All was fine during the last week and the weekend. I read ‘Sivakamiyin Sabatham’ and finished it and became crazy. What a plot! What characters! I pity the non-Tamil folks for missing one of the best books ever written. I became crazy because I could live each of those characters starting from Mahendra Pallavar to Paranjothi to Sivakami to Maamallar to Gundodharan! Didn’t Gundodharan remind you of Aazhwarkkadiyan?
I had gone to Coimbatore for the weekend, spent a blissful (read: lazy) couple of days, participated in the Ganesh Chathurthi Pooja, ate kozhakattai (modaks), sundal – all of which mom fed me while I was happily sitting and watching TV. I didn’t have to move a thing around! Now, that is what I call life! I couldn’t go for the procession because going for the procession meant I’d miss my train back to Chennai (which I would have done whole-heartedly, but Amma wouldn’t let me). So I had to come to Chennai, away from Amma (sounds senti? I know…), Gaya and Paati, away from the pollution-free atmosphere, away from affectionate neighbors, away from Siruvani water (Gosh, haven’t I written about all these earlier?) – In short, I felt as if I had been thrown out of a protective shell, all alone and vulnerable, into the cruel world that has even more cruel managers (no, not my immediate manager, but the big shot snob who is… well, a big shot).
Back at work in the afternoon shift (which is when work is a little more hectic) I somehow found time to remind my manager about a request pending with him for approval. That **** calls me up and says he is not my manager and he hasn’t interacted with me and all sorts of crap. He was the one that did my appraisal 2 months back. WTF!!! The worst part was the way he talked – humiliating me and almost accusing me for the “crime” I committed. Agreed he is a visionary, agreed he has served the organization for over 10 years, agreed he is intelligent and all that, is he a good manager? Doesn’t half of your managing ability lie in the way you communicate and your choice of words? Perhaps he was pissed off at someone else for some other reason, but does that give him the rights to talk to me the way he did?
All I have got to tell him is, “Thambi, I know where you live.” :-|
And yeah, any stories on your managers are welcome at the comments section. After all, we all have each other to cry to. Poor managers don’t even have friends to rant to.
I’m now reading Calvin and Hobbes – and rolling on the ground laughing – in a bid to forget silly managers!
atleast chennai is not as bad as mumbai or kolkata..
ReplyDeleteDon't bother...we have all kinds of characters in this bad mad IT world. Brush it all aside professional...don't tk to heart...gud you're readin C&H. Btw i feel Ponniyin Selvan better than Siv.sabatham....if its made as a movie..it wud be one helluva road movie..
ReplyDeletewell...my manager who used to be polite, humble, empathetic (whatever) lost his cool today. I got very nice "archanai" from him:-(. Straightforward reason, I missed the deadline and coz of dat he (my manager) got screwed by the project incharge (who sets tight schedule, comparable to ur big shot snob). I really felt sorry for my manager who had to listen to all the shoutings jus bcoz of me:-(
ReplyDeletehey wat is "Sivakamiyin Sabatham" btw. Novel??? tell me more about this, I hear this often from you. Is there an English version of this??? (romba overillae??? but still) though my tongue is tamil, I can't read or write tamil, poor me!!:-(
@soin
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's there. But I like Mumbai a looot... Never been to Kolkata, so can't say much on that!
@Chan
Obviously, PS was more adventurous (with all the ship and storm and Sri Lanka scenes) where as SS was more emotional (with all the romantic descriptions, errr... description of romance). Neither PS nor SS could have been made into a movie - the books are too good to be spoilt into movies, don't u think? I mean, they are better off as books than being in the hands of our Kollywood directors (who can't seem to make movies without kuthu songs - can u even imagine Arulmozhi and Vanathi dancing for a typical kuthu paatu'? No way!)
@VJ
It is all written, what to do? Yes, Sivamiyin Sabatham is a novel, by Kalki Krishnamoorthy, an awesome one at that. You should start learning Tamil (my sister is like you, she can't read/write Tamil) at least to read such classics! By the way, Tamil is the easiest language to read and write, specially if you know to speak, because the number of letters in the Tamil alphabets are much lesser than those in Hindi or any other Indian language.
Please do make it a point to learn your mother tongue! :-)
No doubt a movie on PS or SS can do justice to the book. But do you even know that there was a rumour that Kamal wanted to take PS as a movie with him as the ponniyin selvan and Rajini as Vanthiyadevan...But guess it was just a rumour. Nevertheless, Kalki was such a visionary even in that era.
ReplyDeletebtw, where did i ever mentioned kuthu pattu? Hope you're not a vijay fan :-P
Oops! I meant cannot do justice to the book !!
ReplyDeleteWhat's happening to my system...it's showing as anonymous...anyways..tat's me :)
ReplyDelete@Chan
ReplyDeleteReally? Kamal and Rajini? That's hard to digest. One of my friends told me MGR wanted to make PS into a movie and wanted to do a double role - both Arulmozhi and Vanthiyathevan. Enna koduma sir idhu?
Sandy - Good one! Keep mentioning 'namma Kovai' in all your blogs. It gives me a great feel!
ReplyDelete@VJ - English version of Kalki's books are available. But please learn Tamil and read 'the best' version of PS and SS.
@seems
ReplyDeleteGlad you could read my blog! Keep reading!! Of course, wherever we go out heart lies in our hometown specially if the hometown is as beautiful and enchanting as Coimbatore!
@VJ
Yes, Seetharaman is right. I went through the english version of Ponniyin Selvan @ Landmark, Chennai and saw it was nowhere close to the Tamil version. Pls do learn to read Tamil :-)
Dear ... 10 years in one company does not authorize one to be a manager or an intelligent jerk. If that is the case me and Chan are all intelligent is it ?? hahaha, both of us would LOL as we both have served a company for a decade. Well, that being said, a manager job is one of the most toughest in this IT industry, so let's put ourselves in their shoes and see as well. Grass would look greener on the other side all the time.
ReplyDelete@Satish
ReplyDeleteMy point... Just coz a person has served a company for a decade or so, doesn't mean he is intelligent. I agree that the person I am talking abt is intelligent; but he has no rights to talk to me in the manner he did... I don't have to put myself in his shoes coz - I don't hold that position, I don't earn as much and I could never be that rude any day!
@Sandhya, Der r some intelligent managers who lack basic ppl management, they're all over there...let's forgive them. Many a times we never realize tat der r ppl who r not so happy with some of our actions...it's a cycle...
ReplyDelete@Sats, Ippadi solli solliyae odamba ranagala paduthiteengaya...Aaaahaaaa....summa irundhaalum mada katrangalae...
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ReplyDelete@Soin, Dare u say anything abt Mumbai, I slap on ur face and the dentist can examine ur tooth in ur hands...
ReplyDelete@ sandhya, get rid of this Against-Manager syndrome, someday, u'll be in his shoes.
Dont allow some little girl probably now studying in her 5th std write the above stated things about a weirdo called Sandhya.
god bless u
@Sandy/Seetharaman
ReplyDeleteSurely, I will......
your
ReplyDeleteYour title totally mislead me :( I want more abt sivakamiyin sabatham and calvin hobbes and not ur rantings on managers... we sometimes have such managers... deal with it.. In fact it's fun when you start dealing with them.Making the grouchiest person smile and make them do a favour for you. Doesnt that feel gud? Anyway about sivakamiyin sabatham I heard it's not as gud as ponniyin selvan... Wat's your take on it? Do you have the book?
ReplyDelete@Chan
ReplyDeleteReally? Why do I have to put up with such idiots? Are we being paid for this? :-O
@Dhinu
Maybe, but I could never be this rude! I'd become a manager, but I'd know how to handle people and talk to them in the most polite manner possible.
@Yals
Hmmm... Deal with it? Are they paying me separately for dealing with this? They should be. Perhaps then, there is a point in making that effort to deal with such ******s.
Well yeah, PS is on any day more interesting and adventurous than SS, but SS was more emotionally stimulating. :-) And who knows better than u abt C&H?
Sandhya..forget it and move on....lots of better things to think, write and njoy about..Write something nice about some nice places around CBE, travel tips etc etc..
ReplyDeleteHey Sandhya!!
ReplyDeleteAt last very glad to see something about ur manager.. :D :P
@Chan
ReplyDeleteYes, I have forgotten it! As for CBE and travel trips, I'll have to wait until the weekend to see how the trip goes if I go on any trip at all. Until the weekend, then!
@Mani
Well well, it is still not about my immediate manager. This is about a snob with an attitude that would do no good to anyone!
Do I have to start my rant again! ;)
ReplyDelete