Of the end of 2010

Ten years from today , I remember looking at the dark sky above on the same winter night - eve of a new year. It was the start of 2001. It has been a very long journey since then. Sometimes you don't make path, you happen to follow it. Back then, I didn't knew what I wanted to become. And even today, I don't. Never even in my wildest of dreams, I would have thought that I would be writing a computer program on the eve of another new year. But then, stranger things have happened in these years. Of all the things that happened, I took pride in having made not many friends but few chosen ones with whom I can share everything. Ten years is indeed a long period. Things get changed from the way you look to things you want. Let us welcome 2011 as a year to cherish and fulfill all those dreams and things that you have always desired. I wish you a very happy new year.

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Of the unused umbrella

Four monsoons have passed since it was picked from the supermarket. Whenever the old man predicted rain, it never did. It did rain when it wasn't expected. Thus, remained unused, unscathed. Will this monsoon be of any different? Or is it just that some things are meant to be remain virgin? He sighed.

PS:-
Inspired from Short, Fast and Deadly to write this prose in 420 characters.

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Of Tribute to Irom Sharmila Chanu

Forced fed by a pipe through the nose,
fighting and still strong - is the human spirit.
Is a decade long struggle not enough?
Yet, we still call it a 'Democracy'.

PS:-
Its been 10 years since she is on a fast demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, AFSPA. She has spent most of her time in jail, being force-fed by a pipe inserted through her nose. It is really sad that there are no answers to her questions even after a decade. Apart from a seasonal burst of interest from the media, nothing really is happening. I fear it would just lead to a tragic end.

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Sabko maloom hai main sharabi nahin ...

Just few days back I saw this advertisement in the newspaper about a concert "Shamee Ghazal" by Pankaj Udhas. I asked my brother if he would like to accompany me but he said he would prefer staying at home watching the CWG. So, I booked a single ticket since I don' t want to invite anyone who would not really appreciate spending an evening listening to Ghazals. I was just thinking what it would be like attending a Ghazal concert alone.
Well, the whole experience was good. It all started with "Dil Dhadakne ka sabab yaad aaya ...". It was followed by "Deewaron se milkar accha lagta hai ". When he started "Sabko maloom hai mein sharabi nahin ..", the audience just couldn't stop applauding. Then he explained that a "Nazm" is usually an urdu poem which describes a full story. He followed that with a nazm - "Dukh sukh tha sabka ek" which describes the story of the changing times -the past, the present and the future. Then "Jeeye to Jeeye kaise .." stole the limelight. This was followed by numbers like "Yaadon ka ek Jhonka", "Thodi thodi peeya karo..", "Patti patti Gulab - la pila de sakhiyaan". With time running out, he started the marathon of his famous numbers starting with "Chandi jaisa ..", "Chitthi aayi hai .." which brought him to the limelight again, "Kisi se koi pyaar na karen", "Ahista ..", "Zamaana kharaab hai ..." , "Ae Ga-me zindagi". And finally it ended with my favorite "Ghungroo toot gaye...". And at the end of the program, I found my lost interest and Ghazals found some space in my Ipod :)

PS:-
It was glad to see Pankaj Udhas in flesh and blood. But the six musicians (flute, violin, mandolin, tabla, dholak and keyboard) accompanying him were equally good.

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Dabangg-ed

Got "Dabangged" yesterday. First day First show. Its a pure masala movie for which the Bollowood is known for. You don't have to engrossed in it nor at the characters. Power packed action scenes with powerful dialogues. From the very first scene, you would love the rendezvous with Inspector Chulbul A.K.A Robinhood Pandey. A treat to watch for Saman's fans. Sajid-Wajid has also done a good job with the music. The songs are indeed hummable. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is slowly becoming one of my favourite with every song he sings. And the icing on the cake is definitely the item number "munni badnaam ... Zandubaam .."

/******************/
Well, the whole controversies regarding the CWG's theme song is due to the fact that it costs Rs 5 crores. I would have liked A R Rahman to do the job for free for the sake of the nation. It would have been a nice gesture and an example for the others. BTW, I would have liked a song in the lines of "Mile sur mera tumhara ..". Then nobody would have complained. Below is the YouTube link for the song. Its not that bad but the problem is with the price involved.

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Of 63rd aniversary of our Independence

Have you read this year's PM's Independence speech ? or for that matter how was the 63rd anniversary of Independence ? Anything different from last year's ? For me it was more or less the same. Last year it was a Saturday and this year a Sunday. Now, coming to the speech, the PM talks about many challenges the country is facing today. He cited about the conflicts in J & K, the north-eastern states , about Naxalites , strong relationship with Pakistan, food and social security, need to strengthen the education system , the inflation etc. But, the truth is that most of these issues are not new and 63 years is a long period. I think the same speech can be re-used for the years to come. But then we have to admit that India has come through a long way. It has made strides in many fields including corruption. Promises are many and in hope we live. Just iterating the following lines from the movie Shawshank Redemption "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

PS:
I am really looking forward to next year's Independence day. Not because I wanted to see whether the PM fulfills his promises but it will be a Monday resulting to a long weekend.

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Of Despicable me

This year has been great for 3D-animation movies. The first one to have made the surprise was "How to train your Dragon[link]", then came the much awaited Toy Story-3[link] and finally Despicable me[link] joined the party. The one thing I liked about these movies is that they are not made only for children but for all ages.

The story revolves around a despicable Gru who wanted to become the super Villain of all time. He wanted to outdo another villain named Vector (who had just stolen the Pyramid of Giza) by stealing the Moon. He adopts three cute orphan girls - Margo, Edith and Agnes in order to achieve his goal. Then, its all about how the girls changed Gru's heart and life.
Gru's character is quite interesting - his long nose being notable. But I must say its the 3 girls that stole the show. They are cute and lovable.

Gru: Someday, I'm going to go to the moon.
Gru's Mom: I'm afraid you're too late, Gru. NASA is no longer sending up the monkeys.

PS:- Its a movie that will make you laugh and most importantly it will help you to come out of the dream world if you happen to have engrossed with Inception. :)

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Common Wealth Gains?

Just 61 days are left for the XIX Commonwealth Games, Delhi. But, instead of hearing how the atheletes are preparing and their prospects of winning medals, new allegations about corruption, leaky stadiums, incomplete infrastructure, budget overflow and other shits are making news. So, its no surprising that the poor are getting alienated - being evicted in the name of making the Capital clean. The games is being used as another medium to fill the already filled pockets of the few chosen elites. I fear this event may just turned out to do more bad than good to this country.

PS:-
"Desh Mera - from Indian Ocean - Peepli live". A song describing India - the lyrics of this song is quite fascinating. You can take it either way.

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Dreams don't make sense

An event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events; origin; beginning; germination; prelude; cause; birth; outset; initiation;kickoff - that's INCEPTION for you and everyone is talking about this movie. Even after watching and reading every possible reviews and story about the movie, I still have some unanswered queries. Dreams don't make sense and the confusing ones are the best.And it takes a man of such calibre as Christopher Nolan to do it.


PS: I am going to see it again.

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Of Jabulani Zakumi Bafana Bafana Waka Waka

And like all good things come to an end, the FIFA World Cup 2010 also ended with Spain being crowned the champion much to my dismay (being an ardent Netherlands supporter). But I must admit that the better team deservedly won. Many would not approve the Oranje team's approach in the final but taking into consideration what was at stake, its quite understandable. Moreover, its a man's game.The logic was simple - do not allow Spain to play their natural game. The Oranje nearly succeeded in their approach of brute force and tackles. Had Arjen Robben succeded in putting the ball into the net of a sitter, the result would have been different. But it was Iniesta who provided Spain the crucial lead with only 4 minutes left in the extra time added. It was the goal that sealed Spain fate as the Eighth country to have lifted the cup ever.

Well, this WC would be remebered for many things. First of all, Paul the Octopus for rightly predicting the winners. In the process, he has made fans all around the world but, at the same time, there are foes who have been suggesting many interesting octopus recipe.Secondly, Shakira for "Waka- Waka". And who can forget the ever popular Maradona for his comments and gestures on the field. And there was the Paraguayan model Larissa Riquelme's promise which she finally fulfilled. Moreover, its a victory for South Africa, who proved wrong to those who had earlier doubted its ability to host the Football WC.

Btw, I forgot to mention the Vuvuzela which become synonymous to celebrations of joy. And of course, the world now got familiar with "Jabulani - the ball", "Zakumi - the Mascot" and "Bafana Bafana - the boys" will have to wait for another four year for Brazil.

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Some events in life does not happen again.Like attending your langotia yaar's wedding ceremony - priceless!!

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Its time for Africa - 2010 Football World Cup

The 2010 FIFA football world cup is in its final stage with only 4 teams left. What wonders me is the effect of this world cup on this Cricket frenzy country. Almost everyone seems to have engulfed in it. And the advantage of being an Indian is that you have the options of 32 teams to support for. And when your favourite team loses, you can always change for another team. If I were to pick two teams among those who have already been knocked out, that would be Japan and Ghana. The way they have carried themselves in this tournament has been amazing. Relying simply in their strengths with a strong belief that they can do it. With the whole Asia behind Japan and the whole of Africa supporting Ghana, it has been tremendous.
Sports can bring changes and believe me, it can do wonders. For instance, take the example of Manipur which is constantly in the news for the 2 months long blockade affecting every facets of life. But due to the World Cup fever , it is reported that the rate of crimes and conflicts have been reduced drastically in this troubled state.And coming to the question of who will lift the cup, I would say it would be either the Germans or the Dutch.

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Of honesty

Applied for 5 days leave. And gave the reason as "Attending a friend's marriage." This irked my boss. I could have easily given the reason as "Attending a cousin's marriage." That would have sounded more appropriate but I never thought it that way. Sometimes honesty does not pay yet I prefer to be honest.

So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain .....
Pink Floyd on this rainy day -

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Of some random thoughts and the 3-iron

My old Maths teacher used to say that the worst thing in life is the regret of something not done when you knew how to do it. Like finding out after the exam that you have left a question whose answer you knew pretty well. Like finding out that your deeds have not been what your heart says.

Btw, I have been watching some strange movies lately. One of them is the Korean movie :3-iron directed by Kim Ki duk. It revolves around a guy who breaks into empty houses whose owners have gone for vacation. He would stay in the house for few days. At the same time he would repay the cost of his stay by washing clothes , mending electronic gadgets, watering the garden etc.The movie does not have many dialogues but just gestures.You will find yourself asking a lot of questions - and realised that the director has succeded in portraying what he wanted without actually making a fuss!!

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Of fishes in the troubled waters - Manipur

Manipur is the troubled waters in which fishes die in large numbers. Every now and then, conflicts and tension eats the very core of every socio-economic aspects. Until now, it was the valley (the plain areas including Imphal) where most of the burnings had happened. This time, the fire has spread in the hills too. Whatever the reason be, its the people who are suffering. The ongoing economic blockade of NH-39 - the lifeline of Manipur, has led to the shortage of essential commodities in the state leading to hiked in their prices. Petrol is being sold at Rs 150/litre in black market. Hospitals and medical services have also been hit due unavailability of drugs and oxygen.
The whole point is that its the people who are suffering. Its a fact that the centre has not being giving enough attention to the North-Eastern states that they deserved. So, its not surprising when someone like Mr Chidambaram sitting in New Delhi makes statements and decisions which led to unnecessary tensions in these regions. The truth is that the centre lacks the knowledge on the sensitivity and the ground realities on the issues that they are addressing. One such example is the recent massacre of 76 CRPF jawans in Dantewada. How can the incidents of 18 th June, 2001 can be forgotten when thousands of protesters up rise against the "GOI - NSCN(IM) " cease fire extension to Manipur. Mistakes cannot be made again and again at the costs of human lives.
North-Eastern states are already behind in the race with the rest of the country. We cannot afford to spend our energy and time in fighting among ourselves. When we are outside our states , we are being recognised as one. Nobody bothers to ask you if you are from Manipur or Nagaland or Arunachal. We are being seen as one - the North-East.

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Cocooned

'COMFORT' zones can be dangerous. The very thought of moving out of it can make you crippled.They say you don't have to do different things but do differently. But then again, the greatest deeds are done when explored.Life becomes exciting when the wind blows from the opposite end. Otherwise, you are cocooned.

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How to train your Dragon

The title of the movie might be boring but I bet you will love it. "Avatar" raised the standard of 3D movies manifold, but this movie belongs to a category of its own. Wonderful storyline nicely paced sequences make the movie truly refreshing. Although, the target audiences are the children but the adults won't mind watching it. I won't reveal the plot here. And if you are looking for a break from your tiring routine, this is it. Enjoy the ride.
Btw, the movie ends with these lines -

"This is Berk. It snows nine months out of the year, and hails the other three. What little food grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here, even more so. The only upsides are the pets. While other places have ponies, or parrots... we have dragons. "

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Of Roald Dahl and the short stories

I had this wrong notion that Roald Dahl wrote only for the children until I picked " The Collected Short stories" from the Landmark few weeks ago. He is too good to be predictable. Thats the pecularity of his stories. Moreover, the stories are based on simple themes and human facets. Each story is written with finnesse that makes the reader think hours after reading it. Pinch of dark humour with the sharp endings makes Roald Dahl's stories addictive.

PS:-
I was wondering what made Shashi Tharoor to poke his nose in theIPL mud. A person with his qualifications and caliber could have proved much worthy if he would have concentrated on many issues that the nation is facing rather than supporting for an IPL team for Kerela. Anyway, I believe its a lesson for all the politicians to make their priorities right.

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Your ego hurts when a tender looking damsel with a non-gear bike whizzes past your 5 geared 180 CC beast. And it further adds fire that it happened on the road that you have been riding for the past three and a half years. Changed to the top gear so that he could give that killer smile when he would pass her.It all ended with a fine of Rs 100 for speeding and jumping the traffic signal!

For all those who love the Indian Ocean. Here is their Radio Channel[link].

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Of an IPL evening

Nearly 40,000 people gathered for the 3rd IPL edition league match between the CSK (Chennai Super Kings) and the Mumbai Indians that happened last Tuesday in Chennai . On that account, I took a break from the office for the evening and went straight to the stadium. It was a typical Chennai evening - hot and humid, but there was no lack of enthusiasm in the crowd.
Although CSK won the match comprehensively, there were few things that I noticed.

1) Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has a huge fan following all over the country. Every time he was in the act, the crowd goes wild. Its truly unbelievable how this man carried the expectation of millions for more than 2 decades. Though majority of the crowd was supporting the home team, but in their hearts of heart, they were cheering this man. It was the hot weather and not the opponent that got him out. And there was this guy who had painted his body with the India flag and with the name of his idol. People say he use to go to every match that Tendulkar plays. Luckily, I manage to click this one. I have heard of mad fans. I have seen one.

2. " Bollinger Bollinger?" - the crowd cheering for an Australian bowler. Truly, he is Chennai's adopted son. Hayden and Hussey too had their share of cheers.

3. The Cheerleaders dancing on some Tamil numbers throughout the match. Poor girls. Many a times they wondered what the song was all about. In the end they had stopped caring if their movements were in sync with the music.

4. And I was cheering for the CSK religiously. I have embraced this place. Haven't I ?


PS:-
Its time the media especially the news channels needs to prioritised things. This whole Shoaib-Ayesha-Sania crap have been utilising most of the bandwidth. I sometimes wonder how they can keep telecasting about the menu of the wedding, what Sania would wear on her wedding and all other craps amidst the unfortunate Maoist massacre incident. And even watching an IPL match on Set Max is a pain. Its like watching little cricket in between the advertisements.

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the harder the life the sweeter the song

Indeed, Crazy Heart is one of those movies which you can keep thinking over after hours of watching it.There are people who in the flow of life tend to have missed many essential things that he/she should have done.Only to recognize the mistake in the very end of their lives.But then its never too late to rectify those mistakes.
Talking about the movie,there were glimpses of "The Wrestler". And about the performance of Jeff Bridges in the movie, he played the character with a true crazy heart.But I would say he was lucky to have been nominated for Oscar in the year with not too many serious contenders. "The Weary kind" truly deserves the Oscar for the original song. The lyrics is simply irresistible.



Lyrics | Ryan Bingham - The Weary Kind lyrics

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Sometimes we suffer only to protect the invisible esteem. A software engineer spends the weekend over a silly bug as if he is solving the world's hunger problem. As if the world would come to an end if he didn't. And he writes the so called complex codes for those foreign clients for whom he is just another cheap labour.Such is one of life's many complications. Sometimes you can relate it to like watching "Pulp Fiction". We don't have to justify everything that we do.

PS:-
"No woman no cry" - Bob Marley. Hey buddy don't cry for you can't forget the past and the future is bright.

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the Oscar

"Avatar" and "Inglourious Basterds" were the only two movies that I had seen among the winners of this year's Oscar [link]. Avatar bagged 3 awards for the art direction, cinematography and visual effects. I would say the justice has been done. Until I watched the "Hurt Locker", I cannot comment on the 6 awards that it won. But the most deserving of the awards was that of Christoph Waltz for his "Jew Hunter" in "Inglourious Basterds". Only Quentine Tarantino can create such an unforgettable image out of a "milk drinking " character. Kathryn Bigelow's win for the best direction marks the entry and acceptance of women in yet another men dominated field. I am also looking forward to "Up" and the "Crazy heart".

PS:
Few crashes and bugs in the software can make the life of a Software Engineer miserable. Its a pity that happiness is dependent on bugs.

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The Turning Brain

"How many of you have seen a train ? Not in TV or newspaper, but in real." Well, many of you would be wondering what a stupid question that it is to ask in a country which boast of having the world's 2nd largest railroad network. This question was asked by my Hindi teacher years ago when I was in a primary class. He was just trying to explain the importance of railway in the economy of our country. And there were not many hands up in a class of some 40 students.

If you throw the very same question today, you would still find almost the same number of hands. The truth is that still there is no rail connectivity to Imphal. Every time the Rail Budget is announced, it gives hope which diminishes with the passing time. Proposals and plans are made, but hardly without any execution. Agree that the geographical structure does not allow an easy development but then how long the people of this state has to wait for that sound of a running train.

Manipur is a state with a population of only 2 million. Though, insurgency is the main factor which hinders any progress, but with a well connected rail and road network, many problems in the state can be solved. Emergence of small scale industries is a possibility which might create employments and who knows, it would just become a trend. Success and good work is infectious.
Though, it sounds like a fairy tale and a nice dream, but we need to do something to restore peace in the state. And its the Government who has to provide the initiative. No country can progress by leaving any state behind.

PS:-
The post was not intended to be preachy. And on a laughing note, from the Movie Zombieland:-

Little Rock: Who's Bill Murray?
Tallahassee: ...I've never hit a kid before... I mean, that's like asking who Gandhi is.
Little Rock: Who's Gandhi?

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Memories cannot be erased .When we want to forget, we over-write it and when we want to remember we re-write it.

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When you see your future in flesh and blood, you can't help but laugh. Many a times we see it but just ignored. Some years down the line, you would be doing the same thing that your "Boss" is doing now. Isn't this ironic? You would be doing something you don't always appreciate.But you can always prefer to do it your own way. BTW, I remember this beautiful quote, I wrote to someone wishing for good luck years ago. "Successful people don't do different things, they do things differently".

And you don't have to understand the language to appreciate good music. That's how I felt listening to this song "Pherari mon" from Antaheen.

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The Catcher in the Rye

JD Salinger would have never liked the homage being paid to him after his death [link]. He would have simply called everyone a "Phony" in his own way. "The Catcher in the Rye", happened to be the first novel that I ever read and thus got acquainted to Holden Caulfield since then.

To the Holden Caulfield in each one of us.
Too Much Joy, from the album "Cereal Killers"

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Amidst ruins, miseries and cries, "miracles" like this[link] can only bring a vision of hope to this saddened country. Not always the human spirit is being challenged like this.

No Pakistani player being picked for this year's IPL ? If I remember, they are reigning champ of the Pyjama[Twenty20] Cricket. Not very fairly treated I would say. Cricket should have left alone. Ugly things do happen which could have been easily avoided.

PS:
You have to say "no" sometimes just because saying a "yes" every time becomes a weak trait. People tend to take you for granted and end up doing things without credit.

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Of the city that I knew so much

Picked the following books from the Landmark yesterday :-
2 States - Chetan Bhagat,Twilight - Stephenie Meyer and Pirates Latitudes - Michael Crichton.

Being a holiday, with nothing much to do, decided to finish the first one at a go. After reading "2 States", felt like the books sounds much nearer than I thought of. May be the reason being that a part of the book talks a lot about the life of an outsider trying to adjust himself to Chennai. Also it talks a lot about the language, the people, the auto-rickshaw drivers, what the Tamilians think of an outsider, their rich culture, their conservative nature, their thirst for knowledge. And I reckon, it has happened to me, isn't it? Moreover, it talks about the places I knew. The names of the restaurants, the Marina beach,Nungambakkam,Anna Salai, Mylapore etc.

All through these years I have been through all these. Now, I felt like I am part of this city.

PS:-
The mention of two things in the book made me nostalgic:-
1) about NITs catching up fast with the IITs (though sarcastically). Suddenly I recalled all those college friends.
2) The Sangeetha Residency, Mylapore. Yes, it was the very same place my company had arranged for my accommodation when I came to Chennai for the very first time. And that was 3 and a half years back.

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Of Avatar

Woke up early just to find myself in the very same place, the same room. Watching "Avatar" had such an impact that I was hoping to wake up in Pandora. It was some experience. Its not only the 3D artistry but also the content of the movie that moves you. Avatar is not like the "Matrix" which you need to watch again and again just to understand it (no red, blue pills here:)).Also, its not like the "LOTR" and the "Harry Potter" series with a lot of sub-plots and characters. Go and get a ticket !
There were good liners in the movie and if I were to pick one, that would be this. Jake says just before he tames the Toruk.
"Sometimes your whole life boils down to one insane move. The way I had it figured, Toruk is the baddest cat in the sky. Nothing attacks him. So why would he ever look up? But that was just a theory"

PS:-
Beauty is transient. Time and age brings everything to the same level. And yes,I just realised this seeing this girl of my school days after a gap of 10 years.

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