annual day celebrations

Yesterday evening was annual day celebrations of Kalakshetra part time dance students. The director Leela samson told us, that it was a first, to put the part timers on stage in a full fledged performance at Kalakshetra.My niece was dancing and so the entire family available yesterday in chennai troopped to the campus in the evening and that made two car-fulls. No, we did not gate crash; the children were specifically told to bring parents, brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts, grand parents and also neighbours.We only needed an excuse of course and nothing could hold us back from seeing J on stage, enjoying herself.

I was there during the rehersals yesterday and got a fairly greenroom view of the programme.The teacher was having a tough time getting the akkas, who were in charge of each of the numbers to gel together. The manager in me was immediately looking at the team effort at play and creativity bursting for self expression.Both are usually mutually exclusive and I could see that if one is creative then the mind does not concentrate on the mundane things of organising the entire show meticulously.Not the optimum way to get things going but then that is how it is with creative effort I guess.
The part time students were fifty and nine different numbers were planned for the annaul day programme. Some songs, some dance and one dance drama.The teacher was lamenting about the lack of seriousness and also about the akkas coming in late.She looked a hassled housewife having to get 50 kiddos ready for school!

The performance yesterday was such a big hit that all her efforts were well worth it. I was amazed that the colourful dresses and the 'alankarams' for the small children can make such a difference; of course the lights and the stage and the extremely appreciate audience added to the entire effort. There is a world of difference between rehersals and actual performance.Something magical happens overnight and everything falls into place.

J swayed ever so gently and gracefully for her kolattam number; dressed in her new kili pachai paavadai and having a long plait with flowers and make up, she looked more of a charmer than she usually is.She obviously enjoys dancing, and also being dressed up and on stage with very good make up.

There were other numbers where the children did a wonderful job and it enchanted all of us to be there that evening. Towards the end of the show I was watching the programme from the sidelines. I could see the excitement of the kids who have completed their programme watching the next programme. They obviously know every dance number; i saw them mimicking the actions on stage; i saw them singing softly; i saw them take turns in talking to the small girl who acted as Krishna in the dance drama; i saw them as anxious when there was a misstep on stage as the teachers were, never mind that it was not noticed by the audience.

The best part was the entire troupe lining up at the end of the programme and bidding goodbye.There is something very touching about this simple ritual which made me want to come back the next time.
I could see the new Director making a big difference to the way Kalakshetra is perceived.She is making it inclusive.She thanked everyone individually who contributed to the show as also the support staff including the ayas. She did it very sincerely and handsomely.For a split second I could see myself there.
With lots of aasirvaadam and also that 'drushti' should definitely be cast aside, we made our journey back.

chepauk, cricket, coffee and more

When something is addictive immediately after tasting it, it is not good for you is what experience has taught me. Watching a cricket match from the chepauk stadium easily qualifies for that sentiment, is what i realised yesterday. I took it for granted that I will be going for the next day after the heady experience of my first date with cricket! Day 2 promised to be much more fun and fulsome experience than the first. I witnessed Sehwag making 300 runs and I was part of that history!

Now for a bit of market place view before entering the stadium. I got the best tickets that money cannot buy and if you cannot be SPIC muthiah then i was the next best. The Terrace tickets as they are called and my chair was bang below Muthiah's box and he was of course sitting there.

Rs 5 for 'rendu pakkam' is what the vendors kept screaming before one entered the stadium. I wondered for a minute and immediately realised what it was;to paint both cheeks with the Indian tri colour.I was reminded of the vendors in Tirupati who would be moving around the queue asking if you need 'namam' on your forehead; for a small fee of course.The footpaths were full of mendicants selling huge Indian flags, little flags, conical hoots (in the hands of a young cricket enthusiast can literally pierce your ears),hats and placards showing 4 and 6 . I saw any number of interesting custom made placards on the stands; one said 'dada I will die if you retire' and the other ' camera, please focus on me, I told my friends so'. Who said Indians are not innovative?

Security was very heavy and one got to see actuallytwo horse mounted riot police every 100 yards. Nothing else can navigate the narrow Triplicane streets was Prashant's take on this.I felt like seeing a still of 'Indian' movie, the pre independence days part.

With Sehwag blazing away, I saw the men behind the "numbers" not taking their hands off and were in a state of perpetual motion. Yes, I am talking about the backbench guys maintaining the giant score boards on the stadium.After a while one actually thought that Sehwag had grown roots in the pitch and did not know how to pull himself out. It was amazing cricket and amazing crowd which applauded every run, every gesture, every event on and off the field. They applauded when Sachin was shown on the giant screen waiting for his turn; they applauded when select audience was shown for a second.The wave motion of the spectators kept going on and on whenever there was a lull on the field.This was 'nilaya vidvan isai'of AIR!

I had ample time and inclination to observe the spectators. I had a lady sitting a few seats near me. She was the picture of Triplicane iyengarhood. Middleaged with a long smoothly plaited hiar with good amount of oil; kadambam flowers perched on her head fairly high;a polyester saree full of flowery motifs and pullav neatly tucked in; diamond nose rings and ear studs of course; and a 'wire bag' which all of us have tried our hands on during our school holidays just to please mommy that we can do 'kai velai'.During lunch she took out her lunch dubba and the delicious fare was actually beginning to hurt and I rushed to the canteen, never mind that I did not feel all that hungry then.Her knowledge and appreciation of the game was very good and she used to get up and clap wholeheartedly whenever it was called for.She left just before tea after receiving an urgent message. So sad.

Another interesting neighbour couple of rows ahead of me was a silver haired gentleman. He went out fairly early in the day and came back with a jumbo finger chips plate and two cutlets for good measure. He shared the cutlet with a small boy, but tucked into the finger chips with great gusto . He was labouring towards the end but he made it finally and crossed his hands behind his head and settled down to enjoy the game. When Sehwag hit his first six, he got up and clapped long and hard.

I am refraining from any mention of cricket on the field as I know pretty little about the game and everything that can be commented upon has been filling up pages in the newspapers and viewertime on TV channels.

I pronounce that the stadium experience has much more to it than cricket. Ahem.

chepauk, cricket and coffee

CCG

Yes, I have finally made it; to the Chepauk cricket grounds; to watch the India South Africa cricket match. I have only heard about the great experience and the sporting crowd of chennai. Yes, it was good fun and I enjoyed the drama much more than the cricket. I felt the cricket is just an excuse for the spectators to have a good time and let their hair down.And they did it in style.I saw small boys, big boys and elderly men, buy the india colour stickers and paste it on their cheeks. I saw many of them sporting hawaiian t shirts; i am sure they would not be seen dead wearing them anywhere else but here.Chennaites are stuck up and stodgy and the cricket gives them an excuse to let go and loosen up.Which is what they did in good measure; just as i was entering i was greeted with deafening noises of trumpets, cymbols and what not. The cacophony was unbelievable. But then the disbelief lasted till I reached my seat. Thereafter I became part of the holiday atmosphere and the noise ceased to be unpleasant anymore.
I spotted some interesting spectators; what I saw was little, I conjured up the rest. Take this father daughter combination, come with packed lunch. It was just like vasu in her undergrad days with her father.It is quite difficult to see father daughter combination having such a good time these days.There was another father son combination; the son must be around ten years old and he had a huge india flag and kept flapping it at every excuse; it was only later I saw the father egging him on. Oh, I got it; the father was reliving his childhood all over again, peanuts spilling all around them included.One elderly gentlemen preferred to go it alone. He had a spotless white mull jubba and ditto mull veshti nicely folded. He had a huge popcorn in one hand, an iced water bottle in the other and his precious 'zip bag' tucked under his arm. Perfect for cricket watching, what?Oh, how did I forget the two silver haired gentlemen who had some comment for every ball bowled and not bowled.They appeared to have shared many a cricket match in the CCG stands. I could not spot them after lunch and I decided they had thought it is enough and went home for a siesta. It was towards the end that I spotted them at another corner, obviously it was less hot there. The strange bonding that men have with cricket was reinforced, if any proof was at all needed.
Sachin was fielding close to our stand and the madness of the crowd was seen to be believed. Sreesanth also got almost similar demi god status.The crowd cheered when the umpires came out to the ground after lunch;they cheered when Sreesanth made a gesture of throwing at the wicket; it cheered when a four was hit; they cheered when the South Africans hit a 50; a 100; and a 150; they cheered when there was a good save and also when there was not.
There were other collective sounds as well; Suddenly there will be a huge sigh; and I would have missed the moment and wait for the replay on the big screen and would know that it was a near miss at the wicket. I remembered watching an English movie during school days and would laugh after the entire theatre would reverberate with laughter at a joke I would have just missed.
The weathermen had predicted rains today, but thankfully it did not rain but the heat was unbearable.More than the heat it was watching the grounds aglow with the best chennai sun. Just after 1.30 pm the first gentle wind brushed me by and I knew the sea breeze had set in and it will soon get cool.We were just a stone's throw from marina and hence caught the first wiff of sea breeze for the day!
Innum varum

Tambaram chalo

I have been planning a visit to MCC campus for quite sometime now.It is a sure sign of middle age to want to go back to one's college and to revisit your childhood home. If they happen to be one and the same, then the nostalgia is really powerful.It is precisely what is happening to me. Christian college campus is where I spent my childhood/college days and I also graduated from the same college.
Jay and shyama joined up with me on this trip. It is more than twenty years since we left the campus after appa retired from there. I have visited the college on a few occasions but they were business trips. This was a leisurely one with only one agenda; trip down memory lane. And it was perfect. The weather was mild and actually chilly with pleasant breeze blowing.Thick dark clouds were looming perfectly over the cricket field and the view from the stadium was just what the doctor ordered. We sat there and gazed and gazed. The world seemed to stand still and the only sound was the rewinding of the mental tape!There were no students or any activity at this time, perhaps study holidays really mean the students are holed up in their rooms and busy with their books on that wonderful mid morning time.But we had no complaints.We remembered the few cricket matches we had seen and the small round rocks painted white which appeared just the same as they did so long ago.But this time there were lots of deer dotting the horizon and nibbling at the grass. We were surprised at this new addition to the campus. Saha asked us if we had deer during our time to which I said, no. But were there any other animals she wanted to know. I said yes, kulla nari, keeri pillai, lots of onan, and of course snakes. Wont you feel scared to live here was her other pertinent question. I felt quite a hero first and then a guide on a wild life safari!
Our next halt was of course 20, staff quarters. We went there as if it was still our house. thankfully the place was locked and we went around taking a roll call of all the trees and plants which formed part of our landscape and defined my childhood/early adulthood. Naaga pazha maram was not visible amidst the invasion of the bush right up to the edge of the house. Mundiri marams were also absent. But the tamarind tree was well and alive and kicking as also the illupai tree and the neem tree in the front yard. Somehow the frontyard appeared to have shrunk. The concept of size seems to have made a definite shift. Some of the lilies lining the front porch were still there, but not the malli chedis which used to be amma's favourite. We would be asked to remove the leaves meticulously just after rains and predictably tiny buds will cover the entire plant soon enough.Amma will go ecstatic with each jasmine flower and so would we.
The car shed is covered now; no more roasting of cashew there i guess.The study sitout is also covered.The washing stone was still being used and i remembered quickly climbing up on that when i spotted a snake. It is hardly a foot high and how i felt safe there, i cannot comprehend now. But then it does not matter.
We went around and spotted all the 'tourist spots', miller statue, water tanks, cafeteria, coop stores, ladies lounge and snake room."You have really studied in a very good college mommie" was the perfect end to a wonderful time spent on the campus.

Waterfront

If something is going alright, dont disturb is kumar's mantra.I dont subscribe to that view. For me, if something is going on the same way for a while, try a change.While one is for caution, the other view point is for variety, the spice of life.
Yesterday was one such day for changing a routine which was going quite well. P goes for his workout at the gym and I go for my walks in the evenings. I suggested both of us try the beach sand for a change and why not go right up to the waterfront. Nothing wrong with the idea as such, but we started out a good half an hour before time and came to the beachfront. It was quite hot but I was liking the new look and feel of the place and was taking in all the activities and human angle stories of what we saw unfold before us. Walking on the beach is more strenuous than on level ground and we also covered more ground.P kept saying that we stay so close to the beach but take it so much for granted, we dont visit it often. So, it went and we had to reach for the stalls selling cool drinks. Had a nagging fear that it was adulterated, but the shop keeper assured us that it is asli Fanta and he has been there for more than four years. There was no more to be said, as we were extremely thirsty. I have been off these aerated drinks and Fanta i am drinking after many many years. I can definitely s ay, the advertisers are right, nothing like a chilled aerated drink by whatever name to bring sanity back to life.
So it was that we spent the evening and later I realised i am developing a headache; ditto with P also. To cut a long story short, the headache effectively stopped any peaceful bedtime and I am not going to start out to the beachside in a hurry.
Well not quite; I have realised that unobtrusively the summer has crept in and I have been duly warned. Cool climes and cool evenings are passe and hot blazing sun and headaches for the brave hearted are in.
Weather has turned in chennai and summer has come stealing in.
Moral of the story: try something different but never play with the weather.

a must not see movie

I have been seeing the promotional clips of the movie ' satham podathey' on sun tv . I never plan to watch a movie on tv, it usually happens that i watch it after it is half way thru or lose interest after i watch it for a while. But after watching 'mozhi' i was keen to watch another film of prithviraj. So, I made the mistake of never checking up on the genre of this movie. It is a movie of a psychopath husband and horrors unfold.No, prithviraj is not that husband, but a do gooder who marries the much wronged woman. Only she continues to be traumatised... I could not watch it towards the second half. The hangover never left me and effectively spoilt my sleep.
Let the Vasant's of the world direct such horrors; after all it is a free world and freedom of expression is essential. But then there should be sufficient warning , "this is a movie about a psychopath; it is not for entertainment but for having a horrible time while watching and thereafter; you may watch at your own risk". I think there should also be a pictorial warning for people who usually skip the written word!
I dont know what happened in the end. Did it have a good ending? Did prithviraj bring roses in the end?

At the end of a looong stick

The bug bit me during a business meet to a island resort off Thiruvananthapuram. They had two snooker tables just by the pool side. Most of the guests headed to the pool and the snooker tables were looking forlorn; but not drab.The colourful balls and the looong stick were inviting even the uninitiated.
But then, I did not go near and expose my ignorance. I was walking in the huge lawn just next to the waterway, but every now and then I would give the table a passing glance.But then this is not the end of story.
The club i frequent, had decided to go in for a snooker table in the new room that they had constructed. The secretary told me that he requests patronage from all members. He had roped in a coach also, so we can pick up the game anew.
I jumped at the offer and on a cool winter evening, made a beeline for starting the game. The coach, the green table and colourful balls and long sticks was all that was there that day. I took the cue and had a go at one of the red balls. I felt a sense of great adventure. It has been a childhood fantasy to be able to play billiards and snooker someday. I had never had a chance to witness a billiards game and all that one saw was the business tycoons on screen and off screen playing the game. Nowadays on the small screen in my favourite soap also, the 'bigwigs' play the game regularly.
The right shoulder was making its presence felt, half an hour into the game;few red balls had been pocketed; i could relate this game to a game of carrom. The rules are different of course, but then hitting a ball (coin) and pocketing it in the holes at the four corners of the table are the striking similarities. I have recently taken to playing carrom regularly and the learning is hence faster, I guess.
Few other members came in, who were watching my struggle, and gave some valuable tips!
P also came along, he knew the rules of the game and was able to have a go at the ball quite effortlessly and with great style and poise. But then he was not so sold on the game, and was very casual about it.
I have been there a few more times in the last few weeks. I dont know the rules fully, and am not yet as skilled as i would like to be.But then i have loads of enthusiasm and interest and that should be enough!
Learning something knew gives me a new high.

craft exhibition in Kalakshetra

There has been a lot of excitement in the locality about a craft exhibition in Kalakshetra. You might wonder, what is special; there are craft exhibitios from north east, craft exhibition from orissa and what not every other week in the city (well not really, but almost).The first reason is that it is all india craft exhibition and it is in kalakshetra. The environment makes a lot of difference as we had seen. It was as though the serene kalakshetra campus was transformed by the buzz and beauty of the artisans, visitors and the splendid ware they were displaying.It was COLOURFUL. Last sunday when my sister and me made a beeline to the exhibition, little did we realise that it is like going to your club. You saw your friends, your relatives, your kid's friends, your kid's parents, your niece's dance teachers, students and parents. You can add to this list your friend's relatives whom you never wanted to see!

The USP of the exhibition was the craft maps of the various states of India. I kept looking at the maps and could not make much of it. Actually I was quite distracted with all the colour and activity around.On a second look, I was able to make out that it was made on fabric, and had detailed legend of the unique craft work and style of that state, pictorially represented. Jaya Jetley, one of the moving spirits behind this venture had said that it takes a couple of years to complete each of these maps. It was intricately done and yes, it would have taken a hell of a lot of time. We had reporters from newspapers and magazines make a beeline for the maps and were in a hurry to capture them on film before they could capture it in their minds.

It was good fun, strolling the stalls and picking up some pieces and art work.We went there again yesterday this time with the whole family jing bang.We made a beeline for the canteen and delicious vada sambhar and coffee was had by all. Of course all of us remembered the kutchery season in chennai in December and the canteen used to be as much reviewed and reported as the music/dance performances.

I picked up some dry flowers which I had fancied for long.This one was from manipur stall and the artist manning it explained how they make them from the dry leaves and twigs. By a deft play of fingers she was able to create magic with the few twigs!

Yesterday Leela samson the director of kalakshetra was spotted visiting the stalls and generally checking up on things. Kalakshetra students and teachers were assembled in full and they sat under the banyan tree and sang very melodious songs. It was a wonderful experience. That the students were extremely elegantly dressed and were moving about most gracefully didnt hurt.

Does kalakshetra attract girls/boys with grace and elegance ; or is taught there; or is it an acquired trait, imbibed when you become a part of that tradition?

Beauty and elegance has a definite place in our lives, no doubt about that.