shadamarshanavasu

guru poornima

2011-07-15T04:33:00.000-07:00

I got a mail from a friend sending me some good material on the auspicious day of Guru Poornima today. While I was reading the same, my thoughts went to my teachers in school and college and my parents, who have made an indelible impression on me, so much so that I recall them even today very vividly.

There were quite a few good teachers in my school in abhiramapuram where I studied till 3rd std. The teachers were very much into dance/music/skits that I wonder if the school was a forerunner of the likes of Padma seshadri brand of schools. I still remember the songs/plays and skits which we used to participate in. I distinctly remember I was down with fever while acting as a burmese girl in a play but nothing would make me miss it. I also recall the dance where we represented each state and the map of India was drawn on the stage. I was in the southern tip, kanyakumari. The dance was over and the curtain fell, but I was blissfully still standing outside the curtain.I still recall the utter confusion in my mind, and my teacher rushing in and happily leading me out!

The teachers had resorted to playway method of teaching as we have come to know now .We enjoyed going to school then. Thank you teachers.

Then we shifted to suburb of Tambaram and were put in the only school available which was a christian school. They were into academics with only christmas day giving way to some standard and repetitive kind of entertainment. It was academics and games which ruled the roost. I remember my geography teacher in 8th std. She gave us a test and said we can refer to our books/notebooks. We thought she had gone out of her mind. We franctically referred the books even when we were sure of the answers and most of us could not finish the paper. It was a very strong message she was giving us that day, that there is always a catch when something appears very easy.Thank you teacher.

Games classes were fun, when we used to run to the grounds next to the school. Badminton and net ball and kho kho were the games usually earmarked for us.I particularly enjoyed net ball. We had a very good physical education teacher and for the first time for the school , she managed to take us for the district schools competitions. I can still feel the adrenaline rush when the ball is dribbled and passed and then everything gets blanked out while we are running and screaming till we get the goal or miss the goal. World is blotted out except for you and the ball.Thanks teacher for helping me get that high!

Our science teacher used to also double up playing the piano. She introduced love for pure science in me and also rudimentary English music. She used to be my idol and I would follow her around wherever she is in the school. She was always poised and dignified. She will come extremely well prepared for classes and there was no casualness about her. Thank you teacher for helping me imbibe those values.

Pre university college was almost an extention of school. I was crazy about physics lecturer and in the confusion I thought I am passionate about physics and opted for physics major for my graduation. It was only in my masters course I fell out of physics completely as I felt cheated that mathematics had completely taken over physics and I could not comprehend its invasion into the pure physics domain. I did not find any teacher inspiring enough and perhaps that wasw the problem. I am teacher driven, not subject driven, you see,

Thus ended my love affair with physics. I have never stepped into that domain again. It was only recently that I bought a wooden top ('pambaram') in a channapatna wooden dolls/toy shop near Mysore. You spin it and leave it on the floor, after a few rotations, it turns on its head as it were and finishes the remaining rotations. Truly astounding. I was asked 'what is the physics of it". I had to say, absolutely no idea, physics and me parted ways long long ago.

Outside of formal education system, it is truly my parents who have been my gurus. Appa had taken the trouble to talk to me and tell me all about the values he holds dear and the difficulties which one has to overcome if one needs to hold ones head high. Amma has taught me that there is nothing which is difficult to learn/do/master, provided one put our mind to it. More than what they have told us explicitly, it is the way they have led their lives by what they believe in, without duplicity, without hypocrisy,with lots of love and respect for each other. When I was younger, I had to pause and think for a minute to know the correct course of action, when in a dilemma. I would think would amma or appa have done it this way. Now it is more involuntary, their belief systems are a part of my dna now and I am mighty proud of it.

So dear amma and appa, my real and true teachers, salutations to you both on this auspicious day.

Taking us for a ride

2011-07-15T04:26:00.000-07:00

My maid wanted to know if we can take a bus to the US. I said no, it is quite far. She was not convinced. I said there are no roads as huge expanse of water is in between not to mention mountains. She wanted to know if they have not thought of building bridges across the ocean.

That is when I realised her worldview is Bangalore- chennai- velankanni.

I fished out an atlas and showed the world map. She saw the pacific ocean and then a bit of comprehension creeped in.But what stuck in her mind is not the distance, but the huge ocean, where someone has not built a bridge still!

Vijay TV super singer 3

2011-06-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

I am following this programme on Vijay TV right from the beginning(is it last august?).It is an eminently watchable programme.It is a great entertainment to hear film songs by these youngsters. Nowadays they are trying creatively to spice up the programme to be something more than just a music programme.

They are calling in senior playback singers; they do promotion of to be launched movies by inviting actors/directors; the participants come in appropriate period costumes for 'retro music round' ; anchors are rotated to give variety; the family is called in and they are also asked to give their feedback about their children's performance.

Now the programme is entering a crucial phase as the top 10 contestants have been chosen. Yesterday just before the contestant starts singing(performing?), their profile and video clippings were shown. I was quite struck by the family particulars of 3 of the top 10. Two of them dont have a living parent and a third contestant has a very seriously ill parent. All the contestants are quite young, in their twenties is my guess. It must be quite traumatic to lose a parent at such an young age. Is it this loss and its impact which has made them come out to be among the top ten in this programme? Artists draw from a well of emotions/experiences and perhaps it is this profound grief in so early a life which makes them the great singers that they are turning out to be.

Of course, kumar had a different take on the whole thing. He felt the contestants are effectively putting their life on hold (studies/vocation) as this appears to draw on their time and resources, full time. They perhaps have a higher appetite for taking risks than others who have had a more smooth life and hence are quite risk averse.

Be that as it may, my best wishes to them in this programme to shine well and make a name for themselves

longest day and yoga

2011-06-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

June 21st just whizzed past. Longest day and all that.But in Bangalore with an overcast sky, longest day does not look too long. It was a theoretical thing, really for me this time.

But next day I saw that New yorkers welcomed the longest day with a unique demonstration. They did yoga in Times Square! Enjoying the sun and doing surya namaskar naturally!

B K S Iyengar was overwhelmed with the kind of response he got in a remote province in China, when he went there recently. He never knew there was such great following of his school of yoga in China. A few of his students, have started yoga schools there and they seem to be getting very good response.One of the students is supposed to have said that to learn yoga is now a 'fashion statement'.

Fashion and healthy living rarely go hand in hand, but then 'all truisms including this one is not valid all the time'!

bell's palsy

2011-06-21T02:12:00.001-07:00

I had never heard this name as an ailment till 9 pm on 18th june 2010. I was feeling a tingling sensation throughout the afternoon on my face and was a little anxious about it. Just after dinner I was washing up and as I was spitting out, it hit the washbasin in a different projectile. I was wondering what is the matter and I repeated the process. Ditto results. I immediately called my doctor sister and she asked me if I can close my eyes. I realised no, I cannot close them voluntarily. She said you have 'bell's palsy'. Nothing to worry about, totally reversible.Take these medicines and go to a hospital tomorrow she said.

I immediately packed bags and headed back to Chennai and was there in less than 6 hours flat. Personal consultation confirmed the diagnosis, with my sister saying, ' it is a typical case'.We headed straight to physiotherapist and treatment started immediately.

Now let me explain what this is all about. The facial muscles do their job of eyebrows raising, eyelids opening and closing, nostrils taking in air, lips pronouncing clearly and keeping their shape because of nerves.The nerves originate near the ear and branch out all over one side of the face. The ear got infected (heavy breeze in bangalore that time) and was depressing the bunch of nerves. Hence the condition.

The treatment was to arrest the infection first. Simultaneously sending mild electric impulses to the nerves to get them activated.Also physiotherapy. I felt the physiotherapists who were helping me out for the over two months treatment were really ministering angels. And it was sheer magic that they were able to coax and cajole the nerves to come back to action, and helping the muscles get back their elasticity.

In the meanwhile the eyes had to be protected, as they are more prone to infection now because of not closing naturally. In the night I was asked to plaster my cheeks to keep them from sagging. I was looking quite a sight with eyes closed and plastered and cheeks plastered. It happened that forgetting my present state, one day I opened the door to some friends of my daughter. While she had told them that I am not well, they thought I am really bashed up. I had to tell them over and over again, that I am quite fine, only I look scary now!

I had to relearn vowels and how to pronounce them, I had to blow baloons and chew innumerable chewing gums and raise my eyebrows at nothing in particular.

All this was happening without mommie dearest getting any wind of the whole thing. I thought I was sufficiently recovered to make a quick appearance to their place. But what I did not plan was to give a "BIG' smile. The smile went so crooked and amma's face registed horror. All the best planned visit ended in a fiasco.

But then everything went back to pre 18th June days soon enough. God, sister, sampy and physio made the magic happen.

bell's palsy

2011-06-21T02:12:00.000-07:00

Father's day

2011-06-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

In Bangalore father's day is a time for single fathers to protest about child custody.The point they are making is to change the mindset of the society and judiciary.They want to be seen as not just human ATM machines but also one with feelings and responsibility to take care of their child.

I am not here judging their cause or what is the situation which makes them protest and in this fashion. This headline in newspapers only made me wonder about the new role father's are taking in the family. It has undergone drastic changes to be sure. Let me explain.

Atleast two generations back fathers have been the quintessential marginal players in a typical middle class family as far as a child is concerned.The father is usually absent.; he is ostentibly earning the daily bread. Usually he comes back well after the child has gone to sleep. Even if he is home early, he moves in a different circuit and is hobnobbing with other men in the house. He could also be in the 'thinnai' (pyol) and more interested in the goings on in the neighbourhood. The father hardly plays any role in the daily life of a child.The typical situation usually is like this. Mother manages everything except when the school progress card has necessarily to be signed by the father.Perhaps mothers were not well educated and even if they could make sense of the progress card, the father retained the authority to question the child on such occasions.

The father was the person to be afraid of, around whom the child was on its best behaviour. When the child is tiny, mothers used to take the father's name to scare the child into submission, be it for eating or not making a nuisance of itself.

But now things have changed a great deal. I see this generation of new fathers, going to the other extreme.They are the ones having fun with the child and it is the mother who is the disciplinarian. The mother has the responsibility of school work also. You see, unlike earlier times, the schools expect the parents to be involved day to day in the activities of the school and also to guide the child in homework. Fathers wriggle out of this responsibility, even when mothers are also pursuing careers equal to their husbands.

Fathers pamper the child with icecream, toffees and what not. They also buy them innumerable stationery and other trinkets that children seem to want nowadays. Now disciplining is mother's domain. Fathers want to have all the fun.

So the pendulum has swung the other extreme. Is it that father's have no idea of responsible child rearing?From an 'absent' father to an 'indulgent' father, when is it going to be a responsible father?

Coming back to the father's day issue, perhaps one cannot fault the society and judiciary, as they faithfully reflect the situation on the ground.

Perhaps fathers have to do hardcore parenting, than wield placards.

kid brothers are handy

2011-06-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

We have a new sabji wallah coming to our complex. He sets up shop thrice a week for 3 hours in the mornings. There is quite good patronage for his wares. They are fresh and I am told reasonably priced.

It is also a good time to exchange colony gossip while we wait for our turn. Today I greeted a friend who had just come back from her mother's place after her second delivery. I enquired after her, promising to come and see the baby the next day. Her first child was frisking about and I asked her if she is comfortable having a new sibling. The mother told me she is okay with it most of the times. But she takes a particular liking for the young fellow, whenver the mother calls out to her to do her school work. She immediately tells mom, 'brother is very cute no, can I play with him for sometime?"

Are all kids this smart? Obviously she perceives the mother to be spending lots of time with the infant and she also has found a sure fire 'attention diverting technique'.

She should have tried the trick once too often and the mother has become wiser.

But my amazement at the wits of a 4 year old kid remains.

spider web

2011-06-17T02:28:00.000-07:00

I had to fish out my pullover from the cupboard today. Yes, it is that chilly in Bangalore today; well more windy than chilly to be politically correct. It is quite a contrast to life in Chennai metro.I used to literally crawl from one ac room to another. I would get out of the ac, quickly have coffee and call up my mother to keep the ac on in their bedroom and make a 10 minute dash to their place. I will be all huffing and puffing once I reach there walking from my place. I dive into the ac room and order ice cold water and wet towels please. Only then sanity returns.

Now to get back to my story. I was opening the sliding window in the dining hall yesterday evening and was awestruck by a beautiful spider web. I had last seen one in picture in my primary school days. I also remember drawing one painstakingly with a larger than life spider right at the centre. But this one was quite tiny;its web was truly larger than life. I kept staring and wondering at the beautiful craftwork. I was watching quietly to see if I can spot the master at work. But I kept staring for quite a while and the spider appeared to weave its web by sheer magic without as much as moving its little finger.

I went to fetch my camera to record on tape what I had recorded in my mind's eye. No, it was not easy as the light was against us and I could only spot the clothes line in the neighbours balcony and not our master weaver. I tried some more and some more and then told myself I will be back here tomorrow morning when I catch the spider's web in the morning sunlight.

I was not lucky. The whole web had disappeared today morning when I opened the window. I told you it is terribly windy here in Bangalore. The beautifully cast web perhaps had no chance. I only wish the spider crawled itself into a corner and will be back again in a different window in a short while from now. I will keep my eyes peeled till then.

way forward - going green

2010-10-12T03:31:00.000-07:00

What is the way forward? Everytime I go for my weekly shopping, I think I should carry cloth bags like we used to carry when we were children. But then,I will have to separately buy plastic bags to throw garbage, see. So I have told myself that I will go for regular carrybags that department stores give and reuse them as garbage bags. I will definitely say no to the small and inferior quality plastic bags which are used by the vendor when I buy flowers and vegetables from the roadside cart vendor. I will take them with me in the big plastic bag which I already have and sufficient space in them for these add ons. Yes, I am thinking and contributing to the environment in this small way, during my weekly shopping.
Am I a discerning 'green' buyer when I do the actual shopping inside the stores? No, not really so far. But I do restrict myself to buying the stuff I actually feel the need. I make a list during the week as and when I feel the need and mostly stick to buying from the list. I do go in for larger packaging even though it is more convenient to go for smaller packaging, for storing and use.
I go for local brands, like in Nilgiris stores I go for their brand items.I believe the carbon footprint is less this way.I buy locally produced fruits most of the time and also the seasonal ones. In Bangalore I always opt for locally grown banana, the small sweet variety. I usually do not buy fruit juices in cartons except during travel. On such occasions I carefully select the brands which specifically mention ' no chemical or preservative used'.
Have I gone the organic way completely? No, I am afraid not. Some years back when organic was becoming common lingo, there were lots of misinformation, that the organic tag is a misnomer and we are cheated by being charged a hefty premium for a non existing benefit to the environment and our health. So I never really got started on the organic front. Yes,I do patronise a shop selling exclusive organic products. They cost atleast twice what similar products cost in stores. But I think it is an investment worth making.
At home I have switched over to cfc bulbs and am quite keen on using electricity and water very carefully, studiouly.
But do I use public transport when I can. The waiting and the uncertainty of public transport is not making me opt for it when I travel within the city. Let me see with metro and mono rail being commissioned I might make a change.
With rising incomes, travel has become the cause for increasing global warming. I am restricting myself to travel only when it is essential. Yes, truly.
Before signing off I recall our travel by train when we were kids. We carried food, but constantly replenished water from the station tap in our 'koojas'. We did not fall sick drinking out of the station tap. But now it is unthinkable. Everyone of the passengers carry a plastic waterbottle!

green family

2010-10-10T03:50:00.000-07:00

I have thought long about the life then and now. Women pursuing careers seriously have a direct bearing on waste generation!They are aware and hence give a premium for quality.They are short of time, so convenience is paramount.They have more disposable income, so take away foods,ready to eat food stuffs are part of her life.

Let us take one at a time.

Being concerned with quality is right for the family for wrong for the environment. Yes, they opt for more off the shelf products which are packaged. Let us take some examples. Wheat used to be taken to the mill in jute bags and ground atta would be brought back in huge containers or strong cloth bags. They would be stored in huge dubbas to last for a month. Now atta is bought in one kilo packets.They come in polythene packets.They are quite small and cannot be recycled for any other purpose, so end up in the dustbin.Invariably it is also branded which means that the stuff is transported for long distances from their factory site and adds to fuel costs and global warming. Family health is important and the women perceive branded food products to adhere to hygiene standards better than the ones in the local kirana shops.

We have seen in this example as we started on quality, we have come to the idea that time is in short supply for her and also she can pay more for quality and its convenience and labour saving time.All the three are intertwined.

Another important aspect is the hectic travel lifestyles that we have come to adopt. Travel puts a heavy strain on the environment. OF course the most obvious is the fuel cost of travel, be it bus, train, car or plane. Longer travel in earlier days meant packing food for the family to last the entire two or three days. Nowadays since ready to eat foods are available and they are also appear quite hygenic, it is natural that generally people have preferred to buy them than carry inconvenient huge food baskets. The other day I was waiting in a station to receive a friend. I saw the tap which had a label drinking water being used by the vendors and coolies and not by a single traveller. All of them had packaged water bottles with them. Water bottles have contributed singly to the maximum damage to environment, but they are more hygienic and convenient. All other food items are use and throw, be it chips or fruit juices or soft drinks or tea cups. We hated the tea glasses and now left with throwaway cups!

Take idli batter for one, the greatest invention of mankind to help the working woman in chennai! The plastic bag cannot be used in the house for any other purpose and it goes directly into the waster paper basket.

See I am now on a guilt trip.I am beginning to feel quite bad for patronising convenience foods, hygienic foods and labour saving items in the grocery list.

Is it okay to balance and plant a tree every month?

We were a green family - part II

2010-10-06T03:14:00.000-07:00

If appa was a zero wastage person, amma scaled new heights. It was such a talking point in the family circles that my cousin one day remarked, " chitti does not waste anything, including sunlight!"She made this remark one day while coming into our house. The front porch was fully bathed in sunlight and the floor space was dotted with plates and baskets full of stuff which were gettting dried in the sun with not an inch unutilised.

Amma fully lived up to the reputation. We had a garbage pit in the backyard and I used to wonder how often we collected compost from the same. Not very often. Then what happened to all the bio degradable waste that we should have generated when we were kids? It was simply that we did not waste them, we consumed them!

Let me see. All the edible peels of fruits and vegetables were not thrown off but were either consumed in the raw or were recycled as chutney. Chow chow, orange peels I distinctly remember the 'tugayal' transformation. Banana peels were used directly in flowering plants, as they make them flower more. They were also used to treat the various insect bites that we used to be subjected to. A gentle rub on the affected part and even after the caterpillar sting leaves the skin bumpy and itchy, it will be cured within a few minutes.There was no question of peeling apples, mangoes and guavas; we would wash them well and consume right away.No wastage. Potatoes were mostly used with the coat on.If it is the greens, the leaves were separately used for the 'masiyal' and the stems for sambhar. Only the roots were left to be thrown into the garbage pit.

We had mangoes, lemon, tamarind, guava, cashew , blueberries and 'ilupa' tree in our compound. So it was an year round activity of harvesting and immediately drying them and then utilising them. You must be wondering about the 'ilupa' tree. Bats used to particularly like the fruits and would eat them and drop the seeds. Athai would forage the area and collect the seeds.They would be drying in the sun. Once it becomes a sizeable amount, we would sit together and chisel away the outer cover and salt away the kernel. Over a period of time the kernels would be collected and taken for extracting oil.It is believed the oil is very auspicious for lighting lamps. The residue of the process was again used as 'arappu podi' to clean oily vessels. No we did not buy the magic vim liquid, whose one drop will clear a sink full of oily and grimy vessels.

Of course, raw mangoes, tamarind used to be harvested and dried extensively and used in its myriad forms.

I remember monthly rations time. Every single item delivered used to be wrapped like a cone in a newspaper and tied with a jute thread. No packaging, no plastic pouches. We had specific vessels for oils and we used to carry them and fill them with pure oil. Yes, it meant doing research and being a vigilant consumer. The quality used to be identified with a specific shop or the oil mills in the neighbourhood.They had to earn it and not lazily piggyback on an international brand!The newspapers used to be evened out and used to line the shelves in the kitchen. Jute thread will be carefully rolled and used. Again zero wastage in the entire process. I now compare with my monthly shopping bags and the waste is almost as much atleast in volume to the items bought for use.

It is amazing to think about it now.

I will be back after a short break, please dont go away.

We were a green family

2010-10-01T02:45:00.000-07:00

A few days back I read an interesting article in a leading newspaper. The author was saying about the 'green' concepts which used to be a part and parcel of her mom's everydaylife.She mentioned about worn out socks being recycled and used as scrubber to remove the tough stains in the cooking vessels, much before the 'scotch brites' of the world.

Immediately my mind went back to my early childhood days and the 'zero garbage' which was the religion for us those days. Of course it was a natural way and no tags were attached then.

Let me start with appa. He was a professor in a college, and used to get lots of reading materials. Some of it used to be on one side of the sheet only. After being done with them, he will carefully put them aside and amma used to stich it into a notebook. Of course we believed in community work and all of us used to pitch in. These were used as 'rough note books'. I still remember my teacher in 6th standard, aghast at the 'handmade' and a very rough 'rough note book'.These note books were also used by appa and amma for writing 'sriramajayam'.

Appa used the 'used envelopes' in the same way that Gandhiji was said to use them. He would open them out and reverse it and the odd shaped paper will be used for solving maths problems (for us of course!).Amma also used to total her shopping 'account' in them deligently.

Envelops which were of better quality were retained as such. The existing address portion will be superimposed with a small strip of white paper, and it is now ready to be used as a fresh envelope! Yes you guessed it, the strip will invariably be the reverse side of another envelope!

Again, I dont remember going to a shop and buying gum. I see such varied and stylish and colourful gums that kids use so readily these days for their project work. We used a simple cooked rice and water system as our standard gum material. Of course when we had extensive decoration work during 'kolu', we made a colourful paste from maida. It used to be a big process, and neem stick used to be the glue stick to ladle out the glue on to the colour papers.I also remember the colourful resins which used to ooze out of the 'drumstick' tree in our backyard. It can be used as a gum, but it was used more for play and fooling around and not for any serious work!

Appa used to get answer papers for correction from the University. The postman used to deliver them in huge bundles, wrapped in 'meenakshi gaada' cloth. No it was not a simple job of tearing it open and throwing the cloth and the brown paper covers into the dustbin. We used to remove the cloth carefully along the seams. It used to be washed and then given to the dhobhi for bleaching. At the end of an 'exam season', we would have a fairly large collection of these clothes in all shapes and sizes. Amma used to sit and match the clothes as per the shapes and stich them as hand towels, napkins, pillow covers and cloth bags. Needless to add, we were also drafted in to this 'kudisai tozhil'.

The brown paper covers will be used to send back the answer sheets to the university; yes you got the drift, by pasting them with a white paper.

There were no fancy 'gillette' razors those days. Appa used the 7 o' clock blades for his shave. He used to preserve them for I guess four or five shaves. He used to write the dates on which he used them on the flap of the cover. We were not allowed to use them even for any 'urgent' work.After the fourth or fifth time, he used to release them for 'general usage"!

Just a minute, we will take a short break! I will be back. Dont go away.

ganpati festival in colony part III

2010-09-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

The last day of the festival was eagerly awaited. Morning poojas as usual and there was a bit of nostalgia for the good days gone by and the friendships fostered. We went back home just to take a break and be back for the community lunch. Yes, all residents were requested not to make lunch in their homes but to join in 'langar'. I believed that there would be catering service. But just as we were coming out of the morning pooja with heavy prasad, we saw huge vessels on the stoves near the library/play area. I also saw some ladies cutting vegetables. Some of the houses had engaged cooks on a regular basis and they were 'leased out' to the colony function on that day! It came as a good surprise to me, so I lent a hand in cutting cucumber for the salad.

Lunch was a great experience. No it was not the menu which was quite homely and tasty. It was the service! We sat on the floor and were served by fellow calyxians with lots of love and affection. In true Indian tradition, we were asked and served repeatedly all the items on the menu. After a very satisfying experience we retired for a while only to be back for the prize giving ceremony and the visarjan pooja by priest thereafter.

Then the volunteers carried the main deity and other calyxians carried the smaller 'personal ganpathi idols which had been added on to the main deity during the week.A procession around the colony accompanied by crackers and loud chanting of 'ganpati pappa moriya' and then the journey to the lake began. While the main deity was carried in a van, many of us followed in our own vehicles and it made a big procession in the winding roads to the Begur lake. We saw other ganpati idols getting ready for the 'visarjan' on the way.Thankfully there was not much crowd and we were able to go near the waters and amid chantings were able to perform the immersion. Couple of boys were around to take the ganpati right inside the lake and ensure he gets a proper immersion. There was a small girl with her parents who did not want to let go of 'ganesha', and kept saying 'no go ganesha, no go'. Her mother pacified her saying he is not going anywhere, he will come next year.

We got back to the colony and felt like coming home soon after performing a family wedding!

ganpati festival in colony part II

2010-09-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well, initial preparations were over, and the Ganpati idol arrived the next day. It was actually sponsored by one of the residents. A priest was invited to perform the installation and puja thereafter.

Everyday for the next 9 days pujas and aarthi was performed by the ladies predominently.11 am and 6 pm were the puja timings and strictly adheared to. There were enough volunteers for preparing 'prasad'. We had a taste of 'kesari' the most 'unifying' dish in India! Evening bhajan times had better turn out than the morning, obviously. Jai jagadeesahare was the common theme song.We had very good singers from Kolkatta, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, TamilNadu, Andhra,Punjab and almost every other state. Of course lots of jostling for 'state representations' had to happen! The religious fervour of the young ladies here is what appealed to me most. They took great pains to prepare for the puja deligently twice a day for all the days. A very devout elderly couple performed the lead role on every occasion. God bless them. The ' prasad time' at the end of the pooja was the great networking time. I for one was slowly able to connect their names, with the flat nos. Oh 'flat number"' is the equivalent of a 'employee id' here in the colony.Without that you are a nobody!. I took a note book and kept it near the prasad counter and requested the ladies to mark their flat nos, against their names.Some of them were very suspicious, I had to assuage them that it is meant for jogging my memory and will not be 'misused".Now I can connect faces with names and flat nos to about 15 ladies!

On saturday grand sports competitions were planned. Right from 10 am there was a steady stream of players making a beeline to the sports hall. TT had the maximum participation from the men and hence had to continue on Sunday also. Carrom and chess also had good participation from ladies and children. Invariably there were rescheduling and cancelling of nominations, as the residents came out with myriad excuses and entreaties for change in time and date. I heard from many a participant that they are taking up the sport which used to be their passion, after a very long gap. One could see the pleasure and anticipation in every one of them.

There was a dance programme by the small girls and they made a pretty picture with twirling umbrellas and glittering costumes and smiling faces.

While we were waiting for the girls to come on stage, there was a "commercial break" of lemon and spoon race. It was really hilarious and a tremendous 'ice breaker". There were several participants who were so keen on running and hitting the goal post, that they never saw their lemon falling off the instant they took their first surge forward. The mothers were very keen that their wards make a good show of themselves, so were giving them all precautions and procedures.The ladies event was also good fun, with most of them hitting the final line with their spoons and lemon intact. "Yes, women are quite balanced!"

This brought the curtain down as far as the activities were concerned and all eyes were on the 'visarjan'

ganpati festival in colony

2010-09-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

The colony has a vibrant community life. I discovered it recently during the just concluded ganpati festivals. The entire colony came together and celebrated the event in a most spectacular way. I am a new entrant here and hence was watching the preparations with keen interest.

Of course the first step was a circular being sent out with appeal for donations. The first entry was 500 rupees and hence it set the standards for the residents. The next part was forming an organising committee for which volunteers were invited through the 'google groups forum'.Unfortunately this left out the 'parents; parents in laws of the colony to a large extent! It was not intended I am sure. But what else do you expect from the residents who are predominently IT professionals. By posting on the google groups, they sincerely believed that they have kept it open to everybody. A few days later we were informed of the constitution of the committee. Soon enough, programme details followed.

This is what made me sit up and take notice. The programme was literally spread over 11 days, no jokes, with two weekends included.

The party hall was the venue for the puja and other activities. Initial two days were spent in collecting decoration materials and having a small group of enthusiastic ladies sit down and 'do up' the room.

The stage was all set for installation of the deity the next day.

Copper sulphate gum boots anybody?

2010-06-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

What does one do when one is in a semi invalid state with a copper sulphate blue gum boots like cast on your leg? Well you get cranky and do silly things like being a pest around the house. I am sure you can better this. The next best is to take 'remote control' and watch all the soaps/reality shows and nonsense that you always wanted to watch but were too decent to insist. The next option is to use the wireless internet, and hug your laptop to mimic a teenager/student to the extent to which you can be addicted to the world wide web.Yes, a combo of the above three is also another option. Of course a background of continuous sms, phonecalls from your ubiquitous extention of your fingers is too routine to be worth the mention; nevermind airtel milks you dry everytime you even glance at your handphone!

Well I have tried all the above and after a two week hiatus, am exploring new ones. I have chucked the option of devouring David baldacci and Lee child by the dozens that K manages to bring into the house at regular intervals. I find tremendous joy in just sitting down and tuning in to the sounds that pass me by. It has been very interesting pastime last few days. It is better if you can close your eyes and get into a yogic pose. There is the hum of the washing machine for one; the pitter patter of the kiddos enjoying their weekend morning;the shrill hoot of them calling out to others to join in their merriment(how do they manage it, by the way?); slow simmering of the cooker in the kitchen; and the low noise of the knife cutting through the onions/cabbage; the microwave doing its rounds to get the family dinner on the table.

What is new in all these sounds? very routine everyday stuff. Yes, but there is comfort and romance in these noises when you tune in to them and weave a magic in your mind in a leisurely fashion, uncluttered by 'what is next' action mode.

When you have got into this state, mind is rested and naturally it runs through the events of the day. It is a bit of training to get the mind to think of the good things that have happened during the day and not dwell on the unplesant. I was surprised how difficult this is. And it was tremendously educating to me, how we overlook the blessings, small and big, but make a mountain out of seemingly inocuous stuff.

Well, I am still learning on the job.It promises to be interesting.

Pyramid valley

2009-10-08T02:20:00.000-07:00

We made a trip to Pyramid valley. Our ladies club planned this trip as a picnic for members and guests. This place is about 25 kilometres from the city on the Kanakapura road. It is set in a beautiful scenic environment with a small pond and rocky hillocks surrounding it. The pyramid as such is a huge structure rises high above the ground.
As soon as we landed, we were shown into a reception area. One volunteer was assigned to show us a video of what is meditation and how it is beneficial to mankind. The video was very well taken and was instructive. At the end of the session we were taken to the library which also had pyramid hats for sale! It was said, that if we wear those hats, then the power of meditation is enhanced. Of course we still have to meditate wearing those hats!
The pyramid valley hosted and just concluded a three day world peace conference. Of course Pandit Sri Sri Ravishankar and other dignitaries were the star speakers. They firmly believe that the route to world peace is through meditation. When you meditate, you are looking inward at the 'god' within.This is an omnipresent God residing in us.Hence there are no differences between people and hence there are no divisions among the world populace.
We then were taken on a guided tour of the place and we practiced meditation for 30 minutes. We then went into the pyramid structure. It is a huge hall and spiral a staircase leads you near the centre of the pyramid. When you meditate in that area, the power of the meditation is enhanced three fold we were told. I did not practice there, as I was having a mild headache due to the heat.
The volunteer who took us around was very passionate about meditation. He told us that he was happy that all of us were here and getting a feel of meditation and some of us already practising meditation. He appealed to us to pass on this knowledge to our children. He said it is very very useful for them to be initiated to meditation at an young age. Then they will realise the oneness of human race and it really would make a wonderful world. He said, as parents we are committed to giving our children good education and good savings/property. But these cannot be taken to the next world. Whereas if we gift them the power of meditation, they can not only lead very pure and purposeful and peaceful life here on earth, but this is one wealth that the 'atma' can take with it to the next 'janma'. He said when we see great seers in the world surely they would have been practitioners of yoga in their previous birth!
Leap of faith this!
But, yes I do grant that it is a most precious gift that one can pass on to one's children.I share with them this belief.

Oru koodai sunlight; oru koodai moonlight

2009-10-08T02:09:00.000-07:00

It was a very unique sunday. Throughtout the day the sun was shining bright, without a single cloud.I was commenting favourably about it to my cousins. a Chennaite will say "ahem" so what's new.But this is Bangalore and I can definitely say that it is something of a rarity.Definitely in the last 200 days that I have been living here, I have not seen such a clear sky for the entire part of a day.There will be sunlight for sometime, say in the morning, and by some magic, clouds will gather later in the day and there will be a few showers in the evening.Even if there is no rain, the clouds will gather anyway and shield the sun from view.
I was happy about it and little did I know about the bonus in waiting. The full moon rose in all its splendour in a clear sky and till bedtime, it continued to shine and cast a wonderful glow in the eastern sky.
Oru koodai sunlight, oru koodai moonlight joined together that day!

Danglers

2009-10-06T01:53:00.000-07:00

I have never worn anything which dangles from my ears. It has always been the good old gold studs for me. The nearest I got to wearing something that dangles were 'jimikis' , which I would have worn maximum ten times. So I have been 'dangler challenged' all these years.
I got about rectifying matters. Actually it was by an accident that I got to pick up some danglers from a roadside shop the other day. We were looking for some change and decided to raid the pavement shops. I decided I wanted some bindis, headbands, safety pins, hairpins and what not; the usual stuff really. And there were a couple of ladies buying fancy danglers and one of them was trying them out. On an impulse I picked up a couple of them. I came home and immediately checked them out. They were looking quite good on me.Actually I was seeing a more carefree and jolly me there in the mirror! So now I am dangler-infatuated! Never mind that when I tried to put on my gold earring I had quite a difficult time!
Nowadays we see earrings (read danglers!) aggressively competing with neckwear. The danglers come all the way up to the shoulder and also sit pretty on the chest. And they are so jazzy and so HUGE. They do look pretty alright, no two opinions about that. It is no longer earring. It is today's fashion statement that there should be only a single piece of jewellery on your person, and that should be so stunning, that anything else would only be a distraction.
It was my niece who introduced 'danglers' into my vocabulary. And it was a roadside shop which helped me buy one.

Navarathiri

2009-10-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

I spent quite a few days during dussera in Bangalore. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was also a highly social event. I was amazed once more at the thoughtfulness of weaving such varied festivals into our lives.
Our apartment complex has evolved a wonderful system for all the nine days of dussera. The housemates take turns in inviting others to their house for haldi kumkum. It is usually preceeded by lalitha sahasranam recitation. So more than 40 odd women and children land up in each house by 6 pm. They are all dressed in their fineries and the entire place looks like a tapestry of latest fashion and design. The deity is usually very well decorated.The artistic tastes of the lady is fully brought out. I have seen very many decorative items in all these pujas. I invariably stay back and ask the lady, where to get these items. The recitation starts. Most of them are veterans and can reel of all the 1000 names without batting an eyelid. It was a first occasion so I was mostly groping. There is something about chanting, especially when you have a very enthusiastic and religious group. I closed my eyes on the first day and just allowed the resonance of the sound to flow over me. It was really very unique and soul satisfying.
Chanting over and a few of the ladies break out into some bhajans/songs. Then there is 'aarti' and distribution of prasad. We had almost a full meal in some houses.Prasad items were neatly packed in disposable cups/trays.We had porul vilangai urundai as prasad in my neighbour's house! I remembered my athai who used to visit us used to bring this sweet.I still remember the unique taste and texture!
Then the haldi kumkum. I had enough cocoanuts to feed an entire village!
Then the ladies stayed back for a chat and exchange of news.The kiddos had a field day playing and fooling around.
Then we trooped to another flat to see 'kolu'. I saw new sets of toys and new themes. Well, old themes but I am seeing them as made into dolls for the first time. Narasimhar coming out of the pillar; wedding set, including an entire 'pandhi' of people having their meals; partha sarathy perumal veedi purappadu; tirupati brahmotsavam including the seven hills and the winding mountain path; lanka and asoka vanam and sita and hanuman and karthigai pengal. I saw chettiar and chettichi sitting pretty on plastic chairs.I asked the lady of the house and she told me, they cannot sit on the floor as they have arthritis!
I have got to know quite a few families during this season and quite intimately at that. That is the purpose of these festivals, I guess. One elderly lady, about 80 years old sang a beautiful carnatic song and bowled me over how she was able to hold her breadth.
Navarathiri festival is my favourite. It is spread over nine full days and helps us to phase out our activities. It is suffused with religious feelings.For the pious, it is kalasam and pooja in the mornings.Elaborate naivedhyam preparations for the culinary experts! For the artistically inclined it provides endless scope for experimenting and enjoying keeping the kolu dolls . For the musically inclined, it is a time to bring forth all of ones talents and also listen to others who are as well endowed. For those interested in dressing well, again this festival offers immense scope.You can dress up and also elaborately dress up your dolls on display!
Again for busy people who are not able to keep up with friends/relatives/neighbours, this gives a capsule course to get in touch and that too in such an enjoyable way!

Brand new shatabdi coaches

2009-09-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasure travelling by Shatabdi from Chennai to Bangalore today morning. The coach numbers were not pasted on the sides but were neatly appearing in panels inside the coaches. The body of the coaches appeared quite spacious and good leg space too. The pouch to keep water bottles was very spacious. No really, I have had many occasions when a larger water bottle would refuse to fit into those pouches and cause minor irritant and inconvenience. The windows were not tiny openings in the sides, but almost the entire space was occupied by huge windows. No, the curtains were thankfully replaced by pull down venetian blinds. The train ride was like a tourist package, with both sides open to the outside view. There appears to have been good rains in these parts and green green and more green fields and trees were visible. Even the scenery which is quite rocky after Jolarpet had lush green tufts sprouting all over the bald surfaces. The best innovation was the sliding door. It left me wondering why was such a convenience not thought of earlier?It is a definite relief not to have the door banging all the time and it is also energy inefficient.
The icing on the cake was the arrangement of the seats. Half the seats face the engine and half the seats face the rear . So you get to see some faces rather than everybody's back, bald pate or earphones!
I would recommend this train as the only sensible way to travel to Bangalore from Chennai; exactly 5 hours, comfortable, okay the early morning timing is a bit of a hassle. But look at the bright side. No snoring companions(yes I had them the last time, and it has left me traumatised)

Krishnamacharya

2009-09-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

The founder of Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, began his yoga classes in the royal school of Mysore Maharaja. Krishnamacharya had every qualification to become an academic and also to take up the post as pontiff of Parakalamutt. But he declined all these avenues and took to teaching and propagating yoga as a 'gurudakshina' to his teacher. He learnt yoga under his guru in a remote cave in Tibet for seven years.At the end of which, the guru asked him as gurudakshina, that he should get married and leading the life of a 'gruhasta' and also take it as a life mission to spread the teachings and practises of yoga across the length and breadth of the country.
He took this mission very seriously, so much so that he was actively teaching yoga even into his ninetieth year. He took on a pupil aged 23 when he was past 80. Not for him mass yoga classes and counting numbers. He believed in individual attention to every pupil and tailored the classes to each student. NO wonder that several of his students have turned out to be teachers and pioneers in setting up yoga institutes throughout India and abroad.
There was an interesting anecdote about practise of yoga in Sweden. One of his students had learnt yoga and was practising the same when she got back to her place in Sweden. After a few days, she called back and said, while the practises were solving her physical ailments when she was in Chennai, they were not doing so in Sweden. Krishnamacharya asked her if it was very cold in Sweden. She said no, it is summer and it is quite warm with loong days and short nights. Krishnamacharya thought for a few minutes and realised the problem here. Her asanas had to be done before sunrise and just after sunset. During summer the days were long and it was very late by the time the sunset and then she did her asanas. Within a couple of hours, the sun rose again and she had to wake up and do her exercises before sunrise. While days and nights are fairly equal in Chennai, this practise was perfect, it got skewed in Sweden. He had to tweak the treatment to suit the peculiar conditions there and then she was in comfort!
Great man. Yes, I think he single handedly revived the practise and teachings of yoga and got it a respectable and desirable status that it enjoys today.

Mommies of the world

2009-09-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

I had a soul searching experience yday while on the train. There was a young girl travelling with us . She kept getting calls on her handphone from her mommy every five minutes, asking her if the train has left the station. The scheduled departure is 11.45 pm, but the train is in no hurry to start as it is under no pressure to cover the distance to Chennai in the allotted time. I was wondering why her mother is pestering her like this and that too keeping up such late hour to do so.The train will leave a few minutes this way or that, I told myself. I was also quite surprised that this girl was answering her mother everytime so pleasantly.

It was 6 am and I woke to her ringtone. She was talking pleasantly again. I asked her is that mommie again.She had a bemused expression and said, no auntie, it is daddy and uncle!

Yes, I saw it coming, I was told in no uncertain terms, that while I may find it unacceptable in others, I have behaved in the same way and there is absolutely no doubt that I would continue to behave in the same way!

Do mothers have to make such a fool of themselves?

But then there was a takeaway, of a different kind. This girl got off at Perambur and when I woke up I saw that she had neatly folded the bed covers and the blanket. I was impressed. I learnt something from her. I also neatly folded my stuff, to make it a wee bit easier for the unknown railway employee. And that I should not put any pressure on the environment by my actions!

Thavam

2009-09-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

I had a very unique experience a few days back. I had gone to be an observer in a entry level training session on yoga.The two day programme was offered to entry level officers of a PSU, as a part of their induction programme. I also wanted this opportunity to get in touch with yoga teachers in Bangalore of the same institution from where I had got my initiation.
One and a half hours of the preliminary session was conducted by one senior practitioner. I was drawn to her and was totally in awe of the power and conviction that she was exuding. No, it was much more than that.I did not actually see a halo around her head, but she had that much of a saintliness and 'aakarsha sakthi' that yogis and great seers possess. Every word that she uttered went direct to my head and is stored in my permanent memory, there is absolutely no transmission loss!
After the session, few of us sat together and were jamming together. It was then, it came out that from childhood she had this spiritual quest and for several years now does 'thavam' for three straight hours everyday! No joking, 3am to 6 am is her timings someone told me. While it was astounding to say the least, I was more interested in how is she able to sit for 3 hours, does her back not ache, her legs and hands 'go to sleep'. I asked her straight away, to which she said, 'not having any feeling of the body, so where is the question of ache, or any sensation....' as if it is the most natural thing to say and went on to talk about some other training session.
She is no saint, but a homemaker and after the meditaiton gets into making breakfast/lunch and later attends to all other duties including training for which she and her husband share a passion.
So, that explains the tremendous charisma she exuded. I remembered reading earlier, that the more you meditate, you will be acceptable and your words will be heard and followed.
Suddenly all that I have read and heard about yoga and meditation seemed to make sense.

Me, customer delight

2009-09-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

My search for a roadside 'istiriwallah' was finally answered yesterday. There are several lanes and bylanes branching off from our road and I took the road less travelled by and that made all the difference. This lane steeply bends down and quite nondescript. I strolled along the road to locate a tailor recommended by my neighbour.I was spot on and then I wanted to check out this place for 'istiriwallah' also. I looked at the 'potti kadais' and also trying to read the kannada nameboards. I saw one shop and I was reading the name boards which were in English and Hindi. It said, xerox, Job typing, mobile recharge, fax, courier; the whole works. I thought such an assortment of services would have a shopkeeper who knows neighbourhood shops quite well. So I asked the lady,is there a laundry nearby.She gave me a big grin and said this is a laundry!But where are the other services; she said there was a shop earlier and it folded up and she has been doing 'ironing' for a number of years now! Did not feel the need to paint the shop afresh she said. People can see that there is an ironing board and two huge iron boxes. I was so intent on doing the 'reading ' bit, that I skipped the 'looking' bit.
So, I came home and happily took the silk sarees for ironing.The lady took them happily enough and said come tomorrow 10 am. I asked her her shop timings.I was well scalded by an experience in our previous laundry shop, you see. He quietly shuts shop even for 'varalakshmi vratham' without as much as by your leave.She said all 7 days and 7 am to 9 pm with a two hour lunch break.Suited me fine.
The best part is, when I went there next day at 10 am , not only were the clothes pressed and ready,she picked it up right away!First time customer and what customer service.
CRM guys are you listening?

South Indian weddings-

2009-09-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

There was a wedding in a friend's family and I had spent two enjoyable days last weekend. Two full days of attending a wedding, is something I have not done for many many years. More so, remaining up and about and raring to share with aam jan.

No, I did not feel obliged to attend the same. It was purely voluntary. I was not obliged to stay almost all the 48 hours.It happened naturally. It was like magic, that all the stuff I have grown to dislike in weddings, had vamoosed without a trace and all that I like and look forward to, were there in plenty. How did that happen?

Well for one, today South Indian weddings have metamorphasised, incorporating the 'fun' stuff from other styles and also reinventing and enjoying the traditional aspects.It is also that the families and the bride and groom are well educated on what they are going through and bring a certain amount of seriousness and purposefulness about the religious part. Nobody was distracted or worse still secretly hurrying the priest to get it over and done with. No,let me not jump the gun.

Day 1 started fairly early with both the bride and the groom, sitting pretty on the dias, but huddled together in separate area with their respective parents. The parents were dressed in traditional attire; it brings a certain seriousness and auspiciousness to the occasion, I dare say.We talk of dress code in corporate world, so there are dress codes for social occasions too!

The bridegroom was doing 'vratham' and the girl was being initiated into 'jatakathi, namakathi' ceremonies. The mood was subdued and lowkey, as the families were coming together for the first time, and the first salvo has been fired for the wedding ceremonies.

Family members and close friends were present, so it was a time for introductions and touching base with people whom you had known long long ago. No nadaswaram this time, so no background noise to overcome.

Post lunch had a very enjoyable time as we were witness to a variety entertainment programme by the children.It was not a amateur affair, but well thought out and planned.The kids were huddled in practise sessions since morning.It helped to bring the two families together under congenial environment. Mothers and fathers presented a different aspect of their personality by going on stage and singing old melodies, really old ones, like 'maapillai doi', and enjoying every moment of it.

Evening was the 'mapillai azhaippu' and the temple was just behind the wedding hall, in the same complex. While the groom's party was stepping into the hall, all of a sudden, the nadaswaram came up belting popular wedding songs.Otherwise sober uncles and aunts suddenly got into the fray and were shaking a leg! I was never more astonished. This was the first time that I have seen elders enjoying a wedding in this way.Then the nieces and nephews also got into the mood and nadaswaram was playing a 'rap' song. I was busy trying to capture all the action on my video.

The 'nichyathartham' itself was quite a grand affair, with the dias filled with all the 'perusu' from both parties.It was like a 'sadas' , all serious to witness the engagement ceremony. The usual exchange of thamboolam and reading the 'pathirikai' was gone through.

The next day started fairly early as the muhurtham was between 7.30 to 9 am. So the run up to the muhurtham has to start by 6 am. There was the oonjal and the songs routine.(Actually I got in late, so missed the fun part!)

The hall was filling up fast, as it was a Sunday and invitees wanted to be there for the muhurtham.The bride, otherwise a fussy girl, was going through the routine of changing sarees every half an hour without batting an eyelid and changing hairdo and accessories to go with it!Quite a feat! But then you have a resident beautician with you and you have to just leave the entire operation to her!Now, the thavil and nadaswaram got into high crescendo and one had to raise ones voice to be heard. The gear was shifting and that was the signal that I need to perch myself on a chair to capture the 'finale'.The couple were by now in a 'padma vyuha' circled by the parents, sisters in law as the chief operations persons, and all relatives and friends wanting a piece of the action. None can enter now , the place was sealed.

Mangalya dharanam was completed and there was a visible sigh of relief all around and the crowd dispersed from the dias and the couple were left to do the sapthapadi with ease and peace and quiet.

Now the parents were freed and they went around the marriage hall, greeting the guests and big smiles plastered on their faces.They have been promoted as mother in laws and father in laws!

Post lunch after a little lull, was the 'nalangu' scheduled. Papads were arranged and also the haldi kumkum. It was lot of fun with good singing from anybody and everybody who was in the mood.

Breaking of papads on the heads of the couple is the climax!It is usual nowadays to rubbish this as being too childish. But then some loosening has to take place for two families to feel comfortable with each other. And nalangu performs that function. Defreezing we used to call in our corporate training sessions, remember?

The reception was a simple affair, with the only object of meeting the guests and taking 'attendance' with them (video and photograph sessions with every group).It is somewhat boring, but not for the invitees. Thankfully it was a short affair, as most of the guests had come in the morning, and only 'office crowd' had come in the evening reception.

The videographer/photographer were getting into the 'portrait' mode and were asking for 'special poses'. I liked the one when the parents sat on the decorated sofas and the couple sat perched on the armrests!

The dinner was a buffet with assorted tents serving variety of dishes. This has become the norm these days.

The two days were coming to a close and what remained in my memory, is the happy faces, the family and friends pitching in with all the work and running around without any hitch, the wedding having the correct share of religious rituals taken seriously and also having room for enjoyment.

Yes, south Indian weddings like English language has become richer for amalgamating the 'mehendi', baraat and dancing, reinventing nalangu and adding a dose of variety entertainment, while retaining the serious tenor and purpose of the wedding event.

Learning Kannada

2009-08-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

I am in Bangalore for the last few months, can I say on temporary visa? While I am moving around the city and trying to locate places, I am extremely handicapped by the names of streets, circles written in Kannada. If I was from any of the other two states, then the script would be somewhat familiar. But being from Chennai, Tamil script is as far removed from kannada script as I can imagine.

So I have set about learning the language to familiarise myself with reading, writing and speaking.

I was on the lookout for a teacher. Yes, before that I did pick up a book "learn kannada in 30 days" but I wanted the fun of learning a language through a proper teacher. A casual remark by a friend in the apartment complex helped me hone in on one. She said her neighbour teaches kannada to small kids and would love to learn from her. I approached this teacher and she did not immediately say yes.She changed the topic while I tried to keep pace with her on our evening walks, a la Gandhi style! I left it there for a few days and again brought it up.She did not answer but talked about one star pupil of hers who was a Mata Amrutanandamayi devotee.

Of course that left me here nor there. But she did complement me on my interest.She said people who stay in Bangalore for any number of years not only do not learn the language, they make it a point not to. That is too bad I said.

So this went on for a while more.We had a gettogether in the complex and while waiting for our vehicle one evening, she told me that she is ready to take me as a student and to call her next week to fix up the schedule. Next three weeks went past, as I was away in Chennai. Then I came back and got back to her.She said would 3.30 pm be convenient to me. I said anytime, anywhere, I will be there.So we fixed on last wednesday. I was there on dot a few minutes before 3.30 with a school notebook and pen.

I thought the other students that she coaches will start arriving at 4 pm and I will have some exclusive adult literacy class. But I was ushered into a room which was already teaming with kids in primary classes. Do I mind if I sit on the floor, she asked me. I said no,no perfectly fine.

And thus started our Kannada classes.

She was giving tuitions to the children of all classes and all subjects all at one ago. She is an expert no doubt about that.The children were very amused having an aunty sitting with them and learning alphabets. The girl next to me was learning Hindi and making sentences, but would constantly keep peering over my notebook to see if I make any mistakes! There was a small boy and the most talkative of the lot, look straight at me trying to size me up and would break into a winsome smile when I looked up from my writing. They had hundred doubts about their work and a question a minute was what was the going rate. There were two boys who were brothers and for some reason they were sharing the same book.Invariably one would finish faster than the other and has to tell the teacher how the other one is holding up his work and he is wasting his time.The teacher asked them to be quiet as her small grandchildren were sleeping in the other room and should not be disturbed. One of them said "SHHh' and slowly the others picked it up and the decibel level of "shhhhhh' was louder than the noise they were making earlier.

Coming back to my alphabets,learning alphabets is the toughest part. Learnt Hindi alphabets when I was 10 years old and English and Tamil were much earlier, in my cradle, sort of, bycomparison.So I requested her that we proceed by simple words after being exposed to the alphabets and copying them 40 times in classwork and repeating the same as homework. So I am in A for apple stage,only it is A for Arasa, Agada and Anda. It is exciting. I am planning to carry the alphabets book with me when I am going out. I want to read the name boards and street names by referring to that book.And that will be the route to familiarising me with the alphabets.

This is the toughest part; the language as such would be child's play. I have made my maid converse with me only in Kannada. Till now she would talk to me in Tamil,as she is quite familiar with both the languages.

I have started travelling on the road; two classes on two consecutive days over.

life in bengaluru

2009-06-30T02:56:00.000-07:00

I have become a Bangalore vaasi for the last few months. The timing was perfect;just managed to escape the Chennai summer.For the last few weeks enjoying the cloudy ,chilly winds blowing and an occasional thunder storm. It is anybody's bet if there will be rain in the evening. For a few hours the sun comes out and then from nowhere dark clouds quickly gather in the horizon to drive away the sun and heat and pour welcome showers on us.

While the weather is welcome, some of the service providers are proving elusive and manage to pack our lives with fun and frolic.

I was expecting the istiri wallah to land up at my door and collect clothes for ironing. This is what happens when a newcomer takes up residence in Chennai. But days went by and nobody surfaced. I asked the apartment watchman to send the istiri fellow to my flat. He agreed and gave me a mobile number. I should call him when I needed him, he said. Well fine, I needed him now and I called him. By the way he lives just across the street and took four days and five reminders later to arrive and collect a sack full of clothes. He brought them back in a couple of hours but then he has disappeared from the face of the earth since then for the last few weeks. I I have located a laundry shop in the neighbourhood and have got into a weekly ritual of dropping off clothes on saturdays and picking them up on sunday mornings. By the way last weekend, he did not deliver all the clothes as promised and asked us to come on Sunday evening.We were busy on sunday evening, so when I made a beeline to the shop on Monday, it is CLOSED!I used to make such a fuss with the istiri lady who used to come at our convenience and to our house everyday, and here I am paying penalty for such an attitude.

Old newspapers need to be disposed off, period. It used to be a straightforward affair, as one vendor used to call out everyday for old newspapers and would be making rounds on his tricycle, with reams of rope and scores of gunny bags and a scale. Here in Bangalore such a thing does not happen. I see any number of shops stacked high with old newspapers and doing roaring business, but no, they will not fetch it from your doorstep. All the thrill of sitting down in front of the month old newspapers and haggling for price and watchful that you are not cheated on weight n was missing. With lot of influence of the watchman, managed to get one vendor to come home. He came with no tools and bare hands and calm demeanour. He looked at the pile of old newspapers as though he is seeing them for the first time in his life and sat down comfortably to fold them neatly and arrange them. I gasped. I asked him for his scales. He was shocked. He said they are in his shop and they weigh a ton and obviously cannot bring them to the flat. How are you going to weigh these papers I asked him. He said he will take it with him, weigh it in his shop and send the money to the watchman! We dont cheat madam, you have to have trust in us, he said. He had not brought any ropes to tie the newspapers and asked me if i have any spare 'twine thread' with me. I said no, I dont have twine thread. He continued to stack the papers neatly. I asked him how he is going to carry them. He said you must be having a big plastic bag madam, please give it to me, I will return it along with the money.

He left with my newspapers and my bag. Nothing happened for the next couple of hours. In the evening when I was on my walk, the watchman quietly thrust a fifty rupee note and took leave. No the big plastic bag did not come back.

I had seen a beauty parlour very near to our complex and enquired with a neighbour if I can trust my hair styling with them. She said yes, go ahead. So I went to get my hair trimmed. The artist was alone and jobless when I went one evening. She sat me down and started for the U cut. It took exactly 3 minutes and then she gave me a comb and asked me to comb my hair myself! She did not have a mirror to show me how my hair looked after the expert job. I asked her to spray my hair to give it a bouncy look and do back combing.This is my regular routine in chandinesree. She looked at me and said no, no spray and okay she will do backcombing if that is what I want. Not a pleasant encounter if we have to go and comb our hair ourselves!

I was truly perplexed at these encounters but in a city like Bangalore you take it in your stride and not get all worked up!

New billing styles

2009-02-07T02:49:00.000-08:00

Current economic situation is throwing up new billing styles in restaurants and hotels. There are news reports that a few restaurants in the UK and USA are now asking customers to patronise them and pay as they please. Yes they have hid away their menu cards with astronomical prices. The ostensible idea to get the crowd back and appeal to their good sense to pay as much as they think their service and serving is worth.

Have we not heard this before in Annalakshmi group of restaurants in Coimbatore, Chennai and Singapore? I remember when they first opened their restaurant in Chennai in Mount Road, it was a very novel concept. It used to freak out some people who are terribly conscientious. They would err on the safe side and pay more than they think the restaurant would have charged them. I had gone there once where a friend was hosting a lunch for a few of us and she was terribly embarassed as to how to settle the bill, where the bill was nonexistent. We pooled our heads together and spent unbelievable amount of effort in arriving at a fair value. But then it lasted for only a very short while; it appeared that it was becoming unviable as Chennaites were notorious for having a virtually free meal and that was not what the owners had in mind.

Now these restaurants abroad are trying out the same idea.They really need to bring back the crowds and cutting the fares is an obvious choice. Offering superior value is another choice. Perhaps they have done this and are in the third step. There are also hotels in Singapore which offer the guest accomodation without mentioning the price tag. They believe the guests will pay them commensurate with their service.

Hotel tariffs are notoriously exorbitant and never have we settled a bill without feeling if it is really worth the fare charged. Perhaps the hospitality industry is into 'prayaschitha' mode!

carbon footprints

2009-02-05T02:38:00.000-08:00

We are informed that of late companies are going that extra length to publish their 'carbon footprint' on their websites. They are contemplating doing so on the product packs, but how far it will make any sense to the consumer is a moot point. Say carbon footprint is 84, the consumer is left wondering what is that supposed to mean to him. Is the companys good in its carbon footprint practise or not and where does that compare with similar products, and dissimilar products and offerings.

But then some information was forthcoming in the papers about Pepsico and the information about carbon footprint on its product orange juice under the brand Tropicana. It was surprising that the company contributed significantly to green house emissions during the production process which involves cultivation and processing, rather than during packaging and distribution. It also came as a revelation to the company it is said. Fertiliser is the bad guy during cultivation of oranges and during processing natural gas contributes significantly to green house emissions. Of course transportation, distribution and packaging contribute but less than that during production.
We are also given absolute figures if that will make it easier to evaluate;

One gallon of tropicana orange juice = 1.7 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent damage done to the environment.

So much for feeling all nice and good drinking that glass of juice during breakfast.
Do we need such heavy duty fertilisers is an obvious question. Some decades back fertilisers were the panacea of declining and low productivity of Indian agriculture and we could not have enough of potent fertilisers. They no doubt increased yield at significant cost to the environment.Organic farming is gaining ground and just like alternate sources of energy will require some more time before it can be applied on a mass scale.

Processing is the next culprit. Without the aid of food processing farmers dont get enough value for their produce, hence food processing is touted as the best additional revenue stream for agricultural chain.

Then there is the question of distribution. Why should we have the same Tropicana juice produced in Punjab be available throughout India and elsewhere? Decentralised production is one answer but then maintaining quality and viability compete for attention.It is the much travelling populace that looks for known brands for quality even in remote areas. Would we touch an unbranded orange colour juice in Ambasamudram,But immediately grab a tropicana juice in the same shop. This adds to the distribution 'carbon footprint' cost. It should be possible to produce quality juice at decentralised locations and there is opportunity here.

Packaging is one aspect which I have always been perceiving as contributing to environment cost. Everyday we dispose some cartons or the other and we do not consume ready to eat foods or takeaways which typically consume a lot of packing materials. But then we buy packaged juices and milk satchets and all provisions come in plastic containers. They are branded .Do we go back to newspaper wrapped conical packaging, where the thread and the newspaper gets recycled and nothing adds to the environment cost. But then quality and cleanliness of the food grains is not ensured that is the main reason for plonking for the branded packaging.

A clean environment means consumers should be able to take time and effort. But society has inexorably changed and is it possible to go back to a lifestyle where the village consumed what it produced ; no storage or limited storage of food grains; eating the same ragi for 12 months of the year; spending unlimited time in cleaning and pounding the grains; no refrigerators, every meal is cooked fresh with whatever available.

It is romantic but not viable.I think we need to work around the exisiting system. Each of us starting with the responsibility to contribute to easing the pressure on carbon footprint.We plan to shift to fresh fruit juice available across the colony in favour of Tropicana and Real fruit juices. We take it from there.One definite step at a time.

australian grand slam tennis

2009-02-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

It was a sunday and I had reserved the couch in front of the TV. I watched uninterrupted TV that day, a one off event. A leisurely breakfast and I sauntered in front of the Tv just when the mixed doubles finals was conveniently telecast. It was quite an entertaining and absorbing tennis.I liked the commentator's remark that mixed doubles match puts lots of pressure on the man; he just cannot fail to retrieve a ball when a woman is serving; he cannot allow his natural style to come to the surface and take a dominating role, lest he be curbing his partner's space. I was surprised that even S did not know that there are slightly different rules when the teams score 40 each in a mixed doubles match.

After the first few sets, the dominance of Bhupati, Sania pair was pretty obvious.Bhupati played some brilliant net shots and also a few poor misses,The match was played in a relaxed atmosphere, so much so that the losing pair took the defeat quite in their style. During the prize giving ceremony Ram was actually beaming and happy.

But that cannot be said for the men's finals. It was bitterly fought and bitterly lost.
The entire four and a half hours was as fierce as a bull fight.Each and every point was hard fought.My eye balls had a lot of yogic exercise that day, darting back and forth.

I had watched the last wimbledon final between the same pair and it was also edge of the seat action. It was a repeat of the same with a few differences in style. Nadal was less agile; he used to retrieve balls by running right across the entire length and breadth of the court. Federer was making too many first serve errors and was slightly less composed than the last time.But the match was a one of a kind; enjoyable and exciting and eminently watchable even for me a non player of the game. Yes, I have had lot of tennis in my life , the passive variety if you know what I mean.

The designer swarosky studded shorts of Nadal brought in lot of comments and surprise usually reserved for Mrs Obama of late.

Federer broke down and cried,and said he cannot handle this defeat which he had wanted so badly. No, no not sportsmanly. He has had his time under the sun and has to move on. How many people have been able to reach where he has reached , be it in achieving great success, public adulation, fame and pushing oneself to one's limit of physical and mental endurance. I am sure he enjoyed it all the way. And he has achieved this when others his age are just making tentative steps in their life and career achievements.

He has been a great player and that is how we will remember him. Nadal will have his glory for some more years and he will be in the same spot Federer was that Sunday, refusing to let go, fighting tooth and nail...

24x7 marriage

2009-02-01T06:33:00.000-08:00

Dr Vijay Nagaswami as a columnist in the Hindu I am familiar with. I find his writings on marriage very refreshing and contemporary. Devoid of any lingo or pontification he comes to the point and handles the issue of marriage in today's Indian society with a lot of perspective and frankness. His columns are also eminently readable.

I was eagerly looking out for his book on the subject of 24x7 marriage in the bookshops as soon as it was published . It was last week that I sighted the book at Odyssey book store and grabbed it and I have been reading it chapter by chapter. I strongly recommend this book in every household after the dictionary, tinkle digest and steven covey.
That the author is a psychiatrist and a specialist in handling marriage issues makes the book a good chronicle of his case studies. It is totally realistic and he also finds prescriptions(yes he is a doctor you see) for some of the issues. He rightly says that marriage is not a definite slot in the time scale of today's youth. They dont want to answer 'why not' but want to ask 'why' to the idea of marriage. Women taking up careers seriously are focussed on their careers and they also have enough freedom and excitement that men have always had. They also have enough opportunity to have friends at work. Women have changed big time but the men are pretty much in the same cultural more. A classic case of tussle.Women are handling this issue by postponing marriage till they find a reason for getting married.
The author handles these issues very well and gives perspective on the common but new issues in today's marriage.

This book is a good gift to anybody above 18 years; all you have to do is to find some excuse ...

sudoku, crossword

2009-01-29T19:46:00.000-08:00

There is a new routine in the mornings; clamour for grabbing the newspaper for sudoku and crossword puzzles. It energises one physically before doing the same for the sleepy mind! S has been a sudoku fan for over a year now and all his free time at home is spent with a pen and pencil; on weekends he will be clearing the weekly arrears if any. He had been trying to get the algorithm for sudoku as soon as it hit the Indian scene and has been a 'sudoku convert' ever since. Y has been a crossword fan and tries to finish the entire crossword in one sitting .Of course there will be a few clues which are intriguing; she will toss them around and the aam jan would pipe in. The joint venture will then effectively seal the crossword puzzle for the day.

I have been fed on a diet of The Hindu crossword and it used to be a family obsession. Elders at home including my grandfather used to refer to it as 'kattam poda aarambichacha?" In that environment it is not possible not to be infected with the crossword worm. A very dogeared Chambers dictionary used to be sought out and constantly referred to, for the right word.

The same bug has made a triumphant come back. It is as much fun solving the crossword as it is to wait for the next day's edition for that missing word.We of course blame the 'not so good word', or the author for the incorrect clue and rarely, yes very rarely chide ourselves for not cracking that beautiful word/phrase which was staring us in our face.

Sudoku does not evince as much passion as a team activity and it is more of an individual satisfaction for completing an exciting work. The different ratings set the pace as it were for what lies ahead. It is a very good companion, a slip of paper and a pen while we are travelling or waiting.
Once bitten by either of these bugs you stand infected for life. Happily so!

sriperumbudur temple

2009-01-28T17:27:00.000-08:00

The weather is extremely pleasant these days and drags you to drive out of the city. I keep telling myself to make the most of the few weeks ahead after which time will be spent in cursing the sun and sweat and refusing to venture out.
We decided on sriperumbudur as a default option. It was to be tiruvallur but we were reminded that it being 'thai amavasai' it would be near impossible to even get inside that temple. Velukudi krishnan in his pothigai timeslot had mentioned about sriperumbudur and the birthplace of sri ramanujar being quite worthy of a visit.
The roads are extremely good and we reached the temple town just under an hour. We were able to witness a 'veedi purappadu' with a fully decorated elephant and a camel leading the procession! Elephant was okay but a camel, here in the heartland of Tamilnadu? We followed the procession around the temple alongwith the 'veda goshti' for a while and alongwith the 'divyaprabandam' group for a while. The route was through the 'agraharams' and stopped at every house for an archanai. Invariably every lady was in her 'madisar' and every man in his 'panchakacham'. The houses were typical with low roof verandah with tinnai.
The main deity is 'adikesava perumal' and a sannidhi for Ramanujar was adjacent to the main deity. The temple appears very old and we were told it was built more than two thousand years ago. The walls of the inner prakaram were full of pictorial depictions of ramanujar's life written in both telugu and tamil.Plan to come leisurely and read up all these stories sometime.Ramanujar's life and achievements is fascinating. I was reminded of this incident in his life; he was in search of a guru and after a long search found one in manavala nambi. He taught him 'pranava manthra' and told him that it is a secret not to be shared with anybody. The very next day Ramanuja climbed on top of a mantapa in the town and relayed the mantra to all passers by. His guru was enraged and came and met him and asked him if he was aware of the punishment he will be meeted out for disobeying his guru. Ramanujar said yes, he will go to hell. But then he is prepared for the same, if many others on hearing the mantra are able to go to heaven!
We had good prasad and also collected 'puliyodarai, laddu,adhirasam and murukku ' from the 'mada palli' and headed back to the city.
However much I regard saints in great esteem, i was not able to worship ramanujar in his sannidhi right next to that of adikesava perumal's sannidhi. Gods and gurus different levels...

karnataka triangular circuit B H S

2009-01-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

Belur, Halebid and Sravanabelagola has long been on my list of 'must see' places. Exquisite carvings at Belur and Halebid have been folklore since school geography books extolled their architecture.Sravanabelagola is not in the same league but is near enough to these places and gets featured once in twelve years for a great festival of the jain saint Gomateshwar. The tallest monolithic structure in India is a definite yes for a visit.

We visited sravanabelgola first by road from Bangalore. Took just 3 hours on a pleasant winter morning.Did not spot a single hotel/dabba to have breakfast. Made do with some biscuits and bun butter jam from a bakery on the way. The place is full of sprawling and comfortable quarters for pilgrims. We started climbing the hillock straight away but not before arming us with a pair of socks each to save the feet from the scorching steps; my friend had frightened us that we will get back with blisters on our feet, recalling her earlier visit where they had to literally dance their way up and down due to the hot rock surface.We derisked ourselves and as it often happens we did not need to use our protection! It was a pleasant climb , the steps being carved out of the huge rock surface. Pilgrims/ kings had inscribed on the rock face and the authorities have preserved them by a unique system of covering the surface with a glass panelling! The gomateshwar statue was imposing and it had to be being 80 feet tall. The grandeaur of the structure would have been more if the buildings surrrounding the statue were not around. Devout jains were chanting prayers in the nearby halls. The USP of the statue apart from the imposing height was the well proportioned limbs it was said. It has some good restaurants and we had good appetite to do justice to lunch.

Our next halt was Halebid. The great structure was flat and laid out well and ASI is maintaining it well and a nearby lake did nothing to detract the beauty of the sculptures. Every available space on the walls, pillars and ceiling was intricately carved. The whole place just took my breadth away and i remarked that this is the most beautiful place i have ever seen. I kept comparing Dilwara temple at Mt Abu. There were intricate carvings there too but here they were more intricate and beautiful. The entire outer surface was also beautifully carved and we took our time looking over them and marvelling at the beauty. Lots of figurines were destroyed by winning armies I guess. We said no to help of a guide for the simple reason, we did not want him to give gory details of the past and spoil our mood. Two siva temples were inside the structure and two nandis were duly sitting in a nearby enclosure gazing fixedly at siva! We had the sweetest tender coconut juice that we have ever tasted for seven rupees each.

We headed straight to Belur and the terrain was interspersed with overflowing lakes much to our surprise when we were prepared for dry and arid region. Sunflower,cauliflower, tomatoes and jowar, arecanut and of course coconut plantations fringed the road. The roads were quite good and well maintained.

Belur is another beautiful place and a must see. Here the architect has paused and did beautiful figurines but did not have the feverishness of the Halebid one to fill up every available space. This place is also larger with a main structure and several smaller structures around it. The outer walls were again intricately carved and we kept looking and pointing out each and every beautiful piece. The more we saw the more our wonderment grew! They have no business to make such beautiful pieces we kept repeating non stop.

bahula panchami

2009-01-15T20:01:00.000-08:00

I listened to all the pancharatnakritis on dd podhigai yesterday morning, the bahula panchami day. The event was broadcast live from thiruvaiyaru, near Thanjavur, Tamilnadu where the saint, composer musician sri thyagaraja swamigal has his samadhi. I was wondering how a telugu musician happened to have his samadhi in tamilnadu and whether thyagaraja festival is also being celebrated in andhra pradesh. I was told that the division tamil and telugu is a recent(!) origin and earlier it was madras presidency and both tamils and telugu speaking people were coexisting peacefully earlier.So there is nothing unusual about thyagaraja living in thiruvaiyaru.

I have been hearing the pancharatnakritis on bahula panchami days for as long as i can remember.Which means the festival is being held in thriuvaiyaru for a number of years. Usually the top vidwans used to congregate there as a mark of respect to the great musician. No concert is complete without a number of thyagaraja songs being sung. Not only that even a novice learning music will be asked to sing a thyagaraja kriti ; only then is even a pass mark considered!

But over the years there has been controversies over which musician dominates the show; the ranking game had seeped into this event also.Hence we saw that the top musicians of the day were not seen at thiruvaiyaru, which was a pity. It was then that kunnakudi vaidyanathan the great violinist stepped in and started rallying round all musicians and made it a mass movement that i saw yesterday.It is no mean tribute to him that he was the leading light of that programme for a number of years. I missed seeing him centre stage, gesticulating widely and exhorting the musicians and devotees to join in the mass singing programme .His colourful and vibrant and enthusiastic presence used to lend an aura to the morning. Carnatic music is a personalised and individual expression and to bring such musicians together for a couple of hours is no mean achievement. He will be remembered for long for this contribution.

One spotted sudha raghunathan, she has been a regular for quite a few years; I could recognise gayathri girish as I had recently heard her performance in margazhi maha utsavam on jaya tv; anuradha krishnamurthy was her resplendent best;there were a couple of very very senior woman singers who were singing with great bhava and gusto; one spotted n ramani on the flute and also his son; umayalpuram sivaraman on the mridangam has quickly shifted stage from chennai sangamam in besant nagar , straddling totally different genre of music, theme and mood!Sasikiran was very pensive and in deep contemplation and was singing with total concentration; i spotted o s arun also singing with a lot of verve. Women singers outnumbered men ten to one; not only that there were more women singers singing without looking at the books than men singers!

I was remembering the significance of pancha ratna kritis in thyagarajas life. It appears he was accused of composing and singing very simple songs full of bhakti and melliflous tune no doubt but totally devoid of any attempt at showcasing his scholarliness. He cannot ignore such criticism and it is good for us that he did not. All the five kritis are detailed and scholarly exposition of the raga and all its swara combinations, no doubt in wonderful sahitya and melliflous tunes.

It is in the fitness of things that the sriraga kriti , entharo mahanubhavulu anthariki vandanam' is the last one, paying tribute to all great people.

I paid respects to thyagaraja and sang one of my favourite songs, hethsariga ga ra ra, full of emotion as my tribute to the great composer and devotee of Rama.

sabha crawling

2009-01-11T23:48:00.000-08:00

December music festival in chennai is well known and extremely well documented.NRI tamilians flock to chennai during this time and have their fill of ragas, swaras, sahityams and sabhas to last one year. Like camels this drink of pure carnatic music will last them long.It is true for chennaites also. The feverish pitch with which chennai skyline is dotted with performances at every available space makes ardent music lovers like me wish for december season to last for the next eleven months. The Hindu has sponsored a theatre fest in november and a dance festival in Music academy in january about explains the slow spread of the fine arts virus to the other months.
There is something very endearing about getting into the mood and sabha hopping during the peak december season. You open the newspaper and they are full of reviews, photos and comments about the performances of the previous day with vivid marketing for the programmes scheduled for the day and week ahead. Huge pull outs from newspapers were missing this time and we were told that the economic melt down is having a music festival angle to it. But then the competititon among newspapers saw to it that reams of newsprint was utilised in postmortems! TV channels were also hard pressed for creative programmes, simply latched on to relaying these programmes and they had very good viewership among the senior citizens and others on the go! They had their taste of a kutcheri for an hour in the evening/early morning(repeat telecast) and felt a sense of being there and doing what the culture vultures in chennai were doing.
The sabha halls were a different experience altogether. I did spot very senior citizens nodding their heads vigorously. But i also saw the veterans; they had a dictionary of karnatic music songs.The minute an artiste sang the first line of a keertana, they would flip open the book and note the composer. Of course identifying a raga would have already happened. I saw a techie with a net enabled handset googling for information on the artist. I saw an entire family land in a concert and had vigorous consultations on ragam tanam pallavi and the ragamalika ragams at the end of it. One of them had a small note book like what waiters used to have in udipi restaurants (they were called 'servers') and was noting down the songs sung by the musician. A compendium of sorts. It made me want to chronicle in a similar way and remembered to carry a huge diary for tm krishna's concert (the 4 hour version). But lost the pen on the way and hence innovated by storing them in my mobile. Vallavanuku handphone um aayudham!
Nithyasree's concert was very good. I am hearing her concert for the first time; no not this season but first time ever. I enjoyed every minute of it. She lives through her concert. Her rich timbre and sruthi sutham shines through. Her songs are not performances but showcasing herself. Her choice of songs was perfect and the three hours went away without looking at the watch even for a minute. I just closed my eyes and lived through the concert. It was a yogic experience.
Mandolin concert was to accompany my aunt. She is an ardent fan of mandolin and had specifically requested that she be escorted for the same. I am again listening to mandolin srinivas after many years and I had warned athai that we would stage a walkout if he gets into speed playing and gimmicry.But as it turned out it had its 'speed' moments but it was a soulful melliflous rendering. How he is able to effortlessly coax that tiny instrument to bring out so many wonderful kaarvais is amazing.
Sowmya was very good and very pleasing and melodious but she is not able to lift the concert to an extraordinary experience.
Mahabalipuram dance festival was an unique experience. Coincidentally the day we were there we had a kalakshetra presentation and we got ringside seats as guests of kalakshetra. It was a surreal experience with the moon shining as a backdrop; goats grazing on the rocks above the arjuna penace and small kids frisking about on the rockface. The entire experience was something to be cherished.
Curtain down on december festivals. But margazhi madam is still going strong!

dog show offs and koodaraivalli

2009-01-11T19:31:00.001-08:00

Love for dogs is a recent passion with me. James herriot has done what nothing else could. It was mumbai monsoons and the author who is as fascile with his pen as he is with his stethoscope, which did the conversion.

Hence it is natural that the minute I read the news report about the dog show in chennai that I planned to make a beeline for it. I was lucky that the event was spread over two days and I could still make it to the second day. Never mind that there was not much enthusiasm for the same at home.The only casualty was koodaraivalli chakkarapongal preparation.

It is a different world out there in university union grounds, chepauk. Spur tank road was spotted with a single line of cars on both sides of the road and while we traced the line we could land right outside the venue.There are enough patrons for any single activity in chennai is my new theory. Ok that is what a metro is all about, even a slightly slow on the uptake place like chennai!

The whole place had a festive air about it and children formed a significant portion of the visitors/owners. I heard a father putting his six year old through the paces by pointing out to a 'great dane' and taking him closer for better appreciation. Since they passed me by I could not eavesdrop on further detailed description of the species that the father was so eager to pass on to the son. It was charming. I was waiting for the golden retriever show and overheard a deal being made. A rajapalayam a 6 week old, 30 inches was going for 15. An immediate deal was put through. More than the words the elan with which the trainer put through the transaction was fascinating for me. My attention was immediately diverted by some quick scrambling and jumping by a man who was being asked to quickly give a 'small towel' to wipe the sweat off a participant (golden retriever!) .Soon after a trot around the small enclosure, the dogs will be quickly taken to a corner where they could relax under a shade, just like heroines of hindi cinema would rest after a two minute shot and would be proffed apple juice and umbrella service would also unfold!Performers are the same across species!

I was surprised that there was absence of cacophony of dog barks. How did it happen i was left wondering; There were atleast a few hundreds of them, all under leash of course, but they were quite docile and well behaved. Is it part of the training for a dog show, I wonder.I spotted only one lady handler who was running alongwith her labrador. The dogs were inspected for their healthy teeth and gums first and then the judge would test their physique and also feel the texture of their coat. The handlers would repeatedly make the dogs stand erect with their hind legs splayed slightly. Like models on a ramp they had a particular demeanour to show off!

No, i did not see poodles with fancy costumes and scarfs; nor were the dogs made to do circus stuff. Even dobermen dogs were judged by their quick sprint around the ring rather than running through flaming rings or such daredevil stuff.

We made a tour of all the stalls around the grounds and what stuff there was! What I believed was portable air coolers for the pets actually turned out to to be their kennels. The colourful 'accessories' to a dog's life were on display and I spotted enough dog feeds to feed a million dogs. we spotted number of families who had come with their pets and were resting with the dogs after their show was over.They were quite eager to talk about their pet and children crowded around some of them who were more than willing to share their love for dogs with anybody who cared to listen.

When we were coming out we spotted the queues at the ticket counter serpentine and longwinded.

I would be there next year for the first day and sit through the day to see more of dog show offs!

dakshin chitra

2009-01-08T20:04:00.001-08:00

It was a tuesday during december holiday season. I had lined up to go on a trip to dakshin chitra. Then i was cautioned that tuesday could be a holiday. It is the umpteenth time that tuesdays are non starters in chennai. A simple haircut/hairstyling; not possible on tuesdays.Hdfc bank branch is closed weekly on tuesdays can you beat that. Whoever named in mangala vaaram was not communicating the sentiment to chennaites.

It was a caution correctly timed. Hence ended up calling dakshin chitra chennai office and was told that the place is worth 3/4 hours of pleasant times and there is a full fledged restaurant by arusuvai natarajan on the premises. Now with lunch being taken of, i planned to leave in good time the next day.

It is just half an hour drive from adyar and we were in a sprawling campus teeming with arts and crafts. I had been there with some office guests quite a few years back, but then it is different when you are with family. My niece A made a good companion and we both trotted off to andhra pradesh houses. The first one had a good verandah where she could sit and paint small pots.There was a lady keeping the house and helping the kids getting their fingers greased! In one corner there was a loom and another lady was getting ready to continue a cotton skirt with zari border that she was weaving.Got to see a loom at close quarters. It is a very complicated start up process. I was told many typical houses in andhra have looms in their court yard and the family members make up the entire labour force. I have seen them in kancheepuram right on the lanes and bylanes the vibrant colours making you take another glance as you drive past.

In one room handmade wooden and paper mache toys were kept just like a navratiri kolu arrangement and the inveterate kolu addict that i am, I stood rooted and enjoyed the wonderfully crafted toys.

We next went to a typical house in coastal andhra pradesh. It was very interesting in its design. It was circular with the innermost part housing huge storage bins for grains. This is to protect the grains from storms/flodding that this area is so prone, I was told. There is a second concentric circular design which has the living quarters.The roof is flat at the middle and slanting at the sides to drain off the rain water. We also found another smaller circular structure and we were told that it again is a cooking place, a case of redundancy built in especially in such cyclone/flood prone areas!I was fascinated at the native wisdom and the story behind each of these structures.

Others in our group made a detour of other houses on exhibit in typical tamil nadu, karnataka and kerala styles. Each house also had typical handicrafts of those areas practised by artisans and some of it was available for the guests to try their hand in. We tried the pottery as i have wished to get my hands gooey gooey at the potter's wheel. It is sheer magic to see a wet clay shape itself right in front of our eyes into a cute pot. My niece was much better at it what with her tiny steady fingers. I was told to do exactly as she is doing and not allow my thumb inside the pot to stray!

We landed in a huge hut in which one could try ones hand in several activities like paper mache doll making, shell doll making, palmyra leaf painting and such stuff. Kept A engaged for quite a while. We were treated to 'mayilattam' on the side.

There were numerous stalls selling handicraft items including lac bangles. The artist was making them as to order and it was a huge hit with my niece.She chose some colours and watched intently as it was taking shape right in front of her eyes. She had a trophy to take back!

Lunch was quite a good affair with 'hat dosa' (for the uninitiated(that is me!) it was ghee roast twirled and served like a hat) and other dosa and rice varieties.

I plan to come here again.That is the promise i usually make whenever i visit any place that interests me. I want to study the native architecture and also try my hand at every activity and not miss out on any single aspect of showcasing our native arts and crafts.

Till next time

day trip to mamallapuram

2008-12-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

Mahabalipuram is just an hour's drive from home, but i was surprised that we had not gone there more often. It is a pleasant drive along east coast road and not many bottlenecks in traffic. With friends for company this time, one hour actually just whizzed past.

I remembered an earlier occasion when we had gone there in the morning and had difficult time locating a place to have lunch. I think it was a sunday and peak holiday season. We had to come half way to chennai to finally land a good vegetarian restaurant.

I was wiser this time, so planned for a trip after lunch. The weather was mild and near the shore temple we just could not keep our dupattas in place.Suddenly the wind used to drop and it was surprising to be in and out of heavy bouts of breeze, as if somebody was switching it on and off.The climb up the entire range of rocks in and around light house proved to be exciting. We discovered new rock temples of mahishasuramardini where mahendra varma pallava used to pray. After a while we had truly lost our way and asked one of the men who was overseeing the cleanliness of the winding pathways. He pointed to both the directions of the pathway and said we could go either way, we would reach the main road. He really believed that the earth is round! We trudged a long distance before our driver spotted us and waved frantically to catch our attention. But then as it turned out, this unexpected trekking was the best part of the trip.Paul coelho would greatly approve of going out of the comfort of the tried and trusted path and attempting something totally different.

There are lots of shops selling figurines, handicraft items and souveneirs. Somehow bags of varied shapes, sizes and textures seemed to catch our attention. I guess one cant go wrong with bags as a gift item.We zoomed in on a shop selling brass/brone stautes and my friend found the ganpathi idol sitting and swinging comfortably in a jhoola.She was particularly looking for such a piece she said and closed the deal.Her bag was weighing two and a half kilos more as a result of this purchase!

The crowd was just right without being intrusive and uncomfortable. Yes one noticed a distinct lack of 'foreigners' this time.The shop keepers were lamenting thin tourist arrivals after the mumbai terror attack. In a week's time the annual dance festival and peak tourist season will start.

I plan to be there with a different crowd

roses in december

2008-12-12T01:28:00.000-08:00

I see roses everywhere.It is like a rainbow of roses, but with a difference.They have such unbelievable colours.

I saw a green rose. Yes I almost went past the bush and saw all the buds in various stages and did not give it a second look. But I stopped by the next bush which had roses in doubt shades;deep violet with white streaks. When I was examining the beauty of these roses I gave a second glance at the earlier bush just to second guess what colour of roses did it have hidden in those buds. It was then that I noticed that the roses were already in bloom and they looked an extension of the leaves! Wonder why it needed such a camouflage!

The next bush was full of white roses and the whole bush was buzzing with bees; every one of the flowers were inhabited with tiny bees and they were deep inside or hovering about in queue for their turn to suck the nectar.I did not see bees in any other bush other than white.They seem to prefer white only. I could almost hear them say “give us any colour of rose provided they are white!”.

I am an avid walker but I could not move away from the rose garden.I had the time and the inclination to enjoy their beauty, what we typically see as moghul badsha’s regular pastime. The badshas seemed to have spent their entire life in the rose gardens, singing to their beloved with a beautiful rose in their outstretched hand. I don’t blame them, now.

There was a bush which had beautiful well shaped yellow roses on one branch and off white roses on another branch. No, they were not the two day old roses about to drop off. I thought the same and checked it out.

It is a beauty to see the roses in various stages of bloom. It is as though we are seeing god/s creation unfold before our eyes. I was not able to make out if I liked the roses just before bloom, they had a faint blush and held some mystery about them; or the roses which have just fully bloomed which in close view had such symmetrical and exquisite array of petals of such utter tenderness.I remain unsure!

I reluctantly went to the next bush and then the next which had such wonderful deep red, crimson, dark orange, light orange, a real red, pink rose and so many various shades for which I am not able to cite correct colours. My friend was as excited as I was and we had a game of identifying new colours of roses.It was a pleasant early winter morning with dew drops still on the rose petals and leaves and the sun was coming out through the palm trees in the walkway.The scene enveloped me; the entire scene was soothing to the eyes and the mind.
Time stood still.
Roses in December.

vedanthangal

2008-11-17T06:28:00.000-08:00

We hit vedanthangal after a gap of over 18 years. And we were happy that the tourism department has not been sleeping in the meanwhile. There used to be one old watchtower with a single binocular mounted on a huge pedestral. Now there are quite a few watch towers and tourists bring their own binoculars and have unlimited viewing.There are no facilities for boating in the lakes unlike in Ranganathittu near Mysore. But the small pathway skirting one side of the lake is well laid and well maintained with benches all along the pathway. With cool and shady trees lining the entire pathway life was good. We enjoyed the cool breeze blowing, after the cyclone in Bay of Bengal dumped the entire depression into kavali and machilipatnam and sparing chennai of gale and gusty winds.

The birds were in good measure and were fun to watch.

I had tried the handycam for the first time outdoors. I wanted to capture the birds by zooming. They looked fantastic to me, but when we played it at home, the pictures are shaking quite a bit. I thought it is the swaying of the bushes in the breeze but apparently not.

We had two binoculars, one still camera and one video camera and a book on birds.So we were really like tourists.

We were told that vedanthangal is oldest bird sanctuary in India. This was due to the fact that when our winged friends from siberia and australia came over to roost, the local farmers took care not to shoot them or harm them in any way. They actually adopted these guests gladly in their midst.This is the story of the guests and their future generations repeatedly making visits for over 200 years here.

My best view for the day were two grey herons sitting light on a rubbish heap in the water and floating gently along with the rubbish heap.We almost did not notice it, it was a perfect camouflage. I was reminded of the 'teppotsavam' in mylapore temple! One of them flapped her wings and flew a bit and landed back again and the camouflage of the grey was broken with a tinopol white of their inner feathers. Cormorants there were aplenty and their swift dive into the waters to catch fish was a treat to watch. Ibis and pelicans were in large measure and there were busy nesting and relaxing in hoardes.

The place was choc a bloc with visitors jostling for space with the birds who had come travelling from sri lanka, pakistan, siberia and australia.

hierarchy

2008-11-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

It all started with some boxes of ceramic tiles arriving one late evening in our house. No, not delivered wrongly. It was in response to a call from an interior decorator who was doing some work for a neighbour's flat.Some tiles were extra he said, with panic in his voice and he needed to hand over possession the next day.The tenants who were arriving the next day wanted the house clean and neat and empty, sans any left over tiles. I never thought through what i will do with a few boxes of assorted tiles. Somebody was in need and i said okay and invited the tiles over for temporary shelter.

They occupied pride of place in the front porch. I never realised that they were going to be in the way of our normal routines. The potted plants had to be watered and the maid said her hands dont stretch that far.The kola maavu for adorning the front portion of our house was in a nook there and again another place had to be quickly found for that, if our house should not go with kolam.And then we got a brand new lady bird added to our family! it had to squeeze itself between the tile boxes piled now all over the place. Y had developed a great knack to do the gymnastic but anybody else will have massive issues with extricating the same from the porch.

So the pressure was steadily building up on me to find some use for these tiles. I commandered the creative juices to flow and waited for the flood. It arrived no doubt, and I decided to have the walls of the rear verandah duly tiled . It also comprises the work area and the walls tend to get messy. I had asked for the 'family odd job man' through proper channel. He arrived immediately and said it could be done, but then wait for the 'tile specialist'. He seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth for all we cared. Numerous phone calls to powers that be elicited the response that it will be done the next day, positively. When this happened with fair regularity it left me wondering. I was told that tile work is a very specialised work and he would not want to employ any tom dick and harry but wait for that special specialist who will do a very thorough job. But more time elapsed and my wonderment grew! Dussera came and went and so did deepavali but still no 'tile man'. For the benefit of the uninitiated, these festivals offer excuses for any hired help in the informal sector.There is the north east monsoon of course which cohabits with the peak festival season in Chennai. It always comes in handy even after the festivals have come and disappeared from the seen not to be seen till next year.

But then two days back a pack of three arrived by 9 am with necessary tools and earnest looks and surveyed the scene once more. They said they will get the cement and be back. But then they did not come back. The family odd job man appeared in his motorbike and asked the whereabouts of his workmen. I told him the last i saw them was alongwith him going away from my house. He too disappeared.

Yesterday the three of them appeared again , slightly sheepish (could be my imagination) and said they would start the work.I was quite excited that the work would finally start. The entire rear verandah became like a battlefield and so did the entire house from the front porch, drawing room and dining area. There were these tiles of all shapes and sizes and colours which had to be colour matched . I thought this area could really be a kids playpen when they play 'colour colour what colour'. Y quickly surveyed the scene and said, yes there were a riot of colour tiles here but then the kids would feel cheated as the tiles were slightly short of some vital colours like red and dark green!

The actual job appeared quite simple to me. There is this 'senior techie' who will wait for the tiles to be plastered on their rearside with a liberal dose of cement mix by the 'unskilled asst' and then put it on the wall and gently tap it with a small hammer. That's it; the tile is fixed. So the operation went. The senior techie could operate a simple cutting saw which could cut the tiles in a jiffy. He could handle technology well, whereas the junior just sat and saw and mixed some more cement mix. The hierarchy appeared very strict; not for them flat organisations. The divide was most clearly visible when the lowly asst had to go and fetch tea. No, the senior will not demean himself to go for any fetching, even if a hammer is lying by his side, he would call out to the asst to fetch it and give it in his hand! All the time i hope the lowly assistant was learning fast, so that he could do the same thing to his under study some day.

I offered them tea in the evening and the same story was repeated, the tea cups had to be fetched and washed by our understudy.
But then i was left wondering if this was the skill level in short supply that I had to wait for four months. But i am told experts are those poeple who make a specialised job look simple.
It looks neat and clean now, this rear verandah. It looks so good that i will now have to look for another work area!

wedding receptions chennai isshtyle

2008-11-11T01:56:00.000-08:00

I dont get it.
You get invited for a wedding;with a heavy dose of pressure that we should close the kitchen and attend for all the functions(four different meal times by the way).The family has recently moved into our neighbourhood, so the excessive invite was a bit too much, but still. We decided to go for the reception as it was conveniently on a sunday evening. I double checked that they did not have a light music programme. It was clearly mentioned that there was a carnatic music concert by master mandolin rajesh and company. I was looking forward to some soothing music and a quiet slip away.
SGS kalyana mandapam greeted us with a watchman who said, 'parking full sir'; so the first shot was fired. I had to then expect a 'HOUSE FULL" reception area. Yes it was overflowing with guests standing dutifully in a long serpentine queue upto the entrance. I had difficulty stepping into the place. Two old men were sitting disinterestedly in the reception area, guarding the 'chandan', rose flowers and kalkandu! I usually like to smear a bit of chandan on my palms, so i did that and invited myself in!. I then waded through the crowd and went to the hall where the kutchery was arranged. I gave a premature kudos to the organisers for separating the reception and kutchery. There were lots of empty chairs about and i headed for a vantage position and sat down to listen to mandolin music.
But i was rudely shaken by the din that was emanating from the dias. There was rajesh with the mandolin and was playing it with such a speed as though he was in a formula one race. What is it supposed to prove? As if this assault was not enough, the percussion duo of mridangist and ghadamist(?) banged their instrument hard and all the while keeping the mike very near to them. In all this melee, the three of them were smiling broadly as if they are enjoying themselves thoroughly.
Are they competing with light music troops for the noise level? Are they letting off steam for playing in a wedding reception where the audience attention is perhaps two seconds? Are they doing some sadhana where they want to test for themselves how fast their hands can dance over their instruments, melody be damned?
I remembered my 7th standard science teacher who introduced the subject of noise and music and asked us to differentiate the two. I never had much difficulty then and was surprised why she needs to pose such a question.
But here noise was being passed off as music. Somebody has to go meet 7th std science teacher for an orientation.

artificial jewellery shop on theagaraya road

2008-11-10T00:50:00.000-08:00

Jil mil is a well known address in pondy bazaar.So we heard from a friend of ours whose daughter got married recently.We were seeing the wedding album and I was asking her about the jewellery which was very impressive. She said it is the usual GRT and narayana pearls and jil mil. I had not heard jil mil till then so wanted to be educated on the whereabouts. She was surprised and said everyone knows that it is the one stop shop for all jewellery needs. YOu buy a dress/saree and this is the shop you head to, before you head home!
Yes, I was ignorant, but took the first opportunity to remedy the situation. It is on pondy bazaar, the street market which makes the girls go crazy when they visit chennai. It is a three storeyed building actually and I was told is owned by the kumaran silks group. It has a massive car parking lot and that is a big big plus in chennai and more so in t nagar. I have been quite wary of any mention of tnagar and shopping thereon. If the crowds in the shops were not bad enough, the streets keep getting crazier with constant change of one way, no way and fly over diversions . And then there is the car park issue. No there is no issue actually, you cannot park your car anywhere. The bylanes surrounding the shopping area are also choc a bloc with cars not necessarily of the residents or their visitors. You have a choice to park your car half way back home and then get an auto to get back!
So the car parking lot is a big plus. The shop itself is truly astounding with its variety and choice of artificial jewellery of every shape, size and taste. If a girl cannot get her hearts content of accessories here then perhaps she can walk in straight into any of the fashion designing courses without any elaborate entry barriers.
I am truly mesmerised by the scope and scale of the shop. What if all girls decide one day that they will wear only grey colour trousers and white shirts all 365 days of the year and say no to any jewellery. Pondy bazaar will become a ghost bazaar.
Or if girls enmass follow the dictum " punnagai irukum pozhudu ponnagai en?"

service at sangeetha

2008-10-12T03:05:00.000-07:00

It is puja time so time for meeting friends and relatives. It was one such occasion when two cousins I and S called on us a few days back. They came at an ungodly hour of 2 pm when I was just settling into an afternoon of quiet time. As an explanation, they said they just finished lunch at Sangeetha restaurant in Gandhi Nagar and came here straight. They made particular mention about the very good and tasty food there and also at fairly reasonable rates.
I have tried to avoid that place as I have always seen it very crowded on the couple of occasions that I have visited that restaurant. They said they had an a la carte meal of both south indian and north indian and also chinese dishes and highly recommended the same.
An opportunity arose immediately yesterday when friend J and family called on us. I had no doubt in my mind that Sangeetha it shall be for our dinner that day.It was peak time 8.30 pm, but still we made a beeline for the same.
The crowd was spilling over on the pavement and on the road. But nothing can stop me when I set my mind on something. So I went in and was told that there was a non ac hall in the ground floor and an ac hall on the first floor. Waiting time for a group of seven was 10 minutes in the non ac hall and half an hour in the ac hall. A quick consultation made us pitch for the non ac hall. The system of waiting list was different in both the dining halls. In the ground floor it was the good old 'customer face recall' whereas in the first floor one had a floor manager with a small note pad, noting down the names of potential customers.There was also a large waiting hall on the first floor! S remarked if the place can have such a large waiting hall, why can they not convert it into more dining tables to accomodate the guests? Good question!He was also regaling us with the system of token in MTR in Bangalore and the waiting room was anyday much larger and had more customers than the actual dining hall.
I was told the kitchen is the same for both the floors and since in an ac room customers tend to take a little more time relaxing and having their dinner the turnaround time is more.
We had to wait for less than 10 minutes and we got a table for seven conveniently located near the kitchen! Junior j remarked that was the reason for getting our seats so early! We took a while placing our order. It went like this; saada dosa, aloo pepper special masala dosa, ada avial, aappam kurma, aappam tenga paal, naan panner korma, idiappam and dahi vada.The south Indian dishes all got very good ratings but the panneer side dish was ordinary, while the naan and rotis were very tasty. They also arrived quite late. Otherwise the service was excellent, a floor manager who actually was available at hand and responded to our requests in double quick time. I am particularly mentioning this, as usually the waiters have a habit of avoiding to look at the customer whom they are servicing.
Coffee was discussed as S mentioned about the very good quality coffee in that restaurant and highly recommended a try. But it was nearing 10 pm and the place was hot, so it was given a go by.
A good location with a valet parking facility and excellent service and good food. Highly recommended for a quick bite and rushing off to wherever you are rushing off to!

Achuvinte a malayalam movie

2008-10-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

I was channel surfing on a lazy sunday afternoon and saw urvashi and meera jasmine in a very jolly mood in a malayalam movie on asianet. Stopped the surfing and started viewing. The scene that captivated me was urvashi and meera, the mother daughter combine were having some fun talking in English without mixing any malayalam in it. The scene was shot so naturally in a normal home setting without any affectations. The conversations (little that I could follow) were also devoid of cliches and had liberal dose of jokes and funny situations. Both the actresses were doing a fine portrayal of their roles an with a nd it was a treat watching and trying to guess who was outwitting the other. Urvashi is a class unto herself and Meera jasmine is a natural with a very expressive face and dancing eyes.
It was such a big relief to see a heroine play the role of a civil engineer and actually working at a construction site. No such luck in any Tamil movie.There will be nothing real about the heroines (neither the heros for that matter) and they will be at best eye candy and at worst witches and scheming villains.Here Meera's boss is another lady with two children, who does a very professional job at work and is caring to her subordinate (meera jasmine) and also a good mother relaxing with the kiddoos! How very dull and real life like. Wrong, it was entertaining and could relate to without any difficulty.
The hero did a good enough portrayal. Dont know his name but, No, he was not mohanlal or mamooty or jayaram. He is the actor who came as collector in the movie 'pallikoodam'.
The supporting actors were all playing their role in a very likeable manner as a pleasant extention of our everyday life. There is no need to bring in make believe to make an interesting movie.
Blossoming of love between the hero and heroine which is usually a high point in tamil movies, is usually a very crude or loud affair. Here it evolves from a casual acquaintance to chance meeting in ordinary spots and later to some affection and much later it becomes a stronger emotion. NO theatrics or undesirable or awkward situations juxtaposed just to 'excite' the audience.
God bless malayalam movie makers and let them continue to make such 'feel good' movies with such wonderful actresses!

cream centre restaurant

2008-09-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

A friend of our and a discerning diner at that had recommended this restaurant in raja annamalaipuram to us. Yes it was around a year back.I pass by and used to remember that we should visit this restaurant.
Hence it was that a few weeks back we made a beeline to this place. A friend of ours was visiting us and velankanni church festival being in full swing, all eateries in the neighbourhood were out of bounds. The takeaway food joint that used to be patronised heavily by S appeared to have wound shop.Looks like S had some unique taste which did not have mass market in our locality!So we had no choice than to try out cream centre.
We called up for booking and were told not too politely that we should come to the restaurant and try our chances. It did put us off a bit, but then we had made up our mind to go there and like true tamilians, 'mun vaitha kaalai pin vaika maatom' was our motto. So we landed there, the restaurant being right in the middle of very good residential neighbourhood only added to its charm.We waited in the garden for a while and very soon got a comfortable table.We saw that the restaurant has been converted from a residential accomodation. Again it added to its uniqueness.
We looked at the gorgeous menu card and were thoroughly bowled over by the pictures of dishes which were very attractive. Hence we pitched for known and unknown dishes, purely on the basis of their appearance in the menu card. We even plumped for the chef's reco.
While we were waiting we realised that the place was choc a bloc with family crowd and every family had an average of four kiddos below the age of five.They were bawling, running around and screaming all the time and of course cartoon network and pogo were being shown on the tv for added din. We heard some other noises in the background and discered it was the channel music trying to valiantly have its space in the din!We decided to ask the manager to please take the so called channel music off the air; the heady concoction of bawling kids and background sitar music was not really pleasant. He lowered the volume a bit and came back saying that they have put on the music after customers had complained about the noise level of the kiddoos. He said they have tried everything (other than strangling the brats) but since the place seems to suit toddlers and their parents other customers have to simply lump it.
Now, there started the waning of the honeymoon times. We realised that we had to also lump the thoroughly flavourless food. It was tottering around very very average. There was nothing wrong with it, but then there was nothing commendable about the taste either. We felt thoroughly cheated and decided to ask for dessert just to lift our moods a bit.
The kulfi was okay and did save the day somewhat.
NO, we are not recommending cream centre in raja annamalaipuram to anybody other than young parents who somehow dont seem to mind the lack of taste or ambience, as long as their kiddos are allowed a run of the restaurant.

onam

2008-09-19T03:51:00.000-07:00

There is an ayyappan temple in the neighbourhood. We had never known about it for all these years.It is unostentatious and does not blare loud devotional songs. It is tucked away in a small lane and does not have flashy gopurams to broadcast its presence. It has a small tile roofed temple as though it is a family deity installed within your own house.It is full of feel good factor about it. There are just two sannidhis, one of ayyappan, the main deity and another of pillayar. It has lots of trees of flowering plants inside the compound.It has an old world charm about the place.There is a single 'pookadai' just outside the gate.I go past this temple on my occasional walks in the colony and the liberal and heady smell of 'malli' and 'jaadi' are a welcome assault on your senses.It opens well past 6 pm and has a devotional songs played in a very low volume which one can hear only inside the temple.
Of late I am seeing a group of elderly ladies assemble there in the evening and recite bhajans, slokas and devotional songs. To ward off the friendly mosquitoes which hover around them, they carry all sorts of contraptions and they make a regular 'whoosh' sound inbetween beats!Some of them cannot sit on the floor, so come with folding chairs but their regularity surprises me.
Last week during onam, I felt like visiting this temple. P and me decided to go there after 8 pm. The place was teeming with malayalis of all hues and sizes and ages in traditional attire with sandal paste on their foreheads and all of them having such well washed and clean look about them.The temple was full of flowers and thorans and wore a very festive look. Very beautiful and artistic and colouful rangolis, the 'pookalam' was adorning the floor space. I am really fond of these flower rangolis and stood gazing at them trying to memorize the design and floral arrangement.There was nadaswaram innisai in the background. But unfortunately they were playing only tamil devotional songs which did not merge with the mood. But they cannot import them from kerala ostensibly!
We just entered the temple and witnessed the 'mahaarati '. There is something about the string of lamps that ayyappan temples display.They are so beautiful and immediately take you on a divine feel. The idol is very small and huge garlands were adorning the deity and were laid like a huge mat in front of the idol. We all took the sandalwood paste prasad and were surprised that a massive dinner plate was handed out for every devotee. Sambhar rice, curd rice, kesari and pattani sundal were handed out in liberal quantities. Soon a big queue formed and as we wer coming out of the temple we could see the neighbourhood suddenly erupting into a sea of humanity heading straight to the temple. I was reminded of the screen play in some tamil movies, where they will show all lanes are full of people heading towards purposefully towards one particular spot, where there is action.I saw my keerai kaari hurrying with her children as also my neighbour's servant maid with her family.There is something very satisfying about annadanams.We brought our prasadams home and I was happy to share it with the watchman in the next door apartment block.He obviously is not tuned in to the neighbourhood happenings!

fun shopping

2008-09-17T00:06:00.000-07:00

No, I dont enjoy shopping. But it is one of the facts of life that one needs to shop for essentials and also for a host of non essentials. I read regularly about the shopping sprees of celebrities and they seem to know where to buy what. I find it very difficult to figure out where to shop for barest necessities. So if I happen to find a shop which gives me what I need without any hassles, then I resolutely stick to that shop till eternity; well not really, till the owner decides to unceremoniously put up a board which says " from this monday this shop will operate from the following address" and the address will be most in convenient for me.
I used to patronise a nice boutique shop in the neighbourhood for sarees, dress materials and occasional tailoring needs. I saw that they had put up a 'sale' sign sometime back. I have not seen them announce a sale other than during pooja. But this was not pooja time.So I went there more out of curiosity. The owner was there and said they are winding up the entire establishment and shifting out. I was shocked.I could not believe that a thriving business is folding up just in front of my eyes. But then it has happened.
In this situation I came across this shop more from a casual dropping of names from an acquaintance. I wanted to check it out. So Y and me went there today morning, ostentisibly to do diwali, pooja shopping. It was the most pleasant and enjoyable time I have had shopping.Now let me tell you the entire story.
We went there at 10 am as the shop was just opening.I thought the shop is quite crowded for such an early morning, but it transpired that they were the sales people bustling about getting into their positions!They were smiling and laughing and being busy at the same time. Yes, a nice way to start the day. The shop is actually a two storeyed bungalow converted into a shop.( Thank god for mixed neighbourhoods, it was bang in a quiet residential area, so no parking issues, honking autos and stuff).
We went via small rooms, big rooms, climbing few flights of stairs and walking along blind alleys, as if solving a maze puzzle. Finally we reached the dress materials counter.Two girls were stationed there and there were most eager to help us in our selections. They were friendly, they knew the stuff available and were willing to give us friendly tips on what to look for.They were most willing to exhibit any number of stuff that we wanted to see, no matter that they were neatly stacked , easy to reach and at eye level. A place like naidu hall would have told us,' please look at the exhibits and tell us what you want', before we have even looked at one dress material.It is most putting off to me when I encounter such snooty behaviour. Usually that is the last straw and at this point I usually hit the exit gate.
Here when our demands were mounting, another sales person also joined us and added his expertise to the entire process.Y and me were by now thoroughly enjoying the entire shopping expedition. I got totally carried away and told her 'take whatever you want'.Y has not seen me so expansive and quizzed me on my sangfroid! The sales girls encouraged us to try out any number of dresses and the trial rooms were actually accessible and available!The sales girls were giving more and more designs/texture/styles and exhibiting them that the counter was sky high with the dresses displayed.All the time, the shortlisted items were also growing steadily. Full patialas, half patialas(are they bhatinda stuff?) , latest designs for diwali season and new (!) colours were all displayed and vigorously promoted.We were happy to succumb to the temptation to 'splash'.

I asked them if they get a commission for the sales at their counter, to which the girls replied in a chorus that they want good name from the shop and satisfied customers like us.After all what is there in a measly commission! I disagreed about the uselessness of commission in everyday life.They then told me that they get some group incentive for the sales in the entire shop.
They also told me that they work all 7 days of the week 10 am to 9pm till deepavali; the girls leave a t 9pm and the boys stay much longer.Request for leave for special contingencies is obviously granted.There was one girl who was missing and we were told that she had asked for a days leave to see 'paruthiveeran' and was it actually granted!I should take this with a pinch of sale, the girls were obviously in a good mood and were pulling our legs for sure.

We came out to the billing section and duly told the owner/boss that we had wonderful experience shopping here and we will come again as we stay quite closeby.He immediately fished out a customer note book where i have recorded the good experience in three crowded sentences for posterity.
Y was waiting for the tailor near the front office and we saw the two girls again busy and happy and playful, getting the mannequins dressed for the day.The mannequin was carried in bits and pieces from the cupboard and duly assembled with a lot of merriment in selecting an appropriate dress.There was a tv showing sun tv and sun news. A customer was just checking out of the store and saw the news item where the photos of likely suspects in the recent bomb blast case were being aired. She told the girls 'they are showing you guys on the tv!". It took a while for them to register and as the customer was leaving the girls burst out laughing and so did the other front office staff.
I could see that the happiness and bonhomie of the sales girls was so infectious that it catches the customers too. Like it has made me rush back home and hit the blogger screen.
Shanti, the garment shop on 1st avenue indira nagar, adyar, chennai, is a must visit.

Personal social responsibility

2008-08-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

It was a lazy evening.I was getting back home after spending some fun time with my niece. I was just turning into our colony when I saw a small girl running here and there on the pavement and screaming non stop. No, nobody stopped to ask her or even look at her for a minute to assess if there is something that needs to be done. Cars and scooters and pedestrians carried on as if nothing has happened. The kid crossed a roadside vendor, an elderly lady who used to supply 'keerai' to my house.The old lady also did not bat an eyelid. I was going to cross the road when I saw three boys on bicycles passing by and they stopped and asked the girl what does she want. She was incoherent and inconsolable. By this time I crossed the road and her mother also came running and hugged the kid. The boys moved on. It appeared that the mother had just stepped into a roadside shop and the kid not realising that mom was not with her, walked up further and then hell broke loose.

I accosted the 'keerai' lady and gave her a bit of my mind. You are a woman and the kid was screaming in front of you and you were more keen on selling keerai than worry about the kid, I told her. She said she saw the mother and daughter pass her by hardly a few minutes back and did not think that there could be any the matter. She brushed it aside thinking that the kid was being adamant and making a fuss for getting some toy and stuff. By this time the mother and daughter had moved away, the mother tightly holding on to the kid.

Mothers should curb their basic instinct to shop anywhere and everywhere, I said to no one in particular and walked away.

But I was quite agitated that public just dont seem tuned into their surroundings and become deaf, mute and blind and uncaring about what happens on the road. Police maintaining law and order together with vigilant and responsible citizens can only make for a safe neighbourhood.

monsoon magic in maharashtra

2008-08-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

It is sheer magic to do the Pune Mumbai trip during monsoon. It is wonderful to be in Pune during monsoon especially in a self contained campus on the outskirts of the city. It is enchanting to stay in the company guest house on the second floor overlooking oval maidan.
Normally when I go on business tours, the good part of the day is spent inside closed doors and travel is invariably during late evening night. It was different this time. We made the Pune mumbai trip in the evening and hence were mesmerised by the visual treat. Nature has no business to spread its wares so beautifully. I really wonder there are very many places where there are so many shades of green . I have not seen such shades in such abundance for the entire stretch of two hours by road. The cool weather and the continuous drizzle which was not dropping down but wafting in lazily onto our faces now and then.We will stop our gossip and sit still for a minute or two to praise nature. Beyond the lonavla/kandala hills were lush fields.The dark earthy brown and deep coffee brown fields freshly ploughed were sitting pretty next to lush green fields. It was a tapestry more beautiful and captivating than any words can explain.I remembered the quilt making taught to us during our school days. We used to have a tough time matching colours. But mother nature seems to do it so carelessly with such a flourish.There is no jarring note or mismatched colour in the entire quilt spanning few kilometres!
I reached my house in Pune late evening and it was drizzling. The smell of nithyamallis in full bloom and pavazhamalli again in full bloom and the lovely light orange colour roses gleaming in the pitch dark night brought such a pleasurable home coming, that I stayed for a full five minutes drinking in the sight and smell and capturing in my mind's eye.
In Mumbai oval maidan took a totally different look and feel. Gulmohars were in full bloom. A very imaginative architect had constructed the rooms such that it had windows on the entire wall structure facing the oval maidan. I lifted the curtains and opened all the windows and My God, the view was spectacular.The rain clouds were looming at a distance and now and then a spray would come into the room and wet the page of the novel I was reading. Yes, rains are beckoning me to shut the book and look at them, just like children want your undivided attention all the time. I shut the book and leaned out.The Mumbai court building on the other side of oval maidan was majestic in all its gothic spirals and clock tower. I am a sucker for these heritage structures and as the clock tolled every half hour I was transported to a bygone era where time was a abudant resource and people had time to stand and stare.Children and boys and girls were playing happily in the grounds with all the slush. Hindustan unilever must be happy! Daag acha hai they must be merrily saying to each other as the offtake of surf would skyrocket during this time!
Back from Maharashtra, I was taking my early morning walk on Besant nagar beach. I was stunned at the sky/skyline and waterfront. The sky was a very very light gray and the entire sky that i could see was of the same colour without any blemish whatsoever. No blue sky,no rainbearing clouds of dark grey, just one continuous light gray.And more surprise was the skyline touching the sea was such a thin line and the water was again the same colour. It was mesmerising and so unusual that I stood and watched and watched some more till I could fill myself in with the sheer beauty.I felt nature was like an artist sitting there and painting and for a moment had come out with the perfect texture and colour, so evenly spread and so beautiful.
Chennai too has its magic moments....

vaazhga valamudan

2008-07-09T02:48:00.000-07:00

I was introduced to 'world service centre' in Tiruvanmiyur about a year back. I was going through lots of stress at work and it was my doctor who recommended me to this place to cope with that situation. I came here, I saw and I was conquered. Now I have become a yoga convert. I also got converted to this centre, as they are going about their job unobtrusively and with lots of humility. That the lingua franca is 'sutha tamizh' does not hurt. I really enjoy the tamil being spoken and classes taken in sutha tamizh.It is extremely melodious.' Inba ten vandu paayudu kaadinile' is not an exaggeration, I can tell you.
I have gone through the initiation, yogic aasanas, meditation and was ready for the first of the four sessions on 'looking inward'. Actually I had become eligible to take this session quite some months back.It is scheduled on the first saturday and sunday of every month. It is a full two day programme. But then this time I was able to participate fully and I am very happy that i made it. I have resolved that i will be there for the second session on the second saturday of August.

The sessions were a revision of all that was learnt and also gave us fresh 'dhyanam' practises. Only good things are told, positive thoughts are reinforced again and again and some simple poses are explained which enhances the efficacy of these thoughts.I was reminded of the book ' power of the subconscious mind' that I read and enjoyed some years back. It made a tremendous impression on me. Basic truths are so similar, arent they?
I like their concept of 'blessing', 'vaazhthuvadu'. It gives so much joy to bless every one of your family, friends and colleagues at work and also your not so dear ones!
Particularly wishing the entire world and nature is another unique feature that appeals to me.

Vaazhga vaiyagam, vaazhga valamudan

love birds at home

2008-06-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

Between my first post about them arriving at home and now, I can tell you they are feeling very much at home and are thriving.We are looking at them and having fun at their games and leisure activities. You see they are in the idyllic stage where they dont have to forage for their food. They need not look out for possible predators also. Only job in life is to be spoilt brats and peck at the food supplied, shout, scream and make all possible noises at a very high pitch.They gossip endlessly with each other, jabber jabber jabber goes on for hours an end.They take turns on the swing and hiding in the small pot that we have kept for them to lay their eggs, whenever that happens.
K spoils them no end. He enjoys watching them play, so gives them innnovative play things. He leaves some coriander or greens stems on the roof.They immediately are up on the ceiling and turn themselves upside down and nibble at it and try and drag it down.Two of them pull in two different directions and a tug of war goes on.But they dont give up, this game goes on for a while. Yesterday he tried cabbage and made them into small circular pieces and left them on the roof of their cage. They were at it with full gusto.Two of them are aggressive, the third one is happy to nibble at it when these two are taking a break from hectic activity.Live and let live philosophy.
Last few days they have started tearing the newspaper that is spread on the floor. They used to do this trick only when their morning meal was delayed but now that they have become typical brats, they have started messing up the paper by evening.
They quieten down by evening and sit demurely on the small rod.They invariably sit sticking to each other.I have watched them sometimes in the middle of the night.They are sitting right there.I guess they are having a shut eye sitting.
It definitely is like having small kiddos at home; without the nappie changing!

ranbaxy daiichi deal

2008-06-18T00:10:00.000-07:00

Can Indian entrepreneurs take the companies they passionately built to be No 1 company in the world?Passion and enterprise seem to guide the first generation; but for a successful venture the second and third generation do not have the passion and emotional intelligence and mental maturity to take it to the next level .
This is the view expressed by a freelance professional in a leading daily today.It led me thinking about corporate culture in today's India.Ranbaxy deal is the proximate cause for this blog. I have also been quite intrigued by the entire takeover news. India is upbeat on pharmaceutical companies and of late even when the market was volatile and showing steep declines, it was the pharma stocks which were holding firm. Ranbaxy has been giving always positive news and is seen as professionally managed with very good reputation. Medical practitioners swear by their drugs for their efficacy and consistency.
But then why did they sell out? The owner is only 36 years old and that makes it more intriguing. Is it the love of money and no responsibilities that was the driving force?Or as the author in this daily says Indian entrepreneurs dont have the mental stamina and vision to take it to a global level. He also compares it to Indians not having the killer instinct in sport.
Institution builders are not lured by money.The passion and the vision is what drives them and keeps them going. We seem to settle for average growth and manageable scale.Colonial mindset or spiritual stagnation, what is it?
Perhaps I only want news of Indian companies acquiring global brands; the reverse is unpalatable. This itself is a good sign.

It is pogo time

2008-06-15T23:13:00.000-07:00

J is gripped by pogo fever. She eagerly waits for the newspaper and asks for a priority viewing of The hindu metroplus. She zooms in on pogo and notes down her favourite programmes.Summer holiday has really made her a discerning viewer. She operates within the parameters set by her mommy and optimises her enjoyment!
So it happens that I also get a liberal dose of pogo. She is an avid conversationalist, so not only do i get to view them but also get her views, news and reviews in good measure.Pink panther and chhota bheem are her hot favourites ( for now that is!).Sunday mornings are 'sunaina' and Ramayana she told me. She wanted to know whether sunaina is my favourite programme also. She said all her close friends watch it without fail on Sunday morning at 10 am.Of course it goes without saying that she has watched every episode of Mr Bean and will give a running commentary just like an avid Rajnikant fan watching his favourite star for the 20th time, and repeating loudly his punch dialogues and spoiling the fun for others.But here my enjoyment is heightened and not curtailed by her eager comments.
Things were going smoothly and we were settling down cosily, when I was rudely shaken by a commercial. It was about a perfume. We have seen this ad on other adult channels and it ends with " it is very sexy". I was shocked that they are airing the same ad in a children's channel , the only concession being the models are small kids and not adults and the punch line is " it is naughty".For the uninitiated, it is about girls falling head over heels in love with boys who wear this perfume.Is this what we want to tell small kids? What is the advertisement council doing?
That we are making the kids consumerists is bad enough, but adult themes unobstrusively thrust into kiddos minds?The company and the artist need life imprisonment, nothing less.
To indicate how powerful the medium is, I can tell you one example. There was an ad about popcorn and immediately J went inside and pulled out a packet of popcorn which was left over. There was another ad about chocolate and J immediately went in and pulled out two chocolates for the two of us. This is the effect, immediate and strong and compelling them to use the product.
Exploitation of children, need not only be by making them work or making them models for these ads.It is also distorting their worldview.

Dharma yuddham; Nizhal nijamagiradu

2008-06-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

Simran has made a come back through TV serials.Simranin's chinna thirai is the programme being aired on jaya tv every week day. I was quite curious to see her though I have never been much of a fan. Her best performance was in kannathil muthamittal and it was an all time great performance.
Thankfully this teleserial has a new format. It is not a megaserial. It is a monthly serial, so it starts and gets over in 20 episodes flat. I understand they are based on popular novels of famous authors in Tamil. The first one was based on Sujatha's novel , pattampoochi. I watched it out of curiosity and stood glued to the Tv for subsequent stories also.
The latest is about the drug mafia. It is also topical.The human tragedy during the recent immunisation process in Chennai is the backdrop of the serial for the month of June. It is gripping, though so far Simran does not have much scope.Nobody else in fact; the real hero is the story and the tragedy of the situation.
The deaths of some children during an immunisation drive is not due to contaminated needles; not unhygenic surroundings; nor is it due to vaccines which have not been kept in the required cold chain.It is due to the unsatiable greed of drug companies who want to profit by selling drugs to sick children.They do not want immunisation to stop illnesses among children.
Hence when a new vaccine is discovered, they want to abort the entire immunisation process by sneaking a carton of a spurious drug which effectively kill the children who are administered from that carton.
Every episode is gripping but leaves you drained at the end of it. But then you have to see the next.With all the tragedies you want the just and right to triumph in the end.
Of course it is so good that there are no viewers of the right kind and hence no advertisements. How long does one have to tolerate the idhayam oil pulling advertisement umpteen times during the serial?

New health insurance policy for tamil nadu govt employees

2008-06-12T03:49:00.000-07:00

Very rarely do I stir myself to comment on insurance sector. But today's news report and photo captions were crying out for a blogspost.
For the last few days the new health insurance scheme for all employees of tamil Nadu government has been making news. It was following a predictable pattern; A perfunctory news about a new health insurance scheme; A few days later news that a new private sector insurance company is offering this product; Additional news that none of the public sector general insurance companies could match the quotation from this new player; and that Tamil nadu government was enticed to finalise the deal with them.
Predictably one section of employees said, that they will not accept this scheme as it is not offered by state owned companies. Nothing was heard of them later.The spokesman of the government came out with information that the premium is so low and the benefits so large, that it is in the interest of the employees, and who offers them is incidental.
Today the scheme is introduced and the first policy handed over to a beneficiary. The irony is all the four public sector general insurance companies were also represented, as they are coinsurers to the scheme.
They don't get the goodwill and publicity but they will be booked for a proportion of the claims that would arise. Heads somebody else wins, but tails these companies lose.

Rasoda

2008-06-12T03:31:00.000-07:00

This is amma's favourite recipe and as kiddos we used to love it. If you thought that you have heard the last of potato based indian recipes, think again. This one is tangy and has unique flavour and goes excellently with crisp pooris. I remember we used to be amazed at the number of pooris we used to consume with this tasty sidedish.
Now for a peepview into the recipe:
Potatoes to be cut in fairly large cubes, washed and put aside. Take a kadai and add a little cooking oil.When hot, add jeera and curry leaves and let it splutter. Then add the potatos and saute it in slow flame. Keep it covered.
Cut tomatos into small pieces and add to the potatos.Let it simmer for a while.
Take dhania, red chillies, cloves, pattais and fry them on a dry kadai. Allow them to cool and then powder them dry.
When the potatoes are half done, add some water to cover them and also add this dry powder. Add salt and turmeric powder. Keep the dish closed and cook on slow flame.
When a pleasant aroma wafts all around the house and there is a steady stream of curious visitors to your kitchen, remove from fire. Add coriander leaves, cut and washed.
PS: you can cut onions to this dish if you wish as a variation. Cut onions into small pieces and fry them lightly and grind them in the mixie. Add them alongwith tomatos to the half cooked potato.
Rasoda is ready for serving.
Actually it goes very well with dosa, idli and also idiyappam.
I made this dish after a long time when J was at home. It was a great moment for all of us as J does not touch anything spicy. But she enjoyed this dish so much, that it made my day. I guessed she loved the tangy taste.
It was also an incentive to pen this blog.

Jab We met

2008-06-08T04:50:00.000-07:00

I saw Jab we met once more yesterday. I saw it about a month back and fell for the feel good factor in the movie. I was quite open to seeing it once more. I was pleasantly surprised that Sony max was playing it yesterday. I had made enough bookings to watch it in our home tv. Yes, bookings are necessary these days what with French open and cricket matches blocking all tv viewing.I had told amma that she should watch and give notice to appa that it is her tv time from 8 pm.Normally appa is in charge of remote as you would have guessed.
How could Kareena and Shahid split after this movie, is the question which kept popping up in my mind.It is such a good movie and both of them are such eye candy material and they obviously shared a chemistry, how could they split?Strange are the ways of the tinselworld.
Anyways, the songs and the easy tune and beautiful scenery captivated me completely. Dont remember seeing such a clean, fun movie for quite sometime. Nathula pass scene was just superb. The story and script writer has done a fantastic job. Is it in someway reminding me of dil chahta hai? I wonder. Fantastic locations, cryptic and youthful dialogues, easy storyline, a sliver of 'life'. I read that the t shirt, pyjama combination has become quite a hit with the college girls!
Did not feel bored even for a minute.
Are you convinced or should I keep talking some more, says Kareena to the ticket checker;it says it all about her chatterbox image. Her sister has a 'recall' one liner... Am i a consolation prize?
This movie is going to be dubbed in Tamil (or remade) with dhanush and shriya. Who will play the sister?
Does Santhosham subramaniam ring a bell; a feel good movie I mean.There does seem to be plenty of space for such clean fun filled good movies.
Give me Jab we met, dch and SS anytime, anyplace.

It is sheer Magic

2008-06-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

Summer holidays in Chennai has become quite enjoyable for kids. No, the famous chennai heat has not done the vanishing act. It is just that it has been accepted as given and then carry on from there.When parents are through with scanning the pages of dailies for summer courses for kiddos and putting them through a few, they are left with time and money on their hands. Enter the movie moghuls.There seems to be a plethora of children movies doing the rounds. Nowadays the movies for children are actively marketed as fun filled for the entire family.Children's movies are scheduled to be released in May and they are doing much better than the regular movies.
This year we noticed the magic shows are being actively promoted. Wide publicity and screaming billboards made us want to try them out.

Jadugar Anand was holding his shows in Kalaivanar arangam.The entire family landed up there, as every one said, that it is ages since they went to a magic show and amma particularly said she is always an ardent fan of magic shows.J all of 8 years said she has never seen a magic show and always wanted to go for one!
This show was a spectacle in the true sense. It was a SHOW. The stage was jazzy with dancing light beams of all colours adding a mystic feeling.It was golden and purple colour curtains in satin smoothly taking off to give us a peep into what is in store for us this evening. The band picked up a racy beat and the crescendo was reached in a few minutes.Petite girls and young boys particularly small made came on stage and made a nice dance parade of sorts.
The actual magic show began and unrolled one wonder after another. Anand used to finish a piece and then stand there with his hands stretched wide with a demure expression; that was the cue that the piece is over and he is not unwelcome to a grand applause!My hands went red with applauding after every show.
A huge elephant suddenly appeared on the stage practically from nowhere and then made a leisurely exit.Liberty statue was shown and bit by bit it was shown to disappear into thin air.
There were boxes and boxes all the way. The boys and girls used to be put into one box or the other and knives and daggers used to be inserted right into them and they will come back unscathed.Hypnotism and levitation were very captivating. A girl from the audience was made to lie down on a bench and slowly the bench was removed and she was hanging in mid air.I have been trying to find out the magic, science and hypnosis of this levitation from the net. But while it explains some, it leaves much unsaid.
Of course, flower vases from thin air, rabbits and white pigeons from a hat are a must in any magic show and this one was no exception.
This show was unique in that other magicians who routinely perform on the Tv were also present in the audience and they were duly brought on stage and honoured.
Comedian vivek had come with his family and J had good fun going up and shaking hands with him and his kids at the end of the show. She also went to the green room and greeted Jadugar Anand and said he does appear quite old!
I have not been to a magic show since my school days in Tambaram and I enjoyed the magic, spectacle and drama that Jadugar Anand displayed on stage that day.

twittering birds

2008-05-29T04:17:00.000-07:00

For the first time there are some pets in our house. Yes, three love birds have come home as B had asked me to safe keep them during the time she will be holidaying in Kodaikanal. Very precise and strict instructions were given and she has been checking up on their progress regularly!J on her behalf has also told me dos and donts. It is her special pet you see, so she reluctantly put their cage in my custody.
They are such good fun. Easy to maintain is a big plus. Neighbours dont complain that they have dirtied their front yard. Guests dont have to be assured that it is okay, the pet is harmless.I dont have to get dogfood home delivered!I dont have to housetrain them. They are beautiful to look at. Two are light blue feathered and one is parrot green.They twitter non stop during midday and by evening they quieten down and sit demurely on the rod thinking of God knows what. My friend N who is an animal/pet encyclopaedia told me that i should cover their cage with a blanket in the night, so that they are not disturbed by light suddenly switched on in their room. Otherwise they get confused she told me. I have not got around to doing that, but I ensure that they are kept in a room normally not frequented by anyone in the night.We actually tiptoe when we enter that room in the dark.
Their routine goes something like this. First thing in the morning is their feed. Before the feed their cutlery(!) have to be cleaned and so also their living/drawing /bedroom. A very nice arrangement exists in the cage. A sliding floor on which I am to spread a newspaper. Take out the cutlery consisting of one mud pot for their birdfeed and one cup for water.Throw the remains of the food and water and clean them and stock them with fresh food. Then remove the sliding floor and wash and lay a fresh clean newspaper and slide it in.Open the small door and let in the food and water. Close the door. Watch the action.
The birds eagerly get to the food and the three of them initially jostle for the best place to sit and peck at their feed. Some bullying of course takes place, but soon enough they settle down with their breakfast. Silence reigns supreme; except for the tak tak of biting into the seeds, they keep quiet. After a few minutes they move around a bit and generally spread their wings and clean them with their beaks. They come back again for some more and this goes on for a while. They then settle down to have a go at the swing and then starts the chatter. It really goes on for quite a while, they have lots to communicate to each other. This is when K does his yoga in that room and he says he feels as though he is doing his yoga in the open air under a tree!
Then I take the cage and put it out in the rear verandah where J has told me they need to be in the open air and they want to see trees. They settle down for a while; I have spotted them curl up inside the two pots with a hole which are supposed to resemble a hole in a tree. I was initially worried about the cats prowing our area. But so far they seem to have avoided each others territory.
Yesterday I bought spinach and K cut them into small pieces and fed them deligently.They attacked them and finished them in no time. It is almost as though it is their dessert. Not for them horror stories of trying to feed kiddos with spinach. Nor will their husbands ask them okay there is spinach but what is there to EAT?
I was also asked to add two drops of a medicine into their waterbowl today.
Actually initially they were two pairs.Two light blues and two parrot greens. J told me one died when they came to look them up one morning a few days after they bought them. It was believed that this lone pair will pine away. But what I am seeing is this green lone one has teamed up with one of the blues. And the blue was taking away some ticks(or some dirt) from the back of the green bird. All the while the other blue is making a big racket and moving all over the place and fluttering its feathers very noisily. Fascinating to watch. yes and very soothing.
The twittering of birds is happening all the time and I feel like in the outdoors. I have decided to have them and care for them.

ganpathi temple pune

2008-04-27T04:47:00.000-07:00

I thought it is going to be yet another visit to a temple. We planned and went to siddi vinayak temple in Saras bhag,Pune. Only after darshan did we realise that the place has an excellent collection of vinayak idols, tastefully exhibited as in a museum. Ganpathi museum does sound unusual.But it was a very unique experience and we thoroughly enjoyed viewing more than 1000 ganpatis in various forms.

We saw ganpati as a child playing around; we saw ganpathi holding a newspaper and reclining and enjoying the read; we saw ganpathi holding an umbrella and a kamandal as if going on a pilgrimage(kasi yatra?); we saw ganpathi having more than one head; we saw ganpathi in kalinga nardana pose ; we saw ganpathi who has his tusk turned right; we saw ganpathi carved in a tiny shell to a gigantic form in wood.Several idols were intricately made and kept adorning the entrance to the museum.Ganpatis were also made of every conceivable medium; cocoanut husk, sea weed,cocoanut shell,porcelein, terracota, wood of various kinds, glass, paper mache, engraved on rock, brass and bronze .

I went into a philosophical mode thinking how it is always a pleasure to look at ganpathi whatever way he is depicted. The tusk and the massive tummy are unique to him. Also his image as the smarter of the two siblings, who uses his brain rather than rushing to perform.Sporting a massive tummy obviously means he is indiscreet and indulges in food. Must be endearing him to all kiddos as being one of their kind.Having the tiny rat as his vaahanam again makes him a winner. I remember during ganesh chaturthi it is particularly fascinating for kids to shape the moonjooru from the clay brought for the occasion.

Ganpati chaturthi is also a fun affair for most where you are allowed to depict him in whatever form. He is truly a God you can relate to .

The maharashtrian fervour for Ganpati has truly bit me.

Pune sizzles

2008-04-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

This was the lead story in all newspapers yesterday in Pune. The temperature had crossed 42.6 degrees and it definitely was lead story material no question about that.(did I give away that I have a newspaper connection somewhere?). I could not believe that Pune could record such temperatures. But then the newstory mentioned that the earlier occasion was in april 1981. I was very much here in Pune then. I do not recall ever feeling very hot and huffing and puffing in Pune ever.It could be that I was busy and buzzling about to notice and comment on such trivial matters as summer temperatures. It is also possible that mind plays games with us sometimes. Perhaps J also has a point when she says, it is usual for everyone to believe that the current year is the worst summer whereas when we look up the met office records invariably they are wrong.

It happens more often in cities like Pune or Bangalore where the senior citizens feel the city has changed beyond comprehension due to rapid urbanisation.As an outsider you are made to feel that somehow you are to blame for the state of the weather.

I immediately asked for a aircooler to be installed at home. They came instantaneously and while they were fixing it up I thought I never could believe that I would be having a aircooler at home in Pune. When I had come here for the first time after marriage, I was told that our house does not have a single fan. I panicked in the true Madrassi fashion, who needs her roti, kapda and makan with fans. But I was assured that I would never need one. After a few days I insisted that I need a fan. A rickety old table fan of unknown vintage was dragged out and fixed in our room. It used to circulate lot of air alright but made such a noise that it disturbed S. I slept through and he would get up and switch it off. Which is when I would wake up and quietly switch it on again. This game went on for a while and it had to stop sometime. It was a great event at home when I came back from office and was told to inspect the new ceiling fan installed. It called for some sort of celebration.

And now more than 25 years later, an air cooler ushered in such a happy mood.

I was also amazed at the sharp contrast in the climate and environment when I had come here last in October. It was unusually cold and it was with great difficulty I used to go for my morning walks. The pathway from my house to the jogging track used to be lined with flower beds and flowers of all shapes and colours used to be inviting and pleasing the eye. My mood used to lift immediately and I would be floating on a bed of euphoria throughout my walk. The jogging track used to be lined with asoka tress and the mist would be clearing slowly and sharp and pencil straight yellow rays would be piercing through.The lawns and the entire campus used to look painted a vivid green. It was good to be alive.

Now the campus looks forlorn and the roses are there no doubt but they are shrunk and want to be left alone.The saving grace is the jasmine bushes.The white scented flowers cover the entire bush and the nithyamalli flowers and the jasmine together waft into the house and give a joyous feeling. Y used to say thank god there is summer, we can have mangoes. I want to say now thank god for the summer, for there is mallippo.

pragati express

2008-04-25T03:43:00.000-07:00

I had this ticket from Mumbai to Pune and it said starting station as CST. I had a nagging doubt that it could be Churchgate station , or Mumbai central station. I asked my colleague who is a hardcore Mumbaite and she said CST is of course VT station. I double checked with another friend and only then I was at ease. The places which are so well known have been name changed just like the Maharashtrian women have an annoying habit of changing their maiden names after marriage. Their surname of course changes and their maiden names are also changed and the person really goes into an invisible mode for the outside world. I remember while working in Pune ,on several occasions someone wants to locate a girl from their school/college days and they would ask me "Asha Tolankar" hai kya aap ka office me? I would tell them very faithfully that we dont have such an employee with us. Immediately some staff member who would have eavesdropped on the conversation would say immediately , that we do have Neha Dube and of course they are asking for her!

I got into Pragati express in the good old VT station. I felt i was travelling in Chennai Bangalore Shatabdi express. The ambience, the pantry service and more than that the profile of persons travelling made the connection. It started on time and immediately from the pantry, bottled water was brought out. The interiors of the compartment were full of pictures of Pune and the various tourist spots there. As the train picked up speed, so did the vendors of snacks. We had a choice of cheese sandwich, batata sandwich, cutlets, tomato soup and the 'must taste' batata vada. All the items were wrapped in paper napkins and paper bags. Railway catering service is truly going 'green'.I am a great one for tasting authentic cuisine of that place and got tempted with the batata vada. But i resisted the temptation!

I was politely approached by a man with a request if i could shift to another seat further down the compartment. He said his family was travelling and only his mother is sitting all alone in that seat. I would have readily agreed but for what he said as a clinching argument; it is a window seat maam.I did not want to accept the lollypop that he was offering me for what was a simple act of courtesy. So I stuck to my seat.

I had another lady who was right behind me, who was talking quite loudly on her handphone and also to her neighbours. I know where she lives, what her views are on every political issue of the day and what her plans for the evening and weekend in Pune are. But then this habit of talking loudly on the handphone seems to be a prevalent disease. There were atleast three others in the compartment who were quite seriously bitten by this infectious bug. No, I dont want to know the multi crore deals they are putting through; i dont want to know the umpteen instructions they are giving to their secretaries; also I dont want to hear them telling their friends/family about the exact location of the train every half an hour.It was really comical when the train was just outside the Pune station.Every one of them had to inform their whereabouts to someone who is eagerly(!) waiting for them.We are great communicators, no doubt about that.

I had a young mother as my next seat neighbour. Her son was all of 3 years perhaps and thankfully slept through most of the journey after taking some snacks and cool drinks at the beginning of the journey. He was rudely woken up just before Pune and the mother started to dress him up! I was shocked to see her taking out a plastic box half full of powder with a nice 'puff' sitting inside. She started applying the face powder liberally on the face of the child. What is special you may ask. From time immemorial all mothers atleast in India have been following this ritual. But then this kiddo was very fair and cows milk was oozing from his countenance!What was the purpose of spoiling a blemishless flawless milky white complexion with 'face powder'. Mothers are inscrutable.

The station was nearing and everyone was taking out their luggage from the luggage rack. There was this young girl who was trying to bring down a rather heavy bag. I saw two young men passing by but none of them offered to help.I am not talking chivalry here, but helping another person who needs it.I offered to help and of course she politely refused, but of course i helped her anyway.

Three and a half hours and the time passed swiftly with interesting people and erich sehgal to keep me company. I would gladly do this trip anyday.

It is festival time here

2008-04-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

Last two days have been fun with tamizh varusha pirappu and sri rama navami juxtaposed and also an extended weekend. The neighbourhood temples have gone berserk as it were with hectic preparations and wonderful celebrations. This is the first time I am able to enjoy their religious fervour fully. There was an entire fortnight of build up for sri rama navami utsavam. Visaka hari was slated for the start of the utsavam on 2nd april and for another ten days sri hari was scheduled to give discourses in the evening. I could never sit through any of these harikathas but I saw the crowd dispersing after the harikatha or starting to assemble before the event. The notice board in the temple used to be quite full with various engagements for the month.
We went there on tamizh varusha pirappu day in the evening.The smell of homam smoke was still thick in the air. Ramar sannidhi was getting decorated and outside the sannidhi preparations were on to tie the vishu kani the next day. General festive atmosphere was in the temple. A group of women devotees were chanting bhajans. All the deities were sporting gold kavachams and resplendently attired. I felt very good to be there at the start of the new year.
Today morning I made a beeline again for sri rama navami. This time the homam was in full swing and the priest was explaining the meaning of the japams. Vishu kani was strung on the roof and i could spot lots of fruits and vegetables which i am told will be distributed to the poor people next day.We were given a one rupee coin as prasad as a mark of 'vishu'. We also had prasad of neer mor, paanagam and kosumri. Ramar sannidhi was decorated wonderfully and Ramar was overloaded with tulasi maalias and jasmine garlands but his silver bow was shining amidst all the flowers.
Puja at home reminded me strongly of our childhood in Tambaram and appa's fervour for rama navami celebrations. Appas favourite songs from ramakrishna mutt ,Suddha brahma paratpara ram, Kanakambara and Sri rama chandra were remembered and sung with great gusto.
Later in the day, Worldspace radio had an entire collection of Aruna chala kavirayar's Rama natakam and it was sheer bliss.
I was walking past ayyappan temple nearby and was stuck by the truck loads of flowers spread there on the floor. Mounds of arali, jasmine, tulasi, crysanthamum and roses were being gathered and peeled by devotees sitting in large groups. I am sure the pookolam that would be made there would be wonderful and a true 'eye candy'.
Festival time, be in Chennai. But then take time out to do a relaxed round up. If you are in a rush, then what is the fun of festivals?

school carnival

2008-04-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Our neighbour called on us last week to give invitation for a carnival in a school nearby.It was on saturday. I was ambivalent about going there, even though it is just next door;but you have to go more than 500 m to enter the school which is facing the main road as it were.My neighbour insisted that we should go there and I said yes, count me in, if only to show neighbourhood bonding.
Right from 3 pm, we could hear music and lots of activities and fun and I decided to go there just after sun down.
I never expected so much of crowd there; it was very well organised with stalls manned by the school teachers. Lots of food stalls and all home made goodies. Chat items were authentic as also the masala vada and bajjis.After tasting the chutneys I was sure it was homemade and from a very capable cook.Lime juice and musambi juice were in hot demand as also ice cream stall was doing brisk business.
We tried our hand in the hoopla stall. While P was at it, actress manorama tropped in and lots of video and photo session took place. She looked just as she does in the Aachi masala ads. There was an entire group which was trooping along with her and we had a ringside view.
I was interested in all the craft items made by the school children. Very good greeting cards and fancy covers and some trinkets too were for sale. I got a few of these. I am quite a sucker for anything 'arty' as I can only appreciate and cant fold a paper for saving my life.
I found exhibits of paintings and water colour posters all along the walls.Really the role of colour and paint in our lives needs to be studied seriously for a doctorate programme.
It was only when I was coming out that I realised that it is a school for special children and also doubles as a research and training centre. I was kindly invited to visit the school during working hours.
We knew there used to be an old couple living there. Obviously they have turned the place into a trust and the trust runs this establishment.
I was ashamed to be such an ignorant neighbour. Plan to correct the mistake quite soon.

amma's travel post

2008-04-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

Amma wrote a very beautiful piece about their sudden mumbai trip.I want to upload it on my blog.

Sudden bombay trip

A fleeting thought and a wish transformed into reality!That is how our Bombay trip can be explained.To accede to their father’s wish the daughters, son and grandson did things in such a quick way that we were in the plane in a matter of 7 hours.One daughter brought a suitcase and packed our things;grandson brought another suitcase and quick eats for the night, just in case; he also booked our tickets; another daughter filled in the necessary details for the trip and also reminded me of all the things to be done before leaving.We were mere spectators. Nice to have efficient children.The funny part was, I was supposed to be the executive, ordering about the subordinates!
Once we reached the airport we were told the flight was delayed, so we relaxed in the lounge. Our son had asked that we take the business class and hence we soaked in the luxury.When we asked for a magazine, we were given a magazine of unknown language!The attender also did not know what language it was.We had the funny experience of being wheeled into the lift and also lifted right up to our seat on the plane. No security check up, no checking in, no tagging our luggage; everything was taken care of by an attendant .The night scene of Chennai from the flight was most beautiful.We enjoyed the benefits of traveling business class. The solicitousness of the airhostesses, the number of magazines given to us and that too in a tray,the umpteen glasses of fruit drinks and tender cocoanut water that were offered and of course not to mention the capacious seats and leg space made our travel quite comfortable and memorable.
We landed in Mumbai and saw quite a few saffron clad swamis in the arrival lounge.I came to know later that Swami chinmayananda’s disciple was holding a meeting in Mumbai that day.The airport has been modernized beyond recognition and it can very easily compare itself with the best in the world.I was amazed at the sheer number of planes taking off and landing and taxiing in such a short span of time.Spicejet aircraft with their colourful tails were very prominent.
We reached home late in the night.
Mumbai is unique; there is very little parking space, so if you need to go somewhere, the driver will drop you and keep circling the area and pick you up when you call him on his mobile!
This trip was arranged as per KRR’s wishes .His next wish was to visit ahobila mutt temple in chembur.Kumar made necessary arrangements for the same. While traveling in the car , ‘’anda naal nyabagam nenjile vandade”.It was 1945, just after the Allies victory. My father had taken me to the VT station, which was illuminated with colourful bulbs of various hues and sizes.I can still recall the illuminated tram with the words ‘allies won year 1945’.This tram was the cynosure of all eyes on that day.As a ten year old girl I was also delighted to see this.Even after so many decades, this picture frame is etched green in my memory.So also, the memory of a ship explosion when we were crossing Bycullah, and its aftermath is still fresh.While passing through Matunga, the memory of Dec 1978, when we had come there after my daughter’s engagement in Pune, was fresh.We were now passing through Ghatkopar and I was busy searching for Chandra Shah hospital where my son was born. My brother Babu liked the food the hospital served so much, that he used to polish off the food given to me. I could not consume anything as it was very rich with ghee and I barely could manage the ‘pathiya saapadu’ that my mother used to bring.For the first time I saw mothers after a few hours of delivery, consume sweets like mysore pak and laddu. I was told that it is necessary for the mothers to regain strength and the nurse used to goad me to try some. She used to tell me, aap log imli ka pani letho ho, isliye koi takath nahi.I was still intrigued how they are able to digest these heavy foods and I was told that they are given a health drink of gum and some herbs, first thing in the morning; they are also given a special gum laddu which is supposed to strengthen the waist and uterus.
While I was traveling back in time wistfully , the car was busy covering lot of ground.
We did not witness any traffic jams.The roads were fairly clean and .broad and also had footpaths on which people can actually walk.In Chennai everyday we come across in the newspapers about traffic accidental deaths; but in Mumbai for the two weeks that we were there, I did not read about a single accident.
We reached Ahobila mutt after nearly one and a half hours .The temple as such is not a very imposing one.You can see the main sannidhi as you are entering the temple.In front of the main sannidhi, there are small sannidhis for periya thiruvadi and siriya thiruvadi and also enough space for doing pradakshanam. In the main sannidhi you have lakshmi narasimhar and Lakshmi hayagrivar.There is another sannidhi for mahalakshmi. The sannidhi doors are made of pure goldThe doors of lakshmi sannidhi were more elaborate and intricate than that of the moolavar. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and it was not surprising!There are other small sannidhis including one for guruvayooorappan.There is a big pond and we could see brisk business of puja articles on the banks of the same.I was happy to see kadambam being strung with malli dhavanam and Krishna tulasi.In Chennai I have never seen Krishna tulasi being used for kadambam.A group of ayyangar mamis were chanting sri sthuthi and Vishnu sahasranamam.I have usually come across bhajan groups which chant desika sthothrams and divya prabhandam but sristhuthi and that too by women was unsual.
Our return journey was fairly quick and we were back home in less than an hour.

On Sunday Kumar took us to Malabar Hills. There was hardly any parking space. So we found some space for sitting while Kumar parked the car. It was very very chilly in the garden area and so we were not able to enjoy the sylvan surroundings and ambience. We had to return soon. After coming back we took a taxi to Banaswadi Balaji temple. The road leading to the temple was one way so we had to get down and walk some distance. Kumar was most careful leading his father in law, holding his hand. I was lagging behind because the road was not good. This temple is almost like oppiliappan koil, with the temple situated amidst residential buildings. Most of the temples in Tamil Nadu are situated far away from the street with a big compound wall of imposing length and width.
We were happy to see Prakara valam of Devaraja Perumal with chamaram kudai, theevati and a shenai was also being played instead of the usual nadaswaram. After sometime there was a recorded nadaswaram music. This temple has undergone vast improvement.The entire gita has been inscribed on the walls as also the pictures of the 108 divya desams. The temple was well maintained and spotlessly clean.The Bangurs of Calcutta built this temple and the archakas have been provided residential quarters inside the complex itself. After a satisfactory darshan of Lord Srinivasa and Alarmelmangai thayar,we hired a taxi in front of the temple itself and returned home.
I told Kumar that there need be no more outings but Vasu’s father after 2 days of walking inside the compound wanted to go to Gateway of India. Once again there was no parking space and the driver Francis asked us to have a leisurely and he would pick us up after 20 minutes. There was a wedding in the Taj Hotel and we saw a beautifully decorated white horse. The baratis were standing on the platform and waiters were serving them cool drinks and cookies. A car with orchids about a foot wide and shaped in the form of a n S was standing.This itself must have cost a fortune. Renovation work was going on in front of the Gateway of India and we could not go anywhere near it. There were lots of boats of various sizes and my mind flew back to the time when we went to elephanta caves as a group. I was able to touch the sea from the boat and was thrilled beyond words.
From Gateway of India we went to Cuffe Parade and saw the President hotel and the park where we used to have our evening walks when Raja was there in Mumbai. In the mornings we used to go beyond Hotel President and walk upto M FHussain’s flat situated in a big complex. On the way back we saw lots of fishermen repairing their nets and the entire space was very dirty.
The next day was Satyanarayana Puja in kumar’s office. We went down by 11 o clock and the puja was going on and on. The marathi priest was saying the mantras in a sing song voice and it took some time for me to understand what he was saying.Towards the end the priest drew a kolam on a plate. There was a maharashtrian couple doing the puja. The wife was conspicuous by her loose hair. It was strange because we in south India don’t keep the hair loose as it is considered inauspicious. The office staff were informal and it was very nice. They were chatting and joking.When the priest started a bhajan everyone joined and clapped hands keeping tala. The priest went on adding one camphor after another and it took more than 15 minutes. After which the karta was asked to do sashtanga namaskaram which he tried to avoid. But all the others egged him on.All of us put flowers and aashtadai.
There was another function in which emplouyees who have put in more than 10 years of service were honoured. We came home and refreshments meant for us were brought by an office boy. Our going to this function resulted in lot of people exchanging smiles and greetings whenever we were having our walk. The watchmen used to get up and say salam sir. Generally the people were very courteous and were very respectful.While going in the lift the other occupants used to open the door and come out to make way for us.
Exactly on the 15th day we started on our return journey.As the flight was scheduled to leave by 7 am we had to leave rather early.We got up at 4.30 am . Much to my chagrain Kumar came in to find out if I have got up. By the time we started it was 5.35 am. It was a very nice drive on empty roads and cool air blowing. While we were on our way to the airport, Kumar made a remark that my efficiency level has come down as he thought that I would wake him up. Ageing process! During the flight we had pink colour upma with big raisins and cashew. The breakfast was very heavy and I had to refuse some dishes.
Thus we came back home ; home sweet home after an unforegettable fortnight in Mumbai.

Sevalaya revisited

2008-04-07T04:14:00.000-07:00

We had occasion to revisit Sevalaya off Tirunindravur, paakkam village. The more I saw more my wonder grew at this great institution. They have an orphanage, an old age home, a goshala, craft centre and a full fledged school from primary to 12th standard.All these activities are free for the recipients; yes, it is true. I talked to the inmates in the old age home and spent time chatting with them.The paatis were in good cheer and shared jokes with me. One of the thathas who does very good art work showed me some of his table top decoration pieces. I was stunned that at his age he had the dexterity of his hands to try these things. Usually kaivelai is a women's pastime, but then this thatha has rewritten my existing belief system.I was happy he did.I was ardently invited to join them for lunch.The cook in charge of the old age home is a friendly and good natured woman and sat down and talked with me about how her two children are studying here and she has been deserted by her husband and but for this institution she does not know where she would have been. Definitely she would not have put her children through such a good school she said.One of the thathas help her on special occasions when she needs to prepare extra dishes. All other days the paatis whoever feel up to the task help her in cutting vegetables she told me.

The inmates are taken for a weekly medical check up in the van.The pattis were recalling about their trip the previous day.

The students were busy studying for their exams and hence I did not want to disturb them.

I had lunch with the boys and the food was very very tasty. The students were serving and gave me generous helping of the rasam.This meal was more tasty than the special lunch I had the last time i visited them. It was sponsored by a VIP on his birthday. Nothing to beat a simple wholesome meal, well prepared and affectionately served.

I met two students who have come all the way from Finland on exchange programme for a duration of 2 months. They have come a few days back and are staying and observing and learning on the campus. I quizzed them on choosing India and Chennai to which they said they are students of social work and wanted to choose a place which is as far removed from their place and had zeroed in on Africa or India. And they searched the net and found Sevalaya.Their emails brought instant and satisfactory response and hence they are here now. They were still finding their feet but felt comfortable. Thankfully the inmates were not fawning on them and treated them just like some guests on their premises.

I heard that the institution is run on sound modern management principles. I was amazed that there is performance evaluation which has been introduced after thorough discussion with the stakeholders .The same is under constant review and refinement.They were scheduled to meet next week to plan for the year ahead. I was told that the entire year is planned in advance and the calender is prepared accordingly.

The authorities are planning to hold computer familiarisation classes for the village people which is an annual feature during summer holidays. They also have a craft centre where the village women are taught tailoring which leads to a diploma. Career guidance is given in a structured manner as also spoken English classes are conducted for students and self improvement classes for teachers.

The students are taken on regular trips to places of interest and the elders to temples nearby once every month.

More than all these activities and programmes, what impressed me most was the spirit of camaraderie and friendliness and cheerfulness that pervaded the entire campus. It is not achieved easily and it is a true tribute to the management of this place.

I wish to be engaged with this institution more in the days to come.

Besant nagar humour club

2008-04-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Adyar times, the neighbourhood newspaper has been regularly carrying this programme in their engagements of the week column for several years now. They schedule it on the first sunday of everymonth.I have always read it with interest and would file it away in my mind that i would like to go and participate in one such meeting.An uncle of mine is a member of a humour club and he has been going strong about it for several years now.But then the timing is the issue; 4 pm on a sunday evening is quite difficult to keep an appointment, however tempting the programme.But then I got around it and landed in the premises well before the meeting began this weekend.

I studied the members present; quite a few greys, as can be expected. A good number of ladies mostly middle aged; I was pleasantly surprised to see some children. It was only later i realised that they had a competition for children and that is the reason some children and their mothers were with them. It made me think that the mothers seem to be keen to enter their kids in any programme as long as you label it 'competiton'; not otherwise. Never mind that there could hardly be a few entrants and the prizes at best could be a pencil box which the child would have in plenty already.

There was just one young boy who looked like a college student. He was keenly interested in the jokes that were shared, though he kept very much to himself. I can imagine him remembering and narrating some of the jokes to his friends the next day and score a few brownie points.

Some members come as far away as Madipakkam; they must really be sold on 'humour' to travel so far on a hot chennai summer afternoon.

The format was like this; select members were asked to come on stage and share a few jokes. Most of them used a sheet of paper as a reference; some of them referred their palm and scribblings on it ; some of them were extempore and they actually reeled off more than 20 jokes at one go. I was amazed.The timing and presence of mind were crucial as I could see. We were also introduced to members of laughter club. They assemble everyday at 6 am in besant nagar beach.

I was narrating this to my niece who has just given her 12th exam, and she said she was not amused. She said her colony had a laughter club and when she would be rushing to school on a monday morning more so if there is an unit test and while getting into the bus, the forced laughter of the laughter club with no apparent reason used to be jarring. Different folks, different strokes....

The chief guest spoke on the topic, 'ethanai kodi inbam vaithai iraiva' and generously spiced it with thirukkural, bharatiyar songs and vivekanandar's life. My favourite topic and it was 'paisa vasool'.

Maybe i wont go there regularly; it is difficult to sit through more than two hours of 'humour'.But they do invite very good guest speakers and I might occasionally be tempted.
Yes, I have become a member.

Rangachari cloth store

2008-04-04T02:17:00.000-07:00

We used to stay very close to Rangachari cloth store. I had realised then that this shop is a must visit for all NRIs who had grown up in Mylapore, when they come back for holidays. It has the quiet neighbourhood store look and feel about the place. You need to sit down on the floor and quietly gaze at the latest and the never changing saree designs all under one roof.Attrition is a word the shop has not heard so far; I can see the same salesman happily showing you the wares once you position yourself correctly. I made the mistake of sitting down at a random place and asking for kodambakkam sarees in nine yards. The salesman was quite shocked. He said not here and would not even direct me to the correct corner. The shop is not more than 3 small rooms of a house and it was perhaps the first time that a customer does not know her way around the shop. It was then i realised that the shop believes in having customers for ever including two or three generations of them. Perhaps for some NRIs this place is more of a home than their own home;quite likely their sprawling house would have been demolished to build flats.The house we stayed in Bhaskarapuram met such a fate and I knew the pains of the children who were in Canada then. But Rangachari cloth store remains as it were.
I went there after a long gap. It was quite empty; in fact I got token No 3 for safekeeping of my footwear and it was midday. I went inside quite pleased to have the place pretty much to myself. I can tell you that I dont enjoy the mami crowd in this shop.They know every little detail about sarees; they settle down comfortably and ask the salesman for a saree with particular colour and particular border in a specific model. The salesman used to happily oblige them, whereas when I ask for a nine yards saree for athai, and leave it at that, he is perplexed and goes about in a desultory fashion.They are challenged by customers who seek them out with specifics. Sometimes I have seen mamis tell the salesman, that they saw this particular saree being worn by a lady who was next to them in the queue in kapaleeswarar temple last friday. Invariably they get what they want or atleast a promise that they will procure it for them in a few days time.
This time, I had a definite request. Kalyani cotton saree please I told them. The salesman immediately obliged and within a few minutes I selected what I want. I never knew kalyani cotton till S's mother told me and I cashed on it immediately!It looks like pattu saree and has a mix of spun silk in it she told me;good to wear when you go out.
I completed my purchase and then realised that I was the only customer in the entire shop. There was one another mother/daughter combine who were speaking in Hindi and that does not count.They were not sitting down and having sarees strewn all over them; nor were they lovingly feeling the texture and asking for more. They were looking at it as in an exhibition, like window shopping. I then noticed somebody taking some videos. I asked the cashier and he told me they are students from a city college.They asked permission to shoot inside the shop as they had to submit a project by that evening.He was smiling in an indulgent fashion. I did too.
I was coming out of the shop and a bright board greeted me. Annual discount sale from 2nd April. It was 31st March. Sure enough I have been smart to beat the most attractive 'genuine' sale in that shop. I can tell you that it has been a keenly anticipated event and my neighbour at Bhaskarapuram used to purchase their annual requirement in one go during this sale in April.

annual day celebrations

2008-03-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-18T04:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-15T23:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-01T00:41:00.000-08:00

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.

Rangarajan, the writer Sujatha

2008-02-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

I was shocked to read that writer Sujatha passed away yesterday in chennai. I thought it was just a while ago that I had happened to pass him by in marina. He did look thin and frail. But then he had been writing scripts for latest movies and writing regularly in tamil magazines, so I brushed aside that image; my favourite column was about alwar pasurangal that he wrote for the vikatan.The migration from romantic writing to crime thrillers to science fiction to religion was smooth and pleasurable for readers.
He was gifted and with a unique gift in an unique time. It was the beginning of computer era and he demystified computers to the tamil language readers of popular magazines. His writing was racy and stylish and quite a novelty in tamil.We were all of us hooked on to his writing and to his style more than the story.The topic of conversation the next day in college would invariably be the unusual twist of phrases that would leap at you as it were and bring a 'wah' feeling.
His nostalgia pieces about srirangam were hilarious and gave a peep into the typical lifestyle of boys in those small temple towns. Kumar used to relate to it fondly and I am sure he thought of sujatha as a 'senior' from his 'ooru'.
It was just last week that shyamala was telling me that she is reading sujatha's novels in Sydney, having borrowed from a well stocked library in the neighbourhood.But then we will be only re reading his novels;no more new releases.
One of the poignant short stories that i have carried with me was about his visit to his father's bedside when he was sick. A masterpiece. Did his children feel something similar?

.

tailors, past and present continuous

2008-02-21T07:43:00.000-08:00

I had briefly lost faith in tailors and switched to ready made blouses. I was introduced to 'athreya' readymade garments by niru and I was hooked on. It was painstaking to go to this shop which was way beyond my 'pettai' and also quite outside our usual forays in the city. But then style and fashion dont come easy.This shop used to have designer blouses when they were not very common. No, dont get me wrong thinking it has any connection to khushboo's wardrobe and jackpot programme.It used to be stitched just right and they had a good collection. I used to pile up sarees and do a wholesale purchase.It became a biannual ritual for me.
But then, my niece su, introduced me to tailors in our neighbourhood. She is very fussy and if a tailor makes it to her grade, then it is fine with me. So it was Aartline tailors for some time .It was quite inconvenient to reach, in a small gully just off adyar signal.They believed in order numbers and mobile contacts. Their workmanship was very good. Waiting for my clothes to be delivered became a learning experience for me. I learnt that the pullus of embroidered sarees need to have a netting cloth stitched on the underside. How i wish i had known earlier, many of my embroidery sarees would not have caught the sharp edges of chairs and tables that my pullav would sweep across. I got introduced to choosing my salwar designs from a fancy book that he displayed. But then on one occasion i had to make three trips for collecting an urgent blouse and that did it. Days of Aartline tailor was over for me.
Asiatac on vannanthurai took its place soon enough. It was a tiny shop and had a mezannine floor with the machines hammering away. Not the best place you would want to spend your spare time; but then it was on the way to office( and duly recommended by su again), so that was just fine.But he never EVER had the clothes ready on the due date.I ignored it for a while, but after sometime it became intolerably late; he would be searching for my bundle with no clue as to where it was.So that sealed the issue. I was busy looking elsewhere.And spotted a brand new shop just across the colony on MG road. He was just setting up his shop and i was perhaps his seventh customer. I was received very well. But he wanted 10 days for stitching a blouse, which i wanted to wear the next day!He said he is yet to set up his shop and has to get it from TNagar. But ten days? No way.
This is the story so far, upto colourstitch tailors. They are very near home and have a good ambience and priced slightly high. But somehow one felt good going there and they also stich as per specifications. When my churidar set was delayed by two days, I told the owner of the shop tailor to watch out, or else i will shift my business elsewhere. He said if you want delivery on time, then you have to forever keep shifting, because tailors dont stick around and keep disappearing often, so we are stuck with delays.
Attrition in the unorganised sector; I know to stich , so is this time to go back to 'tan kaiye tanaku udavi' my mother's abiding motto in life?

Story of tailors, past and present continuous

2008-02-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

I am constantly on the lookout for the perfect tailor. Yes, this is a quest that has been on since i remember. It is also an intellectual challenge; I seem to have hit the perfect tailor and before long, I am sure that I have made a terrible mistake. Is it that I do not communicate clearly and precisely to the tailor or that the tailors are pre programmed to do their own thing, irrespective of instructions given; is it their professional pride or artistic streak which makes them deviate and hand in their unique style and stamp on my clothes?

Let me start the long story. I remember T N P rao tailors on Selaiyur Road. We patronised him throughout our school and college days. Amma will come with us of course.She will give a 'alavu tuni' and then give these instructions; the sleeves should be atleast one inch longer than; the length of the blouse should be atleast one inch longer; and the neckline should be two inches shorter. The tailor used to listen patiently but do his own thing. He cant churn out a work of art which resembles a pillow cover more than a blouse. If he had faithfully followed her instructions, then atleast somewhere along the way there would be this perfect 'alavu tuni'.I would go and pick up the stitched cloth and when i wore it, amma would say that the tailor has not done her bidding;' what do you gain by exposing your arms in the sun, they will only get dark' she will add by way of explanation.I was secretly happy that this tailor did not follow amma's instructions to the T.But there was no question of shifting loyalty, as this tailor had absolute monopoly in our neighbourhood.Yes, he did expand from a small bunk to a big showroom, selling khakhi uniforms to the IAF clientele.People were not stitching so many clothes those days i guess, and one tailor was just sufficient.

The scene shifs to Pune to Deccan Gymkhana where i was shown a tailors shop; 'Vaishali'if I remember right. A posh one it was with stiched ware, displayed elegantly. It was almost like a textile showroom. My first visit there with a friend gave me a huge shock. The male tailors were taking measurements of girls. I have never witnessed it with T NP Rao. I never went there again, and all my stitching needs piled up for visit back home. It was also had a big revelation to me,that if you want slight alterations to be done, there were 'alteration specialists'; a series of bunks on the banks of mutha river, on the way to Lakshmi road. The regular tailors would not dirty their hands with them.

Tambaram sanatorium had its unique tailor. He was the same person who supplies fresh milk (karanda paal). He had a makeshift tailoring shop and was patronised for the ease and comfort of the entire process. He would be not be finiky to fashion a shirt for prashant from a left over 'bit' and would say he would 'adjust'.The shirt will appear alright, but with different textures and colours for the collar. But the kiddo will not mind in the least bit, and neither would we. He was also good in 'alterations'; he would readily agree and alter any cloth ; never mind that invariably it will have no connection to our specs. It will end up going back to him as donation.Everybody was happy.

'innum varum'.....

turtles and turtle eggs contd

2008-02-19T18:43:00.000-08:00

For those of you who were sceptical that i was pulling a yarn about the turtle walk and turtle eggs, here is a visual. That was a bright pen torch shining near the hole.The ecstacy and excitement of the first lot of 5 eggs which were fished out from the nest could not be captured; so sad.

On closer look, it looks more like a picture flashed from Mars.But i am proud of it anyway.

saarang contd

2008-02-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

Gajendra circle transformed in a riot of green and electric blue, was magical and other wordly. This pic could be retrieved from my mobile only yesterday.Yes, I am slowly getting tech savvy; forget the 4 different trips to vinod cell centre, nokia showroom in besant nagar and fiddling with non dextrous fingers to pull out the memory card and put it back again into the tiny slot only kids can handle.

Vensons

2008-02-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

It is one of the shops in the neighbourhood and a very friendly one at that. It cannot be easily classified and that is its charm. It actually started as a bread and pastries shop at a time when such shops were not so common. It used to stock Adyar bakery bread and it was premium stock in those days. I used to hunt for adyar bakery brown bread and many a time it would have been sold out. Of course someone at home used to be quite happy(quietly!). The modern bread makers never believed to stray beyond, sweet bread, sandwich bread and family size packs.So, the health conscious mother that i am, i will search far and near for those elusive special breads, which have 'everything for good health but leave out the crucial appeal and taste';quote unquote.
Later the shop metamorphasied into squeezing in two tiny tables and one could go there for a quick bite of samosas, vegetable puffs and cutlets. I have seen students patronise this shop mostly in the evenings and of course retired men who want to cheat on the wife with regard to calories!
With the IT boom and chennai taking on a 'north indian' flavour, chat shop has sprung up on the front portion. Paani poori, bhel puri,pav bhaji and the entire range is being offered.One more tiny table is added, but the customer activity is actually outside the shop, spilling onto the pavement.It is very convenient to have a pharmacy just next door, so pop in a gelusil after s lip smacking channa bhatura!
In between all the change in clientele, they also started stocking ' grand sweets' products. It was a big advantage for me. They will have a select range; 'what the chef desired, i guess.You go looking for seedai, but you will get ribbon pakoda instead. But i never complain; a snack by any name is still grand sweets product and that will do for me.I was a little upset that the grand sweets products occupy a very obscure corner and other non branded products have prime space. But then he is savvy i guess, pushing products that needed to be pushed!
The owner is a very sweet natured person and you feel very relaxed and nice to go to that shop.The other day i noticed his wife too at the counter and she was also quite pleasant mannered.I wonder if their pleasant dispositions are independent or dependent variables?
And the most crucial point. It closes well after the entire area has gone off to sleep. I tend to believe that the owner is actually happy being there and meeting up and serving the customers.
It is a pleasant cheerful shop and i should watch out not to become 'too satisfied' a customer.

On systems and tailors

2008-02-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

I got an sms from my tailor sometime back. It said that my clothes are lying with him since december and could I be please take the trouble to collect them.Yes, this is my first ever sms from my tailor and I just could not remember leaving any of my stuff with him since December.I thought long and i thought hard on this subject and was definite that he has made a mistake.I went over to his shop one evening on the way back from my walk. I was quite definite that I will politely tick him off for using his mobile to give such wrong messages to me. I was even going to tell him, that while i appreciate his customer centric initiatives, would he get his data right.I remembered several such instances from my work life, where eager beaver workers got me into problems when they did not take the trouble to check some simple facts.

The owner was available ( he is one Vasu , by the way) and I told him i am here in response to his sms. He welcomed me and said can you give me the acknowledgement slip. I said i would if i have one and would he please check up how the sms got to be issued. He said he had sent that sms as part of an arrears clearing service.He showed me the bundles of stitched clothes blocking his shelf space and he said they have been with him for the last few months. Customers seem to forget to collect them once they have given it for stitching, he said.

He searched his records and when nothing emerged i was having an expression, I told you so, written large on my face. He then asked me if i have given any material under some other name.It was then it struck me that vini had given some material when she was here. I said yes, but we have collected every one of them. He then proceeded to take out a parcel and there I saw a brand new salwar suit stitched and ready since december. I recognised it as the material Rama had given to vini on her birthday.

Sheepishness replaced smugness.....

Olive ridley

2008-02-16T00:10:00.001-08:00

Every now and then there would be a mention of Olive Ridley,a turtle species,in the newspapers.The uniqueness of the name used to be a riddle to me.In adyar times I have also found mention of 'turtle walk' where a group of interested people explained the turtle walk adventure and readers were encouraged to participate in the same.While I have had no idea what this is about, it used to stick in my memory as something out of the ordinary and hence worth trying. Recently, i had gathered it has to do with conservation of a special species of turtles and the walk which has something to do with that objective starts at Neelangarai beach at midnight and takes the route along the beach and reach besant nagar beach early morning!I had immediately made up my mind that i wanted to do it NOW. February is the season for this activity and when pops said her arun anna is organising it from her school, we made definite plans.

Yesterday at 11 pm we were heading for neelangarai beach and sharply looking out for shanthi hospital, where we need to turn left and head straight towards the beachfront.We were the first batch to arrive.Some excitement was provided by our driver who tried to take an u turn in the sand and got the car nicely boxed in there.Slowly the place began to fill up with olive ridley enthusiasts and pops spotted arun anna in a sailor cap and the adventure was flagged off.A bunch of students of journalism from a city college were the last to arrive; they came by a share auto and actually 15 of them emerged which could actuallys seat not more than 5!

We sat in a circle in true KFI style and were briefed about the vision and mission of the exercise. Ask questions arun anna said. And questions flowed easily from the kids who formed a sizeable portion.There were former and present senior kfi students who were actually the SCOUTS, trained in spotting the nests;parents(and aunts and cousins!) of KFI students, and an assortment of conservation enthusiasts.January to march is the nesting season of these turtles and hence on weekends these trips are organised to spread awareness and also collect the eggs. Orissa is THE place where the ridleys come in tens of thousands.Interesting fact was these ridleys come to the exact place to nest where they were born!They travel all the way from Sri lanka to come and lay their eggs here as it is her birthplace.

We were warned that we could have a dry run as it has happened last few days. But before we as much as shook our limbs and started our walk, the scouts let out a shout and were crowding around an area. The first nest was spotted. The methodology was to look out for the ridley's footpath; it resembled very closely that of the truck tyre marks starting from the sea.Another path going back into the sea was also noticed. The exact spot where it would have dug a deep hole about 18 inches to 2 feet to lay her eggs, needs to be devined by use of special sticks. They keep tapping the place and zoom in on the exact spot. Then the digging starts and we found 141 eggs from that nest. The methodical and scientific group that they are, they duly counted the number of eggs, carefully put them in a bag, measured the nest and also the distance from the sea and managed to close the nest and also the path.Photos were taken and the journalist batch managed to note down all details in their notebooks(very clever, they can see and work well in the night). Pops was excitement personified and she was right there were the action was.

The eggs were white in colour and exactly the size of ping pong balls. The scouts told us in hushed tones that the eggs appear freshly laid, perhaps less than an hour ago.

The scene kept repeating 4 more times during our walk and we had a good harvest of eggs, 141, 141, 152, 128 and the last nest was spotted on besant nagar beach, just before we called it a day(night actually).The scouts carried the harvest to a hatchery and after 40, 45 days when they hatch they will be brought back to the sea.The size of the baby turtles will be that of a forefinger. They have been programmed to go towards light. But due to bright light on the coasts, they walk towards land and hence get killed .The scouts stand in the water with torch lights and coax the baby turtles to come to the sea. And once they are let into the sea, they are back to nature and they have as much chance of survival as god and nature planned for them.

I am a sure candidate for the 'back to sea' adventure a few weeks from now!

Came home by 4 pm the richer for a unique experience and hit the bed , of course after depositing the entire collection of beach sand from neelangarai to besant nagar on the porch!

One hour went quickly by

2008-02-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

Spent a wonderful one hour in Kalakshetra today evening.No, not to attend a performance, but to accompany my kutty niece who is learning bharatnatyam there.She goes there thrice a week in the evenings and i have gone there once earlier.This time I just wandered around and could feel the presence of Rukmini devi and the other pioneers and great people who thought about this place and made it what it is today by their painstaking effort blended with lots of love and affection.Rukmini devi's penchant for grace and beauty can be felt everywhere.The way the small cottages are built and maintained, there is nothing ostentacious about them and they blend in beautifully with the surroundings.There are simple and beautiful kolams and floral patterns adorning the steps and the verandah of each of these cottages.You can feel the care and delicacy that they portray. Nothing is mass produced here. Nobody is in a hurry for anything. I saw students going from one class to another with a leisurely gait and a happy countenance.

Tha ka dimi, tha kita tha kita nattuvangam sounds were coming muted from the classrooms.I could see a dance rehersal in an auditorium nearby and the vocalist was singing really well and i stopped my walk and listened to the music.It gently washed over me.Time stood still. Gentle breeze was blowing and a lone koel was singing from a nearby tree;the evening sun was casting slating rays on the mud roads.

Kalakshetra from inception has got a tradition of male dancers and i could see that the trend is continuing till today.

I almost felt like being in valmiki ashram as depicted in ramayana!

I said a silent prayer; let time and tide not take away these heaven feel-alike places from Chennai.

technology "yes", customer needs "NO"

2008-02-13T02:29:00.000-08:00

We had gone to the neighbour konica colour lab on MG road, adyar yesterday. I wanted to print a picture taken when we had gone to Singapore. I had copied the picture from the camera to a cd and I prided myself on my technology savviness.

The showroom is quite jazzy and modern. We were shooed away from the order booking counter towards the far end of the showroom. It was then we spotted a counter which said 'media to print'; Q please. Prashant positioned himself near the counter, as there was no queue. I spotted three people there, animatedly looking at something on the screen in front of them and discussing among themselves.After sometime they quietly got up and came out. It was then that Prashant showed them his cd and asked for a print. They feigned surprise and said they were themselves customers and were not getting their job done!

So back to order booking counter and the sales clerk now took Prashant to yet another counter which said, "Self service".One is supposed to do everything oneself and hand over the printed order form to the booking clerk, and he would then once again key in something and give us yet another order print out. I wanted a large print, but the sales clerk kept saying parrot like that we have to choose from the options on the self service kiosk.I could not make any headway.
I was looking around in frustration and spotted a tiny pulley going up and down, taking prints and copies from ground floor showroom to the lab in the basement and the booking clerk was busy with that.This is a new labour saving device which i have not seen earlier in this shop.This and other technology interfaces were meant to make the customer touchpoints painless and if possible pleasurable.
But without any investment in people who man the customer touchpoints, I left the shop with a feeling of frustration.
I am seeing this new trend in several shops in our area. Every now and then the shop will have a board which says, shop under renovation. And after renovation the intereiors look very inviting; but the sales people have absolutely no clue about the merchandise available nor are they trained in the simple operations on the terminal which is newly installed with expensive software.
Wait for more stories!

chinese garden japanese garden

2008-02-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

Chinese garden is one of the mrt stations in singapore. I have seen it from the train many a time.Huge lakes, large tracts of greenery and meadows fringing the lakes and quaint towerlike structure jotting the landscape. It was a pleasant view after the city ride with its underground and overground areas surrounded by buildings and more buildings.It is as though the city takes a deep breath after the concrete and cranes and gives in to sheer bliss of open spaces and green meadows.

It was one of those hot december afternoons only singapore can boast of. Vini was sure that there will be showers in the evening. So we set out to explore the gardens.It is very close to her place and we took a stroll and were in the midst of pleasant surroundings. What a relief from the forced holiday spots and theme parks!We felt as though life just stood by watching, as we felt ourselves unwind.

Slight drizzle was wafting around us now and then and i was trigger happy and took several beautiful landscape pictures. We did come across a place which proclaimed it has the largest collection of turtles in the world. We had to go in, but then yasas quickly took a back step as she just could not handle so many creepy crawlies. But prashant and me gamefully went through it, just so that we dont miss out on anything.

After a leisurely walk, we sat around the lake for a while and let the world mind its business!

Trade Fair in Island grounds

2008-02-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

Trade fairs are a regular feature in chennai and the mega variety in Island grounds starts end December and carries on for a few months thereafter. This event in the city has long since dropped off the radar and stays firmly as a 'not a must see' and there it remained confined till yesterday. The trigger obviously was the feature article in The Hindu metroplus section, a few days back and obviously the reporter had weaved a bit of magic into it.

Stray clouds had suddenly gathered on a lazy saturday afternoon and that gave us an added incentive to venture out .

The crowds were everywhere.We tried the train ride first. Wanted to get somethings correct before we get lost in the wilderness. We were patiently waiting for the toy train to appear, but were told it has derailed enroute and could we wait for another half an hour! A mini riot broke out and the visitors had a thing or two to say to the 'station master' and he was flustered and hard pressed to explain over which he had scant authority and information. Refund of the ticket of five rupees sparked another melee and we quietly slipped out not before asking the booking clerk that we could come back later(after the derailed train is restored back of course)

We went for the big rides now. There were any number of them;two big giant wheels, any number of roundabouts;roller coasters making one hell of a noise; dashing cars;a tiny ropeway;children's inflated play area, where they went in and bobbed up and down and shrieking all the time.Yes, I did feel little queasy about the safety aspects, but the festive mood and jostling crowds swept that aside and we were making quick selections. Settled for an innovative roundabout for kiddos and pops was making a beeline for it with a great deal of familiarity. Then there was the 'duck ride' which was a heady mix of roundabout, roller coaster and a giant wheel, but in small portions. So we plumped for it and the elliptical ride did make one queasy and I kept getting tossed within the teeny two seater.Pops was unfazed of course and grinning ear to ear. That is the end of 'rides' for us.

The giant papads invited us along with 'mulaga bajjis'. I asked for one papad without chilli powder.For the next half hour i was carrying it around for others to take pieces of it, while we were busy looking for that elusive buy in those stalls selling everything that you dont strictly need. Panju mittai, of course had to appear.Pops had seen it perhaps for the first time, so was quite curious about how it is made. We bought two and immediately ticked off one more 'must do, must eat' item.I was looking for the stalls sellling every conceivable vegetable shredder.I remember the cabbages and onions used to be piled high and you cant resist buying one. yes, I spotted one, but the vegetables were not piled high this time.

We went to a few govt stalls all the time lamenting that the trade fair has become more shops and less stalls.Perhaps,the govt has the tv to showcase its achievements and need not wait for the annual trade fair.

It was time to leave, but i was not sure that i wont want to come here again; to hang around shops selling 'genuine cotton sports socks' for ten rupees; foldable laundry bag for twenty rupees;every conceivable 'cooling glass' for ten;eucalyptus oil from kodaikanal and toys of every colour, shape and texture including the soap bubble maker.

Yes, trade fair is our own namma chennai concoction and a heady one at that.Yes, cooum is there with you keeping company; how you wish it did'nt.

Chennai sangamam 2008

2008-02-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

We had gone to besant nagar to witness the fireworks at the end of a weeklong chennai festival, called chennai sangamam. The roads to the beach were quite clogged, so we stopped by at mom's place.Fireworks will definitely light up the sky so we might as well watch it at a 100 metre safe distance, rather than be on the beachfront and crane our necks and generally get discomforted.

We waited a while and were getting slowly restless, when the sky burst forth in a riot of colour and splendid keleodoscope patterns.It kept up steadily increasing in the range of colours and reach and sound accompaniments.It kept going for over half an hour and after a while, we felt quite satiated with the rich fare dished out by the organisers, as a fitting finale.When something is so beautiful, we can take it only for a while.I remembered amma telling us that her patti used to firmly hold the view, that we should always have little less than satiation, be it in bakshanams or special dishes made during festival times. Amma never believed in that as far as eatables go, thank god. But otherwise there is sense in kollu patti's home truth.
Prashant, amma and athai were with me witnessing the event, while appa stayed in the front balcony and said he had a good view from there.

I remembered all the while the new year fireworks in Singapore and yasas and me staying up to watch it and usher in the new year.

saarang

2008-02-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

It is a ritual with me and a pleasant one at that, to make a pilgrimage to IIT madras, during their annual cultural festival in January. It started during my college days when one of our friends was doing her masters in chemistry. Later Raja did his undergraduation there and we were officially invited to select programmes.
IIT quiz programme used to be unique and a must see;must hear event,participation of course was out of question.I remember the huge lecture theatre with the teams sitting near the dias and the hall bursting to capacity. I witnessed audio/visual rounds only during that quiz programme. They played a soulful number of talat aziz and asked that the singer be identified.Quiz took on a multi dimensional and high intellectual quotient after that experience. Their just a minute programme was legendary. Many versions used to be heard; how one should not repeat, one should not be irrelevant and the viewers/other participants will be literally on their toes to point out fine points of error in those JAM sessions.One of our cousins used to be an avid JAM participant and would boast to us that she walked away with the prizes;grrrrrr.

The concerts in the Open Air Theatre , again had a charm and aura of their own and it is this which kept me going year after year. Students used to come with their pillows and generally lounge on the steps; it was not so crowded then as it is now, with the jazz and rock concerts.

I have enjoyed balamurali krishna in a jugal bandi; ustad amjad ali khan's melocious renderings;ganesh kumaresh violin;inter collegiate light music;inter collegiate dance contests.The place and the people have a magic , no doubt about that.

This year it was mainly to soak in the ambience; Gajendra circle was decked up in unusual colours of green fountain and glittering blue string lights. The food stalls; the village theme; lucky ali relayed off site near the food stalls gave us a peep view of the inside of OAT(Entering the same was well , impossible)But we pacified ourselves that the music was average at best and hence we did not miss anything.

Took a stroll deep into the campus and relived our MCC days.We dont need an excuse to slip back to Tambaram days and mcc campus.

So long saarang...we shall be back.

lectures, nobel laureates, stem cells

2008-02-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

Nobel laureate David Baltimore was giving a lecture in the city and immediately i was sure i wanted to be there. The theme of his lecture was 'challenges in modern health care'.I am always eager for a chance to hear and meet up with achievers in any field and this particular event had an added incentive for me. It was in the field of life sciences and i wanted to grab any chance to have some idea of a subject from a nobel laureate. It is really the well learned who can make it simple to a novice, i guessed.I also wanted some talking point with yasas i guess.

The CLRI triple helix auditorium was full and i cooly walked into the invitees enclosure and sat comfortably.As it happened it was a challenge for the organisers to seat dignitaries who came in late and makeshift chairs were provided for them.

The lecture was very simple and clear to laymen like me for the first half. Later, he was addressing the serious students of his subject who were assembled in large numbers, so it went right above my head. But the point is, he was explaining the challenges in the entire process of drug delivery and how it easily takes a couple of decades from start to finish. I remember yasas telling me once, 'it is life and you cant speed up the process'. So it appears. Stem cells, proteins, molecule, cells, immuno suppressants and of course rna and dna were the words one heard continuously; and for an hour of lecture, English language was effectively reduced to these five or six words!

HIV and cancer and malaria/TB were the diseases that were challenging the medical/scientific community for a vaccine/cure/treatment, he said. He also mentioned that research on HIV was heavily funded by Gates foundation, as the US govt was against funding stem cell research. Maybe malaria and TB might not get much funding as they are tropical diseases and not much money for drug companies.

Came back with the feeling, ' katradu kai man alavu kalladadu ulagalavu'.

invite to a family function

2007-11-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

I had been invited to the 'aayushhomam' function of a relative. Nothing unusual in that. But then i was meeting a hoarde of relatives after a very long time. Also, this family has been generally out of touch with the rest of the family branch. They were now reaching out, as their small granddaughter all of 8 years old, was particularly asking to meet all those relatives with whom grandma seems to have had such good time. You know now, how the kiddoo has been spending her time with grandma! They have a voracious appetitie for 'old stories'and i can quite imagine the elder relative slipping into the joys of her youth.So the NRI kid wanted all the fun of meeting these characters in flesh and blood and this function was got up for that purpose.

I remember my aunts regaling us with their stories of childhood at Mysore; Ontikoppal to be more exact. Yes, their childhood was full of fun and frolic in the railway quarters there. There were repeated reference to Kala and Bora, the two servants.All of us know that railway officials have this non monetary perquisitive.They used to heat up hot water for them, in the geyser-less days, it must have been quite welcome, more so in a place like Mysore. They used to accompany them to nearby places and were always around. They remember the rose plants which used to be in full bloom, kitchen garden and its produce; the dussera celebrations and the 'stick man walking on stilts' which used to scare them no end; how their father used to dress up for attending the 'darbar' function;their grandfather who used to decorate the kolu and get it set up, starting atleast a month in advance of the festival; their journeys in the train to arisikere, maddur , harihar and the thrill of being waited upon by railway staff at these stations and the eatables that they used to bring to them; their school which was bang oppositite their house and their grandfather used to come to the school to give them 'prasad' of milk as soon as he finished his pooja, much to the chagrain of my aunts; how they used to find comfort and warmth in his blanket in the winter evenings, when he used to hold them close, and recite slokas and songs; the temple nearby and the road to chamundi hill.

All their nostalgia, fed into my nostalgia for the times when i used to enjoy their stories, wide eyed and extremely captivated. So much so, recently when i had been to Mysore, I made it to Ontikoppal and looked at the railway quarters there. Spotted the school, and was looking at the few houses bang opposite. My dad and uncle, hand in hand in oversized trousers and my aunts in pigtails and flowing skirts flitted across.Slice of life!

rainbow, moon and sunset

2007-10-25T03:48:00.000-07:00

I am in pune now and getting into real athletic routine. Early morning i am getting set for a workout climbing a small hillock nearby. It is pretty cold here and once you are climbing up, very soon the bright rays of the sun slanting and falling on you, rejuvenate you. I am multitasking; enjoying the scenery which is very much like a well maintained resort, keeping up a brisk pace, feeling the euphoria of inhaling ozone and all the time thanking my good luck in finding a place like this for a morning workout. Suddenly i see a burst of water sprouting , from a leaky tap. But it is coming out like a fountain. I stop by to enjoy the spray and i spot a rainbow! I rub my eyes and look again; yes it is vibgyor alright, all colours quite clearly visible, against the backdrop of the water sprout!

Yesterday evening, i had gone up to the terrace, inspecting the area as it were, and i witnessed the most beautiful sunset i have seen for a while. It was just going down a small mountain range nearby and slowly the heat of the evening is quickly replaced by a quick drop in temperature and as it slowly disappears, the chill in the atmosphere is quite discernable.

I am quite full of nature's bneauty, and i come out into the lawn in the night, just before checking, all the doors are secured for the night, and a very bright moon was coasting along above, and a clear sky was adding to its brilliance and the lawn was glistening in its cool rays.I call out for prashant, and he says, he has seen many such beautiful moonlit nights!

I tell him, there is no such thing as too much of nature's beauty; it is something we can enjoy more and more.

Beach cleaning campaign

2007-10-02T00:53:00.000-07:00

Today morning, I decided to do the besant nagar beachfront walk. The weather was mild with a very light drizzle breezing in and out.I saw a lot of activity, and banners fluttering. When I went nearer i could see it was a community project of Canara bank. Cleaning the beach sands was their engagement with the besant nagar community. Canara bank had also lined up a few of their vans fitted with public address system near the sands. They had carried with them garbage disposal bags which they were distributing to their staff/officers. Every one of them was sporting a canara bank cap and were carrying a stick. I wondered for a second, before i could make out that it is a sharp stick to pick up papers/cartons/plastic waste.All of them were also wearing hand gloves.I saw swarms of them all along the beach right up to the sea. No, it was carried out with a lot of verve and commitment. It was not a casual affair, but involvement of the entire team was distinctly visible.I saw some of them crawl under the food carts and pick up scraps of paper or paper plates; some of them were hunting for waste in the small shrub near the urur kuppam; they were constantly bending down and picking up even small papers/baloon pieces. There was lot of bonhomie about and they were hunting in groups of four or five.The public address system in the meanwhile was exhorting them to fill their bags and announcing prizes for 'best performance'. I coudl hear snatches of conversation, 'Sowcarpet branch manager has come"; madam, this is your fourth bag, very good; please replace my gloves"..

It was a surprise time off for the regular garbage cleaners.They were standing bemused near their garbage bins, helping the canara bank staff empty the rubbish into them.

But there were the usual sceptics.What would life be without them to add the sour taste? One senior citizen was giving an unsolicited comment to his wife 'ellam eyewash'. What is eyewash? That they are employees of a public sector bank, involved with cleaning a stretch of beach( an essential function) and doing a very thorough and competent job of it. No promises were made that they would do it everyday for eternity; nor were they making a point that they can be very good 'beach cleaners' better than the regular contractor. Every one of them had taken time off and doing a good work without in any way disturbing the beachwakers or the residents .

Yes they were trying to create an impression in people's mind, that they care for the community and they are not snobbish to be involved in cleaning rubbish from the beach.I will remember this act and will help them to stand out from the clutter.A space in our hearts,is what they were attempting and they succeeded with me.

I was thinking about society women who were the only ones interested in cleaning slums in those days, doing all this for the media mileage that they were assured of. Corporates were very rarely involved in such activities.

Welcome, new trend!

Hey parrots in my garden

2007-09-25T03:56:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-24T03:55:00.000-07:00

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!