End of a year, nearly.

It's again the ending of an academic year. Almost time for another batch of students to say bye bye to student life(excepting those who are determined to continue further studies) and step out into the world, as adults, as individuals who are ready to realize their destiny.

In college, it is the time of the year when batches take turns to celebrate days - formals day and dhothi day. Formals is the day when all the students turn up in formals, boys in formal shirts(full sleeved) + formal pants + tie + shoes and nowadays blazers too (I wonder how they manage to keep their blazers on, despite the heat at this time of the year) and girls in sarees, many of them in Kanjeevaram(here again, I wonder about how they keep going in the heat with the silk sarees). Dhothi day is one where both boys and girls switch over to traditional Indian wear(dhothi and saree). It is usually the South Indian way of wearing a dhothi, but I remember the time when students from other parts of the country came in their traditional attire(kurta-pyjama/salwar-kameez, dhothi tied in a different way specific to their culture). For this reason, I would be happy if students change it to 'Native Day' giving students from different states the chance to wear their traditional clothes. In this, I remember an event 'Across the cultures' organized by students at UoH, where each state was represented by a group wearing their traditional attires. We also had international students wearing clothes from their countries making it a learning experience and broadening our knowledge.

So, this time of the year is colourful but also one of joy and sadness. Joy because we know that these kids who grew up under our tutelage are going out into the world and sadness for we will not be seeing them everyday, no more of their pranks, and no more part of their world.

However, yesterday was different. When I walked in at 9:00 a.m., I saw two students walking by, wearing white shirts(rarely see that in college), but with something different. On closer look, they had a rose pinned to their shirts(one had a red one and another a yellow one). I wondered what they meant and reasoned that they probably are trying something different. Once in a way, you find students doing something different - like one, who gave himself a flame of red(dyed his hair red, thankfully, not totally) as a birthday gift to himself, or the time when a group of 4-5 came bald one morning, they said after a Tirupathi darshan.  So, I walked ahead.  Again, I see another bunch now, with a red rose pinned to their white shirts. The first thought that came to mind was, 'Oh No! Not another valentine's day routine'. Then I said to myself, 'this is March, stupid, not February'. So, then what was this about. I looked for the girls dressing in case they had come up with something similar and have a new kind of day to set a new tradition. However, nothing of the sort with the girls. Throughout the day, I saw some students with a rose pinned to their shirt and wondered if I should stop them and ask what it was all about. However, not wanting to embarass them or myself, I let them pass thinking that I will know what it is, if it becomes part of the tradition.

Tradition, now that is a word I sometimes love to hate. For, it is used easily - good if it is for the good but many a times to keep the not so good going. So, please replace the word 'tradition' in the text with ??? habit - no !! culture - too broad. Uffa, the trouble sometimes with finding the right word !

Kudos to the dolphin savers

Faith was reinforced in the goodness of the human kind when I watched this video.  With news of the dwindling number of tigers, killing of elephants and the dwindling of forests that protect and nurture wild animals, this one is welcome news.  It just goes on to prove what we can do to coexist with nature.  Actually, what little we need to do but what happiness we will receive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekmMD8oYtJ0&feature=player_embedded

Watch this video of beach-goers in Brazil help the stranded dolphins.  I guess we are returning a favour.  You must have read stories of dolphins helping fishermen and people at sea.  What good you do goes around.

Joy Mukherjee - in memory

It was long long ago - long before cable TV with its long string of channels came in.  That was the age of Doordarshan.  One of the good things about DD was that you got to watch a lot of Hindi movies - old hindi movies.  That was one of the luxuries we had in our school days.

One of my favourite actors of that time was Joy Mukherjee.  Reason is of course obvious - he was joy to watch. Tall, young and pretty good looking.  And Joy and Sadhana - they made a great team on screen.  Sadhana is my all time favourite.  Her eyes - they took your breath away.

It is sad to hear that he passed away.  The good part is, he will continue to live in our memory.  He will be remembered for his movies.  I will remember him for some of the songs that I keep humming to this day, the lyrics of course forgotten, but the face of the actor very much in mind.

Some of the songs I remember him for are : Bahut Shukiriya,  Bade Miya Deewane, Lakhon hain nigah mein  zindagi ki raah mein(with a guitar that he does not use in the song),   Bandha par war Tham Lo Jigar.  

Deeksha, Me and her Playmates

This is (or was, she has changed in the past few months) one of Deeksha's favourite games when I go to Chennai.  She introduces me to all of her friends - her playmates.  And I am supposed to hold on to all of them at the same time till she is satisfied.  Then she takes them back and places them in the cupboard.  

This has happened everytime I have been there and have wondered what runs in her mind when she does this.  Anyways, I let her do it happily as it makes me happy to see her introducing her toys and being so interested. She has a name for all her toys, which I with my poor memory can't remember.  She repeats them patiently for me in case I make a mistake.

You can see Tweety an Betty.  The others, I don't remember again.  By the way, she bathes them in rotation and keeps them healthy and fresh.  Hats off to that.  She does take good care of her friends.

When lawmakers become lawbreakers

Found these photos in my cellphone(they were taken a few months back).  Took them when I found violations,  meaning to send it the then commissioner who was doing a good job bringing traffic sense into people.  However, people in his own force abandoned it.  

This was taken at R.S. Puram.  The police van was parked right under the 'No Parking' sign.

This one was again taken at R.S. Puram in front of Nilgiris.  I couldn't take it better, as the policeman noticed me taking snaps and started walking up.  And I am not a lawyer or a media person who can stand up to them.

All this at a time, when charging and towing was happening in full swing, for the common man ofcourse.  Why is it that lawmakers so easily become lawbreakers. 

Today we are back to our old ways after the change of guard.  Law enforcement is at its weakest.  Example ::   Just come to the signal near CMC on Avinashi Road.  There are umpteen two wheelers who come down the bridge instead of taking the U-turn at Thanneerpandal Junction and coming down towards CMC.  The policeman or woman allows them to cut across from the wrong side without as much as a word.  Another example ::  Take any 'No Parking' signboard.  And you will find a vehicle parked right under it.

Yum!

Something I cooked up one sunday !  Why is it that sometimes I am in my elements and sometimes, I am not. Sometimes I cook something amazing and on others, it falls flat.  

Onam 2011

The first Onam together after a four year hiatus got me wondering what design to put for the Onam pookalam.  Finally, on my sister's advice we tried something different.  This is how it looked in the end.  Arun pooled in with his ideas of placing the green and was my edupidi(poor him).  He trimmed and destalked the flowers to do the pookalam.

Making the Onam sadhya(lunch) and putting the flowers, it took me six hours.  I am slow I have to accept.

Not a Dry Leaf

At first, I thought it was a dry leaf.  Then realized, it was alive and kicking.  It was a mantis.  Green, I have seen, not brown and not one so big.  - From the archive collection titled 'Univ. of Hyderabad'.