Celebrating Life

Sometime in my school days, I remember telling my sisters two things to be done after I die :  one, not to latkaufy(hang) my picture on a wall, and second not to take me for cremation in that vehicle that they commonly use.  My sisters looked at me stunned and asked me to stop it, if I was done with the thought.  I also asked them not to sit around and cry for me.  They had had enough.

It must have been weird for them to hear their eldest sister talking of death.  For me, it was just what I wanted.  It is something that I have told Arun too and both of us agree about the same.  We would like our family and friends to be happy, sing and dance rather than cry.  I am happy to have lived my life, however small it may have been.  I am happy to have known some very nice people, to have family and friends who know me in and out and yet love me unconditionally.  I would consider it a huge success if I have brought happiness to someone or helped someone even if it is in a small way; if I have stood up for what I have believed in.  

We saw the idea live, in action after going to the P.R. Ramakrishnan Memorial Music Concert where Mrs. R. Rajeswari, his wife had invited Mrs. Usha Uthup for an evening of music.  We were happy to see his family celebrating his life and admire their strength and conviction in doing so.

P.R. Ramakrishnan was a visionary.  He setup industries and an educational institution which is 50+ years old.  From what I have heard, CIT had a name for education and fun.  I told one of my friends, 10 years elder to me, from Trichy that I was joining CIT, Cbe in 2000.  He remembered how when he was a student, if he visited Coimbatore for something, he wouldn't go to a hotel for lunch.  He would get his friends to buy guest coupons in the mess, for CITs food was the best you could get.  He said it was the same with most students those days.  He particularly remembered the 'morkozhambu' that CIT used to dish out on Thursdays and I could see his mouth watering at that thought.  Imagine, one of his fondest memories of Cbe is of having lunch at CIT, though he never studied at CIT or Coimbatore for that matter.

So, it is right that we are celebrating the life of a man who has given so many people so much.  Many people think that only those they meet have touched their lives.  Actually, with an educational institution, you are linked to the founding fathers more than anyone else.  For me, I have always looked up to Mr. Ramaswamy Iyer who started Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College at a time when women's education was taboo.  I respect him for giving so many women the precious gift of education and through it empowerment.  

When many people hear that I am from SRC, they doubt it and then ask me how I survived in that constraining environment.  But I say, "Hey, I had the best part of my life there".  We were girls given all the freedom to do whatever we wanted.  Of course there were rules and our teachers were strict.  They were however never unreasonable.  I was a dayscholar, so not much known about the hostel.  25 departments having our own cultural fest for three days, a freshers party, sports, bhajans,..... if all this is not fun, what is ?   Students used to bunk classes and get vada and bhajji from the canteen, sit under the trees away from the main campus and eat them to find Mr. Panjapakesan, the current trustee (Panju or Panju thaatha as we fondly call him to date) walk by and ask them if the food served in the canteen was good enough(this story is from a senior).   

I was someone who didn't like the saree rule.  So, given a chance I would wear a salwar-kamiz for the saree was revealing, and it was trouble in the bus.  So, on sundays when we had class, I used to wear salwars, rebelling at the idea of wearing a saree on a sunday.  Panju saw me many a time, but never asked me once.  I hoped he would ask and I could tell him how it was difficult for us to wear a saree and travel in a bus especially with men touching and pinching.  He never gave me a chance.  And I gave up.  

One other time, I followed Panju on his daily walk around the campus.  I had heard he has a routine everyday, which he never breaks.  He walks around, stopping by at certain places, watches us students go by, and in the middle of the ground, he takes off his slippers and prays.  I admired him for that.  The campus does not change radically but he walked around everyday.  That was his commitment to keep in touch with the students I guess and be in touch with the pulse of the college.  Stand at the gates of the college, and you can feel the energy.  2000 students walking in at 9:00 in the morning.  Maybe, that must be why he walks, that energy, to know if we are on the move or relaxing.  :)  Commitment is something I guess I learnt from my dad and him.  

At CIT, I respect the man who founded the institution thereby setting the stage for many a life to spring from.  We have scientists, engineers, academicians and administrators who form the alumni of the college.  That is a success attributable to the man who started it all.  So, I think there is reason to rejoice in a life so well lived.  

Coming home that day, I remembered those close to me and how they made me happy, taught me many things.  Rudolf for being a gentleman, Thebar for what you can call 'first love', Mullar for being kind, taking care of us through our bad times, Betty for 'love', Vikram for being a brother who wiped away my tears many a time when I used to cry, Rufi, Kutty, Figo, Dafy, Wilys, Fori, Karumbi, Chandan, Thumba, Thumbi........ and Michel who I miss so much that it still aches and tears roll.  He was someone who knew my joys and sorrows, my fears, my secrets and who stood by me at my very lowest.  He loved me like no one else, he waited for me to return home and missed my absence.  I would give anything today to see his face once again.  To him I am ever indebted.  I am happy I was a part of their lives and knowing each of them was an honour.  They have made me what I am today.  (By the way, my parents, besides the three of us had more children. Our dogs and cows always got priority over us and it continues that way even today.  We were brought up to think that they were our brothers and sisters.) If I am passionate about life, it is all due to them.  If you see me alive and smiling away, it is what they have taught me to do.  If you see me even a bit strong, it is attributable to the strength of character they showed.  So, my life has been defined totally by them.  My living even a part of their ideas is the way I rejoice and celebrate their life.  It matters to me that they lived and touched my life.  

So, yes, someone's passing away is painful.  For we can no longer talk to them, see them in person and interact with them.  But life and death is a never ending cycle.  I for one, would like my life celebrated.  

India - at the crossroads, converging beautifully

India is a mix - of the old and the new, of the traditional and modern.  That's what makes my land so enchanting, inspiring, beautiful, interesting and intriguing.  This 'pujari' (priest) if I am right, is riding a bullet.

Coimbatore Poo Market

The 'Poo Market' in Coimbatore is famous.  Flowers of all colours abound and energy of people is endless.

People call out to buyers - high pitched yet making the magic of the place.

The buyer-seller bargain is something interesting to watch.

When did IPL become public ?

IPL is private cricket league game.  Yes, BCCI is the umbrella for all cricketing activities in India.  However, I have always thought that IPL is private.  The IPL owners have put in the money and hence reap benefits without getting taxed - and if this is not enough, the team in the story has a boss who smokes in public and struts around because he has money and the power.  We have heard about match fixing, drinking brawls and sleaze over the past week.  All this get front page.  Isn't that the story of IPL ?  Please correct me if I am wrong !!! I am not a cricket buff.  

The paper today put me off.  You have the chief minister of a state along with the governor celebrating the victory.  Ok.  The team is named after the city so, you are there for congratulating them.  But this is not a team representing the state - it is a team made up of people who are there to play after being auctioned.  If a victory for IPL is so important, then why doesn't any government show so much enthusiasm when their home teams win the Ranji Trophy ?  No top level official is seen conducting an appreciation ceremony, forget becoming the MC, the chief guest as well as joining in the dance finally ending in a lathi charge.

Whither are we going ?  Where is the wind blowing ?  And why do we follow blindly.

The above opinions are mine and mine alone.  I may be in danger but then, how are we as a people keeping quiet ?  What can we do ?  If we object, we will be called party breakers...

A Spoilt Brat

The strike by pilots of the national career reminds me of a spoilt brat - no, not that of a child but an adult who has been indulged endlessly to the point of no return.

The last time the pilots went on strike, some of them were dismissed and then if I remember right reinstated.  This habit has made them so bold as to cripple the country, stranding thousands of passengers.  Every job comes with a certain amount of accountability and dignity.   This one is at its pits.  Not that I question employees rights to strike - it is necessary and essential sometimes.  However, going on a strike every six months and plunging the airline to more debts than what it is going through today is not justified.  The current reason given is the training being given to IA pilots for the 787 dreamliner.  When IA and AI have been merged into one entity, does your past still hold ?  Speak of mergers and acquisitions. 

If this is the attitude of the staff, why get us taxpayers to pay for it.  No wonder people try to evade tax.  Imagine, they are getting a 30,000 crore bailout and to top it they go on a strike.  Isn't this behaviour akin to a spoilt brat who goes partying when the family is plunging into debt.  Sometimes, it is better to cut the chord and hope that it will teach the child the value of security and the joy of spending something hard earned.  

I remember the last time I visited the Air India's office.  I had to cancel an international trip for a conference and thereby met the manager to ask him for cancellation procedures.  A gentleman walked in asking if he could get a discount on the ticket as someone known to him worked for the airline.  Another employee walked in asking that the manager's signature for a trip she was taking(I guess airline staff are entitled to trips, subsidised or free I am not sure - but they are which I gathered from the conversation).  All this was happening when the government was wondering how to bailout the airline from bankruptcy. 

Another time, a matronly woman had to be asked thrice by the lady sitting next to me for a blanket to cover herself up as she was feeling cold.  You should have seen the face of the matron. 

Would this have happened if it was a private carrier ? The staff's perks, such as the above would have been immediately cancelled and the expectation is that employees understand that a roof is better than pulling down the whole house.  Another airline in debt was allowed to sink  recently.  Then the question becomes, why not this one.  Just because it is a public carrier ?

It would have been understandable if the employees rallied around to save the carrier.  However, that is not what we as the public feel.  You never know when your flight will get cancelled - no surety.  A government servant is enough to cancel or delay your flight and no questions can be asked(the recent episode being the Maldives one where a plane was changed to accomodate a minister's family).  That is one reason why most people shift to private carriers.    

So, are we going to cut the leg and save the body or are we going to let it rot and stink with people around having to bear for it.  

(I know I sound brutal in places, but then this saga has been going on for too long.  Everytime there is talk of a bailout, parallely the staff go on strike as if it is their birthright.)

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'.