Life is a Carnival

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey...

2010-12-10T20:09:00.001+05:30

Ashutosh Gowarikar has tried to recreate the magic of Lagaan in this movie. Even though he has been only partially successful in recreating the success, but its good sign to see him trying to make some sensible movie after ten years. Hopefully, he goes on the make some sensible movies unlike in the near past.

Casting – This is one of the best roles Abhishek Bachchan has done ever in this 10 year stint in the industry. He seems to have done a fair justice to the role of Surya Sen. Ashutosh could have casted else in place of Deepika, who happens to be emotionless though the movie.

As far as the movie goes…

I was shocked to see so many paddy fields in the movie. It is so sad to see, Bengal with so many paddy fields underwent several famines in subsequent years. It has certainly rekindled my interest to study as to why such a series of famine took place in 1940s.

It was so nice to see many young boys flocking together for the struggle. I cannot foresee this kind of flocking of people together for a common cause (selflessly) in any other part of the country other than in Bengal. My regard Bengalis increased many folds after seeing this movie. LONG LIVE THE BENGALI SPRIT…
The most of the movie was quite racy and fast, but not sure if this kind of a subject had to be dealt faster.

Too be continued…

Tryst with Democracy!!!

2010-11-25T08:56:00.001+05:30

It has been more than a year since I have written something in this blog. Even though wanted to write on a few issues, but never found them so compelling. Today was one of those days when found something really compelling. Recently, I have seldom found election mandates in the last few years to believe that Indian Electorate can put issues of development ahead of all other things. Today was one of those rare days… Given the run up to the election results, news about scams getting bigger and Supreme Court finding umpteen reasons to condemn the government was really de-motivating and reducing the belief in the system.

NITISH KUMAR!!! A product of the great JP movement (which I consider was a greater movement than the freedom struggle) was the hero of the day. He is certainly not charismatic by any standard; he didn’t even bother to get elected directly, like a few other heads of the State in India. The analogies with the Oxford educated Night Watchman end there. Nitish Kumar delivered results in these five years …
He does not spend nights at the huts of dalits, because he does not believe in the caste system. He does not say he would resign if the deal benefitting a few US companies does not go through. Neither does he conduct World Classical Bihari Conference.
Renaissance of Bihar!!!

The GDP growth has clocked more than 10 percent in the last five years. More than 2000 Kilometers of roads were built. The law and order situation has improved in Bihar. Investments in the state are flowing. Once the new jobs are created in that state, Biharis can stop fleeing for employment to other state.
The state occupies most of our history books with glorious contribution from the Nalanda university, Functioning Democracies (some Janaphadas), its capital Pataliputra (present day, Patna) serving as capital of some of the greatest empires in the country. May be the renaissance of the state has just begun. Hope, it becomes engine of the economic growth in years to come, the Bihari Pride is on a rise and here to stay for a long time.

Tryst with the Monsoons in Madras…

2009-11-08T20:42:00.003+05:30

Yesterday would have been a just another had when I took off from office and went to my violin but for the rains in Madras.

It was pouring in the city and people had taken off from offices because they could not commute. I also happened to take off from office. In spite of people back home asking me not to go to my class (in Mylapore) I decided to go to my class in the morning. Dad had dropped me in Tenampet on his way to office. By the time I reached the class after going to temple at Alwarpet, I partly drenched. I had some work in the UTI Bank in RK Salai, before I could leave for home. Having done all work I decided to take a bus from the yellow pages stop in the RK Salai. As I started walking towards the bus stop, I was fully drenched in rain. I decided to stop near the bridge as I was not able to walk due to knee deep water. I stood there for more than half an hour, before I started looking out for an auto. I could not find an autowallah, I called up a private taxi service to enquire if I could get a taxi. I was told that the taxi would be sent on to a address and can not pick a person waiting on the road. I could not move from that place for the next one hour. I had no other go but to stand there patiently. By then I started to feel feverish and palm were paining due to standing in the water for more than hour. I finally I managed to move from that place and got into an auto. I suddenly decided go to my dentists place in KK Nagar before I go home. I meet a friend of my mine staying nearby. She gave a big chocolate (Mars). I finally managed to get a 11H, reach home enjoying that window seat got and munching that mars in the bus.

By the time I reached home I was down with light fever and aching feet & palms. Unable to take the pain, I had to take a few pills. As I was lying the bed, I was thinking if I really had to go to the class to day in this rain. Probably it was just this PASSION for the instrument that drove me to go to the class on the raining Saturday. This pain seemed so trivial in comparison to satisfaction that I got in playing this in instrument.

Tribute

2009-11-01T13:10:00.003+05:30

Paying homage to more than 2,000 Sikhs, who were massacred in the roads of Delhi in a sponsored genocide against them, 25 years back…

MGREGA – A Stock Taking

2009-10-29T10:10:00.009+05:30

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or NREGA is the mamoth job guarantee scheme which came into existence in 2005. The central government outlay for the scheme is Rs. 39,100 crores 2009-10.The scheme provides for a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage of Rs.100 per day.

The act was indented to improve the purchasing power of the rural people, primarily semi or un-skilled work to people living in rural India, whether or not they are below the poverty line. Surprisingly, this programme was named after Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act on 2nd October, 2009 AND NOT AFTER INDIRA GANDHI OR RAJIV GANDHI!!!

It has been into existence for the past three years and has been expanded to various regions of India. It is this programme which is said to have helped the congress led coalition to retain power.

SOME CONCRENS

In recent months there have been massive delays in wage payments around the country, causing immense hardship to NREGS workers. Underlying this state of affairs is the breakdown of grievance redress systems. All the grievance redress provisions of the NREGA have been sidelined, including, for instance, the provisions for unemployment allowance, for penalties on errant officials, for compensation in the event of delayed wage payments or for framing of Grievance Redress Rules. The Central and State governments don’t seem to be interested in making themselves
accountable to the people.

There is a wide spread instance of exploitation of the workers especially the ones who are not literate. There have been numourous instance of “hoarding” of job cards by sarpanchs, panchayat secretaries. This shows a clear evidence of fudging of records and siphoning off NREGS funds.

NO CONSTRUCTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

The NREGS has faced criticism that the kind of infrastructure it is building contributes nothing to the overall development of the country. It has been reduced to only have populist character without being truly constructive.
It is true that the technical standards of NREGS works are often quite low. Most of them are not productive. The attempt upto the wage payment stage itself takes so much effort that audit of the quality of work become very difficult and the politicians are least bothered about the infrastructure.

REVIVAL OF THE AGRARIAN ECONOMY

At most NREGA if implemented well can be used to provide a good form of social security in rural areas. The NREGS can also help revive the rural economy, by creating productive assets, generating purchasing power, strengthening institutions of local governance and promoting new standards of transparency.
NREGA is not a tool to implement solution or an alternative to the lack of public investment in rural/Agrarian infrastructure.

BENEFIT TO MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES

It’s the marginalized communities are the primary beneficiaries of the NREGS. Most of to benefit are the landless farmers belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families. Similarly, the proportion of women among NREGS workers is close to 50 per cent, and rising year after year.
In this post I have mostly tried to analyze the negative aspects of NREGA’s implementation. In upcoming post, I would try to write to write about the various benefits of scheme and improvements that can done to ensure better productivity of the funds that is spent on it.

What it takes to be a Madrasi!!!

2009-09-30T09:07:00.005+05:30

I write this post after a week’s trip to Delhi, couple of months back. This is the place where I was born brought up and spent close to first 17 years of my life. During this trip, I started to get a creepy feel, of being out of place. The place where I have spent most of life started to seem like a foreign land. All these four years, I probably have become a Madrasi… finally!!!

Some things that can make a complete Madrasi!!!
1) When you complete a near 'perfect' executive chinese meal in a nice indian chinese restaurant and CRAVE for curd to end the meal!!!
2) When you talk about how "punjus" will be punjus...and "gujjus" will be gujjus and how south indians are less complicated!!!
3) When you take the book/newspaper to the loo, after all its knowledge gaining thats Important, how does it matter WHERE?
4) When pickle is the “sidedish” with everything – rice or roti!!!
5) When you discuss rajini kanth for timepass.. his life, his movies, his marriage, his school, his daughter, his son in law!!!
6) When you ENJOY sardar jokes and then talk about how we shud not make fun of sardarjis the way we all do.
7) When you HATE these Hindi speaking fellows make fun of the tamilified/goltified/kanadafied hindi we speak...like they speak good tamil/telegu/kannada themselves...hmpf!

Probably... I have just started loving being a Madrasi!!!

First Blog Anniversary!

2009-09-22T09:58:00.001+05:30

There is special day in every bloggers life, when one starts with posting some content on it. Today marks the first anniversary of that day. The blog started with a very loyal reader, thats Me, Myself. Then after some time, the blog started to receive some hits, as I passed on the links to some people around me. Its been a great time blogging. Posted a lot of views, my own beliefs and opinion on a variety of issues... and more importantly received a lot of comments… the hit counter has recorded more than 4000 visits… have 32 people as fans (out of this 32, I compelled 2 of my friends to follow…lol).

Hope to post some sensible content in future… thanks a lot fans and readers!!!

My Experiments with Frankness

2009-09-16T12:51:00.002+05:30

It there is one trait of mine that establishes my uniqueness, that’s Frankness…, bluntness…, outspokenness. Often I have felt, being a veteran (when I comes to being outspoken), I am one of those very few, who has the right to write or comment about this. This has tendency of mine influenced a lot of things in my life… both good and bad… Its this attributes of mine that makes people think I am egotistical, overconfident, at times stupid, selfish, heartless, merciless, an asshole... Blah... Blah… Blah...

I sincerely don’t understand when things can put in simple and succinct manner, why people have to be use lengthy and boring. If you want to call some friend to your place, “COME HERE” is any day better than writing some application letter requesting him or her to come… This by no measure means any disrespect or disregard to that person.

Another big thing, when you are bold enough to tell a person, that he is wrong, its always taken I the wrong sense. I have always believed there only one trait that connects all Indians, that’s SYCOPHANCY. We Indian are used only to hear sweet things about themselves. People don’t understand, it is always better to be receptive while going wrong than wait for a disaster to happen. It hurts the most when comments are not received well even by near and dear ones. Especially when they think this is dome to de-motivate them or to hurt them. The intend is only with tell the fault to them rather than some one anonymous guy telling.

Well… I have mostly faced the wrath of people around me due to trait… have lost good friends…Probably, telling that I have screwed up whole of my social life, wont be an understatement either... When I ponder over the question of whether I regret over this trait of mine… I probably I don’t find a conclusive answer to this question… And whether I plan to reduce my levels of frankness… I remain to be the same with lots of optimism to have many friends and lot of people around me who are mature enough to understand that what is said is only for there good.(might not sound great to ears but certainly good for them).

Need a Change!

2009-09-15T12:27:00.004+05:30

My mind is not with peace with itself. I have least expectations from myself or life in general… Let alone being a carnival, life is hell most of the time. Life has been like this for quite some time like this.

Things have changed drastically in past few years. I have lost company of all good friends I used to have. It feels as though I have if I have been alienated in the society I am living. Probably I have turned into a very unpleasant and a very boring person in these years.

I know I need change soon, I need it very badly. I sincerely don’t know how to stimulate this change, but I know I need one desperately!!!

Kaatrinile Varum Geetam…

2009-09-11T13:04:00.008+05:30

Bharat Ratna, Ramon Magsaysay award, A live concert at UN, honorary awards from numerous universities, being regarded as the “Queen of Music” by Nehru… all this in a journey that started on this day (September 11th) 93 years back. She was not just a singer, but one of those phenomenons that rarely happens in the human history…

MS.Subbalakshmi, popularly called as M.S was born on September, 11th, 1916 in the temple town of Madurai. Being born to a Veena Vidwan (her mother), music came to her naturally to her. At the age of 10, Kunjamma, as she was called then, was called by her mother to sing the impossibly high-pitched Khamboji in "Marakatavadivu". Many would not have believed that this young girl would go on to become the “Nightingale of India”. She gave her first solo public performance at the tender age of 16. She learned both forms of Indian Classical Music, Carnatic and Hindustani. Her stature as a musician was growing exponentially in years to follow.

She had a small stint in the film industry. She acted and sung in the movie Savitri to raise funds to launch Kalki, a tamil weekly. Her title role in the movie based on the life of “Meera”, was released in Hindi and took her to national prominence.

Her music spread to the entire globe with her international performance in Carnegie Hall, New York; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966; the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1982; and at the Festival of India in Moscow in 1987. Some of the awards that were bstowed to her were Padma Bhushan in 1954, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1956, Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1968, Ramon Magsaysay award in 1974, the Padma Vibhushan in 1975, the Kalidas Samman in 1988, the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1990, and the Bharat Ratna in 1998.

In her life, she was able to collect a lot of prize money & royaly which she mostly donated to charity. Mahatma Gandhi once remarked her music to be the direct appeal to god.

What MS means to me

When ever I hear the word “WOMEN”, first thing that comes to my mind is the her image this photo of hers (Below) dressed in green saree lighting the lamp in house.

To me, she personifies womanhood in flesh and blood. She was the in a very lateral sense a leader in the women’s emancipation movement in India. Her parents lived separately and she was brought up by her mother. The ‘S’ in M.S initials represents her mother’s name Shanmugavadivu and not her father Subramania Iyer!

With the backing of her spouse (T.Sadasivam), she made inroads into the male bastion of classical music. Unlike, some of her contemprories, she was never dressed in flashy sarees. She would always be dressed in simple sarees, with a string of Jasmine on her hair. To me, being dressed in dignified manner is a inherent feature of womanhood. (Some call this view of mine to be very conservative). She brought a lot of humility along with her. She never gave any interviews in her life and let her music talk for her. Inspite of this she received unprecedented press coverage. I can not think of meeting any person in recent times, who never sought publicity and let their work do the publicity.

The drench of her music that cooled the earth ceased couple of years back. But her music that still floats in the breeze for an eternal time!

Those Few Sentences...

2009-08-21T16:20:00.004+05:30

Its been a long time since I have written anything in the blog… Wanted to desperately write about many things like the Indian national election result, IPL and many other things of interest to me… was lucky to find a few funny photos and post them…

This is a post that I wanted to post on the 12th of this month… It was great day for me as well as all the fans of KAMAL across the world… Like many other fans had written about his contribution to the industry in the past 50 years and many reviewed his performances of the past. I personally feel to write about this 50 long years of journey is way to difficult and fit all this into a post is impossible. I just though of writing about one scene in the movie “Anbe Sivam”. I would have probably seen this movie more than 25 times. This scene probably took Indian cinema to all new heights. The character Sivan, especially in the second half has had tremendous influence on me. If there is one role of Kamal that I try to imitate, it should be Sivam (of the present times, in the second half). I highlight this because of the kind of contrast that Sivam (Second Half) has from the “Nalla” in the first half.

Sivan does not look good, with a lot of scars in the face. Like any other normal individual he suffers from inferiority complex. He is a practical man. He advises Madhavan (a typical young guy from the current generation) way too often, some thing he hates way too much. And Madhavan (A.Aras) misunderstands him in most part of the movie. Aras also does not tolerate the fact that, Sivam does not get convinced about his views (Again a trait of the modern generation)

And to explain my favorite scene, one needs to know what happens in the movie few scenes before… Aras argues with Sivam about the idea communism in the railway station. The argument turns heated and sensitive, causing a short-tempered Aras to punch Sivam. After initially looking calm, Sivam punches Aras back even harder, causing Aras to bleed. As a result, Aras deceives Sivam into buying water for him and locks the train door, leaving Sivam stranded. On the train, Aras meets a good-looking corporate individual who shares the same interests as Aras (Yugi Sethu), who asks Aras to throw away a pack of biscuits Sivam gave to Aras and instead take his own whisky offering. As Aras wakes up the next day, he realizes that he has been conned again and the corporate man is a thief, and has stolen all of Aras' belongings. The train comes to a halt because a train which travelled on the track before had an accident and it has to be cleared up first. To his surprise, he meets Sivam again at the treatment camp nearby. And Aras also retrieves his belongings as he finds that the thief is also around the camp.

Now to my favourite scene… Sivam tries to tells Aras that not all good looking people are really good, Being well dressed or talking in English does not make a person good. Aras thinks and tells Sivam in a very submissive way “a person can have sacrs in face, be handicapped, speak in tamil, BUT STILL BE A GOOD PERSON”… An obvious reference to Sivam, Which Sivam knows and this statement make Sivam feel very shy…

What a direction!!! Few sentences which can depicts the change of the arrogant nature od Aras… and the message in those few lines… so true… deals with how not judge a person, which most of do in so often in real life!!!

Swine Flu Catching up with Lord Ganesha

2009-08-13T10:50:00.002+05:30

Financial Inclusion in India....lol

2009-08-05T09:46:00.001+05:30

Mummy Returns???

2009-05-12T12:31:00.003+05:30

Will Mummy (Amma) emerge as “Comeback Queen” post-May 16th??? Its been good three years since she has gone into hibernation. And three years is a long time to for a leader of her stature to be subdued. Inspite of a fairly performing government she lost to the Umbrella Alliance of Opposition in the 2006 legislative assembly election. Tamil Nadu is known for complete sweeps right from the days of MGR in both legislative assembly and for Parliament. Even though she could not retain power in 2006, it a Himalayan task to effort to win more than 80-odd seats despite anti-incumbency.

She has stitched together an umbrella alliance with four major parties, something similar to the alliance that routed her party in the last election in 2004. She has driven a hard bargain in the seat sharing agreement with the alliance partners and is contesting in 23 seats out of the total 40. The alliance is expected to win 25-30 seats, which puts her in nice position to bargain for good number of ministries in the potential central government.

She is one of the few leaders in the country who can go with any of the three fronts. If she combines with the Congress, she can even bring down the minority DMK government in the state. She can any day find ideological proximity with the BJP, who has been a previous ally of hers. Now that she is with Left, she could be playing an important role in the Centre. The future looks very bright for AMMA – as of now Chennai can only listen to one tune and that is

Jai Ho Amma!!!

Its not over for 2009, Yet!!!

2009-05-08T17:08:00.001+05:30

Well…its been close to ten days since I had written off CSK from making it to the semis if the second edition of the IPL-2009. It has been a 4 continuous win for Dhoni’s men after losing to Deccan Chargers. I was not fully wrong with my predictions and findings. I was probably right in pointing that IPL is not only about four foreign players in the team but also about other 7 Indian players in the team. I never though the squad had such good Indian talent like Jakarti, Vijay and Sudip Tyagi. They might not be the best of the domestic talent but they can certainly complement the efforts of the foreign players along with Dhoni and Raina.

With openers (Hayden and Vijay), laying the strong platform for the middle order (Raina, Dhoni, Morkel and Badrinath) to fire at the end, the team post a huge total. The opening bowlers (Morkel and Sudip Tyagi) seem to be consistently getting the crucial break throughs in the beginning of the innings, it as become easier for the slow bowlers in the later part of the innings. With batting and bowling looking in good form, team is living up to the image of favourites.

With 7 teams cramped up in the top of the table, all spots in the semis seem to be wide open. The teams qualifying for the semis might be decided in the next couple of days. But then the good news is DHONI finding his magical touch again...

Is it all over for 2009???

2009-04-28T17:23:00.002+05:30

CSK has only managed to win only one out their first five matches in the second edition of the IPL-2009. Their only win has come against the Royal Challengers. They were one of the best teams going into the IPL and were expected to match their last year’s performance. Even though Hayden has fired at top and Murali has come good with the ball, the team has lost three matches. The Dhoni’s magic touch seems to be missing in the entire tournament.

Inspite of having good foreign players such as Murali, Hayden, Oram, Albie Morkel and a few others, the team has not been able to form a winning XI. Probably performing well in IPL is not only about having four good foreign players, but also about having 7 good Indian players in the team. Other than Raina, no one Indian in the team seems to be doing well. Teams in the top of the table have Indians doing well for the team. Balaji and Joginder Sharma can never match the standards of RP Singh and Zaheer Singh. The bating order having Patel and Badrinath always squanders away the all good starts given by Hayden.

With 9 more matches to go, one can not expect much from Dhoni and his men in the tournament. Even though Mumbai won 6 matches on trot after losing a similar number in the start of the tournament last year, but still could not make it to the Semis. Hope of making it to the semis seem to be getting dimmer by the day. All is not over for CSK in the tournament; they still play to salvage the pride of being the finalists last year. As an ardent CSK fan, I hope CSK contracts good Indian players and come good atleast in the next edition of the IPL in 2010.

Perfect Analogy!!!

2009-04-13T15:33:00.003+05:30

This post is about a classic resemblance between Indian politics and Australian Cricket – Both in their rise and the fall

In BJP led NDA got elected in the 1999 lok Sabha election, Vajpayee was chosen as the Prime Minister of India. He got elected with the pro-incumbency wave that swept the country after the Kargil War. He inherited a weak economy growing at 5 percent. The fiscal deficit was looming large on the government and Country was yet to recover from the impact of sanctions imposed after the nuclear test. Through his rule, there was the Dot-Com burst and 9/11 which lead to the slow down in the economy. By the end of his tenure in 2004, India was growing at a robust pace of more than 8 percent, fiscal deficit was well within desired levels, forex reserves had increased to comfortable levels and stock market was booming had gone up 7000 levels in 2004. Similarly Steve Waugh inherited an average team from Taylor and structured it into a Champion side. The side started looking invincible and went on to win the world cup and reached the top levels of ICC ranking.

Manmohan Singh, a celebrated economist was handed over the reins as the Prime Minister of a resilient economy in 2004. He fully did justice to his role of playing a puppet to 10, Janpath. As he term gets over, all the good done by previous regime seems to be lost. The economy is growing at a snail pace. Even though the price levels at retail levels is increasing by the day, Wholesale Price Index numbers has been cleverly stitched to show a figure less than 1 percent. The fiscal deficit inclusive of Off-Budget items such as oil bonds is looming large on government. Stock market has tumbled from its highs of 21,000 levels to 10,000 levels. Likewise, Ricky Ponting seems to have partly undone, what his predecessor had done take the team to the top of ranking. He inherited his team, with all those aging greats. He could not produce the same result when most of them were retired and surrendered the ODI top spot to South Africans.

The Manmohan Singh government seems to have received the most appropriate treatment that they deserve for handling internal security with the Home Minister himself getting a Shoe thrown at him!!!

Cool Poem...

2009-03-17T14:36:00.002+05:30

Recently got to read this poem on the while browsing, Not sure of its authenticity but the poem is damn cool!

This poem was nominated by UN as the best poem of 2006, Written by an
African Kid

When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in Sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black...

And you white fellow
When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you gray...

And you calling me colored???

Ideas, that can change life!!!

2009-03-09T18:11:00.003+05:30

Estonians have planned for a “Virtual Happiness Bank” to fight recession. In virtual happiness bank, people will be able to earn virtual money on their account by doing good deeds for those in need. The main aim of the project is to use modern technology to create a 'democracy machine' that will help increase understanding amongst people.

The organizers are going select topics and hold sessions for better governance. Organizers expect to get at least one thousand ideas for best practices that can be applied in everyday life. Later in December, people will be asked to vote on all the local and national best ideas to select the ones they support the most.

The main aim of organizers is to give hope to people that doing good to is as valuable as earning money. The main aim of this initiative is to figure out what can be done to fight recession and make life better for everyone.

Reclaiming life!!!

2009-03-09T18:05:00.005+05:30

It has been close to a month since I have written. My last post was on 12th of Feb. It was really good to see few readers asking me why I had not written for long.

Well… It just happened I was struck with some issues on the personal front that I could not post anything on the blog. Now that I have decided to emerge as a better person, probably that’s why I have titled the post as “Reclaiming life!!!”, and not as “I am Back!!!”. I have given new look to the blog and I hope to write on happier things of life in future.

Confessions from the “Abode of God”

2009-02-12T10:48:00.004+05:30

Today is the 12th of Feb’2009 is the 200th birth anniversary Charles Darwin, the man who propagated the evolution of mankind from apes against the existing belief of creation of man by GOD(Almighty).

After 2 centuries of disagreement, the Vatican finally accepted that Charles Darwin was on the right path when he found that humans evolved from apes. The church even accepted that it had been very hostile to the Darwin just because of his theory of biological evolution was in conflict with the church’s theory of creation of humans.

“Whenever, there is a crisis, GOD becomes a mere witness.” Kamal Hassan

And for all those who believe in the above statement, this confession is salvation of sorts

The 3 Great Blemishes of Government...

2009-02-10T17:05:00.005+05:30

The 2004 election mandate is going to come to end by May this year. The government has been one of the most ineffective governments India has ever had. What make the governments one of the worse other than its poor performances is the break down of the value-system of the democracy. The country has not produced great leaders for a longtime, but the voters have always had a hope in democratic setup to throw up good leaders in future.

This post is about three acts of the government which reduced democratic set up to a shambles.

Cash for voters: Auction of MPs
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This was a classic case of human auction, where MPs were paid crores of money to vote for the government during the vote of confidence. This was expected considering the legacy past Congress governments in bribing the opposition MPs during vote of confidence. But paying cash to MPs inside the parliament was something new and took Indian Democracy to “new lows”.

Jury becomes the advocate
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MS Gill, the former “CEC” was sworn in as Union Minister for sports. The CEC is a Rajya Sabha member from Punjab and was sworn in April this year. A person who has held such a constitutional post should have rather restrained from taking such a post.

A Biased Referee
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With Gopalswamy, the present CEC openly claiming the EC Navin Chawla is partial in favour of the ruling party, the institution and the whole process of election is set to lose its credibility.

With the elections due in May this year, no action is expected to be taken before that. The election commission will lose the credibility of having conducted free and fair elections all these years. If the incumbent government returns back to power, then jingle for the ruling party should not be “Jai ho Sonia” or “Jai Ho Rahul” but “Jai ho Navin Chawla”.

Welcome to the Shoe Era!!!

2009-02-03T14:12:00.002+05:30

We are living in the new Shoe Era!!! This is a place where all expressions are expressed by throwing shoes.

In December, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar Al-Zaidi threw both hi shoes at former US president George Bush during a press conference with Nouri Al Maliki while he was on his farewell tour of the region. What a farewell visit he had in IRAQ!!!
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A Kuwaiti MP Walid Tabtabae waved his shoe during a protest in Gaza in front of the National Assembly

When the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was delivering a lecture in the Cambridge University, a protester threw a shoe at him.
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The funniest part is that many people are offering money and handsome amount of money even these times for these shoes. Someone offered $10 million for Al-Zaidi's shoes and KD 10,000 for Tabtabae's. Don’t know how much money is going to be offered for the shoe thrown at Wen Jiabao.

We might see more shoes flying in conference halls. Going at this pace a time will come when shoes will be banned from everywhere. You can't wear them to hear a speech, to attend a hall conference or a press event or whatever.

Obam-o-mics

2009-01-30T17:16:00.003+05:30

I plan to write on polices of Obama frequently in future (Obam-o-mics) which are expected to provide impetus to the US economy, which is in state of crisis. After taking over as the president of USA, he tried improve the image of US right. He extended the hand of friendship to the Islamic world and rightly so.
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He condemned the huge bonuses paid out Wall Street executives and called it “Outrageous” and “Shameful”. He also added that they are not going to get any support and might be subjected to tough government decisions if this habit continuous.

The stimulus has been enlarged to $ 900 billion from the earlier size of $ 700 billion. Probably US might need close to $ 2 trillion to remove strains of financial crisis.
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When a visionary is taking tough calls to tighten rules, politicians in India have gone crazy. They did not bother to increase the fuel prices of and let the Oil Navratnas were going virtually bankrupt, when the crude hit highs of $ 140 a barrel. They have reduced the prices by Rs 15 within a period of 2 months, with all eyes on vote bank. Instead the windfall from low oil prices could have been used to subsidize the use of renewables. This would have been a sensible move in long run, but steps like this calls for some “statesmanship” on the part of politicians.

When man is trying to obliterate all the animosity between US and Islamic world, we are not able to solve issues with our neighbour, Pakistan. Things have become worse in last 4 years after Vajpayee extended hand of friendship to Pakistan in 2003-04.

High time our politicians we learn from visionary who promising and is also working towards sweeping changes.

India and Oscars'09!!!

2009-01-29T14:10:00.004+05:30

This year’s Oscar nominations have been widely tracked in India. This post is not about the 10 nominations received by the “Slumdog Millionaire”, but about the 11th nomination with Indian connection nominated in the “best documentary short subject” category, “Smile Pinki”.
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This is a story about two poverty-stricken young children in the city Varanasi who are born with clefts. She has a opportunity to receive free surgery to fix their condition with the help of a social worker “Pankaj”.

The music for this 39 minute long documentary is composed by Prassana, a guitarist from Madras based in Boston. The music is said to have no trace of western music. Hope the movie wins a Oscar in its category.

Strange Comments!!!

2009-01-22T16:47:00.003+05:30

This post about two recent statements that shocked me. The first one was from Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Laureate. While delivering a lecture at Madhavrao Scindia Memorial lecture said terrorism can’t be dealt with non-violence. He also said he loved George Bush. A very unusual comment from a person considered messiah of peace by many.
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The second comment was from N.Ram, Editor of The Hindu. N. Ram had slammed the media in both India and Pakistan for "fanning jingoist hysteria" while reporting on the Mumbai terror attacks. Again a very unusual public comment from Editor of a newspaper condemning activities of men from his own profession.
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Haydos: A Batting Bully!!!

2009-01-16T14:18:00.005+05:30

One giant departed from the game of cricket called Matt Hayden. He was one of those few left in the team, who where part of both the 16 test wining streak. He was from a generation, who along with other greats converted the very “Baggy Green” into a “Crown”.
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His journey involved bringing many opponents to submission using brut force began in India in 2001. He was an imposing figure and on field the bat looked like toothpick in his hands. His explosive starts in the beginning of the innings set the tone of innings. He laid foundations for many of the team’s victory by seeing the new ball through. He was one of those who changed the way test match is played.

He has played more than 100 tests and spent enough time in the field to prove himself. Only regret remains the fact that Aussies did not give him a fitting farewell like the ones given to Warne and Gilchrist. But anyway he would not mind, He has never been a sentimental man. He has been one of the most formidable batsmen of the decade and one of those classical southpaws who had a great technique and mixed it with brut force.

Aussie Loss, CSK gain

He will get to play the IPL, when his former team mates would be on national duty. He had a great first season, with important contributions to his team in the four matches he played. Off course Aussies would miss him probably the best of him in times to come. CSK still enjoys his services for at-least two more years.
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World would miss a batsmen who batted with authority and certainty. He would be remembered as a batsman who gave sleepless nights to the best bowlers of his times.

Auditors and their Great Lapse...

2009-01-07T14:18:00.006+05:30

The recent confession by Ramalinga Raju of Satyam Computers Ltd again brings the issue of corporate governance to fore. He confessed that he had inflated the balance sheet of the firm in order to negate the case of hostile takeover. The cash balances were overstated and liabilities were under-quoted. This was not done over night, but over a period of years. Even though Rajus have been highly criticized for his action, but he had to do these acts in order to keep the management control within his family.

Parties to be blamed are independent directors and auditors. As per the listing clauses, the board of a listed firm is supposed to have independent directors. The independent directors are supposed to take care of ethical issues and protect the interest of minority shareholders. In this case, the independent directors were helpless because the fraud was known to only Rajus and MD.

This fraud which started few years back could not have happened without the knowledge of Auditors. This case of fraud could have been avoided had Auditors done their job properly. They are the one who are supposed to check the financial transactions and ensure transactions are recorded properly. They are supposed to safeguard to the interest of other stakeholders of the business, who do not have access to the financial information. The auditors for Satyam were one of the big fours of audit world and had it been some other country other than India, they would have wound up (like Anderson). ICAI, which is the apex institution for framing rules and conducting CA Exams; is equally responsible for whatever that has happened with Satyam. Auditors should take responsibility for whatever that has happened. ICAI, which always acted with a touch of arrogance, should set its own system right before things turn worse.

Year Ahead...

2009-01-02T16:08:00.004+05:30

The Bangladesh started 2008 with a lot of hopes of bettering there good performances in the World Cup in the Caribbean in 07. They had done really well t beat India and qualify to the next round of the world cup. They had improved on there performance in the first round and shocked the South Africans in the next round.

There performances started to improve in the home test matches. They won an ODI match against the Kiwis, which is one of the highlights of their national cricket for the year.

Their biggest shock came when 14 top players joined the rebel “Indian Cricket League”. In order to keep BCCI happy the Bangladesh Cricket Board had ban all these players. They are the second national team to play in the ICL apart from Pakistan. Consequently the inexperienced national side is looked even more inexperienced now.

Sole Warrior

The 24 year old Ashraful, the skipper usually ends up playing the good knock when his teammates fall like ninepins. Their coach, Siddons advised Ashraful to quit the captaincy during the Australia tour, but unlike in the case of Sourav Ganguly and Greg Chappell, that didn't blow up into a major storm, even though Siddons revealed it to journalists.

Even though the entire year has been dismal, Bangladesh had there best moments on the field on the last day of the test match against Sri Lanka. This was an unusual test with rest day, fourth day of the test. The rest day was because of the election. There has been a joke going around that authorities need not be giving a rest day because test is going to end with in three days.

A Ray of Hope…

The Lankans had set a nearly impossible target of more than 500 runs. With South Africans chasing a record total in Australia and Indian doing the same against England, the very meaning of “Impossible” was to change. With Ashraful scoring a century and Shakib and scoring a 96, the Bangladesh was set to chase the impossible target, before the Lankan bowler struck. Even though they fell short of the target, the manner in which they chased the target will keep them inspired to come up with good performances in 2009. I hope the Bangladesh, will come up good performance atleast in 2009.

2008…Moving up to Dawn!!!

2008-12-31T14:08:00.002+05:30

I have not written since the 16th of December, an unusual gap of more than 10 days. This was due to some commitments in work place. This post would go down as the last post in the blog for the year. It has been great year at large for me although it did have some heart breaks.
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The year started with me watching “Taare Zameen Par”, flick that was not a typical masala flick on the 1st of Jan’2008. This was the second movie (after “Kurudipunal”) that made me weep big time, probably this time I was weeping for myself. I could see my own past in the character of Ishaan, who was average in terms of IQ but was treated like a dud by the whole system. The ending of the movie was certainly resuscitating to keep me inspired for the whole of the year and probably for times to come as well.

The next great thing to happen this year was cracking the research module on risk management offered by IRDA in Hyderabad. This year got to listen to ARR in a live concert for the first time in Feb. The concert was equaling great as was jumping the hostel gate after the concert.
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Then came one of the biggest heart break in March this year, when I could not crack the GD for MFC offered by Delhi University. The getting kick out of the admission did not hurt as much to see the kind of people who proceed to the next stage. All those who sat in the discussion were morons who made me go into shell not with good arguments but with lofty voice. This had a lesson for me, taught me about the selection system prevailing in the education system and its sorry state of affairs.
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I got to attend another ARR concert in fag end of April. This was a day before my financial management exam in the last semester, which was nothing short of a nightmare for my classmates. I went for the exam with out proper sleep. Even my classmates did not enjoy their sleep but that was due to late night preparation and not because of attending the concert like me. Well… I could not even recollect basic formulae in the exam but some how managed to get clear that exam. Finance started to seem like tougher than rocket science for those 3 hours.

Then next great thing to happen was being at work place. Probably, my greatest realization on my life happened here at this place. This is something that can be to long too explain and quite complicated as well. I found myself that was probably languished for so many years in a twilight world.

This was a year when I moved beyond the dawn and I hope next year would be better than this one. I hope all those unfinished dreams blossom to the fullest extent in the new year!

Knight from Najafgarh!!!

2008-12-15T17:49:00.004+05:30

When KP set a imposing target of 377 to India with more than 3 sessions left to play, he would have thought of fancying his chances to win the first test after a trashing 5-0 loss in the one-day series. He would have contemplated the Indian batsmen to fall prey to his spinners on a fifth day crumbling track in Madras. After sticking unflinchingly to its plans to success for three whole days, England was derailed by a force of called “Sehwag”.

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While they may sound clichéd, axiomatic guidelines are usually based on proven principles. It is said test matches are won session by session, partnership by partnership, wicket by wicket. This is often proven wrong by this Indian opener. When Indians started to chase what would have become the fourth biggest chase if succeeded, one was expecting a draw or an England’s victory at the worst scenario. But that was not be the case with “Viru’s” blitzkrieg. The match’s fate was sealed in a third session of the fourth day. He scored a quick fire 83 in 68 balls. This dazzling knock had 11 fours and 4 sixers. Even though the target was huge in the start of innings, the Indian total was hundred in 108 balls. In this process he also scored the second fasted fifty by an Indian. He made the target look very small and also ensured that his onslaught made the English bowlers go into a defensive shell.

These were the words of Andrew Strauss, who scored a century in each of the innings of the test.…Scoring was not easy on this track but Sehwag is exceptional. He always takes the game to the opposition and plays a different game to the most people in the world. It's amazing to see the freedom with which he plays, exceptionally pleasing to watch if you are not in the opposition…

Once he gets going it becomes really difficult for the opponents to bowl to him. He makes a killing out of even the slightest mistakes of the opposition. The way Sehwag bats, the opposition always has a chance to get his wickets. But in spite of his fear-less batting style he goes on the construct monumental innings. It has just become that India invariably does well when Sehwag gets going with to a flying start. His presence in the batting order takes pressure out of batsmen coming lower down the order.

He might not go on to make more than 10,000 runs in both forms of the game like his mentor, but he can certainly steal more victories from the jaws of defeat than his mentor could and be a better match winner than his mentor. Rather than calling him the “Nawab of Najafgarh” i could rather call him the “knight from Najafgarh”.

Fiscal Stimulus!!!

2008-12-10T11:13:00.006+05:30

The Indian government announced a fiscal stimulus valued at about $ 6 billion (Rs 30,000 crores). This is not the total sum of money injected into the system, but includes all the potential tax revenue forgone. The size of this stimulus seems modest when compared to the stimulus announced by the other countries. US had announced a stimulus of $ 700 billion, which is expected to cross the $ 1,000 billion. The Euro-zone is expected to have a stimulus of similar size. The Japan is expected to announce a package of more than $ 200 billion and China is expected to have a package of more than $ 500 billion. Even an economy as small as Peru has announced a package of $ 13 billion, which it plans to spend on improving its infrastructure. A $ 6 billion fiscal stimulus looks even too undersized for a $ 1 trillion economy as ours.

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We need to come to terms with the fact that, government is taking these actions more with a populist intention (national elections are due in May 2009!) than with an aim to improve the growth rate. The government went ahead with a cut in fuel prices. These bunch of jokers at the helm of the country, did not mind to increase the fuel prices when crude went up levels of $ 140 a barrel. But reduction in the price came with out thinking of other fiscal compulsion. These oil Navratnas were on the verge of bankruptcy till some time back, courtesy: mismanagement by politicians. The government should not have cut prices, rather used the surplus funds generated from sale of crude to repay all the accumulated under recoveries of oil companies and further to subsidize the use renewable energy.

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There has been a cut in CENVAT and Excise duties. All of this will take the fiscal deficit of both centre and State to the region of around 10 % of the GDP. To find the real deficit, one needs to add “Off-budget” items such as oil-bonds, which were fiscal innovations by the politicians. .

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All this mismanagement is done well by appropriate actions of RBI. YV Reddy was criticized for his action during his tenure as the governor of RBI. Probably, none of his predecessors faced challenges like he did. None of the earlier governors had to face crude running up 3 times and high growth rates of more that 8 percent. All of this was handled well with keeping the inflation low for most of his tenure. The PNB chief rightly complimented his efforts which I believe primarily insulated the economy from the destructive effects of global meltdown.

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The monetary authority has taken lead in tackling the crisis. It has slashed interest rates to boost consumption by increasing the credit off take. It seems it is not “Credit availability” that’s a problem but it is that is “credit distribution” that is the problem. Hopefully these measures will serve the purpose and get the economy back on high growth track (before anymore populist measures spoil the economy!!!).

VAS's Sketchs

2008-12-08T10:18:00.010+05:30

These are some of the Sketches of VAS.

The Lady with the Lamp

Girls looks

The Lady on the Staircase

Tech-Savvy Gandhi

Raging Hourse

A passion of a lifetime...

2008-12-04T16:44:00.005+05:30

What connects ICICI bank, St Xavier’s college, Joshna Chinnapa and Indiabulls??? This was a question in one of the quizzes I attended recently. Neither of us who attended knew the answer, could not even get close the answer. This was one of the quizzes which dealt with one’s ability to think laterally rater than in a uni-dimensional way. The answer was even more confusing than the question itself, which was LN Mittal.
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I am writing about something that has evoked my interest, irrespective of my mood and that's Quizzing. There has always been a sense of fantasy built around this word ever since my childhood days. This is one of those many hobbies, where I have been able to ensure that the levels of passion do not go down. But in this case the level of passion has increased manifold.

Quiz is not about some guesswork, it is an art in itself. While quizzing during school days, I felt that quizzers could do perform well because we knew a lot. I believed essentially quizzing was to do with one ability to recollect a lot of things. There was point of time when I could recall everything in the quizzing stage but could not replicate the performance in school tests and exams. That’s when I could I realized that quizzing was not a test of one’s memory but about one’s ability to infer from the very little you know and come with the answer. Many people around me who know me as a good quizzer believe that I stay awake all the night to memorizing capital of the all countries and heights of mountains. But good quizzing we did was all about to connecting all unconnected things, linking parts of information, inferring the answer by trusting your instincts and all of this happens within a tight deadline.
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Quizzing is not about chances, but it is about one’s ability. It calls for snappy decisions and there is no syllabus to learn by heart. By quizzing since fourth class, my thought process happens laterally rather than uni-dimensionally. Thoughts are extremely different (at times, even dreadfully unique) from the entire crowd, making a quizzer stand out when it comes to something ingenious task.
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In a quiz we were expected to tell, what was special about the new type of vest that a firm had launched. Probably, I have never thought so hard for any question so hard in my lifetime. I can bet we guys thought in the crudest manner that we ever could, many visualized frames more filthy than a Mahesh Bhatt movie that could ever expose. In spite of such thought process, none of us could come out with right answer.
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After about a decade of quizzing, figuring out solutions and answers for many problems especially at work place becomes easy. A fairly good amount quizzing makes one a great data miner, this is ability made life very comfortable at work. The believe astuteness that a quizzer derives is shaped is not by memorization but by instinct, intuition and inference.

Inclusive Capitalism!!!

2008-12-03T10:55:00.003+05:30

The collapse of the Wall Street majors has spilled over to the Main Street. Since the economies are shedding jobs. In US, this September alone, monthly mass layoff claims for unemployment insurance jumped by 34 percent. General Electric, General Motors, Chrysler, Yahoo! and Xerox have all announced major layoffs, along with the humbled financial giants such as Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. This is in addition to all those who have lost jobs in financial institutions which have gone bankrupt. State governments in US are facing a tax revenue shortfall of roughly $100 billion in the next fiscal year, 15 percent of their overall budgets. The fact that the economy’s overall gross domestic product (GDP) shrank between July and September the first such decline since the September 2001 terrorist attacks only confirms the realities on the ground facing workers, households, businesses and the public sector. All of this is happenings in US, a country which epitomized and preached capitalism.

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With Communism having fallen from grace with the collapse of the Soviet Union and now, capitalism is under siege with the collapse of Wall Street majors. Is “Inclusive Capitalism or Social Capitalism” the new way to survive?

All those who championed for the cause of capitalism, and campaigned against communism failed to understand the fragilities of capitalism. Hard-core Capitalism only seeks to satisfy those who provide capital, in this process fail to take care of other stakeholders, who form the foundations of an economy. This kind of Capitalism is very much exclusive in nature. Inclusive capitalism is all about satisfying the needs of all stakeholders and most important of them being customers. Traditional capitalism exploited the customers the most, who form the base of the fortune pyramid.

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A classic case of primitive capitalism which was failing now would be inability of the telecom players to penetrate into the market. In spite reforms, till 1995 the fruits of telecom were not available to 95% of the country. Hence the players failed to penetrate into the market. With some more reforms and slashing of tariffs by the players the benefits are available to more than 50% of the country. In this sector, the application of inclusive capitalism had become a force for good.

The appliance of inclusive capitalism should be done voluntarily by the corporates than due to government intervention. In a country like India with a very small number of high-margin customers in India, corporates will have no option but to look at other segments of the population.

In order for inclusive capitalism to work, corporations must realize that they are part of a larger society and part of a complex network where every element is interlinked and that all the wealth that they produce is not their own.

Classical Concerts in Chennai

2008-12-01T11:12:00.008+05:30

Hi everybody!!!

I had been to a Veena concert on Tuesday, 16th September, 2008 in Narda Gana Sabha, Alwarpet. I was shocked to see such a less number of audience. The concert was held in the mini hall, the strength was less than 30. It was more shocking to see that I was the only person below the age of 50!!!

The decline in number of audience in Chennai can be attributed to two factors, Lack of interest in classical music and lack of awareness amongst people about these concerts. I thought I can’t do anything to increase the interest levels, but I can make an attempt to increase the awareness amongst people who don’t know where the concerts are held across the city.

This is just a small initiative on my part to save a form of art. I have listed out the concerts to be held in the city. If you know any more concerts other than the ones listed below do let me know.
Thank You
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CHENNAI MUSIC SEASON 2008-2009

DECEMBER 2008

1st December 2008 (Monday)

5:00 PM – U.P. Raju & Nagamani (Mandolin) @ YGP Auditorium, Tirumalai Pillai Road, T. Nagar (Bharat Kalachar)
5:30 PM – Sikkil Gurucharan (Vocal) @ Chinmaya Heritage Centre**Ticketed
6:00 PM – Nritha Jagannathan (Bharathanatyam) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall**Ticketed**
6:15 PM – K. Vandana (Vocal) @ Kasturi Srinivasan Hall, The Music Academy**Free**
6:30 PM – Niranjana Srinivasan (Vocal) @ Gokhale Institute Hall**Free**
6:30 PM – Srivanchiam Muralidhara Bhagavathar (Namasankeertanam) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha**Free**
7:00 PM – Savita Narasimhan (Vocal) @ Obul Reddy Hall **Free**
7:00 PM – Padma Seshadri Sisters (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium
7:00 PM – Maharajapuram Srinvasan (Vocal) @ Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Matriculation Higher Secondary School**Free**
7:00 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Chinmaya Heritage Centre **Ticketed
7:30 PM – Radhika Shurajit (Dance Ballet – Aadal Kaaneero – Tribute to MLV) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall**Ticketed**
7:30 PM – Lavanya Raghuraman (Bharathanatyam) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**

2nd December 2008 (Tuesday)

10:00 AM – Saxaphone Sisters (Saxaphone) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:15 PM – Krithika Natarajan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Ajay Namboodiri (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
4:30 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ Satguru Gnanananda Hall, Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – N. Harish (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium
6:15 PM – Sikkil Gurucharan (Vocal), @ The Music Academy **Free**
6:30 PM – Kunnakudi M. Balamuralikrishna (Vocal) @ Gokhale Institute Hall, Mylapore **Free**
6:30 PM – Vinay Chandra Menon (Namasankeertanam) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha **Free**
6:30 PM – Nagai Muralidharan (Violin) @ Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Matriculation Higher Secondary School **Free**
6:45 PM – Krishnakumari Narendran (Dance Ballet) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – R. Ganesh (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium, Tirumalai Pillai Road, T. Nagar (Bharat Kalachar)
7:30 PM – M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Narmada & Suresh Kumar (Violin) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, East Mada St., Mylapore (Kala Pradarshini)

3rd December 2008 (Wednesday)

10:00 AM – R. Kasturirangan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall, TTK Road, Alwarpet (Kartik Fine Arts)
12:15 PM – Arundhati Krishnan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall, TTK Road, Alwarpet (Kartik Fine Arts)
2:00 PM – Lalitha Mohan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall, TTK Road, Alwarpet (Kartik Fine Arts)
4:30 PM – Mohan Santhanam (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall, TTK Road, Alwarpet (Narada Gana Sabha)
4:30 PM – S. Kanaka (Dance Ballet) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall, TTK Road, Alwarpet (Kartik Fine Arts) **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Perambur Vasanthi (Namasankeertanam) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha **Free**
5:00 PM – Nisha Rajagopal (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium, Tirumalai Pillai Road, T. Nagar (Bharat Kalachar)
6:00 PM – Deepti Ravichandran (Bharathanatyam) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Maharajapuram S. Ganesh Viswanathan (Vocal) @ Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Matriculation Higher Secondary School **Free**
6:30 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Chettinad Vidyashram **Free**
6:30 PM – Subha Ganesan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
6:30 PM – Sattanatha Bhagavathar (Namasankeertanam) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha **Free**
6:45 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Lakshmi Rangarajan (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium, T. Nagar

4th December 2008 (Thursday)

10:00 AM – Savita Narasimhan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:15 PM – Bharathi Ramasubban (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Vasudha Keshav (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Swarna Rethas (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:45 PM – Geetha Rajasekar (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – Priya Sisters (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Padmini Ravi (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
5:00 PM – J.B. Sruthi Sagar (Flute) @ YGP Auditorium, T. Nagar
5:00 PM – Udayalur Balarama Bhagavathar (Namasankeertanam) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha **Free**
6:00 PM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Sethalapati Soundararajan (Vocal) @ Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Matriculation Higher Secondary School **Free**
6:30 PM – Manjapara Mohan Bhagavathar (Namasankeertanam) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha**Free**
6:30 PM – S. Srinivasan (Veena) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
6:45 PM – P. Unnikrishnan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – S. Kasturirangan (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium
7:15 PM – Sumitra Nitin (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall

5th December 2008 (Friday)

10:00 AM – Baby Sriram (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:15 PM – Sai Krishnan & Sai Narasimhan (Flute) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Swarna Rethas (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Akshay Padmanabhan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:45 PM – R. Ganesh (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:30 PM – Ranjani & Gayathri (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Jayalakshmi Sekar (Veena) @ Dakshinamurthy Auditorium **Free**
4:30 PM – Akshay Padmanabhan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
5:00 PM – Sethinipuram Bhaskaran (Namasankeertanam) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha **Free**
5:15 PM – Seshampatti Sivalingam (Nadaswaram) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – B. Vijayagopal (Flute) @ Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Matriculation Higher Secondary School **Free**
6:30 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Chettinad Vidyashram **Free**
6:30 PM – Udayalur Kalyanarama Bhagavathar (Namasankeertanam) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha **Free**
6:30 PM – Shankari Krishnan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
7:15 PM – T.N. Krishnan @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall

6th December 2008 (Saturday)

10:00 AM – Saraswathi Ramraj (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
10:00 AM – Amritha Murali (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:15 PM – K. Subhiksha (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – N. Harish (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Subhiksha Rangarajan (Vocal) @ MCTM School**Free**
3:45 PM – Charulatha Mani (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:30 PM – Nithyasree Mahadevan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – P. Vasantakumar (Veena) @ P.S. High School, R.K. Mutt Road, Mylapore (Naadhabrahmam) **Free**
4:30 PM – Mahanadhi Shobana (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
5:00 PM – Sikkil C. Gurucharan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
5:00 PM – Pavithra Mahesh (Veena) @ Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Matriculation Higher Secondary School **Free**
6:00 PM – Arthi Kumar (Vocal) @ Asthika Samajam, Venus Colony, Alwarpet (Nada Varsha 2008) **Free**
6:00 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Geetha Raja (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
6:30 PM – Lakshmi Rajagopal (Vocal) @ Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Matriculation Higher Secondary School **Free**
6:45 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) Narada Gana Sabha
6:45 PM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ P.S. High School **Free**
7:00 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Ramarao Kala Mantap, Habibullah Road, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Charulatha Mani (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium, Padma Seshadri School, T.P. Road, T. Nagar (Bharat Kalachar) **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Priya Sisters (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**

7th December 2008 (Sunday)

9:00 AM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ Ramarao Kala Mantap, Habibullah Road, T. Nagar
10:00 AM – K. Gayathri (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:15 PM – Iyer Sisters (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
1:00 PM – Aditya Venkatesh (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:00 PM – S.M. Vilasini (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Vasudha Ravi (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:45 PM – K. Gayathri (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:30 PM – P. Saisharan (Vocal) @ P.S. High School **Free**
4:30 PM – Hamsini Nagendra (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
4:30 PM – Malladi Brothers (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall
5:30 PM – B. Kannan (Veena) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall
6:00 PM – Lalitha Sivakumar (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – P.K. Seshadrieswaran (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall, 85/2, Luz Avenue, Mylapore **Free**
6:30 PM – Bombay Sisters (Vocal – Tamil Compositions) @ Adi Sankarar Arangam, Sri Ayyappan Temple, Anna Nagar **Free**
6:30 PM – M.K. Sankaran Namboodri (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
7:00 PM – Sudha Raghuraman (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
7:00 PM – Mysore Manjunath & Nagaraj (Violin) @ Infosys Hall, Ramakrishna Mission School, Bazullah Road, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
.
8th December 2008 (Monday)

10:00 AM – Jayanthi Sridharan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:15 PM – Mala Balashankar (Veena) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Athira Krishnan (Violin) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Rithvik Raja (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:45 PM – Savita Narasimhan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) and M. Narmada (Violin) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Mohan Santhanam (Vocal) @ P.S. High School **Free**
4:30 PM – G. Ravikiran (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
5:00 PM – Geetha Krishnamurthy (Veena) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – N. Vijay Siva (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ Infosys Hall, Ramakrishna Mission School, Bazullah Road, T. Nagar (Mudhra) **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Sattur Sisters (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
6:45 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall**Ticketed**
6:45 PM – Geetha Rajasekar (Vocal) @ P.S. High School **Free**
7:00 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall
.
9th December 2008 (Tuesday)

10:00 AM – Prasanna Venkataraman (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:15 PM – Soumyasri (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – B. Muthukumar (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Calcutta Kala & Chitra (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:45 PM – Saxaphone Sisters (Saxaphone) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:30 PM – Iyer Sisters (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
4:30 PM – Aruna Sairam (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall
4:30 PM – T.K. Ramachandran (Vocal) @ P.S. High School **Free**
4:30 PM – Jayamangala Krishnamani (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
5:00 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – S.R. Maitreyi (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – Nithyashree Mahadevan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
6:30 PM – P. Unnikrishnan (Vocal) @ Ramarao Kala Mantap, Habibullah Road, T. Nagar (Nungambakkam Cultural Academy) **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Trivandrum Krishnakumar (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
6:45 PM – Abhishek Raghuram (Vocal) @ P.S. High School **Free**
6:45 PM – Padmavathi Ananthagopalan & Jayanthi Kumaresh (Veena) @ Sastri Hall, Luz Church Road, Mylapore **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
7:30 PM – N. Harish (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
.
10th December 2008 (Wednesday)

10:00 AM – P.V. Parameswaran (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:15 PM – J.B. Keerthana (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
1:00 PM – Deekshita (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Vani Mahal, T. Nagar **Free** 2:00 PM – Sriranjani Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Banu Kannan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:45 PM – T.N.R. Moorthy (Nadaswaram) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – Raji Gopalakrishnan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha**Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Ranjani Hebbar (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Trichy Pradeep Kumar (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
4:30 PM – Muthukumar (Flute) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
4:30 PM – T.N. Krishnan, Viji Krishnan Natarajan & Sriram Krishnan (Violin) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Janardhan Mitta (Sitar) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – Salem Sriram (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – Aishwarya Raghavan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
6:15 PM – V.V. Subramaniam, V.V. Ravi & V.V.S. Murari (Violin) @ Ramakrishna Mission School**Ticketed**
6:30 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Vani Mahal, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Sikkil Gurucharan (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Visalakshi Nityanand (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
7:00 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
7:30 PM – Athira Krishnan (Violin) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
.
11th December 2008 (Thursday)

10:00 AM – Kuldeep M. Pai (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:15 PM – Lalitha Santhanam (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
1:00 PM – R. Aditi (Keyboard - Hindustani), Jain Painadathe (Tabla), Jayalakshmi (Tambura) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
2:15 PM – M.R. Subramaniam (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
2:15 PM – Ranjani Hebbar (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:45 PM – Bhaskaran (Flute) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – Shankari Krishnan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Aditya Venkatesh (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
4:30 PM – Uma Subramaniam (Vocal) @ P.S. High School **Free**
4:30 PM – Amritha Murali (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
4:30 PM – K.J. Yesudas (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Vasudha Ravi (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – M. Nandini & Pravin Gokhinde (Jugalbandi) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – S.M. Vilasini (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – Sudha Raghunathan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Maharajapuram Ramachandran (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Chrompet **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – B. Govindarajan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
7:00 PM – Geetha Rajasekar (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
7:30 PM – Rithvik Raja (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
.
12th December 2008 (Friday)

10:00 AM – Vasumathi Badrinathan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:15 PM – Gayathri Sathya (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
1:00 PM – Arul Priya (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
2:00 PM – Brinda Manickavasagam (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:15 PM – K. Bharat Sundar (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
2:15 PM – Mandolin Sisters (Mandolin) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:45 PM – Geetha Raja (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – R. Kasthurirangan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Varalakshmi Anandakumar (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
4:30 PM – Bhairavi & Malavi (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
4:30 PM – Sikkil C. Gurucharan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ Gokhale Sastri Hall, Karpagambal Nagar, Mylapore (Chennai Fine Arts) **Free**
6:00 PM – Divya Kasturi (Kathak) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – Kuldeep M. Pai (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – Ranjani & Gayathri (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – S. Sowya (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Geetha Rajasekar (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
6:30 PM – Visalur Gurumurthi (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall **Free**
6:45 PM – Sudha Raghunathan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall **Ticketed**
.
13th December 2008 (Saturday)

9:30 AM – S. Saketaraman (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
10:00 AM – S. Sundar (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
10:30 AM – Mysore A. Chandran Kumar (Flute) @ YGP Auditorium **Free**
12:15 PM – Niranjana Srinivasan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
1:00 PM – J.B. Sruthi Sagar (Flute) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:00 PM – Priya Krishnamurthy (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:00 PM – Erode Anantharaman (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Chitra Srikrishna (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:45 PM – Pantula Rama (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – Chinmaya Sisters (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Saxaphone Sisters (Saxophone) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Seshampatti Sivalingam (Nadaswaram) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
4:30 PM – K.P. Nandini (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
4:30 PM – Radha Venkatachalam (Vocal) @ P.S. High School **Free**
4:30 PM – Gayathri Devi (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Toronto Brothers (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
6:00 PM – S. Geetha (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
6:00 PM – Priya Sisters (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – P. Unnikrishnan (Vocal) @ Chettinad Vidyashram **Free**
6:30 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Ramarao Kala Mantap **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Nithyashree Mahadevan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
6:30 PM – Gayathri Girish (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Subhashini Parthasarathy (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
6:45 PM – Anayampatti Ganesan (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall **Free**
7:30 PM – Vidya Kalyanaraman (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
.
14th December 2008 (Sunday)

9:30 PM – T.N.S. Krishna (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
9:30 AM – Nirmala Sundararajan & Subhashini Parthasarathy (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
10:00 AM – Geetha Raja (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
10:00 AM – Mala Ramadorai (Vocal - Hindustani) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
10:30 AM – Saindhavi & Vinaya (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Free**
12:00 PM – Gayathri Sathya (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
12:15 PM – Calcutta Kala & Chitra (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Free**
1:00 PM – M.J. Sitaram (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:00 PM – Vishveshwar (Flute) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:30 PM – Mohan Santhanam (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
2:00 PM – Gayathri Devi (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Sriranjani Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:00 AM – Sukanya Ramagopal (Sthree Taal Tarang) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – Akkarai Sisters (Violin Duet) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – Shubha Ganesan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Baby Sriram (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
4:15 PM – P.K.M. Ravi (Nadaswaram) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:25 PM – Karthik Raju (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Free**
4:30 PM – Amrutha Venkatesh (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – Malladi Brothers (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – S. Saketharaman (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Gayathri Venkataraghavan (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – O.S. Arun (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – O.S. Thiagarayan (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ Chettinad Vidyashram **Free**
6:30 PM – A.K.C. Natarajan (Clarinet) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Free**
7:00 PM – Kadri Gopalnath (Saxaphone) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
.
15th December 2008 (Monday)

9:30 AM – Lakshmi Rangarajan (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
10:00 AM – Mala Chandrasekar (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
10:00 AM – Serugudi Sisters (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
12:00 PM – K. Ramya (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
12:15 PM – V. Vamsheedharan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
12:30 PM – Prashanth Radhakrishnan (Saxaphone) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
1:00 PM – K. Lakshmi (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:30 PM – Jayamangala Krishnamani (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
2:00 PM – Radha Bhaskar (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – V. Deepika (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Lavanya Sundararaman (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
2:15 PM – Prasanna Venkataraman (Vocal) @ MCTM School**Free**
3:45 PM – Raji Gopalakrishnan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Amritha Murali (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:30 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – O.S. Thiagarajan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – B. Kannan (Veena) @ YGP Auditorium, Tirumalai Pillai Road, T. Nagar (Bharat Kalachar) **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Papanasam Ashok Ramani (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Ticketed**
5:30 PM – Gayathri Sathya (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, 2nd Avenue, Indira Nagar, Adyar
6:00 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – Gayathri Girish (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – A. Kanyakumari @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Pantula Rama (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – Rudrapatnam Brothers (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – M. Lalitha & M. Nandini (Violin) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Trichur Ramachandran (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore
6:45 PM – Bhavani Prakash (Vocal) @ P.S. High School **Free**
6:45 PM – U. Srinivas (Mandolin) @ YGP Auditorium,T. Nagar **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Yamini Ramesh (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
7:00 PM – R.K. Srikantan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
.
16th December 2008 (Tuesday)

9:15 AM – Injikkudi E.M. Subramaniam (Nadaswaram) @ The Music Academy **Free**
9:30 AM – Suguna Purushothaman (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
10:00 AM – Shertalai Ranganatha Sarma (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
10:00 AM – Roopa Mahadevan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
10:00 AM – Kunnakudi M. Balamuralikrishna (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore
12:00 PM – K. Bharat Sundar (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
12:00 PM – S. Malavika (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:15 PM – Chaitra Sairam (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
12:30 PM – S.M. Vilasini (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
1:30 PM – Vasudha Keshav (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
1:45 PM – Sriram Parthasarathy (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – Vasundhara Rajagopal (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Poornima Krishnan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
2:15 PM – K. Gayathri (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – Vidya Kalyanaraman (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:00 PM – Shankari Krishnan (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – U.P. Raju & Nagamani (Mandolin) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Usha Padmanabhan (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:15 PM – Lakshmi Rangarajan (Vocal) @ TTK Auditorium **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Trichur Brothers (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan & Vijayalakshmi (Violin) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Ticketed**
5:30 PM – Latha Murali (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Indira Nagar, Adyar
6:00 PM – Aruna Sairam (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – Maharajapuram Srinivasan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Nisha Rajagopal (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Alamelu Mani (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – K.J. Yesudas (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Sriram Parasuram & Anooradha Sriram (Vocal - Jugalbandi) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – R. Ganesh (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Bombay Sisters (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – N. Vijay Siva (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:30 PM – A. Kanyakumari & Embar S. Kannan (Violin) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**

17th December 2008 (Wednesday)

9:15 AM – T.S. Satyavati (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
10:00 AM – Madurai R. Sundar (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
10:00 AM – S. Mahathi (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
10:00 AM – Suguna Varadachari (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
12:00 PM – Manasi Prasad (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:15 PM – R. Kavya (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
12:30 PM – Aishwarya Vidya Raghunath (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
1:00 PM – Vishveshwar (Flute) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:45 PM – Nisha Rajagopal (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Ranjani Hebbar (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Trichur Brothers (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:15 PM – Vasudha Keshav (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – Jayashree (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:45 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ MCTM School, Luz Church Road **Free**
4:00 PM – Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore*Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Jayanthi Sridhar (Vocal@ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
4:00 PM – Vidya Harikrishna (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:15 PM – O.S. Arun (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha**Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Shankar Ramani (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Gayathri Girish (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Ticketed**
5:30 PM – Krishna Ramarathnam (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel,Adyar
6:00 PM – Ashok Ramani (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Sathur Sisters (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:15 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Bombay Jayashri (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Malladi Brothers (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – M. Chandrasekaran & Bharathi (Violin) @ Sastri Hall**Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Sudha Raghunathan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Sikkil Sisters (Flute) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Jayanthi Kumaresh (Veena) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
.
18th December 2008 (Thursday)

9:15 AM – N. Ramani, R. Thiagarajan & R. Atul Kumar (Flute Trio) @ The Music Academy **Free**
10:00 AM – Shankar Ramani (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
10:00 AM – Rasika Vishwanath (Flute) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
10:00 AM – Sreevalsan J. Menon (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
12:00 PM – G. Ravikiran (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:15 PM – Varun Kashyap Ganesh @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
12:30 PM – M.R. Subramaniam (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:30 PM – J.B. Keerthana (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – S. Girija Shankar (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:45 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – Aishwarya Raghavan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
2:00 PM – S.M. Vilasini (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:00 PM – Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Ajay Nambudiri (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – Jayamangala Krishnamani (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:45 PM – Sriram Gangadharan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – B. Vijaygopal (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Nithyashri Mahadevan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Charulatha Mani (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Auditorium
5:00 PM – Sarojini Sundaresan (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Free**
5:00 PM – Charulatha Mani (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Ticketed**
5:30 PM – Baheeran Aravindan (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – Priya Sisters (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – M.S.K. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Sikkil Gurucharan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Ritha Rajan (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – Aruna Sairam (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Madurai R. Sundar (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – U. Srinivas (Mandolin) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Geetha Sundaresan (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
7:00 PM – Gayathri Girish (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan **Ticketed**
7:30 PM – Carnatica Brothers (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
.
19th December 2008 (Friday)

9:15 AM – Rama Ravi (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
10:00 AM – V.K. Manimaran (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha
10:00 AM – Yamini Ramesh (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
10:00 AM – Sarojini Sundaresan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
12:00 PM – T.S. Pattabhirama Pandit (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:15 PM – R. Raghul Narayanan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
12:30 PM – J.B. Sruthi Sagar (Flute) @ Vidya Bharati **Free**
12:30 PM – Bharathi Ramasubban (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
1:00 PM – Akshay Padmanabhan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:30 PM – Sandeep N. Bharadwaj (Violin) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – Sumitra Vasudev (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – S. Mahathi (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – J.B. Keerthana (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall, T. Nagar **Free**
2:00 PM – D.B. Ashwin (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Mandolin Sisters (Mandolin) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:15 PM – Sandeep Narayan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – Chitra Srikrishna (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:00 PM – T.N.S. Krishna (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka **Free**
3:15 PM – C. Sukanya (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall, T. Nagar **Free**
3:45 PM – Aruna Ranganathan (Vocal) @ Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium, MCTM School, Luz Church Road, Alwarpet (Brahma Gana Sabha) **Free**
4:00 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Bhavani Prakash Rao (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:15 PM – O.S. Thiagarajan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Charulatha Mani (Vocal ) @ Ramarao Kala Mantap, T. Nagar
4:30 PM – K.J. Yesudas (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Arthi Kumar (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Papanasam Ashok Ramani (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – B. Vijayagopal (Flute) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
5:00 PM – Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Ticketed**
5:30 PM – Padma Govardhan (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar (Hamsadhwani)
6:00 PM – Maharajapuram Ramachandran (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – S. Shashank (Flute) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Radha Bhaskar (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Sangeetha Sivakumar (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Vaikom Jayachandran (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – O.S. Arun (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Kadri Gopalnath (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:45 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Vibav Mouli (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
7:00 PM – Madurai G.S. Mani (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Gayathri Venkataraghavan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – R. Vedavalli (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Road, Teynampet **Free**
7:30 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
.
20th December 2008 (Saturday)

9:00 AM – Jayamangala Krishnamani (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall, T. Nagar **Free**
9:15 AM – D. Balakrishna (Veena) @ The Music Academy **Free**
10:00 AM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
10:00 AM – Sangeetha Swaminathan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha
10:00 AM – Muthukumaraswamy (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
10:00 AM – Lalitha & Nandini (Violin) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Free**
10:00 AM – Sudha R.S. Iyer & Srividhya R.S. Iyer (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
10:00 AM – Bhairavi & Malavi (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
10:30 AM – Anantharaman (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium, T. Nagar **Free**
12:00 PM – M.R. Subramaniam (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:15 PM – Vishal Sapuram (Chitravina) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
12:30 PM – V.R. Raghava Krishna (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – D.B. Ashwin (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:00 PM – K. Revathi (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:30 PM – Karthika & Keerthana (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – Sikkil C. Gurucharan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – Varalakshmi Anandakumar (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:00 PM – T.N.S. Krishna (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – V. Bharat Kumar (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
2:00 PM – Vidya Kalyanaraman (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
2:15 PM – S.M. Vilasini (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – Sriranjani (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:00 PM – R. Raghavendra (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:15 PM – Geetha Bennet (Veena) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – Nisha Rajagopal (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – T.V. Ramprasadh (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Geetha Sundaresan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Swarna Rethas (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:00 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – S. Shashank (Flute) @ YGP Auditorium, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
4:15 PM – Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan & Vijayalakshmi (Violin) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – P. Unnikrishnan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) and M. Narmada (Violin) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – S. Mahathi (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School **Free**
5:00 PM – O.S. Thiagarajan (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
5:00 PM – Gayathri Venkataraghavan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Ticketed**
5:30 PM – Roopa Mahadevan (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – N. Vijay Siva (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Seetha Rajan (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – Sudha Raghunathan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Kadri Gopalnath (Saxaphone) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – N. Ramani (Flute) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:00 PM – Madurai R. Sundar (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
7:00 PM – Malladi Brothers (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:30 PM – Bombay Sisters (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**

.
21st December 2008 (Sunday)

9:00 AM – A.S. Murali (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall, T. Nagar **Free**
9:15 AM – A.K.C. Natarajan (Clarinet) @ The Music Academy **Free**
10:00 AM – B. Vijayagopal (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
10:00 AM – B. Bhargavi Ganesh (Chitravina) @ Raga Sudha Hall
10:00 AM – B. Kannan (Veena) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Free**
10:00 AM – Pushpa Anand (Vocal – Abhangs) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
10:00 AM – Pappu Venugopala Rao (Lec Dem) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
10:30 AM – Kadri Gopalnath (Saxaphone) @ YGP Auditorium, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
12:00 PM – Manjari Chandan Ramesh (Veena@ The Music Academy **Free**
12:15 PM – Rashmi Balasubramaniam (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
12:30 PM – R. Raghavendra (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:30 PM – K.H. Mangala (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – Karthik Narayanan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:00 PM – K. Dharini (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:30 PM – S. Saindhavi (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – Abhishek Raghuram (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – S. Aravind (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Sriranjani Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:00 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – R. Kavya (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
2:15 PM – Nirmita Narasimhan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – N. Harish (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:00 PM – K. Gayathri (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:00 PM – Charulatha Mani (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
3:15 PM – Smitha Madhav (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – Trichur Brothers (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – C. Sukanya (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Ragam Sisters (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
4:00 PM – Sriram Parasuram & Anooradha Sriram (Vocal – Jugalbandi) @ YGP Auditorium, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Bhairavi & Malavi (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall,
4:00 PM – Sangeetha Swaminathan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:15 PM – Ranjani & Gayathri (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:25 PM – Aruna Sairam (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:45 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Chennaiyil Tiruvaiyaru **Free**
5:00 PM – Sandeep N. Bharadwaj (Violin) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
5:00 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Free**
5:00 PM – U. Srinivas (Mandolin) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
5:00 PM – Hyderabad Brothers (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Bombay Jayashri (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – V. Sumitra (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:15 PM – Rajesh Vaidhya (Veena) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Ganesh & Kumaresh (Violin) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ VDS Arts Academy
6:30 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:45 PM – Vijay Yesudas (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – O.S. Thiagarajan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Kadri Gopalnath (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Rudrapatnam Brothers (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:00 PM – Shalini & Shruti Srivatsan (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
7:00 PM – Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram

22nd December 2008 (Monday)

9:15 AM – R. Vedavalli (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
9:30 AM – B. Madhavan (Lec Dem – Akshaya Linga Vibho) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Free**
10:00 AM – V.K. Manimaran (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
10:00 PM – Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam (Vocal) and M. Narmada (Violin) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Free**
10:00 AM – N.C. Soundaravalli (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
12:00 PM – Sandeep Narayan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:30 PM – Sriranjani Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:30 PM – N.R. Vedavalli (Veena) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – K. Mahathi (Keyboard) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:00 PM – Arthi Suresh (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:30 PM – V. Deepika (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – Savita Narasimhan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – A.S. Murali (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Gayathri Sundaresan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
2:00 PM – Athira Krishnan (Violin) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:15 PM – V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – Serugudi Sisters (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:00 PM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Free**
3:00 PM – Nisha Rajagopal (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:15 PM – Jayalakshmi Sekar (Veena) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – Nirmala Sundararajan & Subhashini Parthasarathy (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – Visalakshi Shankar (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:00 PM – Carnatica Brothers (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – B. Vijayagopal (Flute) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:15 PM – T.V. Ramprasadh (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Hyderabad Brothers (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – O.S. Thiagarajan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – P. Vasanthakumar (Veena) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
5:00 PM – Kalpana Venkat (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
5:30 PM – Sanjay Subramanian (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – Bombay Jayashri (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – O.S. Arun (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Gayathri Venkataraghavan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Suguna Varadachari (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:15 PM – Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi & Pravin Gokhinde (Violin-Flute Jugalbandi) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – U.P. Raju & Nagamani (Mandolin) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Priya Sisters (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – T.N. Krishnan, Viji Krishnan Natarajan & Sriram Krishnan (Violin) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – R.K. Srikantan (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:00 PM – Lalgudi Srimathi Brahmanandam (Violin) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
7:00 PM – Sudha Raghunathan (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
7:00 PM – Maharajapuram S. Ramachandran (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Aruna Ranganathan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
7:30 PM – Geetha Rajasekar (Vocal) and M. Narmada (Violin) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**

23rd December 2008 (Tuesday)

9:00 AM – Sankari Krishnan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
9:15 AM – Raji Gopalakrishnan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
10:00 AM – Radha Venkatachalam (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Free**
10:00 AM – Mathangi Ramakrishnan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
12:00 PM – Swarna Rethas (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:30 PM – K. Bharat Sundar (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:30 PM – Lalitha Santhanam (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – T.S. Pattabhiram Pandit (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:30 PM – Bhavani Prakash (Veena) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – Jayashri Arvind (Veena) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – K. Gayathri (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Akshay Padmanabhan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
2:00 PM – Bhairavi & Malavi (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:15 PM – Aditya Prakash (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – Banu Kannan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:00 PM – Sumitra Vasudev (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:15 PM – Kochi V. Viswanath (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – Shashikiran (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Sandeep N. Bharadwaj (Violin) @ Maharashtra Nivas, Alwarpet **Free**
4:00 PM – S. Saketaraman (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Prarthana Sai Narasimhan (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:15 PM – Sreevalsan J. Menon (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Prema Rangarajan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
5:00 PM – Jayanthi Kumaresh (Veena) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Jayalakshmi Sekar (Veena) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
5:30 PM – Nikita Raghunath (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – Malladi Brothers (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – T.N. Krishnan, Viji Krishnan Natarajan & Sriram Krishnan (Violin) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:00 PM – Nithyashri Mahadevan (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Rama Ravi & Nanditha Ravi (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:15 PM – Hyderabad Brothers (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – K.J. Yesudas (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Sikkil Gurucharan (Vocal) @ Bharata Kalakshetra Auditorium, Kalakshetra Campus, Tiruvanmiyur
6:30 PM – G. Ravikiran (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – P. Unnikrishnan (Vocal) @ Kamraj Hall, Teynampet
7:00 PM – U. Srinivasan & U. Rajesh (Mandolin) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – T.V. Gopalakrishnan (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:00 PM – Nirmala Rajasekar (Veena) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
7:00 PM – Ganesh & Kumaresh (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
7:00 PM – Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
7:30 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**

24th December 2008 (Wednesday)

9:00 AM – Tiruvidaimarudur S. Radhakrishnan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
10:00 AM – S. Aravind (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
10:00 AM – K.R. Saranathan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
10:00 PM – Pushpa Anand (Vocal - Abhangs) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
10:00 AM – N. Ramani (Flute) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Free**
12:00 PM – Padma Sugavanam (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:30 PM – Aditya Prakash (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:30 PM – Mahathi Kishore (Keyboard) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – Aditya Narayanan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:00 PM – V. Deepika (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:15 PM – K. Subhiksha (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:30 PM – Rashmi Bala (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – Kunnakudi M. Balamuralikrishna (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – Baby Sriram (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:00 PM – Sriram Gangadharan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:00 PM – Gopakumar (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
2:15 PM – Delhi Mahalakshmi (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:00 PM – Manasi Prasad (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:15 PM – Nandini Sharma Anand (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – K. Satyanarayana (Carnatic Keyboard) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – S. Srinivasan (Veena) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Sangeetha Swaminathan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Bharathi Ramasubban (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:15 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) and M. Narmada (Violin) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – O.S. Arun (Vocal - Bhajans) @ YGP Auditorium, **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Hyderabad Sisters (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
5:00 PM – Malladi Brothers (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Maharajapuram Ramachandran (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
5:15 PM – Samyukta Swaminath (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – Bombay Jayashri (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – T.K. Govinda Rao (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – Priya Sisters (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Shertalai Ranganatha Sarma (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – A. Kanyakumari & Embar S. Kannan (Violin) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Lakshmi Rangarajan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
7:00 PM – T.N. Mohandas (Nadaswaram) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
7:00 PM – Parasala Ponnammal (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:00 PM – Shyamala Ramakrishnan & Aarthi Suresh (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
7:00 PM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**

25th December 2008 (Thursday)

9:00 AM – Athul Kumar (Flute) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
9:15 PM – T.N. Krishnan (Violin) @ The Music Academy **Free**
10:00 AM – M. Chandrasekaran & G. Bharathi (Violin – A Thematic Presentation on Tamil Padams) @ Raga Sudha Hall
10:00 AM – N. Ramani & R. Thiagarajan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall **Ticketed**
10:00 AM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Hotel Maris (Maris Music Festival 2008)
10:30 AM – R.K. Srikantan (Vocal) & N. Ravikiran (Chitravina) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
12:00 PM – Ranjani Hebbar (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:30 PM – K.P. Nandini (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
12:30 PM – S.J. Janani (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – Jayashri (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:00 PM – Rama Krishnamurthy (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:30 PM – Deepti Madhavan (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – Carnatica Brothers (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall **Ticketed**
2:00 PM – S. Mahathi (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:00 PM – Akkarai Sisters (Violin) @ Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
2:15 PM – Amrutha Venkatesh (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
2:15 PM – Manasi Prasad (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:30 PM – Bharath Narayan (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
3:00 PM – Trichy Pradeep Kumar (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:00 PM – Pragadeesh Shanmugarajah (Vocal) @ Hotel Maris (Maris Music Festival 2008)
3:45 PM – Sikkil C. Gurucharan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – Lakshmi Rangarajan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan & Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Sruti & Vidya (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
4:00 PM – Hyderabad Brothers (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Prasanna Venkataraman (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:15 PM – Nithyashri Mahadevan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Ramakrishnan Murthy (Vocal) @ Hotel Maris (Maris Music Festival 2008)
4:30 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Priya Sisters (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Sriram Parasuram & Anooradha Sriram (Jugalbandi) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
5:00 PM – Sangeetha Sivakumar (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
5:00 PM – B. Vijayagopal (Flute) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Free**
5:30 PM – Aditya Kanukurthy (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – U. Srinivas (Mandolin) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – P. Unnikrishnan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – R. Vedavalli (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:15 PM – O.S. Thiagarajan (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Hotel Maris, (Maris Music Festival 2008)
6:30 PM – Ranjani & Gayathri (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – P. Unnikrishnan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Geetha Krishnamurthy (Veena) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – N.C. Soundaravalli (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
7:00 PM – Suguna Purushothaman & Suguna Varadachari (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:00 PM – Madurai T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Shankar Ramani (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
7:30 PM – K.J. Yesudas (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**

26th December 2008 (Friday)

9:00 AM – Saxaphone Sisters (Saxaphone) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
9:15 AM – Bombay Sisters (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
10:00 AM – Vijay Narayanan (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
10:00 AM – Neela Ramagopal (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
10:00 AM – S. Saketaraman (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
10:30 PM – Parasala Ponnammal (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
12:00 PM – Prasanna Venkataraman (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:30 PM – Rajini Hariharan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – K.P. Nandini (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:00 PM – Lalitha Santhanam (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:30 PM – Sriranjani Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – Madurai T.N.S. Krishna (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – Soumyasri (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:00 PM – Vallivalam S. Venkataraman (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
2:00 PM – Narayanan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:00 PM – Ranjani Hebbar (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:15 PM – Vidya Kalyanaraman (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – T.V. Ramprasadh (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – Sriram Gangadharan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Varalakshmi Anandkumar (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:00 PM – R. Ganesh (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
4:15 PM – Bombay Jayashri (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Geetha Krishnamurthy (Veena) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Sikkil Gurucharan (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
5:00 PM – Rama Ravi (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
5:00 PM – Subha Ganesan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
5:00 PM – Aditya Venkatesh (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Free**
5:30 PM – Sruthi & Jayasree (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – Sudha Raghunathan (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Kadri Gopalnath (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – O.S. Thiagarajan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – V.V.Subramaniam & V.V.S. Murari (Violin Duet) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan & Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi (Violin) @ Bharata Kalakshetra Auditorium, Kalakshetra Campus, Tiruvanmiyur
6:30 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Hyderabad Sisters (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Gayathri Venkataraghavan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Carnatica Brothers (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:00 PM – K.R. Saranathan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
7:00 PM – Hyderabad Brothers (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:30 PM – Ganesh & Kumaresh (Violin) @ Narada Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
7:30 PM – Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**

27th December 2008 (Saturday)

9:00 AM – Banu Kannan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
9:00 AM – Abhilash (Vocal – One Raga One Kriti) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
9:15 AM – Charumathi Ramachandran (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
10:00 AM – Nishevitha Shanmukharaja (Veena), Thillaistanam Suryanarayanan (Mrudangam) @ Raga Sudha Hall
10:00 AM – Ghatam Karthick (Hearbeat Ensemble) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
10:00 AM – Trichur Ramachandran (Vocal) @ MCTM School**Free**
10:15 AM – N. Subbulakshmi (Vocal – Compositions of Thyagaraja) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
10:30 PM – Radha Bhaskar (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium, T. Nagar **Ticketed**
11:30 AM – Sriranjani Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
12:00 PM – Amritha Murali (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:30 PM – J.A. Jayanth (Flute) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
12:45 PM – B. Suchitra (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
1:00 PM – Vibav Mouli (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:00 PM – Roopa Mahadevan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:30 PM – S. Bhargavi (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – V. Deepika (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
2:00 PM – Aditya Venkatesh (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
2:00 PM – Sangeetha Vasudevan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:15 PM – B. Sivakumar (Veena) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:00 PM – Amrutha Venkatesh (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:15 PM – Poornima Krishnan (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
3:15 PM – K. Lakshmi (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – Shaila Ramachandran (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
4:00 PM – Sandeep Narayan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Abhishek Raghuram (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Sindhu K. Das (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:00 PM – B. Kannan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – O.S. Thiagarajan (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Arthi Kumar (Vocal) @ Sidhi Vinayaka Temple, Besant Nagar **Free**
4:15 PM – Aruna Sairam (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – R. Ganesh (Vocal) @ Valliammal College for Women, Anna Nagar,
5:00 PM – Geetha Krishnamurthy (Veena) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
5:00 PM – Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Free**
5:00 PM – N.C. Sundaravalli (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Pantula Rama (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
5:30 PM – Shruthi Jayashankar (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – Nithyashree Mahadevan (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – O.S. Arun (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Malladi Brothers (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Trivandrum Venkataraman (Veena) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Hyderabad Brothers (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Kadri Gopalnath (Saxaphone) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:45 PM – Priya Sisters (Vocal) @ Valliammal College for Women, Anna Nagar
7:00 PM – Vasundhara Rajagopal (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
7:00 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Ashok Ramani (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:30 PM – Sikkil C. Gurucharan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**

28th December 2008 (Sunday)

9:00 AM – Jeyaraaj Krishnan & Jayasri Jeyaraaj (Veena) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
9:00 AM – Kashyap Mahesh (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
9:15 AM – A. Kanyakumari (Violin) @ The Music Academy **Free**
10:00 AM – Nirmala Rajasekar (Veena) @ Raga Sudha Hall
10:00 AM – Vasundhara Rajagopal (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
10:00 AM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Hall
10:00 AM – R. Suryaprakash (Vocal) @ Sastri Hall
10:15 AM – Aishwarya Vidya Raghunath (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
10:30 AM – Jayalakshmi Santhanam (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
11:30 AM – Vidya Kalyanaraman (Vocal – Ragam Tanam Pallavi) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
12:00 PM – K. Gayatri (Vocal) @ TTK Auditorium **Free**
12:45 PM – N.C. Badrinarayanan (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
1:00 PM – C. Vignesh (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:00 PM – Kashyap Mahesh (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:30 PM – Rithvik Raja (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – S. Saketaraman (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – Karthika & Keerthana (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
2:00 PM – Padma Venkat (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
2:15 PM – Vidya Srinviasan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – Roopa Mahadevan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:00 PM – S. Girish (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:15 PM – Vrinda Acharya (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School
3:15 PM – Chembai Vaidyanathan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – S. Mahathi (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – Raji Gopalakrishnan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Savitha Narasimhan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Amrutha Venkatesh (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:00 PM – M. Narmada (Violin) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Priya Sisters (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
4:15 PM – Sudha Raghunathan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Nisha Rajagopal (Vocal) @ Valliammal College for Women, Anna Nagar
5:00 PM – Sangeetha Swaminathan (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Sriranjani Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Free**
5:00 PM – V.K. Manimaran (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
5:00 PM – Revathi Krishna (Veena) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
5:00 PM – Hyderabad Brothers (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:30 PM – Arjun Adaipalli (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:15 PM – Nithyasree Mahadevan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – T.N. Krishnan, Viji Krishnan Natarajan & Sriram Krishnan (Violin) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – Sikkil Mala Chandrasekar (Flute) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan & Vijayalakshmi (Violin) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:00 PM – Pantula Rama (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – P. Unnikrishnan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – K.J. Yesudas (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
7:30 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**

29th December 2008 (Monday)

9:00 AM – Mala Mohan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
9:15 PM – Rudrapatnam Brothers (Vocal) @ TTK Auditorium **Free**
10:00 AM – S. Shankar (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
12:00 PM – Amrutha Venkatesh (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:30 PM – Karthika Anagha (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – Aditya Venkatesh (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:00 PM – Arundhati Krishnan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:30 PM – Vibav Mouli (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – Sriram Gangadharan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – Maharajapuram Ganesh Viswanathan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
2:00 PM – Amritha Murali (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:00 PM – Ananthapadmanabha Rao (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
2:15 PM – Rajini Hariharan (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – Smitha Madhav (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:00 PM – Jayasri Aravind (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:15 PM – Serugudi Sisters (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – S. Saketaraman (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – Manasi Prasad & Smitha Bellur (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – S.J. Janani (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Malladi Brothers (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – B. Shankari (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:15 PM – Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Chinmaya Sisters (Vocal) @ Valliammal College for Women, Anna Nagar
4:30 PM – S. Sowmya (Vocal) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Shankar Ramani (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – T.K.S. Kalaivanan (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
5:00 PM – Maharajapuram Ramachandran (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
5:30 PM – Vishal Sapuram (Chitravina) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – P. Unnikrishnan (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Ganesh & Kumaresh (Violin) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – S. Shashank (Flute) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Iyer Brothers (Veena) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – Gayathri Venkataraghavan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – P. Unnikrishnan (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Bombay Sisters (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:45 PM – Geetha Rajasekar (Vocal) @ Valliammal College for Women, Anna Nagar
7:00 PM – Aparna Balaji (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
7:00 PM – Nagamani Srinath (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Manakkal Rangarajan (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:00 PM – Thirupampuram Shanmugasundaram (Nadaswaram) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
7:30 PM – T.N. Krishnan (Violin) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**

30th December 2008 (Tuesday)

9:00 AM – K. Satyanarayana (Carnatic Keyboard) @ Balamandir German Hall, **Free**
9:15 PM – Parasala Ponnammal (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:00 PM – S.M. Vilasini (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:30 PM – Harini Krishnan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – Abhinav Muralidharan (Keyboard) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:00 PM – K. Subhiksha (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:30 PM – Sambhavi Sadagopan (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
1:45 PM – Shertalai Ranganatha Sarma (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – Vidya Srinivasan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
2:00 PM – Keshav Raghavan & Govind Raghavan (Violin) @ Raga Sudha Hall
2:00 PM – Shankar Ramani (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:15 PM – Sushma Somasekar (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
2:15 PM – Kalpana Venkat (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
3:00 PM – Nirmala Rajasekar (Veena) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
3:15 PM – Niranjana Srinivasan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – Jayanthi Kumaresh (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
4:00 PM – R. Ganesh (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Trichur Brothers (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Nandita Ravi (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:15 PM – Sangeetha Sivakumar (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Mambalam Sisters (Vocal) @ Valliammal College for Women, Anna Nagar
5:00 PM – Jayaprada Ramamurthy (Flute) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
5:00 PM – N. Ramani (Flute) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Omanakutty (Vocal) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet (Carnatica) **Free**
5:30 PM – Vijay Narayan (Vocal) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – Aruna Sairam (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Sriram Parasuram & Anooradha Sriram (Vocal Jugalbandi) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Ranjani & Gayathri (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Chingleput Ranganathan (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:30 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Maharajapuram Ramachandran (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – K.J. Yesudas (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
6:45 PM – O.S. Arun (Vocal), Embar S. Kannan (Violin) @ Valliammal College for Women
7:00 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – N. Ravikiran (Chitravina) @ Tattvaloka, Teynampet **Free**
7:00 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram **Ticketed**
7:30 PM – Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**

31st December 2008 (Wednesday)

9:00 PM – Amrutha Venkatesh (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
9:15 AM – M.S. Sheela (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:00 PM – Aditya Prakash (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Free**
12:30 PM – Niranjana Srinivasan (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
1:00 PM – Vaishnavi Ananthanarayanan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
1:00 PM – Siddharth Kumar (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
1:45 PM – Jayaprada Ramamurthy (Flute) @ The Music Academy **Free**
2:00 PM – K. Bharat Sundar (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
2:00 PM – Swarna Rethas (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Free**
2:15 PM – Ajay Nambudiri (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Free**
2:15 PM – Meenakshi Seshadri (Vocal) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:15 PM – Sriranjani Santhanagopalan (Vocal) @ Balamandir German Hall **Free**
3:45 PM – G.S. Rajan (Flute) @ MCTM School **Free**
3:45 PM – Raman (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
4:00 PM – Bombay Sisters (Vocal) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Papanasam Ashok Ramani (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – G. Narayanan (Saxaphone) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:00 PM – Vidya Kalyanaraman (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
4:15 PM – Pantula Rama (Vocal) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – T.M. Krishna (Vocal) @ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
4:30 PM – Carnatica Brothers (Vocal) @ Valliammal College for Women, Anna Nagar
5:00 PM – Kadri Gopalnath (Saxaphone) @ Balamandir German Hall **Ticketed**
5:00 PM – Geetha Rajasekar (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
5:00 PM – Mahanadi Shobana (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Free**
5:00 PM – Mudikondan Ramesh (Veena) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,
5:30 PM – Sean & Anish King (Violin) @ Youth Hostel, Adyar
6:00 PM – O.S. Thiagarajan (Vocal) @ MFAC Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – T.V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal) @ Rani Seethai Hall **Ticketed**
6:15 PM – Suguna Purushothaman (Vocal) @ Raga Sudha Hall
6:15 PM – Sikkil Gurucharan (Vocal) @ Ramakrishna Mission School **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – K.R. Saranathan (Vocal) @ Padma Seshadri School, K.K. Nagar **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – Maharajapuram Srinivasan (Vocal) @ Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha **Ticketed**
6:30 PM – O.S. Arun (Vocal) @ Vidya Bharati, Mylapore **Ticketed**
6:45 PM – Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Vocal) @ Valliammal College, Anna Nagar **Ticketed**
6:45 PM – Rajesh Vaidhya (Veena) @ YGP Auditorium **Ticketed**
7:00 PM – Radha Venkatachalam (Vocal) @ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall
7:00 PM – T.N. Seshagopalan (Vocal) @ Raja Annamalai Manram
7:00 PM – Ulhas Kashalkar (Vocal - Hindustani) @ The Music Academy **Ticketed**

Citi that slips!!!

2008-11-27T14:56:00.002+05:30

There is one bank that has been humbled big time, the “Citi Group”. This mighty corporation in its peak controlled assets more than $ 2,000 billion with operations across all major verticals in the financial services such as investment banking, Asset Management and Retail Banking. There juggernaut rolled in more than 100 countries including India with a touch of arrogance. The share price plummeted to levels less than $ 4 per share.

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This organization, born out of a celebrated merger between Citicorp and Travelers was always considered to big to fall. The bank had been reeling under heavy losses before it got an equity infusion. It had also experienced a failed bid to buy Wachovia few weeks earlier. The Wachovia deal had been a chance to strengthen Citi in critical areas - the deposit base and its commercial banking operation. With the lost bid it also lost a chance to improve its market share, something JP Morgan had done.

Unlike Lehman Bros, the Citi managed to convince US treasury secretary Hendry Paulson and managed to get government aid that includes equity infusion of $ 20 billion, this is above the $ 25 billion that Citi received earlier. They also managed to get a backstop facility of $ 306 billion in guarantees from the US treasury. This bailout for one corporation is estimated to be double than the total market capitalization of all the banks in India. Mr. Chidambaram, India’s Finance Minister had announced a $ 12 billion loan waiver in his budget for small farmers in India. The Capitalist had argued that this bailout would lead to more inefficiency in the system. These people fail to realize that Indian farmers are paying a price for due to absence of a good agri-Infrastructure in country and not because of their greed as in case of these bankers.

Its CEO Vikram Pandit came out in public saying that they had gone wrong with their huge lending towards real estate. And he also added that it’s a lot easier to get into these situations than getting rid of them.

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An institution which ran ad campaign as “Citi never sleeps” should now be running campaign as “Citi never sleeps, but Slips”.

Lessons from the “Top Of The World”

2008-11-21T13:30:00.002+05:30

In times of dipping voter turnout, a small village in Ladakh has a lesson for people living across the world who forgo their rights of vote in elections. In the elections that were held during the week in Jammu and Kashmir, Six voters that included a 70 year old registered their votes in a village called Samad. All these voters had to surmount a brutal weather and rough terrains to register their votes.

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These six voters went to the polling both at the Thugsey Gompa monastery, at a imposing 5,500 metres above sea level on Monday to exercise their franchise. In the context of electoral results the significance of these six voters is in almost NIL. The people of Ladakh have ensured that all the parties, both regional and national parties have a healthy fight in the election. Residents of Samad have a defined agenda for the winner of the polls. A school stands high on priorities. Senior citizens in Samad also want implementation of a long-promised pension scheme.

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All of these expectations reflect the kind of intervention needed to address the bigger crisis that is confronting India at large. All these six voters who braved Minus (-) 20 degrees weather and a tough landscape have championed for the cause of democracy in there own way and have set example for others.

Our future is passing us and we have choices to decide. And it is these choices that will decide the destiny of the nation. I hope our votes will help us change things.

Three Fledglings

2008-11-15T15:20:00.008+05:30

The India Inc is reeling under the pressure of global recession and the turbulence in the Indian economy due to high levels of integration. With every passing day, the avenues for growth seem to be reducing for corporate India. The companies are reducing the pace of their diversification and try to concentrate on their core competencies.

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At this point of time, there are three industries which promise to grow at astronomical growth rates. These three sectors can weather the impact of a slowdown and expand at exponential rates. They are Space, Nuclear power and Defence; the “AWESOME THREESOME”.

These three sectors are highly technology intensive. These are literally unassailable bastions, as the entry barriers are huge. This tech know-how is concentrated to few giants and the government plays an important role in all these industries.

Nuclear Economics

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In spite of the “Republicans” losing the polls, the Indo-US nuke deal is expected to be signed. Obama is probably sensible enough to understand that the US needs the nuclear trade to flourish, as this would give an additional impetus to the slumping economy. The nuclear trade would is expected to be worth $ 150 billion as the Indian government seeks to increase the nuke power generation from 4,000 MW to 60,000 MW. This will not only cheer the bigger players but also the smaller ones. Most of the Indian players do not have the technical expertise required to build nuclear plants. Initially they are expected to forge JVs to enter the segment.

A Pie in the Sky

Indian have just set their foot in the moon with the successful launching of Chandrayaan – I. It was not just ISRO that was involved in the mission but also 40 companies which were involved in manufacture of a variety of elements ranging from the body of the satellite to solar panels. ISRO has major plans in future, which includes Chandrayaan – II in 2011, a mission to an asteroid or a comet and a mission to the Mars in 2019. As ISRO plans to step up its commercial operations, it will penetrate into the global market which is worth more than $251 billion.

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Business opportunities for ISRO lie in building & launching satellites, leasing the space in these satellites for DTH, GPS and disseminating & processing data. All this is expected to be carried out by “Antrix”, the commercial arm of ISRO. Indian players enjoy the cost benefit over the European counterparts.

The private firms in India have a great opportunity to manufacture ancillary parts required to build satellites and space vehicles. Indian firms which supply parts to ISRO have already started to attract investments from PEs. I believe that in some time ISRO would just be a mere facilitator for space program and would outsource all the manufacturing function to the private sector.

Defence

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India imports most of the defence equipment required for the armed forces. In 2009, the imports are expected to be to the tune of $ 10 billion. With this figure going to increase in years to come global giants have tried to establish there presence in India. Small Indian players are expected to reap benefits out due to outsourcing of contracts. It is a question of time when the final products will bear the “Made in India” tag. The Indian indigenous component in the defence equipment is expected to increase to more that 75 percent in another 5-10 years.

These three sectors offer some cushion against the slowdown. The risk is considerably less because of high level of government spending. These "three chicks" could well be the difference between the economic slump and quick recovery.

Poster for Dhoom-3...lol

2008-11-15T09:48:00.002+05:30

Border-Gavaskar Trophy Reclaimed!!!

2008-11-11T17:07:00.007+05:30

The much awaited Border–Gavasker trophy has come to end. And India managed to win it comfortably. India managed to climb to the second spot in the ICC test ranking after the series win. The series has set new benchmarks and some stereotype notions were proved wrong. The aura of invincibility around the Aussies has faded.

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My last post on cricket was (What a week its been!!!) after the second test in Mohali that India won by a comfortable margin to take a lead in the test series. Now that Ganguly had announced his retirement from all forms of the game, I expected Dravid to be the next person from the “Fab Five” to announce his retirement. On the final day Delhi test, Jumbo had announced his retirement due to the finger injury he had suffered. India had to part with its most successful bowler and the game was deprived of a great sportsmen.

India was coming to Nagpur, with a new (and permanent) captain for tests, Dhoni. Murali Vijay was in place of banned Gambhir. Gambhir was the highest scorer of India in the three tests and was in the form of his lifetime. The manner in which the BCCI wanted to revoke the one match ban of the ICC referee was widely criticized and rightly so. M. Vijay batted sensibly with Sehwag in both the sessions and ensured good foundation for the batsmen coming down the order. His stroke play proved that he playing in the national XI because of his good technique and sustained performance in the domestic circuit and not because of Kris Shrikanth, the chief selector! (K.Shrikanth and M.Vijay are from Tamil Nadu).

There was another player who has a crazy debut was Jason Krejza. He did manage to pick up 12 Indian wickets. He was picked for the practice match and conceded 199 runs without claiming any wicket. He was subsequently dropped for White for the initial three tests. The Aussies had to pick him up for the final test because unimpressive performance by White with the ball. His match summary stood at 12/358. Without his performance, a convincing victory for Indians would have turned into a crushing defeat for Aussies. Punter would have to answer Cricket Australia for not picking him for the first three tests.

Dravid’s misery with the bat continued. He had really bad series in spite of the four tracks being placid and easy for batting. He has been the main stray for Indian batting coming at No 3 postion. A fragile Dravid would spell doom for the batsmen in the middle order in times ahead. He might be the next person from the “Fab Five” to be axed or to announce his retirement.
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Ishant and Zaheer ensured that Indians are no more spin reliant. The last time an Indian fast bowler got the man of the series, before Ishant in the Indian soil was Kapil Dev in 1983. They ensured that the Aussie top order does not get a good start. The spinner completed the task of wrapping up the lower order.

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Finally one can not conclude this post about Indian victory without talking about Dhoni’s captaincy. Dhoni led India in both their victories in this series. He infused that spark and energy into the Indian dressing room and Indian on field. With creative field placement and choking of run-flow was able to stop the Aussie Juggernaut. He managed to stay calm even when Hayden was threatening India’s plans. He has matured as a player with the bat, even more so after becoming the skipper. His gesture of inviting Ganguly to captain in the final stages of the test and calling Kumble to the podium to receive the trophy portrays the kind of person he is. India might have a few good winning streaks under his leadership.

The next cricketing action will be from the India-England tour in Nov and the Champions league in Dec. The Champions league promises to be an exiting tournament. It is turned even more exciting with most of the matches being held in Madras, the home ground for CSK. Finally, Hayden and Hussey struck some good form towards the end of the tour, which sounds great for ardent CSK fan. Let’s see how the rivalry unfolds in the Champions league…

Financial Weapons of Mass Destruction

2008-11-10T11:00:00.006+05:30

This financial tsunami that has engulfed the US is no less dramatic than the one that struck in 1929. The blurred geographical differences due to high economic integration have ensured that the world suffers due to financial over-innovation by I-Bankers from Wall Street.

The US government announced a bailout package of $ 700 billion and all the European countries have also introduced a slew of reforms that includes the € 1,000 billion bail out package for the financial institutions. All these packages bailout that are aimed at rescuing the financial majors, the real problem of bailing out the common investors across the world will still persist.

Bursting of the speculative bubble

There used to be a great demand for American home loans, which used to be sold by US banks to investors through investment banks, before the crisis began. These were converted and packed into what is called as CDOs (Collateralized Debt Obligations). This refers to a practice where the boring home loans, that banks have already lent to customers are cut into smaller pieces and packed as smaller pieces based on return (interest rate), value, tenure (duration of the loans) and selling them to investors across the world after giving it a fancy names, such as “High Grade Structured Credit Enhanced Leverage Fund”.

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There loans are created multiple funds categorized based on the nature of the CDO packages they contain and investors can buy shares in any of these funds (almost like mutual funds…but called Structured Investment Vehicles or SIVs). To an ordinary man, this job might sound like meat shop which involves chopping and packaging.

The banks from whom the loans are purchased send interest payments regularly, which in turn are used to pay the investor. The banks are motivated to sell the home loans due to two reasons, one being selling-off probable bad assets and to get back money which would have taken more then 20-30 years in a matter of months.
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The investment banks get huge commission to convert these loans into CDOs and sell it back to investors. Investors also include big financial institutions such as insurance companies. These firms invest in these home loans as they offer attractive interest rates of 4-6 percent, more than that of US govt bonds.

There is always a risk of defaulting in these home loans default. In that case, the investors would stop getting EMIs. In order to mitigate the risk, the investment banks have convinced insurance companies to insure the CDOs. In this case the insurance companies would compensate the investor. These insurances are called credit default swaps. As the prices of houses in US have doubled in last three years, the insurance companies believed that value of underlying asset will be more than the default, so there was very less risk.

The entire meltdown started with the dream of every American of buying a home and it rested on the assumption that housing prices will never come down. As the demand for CDOs started to increase because of its low risk nature, even investment banks started to invest heavily in these bonds. These CDOs where started to get traded like a stock. These investors forgot the people who had taken housing loan were behind these products and the safety of these products was highly depended on their capacity to repay the loan.

As the demand for these CDOs increased, the banks were under a constant pressure to sell more housing loans. The banks had to resort to lower the qualification to lend. The credit worthiness of those availing loans was going down. In some time even people without jobs or assets could avail themselves of a housing loan.
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This was followed by a gigantic speculative bubble. The home loans were easily available which enabled everyone to get a home loan. This increased off take of housing loans lead increased demand for houses, which lead to increase in prices of houses. The rising prices created even more demand, as people started to look at homes as investments — investments that never went down in value.

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Unheeded signals
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In late 2006, Mortgage lenders noticed something that they had never seen before. People would buy houses on loan and default on their very first payment. This was leading what was probably the biggest speculative bubble in American history. The housing bubble burst with an increase in interest rates. Many people had taken variable rate home loans that started getting reset to higher rates, which in turn meant higher EMIs that borrowers had not planned for.

The problem started once property values starting going down, it set off a reverse chain reaction, the opposite of what had been happening in the built-up to bubble. As more people defaulted, more houses came on the market. With no buyers, prices went even further down. The investors were not getting their monthly interest payments. As a result of this the I-banks stopped buying loans, which lead to a devastating effect on the banks who had disbursed housing loans thinking they could sell these loans to the I-Banks.

There was a big scramble to sell those houses at reduced price. The insurance companies who had insured thinking that these were a near-zero risk loans, could not fulfill their contractual obligation. The number of claims began to swell as the prices of houses started to fall.

The complicated structures that were built around mortgages could not sustain for a long time. Lot of firms, some young and also ones as old as 150 years started to crumble. The stock markets world over have slipped in last few months, some are trading at close to half their values. Many banks have shut down and some have curtailed their operations which has lead to loss of jobs.

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Fragile system

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The Financial Engineers and I-Bankers had built sophisticated models to sell the bad loans to investors. The models were difficult to understand and these banks to not evaluate the risks they were bearing and finally some went bankrupt as well. Even though the US govt is trying to have a bailout package for them but these models have made it impossible for anyone to correctly value the quality of assets. The current crisis has brought the fragility of the system has come to the fore. It is all those people who lent there money to trusting these fancy derivative packages in order to satisfy their greed have been the most affected.

The U.S. Govt is planning to grant 700 billion dollars to the Wall Street firms to compensate the financial speculators for the money that they have lost. Some detractors do claim that this is necessary to sustain financial ingenuity. Who is going to compensate all those investor who lost their wealth in the market meltdown is still a puzzle for many.

Many More Happy Returns of the Day!!!

2008-11-07T10:08:00.004+05:30

A phenomenon called “Ulaganayagan” that came into existence on this very day (7th Nov) turns 54 years old. I am talking about “Kamal Haasan” who turns 54 today. His journey that started with Kalathur Kannamma is still going on. Nayagan which fetched him a national award has been listed as one of the 100 best films of all times. He went on to win two more national awards, taking his total count to three. He plans his fourth directional venture “MarmaYogi”, which is said to have a higher budget than his earlier flick “Dasavatharam”
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He has not only contributed to Kollywood as an actor but also as a screenwriter, lyricist, playback singer, choreographer, director and producer. His personal setbacks have not been a hinderance to his professional performaces. His best contribution to society and mankind lies in the commited manner in which he does his things. He is unmoved by external criticism which is intended to curb his progress. He is probably the only actor to have converted his fans groups and clubs into a service organization. He is an actor with a social conscious.
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Wishing better heath and a successful career ahead

Jumbo - Cricket’s Cinderella Man

2008-11-03T16:37:00.006+05:30

By the time I complete this post, the news of Kumble’s retirement would be there out as a headlines of all the newspaper. I have been one of those very few Kumble fanatics for a long time. He has been man of many interesting points such as stoic warrior, devoted son, gentle father, enthusiastic photographer, demanding team-mate and committed friend. He had his own limitations of spinning the ball less than other but he could cover-up all of those with his commitment on the fields.

The spirit was willing but the flesh was 38 years old.

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He is the only player to have picked up more than 600 wickets, made a century and also to have captained his side. His stats prove that he also has been one of India’s greatest match winners. He is only the second person after Jim Laker to pick up 10 wickets in an innings, a feat he achieved at Kotla in Delhi against Pakistan.

He played in the times of other two spinning legends, Shane Warne and Muthiah Muralitharan. The uniqueness of this iron-willed spinner lies in the fact that those 600+ wickets he picked will be attributed to his character rather than his skill. Kumble was not blessed with an inborn genius of the kind that enabled Shane Warne or Muthiah Muralitharan to become a bowler of far more mesmerizing quality. He could never bowl deliveries which could defy the laws of physics like the other two. What makes Kumble special is that he has always tried hard to extract the maximum from limited natural ability. The Indian Test captain has earned his iconic status by consistently demonstrating the power of the mind.
Probably, I feel his best contributions for the game and Indian cricket can not be quantified in terms of cardinal numbers. He displayed his commitment towards the country when he bowled with a broken jaw and a bandage around it in West Indies for the cause of Team. No body could have thought he will come to bowl after being hit by a bouncer and a fracture that followed the hit. He bowled 14 overs at trot and claimed the wicket of Brian Lara. This incident was described as "It was one of the bravest things I've seen on the field of play" by Viv Richards.

He was handed over captaincy at the age of 37, when nobody in the team including Sachin was ready to take up this onerous task of leading the team. He took up the challenge and led the team by setting example. Even before he took over as the captain of the team, he knew that it was a stop-gap arrangement before Dhoni matures as a captain and takes over the mantle as a test skipper. He was leading a side with 3 ex-captains and the current ODI captain.

The greatest test of his character came when India lost the Boxing Day test match at Adelaide in 2007. Indians had to pay a price of string of bad umpiring decisions. It was followed by the Harbhajan-Symonds scandal and Harbhajan’s ban as a result of referee’s ruling. During this crisis, Kumble had applied his mental strength for the cause of team and country. His willingness to lead from the front in the face of adversity was on display in the fortnight following the defeat at Sydney. There was a sense of a touch of hype in the Harbhajan-Symonds and he used this opportunity to speak out against the Aussie hyper-gamesmanship. The Indian captain was the man for the occasion since he had built his integrity and this won the respect from all professional cricketers. Kumble’s role in resuscitating the spirit of the game was as commendable when he lead his team to victory at Perth, WACA. Dhoni successful captaincy style which hinges on cohesiveness of the entire team was built solely by Kumble after the Sydney fiasco.
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At a time when value systems and sportsmanship were on decline, he set standards and made good contribution. India might produce spinners who can turn their deliveries more than Kumble, but to reciprocate the commitment he displayed will be impossible. And the cricketing arena might have parted with the greatest sportsman who tried playing the gentlemen’s game, the way it should be.

Live Scores

2008-11-01T16:09:00.001+05:30

You can see the live action of the matches by following the link.

www.freedocast.com

Chandrayaan looks at India

2008-11-01T14:56:00.003+05:30

Chandrayaan reached its destination, moon's orbit yesterday. This is one of two pics of earth beamed by the Chandrayaan...
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Chandrayaan – I : A Giant Leap Forward

2008-10-29T11:22:00.008+05:30

India has been witnessing high levels of violence in the past few months. The violence has been not only been in form of terrorism but in form of religious riots and regionalism. In Orrisa, due to killing of a VHP leader, the extremist ransacked the churches and harassed nuns. In Bombay, there has been a problem with certain sections and some political circles, claiming "Mumbai for Mumbaikars". But there is one incident amongst all these brutal ones, where everyone felt proud of being an Indian rather than a Marathi or a Hindu. And that is the launching of the Chandrayaan – I by ISRO...
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The Indian mission to the Moon has met with initial success, with PSLV-C 11 successfully putting the spacecraft into the initial orbit. In days to come one will know the success of Chandrayaan-1, India’s first mission to Moon. India is the sixth country to send its spaceship to the Moon. It will be few weeks before Chandrayaan-1 reaches its final destination. This mission by ISRO takes India to new heights.

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The aim of the mission is to look out for water ice, to study moon’s origin and study lunar gravity. Chandrayaan-I was mostly a remote-sensing spacecraft, meant for scanning the lunar surface for minerals and water. The next project would look at the possibility of collecting samples and analyzing them on the spot.

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Indo-China Race

Both India and China compete even in this sphere. China has already sent a mission to moon and also sent a manned mission to space earlier this year. The Chinese astronaut also completed a 15-minute space walk. Even India is nursing big ambitions. There are proposals to send an Indian to the space by 2014 and to launch a manned lunar mission by 2020.

India also plans for another unmanned mission in 2011, which is expected to be technically more sophisticated that the present mission. The mission in 2011 is expected to have an orbiting spacecraft, a lander and a moon-rover.

India might seem to be miles behind the Chinese in the space program. But its actually not the case. The competitiveness is not only about sending a spacecraft quickly but it is about being cost effective as well. The China’s Chang’e – I is estimated to have cost nearly double of India’s Chandrayaan – I bill of $ 84-86 million.

Harvesting Helium

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One of the smaller aims of the mission is to look out for minerals. The mission will look after at the possibility of harvesting Helium-3, which is an isotope of the Helium that could be used for nuclear fusion. Even though transporting Helium from the Moon is not a feasible option now, it will become once supply of existing fuel becomes an issue. It is believed that earth has only 15 tonnes of Helium-3. The Moon is expected to have around 5 million tonnes of this mineral, which could be tapped to produce energy for the entire world fora estimated 8,000 years. It is estimated that three space shuttle missions could bring enough Helium-3 for the energy requirements of the entire world. This could be the solution that all the scientists are working to solve the energy shortage issues.

What A Week Its Been!!!

2008-10-22T16:01:00.006+05:30

As write this post as I would have completed one whole month of blogging. I have spent enough time in writing posts on various articles. It has been gratifying to see people world over reading articles. By now I can claim to have had at least one reader from all the six continents. And now back to the topic…

Ohh!!! What an awesome week it has been for the entire Indian sports fraternity. The Aussies have been beaten most comprehensively in the last decade and Vishy has taken a massive lead over Vladimir Karmnik in the World Championships. And the second season of the Indian Cricket League is also underway.
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“Look at the scoreboard. Maybe you won't be able to see that again happening to Australia”
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The Indian test team tamed the World Champions in Mohali by a record margin. The team was captained by Dhoni because of Kumble’s injury. The Aussies were outdone by something that they have regularly displayed against the opposition, that’s aggression form the word go. One could clearly see what impact Sehwag has on the test. Even if he plays for half a session as in the case of 1st innings, he has a tremendous impact on the innings ands sets a good tempo for the entire innings. Finally, the “Fab Four” other than Laxman scored runs and contributed to the victory after a long time. Sachin crossed the Lara’s record and also crossed the 12,000 runs. And now that he has crossed that record, one can expect him announce his retirement anytime from the longer form of the game. Even though Dravid had good starts but he could not build a long innings. Anyway, a marathon innings is due from him for a long time. Suddenly, Ganguly seems to have started playing really well. The irony is that he has started doing this after announcing his retirement. Nevertheless, he is in good touch and I hope he would leave the cricketing arena after a great test series.

Disap”Ponting” show

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And Aussies never looked like a champion side. Ponting had a defensive field and his bowler could not live up to his expectation. Probably he is finding it tough to play without the likes of McGrath, Shane Warne and Gilchrist. This is one difference between a good captain and a great one like Steve Waugh. Steve built a champion side out of crisis and took them to great heights. Till now Ponting’s captaincy was looking good only because of these great players and his weaknesses are starting to get reflected as he starts playing without these .

“World Champion in making”

Next great thing to happen for Indians was Vishy taking lead in world championships held in Bonn. He is up against a great player who is carrying the Russian legacy of supremacy in those 64 squares. His performance has come on top of his dip in his form recently. He has played 6 games out of 12 games. The score lines stands at 4.5-1.5. Only thing that Vishy has to do is to ensure that he does not let his complacency to get the better of him. He is a veteran in the game and highly sensible to be outdone by complacency, especially for the title of World Champion.

A Cradle of Talent
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The second season of the rebel league on its way and there have been lot of improvements in the format. The tournament was timed along with the India-Australia series. In spite of this more than 20,000 people turned up as audience for the first match held in Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad. The quality of cricket that these players play is really good, at times better than those matches of IPL. IPL was able to achieve better TRPs due to star players in the format. ICL has been able to offset that difference by introducing national teams from Pakistan and Bangladesh. The overseas players have shown impressive commitment. They have thrown themselves around on the field, encouraged the local cricketers, and taken their mentorship role very seriously. It’s a question of time before BCCI sheds its ego and revokes the ban on ICL players.

What a week it’s been for Indian sporting fraternity. One might not see such good things happening with in a span of week for long time to come.

Yes We Can!!!

2008-10-21T14:38:00.004+05:30

The elections are around the corner in US. It’s the most awaited event of the year, with people world over being glued on to any news from the election front. The election assumes more importance due to the on going financial crisis. The elections in US have been evoke the same feeling as in the case of election after the great depression of 1929, when Franklin. D. Roosevelt was elected.

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History in making…

The contenders for the post are two diverse men. A war hero John Mc Cain from the Republican Party is up against a first time governor from Illinois, Barack Obama for the Democrats. Irrespective of who wins the election to be held on November’4, 2008, history is in making. Either the first Afro-American would be taking charge along with the first Roman Catholic (Joe Biden) as a vice president or the oldest first time president will be taking charge along with the first women vice president. It is also the first election after the one in 1928, where none of the incumbents running for the party nomination. And for the first time in history both the presidential nominees are sitting senators.

The Republican Party nominee is a Vietnam War hero and was a prisoner of war until 1973. He lost the bid for the party nominee in 2000 to George. W. Bush. He has chosen Sarah Palin as his running mate. It has rarely happens, as in this case, that the vice presidential candidate gets more attention than the presidential nominee.

This election is all about this young, 46 year old man with a Muslim middle name (Hussein) contesting for the post of president in a country that has been the most affected by terrorism. This guy was born to Barack Obama, Sr., a black Kenyan and Ann Dunham, a white American, Kansas. This man was forced to go to Indonesia for his primary education. He made it the Harvard Law School and became the editor of Harvard Law Review. In Civil Forum on the Presidency he had the courage to admit that during his high school, he used marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol. He has served the Illinois senate.
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Even though he had his primary education at Indonesia, he is a great orator. He leaves the audience spell bound with his speeches in his conventions and his campaigns. He was treated like Rock Star in Berlin, in his visit to Germany. His run up to the White House has been gaining momentum which is reflected in the lead he enjoys over McCain. Colin Powell’s backing could not have some in a btter time.

Why is very important in the current context???

Now that recession has set in and the only question is about how deep it is. I feel the recession is not caused by all these complex financial structures. It is caused when people lose confidence in the system. You lose confidence and cut down the activities and others cut down their activity. The real solution the problem lies in regenerating confidence. This is something Obama can do with his speeches and with his Charisma. I hope that Obama wins the polls in November. Even though he will not be in office till January but ha can start playing a major roll and recreate the lost confidence. With him in office and playing his cards well, in few months, the economy can rebuild its entire decline.

Obama has rightly blamed the regulation in place that lead to this downturn. John McCain had blamed it on the high levels of greed. But the question is how does greed suddenly creates such results. It has to do with the regulation in the system. The systems in place should be laid after keeping in mind the ability to have huge profits in a sustained manner.

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I firmly believe Obama can recreate the confidence in amongst people who have lost their employment and there lifetime saving in the current crisis. These three words of Obama could do more to generate hope than the measure of the Fed….Yes We Can…

Latest Sports News

2008-10-21T10:42:00.001+05:30

Tanks

2008-10-21T09:42:00.003+05:30

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I have added this cool game on tanks. Check out the game by scrolling down.

Yuvvraaj — Music Review

2008-10-20T12:28:00.009+05:30

For the first time ARR has composed pure western classical compositions without any Indian elements. Evne though ARR’s last release JTYJN (In hindi) was a hit, it had no classical element in it.
The first track is an Introduction track for the character “Yuvvraaj”. It just has Salman Khan giving an intro along with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Everything about the song is fine other than Salman’s dialogue delivery.
The second track on the album “Tu Meri Dost hai” is a fabulous track. Shreya and Rehman have done a great job as singers. The Violin piece is so good that can be heard through the day.
Next track is a Disco Track. ARR disappoints with this track after “Pappu Can’t Dance” and I feel the track is out of place.
The fourth song on the album “Tu Muskura” brings back the classical mood and is also on the slower and romantic side.
The fifth track on the album is “Mastam Mastam” which sounds more like an African composition.
The next track on the album is “zindagi” which is a slow sad song and we have seen Hariharan sing such songs in ARR’s previous albums.
The Seventh track on the album “Dil Ka Rishta” is something that Subhash Ghai has tried to repeat from Taal.
The last original track on the album, “Manmohini” , is a modern version of Indian Classical Songs.
Then in the end comes a remix of “Shano”. The track is shorter than the original one.
This was the most awaited music release of the year. It was expected to be a great set of songs with Subhash Ghai and ARR teaming up after long time. Overall, the tracks were fine and have the classical touch of ARR, but he could not recreate magic of "Taal".

This is the link to download tracks of the Yuvaraaj

http://bollyrocks.com/yuvvraj-songs.htm

Bourse At Baghdad!!!

2008-10-14T10:29:00.006+05:30

The entire world is losing money in the financial turmoil. Stock markets across the world are down including the emerging markets. The Indian markets are trading at half their peak values. Looking for a place to put your money amid the turmoil on Wall Street??? Consider the “cradle of stock markets”.

By “cradle of stock markets”, I meant Iraq. The ancient Babylonians (Present day Iraqis) were the first to create markets for stocks and bonds in the world. The existing stock market was started in 2004, after the invasion of Americans. Initially it was housed in an abandoned hotel restaurant.

Iraq’s fledgling stock exchange has around 95 companies listed on the bourse that includes banks, insurance firms, manufacturers, hotel chains and agricultural firms. The Baghdad bourse is booming with the general index of the stock exchange having gone up by more than 40 percent in the last one month.

Wondering, why the stock market in Iraq is booming when the markets world over are dwindling… All of this is happening because of the progressive steps of the Iraqi government. The Iraqi government has taken steps it hopes will create a more vibrant market, the paper noted. It has established an exchange commission that has already fined companies for nondisclosure of financial data and other violations. Iraq’s parliament is currently considering a law to regulate the securities industry.

The trading floor is jam-packed with traders and stock brokers, many glued to their phones and eager to snap up the bargains. Hotel stocks are leading the rally on the belief that, they will be among the first Iraqi companies to attract foreign investment. There could be National oil companies listed in the markets in years to come, which will lead to deepening of the markets. The trading in the market is restricted to elite few in the market, which is expected to improve once the situation economic condition improves.

The current rally shows the high levels trust and optimism of Iraqis about their own resurgence as a super power in years to come. If one was to look for an alternate region to invest, consider “cradle of stock markets”!!!.

After Dada...Who Next???

2008-10-13T09:47:00.005+05:30

As I write this post after the conclusion of the first test between the Indians and Australians, I can very well claim that my comments in my earlier on the post (Indo-Aussie tour) stood justified. It did not produce a result and both the teams did not exhibit aggression, barring a short while when Dhoni was captaining. The test could have had a result had either Hayden or Viru fired with the bat. I just hope that either of them fire and the Mohali test produces a result.

Now to back to the topic…Dada has announced his retirement from all forms of the game just before the Aussie tour. A batting slot in the national team is up for grabs and there are many young players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kolhi vying for that spot in the test team. The next question is who will fill the shoes for this legendary Southpaw, who has scored more than 15,000 runs in both forms of the game. This question has to be answered in two parts. First, finding a replacement for Ganguly in the test team is not going to tough because he was never a good test match player. He was placed lower down the order and never faced the new ball, something important for any good test cricketer. He was one that entertainer of the game who played free-flowing strokes and his style of cricket suited the shorter version of the game. Replacing him in the ODI team would have been difficult if he had retired some three-four years back when he was in his prime form. Now that he is not an effective ODI player and not the permanent part of the team, it will be easier to replace him from the side. There are again a bunch of players vying for his spot in the national side. I don’t mean to say he does not have any cricket left in him. He does have few years left in him, which may let him play for some more years in the Ranji and the IPL. He will still be playing the IPL not because he plays good cricket, but because he is a great crowd-puller, after all he is the “Prince of Kolkata”.

The next question in every ones mind is who will be the next casualty. Who will be the next form the “Fab Five” (Kumble included) to retire (or kicked out)???

There is no way Sachin will be kicked out of the side for the fan following he enjoys in India and abroad. He is well past his prime and the selector might have better replacements for him, but no way are they dropping him. The next player in the Fab Five is Dravid, the “wall” which has started to crack. Another legendary player, who has more that 20,000 runs to his credit in both forms of the game. He is one of the finest players that game has seen in the last decade, having performed in all parts of the world. He is already out of the ODI side and is expected to play in the test side for at least the next one year. Unlike Ganguly, he has never been in any controversies and has been one of those very few who played this “gentlemen’s game”, the way it is supposed to be.
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Next in line is “Jumbo”, Anil Kumble. He is a player who not only commands respect from his own countrymen but also his opponents. He is the oldest player in the side and most successful Indian bowler. He is know for the on-field aggression and still deceives batsmen of spin(not with spin).

And the last of the Fab Five is Very Very Slow(VVS) Laxman. Anyone who has tracked Indian cricket wonders why this man from Hyderabad is included in this list of fabulous men. Only reason (that I can think of) for his inclusion in this list is his classic performances against Australia. This guys cricketing career coincided with the decade where the Aussies excelled in all forms of cricket. This chap was able to perform “down under”, that to against the best bowlers of all time such as McGrath, Shane Warne and Brett Lee. His 281 in Kolkata will always remain a classic innings that to under tremendous pressure. Only thing going in his favour is his record against Aussies. And now that the next Aussie tour is after some time, selector will find is very easy to axe him from the team. He might not find favour with the selector and might well be the next casualty after Dada.

By mid-2009, in all probability the entire Fab Five would have retired. One is shocked by the very thought of an Indian line-up without these five players. These five players have been the foundation of any great outing Indians have had in the last decade. It would be very difficult for an individual to replace them. One needs to understand that a new Indian side will no more be a side with few great individuals but a side with players who complement each others effort. Something one could see in the Indian side which won the World T20 championships and also the way Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural season of IPL.

It will be exciting times ahead for the India cricket, where the side would no more look like a star studded unit like “Real Madrid” but a very cohesive unit like “Chelsea”.

Happy Slowdown…isn’t it???

2008-10-13T09:19:00.005+05:30

Everyone around seems be worried about how the economic slowdown, whose fears are looming large. The US economy seems to be headed for biggest crisis since the depression in 1929. The multiplier effect of the slowdown in US will spread to the rest of the world. Whether we accept it or not, any problem that US faces becomes a global problem, be it terrorism or financial crisis. So now that recession in US has set in, the world economy, especially Indian is going to get affected.
I don’t know why I get excited when I come across this term “recession”. There is a sense of fantasy built around this word. People are losing jobs across the world, some have lost their savings of their lifetime and some have even lost their houses. I do feel bad for these greedy I-Bankers and speculators, but still I anxiously wait for recession to set in. These are challenging times to face for everyone. People will find it very difficult to make money and even more difficult to save some of it.

There are a lot of positives out this current recession. People were making money out of thin air, that’s going to stop and people will come to a realistic age. They were spending as if the world starts and ends with them, without thinking of future generations. American were using gas guzzlers & MUVs, going on a vacation every weekend. They have no regard for climate change and energy conservation. Now that’s going to stop, which will reduce the consumption of gasoline and will be saved for future generations to come. The price of crude will come to realistic levels with reduction in demand. People will have started to consume less junk food since they have less money left around with them and are aware of huge medical cost that one bears with consuming this. People in west have started to spend their weekend in their houses with children around. This is happening because they are not having money left to spent, rather than for their children’s good. Nevertheless, it will do some good to their children’s psychological heath.

Some survey in the west found that due to recession and the crisis even hardcore atheists have started praying god. Well finally… the fan count for Jesus is increasing... Courtesy financial crisis…lol…

According to me, the umbilical of the problem is the American attitude to spend more than what they earn. Americans are the best spender and the worst savers in the world. The only comfort Americans enjoyed was that they could print unlimited quantity of Dollars and have huge debt, which they will find it difficult to repay. The exporters were very happy to retain the paper dollars and invested them in US treasuries because they were considered safe. I believe investing in US bonds could be the worst kind of investment at this point of time. The huge supply of US dollar has been the one of the major reasons for its depreciation against all major currencies. Few years down the lane we could see countries stocking more of Chinese Yen, Indian rupee and Russian ruble more than the US dollar.

India and the other developing countries will find themselves in similar position like that of the erstwhile USSR during World War II. Even though these countries would be affected by this crisis but they would emerge stronger than ever before. Their dependence on US will reduce and also a will their domestic economy strengthen. Few years back, Citibank was planning to buyout the HDFC bank India and could mange to buy some stake in it. Some people (like me…lol) with some ability to think creatively (and at times bit weirdly) can see HDFC buying out Citi rather than the other way around…

I Am Back!!!

2008-10-13T09:15:00.000+05:30

It’s been almost 2 weeks since I had posted anything in the blog. I had something like 6 posts in short period of less than 10 days, a high number for an amateur blogger. One might think what was I doing all these days? Was I so busy that I couldn’t even post something? Did I get bored of posting here and ditched this place? Certainly No. Well, it just happened that I was confused and could not decide on why I had built this blog. I took some time to decide on what topics to post.

Well… I thought I had no reason to visit this place before I could decide on why I was having this blog. Well… This confusion is a part of life. Okay so hope for more posts and sensible ones too!!!.

A movie trailer that deserves an Oscar!!!

2008-10-09T18:06:00.002+05:30

If the there was to be an Oscar award for best trailers, then this trailer certainly deserves one. Check out this trailer by following the link.
http://aboutmeaboutyouabouteverything.blogspot.com/2008/06/get-exclusive-first-look-of-this.html

Indo-Aussie tour

2008-10-01T11:35:00.004+05:30

The Australian tour to India promises to be a great series in making. Its stature has been equated to that of “Ashes” by some. Undoubtedly, this series will decide the course of Indian cricket for at least few years. It will give directions to the Indian selectors as to whether to stick on to the “fab four” or not. I personally feel they should be phased out of the team gradually and this phase-out should start after this series in order to prepare well for the 2011 world cup. All these players are well past their prime and this was clearly visible in the test series in Sri Lanka. The current series involving “A” teams from India, Australia and New Zealand has shown many “Gen Next” players who can replace the “fab four”.

The Aussies have there own share of problems. With most of there senior players such as Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne and McGrath having retired, they will have a tough time to replace such players. They come to India after a shocking defeat to Indians in the tri-series. They have lot of new players, who could buckle down in the testing Indian conditions.

The built up for the series amongst Indians has been high due to the Harbhajan-Symonds controversy and the Sydney test. Indians find this as perfect opportunity to beat the Aussies comfortably and avenge their defeat down under earlier this year.

One cannot miss two players who will decide to course of this series. Virender Sehwag and Mattew Hayden will be the most influential in the forthcoming series. If either of them dazzles, the opponent’s best laid plans can go for a six and if they falter, that will force their team to go into a shell. Both of them can set the tone for an entire innings, even a match at times. Every one saw in the test series in Sri Lanka, how Sehwag single handedly won the second test match.

Sehwag is batsman who can demolish the best bowling line-up with his superb timing and his “hit the ball when it has to be” attitude. There is always an air of optimism with him around in the line-up. The manner in which he constructs long innings is an example to follow for any young cricketer. People criticized him for lack of footwork and his impulsiveness. But Sehwag is neither a clown nor a fool.

Hayden has been a formidable opener for long time and toured India for many times earlier. Unlike Sehwag, he does not pulverize the opponent right from onset. When he feels the moment is right he intends to take the bowling apart. And when he succeeds, the Aussies are unstoppable.

The series may not produce high quality cricket like the India’s tour in 2003-04, but it will be a test for the teams to come out strong from their share of problems and about two individuals who can change the tone of the series single-handedly.

What MKG means to me...

2008-09-30T11:38:00.004+05:30

Once Albert Einstein quoted “It is hard to believe such a man with flesh and blood has walked on earth”. Albert Einstein was partly correct when he said this about Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Like all great men, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a bundle of contradictions. An acknowledged saint, he was also a self proclaimed sinner. He preached love and compassion towards every living creature on earth yet he was harsh towards his own wife and cruelly negligent towards his sons. He identified with the poor, yet he accepted the hospitality of wealthy business houses. He was understanding forgiving and warm; he could also be densely stubborn.

This man was devastatingly realistic when it suited him. He would not forgive Subhas Chandra Bose (best of his disciple) for getting elected as congress president, in spite of his defiance. He didn’t hesitate to use emotional blackmail to force Bose to resign. He considered Sardar Patel, C.Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) and Jawarharlal Nehru as his “eye, ear & tougue” and regarded them as soul mates who shared his every sentiment. He discarded Rajaji and Sardar patel in favour of Jawarharlal Nehru when he saw that Nehru had a glamorous appeal the others two lacked. He justified selecting the worst of the three, by saying that “when I am gone, he will speak my language”. Nehru did nothing of that kind, in spite being at the helm of affairs for 16 years (1948-1964), enjoying ultimate control of a young nation.

A harsh husband, cruel father, antediluvian, an annihilator of critics when necessary, a calculating politician who would put glamour above ideological affinity. But what made people perceive him to be a “Mahatma” and made people to suffix “Ji” after his name???

The whole point is that he carried out his mission without trying to hide his human frailties. The positive aspect of his personality reduced the negative aspect to insignificance. Historian have forecasted with confidence that Gandhi’s effect on human history would be more than that of Stalin or Hitler.

Gandhi’s views were not just relevant to India but to the entire world. No doubt India extracted unequalled benefit from his leadership. By attaching his ideas into the Indian freedom struggle, the struggle achieved a stature that could not be given to other countries like China and some African nation.

One can’t measure his impact on history just by taking into account his mission in India and South Africa. Other who fought for freedom such as Sardar Patel, Gaffar Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru, will be just remembered only for what they did in and fro India. This is where Gandhi scored over others, he dealt essentially with ideas and theories relevant to mankind. Like Buddhism, Gandhism has lost ground in the land where it evolved, but embraced by people living in distant corners of the world.

The Ottomans, Mughals, British and Spanish strode the earth as if they owned it. Out of these forces, only British and Spanish survive that to as second class entities confined to Europe. The first king to be called “Great”, Alexander died at an incredible age of 33; nothing of his greatness remains today even in his native, Greece.

Gandhi as a teacher…

Gandhi was a great teacher. He dealt with a set of student from a diverse background and different age group in Tolstoy farm. He was a ideal teacher who taught students by creating curiosity about the topic amongst students rather than spoon-feeding them with notes. He once resorted to corporal punishment and felt remorse for that action of his. He introduced the concept of vocational training, long before this concept had any real significance. He was ahead of times by centuries.

Misleading Gandhism…

What made Gandhi great was also the high level of courage to stand by his conviction, especially at times of adversity. Probably, Gandhi never propagated the ideology of peace as he is perceived to be. People who could not practice the real Gandhism seem to have built the brand “Gandhi” to sound synonymous to peace. But he really stood for having high level conviction and standing by that at times of adversity and peace was just something he believe in and practiced.

Turbulent Times to Come…

2008-09-29T14:41:00.013+05:30

The US government and the congress are debating about creating a $ 700 billion package to bail out the economy form what is regarded as the worst crisis since 1929. Will this package stabilize the financial giants from going bankrupt and save the economy from recession???

What a socialist government!!!

What is more shocking than the fall of these “wall street giants” is the manner in which these organizations are nationalized. If there was a poll on the best socialist governments, I would certainly vote in favour of the Bush government ahead of other famous socialist governments that of Hugo Chavez, Indira Gandhi, Putin and even Fidel Castro!!!. These governments were primarily famous for nationalizing the big corporations. The nationalization of its three biggest corporations in a span of two weeks has shocked the whole world. The lefts are puzzled by the nationalization drive of the US government which they have always viewed as capitalist.

Some people might view this nationalization to be for the benefit of rich (Shareholders). But that is not case; the nationalization of these firms will push down their share price to a virtual zero. The drive has ensured that the value of shareholding of the rich has been wiped out and the top management is expected to be replaced. The nationalization of these organizations was not a rescue of rich but that of the poor. The take over of AIG will save millions of insurance policy holders from losing their coverages and saving. The collapse of Freddie and Fannie would have affected “people needing mortgages” and the “already fragile housing market” in US. Both these institutions are one of the largest mortgage lenders in the world, with $ 5 trillion of mortgages and loans in their balance sheet, which is five times the India’s GDP!!!.

Privatizing profits and socializing losses!!!

The difference between this nationalization drive in US and that of the traditional socialist governments is that these are not aimed to give the state a stronghold over industrial production and the economy. These takeovers are a temporary affair, which would be followed by privatization of these corporations once the crisis is resolved and the financial health of these institutions improves.

The rescue package of $ 700 billion is expected to buy out the “toxic securities” such as mortgage securities, credit default swaps, credit card defaults and corporate bond defaults. Many argue that US government has created the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund, which is highly skewed towards the financial sector. The US government has to overcome issues regarding appointment of fund manager to manage buyout, management and subsequent sell-off of these securities. US economy seems to be headed for difficult times to come. The credit crunch and decline in the housing market will affect the purchasing power of the people. The global recession seems to be inevitable with the slowdown in US. The recession will affect developing countries more. The reforms in financial sector in India such as opening the sector to foreign players and capital account convertibility are expected to be postponed.

End of Beginning…

And to answer about the turbulent times ahead for us, we can better remember the words of Winston Churchill’s. “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Bolt….Lightening Bolt!!!

2008-09-25T17:32:00.008+05:30

"I'm Lightning Bolt! I am not Flash Gordon or anybody. My name is Bolt, Lightning Bolt.", this is what 6.5 feet Jamaican had to say about himself.

"I did a lot of work on the 200 metres and everything came together tonight. I blew my mind, and then I blew the world's mind," he said after winning the Olympic gold 200 meters. This was no small feat; he had trampled the record set by sprinter Michael Johnson's record of 19.32 seconds, shortening it by two hundredths of a second. Even Michael Johnson, who set his record in the Atlanta Olympic games ’96, was cynical about the Jamaican breaking his record at the bird’s nest this year. This effort of Usain bolt was impeded by a 0.9 m/s headwind but could not stop him from setting a world record.

Two day later, he teamed up with Asafa Powell, his rival in the 100 metres and 200 metres and two other country men to clinch the relay and set a world record.
He was a sporting prodigy and exhibited his spiriting prowess since his schooling days. At the age of 15, world junior championships-2002 offered a great platform to showcase his talent to the world. The flow of medals continued in world youth championships in 2003. Even Michael Johnson, then the 200 m world record holder, took note of Bolt’s potential.

Setbacks!!!

A hamstring injury in 2004 ruined his chances of competing in the world junior championship-2004. Then Bolt headed to the Athens games with confidence of winning gold for his country. However, his leg injury hampered his chances and was eliminated in the very first round of the 200 m with a disappointing time of 21.05 s. American colleges offered Bolt track scholarships on the strength of his performances, but Jamaican lad refused them, stating that he was content to stay in his homeland of Jamaica. Bolt instead chose the primitive track, weight room and surroundings of the University of Technology, Jamaica, as his professional training ground.
His leg injury was not letting him perform, when he needed the most. Bolt met with a car accident in November, 2004 and suffered facial lacerations, upsetting his training even more. Another hamstring injury in March, 2006 forced him out of the Melbourne commonwealth games’2006. Major breakthrough came in 2007 Osaka world championship, where he won a silver.

Shattering records

With good performances in 2008, legendary Michael Johnson was shocked to at his improvement. Then, bolt announced he would be competing for gold in 100 m and 200 m events at Beijing. On 16th august, 2008, Bolt stepped into the track for the 100 m event at Bird’s Nest without any favorable wind. The chances of setting a world record look bleak. Shots went off, he had one of the highest delay time to start. He raced past his rivals in the first 60 metres of the race and established a considerable lead. He slowed down after 80 metres and started his celebration on the track itself. Bolt looked back at his rivals behind in the track, which was followed by chest slapping and gave good poses to photographers!!! This celebration could have costed him the world record. But not on that day, he set a world record with 9.69 secs.
He might not won eight medals like Michael Phelps, but his feat would be remembered for the manner in which he came back for his setbacks (leg injuries). Many sprinters may break this record in times to come, but Bolt’s feats will remembered for having enjoyed his movement of glory like no one before.

Financial Modeling - An idea that has changed the world

2008-09-23T14:32:00.005+05:30

Financial modeling is a tool designed to forecast the performance of a business, project, or any other form of financial investment. A financial model uses relationships among macro-economic, operating, investing, tax, accounting, and financing variables to predict performance. The central aim of financial modeling is to forecast uncertainty and mitigate risk.

The discussion about risk mitigation peaks up at times of crisis and recedes along with it. The series of financial crisises such as US saving and loan collapse in the 1980s, black Monday in 1987, dot-com bust of 2000 and now the sub-prime crisis have left a strong message that risk is always there with us. Unfortunately, people at large have rendered mathematical modeling incomprehensible and a something outside the finance function. Corporates have started to shied away from the powerful risk management tools that has been created over the past three decades and are losing oppertunities to make money.

There is considerable debate amongst experts in the industry as to the nature of financial modeling is a tradecraft, such as welding, or a science, such as rmeta physics or an art like sketching. There is also a bigger debate as to whether use these complex finanacial model, whose wrong applications has lead to huge losses and turmoil.

In order to see the positives of modeling, one needs to understand as to how these tools evolved and put to use. Initially only way of risk mitigation was to buy an insurance. After some time, some futures and options were sold in order to transfer the element risk. There was a break through when Fischer Black and Myron Scholes propounded the famous Black-Scholes model for option pricing. This model was more effective in mitigation of risk.

Many organizations (read hedge funds and investment bankers) turned adventurous and build models which where primarily aimed at making profits rather than mitigating & transferring risk to others. Banks tried to pack every poor asset into a structured investment vehicle and sell it to others. As a result the total financial assets in the world soared from $ 12 trillion in 1980 to $195 trillion in 2007. In fact the financial assets grew at a faster pace than the world economy in this period.

These fancy models built by participants, produced great results and the builders of models where admired. These models provided wider access to capital, increased opportunities for sharing risk and in turn spurred economic activity. All models which were intended to make a windfall produced great results in short run and lead to a bubble. As these bubbles started to burst there was market turmoil, leading to devastating recessions. And everyone was cursing these models for the devastation.

People who build these fancy models failed to realize the primary purpose of these models, which was to mitigate risk effectively and not make a windfall out of it. As policy makers and the corporate world look ahead, the goal should be to enable the world to enjoy the benefits of risk mitigation and sharing of risk more effectively. But success depends on updating our thinking, not shielding away.

Dasavathaaram :Review By a Fanatic..

2008-09-22T14:23:00.006+05:30

Kamal Haasan paired up with others… to create a what was expected to be a epic called Dasavathaaram. Kamal appears in ten different roles, breaking the record for any actor's portrayal of the most different characters in single movie. The movie revolves around the chaos theory and the butterfly effect. The movie starts from a plot in 6th century to the Boxing Day tsunami. Now, the movie has been successfully screened in theatres for more than 100 days. It was a one-man show by Kamal, with some trivial roles played by Asin and others.

As a Kamal fanatic (not just a fan!!!), I thought of reviewing the movie. So first talking of positives in the movie, it was a “super human effort” on Kamal’s part. Like any other movie, he has not acted like a character but lived those characters. It would have been even more difficult for him to play characters which where crisscrossing in nature.

It was classic satire, where he makes references of many problems of the society. He talks of people not talking in their own mother tongue, the high level of greed amongst men and society treating every Muslim like a terrorist. I don’t know how much people read into these aspects, atleast I realized I was not using Tamil as a much as should be. I made a conscious attempt to improve my hold over the Tamil (Which is supposed to be my mother tongue) and use it more. And I cannot missout the lyrics the last song “Ulaga Nayagan”, which is nothing short of an anthem for any Kamal fan.

And to the negatives (many in number) of the movie… The hype built around the release of the movie raised the level of expectation. I was expecting a epic from Kamal at par with “nayagan”. But the movie failed to live up to hype that was created before the release. The movie seemed to have trouble with format, which has many unwanted characters. Some characters were unnecessarily stitched together to make it a perfect “10”.

The music which was composed by Himesh Reshammiya and Devi Sri Prasad also played its part in spoiling the party. Probably ARR would have done justice by composing the kind of music that the script required. I feel even though director K.S.Ravikumar has tried to good job, probably the task was beyond him. The director could not handle such a complicated and a challenging subject. Probably that why Kamal has decided to take up the task of direction on himself for his next movie.

Finally the ending of the movie which is messed-up, also comes as a dampener. Kamal, himself a atheist in real life, seemed to finally agree with concept of some super natural force (read GOD) controlling all the events in the universe. In none of his earlier movie has Kamal has gone against a view that he believes in real life. The ending was something his fans (and also fanatics..lol) where not able to stomach.

Anyway, this effort of Kamal is something that no other actor would have dared to take on these varied roles; the movie will go down in the history just as a "unique experiment in the commercial circuit". Hopefully his next flick “Marmayogi” will do just justice to the hype and the expectations of his fans.