Now what's there in a train and why are you so crazy about it??? This one question which people around me have been asking me for the whole of my life so far! Well to all those people out there, here is my answer.... Its my life! No doubt about that. Not that I wanted to be different from others... but this passion of mine made me different! To be true, Railways occupy a significant position very close to my heart! Trains are ones which I love more than myself. No exaggeration here! Right from my childhood I grew up watching trains rather than cartoons.(My residence is located very close to the railway lines along the Chennai-Bangalore route) I can still remember my younger days when I used to have a notebook in which I used to jot down all the names of the trains zooming past my home with the time of crossing, sitting right from my balcony. That was all the rail-fanning I was able to do as an 8 year old kid! There were also days when my cousin used to accompany me.... He is not an ardent railfan though! I started drawing sketches of trains and did the same to win some drawing competitons too. Gosh! Were they so realistic or what??? Well I can pat myself that I'm quite good in drawing trains if not other stuff! Couple of years later when the mighty WAPs came into operation I was quite able to guess with its looks and charisma that they were dedicated entirely to passenger service just because I felt like that! Those days I used to distinguish WAPs, WAMs and their mighty counterparts WAGs as "express engines" and "goods engines" respectively. Hehe! There wasn't anyone to provide me proper information on what these mean machines were meant for actually.(After all I was a 10 year old kid then!) The "Time Table" (southern railways) remained the book which I gave the highest priority ever. Later when my dad accidentally encountered the "Trains at a glance" which is a larger version of all the zonal railway time tables covering all the routes and the trains across the country, I guessed i ve got the much needed treasure which I deserved a lot. Accidentally though! My dad is one guy who encourages me a lot in rail-fanning (He doesn't ask stupid questions like what others do. hehe!) and my uncle (who is a frequent traveler by the SCR) who shares his views about the Railways and his personal experiences and there's also a friend of mine who joins me during rail-fanning action! nice to see that atleast there are few people around me who have similar interests of mine :) Years later I was able to learn almost anything and everything about the great Indian Railways through the IRFCA website! and thanks a ton to all those people in Orkut who helped me in gaining more interesting information and stuff about railways throughout the country! Hope this journey never ends!
"And obviously I am not here to review about what the shit is happening in the politics or the world of football or cricket since I find many of my co-bloggers doing a better job!" 
Well these are the lines which are none other than mine from my very first post. But now, i can't resist from writing this one though i may continue refraining from such kinda stuff hereafter. It couldn't get better than this either!
There's a saying "Nice guys finish last!" But on a sensational Saturday, en route to registering what might go down as India's greatest ever test win, Kumble's team proved that nice guys can just win it in style. Like in 2001, this win halted the Aussies' march towards a record 17th consecutive test win 
making it a sweet revenge after the Sydney fiasco! And with the WACA being the perfect battleground, which is considered as the fastest pitch in the world. Even though i hadn't been following the past two tests since i had college, luckily i got a chance to watch almost every ball of this fast paced Armageddon (courtesy : my local cable tv operator or whoever it is. You have the CAS - Conditional Access System and the damned set-top-box thingy in Chennai. Doh!)
After winning hearts by withdrawing the abuse charge against Brad Hogg which anyone would have guessed as a goodwill gesture from a submissive team, Kumble believed otherwise. He badly
wanted to win though the thought of exacting revenge never crossed their minds. And the much awaited inclusion of Pathan and Sehwag obviously didn't let the team go down in any aspect! Sehwag, even though not providing a boisterous knock, full credit to him for chipping in with a good opening knock in the first and for picking up 2 vital wickets in the final innings which almost decided the fate of the match. And Pathan has once again emerged as the pace spearhead for India using the new ball efficiently in getting the early breakthroughs, his batting too played an important part! Another notable performance was obviously Ishant Sharma who was all successful in picking up the Punter on both the occasions. And Kumble will go down the history for his 600 wickets and Dravid becoming the second highest catcher alongside a number of feats by the team in this match!
Overall it was once again the team effort which got the much deserved victory for us. A victory 
considered the best overseas, more significant than the Twenty20 WC, and more significant than any other one in the history of Indian cricket! They have yet again proved that they can pounce back over the opposition and can make millions of hearts to celebrate. Lets hope that every encounter be a victory and every victory be a reason for those millions of hearts to celebrate which includes You, Me and every Indian! Chak De India!!!
I would like to present a countdown of what i feel as the TOP 10 MOVIES of the year 2007. This list of movies is in no way related to the Box Office charts (Or, it's not like the latest big-star movie gets the first place as shown in TV channels). It's just my forthright opinion on these movies. So here it is, the 10 best movies of the year 2007 in which a record of 105 films were released with at least a dozen of them making profits making it a landmark year for Tamil Cinema. The superstars continued to dominate, with Rajnikanth's Sivaji turning out to be the top grosser! And... there were also very good films featuring newcomers and dealing with fresh and novel scripts among which Mozhi, Paruthiveeran and Chennai 600028 deserve mention. There were also bold attempts like Katradhu Tamizh and Evano Oruvan which were critically acclaimed! So here is the list, a mix of box-office blockbusters and critically acclaimed ones.
10. MALAIKOTTAI
A routine commercial mix, all ingredients well proportioned to make a movie that managed to maintain a consistent tempo till the end. Vishal’s mass hero image well exploited, Priyamani used exclusively for song and dance routines, the label of a comedy action entertainer and a free run devoid of any competition were the factors that came together to make Malaikottai a profitable venture.
9. VEL
The biggest hit of Deepavali 2007, Vel was Hari’s yet another family drama set in a rural backdrop rode on the ability of the director to make the most out of a script. Surya’s double role and chemistry with Asin were key factors in Vel hitting the target. Hari's racy screenplay and Vadivelu's hilarious tracks with family sentiment were the other ones serving the main base for the movie's success.
8. POLLADHAVAN
Deepavali and a bevy of biggies, it is not exactly the safest time to release a movie. But Polladhavan with Dhanush and Divya in the lead stood tall on its merits. All credit to Vetrimaaran for showing enough courage to take a path less traveled and come out with flying colors. His style of narration and takings are very similar to the ace director, though he has told a dark and disturbing tale, throwing light on the bad and ugly underbelly of Chennai underworld.
7. UNNALAE UNNALAE
Unnale Unnale is an urban romantic fun film that explores love from a slightly realistic and different point of view. The movie does not have clichéd characters nor the typical masalas associated with Tamil films and is packaged in Bollywood style. Though some of the scenes are straight lifts from various Hollywood and Bollywood films, director Jeeva has succeeded in bringing out brilliant performances from his lead actors ( Vinay, Sada and Tanisha) and presenting the film in a chic and sophisticated manner. It was made for youngsters and they lapped it up, Harris Jeyaraj’s music playing a big part in it.
6. BILLA
Ajith’s popularity, the tremendous hype and the release that matched the hype. Receiving good
reviews and word of mouth. To remake a 27-year old Rajinikanth film with another actor at a time when he is still the superstar, is a major challenge for any director. But Vishnu Vardhan is a daring young man who took up the challenge along with Ajit and they have come out with a fresh new Billa, an escapist comic book like fantasy film, which has been faithful to the original in spirit and soul. Slickly shot and stylishly packaged, the remake is slick and has certainly appealed to today’s youth audiences.
5. CHENNAI 600028
So, what made Chennai-600028 tick? The screenplay is minty cool and our heroes are ordinary middle class guys, not the larger-than-life super-heroes you encounter in Tamil commercial cinema. The basic storyline is woven around galli cricket match and a tournament, along with an assorted group of guys making it a thoroughly enjoyable film targeting the urban youth audience. A celebration of youth, friendship, fun and cricket- the essence of life, Chennai 28 managed to touch a chord in every person young at heart. Formula for success- Refreshingly fresh theme, totally youth based!
4. POKKIRI
Officially the first superhit of 2007. Vijay and his fans celebrated Pongal in style with Pokkiri going
from strength to strength. Facing very little opposition after the first few weeks, this taut entertainer with a few good songs kept going on and on. Vijay’s first role as a cop and Asin’s presence did not let the interest die down. The on-screen chemistry between Vijay and Asin was great and the film turned to be the biggest grossing Tamil film in Kerala and also overseas apart from Tamilnadu which found it place in the UK TOP 20 for its impressive opening!
3.SIVAJI
It could'nt get better than this. The Rajnikant - Shriya starrer, directed by Shankar, is said to be the costliest ever made Tami film and was sold for a record price. The film actually opened huge with a record number of screens. Sivaji once again ascertained the fact that Rajnikant is the undisputed numero-uno of the Tamil film industry! Sivaji turned out to be the biggest ever film in the history of Tamil cinema, a fitting record for a movie that saw the coming together of the most skilled, dedicated and iconic figures of Tamil cinema.
2. PARUTHIVEERAN
Not many debutants have come this high or this far but Karthi has proved that he has got pedigree and class. Under the masterful hands of Ameer, he molded himself into the rugged village youngster who would throw a punch at you. Priyamani’s contribution too should not go without mention, same with Yuvan’s music. Undoubtedly, it is a brave film and full credit goes to the director for making every scene realistic and characters life-like. However after the end of it all, we wonder why he had to make it so morbid and disturbing!
1. MOZHI
No larger than life hero, no blood and gore, no loud villains, no punch dialogues, no crass comedy, no skin show and no item numbers…… Then what? Here is the verdict - A feel good love story is what Mozhi is all about! Director Radha Mohan has once again proved that he can make a perfect family entertainer with characters that you can relate to. Mozhi is indeed a feel-good entertainer with a simple straightforward story, knock out performance from the lead actors, melodious music and a glossy look bringing a new freshness to Tamil commercial cinema. For this alone they deserve a big applaud.A pleasant departure from the usual entertainers, Mozhi delighted without resorting to formula elements. Well made in all aspects and giving Jyothika the perfect platform for a swansong!
Hello!
Yeah, it has been more than a month since my last post and here i am back! But just for a namesake anyway. Well i was unable to think of anything else since i have been having my cycle tests and that too a non-stop one! And my performance in those aren't to be questioned. Wasn't bad anyway. College life is quite frustrating indeed as far as these tests go. Anyways nothing much seems to be interesting in the recent past. Diwali was just one another namesake! No getting up early, no bursting crackers and nothing. I don't have the patience to do all those, lighting up a cracker and watching it get busted. And its just a waste of money i feel! Diwali is just like any other day in the year for me. But it was actually the day after when we friends decided to have a blast! We planned on a hangout to the citi center and made it there by the MRTS and its always fun to travel by it. Every hangout of ours remains incomplete without the MRTS! And after some window shopping and eating business we still found it was too early to leave with nothing much left to do over there. Beach was just a 10 minute walk from there and the rest was as usual. Made it to home by 1030pm anyway!
Even the days after hadn't been as interesting as it could be. No movie watching, no blogging and to hell with these tests, they were also a namesake. I never took them seriously anyway! They are just one another crap which screws up your happiness. The weeks ahead look bleak since none of us know when they get over! And adding more misery are the unit tests which are to start on december 12th. Man! how many tests can a person write? Worse than a school. School was just heaven compared to this college! But yeah! I have got well settled with the atmosphere here and the people around me. Thats the only respite i got from this place. Very easily made some good friends and now we are a gang of 6! Just planning to do something big that would make people turn behind us!
Hmmm.... Now i am seriously thinking on what my next blog would be. And with a busy schedule ahead i would hardly get time to do some blogging. Hope it wouldnt be for a namesake!
semester going on. And I wished that this was the right time to see her off to Bangalore since she's no more gonna stay here in Chennai. And the other news is that my another brother is arriving home from Vizag by the Guwahati - Bangalore Express which he called us to inform that the train was late by around 2 hours at Vizag. So I had made rough calculations that the train must be here somewhere around the departure of the Shatabdi so that I can see my sister off and pick up my brother! :) I'm all set for a railfanning session in Chennai Central the next day!
and before that the Dhanbad - Alleppey Express (late by 50 mins) with a Sapthagiri liveried AJJ WAM4 sped past me at MPS! As my EMU departed I cling on to the door hoping for more spottings and more importantly arrive in time to catch the Shatabdi! As I near Basin Bridge Jn. to my astonishment my train is put to a halt for a couple of times. Damn it! Its 05:40 and the Shatabdi is at 06:00! I start wondering how am I gonna make it. Very soon the starter was given and we were off! Then I was able to sight a TNP WDM7 in the sidings shunting an empty BOXN rake. the other side the Chennai - Jammu Tawi Andaman Express crawled past us with an ED WAP4 22671. And as we slowly approach Central the Andaman was very soon followed by Shalimar - Trivandrum Express powered by AJJ WAM4 20652. The rake of the Yercaud Express was also shunted back to the yard. I reached central and made a sprint towards the platform ticket counter. First things first! lol! Before I could notice the display my Aunt called up to tell that the Shatabdi was on PF 1. Man! thats a long way to go..... 05:50 on clock. I have atleast 10 minutes to talk to my sister and her husband. And as I jumped into the PF 1 my brother waved his hand to greet me with a smile :)
06:00 and The Tata Indicom Shatabdi is all set to receive its starter. The Vodafone Kovai Express was on PF 10 and the Sapthagiri Express on PF 11. I walked ahead to check out the link expecting it to be a WAP4 and unusually it was yet another Sapthagiri liveried AJJ WAM4 21232. Starter was given at 06:03 and they were off as I wished them a Very Happy Journey! Now I have my brother arriving here from Vizag and the train was about to make it to MAS at 07:30 or so. A solid 3 hours late! Well thats much more than what i had calculated! So i gotta hang around for some 1.5 hours.... Thank god! There are lotsa trains around and I can do a hell a lot of rail-fanning!
Chennai Express arrived with the country's first AJJ WAP1 22000 on PF 4. The Jan Shatabdi was shunted into PF 2 and the power for the day was again a Sapthagiri liveried AJJ WAM4 20613 (too much of Sapthagiri WAM4 sightings today!) The next one to arrive MAS was the Cheran Express with an ED WAP4 22669 on PF 10 which would later leave as the Navajivan Express at 09:35. Dadar Express was on PF 7 which was to be hauled by the Monster AJJ WAP4 22646. As I went and stood near the loco to check out the action over there, Brindavan Express was shunted into PF 6 and soon came the ED WAP4 22728 to get attached to the mighty 23 coach load! People had already gathered over there to watch the coupling being done. I once again went near the AJJ WAP4 22646 to check the proceedings being done before the starter is given. The LP kept on signing few papers keeping an eye on the starter, and once it was on, the horns blared and the monster was off quite soon having already lost a 7 minutes from the schedule since the starter was delayed. Jan Shatabdi followed suit and both crawled on parallel tracks.
