The Body Massage

Just back from a lovely vacation at Coorg!

One of the things we did there was to go for a good massage. As the masseuse worked on me, I lay there thinking..now should I say that she knows me? Is my being defined just by my body or more by the person that I am, my thoughts, my feelings, my opinions or simply put,my inner soul. It kinda snapped on me that I was just a stranger to her.

I have heard many a times people quoting Gita about how life is not about the body, but about the soul. I can't imagine a more perfect experience of realising this aspect before than on this day. So, does that mean loved ones who have ceased being part of my life have just lost their earthly bodies and they live elsewhere. Can I go looking for them? Will I find them and If I do, would they appreciate my presence in their lives?

A tamil saying goes "Kathradu kai mann alava, kalladhadhu ulagalavu" - What I know is equivalent to a handful of sand, what I do not know is equivalent to the vastness of the world.

So there is still lots to know about in this life and world.

The woods are lovely dark and deep

But I have promised to keep,

and miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep.

Well, the massage did rejuvenate my body and mind!

B

Madras Travel Diary!

Madrasa suthi paarka porein...

Marina vil veeda katta porein...

Light House il eri nikka porein...

etc etc etc.

For all those folks who don't understand the above lines, its a Rahman Tamil song that talks about visiting places around Madras!

First, the confessions.. I was born and brought up in Singara Chennai. We lived in the heart of the city T.Nagar, a stone's throwaway from Ranganathan Street and Mambalam Railway station. About the only place I know properly in Chennai is South Usman Road and its umpteen galli's ;). If you were to ever get lost in all that maze of shopping in those places, I could possibly be the person who could help you out :D. Wicked!!

But the other side of the truth is that I hardly know the city.With working parents and a demanding school life ;), we hardly ventured out much..a visit to thatha-patti's place on the otherside of the station at West Mambalam was the only constant outing!

So my visit this last weekend was an experience in more ways than one! I boarded the Shatapti to Chennai at 6 AM on Saturday. On my way to my chittappa's place, I was surprised to see multiple photos of Sai Ram on the pre-paid auto(has to be pre-paid ma in Chennai). I always believe that Baba has a quirky way of telling me that a visit was due :). I casually asked the auto fella where the mandir is and he suggested Mylapore.

At home, we decided I needed to complete some bit of shopping before catching up on a dear friend. Off I was to Globus in Pondy Bazaar near my alma mater where I did my standard swiping the card routine ;). Then went to my friend's place and reminisced about all those wonderful days of BITS and life thereafter!

I was back home at 7 and chithi suggested she will take me down to Mylapore to see Baba and also check out the Kapaleeshwar temple which I'd never seen before. The temple, one of the landmarks of Chennai was some place I had never visited :(. When I managed to go there later that night, I was filled with some kind of peace. There is something about old temples with their vast space and the sense of serenity. It is very difficult to feel that peace in any of the newer structures. Thoroughly loved it :).

Sunday, after lunch was shopping time! My mom, who did all her shopping in Bombay when we lived in Chennai now does all her shopping in Chennai (at T.Nagar, mind you!!) while we live in Bangalore!! She had gently hinted when I left Blore that I pick up some sarees for her. So off we went (Chithi and I) to Nalli's :). Now, I know Nalli's is a brand name which women all over India seem to know is the place to shop for sarees, I once had a friend's sister suggesting that there is a Nalli in Hyderabad. But for all that brand name, Nalli's can be real real confusing! They have 3 floors, umpteen counters and hazaar varieties...I wonder how any tourist would know what to shop around here! And mind you, this is just one shop.. they have about 3 shops on the same road!

Anyway, we picked some sarees for my mom. Now, I can't be left behind.. can I ;). I wanted to check out the designer silk sarees which meant we spent some more time looking around. If we've come so far.. must check out RMKV silks nearby also na.. ;). So after a marathon 3 hours of shopping, we landed home at 3 in the afternoon! Chithi's afternoon nap gone for a toss!

Now, we had to go to beach also ;), the government has spent crores beautifying the runway around the beach ;).. I must visit it..right ;) So, off we were to the crowded Marina beach and spent close to 45 mins standing in the cool waters :). Bliss!!

Later,Dinner at Mathura's where I realised that my childhood restaurant is no match to the ambience and food of Hyd's restaurants, I even got onto a PTC bus (:D) to finally reach home!

Monday, boarded Shatapti at 6 AM to get back to home, office and life as usual :)

Well, there goes my Madras travel diary ;).

B

Performance Appraisal

Can't tell you how happy I felt reading this article :D - http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/feb/01/fearing-zero-ministers-upset-with-pms-grading-system.htm

I've often wondered if Government employees and ministrys go through performance appraisals and benefits based on them like us! I mean why should only people in private companies(read IT) suffer this system.It can be all the more frustrating when its not done in the right sense or does not yield any benefits as such due to yada yada.. come on guys you know the reasons!

I hope the government follows this system seriously and get on with appraising the ministers in all honesty!

Tchao!

B

Fog in Bangalore

Early Morning Fog in Bangalore on 4th January 2010. Reminded me of good ol' winter days at Pilani!

Ponniyin Selvan!

For one who officially read Tamil in school for 2 years.. 1st and 2nd standard, by the way - I managed to complete the 5 volumes of Ponniyin Selvan :D. It feels like an immense achievement ;) though I think I always knew I could read the language well and quick.. though, I may not be able to write that well :|

Anyway, initially I thought the plot was quite predictable.. but there was a quick turnaround at the end leaving me quite pleasantly surprised. No wonder, its called one of the most successful novels in Tamil !

I also think some of the "Tamizh" names are wonderful. Has anybody wondered how beautiful a name "Poonguzhali" is, once you get the "zha" bit correct :)

Alors, Felicitations! and more Tamizh reading to you :)

B

Decisions

How does one make decisions in life ? Back in college, choosing the electives you want to do used to be a big thing.. I mean life altering is what we used to think then. 10 years later, I feel it did not matter much.. I mean, how does it matter if I did GUI or Artificial Intelligence.. both don't have much place in my life today anyway!

But, as I've grown up in life.. I seem to be expected to make some BIG decisions! Should I study this year, Should I continue to work at XXX place, Should I be paid more than what I get, Should I just dump all this,get married and be a homemaker :-/.Who has answers to these questions.. I certainly don't seem to at the moment!! :D :D. These are life changing decisions.. :-/ Or will I just be thinking about all this 10 years down the line and wondering what the fuss was all about.. I just hope I do!

I can only recollect a time in college. A close friend just couldn't get over a subject.. and she tried as much as she could. Finally she said.. "B.. I can't do this anymore. I am gussing this subject and getting on with the others". I wish I could do just the same :).. dump all those questions in my mind and get on with life :)


B

Doordarshan

I was watching the Golden Jubilee celebrations of good ol' Doordarshan on TV tonight. The program was characterized by the normal DD standards.. poor production values, very normal costumes and amateurish presenters. But, what I cannot fault DD will be the content bit.. it had excellent dances from the different states - Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Bharatnatyam, Kathakali etc. The performances were interspersed with the legendary "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" beat and were done by professional dancers from dance academies. The group dances were excellent in co-ordination and the dance.. brilliant!

This got me thinking.. We have these umpteen festival shows across all these entertainment channels(mostly Hindi) for the different festivals. In these shows, we have overworked TV actors struggling to dance to the latest numbers. The steps are forgotten, dresses are loud.. and mostly end up being a headache. I wonder why the broadcasters think we want to see Tulsi, Parvathy etc. dance for festivals :-/. On the contrary, it would be a good idea to call in dancers.. students, young children etc. and give them the opportunity to perform some Indian classical music and dances. It serves two purposes, helps the young ones to appreciate classical Indian music and educates the society about the existence of such classical forms encouraging parents to enroll their wards into them. And yeah, it will be a damn sight better for viewers like us! :)

Recently, I attended a wedding.. and during the reception, we had dancing on Tamil "dappanguthu" music. I felt it was not appropriate.. atleast not for a solemn occasion like a wedding. Its not my business to comment if it was right or wrong, but I believe it had to do with these times where young children have grown up listening to these so called "happening" music. We rarely have a Tamil film without a mass song and some stupid dancing.. It leads kids to think that is the only way to dance :( and thats an unfortunate thing to happen.

I think people must start realizing that there are other traditional forms of dance(besides Bhangda!)and music which we can learn and perform. Unfortunately, DD seems to be the only channel interested in showing this idea! I've regretted many a time for not pursuing Carnatic vocal music beyond a point owing to studies. All the more so, when I landed at BITS and met the number of bright students singing/dancing and playing instruments so well! Its time for another generation to think and act so!


B