Hey parrots in my garden

I was sitting at my desk, checking mail and getting into a soporific state today afternoon. I was suddenly jolted by the shrieking of birds outside the window. I ignored for a while and suddenly it struck me, that the bird noises are different from the usual mynah's and seven sisters. Ki Ki Ki they were going on in a chorus and i immediately rushed out to see if they are really parrots here. It took a while to make them out in the seethapal tree overlooking our balcony.They were more than six that i could make out and were obviously having a feast of the ripe fruits.I noticed only then that the tree was heavy with a huge harvest of fruits and all obviously very ripe.I was wondering why everyone of them is cranking its neck and hanging upside down and relishing the fruit; obviously because the fruits are hanging down silly, i immediately told myself. They were such a beautiful hue and sooooo parrot green. They were quite a sight when they were in flight, I spotted ever so many shades of parrot green.They were hopping from one branch to another, one fruit to another, taking a nibble here and ignoring another, just like we do in a buffet dinner.
How come i have never seen them all these years? Yes, the seethaphal tree has been here for quite a few years and i have always spotted squirrels making a go at it but never parrots. But then is it that i have been busy and never had time to stand and stare?
The last time that i have stood and watched a group of parrots partaking their tiffin, was in Ajmer. It was a pomogranete tree that time; they were there all the time throughout the day; i guess it was not the same group.I used to be fascinated at their twisting action to get at the most luscious part of the fruit.It used to provide much amusement and entertainment to both yash and prash.
As i rush to pen this blog, i am not hearing their shrieks. But i know that i will wait for them tomorrow same time same place, for their orchestra.

gift wrapped please

My niece's birthday is coming up.She would be 8 years old. She is excited about it and talks about it nonstop. Her major angst is her mom's always comes a few days before hers.And her mom got a gift duly gift wrapped.
So, my niece has only one request to anyone who reminds her of her birthday; 'I am not particular about what you present me,but i want it 'gift wrapped".

Sariyana potti!

Pop's school sports day

I was briskly taking my morning walk on m g road, and my niece calls me and invites me to come for her school sports day, immediately. Can i take a u turn and head straight to her school grounds and be there in the next half hour. Periamma you should come; sports day had been postponed twice already due to sudden rains, she told me. Invite from tiny niece and there is only one option; instant compliance!
I was the first person in, if you dont count the student volunteer sitting and writing down the schedule of events. Slowly , ever slowly the place was coming alive; but i had no problem waiting as it was inside the school, full of trees and slight wind blowing in the cool breeze. Quietly the children were marching into the ground from both sides behind us.
The school believes in non competitive spirit and takes it quite seriously.So all the events were carefully designed to leave out the competitiveness. So no prize giving and medals were not going around. Obstacle race for the kinddergarden was very innovative; they had to manoevre walking through 4 scooter tyres; then walk on a thin bench(this proved quite a challenge for many); then lift a net and crawl under it; and lastly roll over a set of three wooden plans kept there.
All the primary sections had sprinting(no it was not a race); in sets of four, they were quite a sight. Juggling balls, dho se dho(two kids with a single loop of a rope around them and they have to keep the tension and not allow it to fall down), hoola hoop and stuff were fun to watch.
The sun and rain god played fair and hence a very good time was had by all.
A banana(home grown), a glass of lime juice(home grown lime again) and a good cuppa tea completed the picture and i headed home; while my sis and her husband stayed back to properly wind down the proceedings.
God bless kuttys and god bless their teachers and their schools

Reading for the blind students

Recently i heard about an organisation called Darshini which is involved in giving comprehensive support to blind students. Monday evening and Friday evening, the interested students and volunteers assemble in Youth hostels premises in Indira nagar.I understood that it was started with a handful of volunteers and 7 students. In the last 6 years it has grown to more than 60 volunteers and 55 students.
Quite a few aspects made a positive impact. All the volunteers are middle aged women, who have free time now, that they are mostly through with their hectic domestic activities of raising children. They can definitely take a couple of hours a day and do something worthwhile, outside their homes. They also have a huge unutilised managerial and organisational talent and I see with delight, the way they are efficiently running the entire programme.Right from the lady, who is there before everybody and is forever finding the correct volunteer for the correct student, to the promoter lady who is there everyday and manages to collect a few students who are not having volunteers, to update them on latest world news of relevance to them, and some counselling session on how to aspire and attain what they want, the entire show works like a clock work. The single aspect which stands out over all other things, is the total and complete involvement and commitment to the job.
I saw a few volunteers regularly bring audio casettes duly labelled with them, and hand over to the organiser. I gathered that every one of the students has a tape recorder, and whenever they feel the need, a volunteer records a lesson or an essay and brings it in the next session. I also saw that they take them for an annual picnic to create fun and bonding. Last week, a student from Tamil Nadu who is now in the US, doing his phd in sociology was asked to come and share his story with the students. It was inspiring and the students felt they should look beyond, tamil as a language and teaching as their only profession.
Again last week, the organiser had called a meeting of all students after the reading session and showcased one boy who has recently been offered a job in a call centre . He said darshini helped him to learn English and also spoken english and later put him through a computer course and that has helped him land this job. Darshini was offering to the students that they would gladly sponsor any student who wishes to pursue english or computer course.
It is a 360 degree support that they are providing and their attitude is very open, friendly and humble. I have not found any arrogance or pride.
I will share some of the experiences while reading and interacting with the students.

fruitshop on m g road

Pazhamudir nilayam is our new hangout place. It is convenient, just round the colony bend; stocks up fresh fruits and vegetables attractively(that is the operative word); literally pulls you to the shop. there is a fresh fruit stall also attached to the shop and we have a welcome drink of carrot juice, musambi juice or mango juice just after our morning workout.
What is so special, you may ask. One can just pop out of the house and have a cool drink, that is a major attraction.I have seen a roadside shop just opposite which has been selling fruit juices from time immemorial. But nothing has changed in that shop nor have we ever felt like going there for a fruit juice.This shop has made a good decor and an inviting sales counter. Everyday they change the 'menu' card hung on the counter. Today it was 'musambi juice for strengthening your bones'. My order was immediate and definite!Yesterday it was 'carrot juice for gleaming eyes". Yes no prices for guessing that i pitched for carrot juice and nothing else would do.
They have cool drinks in unbelievable colours; a dark ocean blue entices you and so does mint flavour, an enchanting translucent green.
The shop is forever reinventing itself. It is my daily case study for trying to woo the customer and anticipate his needs.
Like today; the shop is decorated for ganapathi chathurthi.And it was just shop opening time early morning and we saw two sales girls doubling up and drawing multi coloured rangoli! Did the job description entail that they are deft at rangoli in addition to being customer friendly sales staff?They had loads of fruits piled up outside the shop today and each of them priced attractively. Did they expect customers to buy as many fruits as the modaks that they would be making that day?Or is ganpathi as fond of fruits as he is of kozhukatais, that we buy them by the basketful as naivedyam?
I noticed today, that they had to discard vegetables which had gone bad; and i counted 12 crates in just 10 minutes. How will they be used; for fodder ; but then they were tossed into the garbage collection van?Segregation and proper utilisation of waste really struck me then.And C K Prahlad's speech a few years back, that India can make millions out of garbage; it is not a problem but an opportunity.
But then i am digressing...

lock does not lock

The front door lock behaved erratically yesterday. It would not lock when we went out.It was locking well from inside the house. But then what is the use; a lock is a lock primarily when you can lock from the outside.It is a 'strong' 7 lever lock. Franctically fished out a navtal lock but then we have only one key for it; unlike the 4 we have for the godrej lock. Had no choice, so was carrying the key for dear life when we went to the temple yesterday morning. A also accompanying was the issue; otherwise she locks it from the inside the house, and we never noticed that it has a problem.

I should have got it repaired. But then when the problem is temporarily handled, one tends to push it to the background. So, it was that a was in her bath, and we needed to go for our workout; i recommended that we bolt it and throw the key inside the chair and 'a' can ask for help if she needs to come out. B did not like the idea and so we had to delay our departure for quite some time. It is then i decided to get help. Godrej was summoned; his first question; is it emergency? I gathered it meant that we have been locked out without the key and we needed help immediately. I told him, no, not an emergency; he needed further details and when i told him it is the front door, he was surprised that it is not an emergency. Finally he promised to come the next day.
After 6 phone calls spread over the entire day, he came just now. We had to literally look out for him right on the street as it were. He landed at 5 pm finally, and in 10 minutes had the lock working smoothly; some springs are damaged and he said he was replacing them.We tried it out; now it is quite smoothly locking from the outside; and while we tried it from inside the house, it was stiff and required deft handling!
Tala vali poi tiruku vali vanduduthu.

waterfalls getaway

Planning a weekend getaway to Karnataka, where quite a few waterfalls have been identified by jay.When she last counted, there were three in and around mysore;they all full of water,not to worry, she said. But shyam was not satisfied with three, wanted Jog falls and sharavati river included. We can see it, it is beautiful and bountiful but we have to be satisfied with seeing it from quite a distance, jay said. Any waterfall brings excitement and soon after monsoons in Karnataka, the appeal is all the more.There should be many more which have not yet been identified by tourists. Four would do for now, we have decided.

I was telling them about courtallam falls and the mundanthurai falls near tirunelveli, very near ambasamudram, that we had been to 5 years back. One is expected to stand right under the waters, and feel the huge pressure of sheets of water bearing down on your head. It takes a little getting used to.

Last september,we had planned the holiday theme as beaches on the south kanara coast,and this time it is going to be waterfalls all the way.

P is feeling surprised at our holiday plans; why so soon he said; you went only a year back!that is something to ponder about.

dentist chair

I have just finished a marathon sitting with the dentist. I dont want to go anywhere near him very soon; atleast a couple of years. It is traumatic, and very unnatural, keeping your mouth fully open.They put in a rubber stopper for good effect, that i dont bite the hands that are curing me!My sister tells me, that this dentist charges the heaven, earth and everything inbetween, because he uses the latest gadgets!I would'nt know, as i am given a pair of sunglasses to wear during the procedure; and even without that i tend to keep my eyes tightly shut, It is quite eerie,when you see all sorts of implements making deft movements in and out of your mouth.
And this is new, this time. They use you as a table, and spread all their immediate tools on you. I felt quite insulted by this. Can they not have them in all the trays that keep popping in and out fancifully fitted to the dental chair?And i dont like the doctor, his helpmates, discussing some case or the other, as if i am totally deaf and i am not a human being.
I have evolved with the dentists for the last two decades or so. There used to be a water spout and a glass and a small wash basin, for you to spit out everytime. Now there are gadgets, which suck out the saliva; the bottomline is you dont get a break!
Three separate sessions, panning over ten days, has left me with a fine resolve, that anybody who cares to listen to me, will be given a lecture on going easy on sweets and also the boring ritual of brushing your teeth twice a day, is an absolute must.Yes, dont forget the rinsing part after every meal; and dont overdue it, you will have your enamel chopped off and you will visit the dentist. so the middle path is the only way.
Asked the dentist for does and donts. She told me, no restrictions, come every 6 months!what she meant was, do what you like, fatten our purse twice a year!

neighbourhood festival

I noticed a new pavement shop on our walkers path two days back. It sold maps, globes of all sizes. I was wondering what is the sudden interest for multicoloured globes and maps in our area. Soon i found out that the penultimate day of the velankanni festival is just round the corner. Yes, i did see more shops as we walked along;as though they have all of a sudden sprung up from the ground.More carts were rolling in; multi coloured bangles in plastic and glass;plastic toys some of which pop out suddenly when the kid is trying blowing it in your face.One shop was actually selling honeycombs!Yes, and he was saying a piece of it will cure every ailment from body pain to diabetes!Eateries were doing brisk business and so were 'pakeet' water. I am told that the devotees actually camp on the beach sands during the night, and trek back in the morning.Elliots beach is a strict no-no that morning, amma tells me.The entire place will be having litter all over and will take the better part of a day of cleaning and removing rubbish.
Narikorava families were spread all over with their paasi mani and pavazha mani.Some of them were hanging the chains in very decorative patterns. I was reminded of fruit shops which decorate their front area with garlands of musambi and apples.
Today the entire stretch from velankanni church to besant nagar bus terminus is back to its old shops and pavement activities.
One missed the hussle and bustle of yesterday.
But then one spotted runners sporting tshirts and going round and round the locality.Could not read the logo on their t shirts, which would have told us what is their cause. But it requires some courage to run in chennai, in the muggy weather that we witness these days. No wonder some of them were dousing their heads and tshirts with the water given to them to sip during their marathon!

girl's day out

Had a jam session with 'old' friends from lic.four of us got together and the next we knew it was time to say good bye.Relativity theory of time is really relevant when it comes to time with friends.I have not met neela for more than 2 years, though we do use the phone now and then to keep in touch. But it is as though there was no gap, we just picked up where we left off!She has relocated to chennai recently; yes you guessed it, family considerations which made her say 'no' to her elevation at work, and opt to be with family in chennai;even the job description was an area she is unfamiliar and while in Pune, she had total control over her assignment she said.We realised we share the same nakshathiram!
Bhooma i had met recently at mumbai where she stays alone while her family is in Chennai.She is on leave and is quite reluctant to go back. It is always difficult(i should know) to tear oneself away.
I met niranjana in her office a few weeks back and she had interesting stories; she is a great raconteur and there is never a dull moment when she is around.
We were planning to take some snacks from grand sweets but were induced to shed the idea as we were promised, hot 'kunukus'.
We talked of office, work, companies, present economy, competition, and yes, lots of family issues were thrown in and experiences shared for mutual benefit.all of us were considering alternate options and hence the entire exercise was exciting and crisscrossing several possible avenues.I was sharing my volunteering work experience and since i found it quite interesting , they also showed keen interest.
All in all a relaxed time and we have promised to meet again in inox theatre for 'chakde india'!

Hasini's pesum padam

Jaya tv has an interesting programme, anchored by suhasini. I watch it regularly. It is cerebral and actually gives value for your time. It is a film review programme and she also goes into the technicalities and gives an in depth analysis. Some find it quite pretentious, but i learn a lot and since i want to know about new movies, reviewed intelligently, i am there on dot.
she made a very good review of 'pallikoodam' last week. We were just back from tirupati and had only energy for lazily watching some programmes on the tv. Her review was comprehensive and heaped fulsome praise on sneha. She completed the movie in 12 days flat. Cheran the director was interviewed and so was the hero. He looks a surya lookalike, for anybody who cares to know!
Today a telugu movie was reviewed; which is a lage raho munna bhai remake. With chiranjeevi in the lead. Suhasini said, while chiranjeevi is omnipresent, the romance of vidya bala was missing and the seriousness of her service to 6 senior citizens and their commitment to their causes.But review was good and gives us exactly what we need to assess a movie.
But she is not sugary and actually talks sense, and no slag or slurring of words and brutally frank. So dont know how long it will last.

my kinda people

I am doing a new route for morning walks. Walk up all the way to the gym; and then workout there and walk back home!Walking is actually so, right from home and not taking the car out!
the keleidoscope of life on the road unfolds with unfailing regularity and it has been such fun watching the world pass you by.Nowadays i have the time and the inclination for observing and enjoying the drama that unfolds.
It starts with the idli kadai at the end of our colony;idli, dosai, poori and vada are his usual fare. the elan with which he sets up his shop in the morning(it is a mobile cart) is a real treat. Of course we miss it if we are lazy and start late.By the time we get back, it is usually buzzing with atleast a dozen customers.
I am fascinated by a very senior citizen setting up shop in front of rbi quarters. He must be atleast 70, and he sets up a thayathu shop of red and black strings, carefully strung together. Without taking a single day off, he sets forth his shop on the pavement at 7 am. I wonder everyday, why is he in such a hurry to open his shop. It is not the first thing that customers would want to buy, in a hurry! But there he is with earnestness and method, every day.It was pouring yesterday and i missed him at his post.
We patronise a elaneer vendor on the way back from the workout. He is a perfect case study for CRM as it is practised on the gullies and bylanes of any town or city in india.No expensive oracle package for them.There are quite a few in the same area, I patronised him initially as he spoke atleast five different languages to customers on the odd day i had bought elaneer. He was so sure and confident of his skill and ware, that I found myself lining up to his cart.He gives us credit on the day we forget to carry money with us. He gets up and lines up with two cocoanuts the minute we take the turn which leads up to his cart. No more questions about whether we need vazhukai or tanni kai. When he happens to be away for tea or stuff, he has a stanby there, who is also told our taste in elaneer!very comfortable and enjoyable. The other day he was also displaying his other talents. He was treating a friend for ear ache. He was burning a cactus stem and squeezing the juice into his ear. I was shocked at the treatment, but his friend seemed to want it.Versatile and colourful personality; i would miss him and his shop if he happened to shift his trade elsewhere.
innum varum....