Just one of those days...

when:

-the smallest tease could evoke a fit of rage...

-the simplest work could prove to be cumbersome...

-a friendly smile is responded to with a frown...

-the happiest, saddest, or even most normal of situations could bring forth a torrent of tears...

-one could cry because one's friend got married (there are tears of joy, there are tears of sadness, but what do they call these tears?)...

-better still, one could cry looking at someone else's wedding photos...(no, this isn't an indication that one yearns to get married)

-even the clearest of skies, chirpiest of birds couldn't stir even a hint of a smile...

-gloom descends like a dark cloud and sadness like a heavy mantle stubbornly blotting out every ray of light...

-one thinks she is a budding poetess... ;)

But had this not been the case, there would be one less greatly profitable industry in this world...

Just a thought...

Listening to the Hindi FM (they've taken to playing old Hindi songs after 9pm, which I just adore)...and heard a song that reminded me of my childhood...so here's a thought...

The name "Pantaloons (the retail chain)" reminds me of this song:

मेरा जूता है जापानी, ये पतलून इंगलिश्तानी

सर पे लाल टोपी रूसी, फिर भी दिल है हिन्दुस्तानी

The start of the beginning...

It's official...the Red House Captain and the Muscat-eer have been pronounced man and wife on this day the 10th of November, 2009

Congratulations to you both and God bless!!

Old is gold...

तेरे बिना ज़िन्दगी से कोई शिकवा तो नहीं, शिकवा नहीं, शिकवा नहीं

तेरे बिना ज़िन्दगी भि लेकिन, ज़िन्दगी तो नहीं, ज़िन्दगी नहीं, ज़िन्दगी नहीं

तेरे बिना ज़िन्दगी से कोई शिकवा तो नहीं

काश ऐसा हो तेरे क़दमो से, चुन के मंजिल चले और कहीं दूर कहीं - २

तुम गर साथ हो, मंजिलों कि कमी तो नहीं

तेरे बिना ज़िन्दगी से कोई शिकवा तो नहीं

जी में आता है, तेरे दामन में, सर झुकाके हम रोते रहें, रोते रहें - २

तेरे भी आँखों में, आंसुओं कि नमी तो नहीं

तुम जो कह दो तो आज ही रात, चाँद डूबेगा नहीं, रात को रोक लो - २

रात कि बात है, और ज़िन्दगी बाकी तो नहीं

Beautiful songs n' lyrics caress the soul, such as this one. Love the lyrics. Just before the 3rd stanza here, they have a small conversation that's so pregnant with meaning that am afraid to actually watch the video for this song lest it not meet my expectations and suffers a miscarriage in my abruptly de-illusioned mind...

Have you ever felt that? Fell so much in love with a song, that you were actually scared to watch the video lest it not meet up to your imagination? There was this one song that bitterly disappointed many (or so I hear)...the song "Chinna chinna aasai" from the movie Roja (1992).

"मोहोब्बत और मौत बिन बुलाये मेहमान बन जाते हैं"

The Red House Captain and the Muscat-eer

He was the Red House Captain, tall, dark (read: fair) and handsome - admired by one and all, girls and guys alike...

She was a simple, quiet girl junior by a couple of years - a face in the crowd, a quiet mischevious twinkle in her eyes...and a permanent skeptical yet teasing slant to her lips...

They graduated from high school not knowing the other existed...

Circumstances (and yet some might say destiny) brought them to the same college, there they met for the first time (did we hear a thunderbolt??)...became very good friends...always with a group of others...she one of the 4 Muscat-eers (another an inactive, sleeping Muscat-eer)...he a...well...a...ah...well just one of another threesome (for want of a better term)...

They laughed, joked, teased each other...at times even to the point of tears (the girl ofcourse)...slowly the friendship developed to, what they called, a "massive crush" (why on earth can't people just say they "fell in love"??) on each other...3 years passed that way...and then college comes to an end, they go their separate ways...missing each other, not daring to tell each other what they feel...and, worse of all, with no means of communication

NARRATOR INTERRUPTS: IN THOSE DAYS INTERNET AND MOBILE PHONES WERE JUST SENDING OUT TENTATIVE FEELERS AROUND TO TEST TERRITORY

(story continues...)

...then one day...along comes a fairy, an angel (could there possibly be a better superlative?), who, also one of the Muscat-eers, benevolently agrees to be the go-between and posts her letters to him...this fair angel, innocent and sweet as she is never realised then what she was doing or aiding...coz' had she known she would have quoted a fee (wicked laughter...the horns are visible now)...anyways the angel never got the chance...

then she moves to a different country to continue her education...and he stays on and finds a job...years pass by with sporadic communication...and he moves to another country as well and they end up at different ends of the earth...they date others only to realise that something is always missing, hence nothing works for either...then one fine day she goes to an internet cafe...opens her inbox...and what do you know!!!! there's a mail from him...her heart skips a beat, the blood rushes to her face, she goes weak in the knees and her hands start shaking...yet, stubborn as she is, she talks to him as a friend never letting out her feelings for him...

their revived friendship continues...always there for each other in joy and distress...and mails flew hither and thither across the world...then one day, he decides he's had enough of this facade and musters up boldness to finally ask her out...she galantly yet stubbornly refuses saying he means the world to her but she'd rather have him just as a friend rather than risk losing him from her life...she walks away and this time he breaks into tears...

they stay in touch...time flies by...and one day while chatting she tells him that he should start dating others coz' she can't bear to see him that way...an argument ensues, they fight, bottled up feelings get un-corked...they vow not to talk to each other...he deletes her from his profile...she deletes him from hers and they sulk for a while...

then a couple of months drag by...she can't take it anymore...she runs into his arms (virtually of course) and says she misses him...and he's like "are you asking me out?" and out comes her pride again "a girl never asks a guy out!!"....so he says (and brace yourselves...here's the best part)...he says...

"My dear, would you like to date me and grow old with me??"

...for a minute she's speechless and taken aback...then she regains her senses and asks "are you joking? coz'if you are, I'm going to be real upset!!!"...

He: "No, I've never been more serious in my life!!!"

She: "Well, in that case, yes, ofcourse I will!!"

...by the way, readers, remember they are still at different ends of the world...so, to make it formal, he switches on his web cam, gets down on one knee and asks her to marry him (but, ofcourse, she could only see the top of his head as he was down on the floor)...and VOILA!!! formal it is...end of story...the rest is history...

he with his tall good looks and a wicked sense of humour...

she with a mischevious twinkle in her eye and a sly slant to her lips...

wah wah wah...what an ending!!! or shall we say beginning??? that's it folks...sigh!!!

Light bulbs...

• Did you know that “naatram” in Tamil just means “smell” and not “bad smell”??
• There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children. - Nelson Mandela
• Hair is made up of dead cells, but we spend fortunes trying to make it look alive and vibrant!!
• A book I read recently conveys this: "In relation to the West, we are just the Rest"
• They take vows at the altar “…until death do us apart” while the ink of their signatures on the pre-nuptial is still drying!!
• “So much of life, it seems, is determined by pure randomness.” - Sydney Poitier
• “He hath indeed better bettered expectation of me than you must expect of me to tell you how.” - William Shakespeare, Much ado about Nothing
• “Ah! Yes, the truth, that ingenious concoction of desirability of appearance.” - Anatole France (on the Dreyfus Affair)
• Love is just a mental state induced by a surge of hormones that will die as the hormones settle down!
• Love creates an intoxication just as spirit does. How soon one sobers up depends upon experience!

Daydreams of the forbidden...

The adrenalin rush as I see the ground speeding towards me and just when I think I am about to crash, I get hauled back as if by an invisible hand grabbing me from off the threshold of death and then swinging me into a movement that exhilarates my soul, makes the blood rush through my veins and my heart beat faster than it ever had as if I were given wings and a feeling of weightlessness akin to being suspended in space, the breeze blowing through my hair matching the speed of my movement, the sun hitting my face each time I come up, with a perspective of the earth rarely seen by any living being except by those that rule the night...

Random

For the first time in my experience of travelling in buses (which isn't much), when I thanked the bus conductor for giving me my ticket, he actually replied with a "You are welcome". I was so taken aback that I couldn't suppress a smile which elicited a smile from the conductor himself. Thus, an unspoken, mutual feeling of goodwill permeated through me making me comfortable throughout the journey despite my precarious position right at the front with the possibility of being thrown through the windshield should the driver suddenly feel inclined to stomp on the breaks!!

Observing the conductor, I got to thinking, despite his humble employment, he could be well educated given his good turnout and general demeanor, and sometime during the ride he shouts out "Right!!" in a very stylish and accented way to the driver who is barely 4 feet away from him (wonder how the word "Right" came to be used in such a context, in what way could it possibly mean that the driver can now move the bus?!).

Here is a picture of our etiquette-conscious bus conductor busy at work!



Reminded me of another interesting individual I came across while in Bangalore last year. He works at the Kamat Hotel near Commercial Street, Shivajinagar.

To use the word "waiter" to describe his occupation seems an insult to him. Hence, let's say he is a steward there and caters to the A/C room guests. You would find him in the corner deep in conversation with the cashier. A small man by stature, with active and lively eyes, dressed in the colours of a steward's uniform, shirt falling nearly to his knees, pants folded at the bottom and dangling about his ankles, chappals, and a towel thrown casually on his left shoulder.

Why he stood out among the people of his ilk is because of the seriousness and sincerity with which he performed his duties, scurrying around like a busy bee. He obviously looks at the bigger picture that goes beyond, and hence blurs into insignificance, his day-to-day seemingly menial duties. He caters with a ready, genuine smile and is open to feed back, accepts his faults, is proactive with good people skills and a joyful demeanor that certainly seems contagious!

I've made repeated visits to the hotel, while in the vicinity, in the hopes of being honoured by his service, only to find him catering elsewhere with similar earnestness no less!

Fortune teller Vs. Bi-cycle business man

I had given a dress for alteration and a couple of days back, had gone to collect it. While waiting at the shop, the owner arrived (who I was meeting for the first time), an old guy, probably in his 60s, relatively well dressed, grey, thinning hair, sans a couple of front teeth, probably more due to chewing betel nuts and tobacco rather than old age!

From the time he arrived he never took his eyes off me, I politely smiled at him once, then twice and then decided I better turn away. After a couple of minutes, he says “Zara apna moonh dikhana”, and I’m like “Excuse me” and turn towards him, he says again in Hindi, “Brush your hair away from your face so I can see you clearly”, at this point I’m somewhere between embarrassment and irritation, then the female shop assistant explains to me “He’s into fortune telling and stuff…” and he is still staring at me…then after a moment or two (probably pause for effect), he starts his predictions, following is the conversation:

He says, “You have two names, one is your given name and the other, which is your nickname is the one people use to address you (great discovery huh?! Nicknames and given names!)”

“Yeah?! (I wonder, do I have a nickname? Coz’ such is the vehemence with which he utters this obvious aim in the dark)

“NO!” me tells, with equal vehemence, “I do not have a second name and everybody addresses me with my one and only given name.”

He is taken aback, I can see his confidence draining out of him like water from a punctured bottle! And then he continues staring at me, meanwhile, my dress arrives and I leave and there ends my conversation with this person with the supposed other-worldly abilities!!

This incident made me wonder about such people who claim to be experts at seeing the future, reading palms, fortune telling, etc. Looking back at the experience, I realized, we are the ones who make or break them. We are the ones who give them the confidence to go on doing what they do. We, ironically (though they are supposed to be the ones who are sure), are the ones who substantiate their yarns.

That’s the power of auto-suggestion, you keep saying something to yourself over and over again, over a period of time, you start believing it even if it weren’t true. That’s the ruse used by people of this trade, they proclaim their inferences so boldly and with such vehemence that we are, for a moment, left in doubt of our own lives! Here, of course, they are doing the suggesting on our behalf!

I sound very opinionated, I know, but my forcefulness is not because of any prejudice but because there are people out there who genuinely try to make a living for themselves but are distrusted because of the existence of others who make money out of fooling people!

A contrasting incident! A month ago, during one of my jaunts to National Market, I crossed the road with my eyes on a shop on the opposite side of the road selling bags, I almost entered the shop when I happened to notice a small crowd. Curiousity aroused, I venture nearer for closer inspection. A man, in his mid 50s, thinning, grey hair, unshaven, rugged look, poorly clad in loose fitting, soiled greenish-grey checked shirt, grey pants and rubber slippers but eyes moist with excitement and confidence (not ill-begotten), was enthusiastically “presenting” his wares to interested onlookers and/or potential buyers. He was selling baskets made just of thin metal rods and straws…yes, those thin plastic straws that you get at any shop selling cold drinks…!

The ingenuity of this guy is sure worth a mention. What made these baskets amazing and interesting was that, they can be used for a number of different occasions (at least 5) and altered accordingly with ease (user-friendly), and this man displayed and presented his product so cleverly and with such ease and deftness that it was nothing short of amazing. He also had the patience to teach his customers how to use the “product”.

No marketing person or communications expert, with their imposing modern gadgets, PowerPoint presentations and impressive suits, can beat the effect of this short presentation, marketing skills, innovativeness, ingenuity and enthusiasm of this man who could have easily been overlooked riding along the streets on his bi-cycle!

We bought 5 baskets from him that day!

The next day we went searching for him at the same spot with more orders, but, obviously he had gone off with his wares to a different location, whistling a tune to himself and merrily riding away on his bi-cycle...to honour others with his charm and infect others with his enthusiasm...

Of all that is good...

A routine day in a new place, new job and on my way back home, totally exhausted (more from waiting for the bus and trying to cross the road than anything else) on a crowded bus from Hebbal to Yelahanka on the ever busy airport road. I finally get to sit myself down and then...like a drop of cold water on a tired soul...I see this beautiful picture unfold in front of me...I try my best not to stare...

A family of 5, probably on the way back from a long trip (given their worn out looks, on second thought, maybe not, travelling from the city on a bus in b'lore could do that to anyone). Anyways, three small girls are fast asleep on two seats occupied by the father and two of the girls while the 3rd girl nestled comfortably in the safe haven of her father's arms. All of them totally undisturbed by the rash driving and sudden, jerky stops, while the father tries his best to make them comfortable. The oldest rests her head on her father's lap while the second rests her head on the bent back of the oldest. The mother sits next to me with the luggage on her lap. And thus arranged was this intriguing ensemble!

During the journey, once, the oldest's head slips off her father's lap, and he quickly but gently adjusts her head again back in place! Then a stop before theirs, the mother wakes up the girls, the oldest (about 9 years old) wakes up quickly and takes charge of her two younger sisters. The second one doesn't even so much as stir and continues in her peaceful slumber, seeing this, the oldest takes her on to her lap and holds her head in both her arms very protectively! Through out the journey, that might have started sometime long before I laid eyes on them, the father had his arms wrapped around the little one and I was just wondering how cramped his arms must have felt!

And me, the whole while trying to discreetly take pics of this refreshing scene acting like am fiddling with the phone for fear I might disturb the natural unfolding of this anecdote that could have so easily been overlooked!

I went home that day with a quiet smile on my face and feeling at peace with the world!