Musings

A treat to the senses, that's Chennai for you !

2007-03-15T02:59:00.000-07:00

I wake up to a pleasant warm morning with clear skies. Having got a day off, I decide to take a stroll in my neighbourhood. A few people have already started their jogging rounds on the nearly empty streets.I head on to the main road and and see fresh vegetables being unloaded from trucks, to be spread out for sale at the ubiquitous vegetable shops.A gentle breeze develops, bringing wih it the wonderful aroma of freshly ground coffee powder from the Leo coffee shop across the road. I close my eyes to soak it all, only to be alerted by a milkman balancing a trunk full of milk packets on his cycle.I jump on to the pavement and walk along.Further down, a group of college students are waiting for their bus.Some are busy chatting, while some others are buying hot, roasted peanuts from a push cart vendor.

I cross the road to head back home and as I walk into my street I hear gentle strains of carnatic music from a flat above.Straight ahead are two dogs, one a great dane and the other a daschund, walking alongside their owners, enjoying each others' company.The sputtering of an auto engine that sounded quite distant is getting louder and there at the turning, emerges an auto packed with school kids.The vehicle zooms past me and I mutter a word of prayer for those inside. A kid is eagerly waiting at the gate for the school bus while her mom stands behind carrying her bag and water bottle.She runs out to the road every two minutes with eager anticipation of the bus's arrival. I start to wonder when was the last time I woke up eager to go to office....hmm I guess it was never.

I now reach the small vinayaka shrine situated at the meeting point of three roads.A purohit is bathing and dressing the lord's idol.I stand there for a moment with my head lowered and hands clasped, seeking the lord's blessings.A cuckoo coos from the garden behind. A creeper laden with beutiful purple flowers in full bloom runs along its compound wall. An early morning walk in Chennai is a sure treat to the senses.

A child and the storm

2007-02-25T21:53:00.000-08:00

It was a stormy night. Everything around was draped in eerie shades of grey and black. The wind was howling like a beast. The few pedestrians who were walking around at that time were scurrying towards the warmth and safety of their homes. The evening had been tranquil and had belied any chances of a storm. A few street lamps shone , their light struggling to break through this big screen of darkness that had descended upon without a warning.

On this starless, stormy night , below the faint light of street lamp sat a small boy all crouched , hugging the base of the post. His feeble body was trembling under a flimsy shirt and a pair of trousers . Tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his hollow cheeks. He was scared , hungry and cold. The only thing he had eaten that day were the two slices of bread that a kind housewife gave him that morning.

His head was throbbing and he could take it no more.And before he knew what was happening he swooned and fell right back onto the cold pavement hitting his head hard against it but not feeling the pain.

Well for those of you who have come this far and are wanting to know what happened to that poor little boy, all I would say is ,look around you and you will see many such hapless,poor infants mercilessly abandoned and left to fend for themselves at such a tender age , an age which demands the utmost care, affection , nourishment and protection , which their richer counterparts have in plenty , in fact in excess.If each one of us could break away from our tight schedules for a while and give this a thought, if each one of us could strive to make their lives a bit more bearable and a little less daunting,if we could stop spoiling ourselves and our children with the luxury that we can afford and utilize our excesses to give atleast one underprivileged child a new lease of life, if only we could learn to care , share and strive to make the world a better place to live in ……..
If you have taken the time to read this I just hope it strikes a chord in your heart and tunes you in , to the sufferings of the millions .

What's in a hair cut.....?

2006-12-14T02:08:00.000-08:00

That's what I thought as I stepped into the parlour last evening.

I was asked to wait, so I enquired the rates and settled down on the couch with a hair stylist's catalogue.....I was determined to get a different look.

I flipped through the pages,and everytime a hairstyle impressed me, I imagined myself with it.Finally,I zeroed in on the U cut - a fairly simple cut and hence not heavy on my pocket.

A woman had just got up, making a seat free.I walked over to the hair stylist, "A U-cut",I said and handed over the catalogue to her.She gave me a 'that's it!' look, as I walked past her and settled on the chair.

She skillfully drove her scissors through my hair and in a couple of minutes it was all done. My hair was cut just above my shoulder and I was quite happy with the way I looked. I gave her an approving smile,paid at the counter and left for home.

I wasn't sure how my homecoming would be..and as I rang the bell I tried to imagine the worst that could happen.My sis opened the door and she cried "You cut yor hair!You look like a kid!" . Now that was offending- a kid calling me a kid..grrrrr

It was my mom's turn.I was greeted with shock on her face, that gradually turned into a glare."How foolish have you been!", she remarked.

Two down.

I was upset but I protested, "What's wrong with short hair when it makes me look good?"
Dinner went off quietly and as I slept I was wondering how my colleagues would react the next day.

As I walked into office today, I was greeted with surprised faces."Hey what have you done?"
remarked somebody, "Well, its called a hair cut" , I said trying to stay calm.

Someone else suggested that it would look better if tied, while a couple of others said I looked like Indira/Sonia gandhi...whatever that was supposed to mean..

The comments are still coming in!

I would rather say, "WHAT'S NOT in a hair cut !!" .

Overpowered...zzzzzzzzzzzzz

2006-09-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

Eyelids as heavy as 'heavy' can be...a mind that refuses to think....a body that is
yearning to slump onto anything flat......yip, I am being swept up in the vortex of sleep,
but (and that's a big BUT) the sad part is, that I am at work!

In desperation, I bring in numbers to my rescue. I start counting all the tasks at hand ...task 1...task 2...task 3.....its not working, my mind is slipping back to where I tried pulling it from...Sigh !

But there's got to be a way out of this!I try to feel the heat of deadlines and the dire consequences I am bound to face if I don't comply..but no, nothing seems to lift me out of the depths that I am falling into.

Not so soon...I have yet another plan - I spring up from my chair, jerk it in place and walk
briskly to the restroom.Once in, I cup my hands under the gushing tap water and make a big
splash on my face.After repeating this a couple of times I look into the mirror and smile
triumphantly..this undeniably, will drive it all away.

I walk back to my cubicle ,sit upright and unlock my pc. I decide to give a fresh start to all that I was doing. Ironically, I start a new session with the ever awake and running unix server.My eyes begin to actively scan the code and as they move down the page ....oh no ..not again! I can feel my eyes begin to close and my mind just drifting away...

I give up! YAWN.....

A Show by 5 Crows!

2006-08-21T02:53:00.000-07:00

Last morning as I sat lazily on my bed gazing out of the balcony door, I noticed this
extremely cute activity that was going on down, on the other side road.

Four crows were sitting on a compound wall.One crow had flown up and was perched on the lamp post in front of the wall.In a moment it nose dived or rather, 'beak dived' and when it was
just a foot above the ground it started to flap its wings and flew back to the compound
wall.
As soon as it returned, the crow at the other end of the queue flew up and repeated the same
antic.
I got up slowly and moved to the balcony, taking in every bit of this highly amusing show .

Once all the crows were done with their turn they dispersed together into the bushes behind
them.

I was awestruck by the organised manner in which they conducted themselves.

As I looked around, I saw quite a number of people walking or driving but they were all
oblivious to the event that I had just witnessed.

Well...they have definitely missed out on this one!

Guess its time to redefine the word 'Inhuman' ....

2006-08-10T02:48:00.000-07:00

From lovable pets to being used as professional healers our domesticated animals have indeed come a long way.

Aleast that's what I thought till I came to know of the atrocities committed on these poor animals behind the scenes in the pretext of training them .

The appointed healers of retarded children have to go through a gruelling training session where they are beaten , harassed and basically tortured in every sense.

And guess what they are taught!

They are taught to stay unperturbed and bear all the suffering quietly !!

So the next time a retarded child gets violent on its healer it could do so till it calms down because the poor animal will bear it all quietly and still be friendly and lovable to its assailant !

'Being inhuman' is fast becoming a human trait.

The time has come to redefine 'inhumanness' as a virtue.

My favourite author - R.K Narayanan

2006-07-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

I read an article on R.K Narayanan in the Sunday edition of the Indian Express (mag.
section).It had a title that went like 'Is he a mysorean or a madrasi?'.But as you read the
article you will realise that the writer was not exactly contemplating ,he was making a
strong case for mysore.

I do not know if it Was Chennai or Mysore that struck a chord in Narayanan's heart.But his works have definitely struck chords in mine.

His writings were based on the day to day lives of the common man and that's what was
most endearing to me. 'Truly Indian ' would be the phrase that best described his works.
Be it 'Swami and friends' or 'Malgudi days' the stories engulfed me completely. I could sit
for hours reading his books without getting bored.The English was simple yet used so
powerfully .The way he conveyed emotions , the settings of that period, description of his
characters ,I could go on....he was simply amazing.

When the school broke for a summer vacation after a week of gruelling exams I could
relate completely to the joys of swami and his friends when they got their summer break.When Swami got a blasting from his parents for doing something mischievous I could relate to
my own experiences.So encompassing were narayanan's works...they covered your every mood!

As for his short stories - you couldn't get to understand India better.Stories were spun completely around the lives of the common man. He painted the shades of life so beautifully,be it the life of a watchamn ,a postman, a school-master or a roadside astrologer. When you read his story you get transported to its locale and find yourself an invisible observer amidst the characters that he has sketched so beautifully.

He is undoubtedly one of the greatest writers of our times.

Woes of a lift operator??

2006-07-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

The other day while I was chatting with my colleagues during our tea break I noticed the service lift as it opened on my floor. I saw the lift operator sitting on a stool near the panel of buttons.He was expressionless and was mechanically keying in the digits. I suddenly found myself wondering what he must be feeling about his job. Going up and down 12 floors for maybe half a day (if the job was done in shifts) !
I started to think of all those times when I stepped out on the station after a long train journey. The feeling of travelling in a train used to persist for a little more than half a day after which I returned to normalcy :)
If a train journey could affect me this way what an effect this job must be having on him!

Cold

2006-07-18T02:10:00.000-07:00

Running nose, streaming eyes , a dozen phlegm expelling sneezes (yuck !) that's how I've been for the past 3 days : ( How I hate cold.
After my day off yesterday I had to drag myself to office this morning. Traffic was at its horrible best and to top it all some dust particle entered one of my already streaming eyes and scratched it, leaving my poor eye all red and watery.

Now at work for around 6 hours the air conditioning seems to have taken a toll on my already aching limbs.Sigh !

Its been a testing day but I will stand up to it .........................hopefully :)