December so far....

There are certain things all of us want to do...n when u do that something....U end up feeling happy and nice!!

There are times when to do things u like doing....Ur friends kinda become indispensible souls...not coz they support u...but coz they complement u!!

What started out with a trip to Chennapatna to attend a friend of friend's wedding..n then to buy toys for the children from various orphanages and other centres across Bangalore..to an ex-cab-mate's dinner treat...to a dear friend's wedding...to giving demos on domestic waste management:)....to Christmas parties..to sitting along the banks of a river....to teaching experiences....to just about lazing at home....sleeping, watching TV and reading....My December so far...has seen a lot of variety!!

Its almost like a month...where u want to do everything u didnt do...the entire year.....right from financial investments:)....that is as my friend put it....if u have the finances in the 1st place....to finishing off ur gift vouchers.....lest they expire...or a time to plan that vacation or a much needed break......lest ur leaves expire:)....or a time of sheer reflection...on what u did....or did not do...n with TVs loaded with the best/worst moments of the past year....December sure is eventful:)

I didnt want this post to be long...so have added sub-links to some of the events that have made my December memorable:)

*Chenna

**Life Skills programme

***Shila weds DJ

****Bubbles Christmas party

*****Missionaries of Charity Christmas party

******Doddamakali outing--Triiiiiippppyy!

Chenna

There are times when I have hoped n hoped against hope.. that my cab to work... took me out... ...out n out...on an outing....to Mysore or to that Kamat Lokaruchi in Ramanagaram...or just abt anywhere....[these r usually the days when I have deadlines to meet at work:)]

So, when Shila asked me if I would accompany her to Chennapatna to attend her friend's wedding...I didnt think tooo much...

*1stly....It was just the thing I had always wanted!!...only difference being that I got dropped by my early morning office cab to Mysore Road....n another KSRTC bus took me out on my outing:)

**2ndly....tho I didnt know Shila's friend...I was pretty sure that they wud know me...thanks to Shila:)

***3rdly...I actually took a half day off...to do all this:)

Our journey to Chennapatna had Shila talking non-stop.....there were times when I thought I should stop the bus and buy her some water:)....but it was her moral responsibility to entertain me :)...n to buy me toys in return for my valuable company:)

We reached the place even before the bride made her entry to the mantap...n ended up watching all the rituals from near start to finish:)...It was ...I think...the 1st wedding in recent times....where v actually watched a wedding in progress.....n ofcourse Shila's friend was my friend after all:)

Shila did keep her promise and got me some wonderful toys....all of them were extremely colorful n artistic.....

After getting back to work, I had not a clue that Chenna part 2...was not 2 far off...

Wat I meant by Chenna part 2...is pretty simple....a mere suggestion by a genius of a brain[Now u know who I am talking abt:)]....to visit Chennapatna to buy toys for children from the funds collected for Chrysallis gifting...

Praveena, Deivanai, Sudha n me ended up travelling together..on our mission to get the best possible toys and deals!!

I remember having a whale of a time laughing....n listening to Sudha's tales on her many experiences in Japan, US n Germany....n not to forget the IISc incident...

She was actually describing her study years at IISc and about how unconnected u can get ..with the rest of the world...when u r deep into ur research...n about waking up one day and walking down to the canteen...n finding everything around her empty and silent...only to realize that a national holiday had been declared:)

V land in Chennapatna...n end up driving around in circles ...to locate the shop...Shila n me had been to a week ago....to get our toys....But it was a good thing..v lost our way:)

V actually stopped at a point n asked an old granny to point us to a toy factory....I think she pointed to her left n right...as the place is like flooded with toy factories...

She then offered to take us to a godown, where they had like.....5 or more huge truckloads of toys piled in different boxes....n where they very kindly let us hunt for the kind of toys v were looking for...

V bought pretty cautiously and after about an hour when the final billing was done..v had only got stuff for 3000 bucks...n v had another 9000 more to go...

Thats when v went a lil berserk:)....n sometimes ended up buying huge quantities of all that he had in the godown...

After making our purchases, v stopped by at Kamat for lunch...only to discover that Praveena n me had a Ekadashi on the very same day...so no rice...no onions....not too many options available on that joladha roti oota ...very famous in that part of the world...

V settled for Joladha roti n chutney...while I cudnt stop myself from envying the food on the other's platter:)

After reaching B'lore....v almost gatecrashed:) to Sudha's house n got to meet her mother......who had us in splits with her talk:)

Gift wrapping toys for 748 children is no small task....but ya...my friends made it seem all easy:)

Life Skills!!

Imagine this!!

*A government school class strength of 65+.

**Combo of the naughtiest boys and girls

***Difficult to get them to listen to you for even a minute...forget about keeping them quiet...

****Lesson to be taught: Effective communication as part of Life Skills programme..

Life Skills programme is an initiative by ppal from our office and an NGO ...working together to impart skills like goal setting, leadership and effective communication through interactive and simple programmes...

I went to the school out of curiosity to get an idea of wat the programme was all about....turned out to be quite a learning experience...

V played simple games with the children...like that whispering game...where in ...the first person whispers a complicated sentence to the next person's ear and so on. The last person is then asked to repeat the sentence and thats when u teach the kids the importance of listening and communicating effectively...

The next game was a story building session. So, if we had the 1st kid start off with.."Once upon a time, there was a farmer"...the next kid had to continue the story with ..."He had 2 wives". Kids these days are pretty creative and added quite a lot of comical and tragic twists to the farmer's story......

The Life skills programme is a wonderful initiative!! What makes the programme unique is that the children appreciate and look forward to the classes..not only to learn ...but also to teach:)

Shila weds DJ:)

A fun wedding with friends cheering most of the rituals...awesome food....a beautiful bride....a tall bridegroom[they had this custom of throwing rice on each others heads....the bridegroom took his height to full advantage:)].....welcoming guests.....a reunion time with pals....catching up on stories...a dig at a dear friend's son...who lands at the reception in shorts:)....the transformation processes....thanks to good old CJ...photos more of the pals than of the wedded couple...

Christmas with Bubbles:)

Bubbles centre for autism is second home to most of us....simply coz of the wonderful hospitality that Sarbani offers n of the activities that v get to do there in our brief volunteering stints...

I always wonder if I actually end up doing any work at all in Bubbles....But Im sure that I do more work that wat I get to do at home:)

Bubbles caters to autistic children with developmental delays and similar problems. Most parents claim that the kinda training and love their children have received in Bubbles is difficult to get in most other schools...

So, sometime last year...I happen to meet an autistic kid ...who has a very very cute way with words...hardly 5 years of age...he can actually mesmerize u with his talk...n get away easily in not doing any of his work....if he has to write a single page of alphabets...he will ask u a million questions...n try his best to postpone the doing....u need to kinda outwit him every now n then...if u want him to do his work....

This year, Sarbani tells us that he has improved quite a lot...and was the chief narrator for the Christmas play ...who ended up asking Sarbani abt an amphitheatre and the brightest star in the sky...when Sarbani gave him the right answers..he was heard telling.."Oh no.....I knew U wud also know:)"...

As Sarbani tells us...that when u work with autistic kids, they are no different than the normal kids....U also end up laughing with them.....crying with them...n sometimes in the midst of all the fun stuff that u end up doing with them..it is their innocence or their response to particular situations that make them special to u...

We kinda did the decorations...n face painting and preparing the kids for the Christmas play...where the entire act was put up by the autistic kids...

I didnt get to watch it..as I was busy getting dressed to play Santa for the day:)

Every year, usually Praveena n me ...both of us get to play Santas...but this year ...they had just 1 costume....n d toss of a coin was supposed to decide as to who gets the Santa costume...I won ...hands down:)..2-0 after making the right call twice...n ended up doing tapang-guchi dance:) as Santa...

Now..Praveena was trying hard to teach me Salsa...she did manage to teach me steps for Jingle bells....but once the 2 of us got onto stage ...she was playing Santa's friend:)....they played....."We wish u a Merry Christmas Song"....n I was out of my nerve's wit on what to do...as what comes naturally to me..was the tapang guchi dance...n ya.....when u r dancing on stage...n through Santa's mask...when u see Sarbani and ur pals...roaring n laughing n having a gala time seeing u dance...U forget ur nervousness....n end up feeling like ur dancing infront of family:)

The parents applauded the Indianized Santa:) n her Salsa friend:)....n after distributing chocs and gifts....v were in for loads of surprises!!

Indu, a volunteer... had actually visited Bubbles, after reading the Bubbles blog...something which got us to realize the importance a blog cud have:)

After treating us to lunch n listening to Krathika's antics in school.....all of us were in splits after hearing of all the things that madam was upto in school....right from doing the dances when punished:)....or from hitting back at the funny ways of some of the teachers:)

N was nice to interact with Swathi...after I think..almost 11 long years!!

V went back home with a glass bowl ..which was hand-painted by the children themselves...n I must admit that it so exquisite n lovely that I am gonna treasure it:)

MoC Christmas party!!

After having so much adventure in a single month...just when I was thinking on how to tell my parents ...that I want to go to Missionaries of Charity for the Christmas party being arranged by Moses and family...somehow turned out.... they didnt seem to mind at all:)

I went late...so gotto c the thank u speeches...but I was told that they were treated to lovely dance performances by professional dance troupes..both from office and outside....n to a whole lot of other programmes...

I am sure that I have met this person once before....so when I was telling somebody else that I stay closeby...there was this inmate who came up to me and asked me ...If I stay in V.Pura....it is actually amazing how much they remember things about u n ur life...

I had other inmates ask me abt Shila's wedding...n scold me for coming in so late....

Last time, I had actually visited MoC after a new haircut...n even tho..most ppal at work..did not notice the change...ppal in MoC came up to me asking me abt the haircut n I even had 2 inmates plaiting my hair...n asking me to apply oil regularly:)

All of them were dressed in their colourful best with lovely bangles, chains, earrings and clothes...looking very happy and wishing everyone who came to them..."A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!"...

Every year, this programme is hosted by Moses and his family. They visit MoC, distribute new clothes, food, arrange programmes and end up having a gala time with the inmates:)

Tripppppyyyy!

This blog started out with a posting of a team outing from office last year.....I took ages to write it...n ppal who managed to read it....had a test of their patience reading it!!

An entire year has passed...my blogspace has seen a lot of posts....some short...some still looong...where in...I just cudnt stop writing!!

Coming back to the point...really difficult to keep me focussed:)...V had our team outing again this week...n it was one of those rare occasions where everything was in place!

I had to get up at 4:30am....an extremely challenging task ..considering how cold it is in the mornings these days...But I kept telling myself ....Its gonna be worth it:)

After leaving home at 5:15am....with my mother standing out till I reached the end of the road....n after promising her that I wud call her after reaching the bus-stop....n having fears of the power going off...n me having to find my way through the dark ...n of dogs chasing me...heheheh...now u know wat exaggeration means to me:) ...I felt small...yes...when my neighbour's daughter joined me in the bus stop...looking all brave n all....She apparently does this waking up part at that unearthly hour and the walking bit everyday to reach her early morning waking up college:)

V started out on time...n tried taking a dig at our boss....by telling him that the bookings werent confirmed n all...though he claims that he didnt fall for the gig....Im pretty sure he did....a lil atleast....after we caught him messaging his friend to help us with the resort bookings!!

I can really sing well....provided I dont sing out aloud:)...after seeing my teammate Maya develop a head-ache after all tat singing....I decided to play it not so loud!!

Before I forget...we were headed towards Doddamakali, located very close to Muthathi near Shimshapura...

We were in for the Cauvery actually.....Im sure Kirthi would agree....as when another teammate suggested a resort which had indoor and outdoor games...the only question that Kirthi asked was.."Does it have the backdrop of the Cauvery???"....so Doddamakali it was!!

Other than the river, we were also promised a guided trek and coracle rides...

A 7 km jeep ride takes u to Doddmakali..n u r actually climbing up and down a hill...till u reach Doddamakali..which is located at the base of a hill...

I had earlier been to Bheemeshwari, which is also pretty much similar to Doddamakali..so I kinda did know what to expect...they didnt let us trek there....n so very smartly I land there with sandals....that finally gave way, 2 days after the trip..but did serve their purpose when v actually ended up trekking in Doddamakali..

The place is very beautiful...n the trek ..was short n sweet....I am personally not too fond of trekking...I keep wondering as to what it is that u achieve at the end of it...U climb a hill..hanging onto whatever u get...n then u climb the same hill down....Big Deal!!...But ya..this trek got us to a rocky place quite close to the Cauvery river...n when u sit there ....with hills n greenery all around...fresh air....with the cold river beneath your feet....It gives u a very serene feeling n u end up thanking the trek that got u there:)

I hate rocks...simply coz I end up slipping n falling on rocky terrain all the time....But what with half the ppal around u telling u that u can never make this stretch ...etc..etc....It really motivates u big time..to deliver ur best!!

Post lunch and a whole lot of volleyball games n kanna-muchi games...n coracle rides...v were ready to leave the place with the jeep ride back to the main road...n I must recommend that if u ever go there...travel in that open air truck:)....n watch out for those branches:)

The ride back was nice...not coz I didnt sing:)....but coz we started out with Dumb Charades.....on movies...personalities....brands....etc..etc.....v actually played non-stop till v got back to office:)

Kirthi was our "guessing man"...often known to make statements like...."I didnt even watch u act...the movie/personality name came to me out of the blueeeee"

Some things I wont forget in a hurry are the ones when Hemanth fell off his hammock twice, in a hurry to retain his spot... simply coz he didnt want me to get to the hammock before him:)

When asked about all the scary poses I ended up giving to anybody who dared to take my photo..all I can say is that...Im a lil tired of giving that 100W smile all the time...n wanted to experiment with expressions:)....I have 2 controversially edited photos....thanks to DP and JH....which talks a lot:)

The ending....well..dunno if I shud consider it an honour or an insult to my singing talent:)...was in Puneeth ending Dumb Charades by miming me...n I must admit....he did a pretty good job:)

A time to remember....

I remember telling Arpitha, the day after sending out the mail about Chrysallis fund collection ... that the response has not been very encouraging.....This had nothing to do with the fact that she had collected 2K on the 1st day...n I had collected 1K...or that people who contributed last year had kinda missed my mail or so I thought:)..or that the email responses were fewer than last year...

I believe that anything that starts on a discouraging note...ends well....coz today we stand at a total collection of 52,000.....

Right from making new friends to waiting in Phase-1 reception at 6:30 to collect money ...there was this one occasion...when I was waiting for Deivanai to collect money...n I happened to meet Vidya, Sharath's sister without any prior intimation.. n ended up collecting funds from her also....

What started off with Shilpa wanting to buy me a gift from Chennapatna for accompanying her to a friend's wedding....ended ...in us planning a trip to Chennapatna ...last Saturday...n buying their toys as gifts for the Chrysallis parties....

Praveena, Deivanai, Sudha n me set out on a fun-filled trip to Chennapatna and almost ended up looting a godown there of some of the most colourful toys I have ever seen....

When you have friends.....who are more than willing to share their time ....wrapping gifts becomes a simple job... thanks to Shilpa, Preeti, Praveena and CJ....V finished packing 748 toys in less than 3 hours:)...I think all of us have a great future in wrapping gifts:)

My father was the person counting the gifts..... as we sorted them as per age and gender into separate bags....maintaining his count in English, Malayalam, Hindi...n ya....Kannada...also....I almost rolled on the floor ....when I heard his Dhombadhu...that's thombathu----90 in Kannada:)

Nothing can be more satisfying than knowing that u have shopped for gifts paying the price they truly deserve..After handing over the gifts at the Chrysallis Centre, on the way back home...v visited an Arts n Crafts Exhibition and saw the gifts we had procured for as less as Rs.13/- being sold at Rs.40/- and a pen stand ..v bought for Rs.23/- being sold at Rs.100/-!!!!

Lastly....what we did manage to do....will make many children happy and thats what we strived for:)

For more photos....http://picasaweb.google.co.in/seemadharma/Chrysallis2009#

D Chrysallis Connection!

http://picasaweb.google.com/seemadharma/Chrysallis2008Gifts?feat=email

5 years and its difficult to believe that its actually been that long:)....would definitely sound very dramatic if v tell you that ...it seems like only yesterday...but it does...

2005

Pravs sent an email forward about the Chrysallis event and when v mailed the contacts mentioned in the email, it sounded like a fun event.

Even before we realised it, we were busy collecting funds from friends and ended up buying close to 100 gifts for the event...

Since then, the entire process of buying, sorting the gifts as per gender n age n gift wrapping has become a small little tradition...

Friends and family get-together at home, packing anything pinky:) to gals...n fighting for gift wrappers or cello-tapes or stapler pins to do the gift wrapping....

Coming back to 2005....as we stayed close to Yelahanka, we had volunteered to organize the party for the Srilankan refugee children of the IGIA school....

Now, we used to also teach the 10th STD kids Maths, Science n Social Science on weekends. When the kids happily told us that v cudnt take classes on Dec 10th...coz they had the Christmas party...v had the joy of telling them that you would get to party with us:)

The party turned out to be a joyride...with hundreds of kids from orphanages and challenged homes in B'lore dancing,performing n having a gala time....The volunteers BTW....got to do face painting, food distribution, decorations n a whole lotta fun stuff....

2006

Gifted close to 200 kids, but only Pravs was able to make it to the parties!!
We bought Books(Story and Coloring), Crayons, Color Pencils, Sketch Pens,Lots of Cars, Lots of Dolls, Purses, Chains, Bangles for the girls…. Pouches, Water Bottles, Pencil Boxes……….. Tennis Balls,Spiderman and other Toys that kids (boys) would love:)…we were actually short of ideas as to what to buy for the really young boys:)

2007

Gifted close to 133 gifts...n v organized the party at home grounds:)...yes at the IGIA school..n ya....there is this custom that the volunteers should arrange a small programme for the kids...so this time the kids ...I think had the misfortune of having to tolerate their teacher's dance performances:)

2008

Gifted 1401 children....y v mention the number every other year is only coz ...v realised the value it had...only after this party.....

We volunteered at Bubbles Learning Centre for Autism and there were children who were mentally challenged, who would not respond or talk or take part in any of the party activities, but the moment you give them a gift, you could actually see their faces light up ....:)

2009

Yet to update:):)

D Cut!!

U go somewhere thinking u will do something.....but instead u land somewhere else....doing something U have never done before....n looking like something..... U have never looked before!!

Looks like I have fallen for the word "something"....

But ya...while I enjoy doing things at the spur of the moment...without any meticulous planning...I must admit that there is a teeny-weeny feeling of guilt also "somewhere"..

If most of what I have written above..sounds like I am beating around the bush...lemme get to the point...

I was supposed to attend a friend's sister's wedding last evening....n instead ended up landing in a salon....where they kinda effortlessly transform poor souls like me...into ppal....we wished v looked like..... all the time....

All they did was a haircut....but Im hoping that the effects dont last only a day...like they always did in the past:)

Taken 4 a ride!!

Happened to take an auto from Nayandahalli[Mysore Road] to Malleshwaram today evening...n it turned out to be quite a ride!!

I grew up travelling to school by auto...n having a gala time....there were times when nearly 20 of us would sit inside 1 auto....our auto uncle...was an extremely sweet guy....he wud stop to let us have ice candies....he used to wait patiently for us even if we were late[only thing that I was infamous 4:)]...n most importantly ...he used to drive safe!!

Coll had me juggling with pals from Mounts to Malleshwaram 18th cross...n arguing with them non-stop in brilliant Kannada:)...there was this one time...when a certain auto driver asked me to 1st go learn Kannada n then talk to him:)

Since then, d only point when I get irritated with them is when they ask for extra money or when they refuse to go to specific places....

Coming back to today's ride....my auto hit exactly 5 other vehicles[1 Honda Activa Bike, 2 BMTC buses, 1 mini-lorry and 1 Maruti Omni Van], missed killing 2 pedestrians and had every other person on the road reprimand my driver.....

N mind u...Im not exaggerating ......for all I could do sitting behind....admidst huge traffic jams in Mysore Road-KR Market Flyover Road.....was to hope that either of us didnt get hurt...

After our 3rd hit...I had like ...like...enuf....n I must admit when it comes to things like this...my tolerance levels are so much more better.....I politely requested him to drive slowly....to which he muttered something under his breath....which sounded like this...."Pay me double..if I have to drive slow"....n...."Bengaloooru traffic....U have to drive like this only"....

Having realised that my cries are not gonna get addressed......I was just thinking of asking him to stop.....to take another auto....when he hit a mini-lorry from the back...n ya...his auto's side lamp was on the road....

After that hit, I was dead sure that he would have learnt his lesson...n wud mend his ways.....so I stayed back with the same auto....only to have the next sets of "hits and misses"....

I was wondering all along if such things actually happen ....I thought it did only in movies...where u r forced to laugh at such scenes....

I have seen rash drivers...but they have very good control of the vehicle...n rarely go bang into other vehicles....but none like this specimen....either the auto is not his...or belonged to someone he hates...or maybe he wanted to get rid of the auto...for something better......or maybe he was allergic to other vehicles on the road....or maybe he was just out of his mind......coz even after hitting some non-suspecting vehicle.....our hero would actually throw his hands out of the auto...n yell!!

A Once in a Lifetime Moment!!

After waiting for 4 long years, I finally made it to the place I had always wanted to visit....Manju took me to SSK...n had me cut a wonderful Mango Cake from a Shop called "Just Bakes"!!!!...Y I mentioned the name of the shop.....Highly Recommended:)

Got to meet his wonderful pals 2!!!!....

Parents get me a new dress[To which I had to tell them "Oh My God...Not again:)]

Planning was On for 10 days!

My own flesh n blood knew most of it!!....u 2...Cindy...

Minus what I wanted....I had the time of my life:)

5 Nutty gals land @ my doorstep dressed in their bests...looking so good....It took me a while n contact lenses to recover from the shock....screaming...SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!....n singing Happy B'day......Can a gal ask for more.....After reminding them that my neighbours like it quiet around here....They were at it again:)

Im later told that I have to get ready ASAP...n that the driver is expected any moment!!

After hearing what was more than Music to my ears..."Preethi is gonna make it...Preethi is gonna make it"....She is also handed over a deadline...

Little did I know that the evening wud unfold with a driver taking "My Appan Caaru" n 6 nuts...to an Italian Restaurant...

Believe me...It was a dream come true...To sit in a restaurant.....to listen to the "Happy B'day" Song....n to be presented a "Mango cake"[A lovely coincidence]....n a tricky little candle...that kept firing back again n again...

I wont thank anybody...I was forced to promise them that:)

But 5th September 2009.....Im not gonna forget it in a lifetime...

Striking a chord!!

The last coupla months....there have been 3 sessions...that have inspired me big time....

1. Goonj Founder: Anshu Gupta's talk[Covered it in Goonjified]

2. Manoj: A wild-life photographer's talk n presentation of his work[Inspired me to get all adventurous n increased my wanting to travel n see new places]

3.Army Chief's talk on his involvement in the War[Am covering it in this post]

Something told me that it would be a session worth attending n wat was also not surprising was that the audience comprised of ppal I knew....not all that well...but knowing them....n knowing the context of the session...I knew they wud be there:)

After my audience survey...the session unfolded with our speaker giving us a talk on project management....using his experiences from the Army....

Prelude:

*I must admit that I get very senti when I watch war movies or read abt war heroes in magazines or the newspapers....

**Geography n Social Studies in School was my favourite subject...

So, when our speaker....will call him Sir henceforth....started with a slide with the map of India...showing the Valley.........It was like I connected with what was happening in the session instantly...

When he showed us pictures of the terrain...I kept remembering my treks....that were nowhere compared to the mountains...n abt how awfully frightful I was of even attempting the climb....come to think of it...they did all that rock-climbing n trekking in the night.....as the enemy was perched atop the hill....n daylight would lead them to be discovered by the enemy...

The temperatures were as high as 35 C in the daytime and as low as -5 C at night.....

Apparaently my knowledge of watever happens in a war is heavily influenced by namma Hindi Movies...n of admiring Hrithik Roshan do all that amazing rock climbing n charging on the enemy acts...

The infiltrators perched atop the Indian territory were no easy target.....I am told it took several combats with army teams leading from various directions....cutting across the enemy or getting hit....

Our chief spoke about unlikely heroes....a night blinded carpenter...who offered to carry ammunition..n when he was chided that he wud be more of a burden than a help...he replied telling that....dont worry abt me....Just dump d ammunition on me....n I will hold on to the coat of the person walking in front...n drop ammunition near the hill top....Our chief tells us that the spirit of this carpenter got the others motivated to get along...with many of them echoing that "Agar ye kar saktha hai...tho main kyo nahin"

He spoke abt the brave fights n sacrifices given by a batallion leader...who had to lead the attack from the top...doing a task that he described as "Somebody has to do it..".....He lost his life having made the 1st assault on the enemy!!

He spoke abt the doctor n his assistant who carried nearly 25kgs of medicines to set up a camp near the battle zone....n when he was asked y he didnt ask for assistance to carry the medicines...the doc told him that "All of u were carrying stuff urselves.....we didnt want to trouble u with our luggage...n quickly added that "Agar koyi mere paas zinda pachunchtha hai.....U will not go away dead...I have all of the world's best medicine out here:)"

He spoke of leaders who despite their leg injuries asked for pain-killers despite being advised rest to lead from the front....

He says he lives today to tell their untold story....All we did as a mute audience was to give him and his team a standing ovation....

3 years ago!

This piece is a small narrative of my experience at d old B'lore airport on my 1st and till date last flight alone.....

I finally made it...I had very few hopes though....on Friday at the Airport....where I had a horrible time trying to figure out what was happening and y it was happening to me:(...........

K here goes my narrative of Black Friday.......

The day in itself was a hugely confusing one.........it was only after I carried a 22 kg suitcase from my house to the bus stop...all thanks to an extremely sweet neighbour who offered me a bike ride:)...... when it struck me that i would be travelling.........Thanks to Shila and Prets..........my packing was done..........Guess what my suitcase had.......3 kgs of Pomogranate, 4 kgs of Rice, Soaps, Teabags, 4 kgs of Nedhra Banana, Jelebis, Henna Powder, Rice Powder, etc..etc..It was like I was ferrying the taste of India...

Troubled Sharath who very kindly offered to take me to a place close to office...as the prev day......I could not get Nedra Bananas .....n.....Rahitha, another pal...went hunting for Jelabis and Shils was as usual getting her BP Soaring to newer heights thanks to me:):)

DJ actually accompanied me to the Airport........He was carrying my luggage all
along..........and used to tell me Cma...Come to my right, if there were vehicles coming from the left......while crossing the road.....d good fella that he is:)

I reach the airport pretty early ...at around 8:10...and my flight was at 12.......so they did not let me in till around 9:15......so for around an hour...I stood there getting mosquito bitten:(:(:(

Once v were in........at the check-in counter.....the boarding pass issue karne wallah guy tells me that ur tickets have been cancelled yesterday......V do not have ur complete records here......please come back at 10:30 .......will put u in Waiting List........


Indian Airlines had this stooopid thing like u have to actually call the Airlines, 3 days before ur flight telling them that u want them to confirm ur tickets or else they get cancelled........Now Cma has already done the needful on the 10th itself.........and yet they were denying me tickets:((:

Also, when u r travelling alone.......and have a 22kg suitcase in a Trolley............when ur phone has not been recharged,......and ur told that the nearest phone booth is a Floor Away, accessible only via a staircase............U dont know where and how to leave ur luggage...

There was this really sweet family.....who heard me talk to one of the Airport Guys regarding my luggage....who offered to keep a watch on my luggage....while I made the phone-call.....and yes........with growing worries of whether they wud hide guns or drugs[Hindi Movie Gunaah effects] in my luggage......and have me jailed.............

Turned out that they didnt:)

After calling Bro.........who had no clue y this was happening......and who asked me to speak to the Manager........I did just that..........

The Manager apparently had a different story to tell.....He claimed that the Ticket No on my Ticket and the one in their system did not tally...........something which he himself cud not offer an explanation for.......But like namma TT of Railways .....he assured me ......Madam I will
get u on that plane............ come at 11...........thats when I realised that they did have a waiting list system in place there also...

I remember sitting in that tiny place behind the check-in counter with the manager and his staff giving me contradictory views on y I cudnt check in yet....if one was complaining abt that silly calling up part....which BTW I had already done...d other was wondering y numbers on my ticket didnt tally anywhere on their system....which kept me wondering if I had actually purchased a valid ticket...

This time, people in and around me in the Q also seemed to show a lot of emphathy......I kept explaining my situation and asking them for solutions....n not one of them told me things like u will have to go back home....strange as it sounds...they were very encouraging n reassuring....

Now people...Plane's leaving at 12.........And these people want me to do all that last min running to catch flights that they show in movies....that I am already famous for in Life:)

Just when I was wondering wat I wud do if they told me ....madam...no ticket.....no seat....I was damn sure that I wud empty my suitcase of anything edible....n wait till 6 in the morning n catch a taxi back home....

At 11:20.......D manager came to me with my boarding pass..........one of my happiest moments....n when I was finally on that plane, I felt so victorious.....wat with my fellow passengers expressing joy that I did make it finally....n giving me the thumbs up sign:)....all thanks to 5 people who had cancelled their flight............I keep wondering wat if I had to go back home had those 5 people turned up....

Story Time!!

A car stops by an old age home....n u have this inmate packing her stuff unwillingly......when quizzed by her fellow inmates...as to y she wasnt happy abt her son ...who had come to take her home to the US....She tells them that...."Hello...what makes u think...he's taking me to the US...to look after me....He is taking me to the US to look after his kids..when he n his wife go to work....n to look after the house.....simply coz its difficult to find a trustworthy maidservant.....also.....they dont want to travel all the way to India for my funeral...when I die....To avoid the costs...they would rather have me live n die with them "

An old man in an old age home is excited beyond words....He has just heard from the doctor that his sons r gonna take him home.....

The old man weaves a dream as he sleeps beside his packed bag....wherein his children are all too glad to have him back with them...n happy good times spent with his grandchildren...

Cut to reality....n when his sons do come to take their father back home...he does not sense any excitement in them.....

After landing home, he is offered food...n then asked to sign papers to hand over the property to his sons....n when he asks them..."But...where will I go?...Will u take me with u?"...he is met with replies like..." U wont like it at our place...Its far too hot...Both of us work....How will u manage alone at home..."

Finally....he is offered a ride back to the old age home....

Wat u read are 2 stories that were aired on Asianet[Mal Channel] yesterday....n s I didnt get to actually watch it...But gotto hear every minute detail of the episode....

Oldies

Now I have this crazy n strange habit of calling ppal even slightly older...Oldies...Senior Netizens.....etc.....Half the time..it is to boost their morale....in walking faster...or in reminding them that its not too late to still do stuff young n bubbly....But they never understand the true reasoning:)

After hanging out with ppal younger....strangely I dont feel any old....But Im sure they might wonder y Im still like this:)

But ultimately age doesnt matter!

Shillong...So Long!!

Imagine growing up in a hill-station in the North-East.....that has untampered beauty....with temperatures close to -3 degree Celsius....n facing constant earthquakes....n having to carry raincoats all through the year...simply coz it rains all throughout...with the monsoons being extremely heavy...

Happened to meet a pal who has done all the above..n believe me....when she told me that if you ever get a chance to go there please do....I will help you make the arrangements....I was jumping already:)

Im told that there's a 4-hour flight to Guwahati from B'lore n Shillong is 3 hours away by road from Guwahati.....yup...an uphill ride:)

Anybody listening:)

Heeeeeeeeeee

Wat am I so "heeeeeeee" abt?...BTW...the above piece of art is my creation:)

As strange as it sounds.....I think this year is gonna be the 1st year since coll[Now Coll was a long time ago]....that Im gonna be spending "Onam" at home.....

Mallus as such have very few festivals....I think the sole reason being that.... that part of the universe has its own individuality n they retain it even if they r on the moon:)

S...I have been Mallucized[Word coined today in conjunction with Vids...is meant to mean criticized as in Mal] often....largely for the accent part...n thats when I remember a cute sms forward I once received...goes on something like this...

"What did the Mallus tell the British when they finally left India?

...

...

...

U screwed our motherland for ages.....V will screw ur mothertongue forever"

Forwards apart....strangely these days..I dont receive any email forwards..n sometimes I wonder if ppal think I have outgrown it or something....Gone are the good old forwarding days.....

These days in office...my day is made if there is a chain mail of sorts running across pals.....My chief entertainment source....

Getting back to festivals.....I have had like umpteen no. of ppal ask me...if v have the Ganesha Chathruthi or Varamahalakshmi or many of the other festivals that my homeland..ya...ya...Karnataka.....boasts of.....making me feel like a BBCM....n thats ur very own...B'lore Born Confused Mallu....

I cant remember the no. of times....I have mixed up languages.....I add Mal in Kannada.....Mal in Tamil.....n luckily havent yet added it in Hindi n English....

Onam .....is 1 festival...that I've always looked forward to....simply coz the only other festival is close to six months away.....

Onam....brings back childhood memories....of we guys doing the pookalam[floral designs] with uncles....n pals...

My uncle...a wonderful artist...used to actually make floral designs of the Kathakali art form n our entire mornings used to have us outside the house making the bestest possiblest patterns...n then run off to our fellow neighbour's houses to see if they had done any better!!!!

I must admit that we were hardly disappointed...hehehhe...

Collecting flowers for the pookalam was always a wonderful ritual....our non-Mallu neighbours used to help us out with flowers from their own garden....telling us that ...oh...looks like u need a lil more of white....or red in the pattern....

N living in V.Pura...is almost like living in Kerala.....v r surrounded by Mallus..in all corners...

Onam feasts have elasheri, aviyal,sambhar,olan,yeasthu[my favourite dish cooked in coconut milk...also called stew to mere mortals...but in our part of Kerala....v call it yeasthu], kalan, papadam, pulliinji,vadagapulli,payasam...n the list is almost endless:)

Onam is abt feasts n abt family get-togethers n abt coming together for an occasion types...

I was asked today as to y I was wearing a Kerala Style sari ...n I told my friend...that its Uthradam.....1st Onam....she asked me y we celebrate Onam....I told her ...hey..the same reason as to y u celebrate Diwali.....n happily started off with the Mahabali n the Vamana story ...as to how Mahabali was pushed to Pathal...n how he happens to come to meet his subjects....To which she quickly added telling me that...v dont celebrate Diwali for the same reason...In the North...v celebrate Diwali to commemorate Ram's return from Vanvas n Lanka.....

After going through agonies of not having basic mythological knowledge......I turned to another friend...who happened to be from the South...who started off a demon killing n the Vamana- Bali connection....solving my agony issues instantly:)

Living it up!!!

Have u ever met ppal.....u truly adore...n simply cant get enuf of......or ppal...who despite trying times.....or their own disablities.....live life king size....

I did....in the past 1 week.....n that has gotten me even more determined to atleast try n be a lil less cribby:)

Goonjified

Vids got us to meet Anshu, Founder of Goonj, a NGO which works towards the collection and distribution of clothes....primarily in remote n rural India....


A 1 hour session was organized in office...n Im still thanking my stars that I made it a point to attend the session...


Anshu started Goonj in Delhi nearly 10 years ago. He was working as a journalist and once when he was in search of a story...he came across a cycle rickshaw...which had the words"Delhi Police ke liye laash utane wallah" printed behind....


After a chat with the rickshaw-driver..he gotto know that he worked for the Delhi Police...to dispose the many dead homeless and famililess destitutes who died on the streets uncared for...


Anshu was told that business was excellent during winter simply coz the number of people dying from the cold... due to lack of warm clothing was extremely high!!


The laash utane walla's job involved picking up the dead from places identified for him by the police....dressing up the dead and waiting for the crematoriums to open...


His 5 year old daughter told Anshu that whenever she feels cold at night...she hugs the dead bodies tight and sleeps ...as they keep her warm...n wudnt turn or complain or hurt her...


Anshu took the example of the earthquakes in Kashmir and reminded us that yes...ppal do require warm clothing in times of disaster....and also during winters before n after the disasters...just to prevent any further deaths!!


He tells us that we wait for disasters to happen..to donate clothes...


He asked us if you cud believe that ppal actually turn bonded labourers to buy clothes. My immediate response was a NO.


But then he told us another story to prove his point....


Picture this...a remote village in MP...where ppal get employed for 10 days a month...getting paid Rs.6 per day...their monthly income being Rs.60/- which will have to cover food, shelter and clothing requirements for families with a minimum of 6-7 people. The only time they ever invest in clothes...is when it is festival time....n the local merchants there...have an offer where in for Rs.250/-...they get clothes for all the family members ...n everytime they went in for this luxury called "clothes" ..it meant that they had to work as bonded labourers for a minimum period of 3 years till they repaid...


The next incident almost got me to faint....this was regarding the cloth requirements that women in rural India have during their periods...We were told that having no other choice...the women often reused ...shared ...or sometimes...during the monsoons...used wet ones....simply coz they cudnt afford anything better....leading to several infections....


How does Goonj make the difference...

Goonj believes in the 3 D's in life: Dignity, Discard and Disaster..
Goonj has made its presence felt in most parts of the country...but they dont just distribute clothes freely...they ensure that people getting them earn them...


Goonj gets the local villagers dig a well or build bamboo bridges or build schools or get the villagers to do works for the common good of the villages. The wells help them sort their water problems....the bridges reduced the number of accidents small school going children faced...n the schools ....well...v r told were the only buildings that survived even the earthquakes....


He told us that when their team visited the flooded Bihar areas...or the Sunderbans after Aiyla....the situation is the same....ppal in need of food, clothing n shelter.....food and shelter is somehow accounted for ..but the clothing part gets missed out!!


He told us that very often the clothes we donate are the ones that we have had enough of....but when we give them away...do we take care...of small little things....like the absence of buttons....or imagine a person sitting in a remote village...who gets to wear a chudidhar set for the very 1st time in her life...getting the pyjamas without nadas....n wondering what to do with them....Goonj is filling the gaps at present by having their volunteers do the required tailoring...n the sorting of clothes as per gender...n region...

To know more about Goonj: http://www.goonj.info/collection.php
http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/video/newsvideo.php?autono=413112&part=1&con=prev

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/video/newsvideo.php?autono=413112&part=2&con=next
http://business.outlookindia.com/newolb/article.aspx?261417

Or you can read an interesting posting at http://alternativeperspective.blogspot.com/2008/01/making-difference-not-just-piece-of.html

Parked!!!!!

Atlast....it happened....n m glad it did...

Thanks to Moses....we got to accompany the inmates of Missionaries Of Charity from Yelahanka n MS Palya....for a visit to Cubbon Park...

It was simply soooper.....we had loadsa fun...we danced .....I ran:)....we sang....we served food..n were served....we got to see so many happy faces of the inmates....who were having a break from their daily routines....amazed to see open mouthed fishes....in the aquarium...n were having a lovely time....telling us...meenuuu...meeenuuu...looking at all the bright colored fish...small fish...big fish...

After ensuring that we keep our "Green" senses alive....v did feel like responsible citizens:)

Cubbon Park is actually a beautiful place...I remember how much we used to hate it as kids....coz it offered us no chance to visit any other place whenever relatives came visting...that is...no matter who came...or from where...d moment they land in B'lore...they had to see 2 places...Cubbon Park..Lalbagh .....n v had to revisit these places soo often..that we were quite fed up of the mere mention of their names....

But after visiting this place yesterday....I did feel great....it was the 1st time v took the train ride....something that the inmates enjoyed... just standing n watching them have a day out...playing jarabandi or at the swings...fills u with so much joy....

The sisters who came...were very sweet...n I remember one of them telling us....that just leave them free...I want to know what each one of them will do....how much they mingle with the others...how they have fun...what they like doing the best....

I didnt know that they had a chotta birds zoo there.....but the inmate I was with...was soo happy seeing the ducks....there....that she kept smiling at them all throughout....

All the inmates were dressed in their best suits....some in saris...some in chudidhars....n when we were perched atop a small rock....a sister who joined us a lil later...told us...that I cant really believe they are my patients from a home for the destitutes....they look like a bunch of happy ppal....

The volunteers were all in full josh....doing everything they could to ensure everybody had a good time...n kept the energy levels high ...

Some of the inmates....taught us a traditional Odissi folk dance form....which Pravs...says she will copy in anything that she choreographs next....now u know where she gets her steps from!!!

Wayanadeesss)

I've been to Wayanad before...with my colleagues in office...n I remember it being a place which had lots to offer....the place is extremely beautiful....n a lot of tribals r still supposed to inhabit the place....

Our trip preparations were as usual in full swing.....but a lot of our close pals..could not join us this time around....

We were to visit the Coffee Research Centre in Wayanad, a place known to Prav's mother. Now this place is located in Kalpetta...which is a small town in Wayanad....

V started our journey from B'lore at around 11pm and after stopping mid-way in Coffee Day...at midnight.....where the hungry souls were fed n Aztec(A new hot Coffee Drink) relished n cherished.....v made our way to Wayanad...singing....

I did manage to catch some sleep...I must admit...something which I usually dont while travelling....despite the fact that Shila who was beside me....was talking non-stop...but I did retaliate by talking in my sleep:)

After reaching the guest house at the Coffee Research Centre n after hearing a lot of Coonie...Poonie...being blurted about.....am sure the others know what I mean....v ventured out on our tour of the Centre...which had us all posy ...with the exception of Pravs n me....she was interested in the nature...n I in spoiling the others potas:)....Different matter that the others actually gave wonderful poses...n have ended up with awesome pics....hmmm..Im actually feeling a lil left out here:)

Right outside the Centre, we were surrounded by hills and tea estates. After a lovely walk through them, we made our way to Pookutu lake....

After lunch, we headed to Bana Sagara Dam, and all throughout...we were wondering as to where the actual dam was....Ok...there was this lovely road which leads u to a point...where u take a speedboat....but otherwise....we scared our fellow Wayanadees...by our dance poses, Pravs' Kal Ho Na Ho..poses n loads more....

After returning to the Centre, we ventured out to explore the place better....the place was a great break ....the perfect getaway...where u get to breathe fresh air...there is no pollution....makes u feel very close to nature....n u begin to appreciate the beauty...the tranquility....n the serenity of the place...n ur mind is at ease almost easily......as everything seems pure...n untouched.....even the cold water there:)...hehehe...

Now my mother had only 1 wishlist for me....she wanted me to get her an entire kola of nendhrepazham(An entire branch of Kerala bananas) simply coz Wayanad was famous for them...

So, we spent a major part of the next day morning...shopping for stuff...including the infamous Kattar Vazha soap...Aloe Vera soap ...that is...

The journey back...was huge fun....where v played 20 ?....n s....after stopping at Marigold n Sunflower fields....we walked into Jai Mata Ji restaurant in Mysore.....

We were told that the food there was awesome...d lassi...greatest....but only after going there ...did we realize that wat we were going to experience....we had never experienced before...

All of us were hungry...is an understatement....especially when u r sitting after ordering aloo...gobi....parathas....malai koftha..lassi...etc..etc....

The waiters there...cared nothing for our hunger....or for the fact that even after waiting there...hoping that food will come now..will come soon....nothing came....

This despite the fact that each of us even took turns asking them y it was taking this long...finally v did the right thing...

Shw....went to the place...where the Chef was working...n actually asked him to show us the stuff v had ordered....after he went around lying that he has prepared half the stuff...n will get us the remaining...v finally discovered that the Chef had done nothing....n left the place after having lassis....

I mean ....there were times when I thought...instead of sitting there n waiting for the food...all of us could atleast do the vegetable chopping to help the Chef prepare our order:)

The greatest part of d trip...I wanted to save it to the end....

Being with the gang of pppal....v went with...

V missed CJ...no doubt abt it....

But Shw...n Sharanya....were so full of life.....n wait till u hear them talk abt their favourite person...n it will have u having a sooooper doooper time:)

Harshitha....is a very bubbly gal....she called me her sis...n I was melting away to glory....a very sweet thing she is....lots of enthu....n cheer....she adds to life...

Pravs mother.....Im sorry u had to tolerate my Ale...ale..ale....aleyo:)...but Aunty took extremely good care of us...I wonder what was running in her mind...everytime v gave insane poses...or did crazy stuff....:)

Shila.....was our bank....our trip co-ordinator...n some1 who wanted the rest of us to keep her entertained all through the trip...High Hopes..Shila:)

Pravs...Loved the part where u taught us Salsa....me will seriously consider taking it up sometime atleast in life....sooooper dance form it is:)

Though we didnt actually cover a whole lot of places.....just being with the gang....made it a memorable tripppu:)

PS:

My mother claims that we left Wayanad after sprinkling some potion for rain....coz while the weather was pleasant when we were there...

Right after we left....it has been raining like crazy...n ppal travelling there...have been stranded there...due to landslides...n several other roadblocks:(

Paaassshttt!!!

Its been a really long time since I wrote anything on my blog....but the idea for this posting has been in my mind for a very long time now....

Happened to catch up with a few relatives of mine today...n I was amazed at how ignorant I was of stuff happening in and around me for the past coupla months....

Blame it on sheer laziness or an overdose of assessments or the longing to do a whole lotta other stuff(hehehe...I can almost smell the fumes out of Shila n Pravs:))....

These relatives comprise of an old couple....n a not so old couple....our topics of conversations ranged from adulteration in food..to how the times have changed from what they used to be in the past....to how expensive things r these days.....did u know that 1 kg of sona masooori rice costs close to 40 bucks or about how our children actually grow up exposed to sooo much of pollution....adulteration.....work related ailments......

I was updated on how apples were waxed or as to how the dhania powder u use to cook...could actually have crushed wood...not to forget the grapes or the other vegetables....that are loaded with pesticides...n about the amount of lead and chromium ...in the food that we eat these days...or about the use of chemicals to give the vegetables...a farm fresh look n feel.......n I was wondering....How come I was sooo ignorant of all this or was it just that I accept these things as a part of the FAST life these days...n dont really care anymore!!

Thats when my relatives told me that way back in the 60s and the 70s....things were so much better..they were always used to eating stuff...that was fresh...healthy....n naturally pure....with hardly any traces of adulteration....

When I listen to them speak....I must confess that my mind always starts off with a Black n White Movie scene....where in I am imagining them young..I must admit...I always imagine the ladies to be these beautiful elegant ppal.... do all the things that they would start talking about:)

N somehow all my scenes have cycles in the background... n all the ladies wearing kajal with those pointed leads:).... n ofcourse all of them in sarees.... n the roads deserted...rivers everywhere....very few human beings around...at any given point of time:)

They spoke about the times when a decent house in B'lore used to cost 30 bucks a month....tomato ..10paise per kg .... rice ..90 paise per kg....

They spoke of times when they used to travel long distances....as cars were a luxury ...buses rare....ferries...common....ya..ya...this story has its background in Kerala atleast for now.....

I love listening to stories that my parents narrate from their childhood.....stories of how they used to live together with all their cousins n aunts n uncles together in one single house ...truly living up to the joint family system....the wonderful times spent ....playing with cousins....the kind of bonding that they shared ......or the kind of upbringing that they had...d funtimes spent in scaling mango trees or jackfruit trees...till date....my sis n me...chide my mother to her everlasting love for these fruits...or about the amount of joy ...she takes in ripping a jackfruit apart...n making wonderful "ada"...which is a jackfruit+jaggery+rice powder n ofcourse COCONUT dish....or jackfruit jam...or jackfruit chips......

I am told when my mother was 18 months old.....being an adventurous kid that she was...had ventured into the kitchen all by herself...n had gulped the hot n spicy fish curry kept in the kitchen...n when the elders went looking for her...found her ..teary eyed...n still licking the dish:)...n till date...they tease my mother about this incident......n r shell-shocked to hear that my mother gave up on fish....nearly 15 years ago!!

Or about the times...my mother ...in yet another adventure....once went venturing onto the terrace all by herself ...when she was hardly one...n had to be rushed down....by watchful neighbours.....I was wondering.....when I was asked ..the name of my tenants by a relative....all I mouthed back was that ....I dont know!!....All this after they have been staying @ my place for over a year now....

My mother narrates stories of how they used to always bathe in the rivers...or how learning to swim....was a matter of survival.....Today that river is sooo polluted that no1 dares go anywhere close to it!!

She tells us that they used to walk close to around 25-30 kms in a day to reach the closest school...or about how they had to manage errands at home....n schoolwork ....all through their teenage years.....

To think that...in those days...there was no TV...no mobile....no mixie...no grinder...I can go on...n on...But life was simple.....Time was aplenty.....n relationships....strong.....

I am told...u just walk into anybody's kitchen...n grab what you want to eat....n for that matter...everybody in the village knew the other way too well!!

When I walk with my grandmother down the streets of Kerala..a ten minutes walk to the temple ...actually takes about half an hour....coz by the time...my grandmother is done enquiring about the welfare of everybody who crosses our path or after they are done quizzing my grandmother..if I was Vijaya's(my mother's name) daughter..n about the striking resemblance v shared....n about what I was doing...n about how my sister was finding Mumbai...there are times when I have wondered that helllloo....they know sooo much about me....n ...I fail to even recognize them.....Imagine doing this...when many a times...their very first question is.."Ariyo"...meaning"Do you know me?"!!!

After my parents moved to B'lore...as my father was offered a transfer from Allahabad to B'lore....n they were delighted ...coz it was closer home(Kerala) than Allahabad was!!

U should hear the way my Amma sums up the expenses they had to bear on a monthly basis....or about the outings they used to take....or about the times she used to spend understanding the language here...n d ways n manners of the ppal here....

Imagine an eighteen year old....who has never stepped out of Kerala.......n finds herself in namma Bengalooru.....taken to watch a Kannada movie.....n still manages to get a foothold of whats happening in the story...ya..ya..the movie was "Ondhu Kanasu"....thanks to the acting calibre n prowess of the leading pair....

She claims to have walked over fields.....which BTW is ur Mathikere area now.....to get my sister to school....n back....

Thats when she bonded with the other kid's mothers.....who used to take care of my sister....when I was born...n when my mother used to be in the hospital....

Y did I write sooo much....about the past....simply coz I made the mistake of comparing it with mine till date:)

Ran!!

Not that Im always waiting for something exciting to happen in my life to come back n update my blog....infact the last week in office has seen so many ups n downs .....that I have not had this much variety in all these years...

But yes....the marathon last Sunday....was a great experience....a first to a whole lot of us.....v ran 10 kms at a stretch.....pausing occasionally for photos......or actually pretending to run after the walking act...everytime v saw a camera or ppal cheering us along:)

After an hour of ..I will go....no no...but...I cant go...sort of dilemma.....I finally made 1 right decision...by actually making it......n did end up surprising my pals who were under the impression that I wudnt be making it!!!....thats another long...but boring story....so will skip it blissfully!!

I must commend d spirit of the 2 not so old "oldies"...I ran with.....though they had taken part thinking that they would walk the 1st kilometre n then head back home......Im still wondering wat gave them d energy to half-run....half-walk the 10 kms....

Mobiled!

Finally got one...thanks to sister who selected it for me...looks wierd...am still a gavar ..when it comes to using it...some blessed soul has already filled the memory card with loadsa songs...n Im way too excited abt it...but otherwise...my loyalties are still with my old phone:)

Walk in the rain!!!!!!!

I know Im pretty shameless...when I go around the world....asking pals..if they have read my blog....n threaten them to do it..if they havent:)....but U c...it makes me happy:)

Another totally natural phenomena that makes me happy is the walk in the rain:)

My earliest memories were of cycling back home one day from school.......n when there was a downpour.... I  loved every bit of it....I cud hardly c where I was going....but trust me .....Cycling in the rain...is like soooper dooper fun....

It gets out a smile in me.....almost making u feel all nice ...not only abt urself...but abt everything around u.....

Preethi n me used to have a gala time....walking in the rain...back home from tutions in coll....I used to forever forget the umbrella for obvious reasons....:)...But Prets used to ensure that I got under her umbrella everytime it rained....different thing that v used to always end up getting wet....V used to laugh like mad souls half from the cold...n d other half in me trying to get out of the umbrella n Prets trying to get me back in:)....My specs were always the ones 1st affected.....n then..I wud take them off...n Preeti wud  take me home.....

I used to always envy Pravs...she n her pals in coll....used to walk to the canteen in the rain...n have hot sambahar vada....I never got to do it in coll..But in office...I came close to it ..once:)

My office campus has a Coffee Day outlet.....n I had promised DJ n Shila....that if it rained ..I wud treat them to hot coffee in Coffee Day!!.....It did.....but by the time ....v left office ...it stopped raining:(....different matter...that Cma...kept her word:)

Today....as I walked back home in the rain....I enjoyed every bit of it.....I was also so carried away...that I took d extra effort of actually walking slowly...something that I dont do otherwise:)....different matter that...if I fall ill....in the next few days.....I will..I promise...delete this post:)

Bowled

Another long awaited team outing...but yes...it did happen...thanks to all the gold n platinum sponsors...n d organizers....

19 of us....went lunching with "The Legend Of Sikander" and bowling later on......but before I start with these 2 activities...I shud start off with the ride to Garuda Mall............

We were in Priya's car...who BTW..is a pretty confident driver...who just cant balance her gaddi on slopes....so if u happen to have a traffic signal on any of ur fly-overs...be prepared to get down n hold the gaddi from following the rules of gravity...if Priya is driving:)

We had Vids n Megha in Priya's car, apart from me....

It was like 2 ppal...with differing natures...sitting beside the other in the back seat.....

If I were singing out aloud...Meghs wud be humming the songs melodiously all to herself....

If I were jumping around....playing with the music system..complaining abt all the boring songs that we were being subjected to...thanks to Vids.....Meghs wud only sit there n smile:)

N everytime...Priya tried to show her stunts in driving...I wud threaten to call the other cars....n request them to offer me a seat......all this n more adding to Priya turning out to be a much better driver than she actually is:)

Vids n her boring songs....were putting me to sleep...n I was constantly fighting with her to get"Alllooo Chhhaaat" kinda peppy songs on the music system....

The Food at "The Legend of Sikander"

Not too much of variety for the veggies....but I loved the salads...d starters....d rasam like-tamatar soup.....n d desserts:)...n not to forget d mint chutney mixed with raitha n salt.......hehehe

It was clearly a Mounts vs St.Anns divide there......with Vids n Priya...discovering then..that I was a Mounts product n passing comments like"No wonder she is like this n like that"..Pinne

To ppal ignorant abt Mounts n St.Anns.....Mounts was like d most happening college in Bangs...n St.Anns.....well.....:)

Bowling:

I was bowling for d very 1st time....n am sure...even if I was a veteran...I wud only end up getting into the gutters...coz everytime I tried.....the ball would land up going by the sides.....only...ppal were actualling asking me if I was aiming for my neighbour's objects/pins(actually googled to find out what those white-objects were called technically:))...

To me...d game was something like a stress-buster...Imagine a person's face...u dislike d most...n then imagine throwing something at his teeth...n breaking them all apart...actually after I went in with this attitude..I was actually able to hit the "white objects"..n left only 2 of them standing...heheh

My teammates....were like all soooper in the game...with the exception of Meghs...both of us were actually competing for the bottom spot:)

But all this apart...bowling is soooper fun:)

Trippppuuuuu!!!!

Last week this time...I was wondering if I cud ever climb down the hill..I had barely managed to climb...simply coz fear had gotten the better of me.....

There is fun in fear....n believe me...u dont realise it then...u realise it after the trip is over.....

Fun...Fun...Soooper Fun...is how I will describe our trip to Skandagiri.....a twin hill located very close to Nandi Hills.....

This was one long awaited trip....d last one being 10 months earlier.....n after a certain Mr.X (ya...ya..I am back with X' and no Y's):)....complained that he was tired of weekends...doing nothing....n wanted to plan a trip.....V were only too happy....infact a certain Miss was looking forward to only the trip n nothing else...n in the weeks leading to d trip...I think...she ate...drank and slept ...thinking n planning abt the trip:)

So...U had Miss having heart attacks.....on knowing that Shw wud not be joining or abt how v would manage food on the hilltop or anything else....which d others wud have hardly cared for:)

I especially loved the trip coz we actually trekked there in the night...well..almost:).....all coz of me....hehheheh

I mean I was told that ppal r not allowed to trek there before 6am...so had insisted that we reach there only at around that time....also...I mean trekking in the daytime is also such a herculian task..how can anybody expect me to trek there in the pitch dark....

Like any1 ever listens to me:)......coz we reached there at around 4am...after being misguided by a wayward guide...n getting our Tempo Traveller do some rounding about in yavano's field....

We were picked up from my place at 2am.....the guys were actually sharp on time.....

Pravs..Shila n Madhu stayed back at my place...d previous nite....n that koshavathi Pravs...did not get us to sleep at all.....

Shila....Madhu n Pravs...were in trippy moods ever since they left their homes that evening.....I heard they had a lovely walk to a very famous eat-out called Gullus in Sheshadripuram...n land at my place at around 9:30...

I, on the other hand.....was busy running off to the airport, Electronics City n Brigade Road....but ya....as Pravs mentioned ....all u had to do was sit in the car.....But..hey.....it is a tiring too..ok.....

Our driver had to rush...n I had greatly told any1 who dared to call ki....Breakfast on the hilltop...We will take care...thats when Pravs gave a chamak idea...To buy bread...butter...etc...etc....

I will never forget the ride from Nilgiris to my place....carrying 2 plastic bags:(.....on a cycle:) .....of all the possible snacks..I cud lay my eyes on...it included a lot of creamy buns.....Ruffles....bla...bla..bla...

Y I mentioned the creamy buns..was coz I didnt want Mr.X' roadside fly-laden creamy buns!!!

To Journey

Sooper...tho these ppal tried their best to pull my leg for whatsoever reasons...I must add that they failed miserably in their attempts n were suitably bashed themselves:)

We played Anthakshari...n I was amazed to discover that tho...Jayesh was like this 1 big repository of songs...he was 1 person ..I cud sing better than:)

The opposition was a very weak one.....n it was a cakewalk for our team:)

Other than Masakali which they insisted on singing till the last word .....our song selection was far better than theirs.....I mean v had action...emotion...patriotism...etc..etc

Our plans of visiting the new airport for a cup of coffee....which BTW is on the way to Skandagiri...were immediately quashed by the "have to do the moonlight trek" gang....

Starting the trek

After landing there.....in the dark....I cud hardly see the altitude v were expected to climb...but I happened to mention ki...."I think I will get lost"...n the lizard did "ki"....incase u dont know what that means.....it means that it will happen....n it did!!!

Pravs was chiding me for not enjoying d trek...n tat I was constantly cribbing...ki...I dont know where Im going....I cant see where Im going...n all my constant bickerings....I even went ahead n wanted to ask the person who chose this place to trek...ki...y....Skandagiri:)...or was getting all philo...n asking ppal..as to y ppal trek...I was imagining the typical Sunday Morning scenes at home...when u get up all lazy...n have nothing in particular to do!!!

The hills were goonjifying with our names echoing......simply coz there was this group in front with the guide n our group in behind...n to gauge the relative apparent distance between the 2 groups....sound waves were used:)

The mission of the trek was to watch the sunrise ...which I was told is an awesome thing.....But leave the sunrise....after a certain point of climbing up.....n trusting that my 300 Rs ka Minnie Mouse shoes wudnt give way.....Pravs n me reached a point where in we were separated from the rest of the gang totally.....

Thank God...mobile phones worked there..or else...I really dont know what I wud have done there!!

Pravs was managing fine...stooopid gal:) was making it all seem so easy...that I felt foolish going down on all fours:)

There were a  total of 3-4 points when I used to just freeze n tell Pravs...that this is it...I remember holding on to a muddy rock...looking down n seeing the drop from there...imagining my teeth all broken after falling from there......n looking up at Pravs...n telling her....that I cant move ya....that poor gal came down on that slippery muddy slope n gave me her hand.....

I also reached a point where in I stopped fearing...n had only 1 thing on my mind...n that was to get out of the point...Pravs...n me had manged to get ourselves lost into:)

We had reached a peak point...where in ...there was this wall...part of Tippu Fort...n it was like  a dead end was for us....There were no visible paths to the right n left.....n Pravs used her Buddhi n was telling me things like....c I dont think ppal have ever trekked here...coz otherwise v were most likely to see a way between the bushes....To me..it meant ..The End.....I had climbed that stretch with trembling legs.....n was wondeting how to get down...coz even if u try to ignore the fact that ya...I cant really see all those lakes or the fields at the base of the hill....everytime I looked down......Damnit!!..that was d only thing I ever saw.......After calling Shila...who thankfully handed the phone to the guide...who asked us to walk towards the sun...all I remember doing..is clutching Pravs hand....n listening to her ...put ur leg here.....this rock is strong....or....ya...v r making it ..sort of words....n yes...d trembling stopped!!

After reaching the hill-top n treating ourselves to the horribly puli orange-musambi hybrid fruits....rock-tamatar smashing....v had an uphill task....again..."THE CLIMB DOWN"

Even before I climbed up....I remember warning all those who cared... that the climb down was gonna be no easy task....but I was wrong....

The climb down was sooooper fun...all thanks to Jayesh...Sachin...Dinesh....Shila...Pravs...n Madhu......

U had Jayesh giving us gyaan to walk in Amberish style...sideways....while climbing down muddy paths for better grip.....or Sachin talk abt snakes jumping out of snake holes....or appreciating the flora n fauna around.....all to Shila's fury....who didnt want Sachin to get distracted by the sights n sounds around him....n focus on getting them down the hill safely:)

There was this dog...which kept following us.....from the hill-yop to the base...n I kept wondering who was attracting it amongst us...d most:)

Half the time...the guys were giving us pep talks...like v r almost there......just there....half a km only.....all this even when v had 3 more kms ...I think.....But ya...all that pep talk worked....

After a while...my trekking standards returned n I didnt need help.....n was silently laughing my heart out...when I saw Pravs n Shila take help...I was wondering...these ppal cant do so much also:):)

V posed n posed for any1 who wanted to take our pictures....n sang n sang.....n in no time...v were done with the trek.....

Drive Back:)

Our Drivers...Swami n his friend...were these soooper cool ppal.....n when I mentioned that if anybody dares to play that "Hale Pathre Hale Kapda" song once again...I will jump out of the TT....after playing with the playlist...they got that song...n asked me to get out:)

Enjoyed the Dumb-C ...on d way back.....which had my acting skills out:)

Unfortunately everybody was very tired n had dozed off...to me it was unimaginable..so I went to Pravs n Shila....n v gals...had some lovely times....

My acknowledgements in typical Cluny Style....remember Vote of Thanks:)

Pravs insisted that I thank every other person who got up n down d hill....for giving me a chance to trek...or d ppal on the road...for getting me there...But I have my preferences:):)

Drivers: Soooper Cool....n it seems they told Shila...that it was such a fun thing for them to endure some of us in our asli swaroopas:)

Rajesh, Dinesh, Jayesh n Sachin...I think u guys were hearing me sing for d 1st time....wud love to know if u thought it needed any more Dum....

Jayesh...Sachin...Dinesh...thanks for giving us haaath:)..n making the climb -down a memorable one!!

CJ.....Poor gal hurt herself while climbing up....but she didnt crib...she didnt let that dampen her spirit....or stop her from pulling my leg:).....Even though she was alone..she never even once made the others feel guilty..n kept telling us that she was enjoying the sunrise from the spot we had left her in......Love ur energy...Gal:)

Madhu....was an absolute revelation to me....n needless to say...tho...she is not a Clunyite.....she acts very much like us:)

Raga: This guy hardly let me sing...coz every time I started...he would correct my lyrics...telling me...it was a "AAA" here or a "paa" here...heheheh....probably a strategy to stop me from singing...but it didnt work:)

Uday: Had just landed straight from the US to Skandagiri.....Must have been a tiring 1....

Shila, Jayesh n Sachin...U guys need not feel guilty and all....that v got lost...come on..U didnt even know...its ok.....I guess d experience in itself was enriching:)

Shila n Pravs: Is there anything left for me to say??

Shila: Was soooper cute with her constant Sachin Bashing.....But it was sooper fun for all of us to just listen to her blah-blah-blah:)

Pravs: I know u enjoyed it as much as I did.....but there will be a day...when I can pout better than u:)

N finally am glad that u ppal didnt listen to me abt not opting for d moonlight trek:)...n yes....Mr.X for choosing Skandagiri betta......