One life to live........

Story: The King Who Hated Circles

2011-01-11T13:09:00.004+05:30

Once in the kingdom of Golotol there lived a whimsical king of a similar name Goltol. He lived in a magnificent palace with round roofs and tall round pillars. Outdoors he had round gardens with round fountains in between and lots and lots of pretty flowers. Goltol's room was also round with round soft cushioned chairs to sit on and a soft round bed to sleep in. His favourite dress was a beautiful long red kurta with golden round polka dots on it. On his head he wore a round turban with round gems on it. Lots of rounds, circles right!

One day, Goltol was sitting for his lunch on his round table wearing his favourite dress. The cook put a round plate with five round bowls in front of him. One bowl had a round gulab jamun, another had round jalebis, his favourite; the third bowl had round kachoris, the fourth bowl kadhi with round pakodas and the fifth bowl had……. just plain dal but with round peas in it. The cook served him hot round rotis. Suddenly Goltol cried out "Enough! "

"What is wrong" minister asked

"Everything is round, circles everywhere. I don't want circles. I hate circles. I won't eat this. No No No No No"

Everyone was astonished, "What!"

Goltol said, "I hereby banish everything circle in shape. No circles. Change everything, change all shapes. I don't want circles"

Minister said, "But king, rotis are always circle and jalebis too and your favourite dress has.…"

"Change them all" Gotol ordered.

And so it was, everything was changed. The chairs, tables, bed, fountains, plates, bowls, rotis, jalebis everything became square, triangle, oval, semi circle, even Goltol's favourite dress. It was now red with golden triangles all over it. Goltol was happy, very happy.

Soon it was the big Olympics day. The Golotol's were having a sports competition against the neighboring kingdom Puchtach. There were four games scheduled- cricket, flying frisbee, bounce ball and the king's favourite horse cart racing.

Goltol was getting dressed and the servant with great difficulty had managed to make a square turban. But the moment it was placed on Goltol's head it slipped over his eyes. The servant tried a semicircle turban but it would keep toppling over. Finally, he managed to put on a triangle turban.

King Puchtach looked at him and burst out laughing, "You look very funny", he said. Goltol ignored it.

The games began with cricket. King Puchtach looked puzzled, "Why is the stadium oval and the ball square," he asked.

"That's how we play cricket here", Goltol replied

But can you imagine playing with a square ball…..the ball just would not roll. No fours and sixes, not even runs, and the players kept getting hurt because the sharp corners of the square ball.

"Next game" Goltol quickly announced.

It was Frisbee flying. The Puchtach's had brought their own round Frisbee. It flew well, very high and they caught it well. Gotol's Frisbee was rectangle, it would not spin like the round Frisbee's, it did not fly high and the corners were so sharp, it hurt. Puchtach won the game.

"Next game" Goltol quickly announced

It was bounce ball and again Puchtach had brought their own ball. It bounced well and they quickly scored. But, poor Goltols, their ball was triangle, it would not bounce at all, they even tried a square, rectangle and semicircle ball, none would bounce. Puchtach won the game.

"Last game" Goltol quickly announced.

Now horse cart racing was Goltol's favourite game, specially because he himself was participating in it against King Puchtach. King Goltol climbed into his beautiful white horse cart, with white a horse and square wheels. King Puctach had a brown horse cart with brown horse and circle wheels. The race began with a "1, 2, 3 go."

King Puchtach's horse ran quickly. Goltol's crawled. He told his horse "Faster, faster, run faster, quick", but the poor horse, no matter how hard he pulled the square wheels would not go as fast as circle wheels. Finally Goltol jumped off and started pushing the cart along. He was strong. Soon they both reached a slope. Puchtach laughed "ha ha ha" and quickly rolled down the slope, he was fast, too fast, he started slipping and sliding "Aieeeee, help" he yelled. Goltol's square wheels did not roll, they were sliding down the slope too, but not as fast.

"I must help, King Puchtach will crash ", Goltol thought. He jumped down his cart. Now did I tell you, Goltol was a fast runner too. He ran as swift as a fast rolling ball. He tugged at Puctach's cart and held on to it hard. The cart screeched to a halt.

King Puchtach jumped out. He was so relieved, "Thank you King Goltol, you saved my life"

"You are welcome King Puctach" Goltol said, "and congratulations, you won the game, you came first, your cart with round wheels was the fastest"

King Puchtach thought and said, "No you ran faster than my cart and you saved my life. The prize is yours"

A few hours later a messenger announced " Hear hear hear, King Gotol has declared everything in his kingdom should be circle in shape. No squares, no rectangles, no triangles, only circles!"

Now children, imagine what will happen if everything is circle in shape?

The Umbrella Fashion

2010-09-02T12:01:00.003+05:30

For once its raining heavily and the ubiquotous umbrellas are back in fashion. I remember as a child i would hate wearing the hot raincoats and fight to carry an umbrella as a child. I pictured it as one of the most amazing things grown-ups could own.(Yes I tried to fly with it, use it as a parachute, even flaot in it) I was proud of my first umbrella while in high school. Then the umbrella fashion industry dawned on me, there were kids with pretty umbrellas they could tie on their head as a headband, there were those shaped like a cap, whistle at the bottom, pretty handles. But the industry for adult umbrellas woeful. Just about manual and automatic umbrellas.

Then came the revoultion with tow-folds, three-folds and miniature umbrellas. The best were the ones that could be safely tucked out of sight, fit into a pocket. Not to be seen till it rains and easy to carry. From flowery the colours became unisex, bold single colours, silver on the underside.

A few years down it was back to "show me the umbrella honey". Big, oversized large umbrellas that could fit in the whole family. Then it moved back to the original wild west types, showy with cane like handles and frilly borders, in more colours than ever. Now its the a means of advertising, so the friendly bank will give you one in their colours and their name proudly declared on it when you open a new account, even the local kiranna wala will give you one, . On your way to work you know which company that guy or gal is going to, she has a employee umbrella of course with the industry name in big bold letters.

I have always had the tuck away three-fold umbrellas and had my eye upon the new long ones. so when my company offerend me one I readily gaily happily took it. Trouble started from day 1. The large umbrella got in the way when moving through crowds. Agreed its big so protects from rain, but in a crowd you don't get wet due to rain, you get wet due to the water dropping from other umbrellas. I quetly folded away mine and accepted the fate.

Day 2 -Reach the station. Its raining. Time to open the umbrella, but, you got to straighten the umbrella point it up and then open it. How do I straighten it in a milling crowd. I managed to eke out some space and thanked all my lucky stars for two things 1- I was a girl, and, 2- The person whose bottom I poked was a girl too. Whew!

Then those everyday troubles - where do I park my umbrella. It wont fit in the sink. In the bucket it upturns and upsets everything, I have to hold it high above my head like a tribal doing a war dance, everytime someone wants to walk pass me byinbetween the train seats, i can't place it on the luggage rack and then........i pointed at some vegetables i wanted to purchase using the umbrella (my hands were full), the vegetable vendor was offended and refused.

And then...on the way to an overnight business trip my husband insisted I carry it along (could be used for protection like a cane! I slept cuddled with the umbrella in my arms. My husband is jealous, not beacuse i cuddled, he loves the big umbrella and vies for one, but he won't take mine, hates the idea of being a billboard. He won't escape for long tho, i have my eyes set on his tiny many fold umbrella that fits well into his pocket. Aah imagine I could simply squeeze it into my jeans pocket on a Friday or hide it away in my gunny bag (large office bag). And maybe just maybe forget it some place and then drench in the rain. Oh how joyful getting wet in the rain.

Story time........

2010-08-05T18:53:00.004+05:30

Oh I am on a roll, made up another story for my pre-preschoolers

The Black Crow
Kayaka was a beautiful black crow.
He lived in a garden with pretty flowers and tall trees. There were red roses, pink lilies, yellow sunflowers, orange marigolds, red apples, green coconuts. And there were birds, insects and small animals too.
Kayaka looked at the pretty colourful garden and then looked at himself. “Look at me, just black”, he said. Kayaka did not like his black colour.
He saw the sun - “I wish I was yellow like the sun”
He saw the sky - “I wish I was blue like the sky”
He saw the parrot - “I wish I was green like the parrot”
He saw the apples - “I wish I was red like an apple”
He saw the rabbit - “I wish I was white like the rabbit”
Poor Kayaka! He was so sad.
Then one day, when Kayaka was flying, he saw buckets of paints lying on the green grass.
“Wow, look at all the colours. I am going to paint myself”, he said.
Kayaka dipped into the yellow paint. “Wow, look at me, all yellow, just like the sun.”
Then he dipped into the blue paint. “Wow, look at me, all blue, just like the sky.”
He dipped into the green paint. “Wow, look at me, all green, just like the parrot.”
He dipped into the red paint. “Wow, look at me, all red, just like an apple.”
He dipped into the white paint. “Wow, look at me. Wait…what’s this….. I am not white!”
The colours were mixing together.
“Oh, no,” the crow said. “Let me try another colour.”
Quickly he dipped into orange paint, but he did not turn orange
Then he dipped into pink, but he did not turn pink
He dipped into purple, but he did not turn purple
He dipped into brown, but he did not turn brown
All the colours dripped, swirled, mixed and soon, he was all black
“Oh no I am black again,” said the crow
A koel who sat on the tree saw the crow and laughed,
“Yes black, black like the night sky, black like bees, black like the little mouse and black like me.
Black is such a pretty colour.”

Kayaka listened and then he thought and thought.
“Yes black is such a pretty colour, like the night sky, the black bees, the black little mouse.
And It is Just Right for me.”
Kayaka quickly washed off all the paints. He looked at himself, “Wow! I am a pretty black, he said.
Kayaka was now a very happy black crow.
Kaa kaa. Good bye.

Story time......

2010-08-04T17:46:00.002+05:30

Made up a story for some preschoolers.........

Story – Cooty’s Birthday Party
It’s Cooty’s birthday tomorrow and Cooty, the happy little crocodile was having a party.
“Come to my party,” Cooty said to all the animals, “It’s at my home, on Cooty island. We will play lots of games and sing songs and I have prizes too. I will send a boat”.
“We will”, the animals chorused, and they were all very happy and excited.

Next day, when the sun rose, Sammy Snail and Tutu Tortoise woke up bright and early. “Good morning” said Sammy. “Good morning” said Tutu. “Let’s go”, they chorused. And they began crawling. They crawled and crawled.

“Where are you going”, asked Ruffu rabbit
“To Cooty's birthday party”, said Sammy and Tutu
“So slow, ha ha ha you will never reach there” laughed Ruffu
But, Sammy and Tutu didn’t stop. They crawled, and crawled and crawled

Where are you going”, asked Dippy Deer
“To Happy’s birthday party”, said Sammy and Tutu
“So slow, ha ha ha you will never reach there” laughed Dippy
But, Sammy and Tutu didn’t stop. They crawled, and crawled and crawled

Where are you going”, asked Squirpy squirrel
“To Cooty's birthday party”, said Sammy and Tutu
“So slow, ha ha ha you will never reach there” laughed Squirpy
But, Sammy and Tutu didn’t stop. They crawled, and crawled and crawled

Where are you going”, asked Catty cat
“To Cooty's birthday party”, said Sammy and Tutu
“So slow, ha ha ha you will never reach there” laughed Catty
But, Sammy and Tutu didn’t stop. They crawled, and crawled and crawled
And crawled some more

Soon they reached the water.
Ruffu Rabbit, Dippy Deer, Squirpy squirrel and Catty cat stood there.
“Ha ha ha. We came first”, they said
They were waiting for the boat

But, Tutu and Sammy didn’t wait for the boat.
Tutu tortoise flopped on his back and Sammy snail climbed up.
Together they rowed to Cooty’s little home on the little island.
“Happy Birthday Cooty”, Sammy and Tutu said

“Wow you reached so fast". Cooty said, "Here I have a special present for reaching first” .

New new.... too new

2010-08-04T17:19:00.002+05:30

Ok so it was different. Different enough to get married and land up with a new family, new house and even a new job. Quite a roller coaster!

Being busy....busy Being

2009-12-08T17:03:00.002+05:30

My friends say its love................Well I have been very busy since I got engaged in Sep and even before that so is that so? n true I m spending less time with friends and more time with my fiancee so is that so? but i meet him only on weekends.......Nah its just a busy phase at work......or is it so?

A Lyrical Frame

2009-08-01T14:57:00.004+05:30

Once in a while i get bitten by the lyrics bug and come out with some weird ones.........
Down by the sea
As the hungry tide swells
Three little words
Hear me spell
I uh U uh EOLV
The winds messing them up

2 lazy hearts
On a lazy day
A Indonesian meal
And a romp in the bay
1 lazy heart
On a lazy day
Wheres my companion
Is it a busy day?

Many words
Sleepy souls
Droning words
Nodding heads
Two words
Alert Awake
Exams tomorrow
No No Oh No

My thirsty mind
Awaits....
Until raindrops
Splash a lyric
Through the gates

And I thought petrol strike was loco......

2009-01-29T18:04:00.001+05:30

Things are going round and round, circles and more circles. It all started with a small thingie....me wanting to get married.....innocent aye I know not so small really........ but almost everyone do want to do it at some point of time. Well, so I went in and gave an ad in the paper and things just went loco from there. True I got a good deal of decent, can be considered replies but to reach to them we (me n family) had to swim through some good hilarious loco poco expereinces. Like the one my sis-in-law told me, of a guy who is in the business of selling onions. He called her up and insisted on speaking to me. He was convinced that the only reason we weren't already married was that she wasn't letting us. Then there was this other guy who incidentally was married and sent me a long mail trying to convince me to become his second wife, my incentive..he would include me in his passport (oh I am so blessed!). Then there was this guy who kept sending "sidey" messages to my bhabi thinkin it was me until my bro called him up and gave him a earful (thats where earache starts). Haven't heard of him since.

Speakin of matrimonial ads...... I don't understand the many responses of "innocent divorcee" that i have got. i mean whats that innocent about. Either u r a divorcee or u r not, why do u have to go ahead and feel guilty about it, shuldn't u be glad that the worst is over and now u r wiser.
but as I say "Before criticising someone walk a mile in their shoes......that way you will have walked a mile and you will have their shoes!! " ....hooh here i am tryin to get married and already discussing divorce. Ouch! Better get back to checkin the responses after all my Prince in shining steed, Knight on Royal armour or something like that is waitin just for me.

Dry Spell

2009-01-11T02:21:00.001+05:30

It was a loco Friday. Most gas stations were hit by the strike by oil n gas firms and were running dry and typically more than half the Mumbaikars were caught unawares. Most of those who travelled by buses/trains and then took an autorickshaw to reach their work places were left pondering over the predicament. I for one couldn't decide which queue was the longest the one at the bus stop, the one at the railway ticket counter or the one outside the petrol pumps. Most people who weren't too far off placed like me decided to walk it out and it wasn't altogether unpleasant. I for one loved the fact that the roads had thin traffic and the air smelt less of exhaust smoke. Then there was the fact that money-otherwise-spent-on-rick saved and a great morining exrcise accomplished however involuntarily. Rumors flew thick as some said that the piped gas was next and soon we would all be either starving or eating raw rice and raw pulses for mere survival. Most people left for their homes early citing the long walk ahead.By the time i reached my place there was the all familiar long - now longer- queue for share-rick with exhausted, angry people waitin patiently for the few ricks that were still plying (it ain't easy walkin out for another half an hour after u have spent well over an hour atleast, squeezed tight in a crowded train or bus, standin on one foot or the other or maybe hanging out on the footboard for ur dear life). People were exhorted to lug it out esp. the young ones who could, the old, infirm and far off residents were allowed to stay in queue for the ricks. But the ever resourceful Mumbaikar is never far behind and soon we heard the quite welcome clippity cloppity sounds of a horse cart comin over. Now this horse n buggy is a familiar sight here in my place havin graced many a wedding ocassions over the years and to put it to such good use was such an ingenious thing to do. everyone appreciated it not jus the ingeniuty, also the novelty, afterall how many Mumbaikars do get an opportunity to ride a horse cart. The fee charged was quite nominal too. The whole turn of events brightened our day, all is not lost we can still fight n probably well survive the no-gasoline age yet.

2008-12-06T19:53:00.002+05:30

Gosh its so loooong since my last post. Every time I decide i will now post regularly but it just never happens. Meanwhile I read lots of books, saw plenty of movies, dances regularly, celebrated a birthday a month early, 'saw' a lot of guys and watched the mass murders at Taj, Leopold, Oberoi and my fav..CST. Eventful. Hope I will be posting more regularly now for no special reason except once again I say to myself 'Yes I will do' so.

Speedy Read

2008-06-14T16:02:00.003+05:30

Ah a good week! I managed to finish reading three books in a week. Cool. Two were good, one boring. Premchand’s Sevasadan translated by Snehal Shingavi was the best. We had Premchand’s essays and short stories in our Hindi school books…most of them pleasantly funny. This one is intense and insightful. Though the book is set in the colonial era there are plenty of insights into human nature and politics that resounds true irrespective of the socio-cultural settings. The protagonist of the book is an educated woman Suman brought up in a life of luxury but due to change in family circumstances is married to a man of impoverished circumstances and suffers social neglect and a sense of deep unfulfillment . She finds instant fame and all the luxuries and social recognition as a courtesan but also realizes the shallowness of her social relationships. Soon she is caught between the social reformists and intellectuals out to help her out of the ‘perverse’ circumstances and the other political players – the hedonists, the religious conservatives, out to destroy her and the lives of others caught in situations similar to hers. A lot of idealism reflects through this book. Of course the fact that the main character is a woman is what I simply love most about the book the way Premchand has brought about her changing roles from a daughter to a virtuous wife to a social outcaste is amazing.

The not- so- interesting book was Inside the Haveli by Rama Mehta. It again has a woman as the main protagonist…reason why I picked it up for reading. …Geeta is an educated woman from Mumbai who gets married into a traditional conservative family in Udaipur and finds suddenly facing a completely different view of life, a stifling environment with purdah (veil) and restrictions about mingling among sexes and such. The book then tells her story of over the years how she adapts herself to the new life and carves her own independent identity. The book is not just Geeta’s story however, it is also the stories of other women, the maid servants, the mistresses, relatives…of their way of creating identities in the veiled world. What I really liked in the book was all these other characters and the rich traditional way of life in haveli described in the book. Geeta’s character amongst all these seems to fall flat and her success unsatisfactory.

The third book I have just finished reading was Nyagrodha The Ficus Chronicles by Kalpish Ratna. Kalpish Ratna is actually an anagram for two authors Kalpana Swaminathan and Ishrat Sayed. I have read their earlier books Doctor Wrasse of Crysal Rock (children’s book) and Cryptic Death (Swaminathan’s alone). I loved the title ‘Nyagrodha’ , the Banyan Tree. The book consists of stories within stories. The stories are all the traditional Jataka, Panchantantra, Grandmother Tales that we heard growing up. But each story is given either an interesting beginning or a different end and when connected with the main plot is more meaningful. However, the story within the story method also makes it difficult for us to keep track of the original plot and at times it seems to lose relevance all together. However it does keep us wanting to read more and more stories esp. the afterword. Refreshing!

Travails of a harried commuter

2008-05-24T15:58:00.001+05:30

Aye I am a commuter and this Sunday I felt screaming at the top of my lungs WHY? Frustrated, stressed, irritated, tired and very angry grrrrrrrrr. ……. No it wasn’t the usual megablock thingie (we have grown complacent enough to accept it as part of our lives and plan our schedules around it now. “I will meet u only after 4:00 pm today megablock u know”, “ It will take me around 45 mins to reach there…..yes its only 15 mins distance I know, but today is Sunday ..megablock..duh”).

Time: 10:30 pm
Location: Andheri
Frame of Mind: “Ah amazing program. She danced so beautifully. The sound system was good. Open air seating was good idea. Maharaj ji is too good. ………etc etc”

Time: 11:00 pm
Location: Andheri (duh)
Frame of Mind: Damn this traffic jam……why do they have to divert traffic at this hour? Ok lets just give up and walk down we will reach faster.

Time: 11:10 pm
Location Andheri station
Journey begins : Hmm lets look at the indicator…..Ah u want to go by bus ok tah dah ..bye, of course I can travel alone. Its safe dummy its Mumbai and Sunday, people have better things to do than sleep. U saw the traffic. Ok there is a fast train I will go by that. Bye.

Waiting.. waiting… Should I go by slow train instead its late it seems. Announcement: The fast train for platform 5 will arrive on platform 3 instead.
Chill I will go to platform 3. Waiting….
There comes the train. Wait its 9 coach train. Why did she announce 12 coach? That’s too far I will have to run. Run.. run.. ouch.. getoutofmyway.. pant..look out……there it goes. Oh hell. Wait whats that on platform 5 another fast train. Why didn’t they announce that. Should I run for it

Halfway up the stairs…..no that’s the horn….bye bye train

Now what…..I will just wait up here on the bridge and see what comes first and get into that.
Beeep da beep ….yaah mum. Yes I am alone. Yes I am alright. Of course I will come alone. No there are people out here…I am unaccompanied but not alone out here..phew. No I am not scared. Yah I am alright. I missed two trains. Still I should be home by 12:00. Nah don’t worry. Yes I will call u every 15 mins ok. Don’t wait up for me for dinner. I will serve myself. Please stop buggin me I am not a kid ok. I can take care of myself. Oh for goodness sake. Oh there is a slow train. No there is no fast train I am getting into the slow train bye. BYE.

Run…down …stairs . Oh goodie its 9- coach I am standin at the right place. Here comes the train. Wait, wheres the ladies compartment. Hey wheres the ladies. Hi (fellow lonely commuter smile). U r lost as me hannh. Oh the ladies becomes gents after 11:00. The other ladies…its too far. Shall we squeeze into gents. Damn its so crowded. Ugh that lout stinks. He’s drunk. I am not getting into that. Bye bye next train.

Grr…thats 3 trains now. Hey look at that, that’s a fast train on platform 5….again no announcement. What the hell. Me too I didn’t see it comin form afar. I don’t want to run up those stairs again.

Lets just move up to the front. Hope that stays ladies after 11:00.
Waiting ….waiting..

Oh that’s another train……Such empty ladies. Lets just sit together. This compartment stinks. Whos that ugh…a drunk sleeping….lets go to those other seats. Why isn’t there a police. Isn’t that the norm a police in ladies compartment at night. Whats the time 11:45 already. There a policeman getting in….about time he did.

Drunk guy out…… more ladies in………phew …..thats a relief.

Time reached home: 12:45

Ayo drama rama rama

2008-04-26T22:07:00.002+05:30

So my official blogging time is fixed at two vacations in a year and don't say am a workaholic thats wats got me busy. This time it was my bro's marriage and heavens what a family drama, good enuf to be redirected as a premiere Bollywood movie. It had enuf ingredients for one of the KK soaps too ...minus the rebirths and err...some such metaphysical story twists. There was the annoying saas, the untold pasts, the clueless relatives, the wily servants and luckless guests. Some edited parts of this drama would be delivered to us soon in a video version titled "Marriage video". More of that later though right now the most pressing drama in the now substantially expanded family is who holds the TV remote, between mom's fav soaps, dads IPL matches, bros movies and bride's...err..she's still a blushing bride "won't fight for the remote yet but has to take sides...whose", wait I am in...I want that remote too......got to watch all those dance shows. Got to get back to that. bye

New Year Hurdles

2008-02-23T17:56:00.003+05:30

So I thought i might resume blogging in the new year. But, as usual, now my comp conks out. To top it all my bro says there is no chance of gettin it repaired any soon cos its spare parts are not easily available. Hmm, he promises me a high speed internet soon however. So I cross my fingers and be at the mercy of cyber cafes till them. Maybe i should invest in a laptop now, a Macbook mmm.

A Misnomer

2007-12-05T21:40:00.000+05:30

I t was a misnomer to believe that I would rest. Indeed I am booked till the end of the year with things to do...whew! Its good to have a busy life, but now I m seriously thinkin of throwing everythin away and walkin off to the hills. That should be peaceful, no comp, no TV, no mobile, no newspaper....absolute hermit. Hmm on second thoughts i wouldn't mind the TV...afterall I barely see it, most of the time my parents are seeing a slew of senseless serials and so termed "reality shows" or its my bro constantly surfing thru......damn irritating. Ah well, has to be delegated for the next year!

Dancin away.......

2007-09-22T22:38:00.000+05:30

Been busy ...doin what i love to do.....thats besides readin.....dancin......rap tap ta ri pa pa ri ri ri pa pa pa dum dee dee da dah dah....... 8 stage performances in a span of a week, imagine the number of rehearsals. I have had the most crazy schedule for more than a month. Now the last of it is gonna be day after. A big stage...a beautiful song...energetic dance....and then..whew! I gotta rest some n then dance again.

"If you enjoy what you are doing, you can always find time for whatever you want to do."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2007-07-23T00:28:00.000+05:30

Fell prey to the ...err...magic...

Brought the book yesterday and curled up with it the whole day today. Have to admit J.K. Rowling is an amazing writer. Typical of all epic finales this too has its fair share of feuds, twists and endings. It is the closure that she brings in this book, the emotional catharsis, the winding up, thats so different. Almost all the favourite characters (readers) make an appearance atleast once through the book. The book has been written keeping the reader in mind. The pace alternates between slow to suddden highs with twists in the tale thrown to keep the reader glued. She plays well with the readers emotions and even after so many main characters bumped off manage to keep their interests and hopes alive. The fault, the 'chink' is that compared to her previous books this sounds more like a movie script. Like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, some of the twists are predictable and the action is way too cinematic. Also, as compared to her first books that typically had a message to pass to its readers, here the message is all lost in the plot and action, it is far too sublime. Still essentially in all she has a brilliant writing style and it would be absolute waste of talent if the author decides this to be her last book. Surely she can create more characters besides Harry Potter. How about some based in the 'Muggle' world.

Ps: My favs were book 1, 4 and 5.

It rained .......on my comp

2007-07-23T00:24:00.000+05:30

It rained and poured and of all the things my comp decided to enjoy the showers too. Its head needed some tinkering with obviously but it managed to pass the mandatory tests, however the keyboard suddenly gave up and refused to budge. So now I have a new keyboard that I have to learn to use with its packaging material intact, pop refuses to let it enjoy another shower.

Learn from them....

2007-06-23T12:34:00.000+05:30

Ever read the book 'All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten' ? I haven't either. Anyways I have a faint idea of what it might consist of. What I have here is an idea for a follow up book 'All We Need to Know We Can Learn From Our Kindergarten Kids'. Wait is that already written? Well if not, remember you heard it here first.

It was the first day of school and while we do expect the Nursery totes to cry and bawl out in the unfamiliar place. For a Higher KG kid to cry is a no-no....still parting hurts everybody. We see adults cry at railway stations and airports when there near and dear ones go away for trips. these are barely 5, away from their parents for 3 long hours (thats a looooong trip for them). So we let the older ones shed a few tears if they want and encourage them to get interested in the fun around them.

3 days since school started, a few younger ones still bawl out. In walked a 5 yr. old with his mother. When the mother turned to leave, tears welled up in his eyes, his face fell. "You will be waiting outside, won't you?" he enquired. The mother nodded a yes. Of course we all knew, including the kid, that the mother will not be waiting, she has to go home to drop the elder sibling to the senior school. But the reassurance was needed. He walked in, settled on a seat and winked vigorously trying to stem the tears now forming, then he put his head down and sat queitly. Have you got a sunshine smile...the teacher began singing. Soon all the kids joined in, up came the head, the eyes still wet, he managed to give a most beautiful smile. A few more minutes later he was happily jumping to "5 little monkeys on the bed". Emotions conquered, dark clods passed away. Now how many adults really do manage to hold their emotions, control them this way so beautifully. The kid returned home, happy, joyful. He participated in all the activities enthusiastically, played with his friends, even fought and shared. Wouldn't some adults go around mopping the whole day bcos of a bad morning?

Weather or Not

2007-06-22T00:31:00.000+05:30

Ah the same ol' gripe no to low rains. Just two days ago, the skies erupted, flashed and rolled so hard we woke up in the middle of the night hearing the sounds. That our house is nestled in a L-shaped conclave and so even the rustling wind creates a cyclone like sound, does not help matters. The lightning that night sounded like sharp sparks and the thunder like a bomb blast. I woke up thinking that the transformer near our apartments had burst. I cuddled up with my family to sleep that night. And now two days since, its all a distant dream. Dark clouds gather but don't rain, they just keep teasing n teasing. I am yearning to feel lots of wet raindrops cool the dry, sunbaked earth.

Matrimonial capers cont'd.........

2007-06-20T22:53:00.000+05:30

Almost a week now since I put in my profile. Yesterday I finally decided to check it for responses, so I logged into one of the matrimonial site. Within the next half an hour I was inundated with IMs from interested suitors. Now the IM system is a good idea to encourage people to communicate with and find potential suitors. But of the many responses I responded to unfortunately very few were even serious about marriage, most seemed to be there for want of a better way to while their time, have some 'fun'. It took me a good deal of time to make out what they were really upto and I ain't even sure whether to trust the responses I have recieved.

So I did meet atleast one interesting person and we hit off well too, however we got into a tangle over the issue of religion (ah of all the things!) left it unresolved, lets see what develops. Among the other responses I recieved I felt pity for the responses by divorcees and such single men lookin for a second chance. They typically used words like 'lowered your expectations' or 'I m sorry', 'sorry to diappoint you' etc. They seem to tread so cautiously, afraid of being hurt a second time, feel like u need to applaud them just for making the effort. Of course maybe I am just letting my emotions get the better of me!

St. Anthony

2007-06-16T23:59:00.000+05:30

More on matrimonial capers.........

Wednesday was St. Anthony's feast day.....our office accountant a true to the core Christian told me. She exhorted I must pray to the dear Saint this day, he did a lot of miracles in his hey days and one of the miracles was helping a young girl get married. Wow! I thought, now thats seems a easier than searching thru matrimonials, but I ahd to get the method right so I asked her how the miracle took place. This is the story - A young girl kept praying to the saint to find her a suitable husband. After many such prayers and still unmarrried, in anger she picked up the statue of St. Anthony and threw it on the road. The statue went and hit a young man on his head. The repentant girl nursed the young man back to health, both fell in love and eventually got married. Ah! such a sweet love story! Akin to a movie story but neverthless....it worked.
So now how was I gonna make it work for me, for one I hadn't been praying for long. Then two I didn't have statue of the dear Saint and three, throwing on the road and breaking someone's head seemed a bit risky. What if the guy decided to sue me or if it hit a vehicle instead of "the one".

A brief discussion with some of my colleagues followed and they quickly came up with suggestions. The rationale......its a modern world. New world demands new tools. The statue was replaced with a innocuos paper ball ...(people keep throwing that in and out of offices all the time) and for want of choice, instead of one it was decided that 3 would be a better number. I had to feign I was trying to aim it at a non-existent dust bin, in case someone questioned. So there I was with 3 purposefully made balls of scrap paper (one of the colleagues even lended her scrap for the 'authentic' look), waiting for an apportunity to strike.

After much deliberation I threw the first one in air...generally aiming at the passageway where lots of people ourtsiders, guests, visitors walk past. True to Murphy's law where do u think the paper ball landed........right in the dust-bin on the other side which incidentally our 'maushi' had remembered to put back in its rightful place. In all the years that we have worked there, almost everyone has routinely missed the aim to the dustbin (which is seldom in place for that matter), that I had to score now on this most trying ocassion....*sigh*.

Paper ball no.2 in hand.....take a deep breath......shoot...this one I sent way off course. There was little chance of it landing back in the dustbin either since my colleagues having witnessed the whole scene no.1 promptly got the dustbin removed to one of the usual unusual places. This one hit the bat. It landed on the body of a hapless fella walking bye. Aye its a man......lets take a closer look. Yikes....wait I know him.....oh of course....its the labourer who has been coming for the whole last week......to paint our walls.....alongwith with one of his 3 kids and sis-in-law. What a match. Under muffled laughters I quickly mouthed a apolegetic 'sorry' and slinked back into my secure chair. No more throws for me I retire early.

Of course my colleagues weren't goin to let me go that easily. Esp. not an opportunity that sounded so full of adventure and.......laughter (guaranteed guffaws). So they goaded me on....with the last paper ball. Wanting to get it over it as quicklya as possible I tossed the last one into air and didn't even dare turn back and see where it landed. I need not have bothered for the paper ball came back to me alongwith a sound reprimand , a lecture on keeping premises and city clean followed by another stern reprimand for setting a bad example and...wastinng paper. All this from .........no not my boss, even worse, a senior staff from the main department. Sheesh! So much for miracles.

I guess I might as well wait for the responses to my profile.........*sigh*. With apologies to the dear Saint. Adieu!

The hunt is on

2007-06-15T00:07:00.000+05:30

Few more days of huntin and here's the news.

Whew! I did get some replies to my postings in the matrimonials! That soothes my ego!
The moment I announced it, however was quite remniscent of A Red Indian war cry. As soon as I announced, there my dad stood on one side and my mom at the other, carefully scrutinising the screen.....wht they were lookin for....mom, a good god fearing boy eho would be totally Christian n dad, a "decent" hard workin Hindu........phew....where do I find that combination. I mean alright the first few qualities are not impossible, but mixed religion or "hybrid" as my friends would love to tease me, now thats a tall order. Can I really make both happy? Maybe I should start a group of all the "hybrids" out there and perhaps I might find "the one".

The only option left for me at that delicate juncture (both gave me the most endearing looks all meaning to see whose side I would take) was...show interest in the one totally different religion Muslim reply recieved. Now that was a 'Kodak' moment....the incredulous look on my parents face when I made my interests clear! Of course my interest however was of no consequence, 'our daughter would never do that, she listens to us', and the proposal was as quickly chucked out.

So back again to the hunt..........

Right match>>>

2007-06-13T00:42:00.000+05:30

Day 1 into hubby hunt....... logged in to my ID and waitin, judgement day? Oh wait I have some hits. There are people interested..whew!.....what kind....hmmm.....not bad...

TING....thats the matrimony sites instant messsenger. Someone wants to chat up with me...how interesting. Will he be the 'one'?

..chattin....chattin.....
Q. Are u spiritual?
Me: Ah ...ahem....kind of...dont' follow any gods or particular religion and such
Q. What kind of rituals do u follow?
Me: (sheepishly) Rituals....none really. What do u follow?
Q. I meditate
Me: (relieved) Oh well. Thts nice. I have meditated in Yoga sessions.
Q. No this is different. Do u know there are two worlds?
Me: huh?
Q. Yes do u believe in OOBs
Me: (Have heard of Boobs...whats this!!). Erm.. I m not familiar with the term.
Q. Out of Body experiences, do u believe in the subconscious.
Me: Ah of course..wasn't familiar with that acronym. I have read Freud.
Q. Great u are very knowledgeable
Me: Uh, thanks.

Ok, I guess I will wait for day 2 now.....

Ready to be a Mannequin

2007-06-12T00:32:00.000+05:30

So I did the unthinkable yesterday. Gave in to my parents and posted my profile on those numerous matrimony sites *sigh*. Having filled in all the requisite details, now I feel like a mannequin in a shop, people will walk by and inspect me. I am up to be analyzed and judged.

Noooooooooooo, Hush, let me keep telling myself....this is just one of the many ways to meet people, socialise,.....find the perfect 'hubby dearest'? The whole thing still creeps me out a bit. As if I am giving myself a deadline. Not that I hate deadlines, but, this is kind of creepy still.

Teaser

2007-06-10T18:08:00.000+05:30

Nature is proving to be a huge teaser. Two days of cool refreshing rain and now back to hot sweaty sultry summer. As much as I enjoy lazing in the pool, I am most eagerly waiting for the rains to arrive (I am sure like most others around me too) *sigh*

First Rain

2007-05-31T22:51:00.000+05:30

Wow rains have arrived. Today there was thunder, lightning, rain, smell of soaked mud and cool cool cool wind blowing through...it was goooood! Umm I love the rain, got wet and danced around some. I feel soooo happy.

Busy busy....

2007-05-23T01:28:00.000+05:30

Have a busy busy week..the dance workshop leaves me physically drained out but mentally alert so to make the most of an opportunity I try to catch up on my reading. Now i am totally exhausted. Tommorow off for some so termed spiritual awakenings.

Freeeeedom...

2007-05-18T13:27:00.000+05:30

Yippee exams are over.....I feel like I am back in school the final exams are over and its the first day of summer vacations ..........of course my vacation would last precisely 3 days wonly.....but what the heck......paaarrtty time....

On a more serious note I managed to clean up my wardrobe. Gosh it was such a mess, and I am planning to attack this computer table next. Then I am eyeing all those books I haven't managed to read yet and a few I just want to read again.....lets see...the one's topping my list right now....there's .....
Anita Nair's Ladies Coupe, Ayn Rand's Fountainhead, Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and Doestevesky's Crime and Punishment. Hmm......which one should I read first???

Earhquake Ahoy......

2007-05-04T13:37:00.000+05:30

Got the shivers, fits, tremors.....quite an earthquake. Tommorows my dance exam and I am way too nervous. I have practiced and practiced and practiced, yet, I feel I might forget there, I might do some serious blunder and then....a landslide. Gosh my hands shiver, my pulse is in a marathon. Haven't been so nervous even before the dance programmes. Do I really want to do this? Feel like running away and attempting it only when I am more sane.

Breaks Over

2007-05-02T20:19:00.000+05:30

Ah back from the looooooong hiatus. Life's looking breezily good. Up to the tip of my nose with exams, its a busy busy buzzzzy time. The cool pool is far more inviting more than studying or writing a blog now. What say. Bbye

Hiatus

2006-10-07T16:37:00.000+05:30

Taking a hiatus.
Hey I am pretty good at doing that.

Is it an essential life skill?

Blog blocked?

2006-07-22T00:17:00.000+05:30

Read in newspaper that Indian government is blocking certain blogs. And then entire blogs like blogspot.com, bloggers.com were blocked. Checking if mine is up and working :P If this posts then it certainly is. Yippeee!

Resilient Mumbaikars or ………….

2006-07-12T18:35:00.000+05:30

It’s a few hours since the bomb blasts. Being a spectator at a blast site is nasty business, pain, shock, blood n mangled bodies should be traumatic, but I am not traumatized, shocked yes, didn’t expect a repeat of the blasts of course, realized I could have been one of the dead yes, but I am not scared. A bit apprehensive, I didn’t wait at the site for too long, watched people help each other, the crowd was too much, left as soon as the police and ambulance arrived, spent four hours in a crowded bus traveling back home, sharing seats and news with co-passengers, maybe being among the living gives confidence………..…….. News channels are once again talking about the resilient and helpful spirit of Mumbaikars. Resilient??....why not, when battling death is part of each and every Mumbaikars daily life, and struggle for survival has to be taken in its literal term, being resilient is not ‘an option’. Other than the occasional riots, bomb blasts and flooding, the Mumbaikar every day has to deal with possible train accidents, road accidents, ‘freak’ accidents and stress accidents. How many accidents, injured people and dead bodies have I seen in the last 10 years I have been traveling……. plenty; how many such chaotic situations have I been through……….plenty again. Resilience is supposed to be a positive trait, but I am worried. To walk away from a possible traumatic incident unaffected is strength, shows a strong character. But in our quest to be resilient are we becoming insensitive?...to pain, to suffering? We do help each other out when crisis comes……..so does that speak of our bid to grasp at whatever little sensitivity is left in us. Are we too complacent, too accepting of everything that happens to us?

So I add to my list of experiences in life, another bomb blast; 2 days ago I escaped being caught in the riots, a week ago I waded through water and trekked back home. Today’s newspaper reports astrologers account it to some conjustion between Saturn and Jupiter……aah now why didn’t we think of that…….quick inform ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)...they should do something about it pronto!!! Shouldn’t they have warned us about this.

Budding artist

2006-06-19T00:52:00.000+05:30

Inspired by Jonathan Livingston Seagull.... everyone apes for the sky, not just any sky, the part that is the brightest, challenging.

Musings of a person who likes to hide behind long veil. But, there is a chink in the veil that lets out the musings free as birds.

For some Art is a way of life.....for me it creeps up once in a while.

Its kinda like the blues. You suddenly want to draw n paint and embroider and knit and sculpture and do whatever it is little bit of art you know to and then you are also ready to learn new forms. I tried my hand at some computer art [The very basics, sketching into Paint program using a i-pen (mouse)] and then tried to convert it into a logo for a group that I recently joined. As a logo its pathetic, but as just plain art I find it good enough. Here are my 2 creations.

Updating my favs

2006-06-12T00:42:00.000+05:30

After a long time I read ....guess what......Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys.....hahahaha....I spotted them with a friend's teen sis and with nothing better to do read thru. The mysteries are of course now predictable, but I remember as a teen I used to love reading them. Which reminded me I got to update my list of fav reads. The more I read the more the list changes with additions and a sometimes few ousts too. So heres my latest.......

Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged

George Orwell - Animal Farm
Ken Kesey - One flew over the cuckoo’s nest
J. R. R. Tolkein- Lord of the Rings
Arthur Golden - Memoirs of a Geisha
Henri Charerie - Papillion

Charles Dickens - A tale of two cities (my first classic)
Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Homes

The Inner Courtyard – A collection
Daphne du Maurier - Rebecca
Jerome K Jerome - Three Men in A Boat
Dan Brown - Da Vinci Code (loved the way he used history to tell a convincing story.....his sub-story plot sucks tho!!)
Emilie Bronte - Wuthering Heights (story ok, the writing style...gripping)
Michael Frayn - Noises Off (its a play)
R.K. Narayan - Malgudi Landscapes and essays

P.G. Wodehouses - All with Jeeves

To Tattoo or not that is the question........

2006-06-04T00:34:00.000+05:30

I would like to get a tattoo some day. I know its going to be on my arm, my left arm and it will be tattoo of a sun. A celtic or tribal sun. I haven’t still got the guts to leave such a permanent design on my skin, never to regret. But, I plan to start off with henna. I will try it on my arm with henna first, see how comfortable I am with it and then probably…………………

Another design I would opt for is a butterfly…….but it sounds too feminine…still….hmm

My parents would kill me if they read this.

Here are two designs I found and which look intersting to sport..........

Book read...Wilt by Tom Sharp

2006-06-04T00:31:00.000+05:30

Been quite busy again as usual……and been reading plenty too.…just light reads...... a few P.G. Wodehouses (quite refreshing)….read a few Agatha Christies…. and a few other forgettable ones. Then I read Wilt by Tom Sharp. A partly satirical story about a frustrated with life couple. There is a college lecturer named Wilt who makes plans of killing his wife. His wife is into meditation, yoga, pottery and such to get over the boredom of living. The wife is influenced by a lesbian women’s strange feminist views and after a staged misunderstanding with husband goes away with the women. The husband is meanwhile accused of murdering his wife……there is a lot of hilarious mayhem …..…leading to finally the couple reconciling. A good writer, it was an good and easy read. Gets wordy at times, but generally ok. Worth a read. Finished the book in 3 hrs straight.

Lovely song

2006-05-08T21:42:00.000+05:30

Just heard a lovely song on TV. Its a regional song with simple catchy tune and soulful lyrics
that goes so......

Men created religions,

Religions created Gods,

Men and religion split the earth,

Men and religion split the heart.

Exam Phobia

2006-05-03T00:01:00.000+05:30

Why is it that even after giving so many exams throughout our lives.....right from school years till now ......we still feel nervous before exams. No matter how well we prepare still as the days close by the stress levels increase, and the very moment before the exam, as the papers are handed, we can hear every hearbeat loud and clear.

Day after I have Kathak dance exams. Its the first time I am going to give a dance exam and I am nervous like hell. Till two days ago I remembered every step, I could recite all the verses very well and now, I am getting muddled up. Whew! I got to relax! Everytime I imagine the examiner looking at me and shaking her head as if to tell "I never imagined people can dance so badly!!" Then she peers at me and says "You ! Out of here! Look at those kids they dance much better than you!"

Aaaaaargh I got to relax!!!

Thought for the day

2006-05-02T23:41:00.000+05:30

Here's a funny pic forwarded by a friend !

Movie Review : Gangster

2006-04-29T21:37:00.000+05:30

With nothing better to do we decided to see a movie today. Its unusual for us (me n my gang of friends) to see a movie impromptu, yet, we decided to see the most immediate one for which tickets might be available and soon found ourselves standing for the pre-movie National Anthem, the movie …Gangster.

For a 2 hour supposedly “romantic” movie, inspired by some real life gangsta, the most entertaining moments were the snide remarks, hilarious comments, witty predictions being passed throughout the movie by the whole audience (including us).

The main lead Emraan Hashmi aka Aakash was passe’, stuck in another half a lover boy image, the audience were busy counting and betting up the moment when he would start kissing and doing his stuff (u know what that is!). The female lead……some anorexic, wooden, grizzly haired, foreign accented, harsh toned femme who tried to pass off as a Indian bar girl named Simran aka Kangna (that’s the actress’s name) looked a total disaster. As she wobbled around in the skimpy “designer” half clothes, she looked desperately in need of a comb and some Sunsilk curl control. The co-actor, former Gladrags model Shiney Ahuja aka Gangster Daya looked real hot and his voice sounded awesome, but his acting skills (yes just looking good ain’t enough!)..……..…… he was just hamming through most of the scenes. There was this one particular scene where he begins to cry earnestly saying “I can’t live without you Simran” and the whole audience simply burst out laughing. Not quite a convincing actor. As for the story ho-hum…. been there, heard that, could ‘ave predicted that……don’t forget to keep your brains aside as you reach the end of the movie.

The saving graces of the show……some melodious songs, a few good dialogues, some interesting backgrounds, AC hall (best enjoyed on a hot sultry summer afternoon), enthusiastic Mumbaikar audience and samosas (try Cinemax, Sion for that, the cheapest and yummiest on their list).

Book Read - Shashi Deshpande’s Collected Stories

2006-04-25T15:11:00.000+05:30

I just finished reading Shashi Deshpande’s Collected Stories Volume 1. Good writer. While her stories ranged from simple sweet ones, some boring ones, to intense ones, but each story does makes you think. You can (if you are a woman) relate to them to some extent. All stories are gender specific, most have been written from a women’s point of view. Doubtful whether the male species could relate to it or accept it.

The stories are basically about men and women and the relationships they are "trapped" in . The Liberated Women is about a women who is very successful in her career and looked upon as a role model by the society but in her personal life is abused and accepts it as inevitable. There is the story of a young girl who cannot comprehend why her being born is a curse. One story is about a newly-wed couple who barely know each other and their dramatically differing ideas about what it is to get to know each other. .........

Worth a read definitely

Some interesting lines……….

“We need to invent our own truths. How else can we live with ourselves?”

“Love- how often they use the words in books and movies, how carelessly people fling the word at one another. But how wary we are of the word in real life!”

Fun, play and then some work

2006-04-25T15:10:00.000+05:30

Been having some really busy weeks. First went to a water park with friends and had a wild time (a well deserved break!). I also chickened out of two water slides, one with a sheer 3 floor drop…… wasn’t feeling that bravado! Then later in the week I saw a play, Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” directed by Tim Supple. It was an experimental play with the cast, an ensemble from Sri Lanka, India and UK and was multilingual. The characters spoke in 7 different languages…. each language in the purest form, a creatively used set and props. It was humorous, well presented…….an enjoyable, memorable evening. And then I got immersed nose deep in work. Changing times ahead at work…..with the end of an academic year, people moving in and out, new responsibilities assigned. Plenty to keep a busy head hooked.

Acts of kindness

2006-04-24T22:04:00.000+05:30

The busy hurried lives that we lead, we barely get time to register people and events happening around us. So once in a while we notice and then tend to feel sorry for the less fortunate beings around us and get into a benevolent mood. And so I found myself one fine early morning……

The object of my benevolence was a small puppy that was squealing intermittently (probably calling out to its mother). I was waiting for a few friends to arrive at the train station. With nothing better to do, I stood watching the pup’s antics as it squealed, followed people around, nudged around a few legs, squealed again, retraced its steps back and so on. Meanwhile an urchin stood in another desolate corner begging for alms as usual from the few who stood at the ticket window. I fathomed the pup must be squealing with hunger, its cries now seemingly more pitiful and so as soon as I spotted one of my friends I asked her to wait for the others and went to get some food for the hungry pup and the urchin too (“show humanity” to a stray dog but forget a stray human! Nah!)

It was early morning hours, a public holiday, there were hardly any shops open. It took some searching but eventually I found an open shop that mercifully had some pav (Indian bread) leftover. I brought some and promptly returned to see my friend standing with an ear to ear grin. Wondering what it was about I looked around …..….both the puppy and the urchin had vanished. In the time that I took to find the food, the pup had wandered off, the urchin too had climbed a train and went off to try his luck someplace else. I stood there, feeling slightly stupid and embarrassed now, holding two pieces of pav in my hands, wondering what to do with it now, my friends laughter now ringing in my ears…… so much for my act of kindness! I spotted the watchman of a nearby enclosure grinning at me. Hesitantly I offered him the pav, he offered to share it with us with his tea …wow ! And so we shared a perfect morning cuppa of tea and pav with an absolute stranger. Well not an act of kindness but it sure made us feel good!

Read "Up at the Villa"

2006-04-09T00:10:00.000+05:30

I just read Somerset Maugham's Up at the Villa. Its the first time I am reading his book, pretty famous author. I had glanced through his Cakes and Ales some time earlier and found it interesting. This book however pales in comparision to Cakes and Ales. I am sure he writes better. This book ain't bad, the writing style is amazing, crisp and fluid, gets you involved in the themes and characters quickly. Its a short story, I finished it in one sittting.

The story is about a young widow, who has not decided what to do with her life and is "up to the teeth with love". She is willing to marry for companionship and mistrusts love after a failed marriage. Soon things compound with two suitors and a murdered man and she faces moral dilemmas. The story is been brought out well and is worth reading once. My suggestion borrow it, no need to stock it up unless you are an ardent Maugham fan.

Leadership Roles

2006-03-17T01:56:00.000+05:30

“See how the majority of them are males. They always want to dominate, to lead” exclaimed my colleague.

I looked around the room and I had to admit it was true! Majority of them were males! And that’s a lot considering that the group had only a handful of males. But, they always want to lead??

I and my colleague were at a workshop on “true education” with our trainee students and the facilitator had just divided the participants into groups of 8. Being part of the staff we were silent spectators to the on goings. The participants consisted mostly of females with a spattering of males.

The facilitator insisted that each group select amongst them a facilitator who would lead and monitor the discussions of the group. She then asked all the selected facilitators to stand up and invariably most of them were males. Of the groups which had females as facilitators, there were no males in the group. Groups with only one male too had that lone male as the facilitator.

Social conditioning? Low morale? Dominating males? Born Leaders?

I watched the group in front of me go through the “selection process”. The moment the group converged to talk the lone male chipped in that he “volunteered” to be the facilitator. The females of the group, a few of them looked at each other and slowly shrugged an ok, some were just glad to be relieved of the “spotlight moment”, and there were still others who were indifferent.

Now who is at fault here?

Time to be more proactive girls!

Read Da Vinci Code

2006-03-12T00:27:00.000+05:30

Yep so I read the “Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown…and how did I feel about it can be summed up so….

Beginning- Wow! Great book, interesting, great idea, must recommend
Towards middle – Ho Hmm, ok, codes are interesting enough, of course, patience
Further ahead – Yeah yeah ok, ain’t u repeating the same thing over and over, move on, u are beginning to bore me, information overload!!
By the end – Yawn… He’s been watching way too many Hollywood movies! gimme a break….I already guessed that, zzzzzzzzzzz

Ps: I loved the bit about Phi 1.618 and the Golden Ratio

On a Reading Spree…..

2006-02-26T01:39:00.000+05:30

Once in a while I do that. Seem to catch up on a lot of reading altogether. So for the past few weeks I have been reading and reading……. started off with two Harry Potters as some light reading and then moved on to P.G. Wodehouse, Tom Morris, R.K. Narayan, Gajra Kottary, some English plays, and ………the two I found most interesting……. Michael Frayn’s comic play “Noises Off” and the classic Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”.

Noises Off is a comic farce, a play within a play, wherein a comic play is being rehearsed and performed. The personal lives of the ensemble mingle with the actual play and the results are hilarious. This play was enacted on stage successfully abroad and made into a movie too, in India, I remember reading about the play being directed by Atul Gandhi.

Wuthering Heights is a Victorian classic, a high end dramatic story of love and hate. It could easily be made into a dramatic TV soap. What is most interesting is the way in which it is written……. most compelling, keeps you hooked to the story. Though the English used is a bit hard to understand some times, still it is what gives the story its true essence. The main character Heathcliff is both the hero and the villain of the story. Reminds me of Daphne Du Maurier’s “Rebecca”.

The reading spree hasn’t abated yet and for the next two weeks I have Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code” (yep!! I haven’t read it yet!) and “Shadow Lines” by Amitav Ghosh, plenty to keep me busy.

Feeling low?

2006-01-21T22:57:00.000+05:30

...... try this link.........

Atleast it will get u laughing!

A Train Story

2006-01-14T18:08:00.000+05:30

Bombay is synonymous with its local trains and you would hardly find an individual who has traveled in a local train but hasn’t got a story to tell. Each day the local train spews hundreds of stories of courage and humanity and of stupidity and indifference too. I too have many such stories and new ones keep replacing the old. This happened a few days ago.

I was traveling down the Western suburbs in a tightly packed train (as usual) waiting in the doorway for my stop to arrive. There was the usual commotion at a stop at the other doorway when I suddenly heard a child howling. Now, its not unusual to hear children howling out loud in trains particularly the ones like these where people call a space for keeping one foot straight as personal space, except, this howling distinctly sounded of deep pain. Like other co-travelers I managed to turn around (only seasoned travelers can maneuver this move) and saw a small clearing formed in the centre (in an already stuffed train!!) where a dirty urchin boy sat howling holding his foot.

A closer look (that means the space in between other bobbing heads) revealed that his little toe was stubbed badly and now blood flowed freely from the wound onto the floorboard. The intense pain was apparent in the way the urchin flayed his legs and hands and the howling sounded most painful. It tugged at our hearts, and people looked at each other wondering what to do. Someone asked how he got hurt, nobody knew of course, but some suggested that in the commotion his foot might have got caught under someone’s pointed heels (sic).

Then from somewhere the urchin’s mother (probably) came rushing through the crowd with another child in tow. She looked at the wound and tried to stop the bleeding with a dirty rag. Again Some voices from the crowd enquired if anybody’s got medicine, someone volunteered a clean handkerchief but the mother would have none. She first chastened the boy to be quiet and then proceeded to exit the train at the coming stop. The boy still continued to howl in immense pain and the blood still dripped freely on to the floor board. A few people suggested the railway first aid but the urchin mother refused, they were ticketless travelers and feared they would be harassed by the police instead.

As the next station neared the people standing nearby stepped ahead gingerly so as not to step into the blood on the floor. The others standing nearby ‘tched’, but made enough space to ensure they too do not step into the blood. At the next stop as the urchin and his mother got off and a new crowd came surging in. Someone said careful, look down, but who would. In the maddening crowd, as people clamored for whatever little space they could find, new feet with shoes, heeled and flats, polished and worn, all came barging in. The blood on the floorboard went undiscovered. Who is looking down?

Book Read: Ants, Ghosts and Whispering Trees

2006-01-14T16:51:00.000+05:30

After many many months I finally once again picked up my reading. I read Ants, Ghosts and Whispering Trees: An Anthology of Oriya Short Stories. These are a collection of translated Orissa based short stories written by Oriya writers. The stories are well written (or should I say rather well translated), leads you into the stories well. They are all based on the “common man”, mostly set in the past and talks of beliefs, superstitions and social issues related to caste, hierarchy and such; covers a wide theme.

While most of the stories were interesting, a few I found a bit staid. Of the few stories I found well written and interesting, one is a story of a beggar blind man who keeps praying to god to send him someone who would help him earn a living, all the while a lame beggar woman who is also seeking companionship lives besides him, eventually the lame man realises and seeks her solace but.... maybe its too late!! Another story is of two men from a village who work in the city and are killed during communal riots, the illiterate mother of one of the sons believes it is the "Ps" written at the end of one of the letters she sent to her son (written for her by the postman) that killed him. A third story I found interesting is called “Night Dogs” and speaks of an ordinary couple who suffer sleepless nights due to howling dogs in the neighborhood and their indifference when they find themselves caught in between an equally disturbing Naxalite clash.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2006-01-03T00:50:00.000+05:30

Gosh! had a pretty busy year end. Been running around like crazy for a month getting things done. Here's some thoughful verses a friend s sent me. HAPPY NEW YEAR World.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,

be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even to the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career,

however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,

for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals,

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery,

and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s

Bizarre Love!!!

2005-11-25T20:37:00.000+05:30

The Bombay Times, a supplement with the popular newspaper Times of India, every day carries a small column at the top where they report bizarre incidents that happen around the world, mostly in foreign countries. But I don’t think they need to report those incidents that happen abroad, there are plenty happening right here in India everyday. Take today’s front page news for instance…..”Love Test”…..a guy asked her 23 year old fiancé to prove her love for him. When she said she could die for him, the fiancé asked her to lie down on the road and ran his car over her thrice. The poor girl is now in hospital with multiple fractures and possibility of permanent disability; and the guy is of course absconding. Ain’t it bizarre?

But why did it happen, the girl was stupid? the guy was stupid? hey they both were stupid!! But who is more stupider….the girl, the boy, nah not them it is (drum roll)….The Media!!…after all it is all these potboiler movies that give the idea of death for love. How often have we heard the dialogues, “mein tumhare liye apni jaan tak de sakti hun” (I will give my life for you), or, “agar tu na mili to mein apna jaan de dunga” (If you don’t love me I will kill myself)…and ain’t there all those movies in which the hero or the heroine try to test each other’s love by pulling such similar stunts…… the girl tells guy go and jump from the mountain for me, and he goes, or the girl says I will drink this poison if u don’t love me, the guy says go ahead, she drinks, he rushes her to the hospital, and some more mushy dialogues later they are in love …….isn’t it far too common!!!

So is it strange, if someone tries it out in real life. You bet it is. Nobody has taken it so far. But people have tried it in real life. I remember once I had been to this village for a project and a village guy who was guiding me around told me, the local “hero” of the area was in love with this girl (now his wife), but she refused to acknowledge, so he made similar threats of jumping in the well, the only clitch was this guy (the story teller) was all ready with rope n all to pull him out in case the hero had to actually attempt and the girl ignored. Then again probably a girl would be all too familiar (and perhaps boys too,) with the clichéd dialogues “I will die if I don’t get to meet you.”, I have heard these and lines in similar effect before. Is this all the oh so romanticized, poetizied, to which eons of odes are wriiten, to which Romeo n Juliet would swear to… four letter word “love” all about?

Surely any emotion, any relationship, that could kill you, woudn’t it be a negative emotion? Wouldn’t a healthy emotion, a healthy relationship be one in which the individual can grow and nurture and not feel like killing oneself!!! Remember in the movie "As Good As it Gets" where Jack Nicholson says to Helen Hunt, "You make me want to be a better man.".

And yet so many times media has twisted and contorted and publicized this “love” so much, it is used so frivolously. People keep falling “in” love and then “out” of love, and feel like a failure if they are not “in love”. They are so busy looking at others for love, they forget that they should love and respect themselves first.

Been so far..............

2005-11-25T20:32:00.000+05:30

Finally I am done with my exams. That was quite an effort. Three in a row, it was quite an experience. The TSE was the funniest, I had the greatest urge to break into loud laughter, I felt so silly conversing to a recorded voice into a telephone. GRE was a disappointment, I had expected better performance from myself. I guess it was because I panicked in the numerical section. I wasn’t confident even after lot of practice and that reflected. Now, that’s a good lesson to remember, whatever you do, Do Not Panic, for any exams. Remember to breath. It reflects poorly in your performance. TOEFL however was just the opposite, I was confident and I scored beyond my expectations. It was too good.

So that’s 3 hurdles down the line, still just one part of the battle, now on to getting my SOP and research paper ready. Whew!!

Festival of Lights...........

2005-11-03T20:00:00.000+05:30

Its been quite long since I last blogged, been too busy studying and getting some major documents in order (I hate the bureaucracy!!!). Today after many many days I took a restful break.

Its Diwali, the beautiful festival of lights………the glowing diyas, radiant lanterns, sparkling lights all look so pretty. I love to take a stroll in the evenings through the neighbourhood during Diwali. The houses look so stunning and colourful with the lights and the lovely rangolis in the courtyard.

Today I went up to the terrace with my family and some neighbours to watch the fireworks, specially the rockets that throw colorful lights in the sky (I am not particularly fond of those loud crackers that make every effort to render you hearing handicapped!!).

……………………It was such an exhilarating experience. We stood there at the centre of the terrace looking up at the dark night sky. All around us every few seconds the sky would suddenly burst into glowing colours of red, green and blue, sometimes the colours would bounce out into more colours before vanishing as quickly as it came, at other times the sky would be shimmering with golden colour. Every burst of colour would make us collectively go ooh and aah. We could feel the colours burst in our own hearts, we could feel the joy within us. For half an hour we all stood there silently watching the colourful display. Then some of us realized our necks were beginning to ache from all the looking up. We lingered around for another half an hour talking and watching, before returning back home. It was refreshing.

Praise or approval

2005-10-13T13:52:00.000+05:30

Every once in a while I read a bit of poetry. Of course only those that are easy to understand and do not use too many metaphors, and probably, those that I could relate to or makes sense to me. Here's one couplet I heard recently and found pretty interesting.

Its a couplet by Rabindranth Tagore and it talks about praise.

We have always known of praise as a positive way of encouraging people, adults as well as kids. It is a good motivator. It is recommended over negative reinforcements like punishment or scolding. But, like punishment, praise too has its pitfalls. A person who works expecting praise is seeking approval. By praising someone we are giving approval and making him/her dependent on such approval. Are we constantly seeking approval...... from our parents, teachers, boss, friends, society......?

This is how the couplet goes........

"Praise is like a liquor

Praise is like a dope

For save me from the garland

Which is but a hanging rope"

- Rabindranath Tagore

Of Fasts and such Fervors

2005-10-09T23:10:00.000+05:30

Two weeks ago I was on my way to work as usual, traveling on the public transport. It was one of those usual crowded busy days; when suddenly a lady standing beside me fell unconscious. Passengers nearby immediately sprang forward and revived her with some water, helped her on to a seat and settled her more comfortably. They then proceeded to enquire what happened and it was revealed that she had fallen unconscious cos she was on a fast and hadn’t eaten anything for quite some time!! I was shocked, what a foolhardy thing to do, if you can’t endure it why fast? Co-passengers feeling sorry for her proceeded to take out whatever food they had and offered her some, but, she simply refused to eat saying it would break her fast. After some more persuasion someone managed to feed her a few morsels of fruits (u are allowed to eat them when u fast!) and someone offered to drop her safely to her work place. The whole compartment was abuzz with conversations on fasts and similar incidents and I found myself asking why do people fast.

I first heard of fasts when I was a teenager and some of my classmates would brag about their fasts. I asked my mother then and she said that most people fast due to religious reasons, its part of most religions and cultures. These fasts would generally involve either abstaining from certain kind of food (mostly non-vegetarian) or substituting regular food with certain kinds of blander food (there was quite a range to choose from…and they were quite yummy too!!). Some of the stricter fasts involved substituting fruits for regular food. An even more stricter fast involved abstaining from food till sunset. My mom made it quite clear too that it was for me to decide what I chose to believe in. I used to “fast” then, to be part of my friends group……..and also cos I loved to eat those special fasting food that my friends would bring in their tiffin’s!!! I remember that back then too there were one or two incidents when girls feel unconscious cos they were on fast (no I wasn’t one of them!!)

It is the season of fasts now, with lots of festivals coming up…Ramadan, Navratri and I felt it the right moment to pop the question to people around me…..why do they fast. The answers I received were quite a range from the hilarious, to the serious, to downright hostile. Here are some of the answers I received…..

1.
Me: Why do u fast?
Clerk (at my workplace): Well, because people believe it’s a penance for our sins.
Me: Penance for our sins? How?
Clerk: Well u know if we do something wrong, and we are feeling guilty, then by fasting we are getting our sins washed off.
Me: (thoughts to myself) Oh good why do we need the judicial system….. u insult someone….fast for 3 days, u hit someone…fast for 9 days….

2.
Me: Do u fast? Why?
Colleague: Yes. The Karva Chauth. Most married women do it for their husbands long life. Well I don’t have to do it (shyly) but I love him and my mom said why don’t u do it and I said what the heck, why not.
Me: So your husband loves you more cause you fast?
Colleague: Arre nahi, he doesn’t want me to fast. It is just that I have chosen to do. He is so caring, hovers around me on that day, jeeps asking am I alright, and my whole family and his family too simply fusses around me….its fun. And then we have special ceremonies and celebrations all women together and stuff…its fun.

3.
Me: Girls, do u fast? Why?
College students: (giggling) Well actually we do it because it’s a good way to loose weight. (giggling some more) meaning its sort of a diet and parents are happy too we are following culture and religion.
Student 1 (more seriously): I don’t have to do it, meaning parents don’t tell me to do, but I do, I feel good when I do it. Its good for cleaning our system. All this junk food we eat. Its good for health, to do once in a way.
Me: Then do u do those pujas also? Will u continue doing this when u are married?
Student 2 (serious bordering on sarcasm): What ma’am, if we don’t do our in-laws might say we are bad. Our mothers keep telling us we have to do this after we get married.
Student 1 (seriously): Actually now it’s our choice. In-laws don’t really say such things, even they are broad minded. It’s our wish, that we will decide when we get married.

4.
Me: Why do u fast?
Old aunt (neighbor) (kind and serious): Well its part of our religion. It was the day when the …….. (some mythological story)…..so in observance of the day we fast. If u look at it more closely u will notice it is also more related to season and weather and occasions. Like right now it’s the October heat wave, it’s healthier to eat less fatty foods and more of the seasonal fruits and veggies. Also major festivals are coming up and we would be eating a lot of oily and fatty foods, so we diet now in preparation for what is coming.

…………and finally,

5.
Me: Why do u fast?
Friend on chat1: What do u mean why. Its part of our religion, it’s our culture. Don’t you fast? You should.
Me: erm….no. Why should I?
Friend on chat1: Girl, don’t u believe in god? Don’t u pray. It’s the way to salvation.
Me: ….. hunger to salvation?
Friend on chat1: Its not hunger…. its penitence…. its endurance….. its strengthening your discipline…… your will
Me: huh…but …., Friend on chat1: grrrr
(needless to say the rest of the conversation went down the hill)

And I guess that was enough…......

So what did I learn from the whole exercise?......just that hey I am damn good at research work…going for the PhD is probably a good idea ;) ..lol

It takes all kinds to make the world.

"People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them."

"The problem with writing about religion is that you run the risk of offending sincerely religious people, and then they come after you with machetes."

- Dave Barry

While we watched.......

2005-10-03T18:06:00.000+05:30

I recieved this photo here by mail from a friend. It says, It is the 'Pulitzer prize' winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan famine. The picture depicts a famine stricken child crawling towards an United Nations food camp located a kilometer away.

The vultures is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat it. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer Kevin Carter who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken.

Three months later he committed suicide due to depression.

Funny Article

2005-10-01T12:05:00.000+05:30

Read it, its funny........

Its too good!!

Gaining Wisdom Is a Painful Process

2005-09-29T14:44:00.000+05:30

Yes that’s my today’s wonderful discovery. I believe each new day has something new to offer, something new to tell us or teach us. So this is what I learned today………the painful process of gaining wisdom……and this is how it happened………..

I don’t know when it started, but suddenly I was aware of it. It seemed a normal busy day at work but then it started nagging me, and much as I tried to ignore it, it kept barging in. I tried to remedy it but then I wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate. Sometimes it would seem to disappear for some time and, then would be back again, consistently making its presence felt. I knew I had to do something but I wasn’t sure what. Then I talked to my colleagues and some confidants and what they said made me feel better equipped to handle it. It is a necessary step in every individual’s life………..

Lost??? Still wondering what??? Ha ha ha ha…. ‘It’ was my wisdom tooth!!!
I thought all my teething process had been done with in childhood and then I discovered I have four more to go. Yes I did learn about it in science but that was long ago I dumped it out the memory box. So now I am gaining some wisdom……teeth. Yippee! And while it does hurt sometimes, I am quite happy to be aware of the growth process.

In the great words of Ogden Nash
“Some pains are physical, some are mental, the one that is both is dental”

Whats your brave act?

2005-09-29T12:22:00.000+05:30

Interesting poem

2005-09-24T21:15:00.000+05:30

A Little Mixed Up

Just a line to say I'm living,

That I'm not among the dead.
Though I'm getting more forgetful
And more mixed up in the head.

For sometimes I can't remember,
When I stand at foot of stairs,
If I must go up for something,
Or if I've just come down from there.

And before the fridge so often
My poor mind is filled with doubt
Have I just put food away?
...or Have I come to take some out?

And there's times when it is dark out,
With my night cap on my head
I don't know if I'm retiring
Or just getting out of bed.

So...if it's my turn to write you
There's no need of getting sore,
I may think that I have written
And don't want to be a bore!!

So, remember..I do love you
And I wish that you were here,
But now it's nearly mail time,
So I must say good-bye my dear.

There I stood beside the mail box
With a face so very red
Instead of mailing you my letter,
I had opened it instead!!

My bifocals fit - my dentures are fine
My hearing aid works...but....I do miss my mind!!!

-- Author Unknown

Excerpt

2005-09-18T21:43:00.000+05:30

"In this world where strife has percolated from the level of the classes down to the lowest units of human existence, where co-operation has been replaced by competition........In the lengthening queues for food, shelter, or clothing, for jobs and promotions - or even walking space as it may turn out - we always stand between somebody and his right. Under our towers of pride lies the tombs of somebody else's right."

(excerpt from "Twilight Encounters" by Anand)

Hmm....interesting site

2005-09-08T12:14:00.000+05:30

Today after many many days, I actually managed to get some free time and surf the net. I must admit there are lots of things happening in this virtual world. Here's something I found very interesting..........its a test (yes u can roll your eyes and exclaim so whats new) .........that claims to predict your future love accurately(the usual u say).........but this one is kinda creepy and a whole lot of fun. Try at your own risk ;-)

lovetest

Of Plastic bags and Umbrellas

2005-09-07T14:21:00.000+05:30

So the government is planning to ban plastic in Mumbai. After the floods on 26th July, they discovered that the reason behind the non-receding water levels were the huge amount of plastic, particularly plastic carry bags, that blocked the drainage. So the government announced its plan, and while the ban hasn’t been put into effect yet, most shop keepers and sellers are clearing away their stock and refraining from buying more. As a result now whenever you go shopping you have to remember to carry a bag with you, don’t expect them to give you bags.

But, as they say old habits die hard; and so it happened yesterday that while walking back from office, my mom called up and asked me to pick up some vegetables for the evening dinner. I sauntered into the nearby vegetable market and went about selecting some juicy ripe tomatoes, fresh green capsicums and some French beans (those particularly looked like having been painted green under the glare of the lamp covered with green gelatin paper). After having paid for it, the vegetable vendor asked for my shopping bag to put the vegetables, and…………then it hit hard, a shopping bag, when was the last time I carried one of those things. The vegetable vendor of course had no bags to even lend me one. Other shoppers standing besides me smirked and proudly handed out their shopping bags for their own purchases, a few of them mumbled comments to no one in particular about plastics and bans. I was at a loss at what to do, my handbag had just about space to stuff in two capsicums at the most, as the vendor suggested, if I did try carrying all of it in my hands, what chance did I have of reaching them home safe while navigating through traffic and humans on this busy stretch of road.

After brainstorming and looking around for options (I couldn’t spot even one of those regulars selling cloth or jute shopping bags), I hit upon a novel plan (or so I thought it was!). I had an umbrella (its still the monsoon season); I just turned it upside down and stuffed all the veggies down the folds of the umbrella. Then clutching the umbrella tight so that it didn’t open up I quickly made for my way home.

But, there were more challenges for me in store, and half way down the road it started raining. It rained and it poured and while at first I thought of seeking some shelter under some shop, the ensuing thunder and lightning told me this rain wasn’t going to relent any soon and I would be better off trying to reach home. To open the umbrella would be a major disaster and I could imagine all my luscious tomatoes and fresh capsicums rolling down the road. And so I walked, a funny spectacle, holding the closed umbrella tightly against my chest while braving the rains with a dupatta (piece of cloth) covering my head. There were people with umbrellas and people without umbrellas all walking past, and all stood for a moment and stared and this lone miserably drenched figure walking in the incessant rains with a closed (and suspiciously bulky!) umbrella held tight to herself..

Drenched and dripping I managed to reach home. And while my father stood wondering what made me fancy a rainy bath while carrying umbrella, I rushed into the kitchen rummaged for a shopping bag, stuffed it into my hand bag and then took a breather.

Now happy and dry it seems the whole experience has been, well, not a bad thing, actually it was quite funny; we laughed about it all through the evening. The plastic ban did make me realize how plastic dependent my shopping trips have been and though I personally still feel better waste management and using recyclable plastic is a far better option than completely banning plastic; I wouldn’t mind people getting more conscious about how plastic dependent our lives have been. Especially now that some really pretty jute bags have come into the local market ;-)

LOOONG TIME

2005-09-03T10:45:00.000+05:30

Its been so long since I last blogged. Life's been so hectic around, there is hardly any time to even wait and check if you are still breathing. Today after many many many days I have a bit of spare time. There are still a 101 things to do that I had postponed for a break time. But right now I just plan to relax a bit. Running around like a express train does no good.

Todays been a good day. I managed to get through a good part of my work (er...that doesn't mean its near completion...but I am still on schedule). I finally registered for GRE and TOEFL and got a confirmation mail, so I am feeling smugly happy. Though its funny how through the whole registration process I was all nerves and edgy. I wonder, if this is how I feel at registration whats goin to happen on the actual test day!!!

Cultural mishmash

2005-08-05T00:45:00.000+05:30

I had been to my friend’s place yesterday and stayed over with her for the night, since her father’s still in the hospital recuperating and she was all alone. With a few more of her friends around the locality we then decided to have an impromptu Pajama party. The dinner menu was decided as idli sambar (a South Indian preparation of fermented rice cakes eaten with a spicy vegetable mix) and I and my friend were in charge. We both are really novices at cooking, we just barely put together some food, never have we cooked anything for more than two people and finally coming from two different cultures with different food preferences and cooking styles to cook together was quite a feat (and a very enjoyable one at that). We managed to assimilate the requisite vegetables and chopped them all in different shapes and sizes debating on which ones should we peel, which ones deseed, what would be the process, cleaning techniques, how big or small it should be and a whole lot of such stuff. For everything there was a - : We do it this way at our home!!!”

An hour later we had all the requisite veggies chopped and ready to be cooked, a process that our mothers finish within 10 minutes. Nevertheless we moved on to the spices, now this sparked some fresh debates, I swore by the spices I knew about and had seen my mother use and she stuck with the spices she knew. Thankfully she had some faint idea about how much would be required for the whole concoction and we blended all the spices we both knew about and added them and cooked. None of us dared to pretest the final product though it smelled good and looked delicious. Once served and approved by friends we tasted and we were amazed. It tasted perfectly fine, the vegetables were a bit overdone, but the spices were just right and we had a wonderful dinner. The whole preparation took us a good 2 and 1/2 hours but it was worth the time.

We then sat and chatted into the night…not for too long though, most of us had had a long day at work and needed to get back to work the next day early in the morn. One by one all of us dropped off to sleep and….. erm….I was the first one!!!

Irritating people.....

2005-08-03T06:41:00.000+05:30

Aargh........ damn irritating. I had to deal with this fella who just wouldn't speak up straight. I just hate people who don't have the guts to speak straight, who just keep on mincing words, going round and round in circles but won't come to the heart of the matter ( after all thats for the listener to guess, decipher !!!). They think they are being witty, trying to play safe, and keep dropping subtle hints (so subtle we might as well end up playing dumb charades !!!); and then expect us to listen and guess what they are trying to say, discover the hidden meanings. Just about anything but say it straight.

I say if they don't have the guts to say it straight then they shouldn't be saying it in the first place. They have no earthly right to drive people up the wall. Generally I tend to end up yelling "Damn it just say it lay it bare, I am no psychic, I can't read minds". But, with this guy, well I had to get my work done, so I patiently half heard, half ignored, hazarded my own guesses and just about managed to get it done with, while more than half the time my hands were itching to throttle and shake him. People wear masks all the time to hide what they feel inside and this certainly required quite an effort.

Pictures of the flood

2005-08-03T00:15:00.000+05:30

The rains have just started - heavy winds and rain, clear streets

Half an hour later - roads flooded, traffic slows down, the water is gushing in

Vehicles start stalling, the autorickshaw seen at extreme right soon overturned due to force of gushing water, the driver managed to escape unhurt.

More pics........

2005-08-03T00:00:00.000+05:30

Stranded and nowhere to go - people sit upon their vehicle roofs waiting for water to recede, many end up sitting and waiting the whole night

A submerged taxi - wading seems a much better option

Flooded as ever - At the extreme right is the overturned autorickshaw, the driver is climbing his way out, there is no way he can land it back on its wheels, the water pressure is too great

Vehicle owners abandon their vehicle and move on

Homeward bound - The long trek home, many stay in far flung areas and will reach homes wading through only the next day

(Vakola, Santacruz (E))

Pics from my bros mobile cam.

For writeup, skip two entrees and scroll further down.

Need to write better....or so they say

2005-08-02T22:39:00.000+05:30

My friends tell me I could write better, I got the skill I need the .....erm....substance. (nope no need to look for comments its "just not their style"). And so they say incidences fine, opinions better. Well I don’t aim to make a career in writing but I agreed (huh four strong critics against one cornered me.......like I had an option), so now on to better attempts at writing….…and yet I wonder how…......isn’t their something about discovering own styles???.......Crash course anybody????

It still rains......

2005-08-02T08:35:00.000+05:30

It’s raining still. Not as badly as on the Terrible Tuesday but raining nevertheless, around 141 mm, far less compared to the 933 mm. The low lying areas have got flooded however and public transport’s slowed down, at many places brought to a standstill. Some boats have been sent out to ferry people and distribute food packages to affected areas. I have been at home yet again another day and frankly it’s boring.

I did some work around the house, curled up and read and read for a long long time, surfed the net, chatted, saw movies and television, (electricity and net connections are erratic still) played games, sat and talked with my family, contacted friends…………and still I am bored, I miss my job, I want to go outdoors, I don’t mind walking around in the heavy rains either or wading around once again, someone get me out of here.

My mom has been cooking all day, she is bored too, wants to go to work as much, and to keep herself busy she has been cooking all day since past few days, she cooks and cooks, all kinds of delicacies, which is good, but then we have to eat and eat it all and that’s what all we seem to be doing. She always finds things to be done around the house, won’t sit idle for a minute. But now even she is running out of things to be done.

The TV is tuned in to news channel most of the day. They keep on reporting from the flooded areas and keep giving “updates” (which is in fact the same thing repeated over and over again in so many different words. They seem to be making up for their inability to report on the Tuesday floods) I have heard them so many times I could do their job now.

Life seems stagnant right now, about time I shake it up, come hell or high water I am going out tomorrow, even if it is just for a half an hour.

Bombay Floods and Tragedy- A Personal Account

2005-08-01T06:36:00.000+05:30

Day 1: Tuesday Downpour - Flood strikes

Mumbai experienced heaviest rainfall, experienced for a single day...900 + mm. It is the heaviest rainfall in the century and like most Mumbaikars I was caught in it too and had my share of adventures.

The day started off as any usual working day. Clear skies, not a hint of rain (so many people hadn’t even bothered to carry their umbrellas). The weather forecast was the usual (who bothers to read them anyways….they are never right!). As afternoon approached, dark clouds started gathering, but even that wasn’t unusual. This had happened before, dark clouds gathered but rarely it rained and if it did it wouldn’t be for more than half an hour. I was taking a lecture, at around 2:30 p.m. the rain suddenly started and it poured hard and kept on raining. Bombay is a coastal city, shares coastline with the Arabian Sea. It was high tide time and it had been raining heavily there for quite some time. It seems the government had closed the storm drains to avoid sea water from flooding in to the city. So when it rained in the city, coupled with high tide, the water did not drain out and instead started flooding the streets. The sea level rose too and water entered the city flowing over the sea side walls. The low lying areas were first to get submerged. Water entered houses and started entering institutions too. The water level kept steadily rising. (But, we didn’t realize the severity of the situation until we left our offices and went on the streets).

Meanwhile, I was at my office, busy. My office is near the sea and a slight flooding when it rains heavily is a normal occurrence. Besides every monsoon there is at least one day when it rains heavily and life comes to a standstill for a few hours. The water rises and recedes fast enough. But train services (the life line of Bombay, public transport that ferries millions of commuters to and fro each day) stall for some time and it is always better to rush off home in such cases or we could end up getting stuck some place for hours or might have to use bus services that would take much longer to get home.

Our director asked to let the students leave early and asked us too to leave as soon as possible to avoid getting stranded. We left offices by 3:30 like most other people and I took my usual bus for the station. The streets were flooded with water a little higher than the ankle which isn’t unusual. I sat in the bus but it hardly moved. In half an hour it had barely moved up a lane. The streets were jammed with private vehicles and buses, walking seemed a better option.

I got down the bus and I was shocked, the water had risen up knee high. In half an hour the water had risen so fast. I waded through the water, following other people who also were going towards the train station. I had to walk carefully, the water was flowing carrying strong undercurrents and the level seemed to be rising every passing minute. I walked in the middle of the road and walked on the dividers separating the road. In another 15 minutes the water had risen up further to waist level. People all around were all helpful. Specially shopkeepers, they indicated possible manholes and helped people out. We moved together in a group watching out for people who would slip into the water. I don’t know to swim but the walk was quite adventurous and funny to in parts. I saw a huge brinjal floating down with the water. People and children were playing in the water like they would with waves in sea and having a fun time.

I waded and waded and the water level continued to rise and I realized that getting to train station would be impossible and the tracks would be definitely flooded. I needed to get to a safer drier place fast. One of my good friends lived nearby and I decided to wade over to her house. And so I waded and waded and waded and waded for a really long time, I had lost all track of time. The water was cold and well not exactly clean either but then we really had no other option. By now the water was chest deep and I waded until I managed to reach my friends home. She stays at a higher drier place. She wasn’t home of course, she was at work too and as stuck up and wading as I was. Her mother welcomed me gladly saying it was the most sensible decision I took. The first thing I did was then rush to the bath and clean up. Then I set out trying to contact family and friends asking those who hadn’t left offices not to venture out. I managed to locate my father, brother and my friend. But my mom and my friend’s father were both missing.

Then trouble brewed further as communication lines jammed, everybody was trying to locate their friends and families, the rains continued incessantly. The local phones went out of service, then electricity, water….everything slowly shut down. My friend managed to wade and reach home by midnight but our parents each were out of touch. We had no idea where they were. We spent a sleepless night waiting for the rains to cease, communication to start up, wait for any message, find some source of information….but there was nothing, we just waited. In the neighborhood too many hadn’t reached home and not just adults, children too. Many schools kept back their children but there were some out in the school buses and not yet reached home.

Day 2 : The Next Day

By the next day people in the neighborhood had started reaching back to their homes. The communication lines were still jammed. And we asked the people who returned for news of the situation. It was flooded everywhere, news came in of casualties, of people having been washed away, drowned, suffocated to death in their vehicles (the water rose so quickly that the automatic locking system got jammed....many had their windows rolled up to avoid rain water seeping in...the ACs worsened the problem ...may ACs burst and people died of suffocation).

We walked, or rather waded to the railway station nearby and tried to find out more information. The trains were not working since tracks had been washed away. People who had spent the whole night in trains had started walking along the tracks moving resting at each station before moving on. Many people had been walking the whole night and were continuing the journey still tired, hungry but not giving up. We saw old ladies with swollen feet walking along the tracks, there was a lady carrying a 3 month old baby slowly trudging holding the baby high above the water, husband guiding along. A few social organizations had managed to distribute food packets and clean water to some of the weary travelers. No shops were open, a local milk seller opened and a huge crowd collected around trying to get some milk. The shops that were open quickly emptied of all supplies of food available. There was water all around but not a drop of clean water to drink.

Around afternoon we got news that my friend’s father was in a hospital nearby. We rushed to the hospital wading in waters again. On the way we saw film stars and TV actors wading through the water. The flood proved a great leveler. There were people here too who distributed free food and water to people who were trudging by. My friend’s father was in the general emergency ward. He is old an diabetic and had been wading through water at night when he tried to flag down a car for lift. The vehicle skidded, hit from behind, ran over his legs and then drove away. One of his foot was completely crushed, there was nobody around to help. He slowly waded and managed to reach some people who put him on a bus. The bus took him to the hospital and the kind driver and conductor got him admitted. Then he managed to send a message down to us. We quickly moved him into a private ward. There were many people arriving with all sorts of injuries. There was no electricity so an X-Ray could not be taken. The generators were running for the ICU, ICCU and Operation Theatre. His foot was just bandaged up and all we could do was again wait and wait some more. We left her mother there and I and my friend waded back home. The water had finally started receding slowly but there was still no news of my mother. I was feeling really helpless and frustrated now, how and where do I search for her I had no idea. I knew I had to stay put where I was and wait but it was so difficult.

By night one mobile operator started functioning and electricity was restored too (only in our residential area tho…the hospital was still in darkness and continued to remain so for another whole day). We waited out another night, we were tired enough to drop off to sleep. By next day morning most mobile operators had started functioning. Then I got the reliving news that my mother had finally reached home. She spent two whole nights in a bus. Moving out would have been disastrous, it was a fine decision she took of staying back in the bus. She finally managed to reach home safe and sound.

The morning newspaper told us more devastating news of the casualties left behind. Bodies of people swept away and drowned had started surfacing now in hordes. Houses had been swept away; landslides had crushed and killed many. Of the killed were many people who had tried to rescue other people. The government disaster management was a complete disaster in itself. It was the general public, commoners who helped each other out in times of need. There was no eve teasing, harassment, robbery or fleecing, (people were out on the streets helpless, they could have been an easy prey to exploitation) people opened their doors to strangers and gladly helped each other.

And Now.......

More horror stories keep emerging still and it is yet again raining heavily. This time however people are in their homes, hopefully safe for sure. There are some places where the conditions are still bad, there has been no electricity, food and water available for five consecutive days now, many people have been rendered homeless, the public transport services have not yet stabilized, they have incurred heavy losses too, many people are still missing.

My friend’s father is still in the hospital, he still needs to get X-Rayed and then he would be operated. Hope he gets well soon.

Some pics of the flood

2005-08-01T05:38:00.000+05:30

A train stuck in floods

People wading through flooded streets holding on to ropes for support

Dancing Around.....

2005-07-26T07:22:00.000+05:30

"Whatever you want to do, do it. There are only so many tomorrows"

Yep!! I am dancing around or rather learning to dance. I joined Kathak classes last week (Thats a Indian classical dance from the Northern states of India) and I am absolutely enjoying it. I enjoy dancing and watching dances and I learnt classical dance as a child. But I lost touch as I grew up and I wanted to rediscover it again. I was initially a bit embarrassed at going to learn dancing with children as young as 4 year old but later I discovered I was not the only late bloomer, there were a number of ladies much older than me and just as enthusiastic, learning with me. Most of them say they had always wanted of to learn to dance as children but, their families never allowed. Now, that they are well settled with personal lives they are grabbing the opportunity and they are enjoying every moment of it! (wow!)

I love classical dances specially the ones that tell a story through the dance form. Most classical dances (I know of Indian and Thai ones) tell mythological tales through dance. Kathak is different from the other classical dances by its elaborate footwork and twirls. Its quite interesting and fun and seemed a little difficult initially. But, I have picked up the steps quicker than other new learners maybe because I have learnt Bharat Natyam earlier (thats another form of Indian classical dance from South India, and I learnt it for 7 years!!). Though the footwork and handwork are different in both and I frequently do jumble up the two,but, its easier for me to co-ordinate my eyes, hand and leg movements. Basically, Bharatnatyam has firm movements, while Kathak is more free flowing and the differnences in the basic steps are minute, but both are very graceful and if you concentrate and practice you get them right easily enough.

Western dances are interesting too. I love the ones that have a grace and rhythm to it. I would love to learn Latin dancing too one day!!!

Some good "dance quotes" I found -

"Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another."

"Dance for yourself, if someone understands good. If not then no matter, go right on doing what you love." ~Lois Hurst

"We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams."

Guru Purnima

2005-07-25T11:30:00.000+05:30

This Thursday was Guru Purnima day. Guru Purnima falls on a full moon Thursday in the months of July-August. Guru is a Sanskrit word for master, teacher, trainer. Gu- mean ignorance and Ru- means destroyer, so Guru means ignorance destroyer, the teacher. Guru also denotes the planet Jupiter and Guruvar means Thursday. Purnima means full moon day. On this day the gurus (teachers) are worshipped, especially the teachers of fine arts, some people worship the ancient sacred texts, the Vedas, still others worship their spiritual leaders.

The teacher holds a lot of respect and has been worshipped since ages in our culture. They are considered destiny changers and hold a very important place in the life of a child. Even as adults there are people who remember and stay in touch with their teachers and seek guidance in decisions too. The presence and blessing of the bride and grooms teacher is considered holy during marriage rituals.

Worshipping involves touching the teachers feet and asking for his/her blessings. Children sometimes present flowers and gifts for their teachers too. It’s something similar to teacher’s day.

For me the day started as usual getting to work and……well… working… what else. I work as a lecturer and my students are adults ranging form 19 to 48 year olds. I had a workshop to conduct in the afternoon. I was setting up the workshop room with my colleague when my students walked in and started touching my feet and asking for my blessings. That was the ritual and tradition alright but still it was pretty embarrassing. I like touching my teachers or my parents feet and asking for blessings, but to be at the receiving end wasn’t …..erm ……a comfortable experience. The fact that they were students older than me, far too older and have them touching my feet, I wasn’t ready for that or for that matter having younger ones too, or just about anyone touching my feet to and asking blessings is quite uncomfortable. After the first few I just stopped them, moved back and hugged and wished them all instead. That was much better.

In the evening I went to my Kathak classes, Yessss I am learning Indian classical dance and it was my first day. And…yes now I touched Kathak teacher’s feet and gave guru dakshina.

A Busy life........and more

2005-07-16T01:05:00.000+05:30

Its a busy life......plenty of work.........especially more so since I got a raise :) .....(and a damn good raise too ;) ......... it feels good to be busy and productive .........and still have some time to spend for yourself.

Yesterday I finally got together all documents required needed for a passport application and registered. Getting a passport here is a tedious process. Being a busy metropolitian town the waiting period is rather long. Yet getting all the documents together is one hurdle crossed and I am feeling pretty good about it. I feel I have placed my first step in the right direction....hope the rest of the way goes well too.

Book reading.........Mulk Raj Anand's Greatest Short Stories

2005-07-04T09:59:00.001+05:30

I have been reading Mulk Raj Anand's book Greatest Short Stories. It is the first time I have been reading his work and it is amazing. I simply loved the first story 'The Lost Child', a child goes to a fair with his parents and he wants all that he sees, toy, sweets, flowers.....and then he gets lost. A friendly stranger finds him and tries to console him with the same things he had wanted earlier but now the child rejects it all............all he wants now is his parents and nothing else.

Such a simple warm story says so much about us. In our struggles with life there are so many things we covet on the way and we go in search of materialistic pleasures but when we suddenly lose someone very close to us all what we have coveted seems worthless, we would gladly give it all back for a few more moments with our loved ones.

It seems this story was also made into a award winning short film or documentary.

Empty Thoughts

2005-07-02T09:13:00.000+05:30

Weeks pass by with nothing I would want to share and yet there is so much happening around. Life holds many secrets, what would happen if all were suddenly revealed, all in an instant. Would it make us happier or relieved or remorseful or afraid ?

Why do people have busy lives? Is it by choice or compulsion or are they searching something? Is it an illusion? and then what happens when we cease being busy, not forever just for some time. Are we restless or grateful or happy or lost or waiting to get busy again?

Indecisions...........

2005-06-19T13:45:00.000+05:30

Today I went to get some of my queries answered about the University offer. I had to wait for quite some time for the concerned person to show up and the weather was quite pleasant. I stood by the open balcony feeling the cool breeze sweep through my hair (after the long summer spell it had finally rained, and yet it is only pre-monsoon showers). I stood for some time watching the scenes around me. And well an idle mind does tend to wander off and so I imagined………………

................I imagined walking into a large open space flanked by large connected buildings on 3 sides. The open space was tiled with cream stones and looked fresh and clean after the brief rain. I stood at the gate and I was wearing a spotless white ensemble. There were many people walking by entering the gate mostly in groups of 2 or more. I stood watching people walk past and enter the huge buildings to my left and right. It seemed like two monstrous giants engulfing everyone willingly. People brushed past me some brusquely. A few people stopped a second just to turn back and say a curt sorry and moved on. I was at peace but lonely and the enormous building in front of me awed me. It seemed to invite me. Nobody entered the building, people went to the left and right enormous buildings, the one in centre seemed lonely and forlorn.

I walked right into the middle of the open ground. The gentle sunlight felt good, the air felt fresh. I stood rooted at the spot for some time and then I sensed people looking at me curiously, I felt a need to escape and the structure in front was inviting. I walked into the building and climbed up a flight of stairs, then another, then another and so on I went on climbing till I reached the roof top. The sun shone brighter here and the light breeze was stronger. Tiles, sprinkled with water droplets lay on the roof top sparkling in the sun. I walked across to the ledge at the end and I looked down. Far below the ground seemed inviting so I climbed up the ledge and stood there. The sun soon hid behind the dark monsoon clouds and the breeze became a strong wind blowing, changing directions every few minutes. The strong wind swayed me to and fro as I tried to hold my balance on the ledge. As I looked down below the ground far off seemed inviting and yet scary. If I fell, I knew I would not be floating down gently but crashing head along. Behind me the roof floor seemed secure and inviting too but I didn’t feel like stepping off the ledge. I stood there precariously, holding my balance, trying to decide and yet I couldn’t. The strong wind swayed me to and fro trying to throw me off and yet it felt peaceful and refreshing. The indecision seemed to be too stressful so I finally let go, closed my eyes and let the wind and gravity decide.

And that’s about it……….I stood on the ledge swaying, neither falling nor backing off and I can still picture myself standing right there!

"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night" - Edgar Allan Poe

Btw: My queries still remain unanswered and no decisions have been taken yet.

And then again.................

2005-06-18T11:00:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I got a conditional acceptance letter from a University abroad that I had applied to for an MBA course some time ago. I am elated as its my first such letter, but, whether I would accept it or not is still dicey. I have my heart set out to do a PhD in the near future and there are a lot of other factors still to be considered.

So as usual I lay down to sleep at night and I had one of my fancy dreams………. I dreamt I had received a letter from a University for some course (what else!!) and offered me a full scholarship but, they wanted me to join within 2 days. So hurriedly I get all my documents ready and next I am in a plane that is taking off to the wide sky. I am happy and yet slightly uneasy which I believe to be because of first flying experience.

Soon my feelings ease and I am beginning to relax. I look out of the window and see the wide blue calm ocean below. I am getting sleepy and I almost doze off, when suddenly the plane stalls in mid-air. The pilot bursts out of the cockpit and announces that the plane will go no further and all passengers have to get down right there. We all are shocked and one of the passengers musters up the courage to say that there is no airport nearby. The pilot then hands each a parachute and asks us to jump off.

As I jump off the plane I can see ships floating beneath waiting to catch the passengers floating down. I land on a small blue colored pretty ship of the name Sea Breeze. After some time the ship captain comes and asks us where we are heading. I have a few fellow passengers are all headed to UK and that’s what we say. The captain looks first astonished and then dismayed, he calmly informs us the ship is headed for Romania a country that supposedly borders UK (no my Geography is no good!). All the other ships are now too far away to reach so we settle for Romania.

The ship soon reaches the Romania shore and we get off the ship. As we walk into the main land we are greeted by a strange sight. There is a war raging and there are huns and barbarians, orcs and ogres and yes even dragons too fighting with swords, a medieval scene. We are too shocked and not wanting to be spotted we creep around them to a nearby bush, where we spot a kind man who gives us a horse to ride to UK.

Next I am riding all alone and I cross the borders in to UK and soon reach a small village. It is a quaint little village with fields and small homesteads and then I spot that all the women and men are dressed in the traditional Victorian era garbs long flowing skirts, tights…… They are all busy, some carrying hay, some walking their animals, some milking cows. As I walk through the village amazed looking at people all around I spot a gate with a vaguely familiar symbol and suddenly I remember that it is the symbol on the letter I had received. I walk in and come up to a beautiful majestic building that seems to be hazy and yet sparkle in the brilliant clear sun. As I come closer I am shocked to see that the whole structure is made of wax. Suddenly a man appears from nowhere and he welcomes me, shows me my room and informs that classes start the next day.

Next, Its morning and I am running to my classes. I enter the classroom and I am stunned. All the seats are occupied by wax figurines except one. I slowly walk upto the empty seat and sit when the professor walks in. I ask the professor where the rest of the students are and he says that they are all sitting next to me. I tell the prof that they are all wax figurines and the prof replies that they are all students who have converted themselves to wax and I would be doing the same too. Shocked, I once again open the letter I had received and read it and then it becomes clear that the scholarship is for a course on wax figurines. I tell the prof that I have other plans and that I don’t want to continue. The prof squints his eyes and peers at me, then he walks up to the door, closes it and announces that nobody is leaving until they learn to convert themselves. I am too shocked and I keep on repeating that I want to be a PhD and not a wax figure again and again. And that’s when I woke up.

Silly dreams

2005-06-16T11:05:00.000+05:30

No more nightmares, but silly dreams???.........…….. yes!!!!

And the most remarkable thing is I remember most of them when I wake up in the morn!!

Last night I had slept after seeing a movie about a serial killer (some predictable rot movie….......with a name that I didn’t bother to look up! ) and yes I dreamt I was a serial killer! A rather remarkable one at that, with 7 killings to my list, 6 humans and 1 animal (yes!!)

As far as I can recollect the dream started off with a woman police officer questioning me about some missing people who were last seen with me (but naturally!!). I send her off with some convincing stories (I don’t recollect) but then I sit thinking about the killings. I walk to the bathroom and the pristine white well tiled floor is all spotted with blood (gross!). Then I recollect my first murder, some guy who eve teases me after forcibly entering my home and I plunge him with something akin to a knife. The rest of the killings follow with different people some familiar some unfamiliar (but none I can recollect now) and with different weapons each. After each of them are dead I flush them down the drain whole!! I then sit and think do I feel guilty, remorse, anything, and I can’t find any for the people I have killed! But there is one animal that I have killed too and that fills me with remorse. The animal is a weird looking thing, a cross between a chimp, monkey, sloth and some more tree living creatures. It one day suddenly for no reason jumps into my home and mauls me very badly, almost killing me. I shoot it dead to protect myself and I feel sorry for doing it. Then I feel the need to protect myself from the police officer, so I sit and think what should be done should I be running off to some new place or should I surrender or should I bump off someone else once again, and the last option seems better.

The whole dream grossed me out so much I woke up. I felt relieved to know it was just another silly strange dream. Whatever it meant one thing is for sure I need to watch better things on television!!!

Hot weather......... cool dreams

2005-06-16T10:34:00.000+05:30

Ah……….the weather is so hot. Just waiting for rains to cool the earth a bit.

Two nights ago it rained for some time; actually it was very early morn. It rained properly not the usual drizzle and for a good half an hour. I didn’t realize at first and I dreamt I was splashing about in the rain. I love getting wet in the rain, and so I dreamt I was out on the open terrace feeling the rain drops fall on me, with my pet dog Jimmy, splashing besides me in the rainwater that had collected around our feet. I saw water logged tracks and roads, bringing all transport to a stand still and people drenched goin back home…...no office today hurrah! I saw school kids’ running back home enjoying the rain and absolutely thrilled by the unexpected holiday (the teachers could not reach school!) There were some harried people too running for shelter from the sudden outpour and then there were the smart weirdos walking around with an umbrella or a raincoat feigning a ready for anything attitude (we knew it would rain and we were prepared!!). There were the few die hard office goers too who were already thinking up alternate routes, share cabs, change 4 buses, walk …..(we have to reach office today important meeting and stuff even if others don’t reach or we reach late in the evening……………….time to prove loyalty to job, what say!! Is that promotion due?)

I could smell the scent of wet soil, could clearly hear the pitter patter on the roof tops and feel the occasional cool breeze tingling on my skin and it all seemed too real to be a dream. That’s when I woke up and found out that it was actually raining with an occasional low rumbling of thunder too. Though there were no children running about, or water logged streets the air felt fresh and cool. The steady sound of rain drumming on trees, roof tops, and streets was pure music.

Sadly it was short lived, everyone waited the next two days for a repeat performance and …………………we are still waiting. Hope the rains grace us soon, it’s about time.

Won them over........

2005-06-13T09:00:00.000+05:30

Ok time to fight the nightmares.

I decided I wasn’t going to let any more nightmares ruin my sleep anymore. Besides in the morning it all sounded so silly, (I could remember most of them!).

So............ last night this is what I did, I read a book that made no reference to violence of any kind, sent up a silent prayer, and dropped of to sleep. At night I actually realized that my dream was moving on to a nightmare (the familiar increase in heart beat, the sense of fear and intrigue), I consciously woke myself up, put on the lights, walked around the room a bit, looked out of the window, drank some water and then I would have read too but I was getting sleepy so I went off to sleep and I actually slept peacefully for the rest of the night. It was a good experience.

I have been reading this periodical called “The Little Magazine”. It’s a collection of notes, essays, stories, poems and other such writings by various authors, a composite of literature from various people mostly Indian writers. I read this short fiction by Debraj Bhattacharya who writes of a clerk who keeps seeing ghosts. What I found intriguing were the lines “Ghosts are lonely and as long as you are willing to talk with them, they are happy. They are a vulnerable lot. They need the living more than the living need them.”

And more nightmares.........

2005-06-12T09:00:00.000+05:30

I have been having nightmares rather frequently these days. Every night I see one, small ones, but enough to wake me up. The scariest one I saw was rather silly too. But I was scared enough to curl up with my mother for the rest of the night.

I dreamt that I was kind of a scientist working in a lab and I had created a small, tiny human being the size of a finger. While creating it someone suddenly intrudes and I drop him and he is hurt all over, bloody all over. I wrap him up in bandages so that now he looks like a really tiny mummy but is bloody still. The blood simply soaks up the bandages and it’s really yucky. I place him on a petri dish and watch over him as life simply leaves his body. I am feeling helpless as he dies. I lift the dish looking at the lifeless body and I am wondering what to do next when someone suddenly intrudes and says that there is a whole committee waiting outside to watch me and my tiny miracle. I am wondering now what to do, there are people waiting outside, when some other female scientist walks in and I tell her that the tiny thing is dead already. She laughs sarcastically and says just breathe life into him and walks away.

I am puzzled at what to do, I lift his all bloody tiny body and actually open his tiny mouth and blow air into him and he comes alive suddenly. I am scared; I scream and drop him back into the Petri dish. This time the tiny thing is really angry and as I watch in horror his face now out of bandage all bloody contorts to a really angry menacing face. He picks himself up and lifts up a sharp razor from the table which is almost his size. He holds it like a sword in the hand and I can see the sharp blade glint in the light from the table lamp. The thing advances menacingly towards me and I want to run but my legs seem to be frozen stiff. The face seems to grow bigger and bigger and I drop on the floor and try to back away. I can hear the sounds of applause coming from outside and I am wondering whom are they applauding at, the thing that is now growing bigger or me. The thing still keeps advancing and I keep backing up till I back up against a wall. Now there is no more going back and I don’t know where to run to or what to do and the thing keeps growing bigger and bigger till it’s towering right above me, wildly angry, still holding the razor repeating over and over again, “You dropped me” and then he moves a big bloody hand to clutch at my throat………….and then I woke up.

I was too scared to move, I didn’t actually scream out or anything, but I couldn’t go back to sleep, I kept imagining that I could hear the pitter patter of tiny feet running across the floor (I sleep on a mat on the floor) and I could imagine someone suddenly lunging at my throat. So finally I managed to get up, went off to my parent’s room, curled up with my mom, and slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

Book read........Twilight Encounters.....Interesting read

2005-06-08T06:50:00.000+05:30

I had been reading ‘Twilight Encounters’ by Anand. It’s a compilation of short stories that were originally in Malayalam and has been translated to English. The first story “The Fourth Nail” is the most interesting, the rest I found passé.

The evening of the day before Jesus was to be crucified; the Roman soldiers are given money by their general to buy 4 nails for the crucifixion. But the Romans play and drink and lost some part of the money. As dusk approaches they hurry to find a blacksmith who would forge the 4 nails. The blacksmiths in town, who know what the nails are for, refuse and are killed. The soldiers finally approached this wandering blacksmith out of town who forge only 3 nails and withhold the fourth because the money isn’t enough for four. However, the metal that he has poured in to make the fourth nail, shone brightly and later follows the blacksmith wherever he goes, as the blacksmith wanders (for 300 years) trying to lose it (trying to run away from it).

Meanwhile, Jesus is to be crucified with 3 nails now instead of 4 as was required. The process is painful for the soldiers too (more for Jesus) since they were not as accustomed to nailing as carpenters and they hurt themselves too. At the end of the day realizing that 3 nails are not proper crucifixion the soldiers release Jesus and send him away with his cross. They divided his garments amongst themselves to show to the general as proof of his crucifixion. With no villagers or disciples around Jesus tired, carrying the cross stumble through the streets until a man takes him in and washes his wounds and give him place to rest. On the third day when Jesus has recovered enough, he goes out to meet his disciples and on the way meet some villagers who on looking at him believe he has risen. To know who has been buried in his place he goes to the cave in which he is supposedly buried, the guards guarding the cave run away when they see him. Jesus opens the cave and finds only empty clothes (later when villagers and disciples come they find the cave open!), then he goes in search of his disciples and ………………… and want to know more?…………here is a suggestion ………….borrow from someone and read at least this particular story in the book ……….makes for an interesting read

This story originated to explain the wandering habits of gypsies.

Some say that this story is reminiscent of Nikos Kazantzakis' The Last Temptation of Christ’…………..well I donno……….I haven’t read that one.

And life goes on...........

2005-06-07T11:00:00.000+05:30

Its back to life as usual (or as I knew it), mercifully recovering, no more ill, and definitely no more nightmares..........whew!

But then life does go on no matter whether you are ill or healthy, sad or happy.......this short illness made me wait and look around, and living at the height where I live there is not much to look around except treetops and other houses..........and since most houses are empty during the day...........the next best thing was the tree tops, and hey what do you know, its the nesting season (of course if there is such a thing as nesting season!).
What I mean is .........I was bird watching!, or rather watching their nests!

Out from our living room window two majestically tall coconut trees can be seen standing, and now a few crow couples have made it into their nursery (the pale greenish speckled eggs look lovely) , that combined with the pigeons who have hatched their fresh batch of babies (in our tiny flowering pot as usual!) had me enough 'nest watching' for some time. The pigeons are our usual freeloaders so we don't disturb them much, the crow nests were a pleasant sight tho (its the first time I am seeing them). Two of the nests already had young grayish chicks.

In the span of two days I saw another brood being hatched, one more nest being made and one family (umm.......couple?) lose their babies too (yes!).......that I am not sure why......but one day the chicks were there and the next day gone.....someone said that they just might have fallen off, the nest seemed to be poorly made, they must be first time parents possibly.
................and it is not just the crows who lose their chicks.............the pigeons who keep laying their eggs in our tiny flowering pot don't realise that the pot barely holds enough space for one. Most of the time of the two eggs that hatch eventually one chick is pushed off by another and only one survives to grow up to adulthood.
(anybody wanna start a parenting class for birds!)

Well as I was saying life does go on, for the birds it pretty well did! and for most people I know too...............so next time you are sick (my sympathies with you) find a good past time, avoid nightmares, and maybe, just maybe, u could watch the birds!

And now a cold poetry.......nothing better to do

2005-06-05T13:30:00.000+05:30

Sometimes when u have the cold
Or flu or fever or just a nasty ache
And the doctor says u need to rest
But all u get is a big headache

U toss and turn, and then u try some more
But rest is just not a piece of cake
On a working week u yearn for it,
But when you are sick u don’t need the break!

Nightmares!

2005-06-05T09:41:00.000+05:30

I know this is not a great way to start a blog but I have the flu an I am bored.

Ya ya I know I should be resting and stuff ……….but every time I close my eyes I see a nightmare, cos of my illness I guess.

Not that I regularly get nightmares, hmm………too many horror movies I guess. This last one was rather filmy...... movie anyone?

As I lay down to rest in the afternoon I dreamt that I had gone to a friends place to visit (which friend, no idea!). She lived in some remote village where trains just about passed by. As I got down the train I was feeling slightly sick and tired. I am all ready to go back cos it just does not feel fine but my friend dismisses it as traveling fatigue.

The village is beautiful lush green and set up against the backdrop of a huge straight backed cliff covered by dense forest which is err…….spooky (what else!). The village has a small population and the people all seem very friendly. But I am not really feeling good, my head is throbbing and I am feeling dazed.

My friend takes me to her house which is like an old time cottage with the huge cliff looming above. In front of the house is a courtyard with a swimming pool kind water body and the water runs in from a small outlet in the cliff. In the middle is a small piece of dry earth on which a small fire rages. There is a fancy bridge made from one bank of the water pool to other. I am starting to fee a bit hazy now, so my friend shows me to my room.

Suddenly I wake up and its night already and there is a strange kind of ritual going in the courtyard. My head is throbbing even more and I can feel my body weighing down, everything is still slightly hazy. My friend then reveals to me that this place is spooked by haunted souls and her father is a exorcist, and what is going on is a ritual exorcism that happens atleast once a week. They chose to live in this place cos its beautiful and they love the challenge. So I watch the ritual the whole village (which is not really a lot of people) seems to have come and they seem to be throwing pieces of wood in the fire at the centre of the water pool with accurate aim. The fire is blazing and ritual chantings and prayers are going on (what else!). The ritual requires us to circle around the water body and when I reach trhe bridge I feel a tremendous weight inside me, I just can’t seem to move and everything seems to be more distant and hazy. I finally cross the bridge with some help from my friend who manages to push me back to my room. I am really exhausted.

Next day I wake up and the its bright and clear day but the sun hurts my eyes and still things seem to be bit hazy. My friend’s family have all turned out in bright red clothes and I in a dull pink pajama seem completely out of place. My friend tells me they r goin to play tennis today (ain’t the French Open goin on?) but in a group of 8 (wonder). I am placed on the bridge with a racquet in hand and I again feel the tremendous weight and I can barely lift the racquet, I finally collapse. My friend’s dad looks at me and declares me possessed and the next thing I know its dark again and the strange ritual is goin on except this time I am the one being umm………exorcised. I have visions of ghosts, mummies, grave yards…..(all the usual horror movie stuff) and I am scared. I feel like running into the forests, climbing up the cliff and standing at the very edge. I peer into the pool from above and I can feel myself hurling into it at tremendous speed. Suddenly there’s a flash of light and I can see a red coloured ghostly image floating in front of me. The exorcist my friend’s father is actually fighting it with an empty tube of pain gel (weird!). With a swish of the ummm……..tube…… he throws the ghost into the forest. But I am still feeling all nauseous and heavy and hazy and my heads throbbing ever more. Then my friend’s father declares that there is more than one ghost at play and to exorcise them all will be a tremendous challenge.

My friend and her family pleas him to (ahem!) let a more experienced exorcist take over but he refuses. He asks his son standing behind me to help (and then I remember him trying to make passes at me through the stay). But, the son refuses he is scared. Then there is a cycle of exorcism and ghosts and empty gel tubes and it goes on and on until ……..the last most powerful ghost (of course!) takes away the father with him to the forest. The whole family is stupefied and I am still dazed, I fall asleep. Come morning I can see myself standing at the railway station, luggage in hand, my friend is saying its all right it wasn’t my mistake, and her father always wanted to die a martyr. I am still feeling nauseous and heavy and my head still throbs and the train is leaving the platform……..when I suddenly feel that maybe there is still one more ghost left inside me and………… as I look through the glass shutters of the train window I can see not my friends or her family but all ghosts all red……staring and waving back at me!

That’s it …then I woke up…….guilty, head throbbing, tired, still sick……..and definitely not wanting to shut my eyes again.

Some nightmare or what!