Stocktaking, evaluation, post-mortem, peep, or looking back
- call it by any name - is desirable in any venture. Here is an aerial view of
the 2011 activities of this group, as well as a few other allied ones, written in
a lighter vein, bearing malice to none. I am clubbing deliberately the events
of all groups as I find many of us are members in most of the groups.
Many have earned the distinction of being hailed by their
abbreviation – MS (or, globe trotter if you insist), GV (G. Viswanath for those
who are averse to exerting themselves and want everything on a platter), Siva
(don’t ask me to elaborate his name, unless you spare only a cursory glance to
the incoming mail), AVMV (sorry, he has recently rechristened himself as VVR),
MGK (yes, the one who fires entertaining salvos from Trivandrum launch pad),
Gopa (or, Mr Know All if you want to rename him), and not to leave out Hyderabad
Cheenu, in whose case the word ‘abbreviation’ doesn’t fit in when compared with
his earlier connotation: Cheenu-Cbe. Well the list is endless.
MS continued unabated with daily dose of religious messages.
Hyderabad Cheenu released sterling thoughts for the day. Raman covered almost
everything – 2012 calendar, old-age quotes, Mullaperiyar dam, key to Indian
Railways’ grievance redressal, etc.
GV waged a single-handed battle for more original
contributions. Those opposed felt that beg, borrow, or steal, the name of the
game should be infotainment. If I say that a particular member’s forwards took
the cake, then a host of others will revolt against me, and justifiably. Simply
put, everybody gave something, and nobody everything. Siva was in a world of
his own with his Amalu, airhostess, and Hyderabad connection - whenever he was
not on his spiritual trip, that is.
VVR, aside his unique ability to target generation-next, had
an uncanny knack to make inroads into Siva’s observations and give additional
dimensions. Cris’s language was worthy of emulation, if at all possible. Gopa
had the courage of conviction to cover anything under the sun, but not all of
them without attracting comments for amendments. That only showed that he was
being read - he could argue, and rightly so.
Vanakkam Subbu served best those who were still entangled in
tax liabilities, or were looking for benefits accruing to senior citizens. Sai
Baba, an ex banker, covered a variety of relevant subjects. Then there were
others who had a knack of taking the opposite view of everything written about.
That should be construed as the other side of the coin.
The subject, ‘Are Brahmin girls less keen to marry Brahmin boys’
attracted maximum hoo-ha. With what findings? I am still groping. Anna Hazare’s
uproar on Lokpal, Subramaniam Swamy’s crusade to bring to book the corrupt, were
close second and third.
Against this backdrop of activities with gay abandon, there
remained a solitary septuagenarian writer of a sort who struggled through the
year to hammer out a piece of substance.
V.V.
Sundaram
01 January
2012
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