Rangarajan

"Karthik,

I do reply interesting mail like yours. It is a good idea to make shortfilms based on short stories. Modern Tamil literature is full of filmworthy short stories. Ray's teen konya is a masterpiece. Try and see Fellinis Yesterday Today andTomorrow and also Puttanna's "katha sagara" in kannada.

with best wishes

Sujatha"

This e-mail will go to my grave as one of my proudest possessions. I met him at a play in Mylapore fine arts and took down his e-mail address. I wrote to him the next day, saying I wanted to make a film of a short story by Ray. This reply came back in minutes.

Months after this, I was reading his 'vignana siru kathaigal' (science fiction short stories) and was intrigued by one titled "computeray, oru kathai sollu" (computer, tell me a story). The intrigue had to do with the central character of the story, 'Thambu' - a robot that takes news papers as input and gives short stories as output. An 'expert system', pretty much. This story was published in the mid sixties and expert systems were not a reality until the early seventies. I immediately started writing an e-mail to him, asking him whether he ever realized the significance of what he had done.

I also wanted to tell him that I have finished 'haze'.

I also wanted to ask him about his health and whether I can send the dvd to him sometime.

I never finished that e-mail. Now, I will never be able to send it. Ever.

I am on page 26 of "Kanavu Thozhirchalai" - Factory of dreams.

quick notes from Madras...

• Mylapore smells the same, but for a whiff of Davidoff in the air
• Theres traffic jam on mount road at 11:30 PM on a thursday
• An Apollo "1066" ambulance (siren blaring), for heart related emergencies was stuck with me in the same jam. We both took an hour to go from little mount to guindy. Ironically, their tag line is "every minute counts".
• Am definitely having the "1066" episode in my film
• Aachi masala is presenting "National Treasure - book of secrets" in the city
• After years of yearning for it, finally made it to a family wedding. Filter kapi, Nadaswaram, the smell of sweat+jasmine+Davidoff+homam+pongal, paati, chiti, gorgeous relatives.....life's good!
• The foodworld in city centre has snickers, mars and cigarettes near the checkout counter
• Have been holding on to Shantaram for a long time, but surprisingly have not crossed page 11. I think I will start Sujata's "Kanavu Thozhirchalai" instead
• There is no "comedy central" in dad's satellite TV plan
• Went to Akkarai sisters' violin kacheri. I am now a fan!
• I think the 100 rupee note is the new 10 rupee note.

10 Realities of Moving

#10: You can categorize your things how much ever you want - Clothes, ties, books, CDs, fancier ties, the stuff you bought from the india store but never used, etcetera. However, the sad reality of the 11th hour is that all of 'em go into either of the 2 bags that you plan to travel with. In fact, there are only 2 categories - bag A and bag B.

#9: "A friend with a gift is a friend indeed" (I tried rhyming that, but gave up!), is a myth. After the first beer in a reunion, almost nobody will care.

#8: There are things and there are Things! How much ever objective you are in getting rid of stuff, you are always going to end up with a set that "you can neither sell nor throw away.....nor pack!!!". Like your bookshelf, your IKEA lamps and your pressure cooker!

#7: When you moved into your apartment, you chose the top floor because you did not want kids running above your head in surround sound? Bad Idea. BAD IDEA!!!

#6: When you were 24, shopping for your friends meant that you hit music stores, duty free shops, game sites and book stores. When you are 30, most of your gift shopping happens in 'Babies R us' or 'Toys R us'. Its scary!

#5: Sell your car first. Shop last. Not the other way round.

#4: That 1955 8mm mechanical film camera that you bought from a remote antique store in Wilmington, might be special....but that issue is between you and the camera. You cannot expect your suitcase to relate to it!

#3: Buying a CD every time you visit the 'Half price book store', is not cool anymore. Especially not, if it becomes 20% of your travelling mass. It is about time you started buying music from iTunes.

#2: You cannot afford to be emotionally entangled with your coffee mug.

#1: Packing is work. You are not supposed to be enjoying it!!!

Ads that get on your nerve #1

This has got to be absurdest ad on Indian television right now...it even beats Hrithik's Acer ad, in my books....a 4 door sedan is 'man among cars'?....surely!

#39!!!!!

....and how!