers and I did get mad when I got his technique to questions like, "Who will you sit with if Trisha, Amala and Nayan or on the same plane you are in?" He would tell something like, "with Trisha sitting opposite and Nayan near mw and Amala sitting on my lap." I mean, (Explicit language Abbreviated) WTF bro??

Sometimes, the poem page is a feel-good page to read. But what I don't understand is that how some users are so addicted to it even after reading this for like, years or so. Anyways, it is their wish to read or whatever. I can't interject that part. So, Kumudham, is a short-period enjoyable magazine. pretty awesome to a particular extent.

If you think Kungumam is the same as Kumutham and you say that Kungumam is way more better, better shoot yourself. Kungumam is a XEROX of Kumudham and the Editor knows it.

I had no idea of what I was going to write even when I clicked on the "New Post" on the blogger. I turned to my left and in our unused TV table, in the lower rack, lay a Kumudham edition that I recently bought to read it on a bus with Tulsi Nayar's (Heroine of Kadal) picture on the cover. And that clicked and here I sit boring you with something that you never expected that this would be.


Thanks for bearing with my words.

This is Guhan, signing off, Take Care, Buh-bye!!

My first ever ODT

I don't know whether there is a proper abbreviation for this thing but I already gave it one. ODT is One Day Ticket. I think you are familiar with this scheme or whatever. The principle (what?) behind this ODT is you get this One Day Ticket in the morning and you can travel in all Government buses for that particular whole day. No matter how many buses you board or how many stops you get down, you just pay 50 bucks.

 This is a pretty useful scheme for those who have to travel a lot in a single day. Saves their money a lot. But there are some restrictions, you cannot board in Private buses (dude, that's what "all Government buses" mean. Guhan is a disaster, I can't believe you are reading this) and this ticket becomes invalid in Night Buses. And the problem is you cannot differentiate the Day and Night Buses.  So, I have always wanted to take an ODT and travel in a place and go to random places and enjoy the whole day. It has always in my wishlist. And exactly on Pongal (Jan 14th, 2013), I had to go to Coimbatore to my Aunt's home. I started way too early and I ended up reaching the destination i.e. Coimbatore by 3.30 itself.

I had to take the bus numbers 7 or 5. But it was way too early for those buses to be in the Bus stand. So, I stood there in my black tee in that mind freaking cold. Drank two cups of tea to make myself feel warm, but it was not helping at all. I should have known that cold that would prevail here and should have come here with necessary Blanket or a Bedspread. I am way too foolish to plan something before-hand and I know that. I had some plans in my mind. This ODT poster was on a shop and I planned to take one and wander around Covai. Every bus that I boarded said that they were night buses and they can't give me a ODT. So, I waited and waited and waited till 5 o'clock ( and yes, that makes one and a half hour of Waiting). Actually, why did I wait? I didn't want my aunt to be disturbed at this undevilish hour. I just wanted to travel for sometime in bus and go to their home, you know after the Sun has risen well and good.  Finally I boarded in a bus by just asking whether he would give me a ODT.

I had no idea where the bus was headed. I took a 50 bucks ticket. I have it in my purse even now. (It's just been 5 days or so but I'll be having it for even longer period) So, the bus rode like Bull's eye. It kept going. Still........ Not a stop met.......Still on the road......Left the city......It was dark and it still roared towards one direction. The bus was filled with 6 or 7 passengers only. It was Pongal and so people might have had plans about, you know, making Pongal in the early morning. And the bus went for like thirty kilometers away from Coimbatore and it nearly reached Kerala border. It was a place called Vaalayaar. On the way I made friendship with the bus' Conductor and Driver. I was asking stuff about Mileage of the bus, how to shift gears and stuff like that. Time passed like anything. And during the fro 30 km, sun started to rise and I reached Home by 7.30 or something.

Yes, it was an awesome day. I had fun. But the funny thing is, I wanted not to disturb my aunt from being disturbed but they had been awake waiting to receive us. From this I have to tell you one thing: I can't bear cold weather. 

(What is he talking about? HE told us about that One Day Ticket thing and now he says that he can't bear cold weather. I should take him to KMC, Chennai for sure).

Anyways, bored you again for like 4 minutes or 30 seconds if you've just skimmed the whole post. Thanks for reading.. Thanks for bearing with my words.. 

So, this is Guhan, Reporting for Crowned Duck Tv, Signing off, Take Care, Buh-bye! (Oh snap, I thought this was my video blog).....