Also, my cabmates have been doing the count-down for the wedding and ye...its a week away as of today....
Monday, November 15, 2010
D wedding!!
My marriage is happening this month and I have put together a few short write-ups regarding the preps and the engagement story :)
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Yeah engaged :)
First let the pictures speak:
Ye, it did rain like crazy n I dont blame the nature-gods...I have stolen far too many coconuts in the past and in my part of the world..there is a belief that having done a thing like that..U can expect the clouds to come down :)
Fun having family and friends get together...gotto meet some of my relatives for the first time also :)
Though the photographers were after us...after seeing the album...I really shudnt be complaining....coz they have done a good job :)...n as my cabmates say...good use of photoshop:)
Inviting friends :)
Inviting ppal for the wedding is great fun :)
Didnt get to go and personally invite a lot of my good pals as I had hoped to .....But gotto visit a few pals ..some of who..I had absolutely no contact with for years!!
Its lovely to re-connect ....to know about ur friend's friends :) or gossip abt general stuff :) or get to meet ur pal's families...Im sure now I know whr they get some of their talents from :)
Not to forget the foodie thing .....I had breakfast at Manju's house...lunch in Vani's and Shw's house n snacks in almost all the other places I went to :)...some places I had to almost plead with them to avoid having the snacks and also ended up parceling them as well :P
Went to my favourite school teacher's house ...I was meeting up with her after so so many years...as otherwise I only call her on Teacher's Day...n she was so sweet ki she gave me a gift also, when I left her place :)
In Missionaries of Charity, I was touched by so many inmates asking ki...arrey when is ur wedding??...I had mentioned it the last time I was there...But they taking note of it was very touching indeed :)
My driver took me to all my friend's places n he asked me only one question...Madam...eshtu mathadtheera ?...as in Madam, how much u talk?? :P...this he asked as I was using the time v took to travel between friend's places to make calls to other pals....n all I told him was that...Im actually an introvert...but today was an exception :)
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sareed!
No...no...no..no....this one is not gonna be one of those senti blogs or those I m grateful for having such pals wallah vote of thanks one....This one is only gonna present the story as it is...no strings attached:)
Preethi, Praveena, CJ n me go to 6 different saree shops to get my wedding saree.....I take them for a ride one entire day...throwing my usual tantrums n wanting to get "the" saree...while Preethi has this flair of picking the right sarees...n having a clear cut picture of the type of zari, its purity, its look, its shade, its authenticity...n as to how it wud look in the photos ....Praveena n me were almost sailing in the same boat ignorant abt Kancheepuram sarees !!...but not today :):):)...today we know well...as good as wat a Preethi knows :)
As far as CJ was concerned, well ..she has this skill of picking up lovely sarees as well...n her focus area was on the fact that watever saree u choose...it must bring out a glow on ur face :)
So, we went to Nalli Next, Samyakk, Deepam, Vijayalakshmi, Sudarshan Silks and Kuberan Silks and later realised ki Samyakk had the best range and variety and they have a separate section for bridal selections....followed by Kuberan Silks in Chickpet....
Sudarshan silks was closing down for Lakshmi puja, so we didnt quite get to explore the range there....
Will never forget it when Preethi asked the sales person to show us sarees till 30, 000/-. I almost fainted right there :)
If Preethi didnt like a saree, Praveena loved it and vice versa :)...I think all in all...V wud have seen close to 50 sarees or even more...n their tastes wud have converged on not more than 2 sarees :)
Will never forget or forgive Praveena :)...when after getting the saree ...on our way back from Samyakk...she made this remark telling...hey...show me the saree ya...lets c how it looks like in broad daylight...n then she was like....it loooooks pink ...n I was devastated :)...simply coz I wore a pink saree for the engagement...will be wearing a pink saree for the reception...n a pink saree again for the wedding was not something I was looking forward to ......even though my mother's and sister's wedding sarees were all pink :)....But later I was glad to know that she was only pulling my leg :)
When the sales person at Deepam showed us one saree, CJ was like...hee...please dont show us that...I am planning to wear that for Seema's wedding...n finally....Yeah....when I look at the saree now...wat strikes me now is tat ...Oh..ok..wat if someone coming to my wedding wears the same one as mine....but then I shall have that poor soul sent into immediate hiding :)
Another update...sudd-suddenly decided to buy a ghagra too for the reception n this time I went with family...V walked into one shop...n bought a ghagra in 30 mins!!....hehehehehe....I really didnt have much of a say...did I?:)
Gifted!!
Wellllll.....Gifting to some is the joy of giving ...but to me...it is both a joy of giving and getting :)
The past few weeks have been overwhelming in this regard!!
Im getting married this month and some really close pals of mine have gone berserk:) n have ended up making me feel really gifted!
Be it a lovely crystal set or perfumes or a digital photo frame or an ipod shuffle or a Baggit ka bag ...Im totally overjoyed already n believe me when Im saying this...I cant n wont ask for more :)
Sunday, October 10, 2010
The-Essayed.
One cant walk...n d other can barely walk!
But together, when u watch them hold hands and walk to d dining area...I know it gave me immense pleasure and joy!!
One is dumb and d other deaf!!
When I walk around the place...even when thr is no one around me..no pals...no inmates of the destitute home...no known faces....Im always glad n thankful tat I made it to this place :)
The inmates of the destitute home come running towards the ppal who go to spend time with them...n their smiling n happy faces... their concern...their love...their prayers...all for U!
"A" striked "B" on her hand just like tat.."C" striked "A" coz "C "thought "A" should be punished and "A" complains to me about "C", coz "A" didnt strike "C' :P
Sunday, September 26, 2010
So long...
Before n After
Didnt realize it...until Shila pointed out tat its been quite some time since I blogged...so here Im at it again :)
Went to Tirupathi last August...n quite a trip it was!!..Had been there for my nephew's mundan....something tat was pending for the past 3 years....d chap was very co-operative I must admit...n even blurted out...thank u barber uncle...after his head was clean shaven :)
To d rest of us....who were always used to seeing him with long hair...which had kinda become his style statement...hehehehe...seeing him after the haircut was a lil different..but I guess d chap was pretty relieved after all :)
Monday, August 16, 2010
Bubbles outing to Infosys village :)
17 autistic kids from Bubbles school went on a field trip to Halenijakal village on the outskirts of Bangalore. This time around, I have so much to write,tat I have partitioned them into different sections.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
How things fell in place :)
I know bragging is bad...but there is no stopping me this time :)
Somaiah, a pal at work had sent me a link abt Infosys village, when I had asked him for suggestions to go to anyplace for a 1-day team outing.
After speaking to Sarbani abt arranging for a trip with the children, v had 2 places in mind. D 1st one had a residential school for underprivileged children ...n while v were hoping tat the kids at Bubbles wud be able to have integration activities with the children thr...they never really got back:(
But d 2nd place, tat is Rural Zing was 2 gud to believe :) I still remember d conversation v had with Pritam, who is the co-ordinator from Infosys Youth Wing. He seemed so positive, he suggested v plant trees with the children, gave us detailed descriptions of the village outing, offered to sponsor the trip and when he suggested v have some activities and fun games organized with the village children[talk abt integration :)] , our joy knew no bounds:) n both Sarbani n me had to pinch ourselves to know tat v werent dreaming!!
Pritam and Vishwa
Pritam and Vishwa[the co-ordinator from the village], helped us a lot in preparing d children for d activities at the village n in ensuring tat everything went smooth n fine...
Vinod and Trees for free
I call Vinod one fine day and tell him abt the tree planting activity being planned with the kids at Bubbles and Vinod, very kindly not only offers to provide us the plants, but also sponsors them :)...V wud have silently thanked him so much ki pucho math :)
On Friday, when v were just wondering how to get d saplings from Koramangala to Bubbles centre, with me sitting in my office in Mysore Road and Sarbani in Basaveshwaranagar..I must tell u this...tat at tat very moment....Jayesh calls me telling me tat he is unwell n wont come to office..Now Jayesh had called d previous day to ask me for suggestions to get a farewell gift for a friend n since he cudnt make it..had called to inform....Now since Jayesh stayed near Koramangala..all I had to do was to tell him abt the situation n even tho he was unwell...he helped us get the saplings to the school :) V had 17 children from d school for the trip and exactly 17 saplings :)
Volunteers
Archana, Kevin and Ramya were volunteering for the 1st time at Bubbles and I can tell u tat it didnt really seem like it at all. They helped d kids with their needs, with d crafts, with the assembly line production of d flags :), serving food....Here, I must mention tat I was a lil hungry n wanted to sit in the 1st round itself, when I asked these 3 guys to join me...all they told me was tat...arrey..if v eat..who will serve the rest!!...I wanted to sink below the ground..but I chose to keep my plate back and join them :)..maybe after years of volunteering ..U get a lil lazy n self-centric n very hungry :)..Im talking only for myself here:)
Bob was in action, the moment he landed in Bubbles. D idea abt d crafts n the flag-making idea were his brain-child...n he was always thr almost everywhr helping us all out :)
Praveena, Shilpa n Harshita....wat can I tell abt them:)...If Aatmaja(a kid from Bubbles school) kept running to Harshitha akka(sister), while I watched with great envy :)...Shilpa tho was all over d place with Vishnu(from Bubbles) n her blah-blah-blahwas to be heard miles n miles away.. n Praveena taking very good care of Shreyas(another kid from the school) ...still remember her running after Sarbani asking for a hand sanatizer to wash Shreyas' hands after d tree planting exercise!
Sarbani tells me tat when ur intentions r right, things will always fall in place...n when they dont..just try questioning d intent behind it :)
Staff :)
Have known Mubin, Daisy Aunty, Sarbani, Kusuma and Leela for years now....It has always been fun working with them and seeing them do amazing work with the kids at Bubbles. Wat drives them is the passion to make a difference. The amount of effort and energy they put into the tasks, their commitment in serving the purpose is noteworthy!!
This time for the trip, gotto meet a few more staff members ...Vidya, Parvathy, Pamela and Pallavi.
V played antakshari in d bus, with Vidya, Mubin, Daisy Aunty and other volunteers on one side and with Parvathy, volunteer trio(Praveena, Shilpa n Me) and Pamela on d other team.
Now Daisy Aunty can sing songs from the 40s till date....huge repository she is...n Praveena will b d only other person in d bus, who can second her songs, making us wonder how Praveena knows them :)
Vidya n Mubin r good, but how much v enjoyed cheating n getting onto their nerves by giving them so many "ha" se starting songs...tat they very quickly ran short of memory of them...giving us an edge....all d time :)
Mubin was d 1st person, who very bravely took Deepthi(a kid at Bubbles) down a flight of stairs with so much confidence n care, it was a path tat v volunteers ourselves were slightly wary of..But thr was no stopping Mubin....she led from d front...cing her do tat..inspired d rest of us to take d stairs..
Its not very easy to work with kids, who have difficulties expressing their problems..but what I gotto c n observe during d trip is tat they know what problems to anticipate.....although the 17 kids who came, had 17 varying issues...they know how to work with each one of them n to put them at ease...
Parvathy was another person who impressed me big time, imagine singing bhajans for antakshari :) ...her enthusiasm towards d activities :) ..or her presence whenever any kid needed help!!
Pamela n Mubin were officially trained on d famous "kollata" dance by the village girls. Next time d kids in Bubbles hold sticks in their hands, u know whr tat came from!!
I still remember Pamela, Vidya n Parvathy giving me those empathizing n encouraging looks, when Pratinav kept running away :)....thank u so much ppal...It really did keep me going or rather running!!!
When v played 3-legged race with the children, I remember Mubin n Kusuma volunteering to have a demo run..as these kids rely a lot on visual aids to help them understand things.
N some1 holding it all together was Sarbani...be it d way she was in control of d situation, planning activities, helping the kids have food, most kids r told ki..."beta ..have food....or else Sarbani will come :)"..n then they quickly finish their food :)She simplifies life so much...tat u c kids do amazing stuff and having fun at it :)...She is one committed woman, who is so passionate about ensuring tat the kids at Bubbles lead independent lives!!
Pratinav:)
I saw him 1st, when he got out of a car, near the bus-stand, holding his mother's hand. The resemblance to his mother was striking!!
After getting the bus to Bubbles autistic centre, I run into Sarbani, who heads the school, who tells me "Cma, did u meet Pratinav? You have to take care of him today"
Pratinav gave me a polite smile, n I was sure, looking into his hazel-brown eyes tat there wasnt a speck of naughtiness in them anywhere:)...as I personally think tat naughty kids help in weight reduction!!
After getting into d bus, I sat next to Pratinav and he cried n cried. B4 u think it had anything to do with me, he was crying asking his mom to join us for the field trip!!
His crying stopped only after Sarbani, opened up a big jar of candies and told d kids ki...only d smiling kids get d candies....once or twice she went close to Pratinav, who was suddenly confused on whether to cry or to eye the candy, and then decided tat since everyone, except him were getting d candies, he put his best tooth forward and gave a lovely smile n turned out to be d last kid to get the candy :)
I knew then tat probably I will scare d hell outta Pratinav, coz I sing loudly n v were playing antakshari n I was in full josh moreover....I got a taste of Pratinav's strong distaste for my singing, when he sat towards my edge of the seat, moving away from his window seat, giving me no place to sit :)
At the village temple, I had to lift Pratinav thrice to make him ring the temple bell...so happy he was doing it...n he was a thin kid...so it made life all tat easier for my fat:)
After tat, when v started our rounds around the village ....started d run of my life :)....Pratinav used to run away from me...Now I like running too...so when he ran..I ran after him...n when I used to catch up with him....he used to run faster....after realizing tat the 20 year age gap would take some catching up....I stopped chasing him :)
But then, all the other volunteers and the staff had their respective kids walking with them hand in hand, except for Cma n Pratinav :)
Pratinav wanted to be the 1st person to reach anyplace v went...Im also a lil like tat, so I kinda understood whr it was all coming from:)
At the village school, Pratinav banged the drum, played passing the ball, chasing the tyre race[though d kids at Bubbles didnt win against d village school children, they did give them a tuff fight], 3-legged race[D village school children were paired with the children from Bubbles n it was so nice to c them encouraging our kids to get to d finish line] and gave his perception of village life with paints and colors!!
Our running continued into the farms, hillocks, infact wherever v went tat day!! D only time he came to me, was when he wanted help during susu-time, not knowing whr to look for it in d village and another time, when he wanted me to help haul him up a tree!!
Wat I did was to put him on a spot on d tree, from whr he cudnt climb down on his own n moved away slightly, while Pratinav sat thr happily ...I was catching up on my rest :)
Both of us planted a peepal sapling in d school and then when v were walking towards d lake, Sarbani had instructed us to hold hands with the kids. Now Pratinav didnt seem to like my hands for some reason, and right in front of me, took a villager, who was also our guide's hand and walked in front of me, turning back once and looking at a poor me, giving me the "C...I took this chap's hand wallah look"...making me feel all defeated in my mission :)
I had my victory only once, when I asked for his hand and he obliged and both of us walked together for 50m..n then it was d usual chase :)
Sarbani had paired Pratinav with me, coz she thot v too have a lot in common. He is an extremely social kid. He was running after the village school children, trying to imitate what they were doing and at times picking up fights with the other kids. Though we kept running all the time, I had soooper fun just doing tat...n cing tat naughty-naughty look in his eyes when he intended to give me d slip.....Who told u tat v cant get our 1st impressions wrong :)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Safar!:2007-Till date
Got into projects, where d work was good n gotto meet amazing ppal. After clubbing 2 routes, our cab rides to office and back were eventful n fun. Gotto explore avenues that were new, as in acting, almost scripting, dancing n even ya..ya...singing:) Trekking was now challenging n fun, n also very scary atleast for me. I complete my treks all d time, coz of some really sweet ppal who lend a helping hand:) On d work front, Priya n Srividya walked into my life, so be it their technical doubts or my fashion advice or my take on things, how they tolerate me I have no idea!!
Also, d time when I had spent close to 4 years in d same seat, with only ppal arnd me changing at regular intervals. Times were riotish in terms of fun, with Deepabh, Mohit, Manju, Deepak n Sowjanya arnd!!
Started believing in a mantra, that life is short n that till we last, we shud make d most of every moment n enjoy wat we do!! Do wat u want to do n if u cant exactly do all d great things U have in mind, time it n plan it out n b optimistic abt getting somewhere with it!!
Be it d Blood Donation Camps or d Green Community Events or d few cultural events or d treks or d trips , most of d pals I made were all Shila's pals n I spent my 5 very good years in office, sharing almost every other moment[happy or sad] with her!
Safar!:2006-2007
This was 1 year that I wont forget!! Went to Singapore twice! Went 4 an awesome trip to M'lore with Shila, Pravs n Prets.
Moved into a project, where work was fun literally!!Discovered d devil in d guy who sat behind me, after our team outing to Wayanad.
This was d time when d teaching activity was going on in full swing n d results were sooper good, with almost all the 10th students, clearing their papers.
My nephew was born n thr was chaos @ home:) ...I was an Aunt ...his Masee...n thr was chaos at work, as we had a very difficult client.
Progressed a lot on d teaching front. It was both a pain n a pleasure to teach:)
My sister, bro-in law, father, mother n my sister's mother -in law helped us pack close to 100+ gifts for needy children.
Safar!-2005-2006
I was pretty bindass in college, but somehow, even tho I had joined office a month after college was thru, I had left my bindass attitude far behind!!
N then I gotto meet amazing ppal @ work. Ragini was an inspiration n an instant pal. It is amazing how d lady used to go n talk to almost every other person in the entire floor. It hardly mattered if she knew them or not. Initially I thot it felt strange, having a total stranger enquire abt d things u did over d weekend or abt work.
N wat I did, from that point onwards was to simple ape her. Yes, I also started talking to ppal n @ d EOD, I was no longer a loner. I was a happy person, happy to have ppal around me, to talk to, to learn from. Made my closest pal, Murthy that year!!
I had just moved into my new cubicle @ work n d 1st thing which affected me was d absolute silence. Ppal around me hardly ever talked to anybody, not even to themselves:)[I BTW do it all d time]
Meeting Moses at work, changed my life altogether. I learnt d importance of initiation. In more ways than one, making someone else happy was as simple as taking an initiative and committing to it.
I was happy volunteering @ events, meeting up with long lost school pals at various events, teaching and doing all that I wanted.
Cant imagine doing something like this again:)...I actually dropped out from a team outing, as I had committed to volunteer at a Chrysallis event!!
Freaking out on Movies!!
Have watched close to 6 movies atleast in parts, that is. Notable among them being Twilight, Along came a Spider, Benny and Joon, Nim's Island,Dennis D Menace,Princess Diaries, Adam Sandler something, Good Girl, etc....incidentally there was a Good Woman coming at the same time on a different channel!!
I get absorbed easily by d movies. Its like my system automatically shuts off anything external to the sounds of d characters on TV. So, my mother's cries to get things done r unheard of :) or my father's pleas:) to watch his favourite Comedy shows on Mallu channels r also conveniently filtered:)
N I dont buy d commercial breaks either. S Im busy hunting down another channel for another movie.
I have always wondered as to what is it that endears me to watch a movie in d 1st place. Its pretty simple. If d characters r known to me, be it some of my favs Tom Hanks, Moregan Freeman or Denzel Washington, then I invariably jump n watch d movies. Or if d plot seems interesting enuf in say 5 mins, then I know I can watch it till d end. Not that I find d plots in Princess Diaries interesting, but I also end up watching it:)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Paanch Saal!
Ya ya ya ya....Its been 5 long years!! I have lots to write abt d safar. But I have to share with d rest of d universe what my team-mate wrote abt me on this day, hehehe...Im still wondering if he was bribed to write all this:)...Also ppal dont do such stuff every other day...right!
"Sometimes its not the number of years but the number of hears and cheers for those hears, one gets for ones voice which counts....
if that were to be a scoring criteria then this person would get the least score.......
If it is number of clicks on one's blog, I don't know how many of you even know about it:
http://dua-my-world.blogspot.com/2009/12/tripppppyyyy.html
But, when you count the amount of laughs (not smiles) one generates then no yard stick can probably measure it.
Is it very cryptic?........ok let’s break it SEEMA completes her 5 years at office today.......that makes her half-decade in a full-decade company.
She's been a shining star, technically appreciated for her work, a true contributor for cause of special children at "Chrysalis" and "IGIA", most sought after at office to start any forums on cultural, environmental or to hold any kind of team activities.........
@Seema: man congratulations on this feat, it's been fun and de-stressing to have you around."
If u wanna read more:
*Safar!-2005-2006
**Safar!:2006-2007
***Safar!:2007-Till date
***Safar!:2007-Till date
Sunday, June 20, 2010
M in 4 treasures:)
House painting is in progress....d last time our house saw any of it was nearly 9 years ago!!
It is a huge ordeal in itself. Choosing colours was no easy task. I took a whole lot of suggestions, was very certain that it wudnt be anything remotely close to cream on the inside, but turns out Orange Frost shade in Asian Paints Royale Luxury Emulsion is a shade that is not only close to cream, IT is that god forsaken shade:(
Shifting things is also not all that easy. I was spared a whole lot of this ordeal, coz of work. But, my mother has been working very hard this week.
Found a lot of old stuff, a small stuffed doll, which was a bright maroon rabbit, at some point of time. This was one toy that I used to love as a kid, n somehow something that my sister despised of. She used to throw it onto the attic, if she found it anywhere outta it. I still wonder what made her do it till date:)
Then I get this soooper purse, I havent seen in years!! I had bought it when I was in college n it had gone missing. Amma found it n hands it over to me with pride:)
I still have to set close to 3 almirahs in place, will get back to update this post, after Im done with all the treasure discoveries:)
Monday, June 7, 2010
Chasing their dreams!!
A gal who studied with me in college, left her IT job to join a NGO.
A gal who worked in my office, quit her job to join d Airforce as a Flying Officer!!
A guy who took my cab to work, quit office to join d navy!!
A gal who was my pal's pal, quit office to return to her village to teach!
A guy, who worked in my team quit his job to return to his village to help his pals start a MBA coaching institute!
Another team-mate of mine, wanted to quit his job, take a degree in social development, to work in that sector!
A guy in office quit his job to start a NGO, which will paint the city Green with its multiple initiatives!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Cya:)
"Shayan pen chahiya!"
"Shayan wants to write!"
"Cya, Shayan want nail polish:)" n this is closely followed with "Cya, put nail polish for achhi:)"
"Shaya wants paani....Mamma paaani chahiya!"
Mamma to Shayan: "Shonu, come here"
Shayan to Mamma: "Naaaahin"[with a naughty naughty smile]
When Shayan does masti n when he knows he will be punished, he will go to Mamma telling K..K...K.."Hugsy[meaning hug] chahiya!"
Shayan thinks Buddabaaba[ an imaginary character created by Mamma to scare Shayan as n when necessary:)] is anybody old, sporting a long moustache!
Shayan thinks any young friends who come home, sometimes with a laptop bag:) are all Pizza uncles:)
Shayan has 2 options to gotto Dr.Kini or to Dr.Girish. If you ask him his choice, he will reply back telling Dr.Girish. Y?Y?Y? coz doctor uncle give Shayan chocolatte:)
When Shayan was asked to part with a few of his toys to d maidservant's kids, Shayan throws a tantrum. When cajoled by Mamma asking him to share his toys, he cries louder!! When Mamma promises Shayan bigger toys, greed sets in and he happily gives away his toys:)
Cya loves Shayan d most, when he utters that concurring"aa" , "aa", amidst a conversation like Shayan understands everything, especially when u sit with him and explain stuff or read out stories!!
D curiosity in Shayan has so far had him pour out a bottle of groundnut oil on his head on one occasion and a Sunsilk shampoo sachet on another occasion. Note the perfect timing: After 10pm!! Much to the dismay of his Mamma, who has to be on her toes 24X7:)
Shayan thinks d gas-lighter is a gun and runs with it to Achii, pointing it out to him like an AK-47!!
Shayan thinks its cool to play with vessels and onions and coconuts n papiyas(papayas) and spoons and tumblers and uncool to play with cars!!
D glass table in our living room, has taken so much of Shayan drumming(sometimes with spoons n sometimes with a plastic cricket bat), that I must applaud its manufacturer for all its endurance!!
Just when Mamma thinks its high time Shayan got used to a life without Huggies or Pampers, Shayan tells Mamma that "Shayan buy Huggies" and ensures that he locates it in a supermarket and hugs it with all his mite:)
Offlate, Shayan has been posing for photos. But right after you click, Shayan is after u, with "Shayan see photo"
Mamma dare not enter a shop without money. Coz Shayan will either tear apart a Gems chocolatte packet or drop a Bingo or a Lays chips packet on the billing counter with so much of innocence, that it hurts,when u refuse to oblige:)
Shayan's favourite Hindi song is "Nanna munna rahi hun, desh ka sipahi hun, bolo mere sang Jai Hind!!". Very cute to hear him sing it. He swallows half the words:)
If you play the starting music of atleast 10 songs, Shayan will be able to tell you which song it is!!
Shayan sits on Cya's lap in Guruvayoor Krishna temple, located in Kerala and sings "Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Santa Claus is coming to town:)"
Shayan is cutest, when heard attempting Malayalam, so be it poda[which means go] or shakakuru[jackfruit seed] or ambada kema[hey chalu fella] or addi[hit], the last one is the most frequently used Malayalam word at home these days, the English word giving close company being "NO"
All d samaan at home is at high grounds, but Shayan has his own plans. So, every now n then, u get to c chairs being dragged to the appropriate altitudes and things heading down with Gravity!!
Shayan loves to dance, to sing his rhymes and he simply loves banging spoons on our glass table. High tolerance levels it has had, till date, I must admit, should inform d manufacturer:)
Now, I have a reputation for being very lazy when it comes to combing. Now, dunno what prompted Shayan to pick a comb one fine day and to comb my hair!! exclaiming "Shayan comb!!"
PS:
1.Shayan is Cya's almost 3 year old nephew and Cya is Seema:)...that's me BTW n acchi is Cya's father.
2.Shayan has stopped calling me Cya, this is a new development. He calls me Cma, but I still miss Cya:)
Monday, May 10, 2010
Horse's face!!
Kudre in Kannada means horse and mukh is face. N so the title.
This post has everything to do with Kudremukh, a lovely place located around 300+ kms away from B'lore.
As with all my other posts on trekking, this one also delves into the same old giving up story-"I cant do it anymore! I wanna give up! I will sit here. You people trek to the peak and then on your way back, I will join you." But my team mates would have none of it. If Hemanth kept urging me to take small steps, to rest and to drink water in small sips and most importantly to keep going, Puneeth told me the obvious:), You have come so far, you cant give up now. Its a different story, that we kept climbing up and up, and the part where in you are almost there, atleast seemed nowhere in sight.
Now, now, now-Most of my team mates are just the sorts who run up a hill, when they spot one. They love getting themselves into any kind of adventure and they trace routes, paths and scale greater heights with ease and joy. Some of them have no places left to trek. Some of them did not spare the Himalayas also!
N then you have me: Fear of heights is in my blood. Though climbing up is clearly an uphill :) task, I always manage to do it, minus all the cribbing and all the constant chants of "amme narayana", "devi narayana","lakshmi narayana","bhadre narayana". I remember Hemnath telling me to give Narayana peace of mind:)
After you reach the top, you magically forget the fatigue, the grumbling, the challenges faced and even the chants:) A sense of accomplishment and an awesome gust of wind blowing right across your face, calming you down is a sooooper divine feeling! Its almost like you are at peace with urself and start thinking of things that mean most to you and forget the Herculian climbing down, that awaits you any moment!!
Have you heard of people who can climb up a tree, but cant get down. I fit the bill so much. How can you get down in ease, when you have either your shoes or all those loose rocks to trust? I have this constant fear of falling when I get down a hill. So, Prakash it was. The poor chap had to lend a helping hand at almost every other step-down!
I believe that when u are on a trip, u must enjoy every moment of it. Stretch urself to face challenges, have fun and fond memories of a journey,u know u wud have never taken otherwise!!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Guilty or not guilty!
My idea of a police station was that from the movies, with Gandhiji's photos and revolving wooden doors.
Met 3 guys there. They were around 10 years old. They were asked to stay back at the station as they were accused of stealing bicycles. We were seated on a bench outside the inspector's room and they were sitting beside us. One of them was crying out loud after a passing constable slapped him hard across the face telling him "3rd time eh". I ask the boy seated beside me.."What did u steal?"..He told me "Nothing. Somebody else stole a bicycle. We were standing there watching the incident, and police arrested us."
A police constable was warning them that if he ever caught them stealing again, that would be it! He told them to work as mechanics or as carpenters or simply go to school. He told them not to steal from the places they worked. He also told them things like this is not the place for young boys like you!
Helpless as I was, I also realized that it is unfair to blame those kids. I dont know if they were guilty of the crime or not. But picture this, wat if they werent, does it really make a difference. They would still be sitting in police stations with nobody to bail them out. Y? Coz they belong to nobody. Who cares for them? Surviving each day in itself is a challenge!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Now 7, then 28!
This blog posting is dedicated to all the ppal who have ever taken the regular shuttle from Yelahanka or V.Pura to Global Village.
Once upon a time, n tat 2 a very very long time ago, there lived a gal who took a cab to work. The vehicle cud accomodate a total of 9 people n she was the odd one out. Her seat in the cab was subject to change everyday depending on the unavailability of atleast 1 extremely irregular person.
Thankfully, there came a day when the stars shone and Mr.Irregular left the organization. With a confirmed seat and wide bandwidth filters, she spent her time in learning how to nod her head only when required,when Harsha, the route co-ordinator spoke. Parties, as they were referred to then, happened in Kamat, a restaurant enroute, on B'days, anniversaries n most importantly on certain occasions only!
In course of time, the routes were bifurcated. Yelahanka and V.Pura went their separate ways. The gal with the confirmed seat was now the route co-ordinator of the V.Pura cab. We had to go in for a bigger vehicle as our company grew in size. So, a TT it was!!
Then started the amazing journey to work in Ramanna's TT. An excellent driver, who taught the gal the importance of reaching the stop on time and to respect other ppal's time. Ganging up against elements of common frustration like policies, processes and a need to do something other than just sleep, got the cabmates to play DC, antakshari and other games ended in all of us bonding with the other. Who can forget Prasanna's Kannada songs, which always kept us wondering if such songs actually existed!!
This was the time when Yelahanka cab was also going through their good times, Mafia-a popular game doing the clean sweep there. Yelahanka and V.Pura met up at 8:15,that is the late night shuttle to differences of opinions, arguments, fights and a whole lot of fun. all thanks to Harish and Kishore!
With the passage of time and the company hiring the cab DJ, Sid,a lot of campus minds fresh out of college gotin their energy and spirit to the cab. A personal best moment was when the gal had given a dance show in office n had not mentioned it to anybody.When the gal lands in the cab, all of them clap and congratulate her, like she had achieved something in life,:)
Our treats were more frequent. The bakery near our office, our common hangout. We were happy till the tooofan arrived!!
Plans were already underway to merge the 2 routes with a bigger bus n when it did, there was chaos everywhere which has not subsided till date.
Cut back to the present!
Our cab today is the most happening one! The shreyas for that goes to Harsha. Today when he speaks, my filters have automatically vanished. Infact, there are days when we drag Harsha and urge him to initiate a conversation. If there is one person, who can handle anybody-good or bad, then it must be Harsha. Harsha widened the scope for fun by putting together the best of the 2 cabs:)
Be it forcing ppal to treat or holi celebs or b'day celebs or farewell celebs, our cab has a life of its own!
So, be it Suresh aka Mafia king or Shrinidhi aka If looks cud kill:) or Ravi aka chi chi or Mridula aka don or Arpitha aka Matha or Somaiah aka CEO or Chetan aka R2B:) or Sachin aka Sach-in or Prathibha aka GM:) or Jithu aka hasmukh or Uday aka wiki or Yashoda no-aka Aunty:) or Sid aka DJ, or Ravi aka no treats or Sunil aka rice prince or Srisha aka @ peace or Sangeeta aka patience galore or Prasanna aka people's manager or Ashu aka Kishore daaa;each one of us have our distinct identities and tho some of us no-longer take the cab, their memories with Route no.7 will stay on this blog forever:)So, keep reading!
A link to a very very ancient blog posting of mine on our 8:15pm cab. 2 of the tormentors no longer work with MindTree, but the tutor is still hanging around!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Bubbles day out!
Prelude:
Adreno, an adventurer’s club organized a camp for 25 autistic children and their parents. These children study in Bubbles Centre for Autism, run by Sarbani Mallick. We[Pravs, Sid, Shekhar and me] were part of the volunteer team on this outing!!
Photos/Videos:
In the Spirit of Easter Season...
View more presentations from M.F. Who’s Sane.
This blog starts from the end!!
Reach home last Saturday, all content and happy. .the events over the last couple of days rewinding ....bringing back oodles of fond memories!
Sarbani tells me the kids havent stop talking about the campfire!!
On our bus journey back home from Adichunchanagiri mutt, amidst the dumb charades and the singing …there was a sense of accomplishment in each one of us!!
After a morning trek with 25 kids and their parents to a hilltop and yummy breakfast ….this is what the parents had to say about our trip!!...I found it extremely moving….
I never thought my child cud do all those adventure activities..many of them their 1sts:).....like d campfire.....d rope sliding activity.....d trek.....this is the 1st time my child is seeing a place beyond home, getting to interact with other kids with absolutely no pressures of having to perform well!!
There were kids who were so happy to be with other kids their age...that all they did was to keep running around ....chasing frogs n insects:)
Now, I was working out of a different office the whole of last week, so I could hardly do any of the co-ordination thing... Ppal who r regular readers of my blog[If there are any:)]...wud have heard this a million times before .....that whenever u set out to do something good...things fall in place... out of nowhere!!
Sarbani and team spent nearly a week in advance preparing the kids for the trip and familiarizing them with the sequence of events at the camp, simply coz autistic kids find it very difficult, when expected to react to anything out of the ordinary!
Whether it was Neel's b'day celebs or Pravs haunted story narration n Prajwal's n my sighting of a "ghostly figure" at 4:30am...who was doing Yoga....this was 1 soooooooper trip....
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Getaways!
Getaways can do miracles to shoo away boredom in one's life..they can also be wonderful learning experiences....n ends up adding quite a lot of spice n colour to ur tastes:)
Was travelling with my friend's family from B'lore to Thornagallu in Bellary, last week.
1st,I lost my spectacles in the train....n got it back yes....after quite a commotion...I was sleeping on the Upper berth n it had fallen off sometime during the course of the night....Ppal sleeping on the lower berth were quite convinced that it had fallen out, as they had opened the window sometime in the night....
2nd, I lost my chappals after leaving it outside the temple....only mine were gone!!...n ya...ended up walking barefoot, with the blessings of the sun-god...
3rd, survived the bad road journey from Bellary to Mantralayam.....this is 1 ride I wont forget in a hurry!!...all coz the Karnataka n the AP Govts r still to make up their minds on who will get the roads done...
How can I miss out our driver's shortkut....he wanted to save a 20 km ride on a good road...so he takes us on a route that has never seen an invention called "tar" n with ups n downs all through the never ending 15 km ride at 7:30 pm ...in an area that was surrounded in pitch-darkness...n with no signs of light or any human habitation for miles altogether.....
Our vehicle was quite an antique piece and wud require regular attention, every now n then...with our driver getting under the car....in 1 such attempt...the poor guy had to bid goodbye to his pants:)....n had to make - do with a dhothi adorned over the pants....
4th, was amazed by the sort of facilities n infrastructure at the Jindal Steel Plant.....excellent is an understatement.....they literally have a kingdom of their own!!
5th, passed by cotton n red chilly fields.....was actually requested by a kid's mother to take her daughter's pic....here it is...
6th, gotto c different lifestyles of the ppal from the loadsa villages v passed....the highlight being their mode of transportation.....atleast 40 ppal found their place either inside, on the periphery or atop their chutku...tata sumo kinda vehicles.....It was almost like U had ppal popping out of every corner from their vehicles:)
Actually gotto c more number of women working in the fields than the menfolk:)
7th, was almost red-faced:)...well only coz of the soil there...I remember washing my face after getting back home...n seeing a red-patch of mud on the towel....I repeated the face-washing thing twice after that...But with repeatedly fading reflections on the towel!!
If I can write so much abt a 2-day trip...just imagine what I will do....if I take longer trips...God save the blog-readers:)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Discrimination in today's era!
V r blessed with such wonderful cultures, customs n traditions!
V share a whole lot of diversity too in terms of caste, creed, religion, colour, etc....
V r also cursed with adversity in our diversity!!
Im not playing with words or for words here.....Im just referring to an incident that I faced in a temple, where preference was given to ppal just coz they belonged to a higher caste!![High in wat terms...I dont understand....To me ... a person is high only coz of his karma]
If this can happen today.....wat is the solution to prevent it?
I dont want to get into the sympathizing part to the ppal who r inflicted with such discrimination...but is there a way out?
I can change the way I think....But do I take the trouble of changing how the world thinks?
The truth today is that....I will blog abt it....but do nothing else abt it!!
What is SS?
Always thought of it as something that u do to help ppal in need or to make a difference in other ppal's lives....
But its a lot more than that!!
Met a doctor today who has done a whole lot of SS her entire life....she used to visit villages n treat patients free of cost n have her pals pool in money to fund medicines....
I was mighty impressed with all that she had to tell....about how the villagers looked up to her service n about how she was constantly motivated to do her bit ...even though she was managing her career, family n kids apart from her commitment to the villages 2 days a week...
Then she told me of an incident...happened sometime in the early eighties...when she was a visiting doctor to a village near Nandi Hills n was asked to take another specialist from B'lore to visit a very ill patient from the village...but on the behest of her other colleagues....she had to drop the plan ....as she was new and unassertive n didnt really understand the gravity of the situation....
The specialist ended up not going ...n the patient dying!!
From then onwards, she stopped making these visits, as she tells me that if you want to venture into SS, do it only if you can do it responsibly n with a commitment which understands that sometimes u end up doing things which get caught between the circle of life and death!!
So, what is SS finally?...I think u got my point!
Life's many courses!!
Ur just the kinda person...who loves travelling....U'll be the 1st 1 to take ur car with ur family in it to places both near n far....U just love the thought of getting away from the monotony of everyday life to places that make it to nature's wonders or to unheard or unseen towns n villages....
U discover places.....have a wonderful time....a break thoroughly deserved ...n then ....
Comes a trip where ur world comes crashing down.....An accident....a head-on collison that cud have gotten fatal....but u thank ur stars that u got through the ordeal n lived to tell ur story....
Will u be afraid of taking another trip post the ill-fated one?
No,comes the reply....simply coz u lived through that one only to see many more!!
V all face roadblocks where in things v take for granted come to a grand halt....n v take a back-seat...
But what is important to me here is this person's outlook in life.....that u learn to put ur life back together.....all the pieces ...that is...n to take on to another journey...another course!
Hampi rocks!
Im not gonna start writing abt all the things that v did in a chronological order......M just gonna talk abt chasing ur dreams:)
I've always been an ardent history lover...History to me is a figment of imagination n a story waiting to unfold...
Seeing a signboard which said Hampi-4kms got me all excited....n d 1st thought that came to my mind when I saw the place...was thanks Sowmya!
Sowmya was kind enuf to take me with her family to visit Hampi..n I think I have already made it extremely explicit that this is one place that I have always wanted to c!!
Sowmya n me were having this conversation a couple of months ago abt visiting Hampi...n when she called me early this month asking me if I wanted to join...All I told her was...C ya...I want to c Hampi....book tickets whenever u want...But Im coming!!
Hampi had a very mystical influence on me....When I was standing infront of the Vittala temple, facing stone structures built to entertain traders from all over the world....for a moment ...I was actually visualizing traders selling gold, gems n other precious stones n a crowded market place...to me at that moment none of it was 500 years ago...It was almost like it was happening there right infront of me!!
The Purandhara [famous poet of that era] shelter, built right beside the Tungabhadra river literally had a "cooling" effect on me....:)....Not that it was very sunny outside....But it was almost like I was at peace with myself....I was actually smiling inside....Just happy to be there!!
I was telling Sowmya that if u leave me here for a few more hours, I will come up with the most beautiful verses ever heard by mankind.....Too much I know for my standards that is:)...Im sure my friends have already heard enuf...ya ...ya..Im referring to my lunch-table pals at work..Im at my philosophical best after food gets into my system at lunch-time:)
V, Indians were indeed outnumbered there by foreign tourists.....loads of them clicking photos ....asking the guides numerous questions n learning about our culture n history!!
There are plenty of places that u get to visit in and around Hampi....some of them temples...d others palaces...then the Queen's bath:)....n the royal stables.....n so on....
Wat strikes u most is not only the archaeological brilliance ...but the fact that even in those days ppal had provisions and access to some of the best facilities in terms of layout of their structures, their irrigation n sewage systems .....
U do feel bad seeing the ruins at Hampi....But the thought that the place has seen so many generations come n go...so many historical moments ....n ofcourse the winds of change across the sands of time:).....most of the structures were destroyed by the Mughals n the deities stolen from temples....but Hampi even today is a standing testimony to the great culture our country has!!
2 things I will never forget: Being asked if v were foreigns:) actually by a bunch of schoolkids n a small schoolkid actually running towards me n touching me n running back ...this she did twice...n I was left standing there wondering[actually I was smiling to myself:)] as to why she did that!!
If you want to see Hampi the way I saw it with a little more details on the monuments...do read this:
Hampi Unplugged-Part 1
Vitthala Temple
Home to the famed stone chariot, a beautiful kalyana mantapa, sabha[conference] mantapa and a sangeetha mantapa.
Excellent ways they had of ensuring that rain water did not stay on the stone structures, but perculated down easily....
Some of the sculptures have various interpretations when viewed from different angles!!
If you touch the pillars in the sangeetha mantapa, you can actually hear the sounds of Sa re ga ma...n that of various musical instruments.
Rings aligned to the top corners and the bottom corners of the mantapas, used to have curtains laid across and the reverberations of the music generated used to actually last half a km away!!
The stone chariot actually moved once upon a time, hard to imagine that it did!!
V also didnt miss a 300 year old tree in this very campus!!
Hampi Unplugged -Part 2
Hazara Ramachandra temple
This temple has sculptures in granite. It is known for the wall inscriptions of the stories of Ramayan.
Elephant's stable
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