Dare not..

Why do you have to stand so close Huh?

I acknowledge its crowded but that is not an excuse for being so unpolite is it? Move... Arrey cant you understand hindi?
Travelling is such a pain. Nudgeing and trying to stand straight in a crowded one. The bus was empty when I had boarded it, but through the journey, it got crowded, I tried to ask the very sweaty and smeely to move and not to be so troublesome, but he wouldnt budge, so as a final shot I gave him a nice strong stomp on his foot and that was end of it, he wasnt in sight, he had walked a a safe 2 metres from me and gave a scorn.

This was the Nth time I have had to do this.

While in delhi, I have had to this with regular frequency, moving around in DTC was such a pain, U spl were a relief, but at times when it did admit some commoners, everybody has had trouble, they tend to stick very close to the ladies standing there.

As I travelled in a group, we always had the those toughies in for a nice treatment for their misdeeds.

Why do these uncleji's have so much trouble with girls travelling in buses huh?
The most troublesome lot are the oldies and the khaini chewing, guys with long hair, (agreed growing hair was a style long ago, the salman style, it isnt anymore) and very crooked looking ones.

I have a personal space and trying to invade it is dangerous, anybody mustering enough courage to do so is up for something really bad.

I have stopped cribbing about how bad the world is; and realized that it isnt going to change atleast in the near future.

TV star!

On my rather sober journeys in the bus or the local passenger trains I keep meeting so many "want to become a known model who is paid handsomely" gals. The other day I was the second last person in a queue wanting to pay library dues, I happened to meet the latest in the my list.

She was tall (or rather taller than me), looked pale and a lot anorexic. She was getting impatient to get over with the rituals and she kept saying in low tones "shit" I looked around and noticed that many of them were here with their parents waiting to get over with the task and tow their kids home. So 20 mins in to the queue the attendent comes walking and hands us coupons with numbers written on it, mine reads 114.

The scene didnt look very encouraging, I called up home to ask if I should stay back or come some other day to do the rituals...
To which I am told "get over with the thing and then come home".

The girl standing there wasnt very pleased with her number she said "Iam going lot of peoples" (Eh peoples??)

I started thinking wow that would mean I can move one more position.. yipee. But later she said she is having none of it.. i will go ask.. I said well go ahead..

What followed was one very funny english conversation.

Which started some what like this- "Saar, we standing here from morning 9 o clock, please do fast. we have lot of study exams next week. we want atleast distinction. Saar please.."

I dont remember hearing the rest, she had walked back to her place contented that she had done her bit.

Sensing this queue would take hours to end I started a quick chat with the girl standing in front of me, she tells me she is a TV star, (oh !) anchor, singer and a dancer. That was quite a list..

Parents both doctors, one sister kala-thilakam and one doggy! As the queue progresses, the sunlight gets harder and stronger, thats when I notice the "star's" face.

As her coats of paint started to wear, her face looked more pale and with dark circles around her eyes, but when she had joined the queue, she was all decked up ready to finish this thing in a jiffy and dash off to the studio car waiting to pick her up. But the cashier would have none of it..she had blasted outrightly, "koche poyi lineil nillkuu hmm vegam.."

A college student in her early twenties, with a fake british accent, being paid for being talkitive, and good looking that is all I could find in her. But, after her thick cake of cosmetics wore off she was a regular girl. Who was interested only in fake jewellry, accessories, her dress and the latest trends.

She was an MA student, but her college bag looked impoverished, no books inside it, 2 pens, and a comb thats all.

When her turn finally arrived to pay the dues, she fumbled with her papers, couldnt find the exact change and when queried about her main subject, she looked straight into the eyes of the cashier for a whole
2 secs before she could say something.

I guess she had been too busy to think about her real life. Finally, when we had said the byes, she said she would mail me, and yes she did true to her word. But the mail wasnt very interesting, her raves and rants...

Fortunately, the work was over by 3 and I ran like mad to catch my bus back home. Phew.

On the way back I humm "Video killed the radio star"

Work done!

Miss you...

Memories what are they made of? By the very scientific or psychological definition it would mean "the very special ability of the brain to store, retain and subsequently recall whenever needed". All this introduction was made to my memory of one very important person, whom I had met 1991, she was the one who had taken me to school, kept be busy so that I dont cry. She was very special teacher, as she lived in the house just besides ours. She was fondly called KKP. She had taught all subjects in the classes 1-5. But when I reached 3rd, she stopped teching Science and Maths and started concentrating on teaching SST( Social Studies), Hindi and Sanskrit.

After school hours she used to conduct Sanskrit classes and Gita classes, she taught Bhagwad gita to some 25 students, these students were selected after a test and interview process. I was one of them, after the classes, I used to come home with her. My lunch time was shared with her, I ate my lunch from my lunch box in her special room, as she was the Headmistress of the Primary dept.

Some time later in 1996, she had stopped the gita classes and she revealed that she was going to her native place and would be while before she came back.

3 weeks later she called up from her native place and I had heard her having a long chat with my mother, then I had no idea what she was taking about, but only when my mom had put down the receiver I got to know what was wrong with her, She had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment.

When she had came back she looked very frail and very gloomy; very differnt from her usual self she used so busy and very active..
She slowly distanced herself from all the activities she used to enjoy earlier, one more trip back home she was back to her old self and I was happy to be back with her.

But as I had to shift school in the the academic year of 1998-1999, It was a tough decision, I was gloomy for weeks and was very unhappy, I missed her more than my friends, classmates and batchmates.

Later I came to know from my friends that she too had applied for a transfer had shifted to Kochi.

But before I could track her down, friends told me of her meeting with one very freak accident , she had injured herself in a stove burst accident, first I came to know that she was injured and was recovering, but that was not to be, she had succumbed to her burns.

I never got to speak to her for the last time, this is one thing I will repent foreveri n my life.

When we were packing up she was on a long leave.

Miss you...ma'm

She is one of my favorite teachers and will always remain so. The teachers who teach us in our early years are the ones who make a lasting impact on you. She was one for so many people.

I had been praying so badly to know something about her family, My prayers had been answered (partly), maybe thats why her husband called up last month to tell us that he is in station.

Some time soon I would meet him and get one photograph of my favorite teacher.

Uninvited

I did not notice him coming in. He had been doing this for a long time now.
Every night after my reading sessions which usually strech into late hours of the night, I hadnt noticed him sneeking in and lying on the soft mat beside my comp. Some time in late january I had seen some thing moving, but he escaped; when he had sensed somebody coming into the room he had jumped away.
But not yesterday, as he lay curled sleeping soundly. He wouldnt have had any idea what he had just invited.

But yesterday, I saw him; I rubbed my eyes so see what it was and I saw him lying on the mat sleeping. Did I hear him snoring? I guess yes.

How dare he come into my room. Now that I had caught him red handed, I would make sure that he never came in again.

I am talking about a cat, who had managed to sneek in through my window the last day, and found comfort in my doormat.

I dint like him, so had do something so that he wouldnt come again.

I gave him a stare, he ran as if he had seen demons, bumping and hitting things kept nearby but finally managing to climb out of the window.

Mission accomplished !

Meaowwwww....

Budget allocation.

Last week end after much discussion and delibrations, I(we) decided to upgrade my(our) PC. It had become awfully slow. So that meant an memory upgrade.. Hmm.. 1Gb
Decided to ditch Firefox for Opera browser and that meant downloads.. Ahem all done I was left with some money, now what do I do?

As I havent spent much on beautification processes and the related, I decided to buy myself a shoe, so that meant something which was decent and wearable, finally decision made I bought a reebok shoe. Gleee... All was well untill my aunty met me at the store. The meeting was disastrous, she was "surprised" to see me buy shoes and not girly sandals. The ones with diamonds and stickers and glitter and what not.

I tried explaining but no use.

I surrender, no arguements; she was shooting a dozen questions at a time. I remember answering not more 2 of her "questions".

After I reached home, I tried making a oocalc (Linux equivalent of Ms ofice)[well, thats what I think it is] file of the money that I had saved all these years, bro you must be proud of me- I dint burn a hole in your pocket for my beauty treatments and the related or unrelated par-a-pher-na-lia.

Phew !

Next time I decide to go shopping I will definitely look around and make sure nobody familiar is around spying on me.

Mid February to April festival time !

This is the season for marriages and temple festivals , so as my parents decided to attend one such wedding today. I said ''me not coming... avoid me''. So they were planning to go and I decided to stay back.
Just before they were to start my motor mouth cousin calls up to announce that she has decided to come visiting, aunt and uncle included.

Uncle and aunty decided to go visit a temple for the festivities nearby. As they start their journey in their car, I wave them a bye. Leaving behind their daughter here.

I am busy cleaning the cups and saucers and tidying up the place.. Thats when the pesky teenager comes running from upstairs and I run up to see what it was.. She shows me something which looks very familiar and lo behold she is turning pages of my diary. We have a tug of war at the end of which, I get my diary back.

I felt bad, offended, angry and I hated the teenager for infiltrating my private space. Not that my old dusty diary contains secrets but becuase that are thoughts best kept to my self nothing for public amusement but my moments of despair and happiness and little acheivements and complaints.

My diary: the contents of which are general, was my way of letting off steam. I dont mind anybody reading it with my permission but without it you are up for a blasting.

After much talk I gave her a nice Little book to read and amuse herself, and ask her sit reading the book I had given her. As I type this I can see her busy reading an old Enid Blyton...

Move over Cricket

Cricket matches come and go, and you can afford to miss them but this, is something greater and bigger. The elections. As a first time voter I am new to all this. The rallies, the meetings held every other evening occupying most of the space available of the already congested roads.

Last day one of the leaders of a local party was coming over for some inauguration funtion. Everything was well untill one lean and mean fellow climbs up the coconut tree next to my east facing window and decided to tie up a speaker there. The tree being just 30 mts away from my window. All done and connections given he went his way.

After a tiring day of work and data collection I come to my room, and fixing up my worldspace radio decided to finally turn it on. before I could switch the ON button Iam shocked and literally jolted of my half sleepy senses, I stuck my head outside the window to know what the heck it was. Thats when I see the speakers mounted on to the coconut tree facing me. It was marked "DEVI SOUNDS" bah Devil sounds. I cursed the fellow who had done this.

The function was to start at 6 but started well past 8. his speech went some thing like " Priyamulla naatukare Njan evide nilkunna elavareyum bhaavi voter maar aayi kaaruthnu."

20 mins into it we have an power failure and I heave sigh of relief, when the power comes back the connection to the speaker seems to be lost. I thank god and say well that is an end to it.

But more was to come, after the inauguration was the cultural fest. I cursed the technician yet again, as the speakers had been repaired and were working just fine. So it started blaring out Brayan Adam's songs then changing tracks to Tamil, {manmada rasa, anniyan and dont know or remember the rest). I had dinner with background music playing (Manmada rasa). So after 3 in the night I was awake trying to sleep and also listening to some song from ghajini or was it something else. (Poor knowledge of Films pls excuse) Grrrrrr....

It was a maniac Wednesday.

Listen Mr. Politician, even if I had a slight leaning towards your side; forget it, u just made me sit up and think otherwise.

Tuning up

Brrr.... Grrrr fine tuning... VH+ or Vh-. I was trying to tune into Sahara..Channel for the England v India test series starting tommorow. Somehow I dint like the channel very much...
This is the usual routine that I follow ahead of every cricketing event involving India.

Cricket is sure one game that has interested even the grand old lady of Mr T's family, who is very keen to know the scores but not very interested in watching.

The scene is very different at our neighbour's ground floor TV room. The whole family assembles with Mrs S's decides to take a compensatory off and Mr G is leading his retired, junior G is a college student bunks his classes.

The whole family has their lunch with their eyes glued to the Tv. Their conversations revolve around the batsmen and the field placements.

I am not much interested in tests but yes One days are a great watch anyday, but I feel the game has lost much of its earlier charm, now its just personal milestones and records that matter.

One moment everybody broke out laughing last game at Lahore was Sreesanth's celebration after taking a wicket. It was funny.

So till next post its tuning..... Vh+ or was it Vh- ??........ Drrrr.......