City of joy – love it or hate it

Having arrived in the city of joy after a rather ardous air journey , the sight of the hugely comfortable and rather archaic yellow Ambys was a pleasant departure from the Mercs, santros and VW jostling for space back home. Nothing to mention the tariff charged, which can be truly called ‘daylight robbery” – its double the base tariff + Rs. 2 /- : I find that back home, it was fleecing to travel by cabs, but by these standards, it’s a relief with a tariff card.

Navigating traffic is a actually no challenge here- u could be driving on the left most lane and suddenly swerve to turn right without any indicator (even after crossing the red light)- It doesn’t bother the guy next to u – he is doing exactly the same thing or even worse ramming into a handcart puller who is choosing to draw his cart onto the footpath !! Whew!

The smell of tobacco rather hangs over the air quite strongly - in hotel lobbies, road or even office spaces – probably Kolkata is a huge importer of the same.. is that why ITC choose to have its HQ here in city of joy?

The strong feeling of communism somehow is palpable in the atmosphere – almost like a flash strike waiting to happen; All women above 40 appear exactly like our honourable Railway minister : sickle in hand and waiting to explode like grenades set free in Park street!!
Rashmolai, Robindra shongeet & puchkas appear and disappear with much gusto on every palate, and the mall rats are abundantly found scurrying away from location to location – much like any other metro (or even a tier-3 city). I am told the cost of living is rather low here – something that I discovered for myself when a homeo drug that I bought here costs a third of what it costs back home. Ramkrishna paramahamsa alogn with the ubiquitous Kali maa appear on every corp desk with much affection and gratitude!
The winters have really not set in, with nov being fairly warm for this time of the year. All young ladies (either working or otherwise) do not however appear like Komolika (of TV fame), although I did detect a more leisurely (not laidback) attitude with all at office. Chai peeyo, office aao, 6 baje swipe out karo.Life mein aaram karo – that being the general attitude of the working class here, one can definitely guess what drove the nano out of WB, can’t we?

truly (AIR) borne

Ever wondered what it takes for one to do some decent air travel? Tickets. Yes. Flights -of course yes. Good looking airhostess(for men)/purser(for women). A decent lounge to have your cuppa- yes. Seamless web/tele check in- yes. Air conditioned facilities that don’t resemble the VT station at Mumbai- yes. But what else? Hey, u forgot.. ? the runway needs to working, aint it.?
Except that today it isn’t. Today is “Terrible Tuesday”- the day that Mumbai airport runway is shut off for a few hours throwing the whole schedule into a tizzy. and to think this is on till MArch 2010!! .. and for a light shower that has graced this nov day, they r calling it ‘weather disturbance’ … what about days like 26/7 (or worse).. oh that? They call it “monsoon” .. how hypocritical is that?
Well, in the aircon-confines of the Mumbai airport, which incidentally provides relief from “sweaty underarms” and “smelly passengers” unlike the Mumbai local, all I can see is the rather disgusted faces of passengers, cranky toddlers, tired mothers, frustrated business executives, harried businessmen who think they must be losing a couple of lacs (or crores perhaps) with each hour delayed and even confused firangs (who haven’t heard of “flights delayed due to non-availablity of runway- Whew ! whats that ?? they ask.. even the recession isn’t so bad.. huh?”)

The only guys who couldn’t be happier are the cafes (bistros/restaurants- call it what u may) – who are doing brisk business.. not as much as “by-invitation only” Clipper lounges which ‘need’ to serve customers with a Master card / biz class ticket.. Perhaps Tharoor( the minister) was right when he called it the cattle class.. Except that atleast the cattle know where they are headed- And don’t anyway require a RUNWaY!
And to think hubby dahling reached Australia quicker than I could even think, plan, buy ticket and board a flight to dear old “CAL” (Kolkata).. So, here am I checking emails till the battery lasts(and of course, replying to office mails- aren’t I being paid on this official trip?) . and then hopefully hop onto a flight that “peddles” even Water or a plate of sad – looking sandwiches for “under 3 dollars”.. haven’t we truly ARRIVED??

Shutterbug Devils!

The last few weeks have been a buzz of activity (sis visiting, Diwali, Dusherra, doc visits, kid’s school dance concert, a new boss, and strange-but –true a new super super boss too!!)….but strangely enough (again), there wasn’t any impetus to blog (perhaps there was a lot to get lazy !!- again!!)
Anyways, who am I answerable to? Is there any monitoring cell to check how many blogs I have created since inception? Aren’t blogs an expression of freedom? Who leads this confusion..
Anyways, my sister’s visit was peppered with a short teeny weeny visit to local govt resort that we found lovely, green, slightly rainy and extremely peaceful.. she being the quintessential photographer, everything from mom’s legs (paadams, if u please) to myriad spider webs to the kid’s antics – all captured to a whopping 300 pics!! How bright is the human instinct to capture something for posterity.. speaking of pictures, I am rather disappointed that the still cam that my sis gave me is not working now (rather , when I checked out at the local photo studio, it was an outdated model for Indian markets).. so much so for my 14 MP camera, the possessed pride within me smudging away faster than the kajal in my eyes!
Was it more a resignation of the fact that a Nikon SLR was way too expensive for me? Or would my perfunctory interest in photography be limited to cliking endless pictures of my kid with her dad, who refuses to have anything with the camera , with or within it! Which leaves me, the wannabe ‘photo clicker’ of my small family always at the ‘shooting’ end and no wonder I am filled with wonder what I looked like 2 or 3 or 4 years ago when my little one was born .. but who was to click those snaps
But it’s also probably true what hubby believes in : “Live in the moment” .. which is rather better than “live for the moment” . I guess - to each his own. So while I was struggling with the icons in the new camera(while it was working) in the darkened auditorium for my little one’s concert, my husband was blissfully watching the darling of his eyes(life if u please) dancing to every (little) lady’s favourite “…raindrops and roses…” .. His utter disgust while I was trying to fix the battery (which true to Murphy’s law or my own lack of preparedness gave way) at the prime time that she was on stage for irritated me to no end with my sister’s amusement (she was a guest visitor at the school) at my (not our) discomfiture of not having able to film a video of the occasion…
The camera(s) { I have two , nay three, such defunct cameras) lie in my shelf now, having been declared unfit for human activity .. .and I ferverently hope (having missed the Diwali season) for a new year sale that will bring the sunshine back into my life – those joyous moments of capturing a rare moment of my little one jumping on her dad’s stomach or combing naani’s hair or just ‘posing’ for the camera!
Priceless moments indeed - Even Mastercard cannot buy !! For that ONE Kodak moment .. Or did I mention , Canon ? :)

Sibling rivalry is good for life!

Back with a bang (or so I hope) after effortlessly being away from blogging for a good 4 months!! )-Gosh ! so many incidents to pen...so many significant changes ...and so much laziness to just sit for a few minutes and blog!! :) see, there u (read I) have the answer...
anyways, am super thrilled my sis is visiting us from the us (US)...four years plus another 3 or more of separation seems like its a lifetime...she looks so grown up,mature and silent (not that she wastalkative anyways)..refelcting upon little silly incidents that happended in the past, her unheard protests towards accompanying me to the local music class,the "spikes" incident, all those fights /tantrums on having the right pair of torn jeans - wow,it seems so magical!!
Now with living almost 7000 miles apart, life has indeed mysterious ways of telling each one of us on how to appreciate little pleassures in life, albeit very very late..
My sis although younger to me, is miles (and literally cms) ahead of me ...in every aspect.. be it her free spirit, or calm approach to life, she has always endeavoured to follow her heart- at work ,in marriage or even clothes!! I still recall how I had to chaperon her to alteast 50-55 footwear stores long ago to find the perfect pair that would fit her dainty (but slightly greater-than-normal sized leg)!! and she was the typical libran unable to decide even then!!
but giving into my exasperated look, she is like 'well,ok...this is ..er...ok..i will buy it" types!!

These incidents and more make our relationship stronger and fonder...perhaps who knows my little one is already following her chitthi(or mausi if u please) in her demand for perfection ... (actaully hubby begs to say its from his gene).. the little one is already missing her chitthi who has been hardly around and is now travelling again!! Am I a jealous mom??
no probs...its good tobe jealous. to have a healthy sibling rivalry that will stand the test of time...

So, to more gulab jamuns that we intend to jointly make. to more thayir vadas that she will relish. To more arguments on the right age to have a baby. To togetherness. To seeing us cry unbashedly in the airport. and to tightly wacking her bottom everytime I pass by her!!
Love u sis! :)

Two of a kind – MO and MS !

Have been reading about two women in detail the past week – Michelle Obama and M S Subbalakshmi . For the uninitiated, the latter is the doyen of Carnatic Classical Music. The former obviously needs no introduction.
How similar are the lives of two strikingly different people – the same elements of standing by your husband , the white house vs Kalki Gardens, Radha (for MS) vs Michelle’s daughters. The audacity (of hope, resilience and sheer courage) that binds both Sadaivam and Obama.
The courage to make a difference. The sheer indifference of not expecting anything in their newly found lives, by being there but not being affected. In making a difference to lives around them – the African-Amercian for Michelle/ Obama and the lives of other musicians around her for MS/Sadasivam.
Perhaps there is another thread here. The willingness to give in when required, be flexible when asked for, yet not compromising on personal principles, values.
To both these ladies, the attire is only a vehicle, a pathway to success. Its not the entireity. Values are. Bhakti is. Soul stirring incidents – be it Madurai or Chicago . Bo – the Portuguese breed dog is as much an icon as MS Blue – a colour of the silk sari that no south Indian lady would be seen without in her silk collection.

Be it garden parties at Kalki Gardens or kids’ sleep overs at the White House, both these women seem to be comfortable in their own skins, having not given into the radicality of the situation, but accepted it as it were. And polishing them with their inherent tenacity, silent female power and with no hesitation to take on a new creed – be it music or being the wife of the first Afro- American president.
To more such power !!

V Day musings !

Hell no! its May, not February .. and this note is not about Valentine day .. but about the other “V”… . Before ur dirty mind starts playing around, its about “Voting Day” ha ha…quite a dampener. Huh??

Hubby and I woke up early on V day and quite enthused to vote( me exercising my first ever franchise in decades !! ) only to find the ‘help desk’ tables set up throughout the city were either ill managed or better still, managed by Dadas (read goons) of the respective politicial party . .Talk about criminals in broad daylight.

Also strange to note was the fact that in spite of holding a Voters ID card (which anyways, was the official passport to vote), you still needed to get a slip telling you which of the voter centres u belonged to , and more importantly, the so called Electoral officers simply refusing to help u on this as well !! The cops looked on haplessly as hubby threatened to talk to the media which hadn’t published any of these ‘steps-to vote” in any of the “jaago re” kind of campaigns. Perhaps it was literally the ‘middle finger’ attitude to all voters- new, old, young, freshers. They couldn’t care any less, what with the bandobast giving them the creeps – and paid measly too . Perhaps we should have carried vada pavs and cutting chai – would that have made a difference.

Anyways, after endless trips to various tables, electoral help desks and friendly (yes, some of them) and of course breakfast (hey, we were hungry man !!), we finally stand in a queue and await our turn for about 45 minutes . And yours truly was all excited to cast the first vote ever in a lifetime – and all excited with slip in hand, et all…

Oops !! The divine intervened once more. We were in the wrong room , as the electoral officer smugly informed us. That just added to the the ambience of the corporation school with its yellowed walls, peeling craft work (perhaps, many years ago), wooden benches thrown(not stored/piled) in a corner as she (the divine goddess – the electoral officer) informed me (I think ‘shooed us away’ would be a better word) outside.

That’s it. I said and marched home towards the car. Hubby dear by this time was wooing me back to the polling officer for one last march. He perhaps didn’t even woo this much while we were dating, I mused. With a tinkle in his eye, he said (begged) “ Ok. One last chance.”

There wasn’t much to lose now, I thought. Except for 4 precious hours on a longggggggggggggg weekend that could be spent lazing around in bed J

We finally got the ‘shady looking classroom’ in the corporation school-cum-voting centre. And came out even bewildered when I couldn’t find the “nobody” button on the EVM. Damn ! How do I know who is good? I don’t even remember whom I voted when I finally came out of the ‘web’

Finally. Does it matter ? I don’t think so. The results will be out in 48 hours. And the media is still predicting a hung government.

Perhaps everyone else I know had an experience like me. They just couldn’t decide. For whatever reasons. And that’s precisely the reason for horse trading which has since commenced and probably also ended.

Its really Jaago re – an awakening of the rude shock for the 714 million odd electorate count in India. Damn the Kashmir issue. The Sri Lankan Issue. Or Rahul Gandhi. Or Saffronism. Or the Mumbai blasts. What matters is that 200 odd seats in the Indian Assembly. By hook or crook :)

Nobody cares for the common man. Perhaps RK Lakshman was right almost 60 years ago – and therefore reduced him to a caricature. A puppet in the eyes of the power-traders.

Growing up !

Perhaps its afterall true that child is the father of man (or to extend the idea- daughter is the mother of man / woman) ..

Was just witness to my little one’s first ever Annual day ! The theme music was interpreted in many more ways than one, what with the little ones dancing to the latest “jai ho” or “bum bum bole” or even “nagaada” – all of them superhit blockbusters in their own right.

Perhaps as a first time spectator as a parent, what I was awestruck about was the sheer innocence with which each of them-differently-interpreted and displayed the steps so diligently taught over the last month by the teacher. And more importantly, being oblivious to the fact that each one of them had a different step to dance to!
Talk about non-conformance. Why is it so “just-cute” / “Awesome”?

And why do we, the same parents get horror stricken when the same little one now grown up decides to be an entrepreneur / restaurateur / hair stylist / fashion designing? Why do all careers revolve around ‘hacked-to-style’ medicine/engineering/computer science? Do we as parents reading this blog actually make the attempt to understand our child’s real ability> Isnt elementary / nursery school admission today all about how you hoodwinked your child’s best friend’s parent and secured that coveted admission in that so-called educational institution ? How many of us have the guts (yes, I mean guts) to home-school our kid (yes, time , money and all other resources included). Do we have it in us ourselves to be ‘conformant’ in attitude/body/spirit and therefore imbibe the same in us?

Aren’t each of us conformant to societal pressures / expectations in every respect : right from the expectations of having a child with a unique name. going to the best school that your neighbours haven’t even heard about. To wearing the best shoe prodcured from the grand aunt’s neice’s husband’s inlaws. We have all done these. Or atleast similar roles we have all played / yet to play.

Do we learn to be non-conformant and therefore wane away from the “have-to-be’s” and therefore imbibe minimalism in life and accept things as they are. !? But when. Probably
then when we really ‘grow up’ as mature parents/ adults responsible for societal morals.

Meanwhile, my little one has learnt another Dr DVG’s kagga poems “andhigandhina kelasa” from her inspirational and exceptional grandma..

Perhaps my growing phase starts there :-)

Popcorn pursuits :)

The last fortnight has been good.. in fact, i must say my Feb is my Jan - new ideas, meeting new people, evolving new concepts, great work, a super birthday surprise - all things u generally associate with 1st Jan ( except of course the birthday !! :-) ) .. touche’!

And movies of course. Watching movies to me was not only ‘connecting’ non plussed. But identifying. Drawing parallels and connectors. And talking about connectors was the movie “The pursuit of happyness” ( yes, happiness with a ‘y’) – amazing performance by Will smith, it made me cry long after the movie had ended. What even truly amazed me was now this movie seemed to be the first part of “Wall Street”- another all time favourite. Its another matter that Charlie Sheen and Will Smith portray totally different characteristics, but it looked like where ‘pursuit…’ ended, Wall Street began – the atypical no nonsense stock broker..

And of course I was graciously allowed to watch “Mr Holland’s Opus” – a landmark in the genre of musical movies. Richard Dreyfuss never fails to impress .. so what if it were the 15th (or 20th) time I was watching that movie. “Monalisa Smile” is a must watch for all self confessed Julia Roberts fan (like me) and so I ended up watching “Notting Hill” as well for the umpteenth time.

“Slumdog Millionaire” woke most of us from this slumber that typical Mumbaiites have about this being the land of dreams.. make it happen types. The reality, grime and filth – both external and internal – is enough to make you sit up and take notice (through the film atleast ).. although I did recently read somewhere that Senior Boyle actually slept through the screening and in fact considers another movie by Boyle to be his best !! For all the PR that Danny and Anil (Kapoor) did, this movie is more about Jamal Malik, his purity of thoughts and Irrfan Khan - and of course Vikas Swarup’s novel Q&A-which not surprisingly is not highlighted by the media :)

But what took the icing on the cake (in the genre of teacher-pupil series which somehow I am able to relate extremely well, probably because of my training as a profession??) was “Finding Forrester”. Although Sean Connery is well ….er . .present in most of the scenes, it is once again Jamal (Wallace) played by Rob Brown who actually steals the show. In fact, Prof Robert Crawford played by F. Murray Abraham isn’t disappointing at all – in fact, he rather plays his role to the hilt !! Another ‘Obama’ kind of a tale in making??

Life doesn’t look so bleak after all.. and here’s wishing I have many more such popcorn breaks more often !! :-)

Truth, Truth and nothing but the truth - so help me God !

Ah ! the fresh smell of the new year.. New resolutions.. new hopes…. And new lies…

And therein lie heroes like the new poster boy of the media - ramalinga raju of satyam baring it all (so what if its after 20 financial Quarter spent on fudging data) and absolving all his ‘associates’ out of the scam. Perhaps the kickbacks did him in. Or the global meltdown , esp on the real estate market. Or his own conscience. Whatever, but of those 53 k odd employees whose own home loans, car loans , wedding plans, societal status depended on that one single employee working for Raju. Do we actually care? Does the government care ? Arent there more Satyam’s in the offing ready to beat the last nail into the coffin to lay the IT aspirational country like ours to rest ?

I still distinctly recall what rejections I was subjected to during my ‘pre-matrimony days’ or rather ‘groom seeking days’ that I wasn’t from IT ?? Oh… u are from Bangalore, how come you are not an IT professional – they asked. It didn’t matter that the groom-to-be had graduated from the last frontier of engineering colleges which had all of 61 students to its credit across all departments , and that too taught by lecturers on the fly (part time if u please)!! No, am not negating that fact that IT did a major turnaround for the Indian ( and global) economy. But why needlessly hype that one industry comparing the rest of the professionals as no-good. Questions and more.. Any answers from society / politicians ? Probably not. As the latter is busy scouring fresh pastures of obtaining kickback for the elections ahead ! That’s the irony which we probably live with till the next debacle – in the form of more ENRONs / Harshad Mehtas / Telgis / Raju

Fresh resolutions – to keep the boss happy ?? to remain fit ? To write down the resolutions so that you are focused ….in order to achieve the goals of feeling happy, even euphoric perhaps at the cost of selling your own conscience?

This actually makes me think that The Poison Tree by William Blake is an excellent poem on human attitude. I was actually shocked that hubby had decided to post this as a pre-new year wish to all his colleagues. His simple explanation was (as of Dec 28th 08) that people needed a jolt to wake up to the new year: the economy was still slipping and people still in a slumber. Instead of the happy -and -prosperous –new-year-greetings donning run o the mill status, a paradigm change in the way people thought was warranted. Fair enough. But who would understand the poem or rather the underlying thought behind it? That’s a fair question, don’t you think?

Which leaves me wit all the resolutions for me – written down on this very page for 2009 : Get fit. Flirt with hubby all over again. Get to that long promised and long awaited foreign vacation. And stay positive and focused

All this in 2009. unless there is a Satyam debacle lurking around. Again… Ferverently hope not!!

Here’s to a great start and a fantastic 2009 ! And that poem captured here