Never felt so fidgety, for any of the 4 personal interviews… now for the last and the most important one…I felt very nervous… on Thursday night, I spent one hour with my most wonderful foe who also happened to be my ex school mate who digressed on and on about Osho’s sexual philosophies… hit bed without revising and revised only in the morning… and luckily during the interview…they asked only what I had prepared… good…everything was as expected, except the last part…where the interviewer said, I had a low CTC with 4 years of experience that too with 2 sap certifications…my whole day was spoiled…
I had not had my breakfast… and I didn’t feel like having my lunch until one hour later, when my tummy started grumbling…I mixed carrots, green peas, beans, okra and made a simple sambar rice in cooker in one go… and gulped down… even then…I felt so bad…so I did the thing, I always do, when I am depressed or whenever exams are there nearby…I started cleaning the house…I had taken one day pass…thinking,…I will go the city market and buy some veggies and flowers for the special meals I would make for mom… I started cleaning around 1:30 and till 5:30…I was still sweeping the 1 bedroom house…I cleaned up …arranged the books and found that Shub had the week supplement of a wonderful booklet with erotic pictures… I placed it carefully as well… along with her other medical books… In my effort to engage myself…I had pulled off the fan wire while I was removing the cobwebs from the bedroom ceiling fan… the fan had stopped working…and I was removing cobwebs on Friday…don’t know why ppl say that you are not supposed to remove cobwebs on Friday… got to research why…
Just as I was sweeping…P1 called… oh my god…now I have got my fears confirmed… even if it was an ayiliyum with a Piscean sun and ascendant…I would not have her for my roomie…though it is great talking to an ayiliyum… she was our project Aishwarya Rai’s friend’s friend… I was supposed to safe guard the guruvayur prasadam in fridge… till she came and collected it from me on Friday evening… she sounded so snobbish with her English over mobile and I had decided to go to city market once she had left… room was spic and span by the time she came… from a distance she was super slim…with thin legs…a neat figure…and with an exaggerated sway in her walk… she had back problem…so she could not come by auto …oh well… who does not have a back problem these days…
We shook hands near the corporation atm and I led her inside… gave her water and offered her grapes…my idea was to serve green grapes in the green bowl and pomegranate in the pink bowl…but she came before I could separate the pomegranate seeds and present it neatly…she said no to coffee or tea… good I didn’t have milk as well…but I could have made her sukku malli kapi…
So she started with her stories… her saga… will I say all such things in the first visit …don’t know…but I know why she said it…she is a December 7 gal… a frank saggi… okie… understandable…she was 36 she said… a good 9 years senior to me…still unmarried… okie her blabberings are even more understandable…I have seen a post woman giving in to an already married guy of 56 with kids when she was 39 and still unmarried…
She said about our Aishwarya’s friend’s father… I had always seen this gal as a gal of few stern words… I didn’t know that she had a handsome father… that her parents were so beautiful that P1 used to say that P was adopted from the streets… in fact P is pretty good looking… nevertheless her father was like those Raymond ads guys… he was admitted around December 31 for cancer that turned out to be Sarcoma… P1 described how the connective tissues die and how the legs were swollen like an elephants and how on placing the scalpel…all the flesh spilled over… man… I was felt so squeezy… it was March 11 when he died… P1 was the first one to break the news about this aggressive cancer to P… P was strong and she accepted it… she felt it was torturous to let her dad suffer so much of pain… when his skin was pulled taut with all those cells and tissues waging a war beneath his skin… her hus was also a number 7 guy and they silently got married within one year of her father’s death… P’s husband is so understanding and they get along each other nicely… P1 said she was happy for P and P’s mom could not stop crying on P’s wedding… Now i feel...who ever is strong and appears stern has gone through something... i need to be good with every one...
After this P1 told about Pankaj’s story that made me gasp and cringe with despair….
P1 is the admin department with AZ…and she had business contacts with Pankaj for more than 5 years… she always used to say hello and he would always start with a Namaskar…then suddenly she found that for the past 6 months she was not able to reach out to him…he was supposed to have resigned his job… or something like that… she reduced the business with company A… and suddenly last week she got a call from Pankaj and he called her for lunch on Wednesday to explain things…. P1 agreed, thinking, let me see the guy with whom I have been talking over phone for the past 5 years without seeing even once…
Pankaj had been returning home near Hebbal road around 11 pm after a party… suddenly 5 call taxi or call center cab drivers shoved him inside his own car with a knife pointed at his neck…they closed all the black tinted windows of the car and put on loud music… Pankaj could not shout cause the knife was pressed deep inside the skin… and when he could shout… no one came to his rescue because of music... even a police van on the way missed this…all the way from Bangalore to Krishnagiri they kept on stabbing him with knife all over his face and shoulders… to extract the pin of the credit card… P1 said, come on we just use credit card for buying items …who would remember the pin of the credit card… however those guys didn’t believe Pankai and they tortured him with knife cuts…on the way those 5 guys made couple of calls… which Pankaj carefully memorized… wrote couple of numbers on his thighs…while the guys were busy poking with knife on Pankaj… near by Krishnagiri…Pankaj decided his only way to survive was to pretend being dead…those guys slit his throat from ear to ear… and Pankaj held his breath when they kept their fingers near his nostrils… they then took on to stabbing his thighs to see if he was really dead… Pankaj bore the pain and pretended to be dead… at last after the 5 guys were satisfied that Pankai was really dead…they threw Pankaj on the road and fled away… Pankaj lay on the road without moving for 1 hour on the krishnagiri road… then around 5 am he got up and walked…initially no one came to help him…thinking he was a beggar or a mad man… his whole what remained of his dress was drenched with blood and at last some middle class woman (why did P1 use this word?) helped him out… they took him to a Police station and then to a hospital… when the doctors put his two fingers in this neck…it could come out at the other side…his voice box was paralyzed by the time he reached Mallya hospital… but now he is talking… he has come over it… god alone has got him through… he gave the numbers to police station and identified the 5 guys and those 5 guys are in the jail now… apparently they had also killed an engineer earlier… well…Pankaj had bared his collar to show his neck slit to P1… he could not show the wound in his thighs to P1… Pankaj now calls up police if he finds some car moving suspiciously… he feels it is ok to raise false alarms…even if he was able to save at least one person during those efforts… Pankaj’s photos came in the newspapers after his miraculous survival and that fact that his tormentors were punished…I could not help admiring Pankaj for his guts and tolerance and cringe as to why god lets such things ever happen… P1 went on and on…
At times, I was moved to tears… she had compressed disk problem because of which her leg was paralyzed and she was not able to walk for 6 months… by Sri Krishna’s grace she had started walking again… she had a high metabolic rate and hence she didn’t have to maintain her figure…this guruvayur prasadam was for her back…she said…she had seen her mom’s last breath…she had seen her mom’s twin sister’s death… all at an young age…which is still fresh in her memories.. she had recurring dreams where it was as if she was sitting in a temple on a cold stone slab surrounded by lush green grass… she said…she had seen her dead mom in her dreams… but in her dreams her mom was always active… not as the sick person as in her last few months… she had a niece who was 21 years old and a nephew was 24 years old… she was from Coorg…the guys who had seen her had asked if she was virgin… and this had put her off…at times zodiac didn’t match…but most times… it simply didn’t click and 36 yrs had flown by…and she had a stern way of speaking… but her words were kind and she was warm hearted once you got speaking to her… she looked so strong and snobbish at the first sight but after 2 hrs with her around 8 pm…I was literally crying… begging her to stay with me for the night or have dinner …I was touched…she was such a caring and a warm hearted person… I accompanied her till the bus stand and she was off…I completely forgot about going to city market…I made another trip after coming home to at least get milk for mom in the morning… I hit the bed…thanking god for the number she gave me… after my yoga quest…I was searching for a reiki guru…some one who teach me pranic healing… if mom was not coming over the weekend… I would have met him then… now I have to meet him over next weekend…or this week if god wills…
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Devasena's Nithya
How I met her?
Every time, I take up lalithasahasranama, I end up remembering Devasena and Nithyasri. I wanted my right hamstring to be perfect when I joined college again. Hence, I decided that I will try kerala ayurvedha stuff as well, And when I met the doctor, he asked, "do you want a separate room or sharing one?" I did not want my mom to forgo her leave and I didn’t want to sleep alone either, so I said, I will share and then the doctor said you can share it with a qyoood little gal (in his strong mallu accent). Paavam she cannot walk. I checked in on 26 December, Wednesday, without considering the days, for I had my FMS MBA entrance exam on Jan 13 and XAT on Jan 6, the earlier I get discharged the better. The wonderful doc didn’t let me write my jan 6 exam, 14 continuous days he wanted. And I had to cancel my train tickets and forgo my xat exam fees, the funny part was the letters from other B schools later that started with “congrats on clearing the first step of giving xat”…well whatever…coming back to Nithya…
Cute little Nithyasri
She was cute indeed. She reminded me of the increasing number of Brahmins who beget mentally challenged children. Garuda puranam mentions a disease for each of the previous janma karmas. But I could not find the sin that results in broken bones. Should be grave enough.
Nithyasri, was really charming. Kanni hastham, September with a sun number, believe should be Sep 1st. DS had married her cousin, her dad’s sister’s son. In spite of getting her own aunt as mother in law, the usual daughter-in-law mother-in-law squabbles existed. In the ward, I didn’t want to be bogged by their loud mouthed talks. I pretended to bury myself in quants, while Varsha paati related Nithya’s stories to everyone who came to see her. Once Varsha paati learnt my story from my dad who happened to be Varsha paati’s husband’s ex colleague, she started relating my story to her visitors to my utter embarrassment. I could not help hearing all these stories. These ladies just relate it aloud. Even am doing the same thing now by writing this. No big difference.
MIL DIL squabble
Whenever, her mother-in-law cum aunt used to come DS’s place, she would be like a guest and not help with anything. When DS was too tired after all days work and lie for sometime, her mother-in-law would moan that DS ignored her and didn’t talk to her. Within moments after DS settled, her her mother-in-law would come and talk as in that JLo movie, where her would be mother in law barges in and talks the whole night.
Varsha Patti was in the first bed, DS and Nithya in the middle bed and I was in the last bed farthest from door. DS and Varsha Patti would constantly pour out to each other.
DS - A fighter from day 1
So DS had married her own cousin and he worked in BDU. Anyone who has been to the central bus stand knows that it is a limca book of records thing to board and alight K1 bus after mathur bus stop. He was a thin bony skeleton of a man and DS was solid lady having given birth to charming adithya only months earlier. DS’s husband never helped DS with anything, the whole house was a mess it seems. He would not wash his clothes, he would just put his clothes on the bed, make just little room for sleeping and sleep in the edge. DS’s mom was old and she just kept the kitchen clean, the other rooms were a mess. DS had got everything a house needed, so that when she got her own house, she could shift without having to buy a thing.
Childhood in Lalgudi
DS and her brothers were born and brought up in Lalgudi. During pongal each of them would take charge of a room and white wash the whole house with gusto. As a kid, she would do everything right from buying vegetables to paying electricity bills. Her brothers would just watch TV and command DS to fetch water and DS would meekly obey. Now her brothers after marriage, as soon as they return from office, would go out to market to buy vegetables. DS has a wonderful way of relating things that you tend to listen to her in spite of yourself.
DS’s elder sister had polio right from her childhood and was wheel chair ridden. DS and her mother had to do everything for her. DS was glad when her sister’s periods stopped recently.
NithyaSri's hospital Saga
NithyaSri had fallen off the bed in her sleep right on the second day she got admitted in the Kerala Ayervedha hospital. And everyone loved Nithya, even I could not help it, you tend to get so attached to her. When Nithya was born, she had some problems because of which she was put in incubator for 4 months. It cost around 2L for DS, but DS struck to her baby. DS related with fond affection about the 4 sisters who took special care of Nithya. DS still has contacts with all of them it seems. DS went to all of their marriages. One sister especially would first come and grab Nithya the moment she entered the hospital, checking bps of other patients while she snuggled Nithya against her bossom. Nithya had Cerebral palsy and docs said, she would not talk.
After 4 months when Nithya was discharged, Nithya didn’t pee the whole day. DS got so scared that she ran to the doc again, and the moment doc put Nithya on her belly, Nithya peed, the doc exclaimed, look how happy your mommy is on seeing you pee. The way DS related this to Varsha Patti sweetly in tamizh amused me.
Nithya had developed one more problem, because of which DS took her to some city hospital. The chief doc was not present and the attending doc, asked the duty sister to give some injection. The sister was careless during giving the injection and DS could see N’s eyes rolling up as the injection was administered. After this incident, N’s legs got intertwined and she didn’t walk on her two legs. N is now 8 years old but looks like a 5 yr old. She used to crawl all these years, however now after just 5 days in K, she had started walking rather ambling on her legs, albeit a bit slowly, but a definite positive improvement.
DS sings beautifully… and I wanted to learn karnatic music very badly…
NithyaSri's younger brother
DS was not scared about having another child. Just that she didn’t feel like having another kid. She said, no would be able to take care of N as she did, not even her mom. I could see that, in the mornings when DS went home to breastfeed Adithya, and N’s grand mom came. I could see the distance they maintained. When DS was around, N would be cuddled, it was simply joyous to see the love DS showered on N. I don’t think, if I had any mentally challenged child, I would have let it live in the first place…I would have killed it or abandoned it…whether I would have the heart to live any longer after that…god only knows…
One more thing about DS's mom that amused me was the fact that she didn't differentitate between her sons and daughters... if her sons made mischief or complained about the food, she would just snatch the plate from them and say "don't eat"... DS added, her mom however took utmost care of them in all other aspects... she was very strict it seems... she would want the room clean and she would want the kids to dry out clothes properly without any shrinks....
And when DS’s sister in law came to baby sit, N…it was even more horrible… N did not like milk… though she drank milk and bitter medicines when DS gave it to her.. N would cry venna venna… and DS’s sister-in-law would literally shout at her like anything… and teary eyed N would drink half a tumbler and puke her milk and her meager dinner in the end… I used to feel bad and literally would want to slap that lady… but had to remain rooted to my bed…
When N had got admitted… her new born brother Adithya got loose motion, since DS had abruptly stopped breastfeeding and gave baby food that didn’t agree with Adithya… while N was admitted in one hospital…DS had to admit Adithya in another hospital to get his dysentery treated… DS related another story of a kid swallowing a pencil being admitted… she was glad that god didn’t let her bother about paying Adithya’s hospitalization expenses…one famous dancer had given the amount without even DS asking for it… DS was getting down one auto and the bharatnatyam dancer was getting down another auto when they both met and DS related how she had got Nithya and Adithya admitted… the next day the dancer had sent the money through her house boy with a request - not to repay… also she said…how famous lawyers and accountants sent their gals to learn music from her and how they saw N and voluntarily gave more money… one gal’s parents had given DS 2k without asking for any repayment….
DS said, she was glad god helped her in all ways… man…I really admired her for her courage and the love she showered on N…
When DS was 7 months pregnant with Adithya or Nithya… the dancer’s singer had was not able to come with her to Andaman Nicobar islands for a performance… DS agreed to sail in ship even in those stages for 10k… the dancer had got 1L for the performance… it was the dancer who had recommended the hospital for Nithya to DS initially…
When N was 7 years old… DS heard about free surgery’s being performed in Thirupathi hospital.. DS had taken N to get her intertwined legs separated… N had big big scars on both her thighs and knees… DS went on to relate this incident as well… DS was pregnant with Adithya then and she went to Thirupathi alone… there was some trust that booked the tickets and appointments for her in the hospital…only for this trip she got her mobile… she spoke to the guy and he had come to pick her up in the railway station… since this was free hospital…quality was non existent… she had to share the bathroom with 20 others… sleep in a large hall… and wait in the queue for free food… I could not imagine a pregnant lady doing all this… and N still had to be carried then…
There was one more kid, Manjunath who also had to be operated upon… Nithya and Manjunath became friends and were braving themselves for the surgery day… on the day of operation, they refused to operate upon Nithya since she had blocked nose and cold… once Nithya came back from the theatre… Manjunath was taken to the theatre…where he threw tantrums…brought the whole hospital down and convinced the doctors to operate him on the day Nithya had her surgery… finally the kids got operated on the same day….again, the hospital offered no support after the surgery… after surgery….they had to vacate and come back after 11 days for stitch removal… in Nithya’s case… DS arranged for a place to stay through trust… immediately after surgery… Nithya was having so much pain that she started hitting DS… DS bore it even as Nithya pulled at her mother’s earrings till it bled… DS’s heart wept thinking that her kid had to suffer so much of pain…not caring about her own ears….
After stitches were removed…N’s both legs were put in POP and DS had a big luggage and she was 7-8 months pregnant… DS related with emotion as to how the porter booked the unreserved train ticket from Thirupathi to trichy… he carried N carefully in his arms and put the luggage on his head and asked DS to follow him… he went to the handicapped compartment and got DS settled…and asked DS not to open the door once the TT came till trichy…and he did not accept the 50 that DS gave him…
I remembered the time in December 2005, when I had to travel unreserved every weekend to trichy to see my hospitalized mom…coz buses took a longer time and meant too much of shaking… many a times the whole ladies compartment was filled with handicapped ladies…I was wondering why they didn’t take the handicapped coach… and here the other ladies were not even giving seat to these ladies…I felt so disgusted with the whole state of affairs…and decided am not going to travel unreserved any time in my life henceforth… there would be some guy who would pay the TT and occupy the handicapped coach and these gals would have to suffer… govt has so many good schemes and as always…they are never implemented… however in DS’s case, it was genuine…she needed the space and rest… she was back to trichy and took charge again….
After Adithya was born, when DS breastfed him for the first time, she could not help crying, thinking, if Nithya had got the nutrition as well…she would have grown up much stronger… Nithya and Adithya get along with each other and DS keeps on saying to Adithya that he has to take care of Nithya when he grows up…
Since, I was always with my exam books, Nithya too wanted to study…I gave her my scrap book and she wanted me to give her sums… she did addition of single digit numbers correctly… she didn’t understand the minus sign… I was writing about Nithya in my note as well…when I could not concentrate on my quants problems… and she took on copying everything I wrote on my note…I used to practice my word list with her and she got the meaning and the pronunciation correctly… thanks to dad who told the doc, that I was preparing for mba instead of concentrating on marriage, the doc… never liked to see me with books and he used to scold me if curled up on the bed engrossed in quants… following what he said, even the panchakarma therapists took on to admonishing me if I was with my preparatory materials…I got so sick of all this… and I got irritable… and I took on to hiding the books under the pillows and beneath the bed sheet when they were around and took to utilizing all other time when they would not be there to disturb me… according the crazy doc, I was not supposed to sit on the bed…just lie down 24 hours a day and enjoy life… crazy idea of enjoying life… and since I was stealing time, I wanted no distractions… there was a window and table chair next to it… I used to sit there and practice math… the moment I sat there…Nithya too wanted to sit next to me… close to me…so that she could copy what I was doing and so that I could give simple math problems to her… but that day I was irritated with the doc and panchakarma gals… DS assumed that I will take care of N when she went to have her coffee… but u know, how it is with kids… though N, had started walking, she was so fragile… I had to constantly keep a watch on her while she sat on the single bed or sat on the chair, so that she does not fall down… and that day, the moment, I sat, DS put the chair next to me, so that N could sit… the next moment, I got up from my seat and went back to bed to do math…N was hurt that day… and DS did not go for coffee break and I could not practice math that day… in fact after that I left practicing at all… wrote my exam without sticking on my prepared schedule and I was surprised, when I got the call from fms this march…
After that I told DS, please you go have your coffee… I will take care of Nithya… but DS did not go… after a day I got back her good will again… and on the last day…DS used to say how much N used to take care of DS… DS used to have lower back problem and once when DS had curled up in pain… N recited the whole Kanda Shasti kavasam without any mistake…of course, Nithya can not even pronounce my name properly… but am sure she will pick up… her left hand lines are weak…but her right hand lines are strong… she will become somebody for all that troubles DS has gone through…On the last day of discharge …DS agreed to sing songs for me following my request…I told her to sing, non karnatic songs, other than kurai ondrum illai…because, I knew only that song and I always wanted to listen only to MS’s voice singing it… DS sang one song that she had composed and sang it… I was not all that impressed… later she sang Bharathiyar’s song that was Nithya’s favourite and Thedinaen deva deva from raghavendra that transported me to some other world… it was too good… after that the gals came to take me for the oil massage and I wanted to give her some money or at least the apple I had… but while I was in the treatment room, I realized, she was going to go right away and so I asked the panchakarma gal to ask DS to write her contact details… while going when I was still in the treatment room, DS told that she had written her mobile number in my lalitha book cover… I felt bad, I didn’t give her anything… well… world is too small… I will meet her and give her something…
The day N got discharged… DS was saying, the house was in disarray…fan was not working and Nithya needed fan… what to do …you can not ask Nithya if she had been born in AC…for right after birth she was in AC for quite some time… DS’s husband just goes to BDU and comes back… now DS is in charge as usual… she has to get the electrician… get the fan working… clean up the house… she has arranged a yoga teacher for N… could be because she saw me doing asanas and pranayam some of which I taught her… and am sure DS will not turn any stone unturned if Nithya’s is involved… she has fixed a dentist’s appointment for Nithya… am sure Nithya will become somebody…. Sometime, later Varsha Patti’s story….
Every time, I take up lalithasahasranama, I end up remembering Devasena and Nithyasri. I wanted my right hamstring to be perfect when I joined college again. Hence, I decided that I will try kerala ayurvedha stuff as well, And when I met the doctor, he asked, "do you want a separate room or sharing one?" I did not want my mom to forgo her leave and I didn’t want to sleep alone either, so I said, I will share and then the doctor said you can share it with a qyoood little gal (in his strong mallu accent). Paavam she cannot walk. I checked in on 26 December, Wednesday, without considering the days, for I had my FMS MBA entrance exam on Jan 13 and XAT on Jan 6, the earlier I get discharged the better. The wonderful doc didn’t let me write my jan 6 exam, 14 continuous days he wanted. And I had to cancel my train tickets and forgo my xat exam fees, the funny part was the letters from other B schools later that started with “congrats on clearing the first step of giving xat”…well whatever…coming back to Nithya…
Cute little Nithyasri
She was cute indeed. She reminded me of the increasing number of Brahmins who beget mentally challenged children. Garuda puranam mentions a disease for each of the previous janma karmas. But I could not find the sin that results in broken bones. Should be grave enough.
Nithyasri, was really charming. Kanni hastham, September with a sun number, believe should be Sep 1st. DS had married her cousin, her dad’s sister’s son. In spite of getting her own aunt as mother in law, the usual daughter-in-law mother-in-law squabbles existed. In the ward, I didn’t want to be bogged by their loud mouthed talks. I pretended to bury myself in quants, while Varsha paati related Nithya’s stories to everyone who came to see her. Once Varsha paati learnt my story from my dad who happened to be Varsha paati’s husband’s ex colleague, she started relating my story to her visitors to my utter embarrassment. I could not help hearing all these stories. These ladies just relate it aloud. Even am doing the same thing now by writing this. No big difference.
MIL DIL squabble
Whenever, her mother-in-law cum aunt used to come DS’s place, she would be like a guest and not help with anything. When DS was too tired after all days work and lie for sometime, her mother-in-law would moan that DS ignored her and didn’t talk to her. Within moments after DS settled, her her mother-in-law would come and talk as in that JLo movie, where her would be mother in law barges in and talks the whole night.
Varsha Patti was in the first bed, DS and Nithya in the middle bed and I was in the last bed farthest from door. DS and Varsha Patti would constantly pour out to each other.
DS - A fighter from day 1
So DS had married her own cousin and he worked in BDU. Anyone who has been to the central bus stand knows that it is a limca book of records thing to board and alight K1 bus after mathur bus stop. He was a thin bony skeleton of a man and DS was solid lady having given birth to charming adithya only months earlier. DS’s husband never helped DS with anything, the whole house was a mess it seems. He would not wash his clothes, he would just put his clothes on the bed, make just little room for sleeping and sleep in the edge. DS’s mom was old and she just kept the kitchen clean, the other rooms were a mess. DS had got everything a house needed, so that when she got her own house, she could shift without having to buy a thing.
Childhood in Lalgudi
DS and her brothers were born and brought up in Lalgudi. During pongal each of them would take charge of a room and white wash the whole house with gusto. As a kid, she would do everything right from buying vegetables to paying electricity bills. Her brothers would just watch TV and command DS to fetch water and DS would meekly obey. Now her brothers after marriage, as soon as they return from office, would go out to market to buy vegetables. DS has a wonderful way of relating things that you tend to listen to her in spite of yourself.
DS’s elder sister had polio right from her childhood and was wheel chair ridden. DS and her mother had to do everything for her. DS was glad when her sister’s periods stopped recently.
NithyaSri's hospital Saga
NithyaSri had fallen off the bed in her sleep right on the second day she got admitted in the Kerala Ayervedha hospital. And everyone loved Nithya, even I could not help it, you tend to get so attached to her. When Nithya was born, she had some problems because of which she was put in incubator for 4 months. It cost around 2L for DS, but DS struck to her baby. DS related with fond affection about the 4 sisters who took special care of Nithya. DS still has contacts with all of them it seems. DS went to all of their marriages. One sister especially would first come and grab Nithya the moment she entered the hospital, checking bps of other patients while she snuggled Nithya against her bossom. Nithya had Cerebral palsy and docs said, she would not talk.
After 4 months when Nithya was discharged, Nithya didn’t pee the whole day. DS got so scared that she ran to the doc again, and the moment doc put Nithya on her belly, Nithya peed, the doc exclaimed, look how happy your mommy is on seeing you pee. The way DS related this to Varsha Patti sweetly in tamizh amused me.
Nithya had developed one more problem, because of which DS took her to some city hospital. The chief doc was not present and the attending doc, asked the duty sister to give some injection. The sister was careless during giving the injection and DS could see N’s eyes rolling up as the injection was administered. After this incident, N’s legs got intertwined and she didn’t walk on her two legs. N is now 8 years old but looks like a 5 yr old. She used to crawl all these years, however now after just 5 days in K, she had started walking rather ambling on her legs, albeit a bit slowly, but a definite positive improvement.
DS sings beautifully… and I wanted to learn karnatic music very badly…
NithyaSri's younger brother
DS was not scared about having another child. Just that she didn’t feel like having another kid. She said, no would be able to take care of N as she did, not even her mom. I could see that, in the mornings when DS went home to breastfeed Adithya, and N’s grand mom came. I could see the distance they maintained. When DS was around, N would be cuddled, it was simply joyous to see the love DS showered on N. I don’t think, if I had any mentally challenged child, I would have let it live in the first place…I would have killed it or abandoned it…whether I would have the heart to live any longer after that…god only knows…
One more thing about DS's mom that amused me was the fact that she didn't differentitate between her sons and daughters... if her sons made mischief or complained about the food, she would just snatch the plate from them and say "don't eat"... DS added, her mom however took utmost care of them in all other aspects... she was very strict it seems... she would want the room clean and she would want the kids to dry out clothes properly without any shrinks....
And when DS’s sister in law came to baby sit, N…it was even more horrible… N did not like milk… though she drank milk and bitter medicines when DS gave it to her.. N would cry venna venna… and DS’s sister-in-law would literally shout at her like anything… and teary eyed N would drink half a tumbler and puke her milk and her meager dinner in the end… I used to feel bad and literally would want to slap that lady… but had to remain rooted to my bed…
When N had got admitted… her new born brother Adithya got loose motion, since DS had abruptly stopped breastfeeding and gave baby food that didn’t agree with Adithya… while N was admitted in one hospital…DS had to admit Adithya in another hospital to get his dysentery treated… DS related another story of a kid swallowing a pencil being admitted… she was glad that god didn’t let her bother about paying Adithya’s hospitalization expenses…one famous dancer had given the amount without even DS asking for it… DS was getting down one auto and the bharatnatyam dancer was getting down another auto when they both met and DS related how she had got Nithya and Adithya admitted… the next day the dancer had sent the money through her house boy with a request - not to repay… also she said…how famous lawyers and accountants sent their gals to learn music from her and how they saw N and voluntarily gave more money… one gal’s parents had given DS 2k without asking for any repayment….
DS said, she was glad god helped her in all ways… man…I really admired her for her courage and the love she showered on N…
When DS was 7 months pregnant with Adithya or Nithya… the dancer’s singer had was not able to come with her to Andaman Nicobar islands for a performance… DS agreed to sail in ship even in those stages for 10k… the dancer had got 1L for the performance… it was the dancer who had recommended the hospital for Nithya to DS initially…
When N was 7 years old… DS heard about free surgery’s being performed in Thirupathi hospital.. DS had taken N to get her intertwined legs separated… N had big big scars on both her thighs and knees… DS went on to relate this incident as well… DS was pregnant with Adithya then and she went to Thirupathi alone… there was some trust that booked the tickets and appointments for her in the hospital…only for this trip she got her mobile… she spoke to the guy and he had come to pick her up in the railway station… since this was free hospital…quality was non existent… she had to share the bathroom with 20 others… sleep in a large hall… and wait in the queue for free food… I could not imagine a pregnant lady doing all this… and N still had to be carried then…
There was one more kid, Manjunath who also had to be operated upon… Nithya and Manjunath became friends and were braving themselves for the surgery day… on the day of operation, they refused to operate upon Nithya since she had blocked nose and cold… once Nithya came back from the theatre… Manjunath was taken to the theatre…where he threw tantrums…brought the whole hospital down and convinced the doctors to operate him on the day Nithya had her surgery… finally the kids got operated on the same day….again, the hospital offered no support after the surgery… after surgery….they had to vacate and come back after 11 days for stitch removal… in Nithya’s case… DS arranged for a place to stay through trust… immediately after surgery… Nithya was having so much pain that she started hitting DS… DS bore it even as Nithya pulled at her mother’s earrings till it bled… DS’s heart wept thinking that her kid had to suffer so much of pain…not caring about her own ears….
After stitches were removed…N’s both legs were put in POP and DS had a big luggage and she was 7-8 months pregnant… DS related with emotion as to how the porter booked the unreserved train ticket from Thirupathi to trichy… he carried N carefully in his arms and put the luggage on his head and asked DS to follow him… he went to the handicapped compartment and got DS settled…and asked DS not to open the door once the TT came till trichy…and he did not accept the 50 that DS gave him…
I remembered the time in December 2005, when I had to travel unreserved every weekend to trichy to see my hospitalized mom…coz buses took a longer time and meant too much of shaking… many a times the whole ladies compartment was filled with handicapped ladies…I was wondering why they didn’t take the handicapped coach… and here the other ladies were not even giving seat to these ladies…I felt so disgusted with the whole state of affairs…and decided am not going to travel unreserved any time in my life henceforth… there would be some guy who would pay the TT and occupy the handicapped coach and these gals would have to suffer… govt has so many good schemes and as always…they are never implemented… however in DS’s case, it was genuine…she needed the space and rest… she was back to trichy and took charge again….
After Adithya was born, when DS breastfed him for the first time, she could not help crying, thinking, if Nithya had got the nutrition as well…she would have grown up much stronger… Nithya and Adithya get along with each other and DS keeps on saying to Adithya that he has to take care of Nithya when he grows up…
Since, I was always with my exam books, Nithya too wanted to study…I gave her my scrap book and she wanted me to give her sums… she did addition of single digit numbers correctly… she didn’t understand the minus sign… I was writing about Nithya in my note as well…when I could not concentrate on my quants problems… and she took on copying everything I wrote on my note…I used to practice my word list with her and she got the meaning and the pronunciation correctly… thanks to dad who told the doc, that I was preparing for mba instead of concentrating on marriage, the doc… never liked to see me with books and he used to scold me if curled up on the bed engrossed in quants… following what he said, even the panchakarma therapists took on to admonishing me if I was with my preparatory materials…I got so sick of all this… and I got irritable… and I took on to hiding the books under the pillows and beneath the bed sheet when they were around and took to utilizing all other time when they would not be there to disturb me… according the crazy doc, I was not supposed to sit on the bed…just lie down 24 hours a day and enjoy life… crazy idea of enjoying life… and since I was stealing time, I wanted no distractions… there was a window and table chair next to it… I used to sit there and practice math… the moment I sat there…Nithya too wanted to sit next to me… close to me…so that she could copy what I was doing and so that I could give simple math problems to her… but that day I was irritated with the doc and panchakarma gals… DS assumed that I will take care of N when she went to have her coffee… but u know, how it is with kids… though N, had started walking, she was so fragile… I had to constantly keep a watch on her while she sat on the single bed or sat on the chair, so that she does not fall down… and that day, the moment, I sat, DS put the chair next to me, so that N could sit… the next moment, I got up from my seat and went back to bed to do math…N was hurt that day… and DS did not go for coffee break and I could not practice math that day… in fact after that I left practicing at all… wrote my exam without sticking on my prepared schedule and I was surprised, when I got the call from fms this march…
After that I told DS, please you go have your coffee… I will take care of Nithya… but DS did not go… after a day I got back her good will again… and on the last day…DS used to say how much N used to take care of DS… DS used to have lower back problem and once when DS had curled up in pain… N recited the whole Kanda Shasti kavasam without any mistake…of course, Nithya can not even pronounce my name properly… but am sure she will pick up… her left hand lines are weak…but her right hand lines are strong… she will become somebody for all that troubles DS has gone through…On the last day of discharge …DS agreed to sing songs for me following my request…I told her to sing, non karnatic songs, other than kurai ondrum illai…because, I knew only that song and I always wanted to listen only to MS’s voice singing it… DS sang one song that she had composed and sang it… I was not all that impressed… later she sang Bharathiyar’s song that was Nithya’s favourite and Thedinaen deva deva from raghavendra that transported me to some other world… it was too good… after that the gals came to take me for the oil massage and I wanted to give her some money or at least the apple I had… but while I was in the treatment room, I realized, she was going to go right away and so I asked the panchakarma gal to ask DS to write her contact details… while going when I was still in the treatment room, DS told that she had written her mobile number in my lalitha book cover… I felt bad, I didn’t give her anything… well… world is too small… I will meet her and give her something…
The day N got discharged… DS was saying, the house was in disarray…fan was not working and Nithya needed fan… what to do …you can not ask Nithya if she had been born in AC…for right after birth she was in AC for quite some time… DS’s husband just goes to BDU and comes back… now DS is in charge as usual… she has to get the electrician… get the fan working… clean up the house… she has arranged a yoga teacher for N… could be because she saw me doing asanas and pranayam some of which I taught her… and am sure DS will not turn any stone unturned if Nithya’s is involved… she has fixed a dentist’s appointment for Nithya… am sure Nithya will become somebody…. Sometime, later Varsha Patti’s story….
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Beloved IJ - 2
I was supposed to have met him the day after one dwadashi, but later, when I realized i had to travel on dwadashi, I cancelled the tickets and decided that, I will go only for final frame removal to see him. This time, I waited till my entrance exams got over and the stupid certification got over. Amidst my exam tensions, my PM was saying, my leave might be cancelled, if I didn’t complete the KT to V. We stayed till 10 pm, to complete the KT, the last few days and my train was at 11:55 and I started from office at 11:30…. As usual, UHC said, it is not going to approve my pre authorization, since ilizarov frame removal was a cosmetic surgery according to them…and as usual, my HR mgr got it approved on the last day….
At 11:50, in cantonment, it was pretty amusing,… there was a thayir sadham who was literally angry with me for traveling alone at night… did I know that the coach will stop at this place? and similar questions…this is the second time I got unsolicited help with this checked yellow dress… and finally when the train came at 12:30… the coach door was swinging and I didn’t have a solid support…so that thayir sadham got hold of my arm in a painful grip and I boarded my coach… I had arranged the teddy, the airpillows and tried to doze when again after almost 25 minutes, he came back asking, if I was ok… 4-5 oks…well…whatever…he said, he will drop me at home in Chennai… no thanks I said, I was getting down at katpadi and lied that my dad would be coming to pick me up… I always wished there was someone to say tata when I left and pick me up when I came… but always…I had to travel alone…with my throat hurting at the stations…oft is a prohibited area with buses once an hour…even if anyone wanted to send me off… they would not get return buses until 3 hrs later at 1 am…so better to go alone…
Next day dec 19 around 4 am…it was pouring like anything…as I alighted from the train, I had got completely drenched…I went up and down the slanting railway over head bride and there was a bus waiting and I boarded the bus and reached the C… my appt was around 8 and I waited, wondering what to do in this rain…. no auto seemed to coming anywhere near the gate where I was standing… at last…I decided…I will stand in that pool of water and wave my hands for any auto that stops… after 5 minutes of getting soaked…one auto took me to stinking solai lodge…where I took bath… carefully anne frenched leaving the area around the pins… at 7, I didn’t have any umbrella…I got under a Chinese/north east guy’s umbrella…till C gate and then I waited…I was summoned as the second patient… I had taken my x rays with the previous cancelled appt slip and he just had to arrange the surgery timings…
IJ said, I should have given him some warning… he had seen my yesterday night’s CiaoTomorrow mail only that morning… I told him…he had filled in the preauth form for surgery on 20…so he should have known… the xrays were not visible initially…so I went out and he summoned me again after 5-10 minutes and he said…okie the frame could be removed…great I thought…though I was scared that the fibula still had the 2 cm gap… he said, he needed someone with me the next day…I told him, since you said, this is a minor procedure…I didn’t want to trouble my parents during rains…
He had asked how was my job and all those questions and said, had it been a poor guy, he would have removed the pins in 10 minutes without anesthesia, but that was not the case with me… and he went on to say that c was behind money and its mission was to treat gently… in America, treatment costs would run to crores and the docs would spend 80% of the time talking to the insurance ppl, to clarify rates etc… but if ij were to do that…his job would be boring…interacting with patients and counseling was the job he liked…he said…with an intense look…I was embarrassed since I had a pimple under my nose…that refused to disappear in spite of my frantic efforts…
Since, it was a daycare stuff, I had to go to anesthesia to get the clearance… this wonderful lazy doc guy… asked the usual questions and popped in one more extra question, whether I used contraceptives…”excuse me”, I exclaimed… he said, if I had been using them…then anesthesia would increase bleeding…I replied no with a grimace and went back to the ward, thinking, if mom or dad had been there with me…this guy would not have asked me this q…
After usual room booking jhanjats…I got into 04E… this time, I went to the single pvt ac room …and somehow, I didn’t feel good there and came back to O4E… dad was going to come on the day of surgery…that night another lady anesthetist came in the ward and I told her that am allergic to micropores…only then I got the gyan as to why they give IV during anesthesia to… she didn’t know that it was a 15 minute pin removal stuff and she was planning for a spinal one…
At night I had kept the windows open and the other bed had become damp…I was still asleep when dad had come… and after that I had to go to the sisters to get a fresh sheet for dad to sleep till 7… i didn’t want to eat anything…even though I was permitted liquid till 6 am… around 8…I had to shift my room since there was an accident case who was going to come to the room where I was… I took hair bath…and was solving sudoku in Indian Express when IJ came… he said, he didn’t know that I had checked in…I told him…for uhc, I needed to be admitted before any treatment could commence… he had got 2 spanners with him… he said…”sister, hold the frame, I will remove the struts”… I was shocked…is he going to remove the pins, right here on the ward bed without anesthesia…okie I thought, IJ knows the best… the top frame had been loosened for quite some time and the pin usually hurt with every movement… and I tolerated the pain till he removed 4 struts… after that the frame started tilting and even I had to hold it in place along with the sister so that ij could remove the remaining two…I was literally begging him to remove them in the theatre…but he said, itha mattum vittuta…asingma irrukkum and he removed the last two and I gasped with pain and almost caught his hands… he commanded, now walk and show me… I was scared about my still disjoined fibula and a lumpish newly united tibia…nevertheless…I wore my black pants and walked out of the room where he was standing facing the sisters…
Dad had gone out probably for a smoke during this time…and ij and I spoke for quite some time… he said how he had been afraid, if the bones were really strong enough…and now he was confident on seeing me walk… he said, this is a minor surgery and usually he would never be involved for such cases, his juniors were surprised, that he was getting involved in this… he had told them that I was his special patient and that the PG who would be removing was a good doc… he said…he had to go to Martha or some place like that as examiner…he said, how those stupid ppl had postponed the exam dates and how he had to cancel his tickets… and since it was sabari malai season…there was no hopes in train… since it was AC…he could not have WL tickets…he said, the rly station was very near the college and by flight he had to travel backwards to Chennai wait there for 2 hours and down south, literally clock in same hours… they would just cancel the flights… at least for delhi, there would be some mla to flight…now he was a ticketless man he said…
He said, how even if it was free patient, he would patiently explain and draw diagrams and explain the treatment being given… and he described how, for his daughter’s delivery, his son-in-law had huge sum from insurance… even then, the cost came to 22k it seems… he said, how he had brought up his 3 kids modestly even though he had the riches…but you guys need to be careful with your generation he said… he said about his nephew working in Pune for Siemens who was the director whose company insisted he ride a bmw leaving his corolla…he earned close to a crore a year, but used to tell ij…”uncle, I cannot continue like this for long”…. And such similar talks…I was just gazing at him like a light dazzled doe, thoroughly soaked in his voice…we were standing kind of close to each other and I could feel his warm breath…
Suddenly dad appeared out the blue… and joined in… and I felt the moment was gone… dad joined in with more trivia… meanwhile ij asked, whether, I could read tamil… I said… definitely… that is my mother tongue and I know how to read… and he said, he will try to give me a small booklet, it was on the miracles of life etc… I felt bad, that I had not got him anything, thanks to my Libran ways of spending…
He was talking about how gals come to their parents home only rarely…his daughter had come recently for delivery… he said even if children want to come to their parents home …they would not have time… my daughter has married a guy of her choice… and I am happy with that …even if I had to find a guy like that I would not have been able to… he keeps her happy… my dad agreed that kids never had time for their parents and it was loneliness left to parents in the end…
After such similar talks I asked, was it a boy or gal… his daughter’s kid…baby… I blabbered… IJ said, it was her second delivery and it was a gal, the first was a boy… well few more talks…he said he had to leave now and we then shook hands and he went away… that was the first time I walked to the theatre bed instead of being lifted in a stretcher… the first time and hopefully last time…I made them put a cloth bandage instead of a micropore that would give me blisters on my hand when I wake up…after the minor frame removal and anesthetic sleep back in the ward…I found his booklet with his handwritten message… I forgot about everything else and started to read it… and sent a stupid msg stating I agreed with some % of what was written in it… that piece of paper with his handwriting is now my most treasured thing… So many times, like a fool, I would gaze that paper, instead of preparing for my entrance exams…
Many a times, I would just hold that square bit of paper and cry foolishly for no reason what so ever… at the end…it would be funny to realize that there was no rational reason behind those tears…
Yes’day afternoon on Monday after getting my two reference letters from 2 moonies in Chennai, I boarded Lalbagh express and around 5:30… passed through Katpadi station… I was confused over calling or messaging IJ. I was in roaming and 2 days in Chennai had taken its toll on my pre paid airtel connection. And, I thought, what if, the call got cut while in call, as it usually happens during train journey. I was also concerned, that my msg might end up a failure delivery as it had happened with those numerous messages I had sent him, everytime, I came to Chennai or passed via vellore. So finally I decided, I will message him, for my throat was also hurting for the past few days, thanks to late night methi parantha and amul curd or god knows what. Since both my roomie and I, got sore throat at the same time, it should have been something, we ate together. Too bad, that my star is a naidhana for her, though hers is a kshema star for me…
So I messaged him, a simple just wanted to say hi… passing through katpadi message… immediately, quite unexpectedly…I got the reply… to anyone else…it would have been just a thanks for your thoughtfulness…best wishes msg… but coming from an Aquarian…that too his first ever reply to my sms…I was enthralled… burst into silly smiles and seconds later… could not help crying… do not know why… there was a family in front of me… with a small pamperedWithLaysAndOtherEquallyWonderfulJunkFood boy of about 7 and well adjusted couple and 2 oriya guys next to me… so I had to resort to bending down on my heavy bag and finished crying till my throat and self felt better…
Man… along with that squarish bit of paper…this msg will be something I treasure till my whim lets me to… He made my whole day… the only thing, I could remember then was Khalid Gibran's quotes… what makes you most happy, makes you cry the most as well… how long will I obsessed with ij god?
At 11:50, in cantonment, it was pretty amusing,… there was a thayir sadham who was literally angry with me for traveling alone at night… did I know that the coach will stop at this place? and similar questions…this is the second time I got unsolicited help with this checked yellow dress… and finally when the train came at 12:30… the coach door was swinging and I didn’t have a solid support…so that thayir sadham got hold of my arm in a painful grip and I boarded my coach… I had arranged the teddy, the airpillows and tried to doze when again after almost 25 minutes, he came back asking, if I was ok… 4-5 oks…well…whatever…he said, he will drop me at home in Chennai… no thanks I said, I was getting down at katpadi and lied that my dad would be coming to pick me up… I always wished there was someone to say tata when I left and pick me up when I came… but always…I had to travel alone…with my throat hurting at the stations…oft is a prohibited area with buses once an hour…even if anyone wanted to send me off… they would not get return buses until 3 hrs later at 1 am…so better to go alone…
Next day dec 19 around 4 am…it was pouring like anything…as I alighted from the train, I had got completely drenched…I went up and down the slanting railway over head bride and there was a bus waiting and I boarded the bus and reached the C… my appt was around 8 and I waited, wondering what to do in this rain…. no auto seemed to coming anywhere near the gate where I was standing… at last…I decided…I will stand in that pool of water and wave my hands for any auto that stops… after 5 minutes of getting soaked…one auto took me to stinking solai lodge…where I took bath… carefully anne frenched leaving the area around the pins… at 7, I didn’t have any umbrella…I got under a Chinese/north east guy’s umbrella…till C gate and then I waited…I was summoned as the second patient… I had taken my x rays with the previous cancelled appt slip and he just had to arrange the surgery timings…
IJ said, I should have given him some warning… he had seen my yesterday night’s CiaoTomorrow mail only that morning… I told him…he had filled in the preauth form for surgery on 20…so he should have known… the xrays were not visible initially…so I went out and he summoned me again after 5-10 minutes and he said…okie the frame could be removed…great I thought…though I was scared that the fibula still had the 2 cm gap… he said, he needed someone with me the next day…I told him, since you said, this is a minor procedure…I didn’t want to trouble my parents during rains…
He had asked how was my job and all those questions and said, had it been a poor guy, he would have removed the pins in 10 minutes without anesthesia, but that was not the case with me… and he went on to say that c was behind money and its mission was to treat gently… in America, treatment costs would run to crores and the docs would spend 80% of the time talking to the insurance ppl, to clarify rates etc… but if ij were to do that…his job would be boring…interacting with patients and counseling was the job he liked…he said…with an intense look…I was embarrassed since I had a pimple under my nose…that refused to disappear in spite of my frantic efforts…
Since, it was a daycare stuff, I had to go to anesthesia to get the clearance… this wonderful lazy doc guy… asked the usual questions and popped in one more extra question, whether I used contraceptives…”excuse me”, I exclaimed… he said, if I had been using them…then anesthesia would increase bleeding…I replied no with a grimace and went back to the ward, thinking, if mom or dad had been there with me…this guy would not have asked me this q…
After usual room booking jhanjats…I got into 04E… this time, I went to the single pvt ac room …and somehow, I didn’t feel good there and came back to O4E… dad was going to come on the day of surgery…that night another lady anesthetist came in the ward and I told her that am allergic to micropores…only then I got the gyan as to why they give IV during anesthesia to… she didn’t know that it was a 15 minute pin removal stuff and she was planning for a spinal one…
At night I had kept the windows open and the other bed had become damp…I was still asleep when dad had come… and after that I had to go to the sisters to get a fresh sheet for dad to sleep till 7… i didn’t want to eat anything…even though I was permitted liquid till 6 am… around 8…I had to shift my room since there was an accident case who was going to come to the room where I was… I took hair bath…and was solving sudoku in Indian Express when IJ came… he said, he didn’t know that I had checked in…I told him…for uhc, I needed to be admitted before any treatment could commence… he had got 2 spanners with him… he said…”sister, hold the frame, I will remove the struts”… I was shocked…is he going to remove the pins, right here on the ward bed without anesthesia…okie I thought, IJ knows the best… the top frame had been loosened for quite some time and the pin usually hurt with every movement… and I tolerated the pain till he removed 4 struts… after that the frame started tilting and even I had to hold it in place along with the sister so that ij could remove the remaining two…I was literally begging him to remove them in the theatre…but he said, itha mattum vittuta…asingma irrukkum and he removed the last two and I gasped with pain and almost caught his hands… he commanded, now walk and show me… I was scared about my still disjoined fibula and a lumpish newly united tibia…nevertheless…I wore my black pants and walked out of the room where he was standing facing the sisters…
Dad had gone out probably for a smoke during this time…and ij and I spoke for quite some time… he said how he had been afraid, if the bones were really strong enough…and now he was confident on seeing me walk… he said, this is a minor surgery and usually he would never be involved for such cases, his juniors were surprised, that he was getting involved in this… he had told them that I was his special patient and that the PG who would be removing was a good doc… he said…he had to go to Martha or some place like that as examiner…he said, how those stupid ppl had postponed the exam dates and how he had to cancel his tickets… and since it was sabari malai season…there was no hopes in train… since it was AC…he could not have WL tickets…he said, the rly station was very near the college and by flight he had to travel backwards to Chennai wait there for 2 hours and down south, literally clock in same hours… they would just cancel the flights… at least for delhi, there would be some mla to flight…now he was a ticketless man he said…
He said, how even if it was free patient, he would patiently explain and draw diagrams and explain the treatment being given… and he described how, for his daughter’s delivery, his son-in-law had huge sum from insurance… even then, the cost came to 22k it seems… he said, how he had brought up his 3 kids modestly even though he had the riches…but you guys need to be careful with your generation he said… he said about his nephew working in Pune for Siemens who was the director whose company insisted he ride a bmw leaving his corolla…he earned close to a crore a year, but used to tell ij…”uncle, I cannot continue like this for long”…. And such similar talks…I was just gazing at him like a light dazzled doe, thoroughly soaked in his voice…we were standing kind of close to each other and I could feel his warm breath…
Suddenly dad appeared out the blue… and joined in… and I felt the moment was gone… dad joined in with more trivia… meanwhile ij asked, whether, I could read tamil… I said… definitely… that is my mother tongue and I know how to read… and he said, he will try to give me a small booklet, it was on the miracles of life etc… I felt bad, that I had not got him anything, thanks to my Libran ways of spending…
He was talking about how gals come to their parents home only rarely…his daughter had come recently for delivery… he said even if children want to come to their parents home …they would not have time… my daughter has married a guy of her choice… and I am happy with that …even if I had to find a guy like that I would not have been able to… he keeps her happy… my dad agreed that kids never had time for their parents and it was loneliness left to parents in the end…
After such similar talks I asked, was it a boy or gal… his daughter’s kid…baby… I blabbered… IJ said, it was her second delivery and it was a gal, the first was a boy… well few more talks…he said he had to leave now and we then shook hands and he went away… that was the first time I walked to the theatre bed instead of being lifted in a stretcher… the first time and hopefully last time…I made them put a cloth bandage instead of a micropore that would give me blisters on my hand when I wake up…after the minor frame removal and anesthetic sleep back in the ward…I found his booklet with his handwritten message… I forgot about everything else and started to read it… and sent a stupid msg stating I agreed with some % of what was written in it… that piece of paper with his handwriting is now my most treasured thing… So many times, like a fool, I would gaze that paper, instead of preparing for my entrance exams…
Many a times, I would just hold that square bit of paper and cry foolishly for no reason what so ever… at the end…it would be funny to realize that there was no rational reason behind those tears…
Yes’day afternoon on Monday after getting my two reference letters from 2 moonies in Chennai, I boarded Lalbagh express and around 5:30… passed through Katpadi station… I was confused over calling or messaging IJ. I was in roaming and 2 days in Chennai had taken its toll on my pre paid airtel connection. And, I thought, what if, the call got cut while in call, as it usually happens during train journey. I was also concerned, that my msg might end up a failure delivery as it had happened with those numerous messages I had sent him, everytime, I came to Chennai or passed via vellore. So finally I decided, I will message him, for my throat was also hurting for the past few days, thanks to late night methi parantha and amul curd or god knows what. Since both my roomie and I, got sore throat at the same time, it should have been something, we ate together. Too bad, that my star is a naidhana for her, though hers is a kshema star for me…
So I messaged him, a simple just wanted to say hi… passing through katpadi message… immediately, quite unexpectedly…I got the reply… to anyone else…it would have been just a thanks for your thoughtfulness…best wishes msg… but coming from an Aquarian…that too his first ever reply to my sms…I was enthralled… burst into silly smiles and seconds later… could not help crying… do not know why… there was a family in front of me… with a small pamperedWithLaysAndOtherEquallyWonderfulJunkFood boy of about 7 and well adjusted couple and 2 oriya guys next to me… so I had to resort to bending down on my heavy bag and finished crying till my throat and self felt better…
Man… along with that squarish bit of paper…this msg will be something I treasure till my whim lets me to… He made my whole day… the only thing, I could remember then was Khalid Gibran's quotes… what makes you most happy, makes you cry the most as well… how long will I obsessed with ij god?
When you lose control…
It has almost a year since I met B, how ever this morning’s incident as I was waiting for the bus, brought him back to my mind. As it is happening off late now, my tranquil mornings have been thrown into a disarray thanks to my laziness and thanks to my obsession with the smell of jamangi flowers. I was making a garland for sakthi at 11 in the night and this morning, I missed my yoga pranayam session. Slept till 7 am and woke up, prepared my breakfast while cleaning up. Ate morsels of SomeThingYouCanCallDosa while getting ready to board the bus…i.e 2 bites of dosa while I did the dishes…put mascara… two bites and then put on my shirt and pant…2 bites and then tied the bun… and I was there in a time. And what should greet my sight but this fight scene near some mofussil bus. Two young guys were just hitting each other as if the other guy was a punching bag… the bus moved away, one guy stayed in the bus and his fighting partner walked away on the dusty road….and i was looking from the other side of the road past the divider...
Last year should be around june-july while I still had the ilizarov frame on my tibia….on sat morning... as i was putting mehandi on my hair...i got a call from the SBA (senior biz analyst) stating that he was leaving the day after to chennai n wanted to chat.... so i said...i will call him once i finish my therapy....(i used to say my weekend classes as therapy to others)
he used to buy me fruits... i owed him 21 bucks... and i got a dairy milk almonds wala for him... since that was going to be the last time i wud see him....
my first impression of him was that he was arrogant-haughty person... he used to come to the dining hall n bang his diary on the table...n order arrey siva kya hai breakfast ke liye?.... later... after a “revathi” got us talking...he softened a bit... he didn't thump or shout for orders... ate breakfast peacefully.... he used to say tamil alphabet were like jelabis sprawled over in a line....
so i called him around 9 pm after my classes in TIME got over... n he came to my room at 9:30 p.m... i thought we will talk in the hall... but he didn't even wait for me to open the door n barged in... i was having apples for dinner... n we shared the last apple...
he did his mba from jamnalal bajaj mumbai...he was a student leader...into politics... we were talking abt how...he had to go back to chennai after a project analysis to his blore director, had put his blore reporting head in lurch...
he had once been travelling around mumbai n had been pushed down from the bus accidentally in the usual alighting jostle n he had got his nose snapped (he said, his nose was literally torn) in the process...he thought it was the driver...coz the driver refused to stop the bus at the place he had promised when initially when B had boarded the bus. B bet the driver black n blue... n both were admitted in the hospital...and put in side by side bed. Police case was filed and since his uncle was the pa to the cm, he got away. The doctor was surprised that B had bet the driver in spite of his nose bleeding so profusely. B didn't regret beating the wrong guy...he was relishing the idea of beating some one. We started this topic, when he did something with he knife for cutting apples n i wondered...which human on earth can ever kill another with a knife. And he said, he would. He can't bear any atrocity inflicted on him by someone else...
he is a black belt in karate...
he was saying how the apples that we were eating were at least 3 months old... fresh apple wud give milk like liquid when cut, it seems. He used to say in his native everything was fresh... n good..
then he said i speak clearly n went to say how he cud not speak for 6-7 years n ate fruits that were eaten by parrots and birds on the trees n got his voice when he was 7... he has 4 elder sisters n 1 younger brother... he is the fifth... his mom died after his bro was born n they are from rural background...so he is not sure of his exact dob.... he said jun 27 for my sake…
once while playing like monkeys n jumping from tree to tree...it is a game... that u have to hop from branch to branch n not be touched by others... he fell from 40 -60 ft n escaped the freshly cut maize or some crop that is sharp enough to disembowel you....
he is pretty aggressive...n well.. then what...he said...he used to massage ppl... coz he had learnt that in a gym frequented by amir khan, john, bips n dino mori some guy....he said...his room had a line of guys waiting for massage...
he used to have cigs n drinks n gutka 7 yrs earlier... but left it now....he has dreamy hypnotic eyes...n
he didn't hv strong fin background... he did his diploma after 10th... did electric repairs to pay for his engg...in electrical engg....
after that he worked in a IT comp for 2 years b4 he joined jamnalal bajaj...
he took 2 months off from office n took just those 2 months... he got 96 percentile in cat but didn't get calls last year...n didn't attend coaching classes... he got the material from his friends...
n after he got admitted in jamnalal...he took math lectures for 600 per hur n gd pi for 4000 per day n paid his way in jamnalal bajaj....he used to fill in application forms for Rs1000 for others... even now he got calls from gujju gals for cat doubt...
later he asked me when i was getting married...i said... jest like that i didn't believe in marriages...n here came the embarrassing part...it was 11 pm...n he was saying... he can never ever control himself....(Of course, i can say for sure neither he nor i had any fantasies... nevertheless...) he said u need to get married else u wud regret later....these north guys...don't hv any propriety... he digressed on and on... n he was telling abt iskcon gals n guys n nuns...i was arguing abt jain nuns being so pure... n i tried to change the topic.... then he started abt how gals - cute looking college ones in mumbai wud sell themselves for drugs...n well...n how he was contacted by a mumbai pimp... jes that....
finally at 11:30 he left the room.... switching off the light n reducing the fan speed.... i never lock my room...n whoever leaves last...be it Aug 29 srividya or anyone wud have to do the tucking in ceremony for me....
jes this...i had thought i wud jes give him the chocolate n say good bye n good night right in the hall...because of him...i lost 2-3 hrs of precious sleep...i cudn't say no...i need to sleep at 9...coz i need to do yoga n things at 6 am... well jes this...
then during a chat session around Nov last year... he ended up saying that he had 4 houses in mumbai and blore... that message was for someone else that ended up popping in to me...since then...no contacts... i did not miss him per se... just that he inspired me to fight like a kid and dream big and achieve no matter what... till this morning... it would have taken a full 5 minutes to register B... now i am inundated with memories....
Last year should be around june-july while I still had the ilizarov frame on my tibia….on sat morning... as i was putting mehandi on my hair...i got a call from the SBA (senior biz analyst) stating that he was leaving the day after to chennai n wanted to chat.... so i said...i will call him once i finish my therapy....(i used to say my weekend classes as therapy to others)
he used to buy me fruits... i owed him 21 bucks... and i got a dairy milk almonds wala for him... since that was going to be the last time i wud see him....
my first impression of him was that he was arrogant-haughty person... he used to come to the dining hall n bang his diary on the table...n order arrey siva kya hai breakfast ke liye?.... later... after a “revathi” got us talking...he softened a bit... he didn't thump or shout for orders... ate breakfast peacefully.... he used to say tamil alphabet were like jelabis sprawled over in a line....
so i called him around 9 pm after my classes in TIME got over... n he came to my room at 9:30 p.m... i thought we will talk in the hall... but he didn't even wait for me to open the door n barged in... i was having apples for dinner... n we shared the last apple...
he did his mba from jamnalal bajaj mumbai...he was a student leader...into politics... we were talking abt how...he had to go back to chennai after a project analysis to his blore director, had put his blore reporting head in lurch...
he had once been travelling around mumbai n had been pushed down from the bus accidentally in the usual alighting jostle n he had got his nose snapped (he said, his nose was literally torn) in the process...he thought it was the driver...coz the driver refused to stop the bus at the place he had promised when initially when B had boarded the bus. B bet the driver black n blue... n both were admitted in the hospital...and put in side by side bed. Police case was filed and since his uncle was the pa to the cm, he got away. The doctor was surprised that B had bet the driver in spite of his nose bleeding so profusely. B didn't regret beating the wrong guy...he was relishing the idea of beating some one. We started this topic, when he did something with he knife for cutting apples n i wondered...which human on earth can ever kill another with a knife. And he said, he would. He can't bear any atrocity inflicted on him by someone else...
he is a black belt in karate...
he was saying how the apples that we were eating were at least 3 months old... fresh apple wud give milk like liquid when cut, it seems. He used to say in his native everything was fresh... n good..
then he said i speak clearly n went to say how he cud not speak for 6-7 years n ate fruits that were eaten by parrots and birds on the trees n got his voice when he was 7... he has 4 elder sisters n 1 younger brother... he is the fifth... his mom died after his bro was born n they are from rural background...so he is not sure of his exact dob.... he said jun 27 for my sake…
once while playing like monkeys n jumping from tree to tree...it is a game... that u have to hop from branch to branch n not be touched by others... he fell from 40 -60 ft n escaped the freshly cut maize or some crop that is sharp enough to disembowel you....
he is pretty aggressive...n well.. then what...he said...he used to massage ppl... coz he had learnt that in a gym frequented by amir khan, john, bips n dino mori some guy....he said...his room had a line of guys waiting for massage...
he used to have cigs n drinks n gutka 7 yrs earlier... but left it now....he has dreamy hypnotic eyes...n
he didn't hv strong fin background... he did his diploma after 10th... did electric repairs to pay for his engg...in electrical engg....
after that he worked in a IT comp for 2 years b4 he joined jamnalal bajaj...
he took 2 months off from office n took just those 2 months... he got 96 percentile in cat but didn't get calls last year...n didn't attend coaching classes... he got the material from his friends...
n after he got admitted in jamnalal...he took math lectures for 600 per hur n gd pi for 4000 per day n paid his way in jamnalal bajaj....he used to fill in application forms for Rs1000 for others... even now he got calls from gujju gals for cat doubt...
later he asked me when i was getting married...i said... jest like that i didn't believe in marriages...n here came the embarrassing part...it was 11 pm...n he was saying... he can never ever control himself....(Of course, i can say for sure neither he nor i had any fantasies... nevertheless...) he said u need to get married else u wud regret later....these north guys...don't hv any propriety... he digressed on and on... n he was telling abt iskcon gals n guys n nuns...i was arguing abt jain nuns being so pure... n i tried to change the topic.... then he started abt how gals - cute looking college ones in mumbai wud sell themselves for drugs...n well...n how he was contacted by a mumbai pimp... jes that....
finally at 11:30 he left the room.... switching off the light n reducing the fan speed.... i never lock my room...n whoever leaves last...be it Aug 29 srividya or anyone wud have to do the tucking in ceremony for me....
jes this...i had thought i wud jes give him the chocolate n say good bye n good night right in the hall...because of him...i lost 2-3 hrs of precious sleep...i cudn't say no...i need to sleep at 9...coz i need to do yoga n things at 6 am... well jes this...
then during a chat session around Nov last year... he ended up saying that he had 4 houses in mumbai and blore... that message was for someone else that ended up popping in to me...since then...no contacts... i did not miss him per se... just that he inspired me to fight like a kid and dream big and achieve no matter what... till this morning... it would have taken a full 5 minutes to register B... now i am inundated with memories....
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Why all this on Pradhosam?
Yesterday… I wore the same green dress, I had worn last Wednesday… why do I wear light green with white on Wednesday… like a fool blindly giving in to the planets colours I don’t know… there are days when I blatantly wear what I feel like… but most of the days…I give in to the ruling planets colour… the first time, I felt something was wrong with this dress was during a train trip to Chennai for writing some entrance exam in college final year… after that, I had started wearing nondescript grey dresses during my journeys… but couple of times, whenever I have worn this gay light ochre green dress…I have felt something not good with guys behaviour towards me…
Yesterday… after having dinner… shubha wanted to recharge her spice card…thanks to her ISD calls… I did not notice the timings… for me all that mattered was booking flight tickets to delhi…or am still wondering, whether to go there at all…for Kozhikode interview is on the next day in blore… so I was talking about timings and rate of flight tickets over my mobile to my brother walking on the road, along with my roomie… even while walking down the road parallel to the road that leads to malleswaram… guys in bikes were doing acrobatics… riding on the rear wheel just near us… we were scared, what if they fell down and broke their bones… kids pretend to be daredevils and know not what they are doing… twice this happened… but for me the first and foremost important thing was booking the tickets for 13th… so I didn’t notice what shubha had noticed… 2 hefty guys in bike taking rounds and rounds around us… rounds that progressively became smaller… the recharge shop had been closed and we were returning home… at one point, she said, come, the guys are taking another round towards us… only then, I paid attention… even then I wondered… bikes have been racing past the road…so what is the big deal… just near that place after we had a crossed a park that had a elevated place for doing yoga… there was a nice apartment… looked well lighted as in those ads and shubha approached the security of the apartments saying, guys were following us… I was wondering…oh my god…why is she doing this… come, we will go home instead of waiting near the security… those things happen only in media… I had walked home around midnights after office work alone… for me, as long as I had shiva’s names on my lips… I was invincible… we didn’t wait near the security…even though the security said wait for 5 minutes… we started walking… and few minutes later… I felt a rush of air… a swoosh and I found my earphones in the bikers hands in front of me…I didn’t feel anything else… I looked at the contents of my hand…my mobile was intact… and a little longer than 10 cm remaining piece of my earphone was in my hand… if the earphone wire had snapped, the pull must have been forceful enough… still the seriousness didn’t strike me… for me it was a dilemma…what will I do to listen to songs early morning…i need songs even to brush my teeth... shubha then bid me to come under the shade and hide behind a black car…what if the bikers came again… the road was deserted except for closed doors, sleeping cars and subdued chrome yellow street lights… I felt ridiculous… why should I hide behind a car?… we heard the bike sound again passing us and I resorted to sitting on the slab under the tree… remembering the time, we hid in Devina's bathroom to escape our houseowner’s wonderful daughter and her equally notorious kid… it was some other bike… and for few minutes there was no other sound.. and suddenly at the road where the guys had taken the turn, there appeared a tall guy.. we decided to wave to him and ask him to escort to our place barely 5 minutes from our place… that guy was ex service man and was doing late night accounting for year end closure…he agreed and gave us company… and shubha blabbered her sentences to the guy peppered with the word pathetic…I could not match their speed…we had had a long walk and I ambled behind…trying to keep pace with them… at last we reached home and shubha still didn’t stop… every few sentences later… she was discussing the same thing… she said she was shocked… please god I thought… only then she told me… don’t you realize your chudi is torn… only then I saw my favourite green dress had a tear near my right hip… only then I realized the severity of the situation… I could not have afforded a fall on the tar road... I want my right hip that cost me over 2L over 3 surgeries to last for another 20 years at least… all I had felt was of gust of wind blowing…and shubha said she saw my dress flying… okie …Pradosham… and shiva rathiri would be commencing from 1 am… whatever… I will have to stay without music till I get my earphones…
But am wondering… what do the guys gain by casually brushing a gal… I mean why do guys do this or how can a man take a knife or a bomb or gun and kill someone…how can they sleep at night or eat their food after doing this… I have always believed…no matter how bad a guy is… a gals mere presence can soften the guys and make them good…when someone looks at a gal…she should be worshippable like devis in temples…pure so much so that, guys would fear going near her… mebbe I should have abandoned the dress after college final year… my mistake to have worn that green dress… not to have noticed the time when we left the house… well whatever… they will regret and pay dearly for it… shiva would see to it…
Yesterday… after having dinner… shubha wanted to recharge her spice card…thanks to her ISD calls… I did not notice the timings… for me all that mattered was booking flight tickets to delhi…or am still wondering, whether to go there at all…for Kozhikode interview is on the next day in blore… so I was talking about timings and rate of flight tickets over my mobile to my brother walking on the road, along with my roomie… even while walking down the road parallel to the road that leads to malleswaram… guys in bikes were doing acrobatics… riding on the rear wheel just near us… we were scared, what if they fell down and broke their bones… kids pretend to be daredevils and know not what they are doing… twice this happened… but for me the first and foremost important thing was booking the tickets for 13th… so I didn’t notice what shubha had noticed… 2 hefty guys in bike taking rounds and rounds around us… rounds that progressively became smaller… the recharge shop had been closed and we were returning home… at one point, she said, come, the guys are taking another round towards us… only then, I paid attention… even then I wondered… bikes have been racing past the road…so what is the big deal… just near that place after we had a crossed a park that had a elevated place for doing yoga… there was a nice apartment… looked well lighted as in those ads and shubha approached the security of the apartments saying, guys were following us… I was wondering…oh my god…why is she doing this… come, we will go home instead of waiting near the security… those things happen only in media… I had walked home around midnights after office work alone… for me, as long as I had shiva’s names on my lips… I was invincible… we didn’t wait near the security…even though the security said wait for 5 minutes… we started walking… and few minutes later… I felt a rush of air… a swoosh and I found my earphones in the bikers hands in front of me…I didn’t feel anything else… I looked at the contents of my hand…my mobile was intact… and a little longer than 10 cm remaining piece of my earphone was in my hand… if the earphone wire had snapped, the pull must have been forceful enough… still the seriousness didn’t strike me… for me it was a dilemma…what will I do to listen to songs early morning…i need songs even to brush my teeth... shubha then bid me to come under the shade and hide behind a black car…what if the bikers came again… the road was deserted except for closed doors, sleeping cars and subdued chrome yellow street lights… I felt ridiculous… why should I hide behind a car?… we heard the bike sound again passing us and I resorted to sitting on the slab under the tree… remembering the time, we hid in Devina's bathroom to escape our houseowner’s wonderful daughter and her equally notorious kid… it was some other bike… and for few minutes there was no other sound.. and suddenly at the road where the guys had taken the turn, there appeared a tall guy.. we decided to wave to him and ask him to escort to our place barely 5 minutes from our place… that guy was ex service man and was doing late night accounting for year end closure…he agreed and gave us company… and shubha blabbered her sentences to the guy peppered with the word pathetic…I could not match their speed…we had had a long walk and I ambled behind…trying to keep pace with them… at last we reached home and shubha still didn’t stop… every few sentences later… she was discussing the same thing… she said she was shocked… please god I thought… only then she told me… don’t you realize your chudi is torn… only then I saw my favourite green dress had a tear near my right hip… only then I realized the severity of the situation… I could not have afforded a fall on the tar road... I want my right hip that cost me over 2L over 3 surgeries to last for another 20 years at least… all I had felt was of gust of wind blowing…and shubha said she saw my dress flying… okie …Pradosham… and shiva rathiri would be commencing from 1 am… whatever… I will have to stay without music till I get my earphones…
But am wondering… what do the guys gain by casually brushing a gal… I mean why do guys do this or how can a man take a knife or a bomb or gun and kill someone…how can they sleep at night or eat their food after doing this… I have always believed…no matter how bad a guy is… a gals mere presence can soften the guys and make them good…when someone looks at a gal…she should be worshippable like devis in temples…pure so much so that, guys would fear going near her… mebbe I should have abandoned the dress after college final year… my mistake to have worn that green dress… not to have noticed the time when we left the house… well whatever… they will regret and pay dearly for it… shiva would see to it…
Monday, February 11, 2008
Last weekend - Comedy of Errors
My weekend was mixed.
On Sat, i went for the classes... but at 12:30...i felt restless and walked back home from infantry road till palace guttahali (that is the place where the wodeyar's palace is there it seems)... i was walking around 12... still i didn't have the need for umbrella... not that scorching... i went through Cunningham road, miller's road... through indira gandhi musical fountain... nehru's planetarium... it was close to 3 when i reached home... it takes only 15 minutes in auto.... i had lunch in a road side mess... since hotel chandrika at the junction was crowded...n a lassi... on the way i saw accenture... Safina towers JP techno park... so many big - big embassy buildings... centre for AI.. i slept off till 6-7... then my roomie and i went to malleswaram by walk to buy things for her fiance's australia departure... we ate mollaga bajjis on the road on the way... and had fruits and upma for dinner...
on sunday... since they were digging up in palace guttahalli...we had water crisis... it was like they showed it in acqua guard ad... i had kept the taps open... and water sound woke me up at 3:39 am.. i decided okie... water might not come later...i will wash my clothes now.. i put surf and kept the pipe open and put the clothes... on coming back...i was flabbergasted to find... my ivory white pyjamas coloured with that brown water gushing from the tap...i was heartbroken... then till 6:30 i waited patiently for the water to turn plain and washed my clothes and put it on the line (later that night i was shocked to find that the clothes line had black dust deposited and hence all my clothes had a black line at the waist line....)
after having fruits for an 1hr and talking... my roomie and i decided to have breakfast in some hotel... i had rava idli... while she had idle vada and tea... then we walked by bangalore golf club...to withdraw money from icici atm... on the way... there was this CM's house... MP's houses... there was Bangalore Chithrakala parishad... i was drawn into it... i really don't know how it became 1 pm... so breathtaking were Thomas Kallarcal's paintings... a simple grain stalk... a spray of orchids... flowers and humming bird, lion, tiger, SA elephant(priced at 5 lakh that was sold), horses... sceneries... and the titles he had given was so succinct... man... simply fabulous... (the last thing yes'day before i slept and the first thing this morning... that flashed in my inner eye were his paintings)... there was one painting titled radiance in particular that was awesome... it was good... then i read about Raja Ravi varma in the art mart, while subha sat... we look another way to go back home after withdrawing money... it was very peaceful... we ate 2 icecreams and walked on the road listening to kabhi kabhi on her mobile... the road and locality was so peaceful with flowers spewed on one side... there was Satyam and Polaris on that road... n finally we reached BDA complex and back home...
this is here that comedy started...
my houseowner has a grandson called manish... both he and his mother are psychos... this guy studies in 3rd standard... this poor guy's parents are separated and he has turned notorius... he comes home to meet his mother over the weekends... he wears eye shadow, lipstick, mascara and all fancy jewellry, gals dress, high heels and walks like the Tom's mistress in Tom and Jerry cartoon... ofcourse in his father (Praveen anand in Oracle)'s presence..he is a well behaved kid... so this wonderful guy insisted that we take him with us...Devina my second floor neighbour wanted to buy fish...i had to refill my 4litre cylinder and buy sari... and to top this Manish wanted to come with us, walking like a harlot... his mother caught us, as we were going out...we didn't listen to their words and came out... but they caught hold of Devina... we were calling Devina over mobile... but they didn't let Devina... so I had go back and get Devina under the pretext that i had forgot my mobile at home... i went back... got my mobile... and i told uncle and Manish's mom that - "sorry we have urgent work, we cannot take Manish with us"... and i dragged Devina from there... we had a jolly good time... our mission accomplished... lunch savoured... we returned home at 4:30... to find 2 bars across the door with papers posted stating.. Subha and Sumathi get out... and 5 burnt match sticks were kept on the door mat... in a semicircle... we were flabbergasted... we had walked till malleswaram and after my art exhibition strain... i was dead tired... now this... we 3 went to Devina's house... meanwhile Manish came up insisting that he shoo us away... just that morning... Manish's mom complained that Manish had lost his wallet... this guy carries atleast 2k in his purse... once they had blamed the previous roomie of stealing 500$ note...i was sick of all this... Devina diplomatically pacified Manish while we sat on the Sofa inside... then after few minutes... Manish's mom came up enquiring why we could not take Manish with us... she came inside.. before that Devina hid our slippers and bags while we sat for a while in the kitchen and later in the bathroom as that lady went on raving about us... she is very pretty like Aishwarya as most gals from mangalore are...but what women is she?.. to thrust her son on us...inspite of our telling that we cannot take him with us...
she kept on asking Devina where we were... we were no mood to argue or fight... so after 2 hours...after i got refreshed...we called up Manish and that lady to explain why we can not take him with us... and we went to the house... again we had papaya and honey for dinner and i slept fitfully... this morning after Manish left...uncle came and apologized for Manish's misbehaviour... Manish beats up his mom and no one can control him at his mother's home... god... what family... all because...i wanted to explore blore and stay in a place without giving 40k advance...probably i should have been a bit more diplomatic and said why i cannot take him with me instead of abruptly saying that i cannot take him with me... even then... how can she expect that we take her son over weekends...
from friday evening Manish would barge in, if by mistake we left the door open and say that i need a plastic surgery on my nose and change my complexion with surgery... and wat not... man... kids indeed... since this was my first week i took him light.. next week...or rather the week after next... i will put him in his place... this evening i need to talk to Manish's mom... and explain that supercilious woman... why i cannot entertain his son anymore very very diplomatically... hope all goes well...
On Sat, i went for the classes... but at 12:30...i felt restless and walked back home from infantry road till palace guttahali (that is the place where the wodeyar's palace is there it seems)... i was walking around 12... still i didn't have the need for umbrella... not that scorching... i went through Cunningham road, miller's road... through indira gandhi musical fountain... nehru's planetarium... it was close to 3 when i reached home... it takes only 15 minutes in auto.... i had lunch in a road side mess... since hotel chandrika at the junction was crowded...n a lassi... on the way i saw accenture... Safina towers JP techno park... so many big - big embassy buildings... centre for AI.. i slept off till 6-7... then my roomie and i went to malleswaram by walk to buy things for her fiance's australia departure... we ate mollaga bajjis on the road on the way... and had fruits and upma for dinner...
on sunday... since they were digging up in palace guttahalli...we had water crisis... it was like they showed it in acqua guard ad... i had kept the taps open... and water sound woke me up at 3:39 am.. i decided okie... water might not come later...i will wash my clothes now.. i put surf and kept the pipe open and put the clothes... on coming back...i was flabbergasted to find... my ivory white pyjamas coloured with that brown water gushing from the tap...i was heartbroken... then till 6:30 i waited patiently for the water to turn plain and washed my clothes and put it on the line (later that night i was shocked to find that the clothes line had black dust deposited and hence all my clothes had a black line at the waist line....)
after having fruits for an 1hr and talking... my roomie and i decided to have breakfast in some hotel... i had rava idli... while she had idle vada and tea... then we walked by bangalore golf club...to withdraw money from icici atm... on the way... there was this CM's house... MP's houses... there was Bangalore Chithrakala parishad... i was drawn into it... i really don't know how it became 1 pm... so breathtaking were Thomas Kallarcal's paintings... a simple grain stalk... a spray of orchids... flowers and humming bird, lion, tiger, SA elephant(priced at 5 lakh that was sold), horses... sceneries... and the titles he had given was so succinct... man... simply fabulous... (the last thing yes'day before i slept and the first thing this morning... that flashed in my inner eye were his paintings)... there was one painting titled radiance in particular that was awesome... it was good... then i read about Raja Ravi varma in the art mart, while subha sat... we look another way to go back home after withdrawing money... it was very peaceful... we ate 2 icecreams and walked on the road listening to kabhi kabhi on her mobile... the road and locality was so peaceful with flowers spewed on one side... there was Satyam and Polaris on that road... n finally we reached BDA complex and back home...
this is here that comedy started...
my houseowner has a grandson called manish... both he and his mother are psychos... this guy studies in 3rd standard... this poor guy's parents are separated and he has turned notorius... he comes home to meet his mother over the weekends... he wears eye shadow, lipstick, mascara and all fancy jewellry, gals dress, high heels and walks like the Tom's mistress in Tom and Jerry cartoon... ofcourse in his father (Praveen anand in Oracle)'s presence..he is a well behaved kid... so this wonderful guy insisted that we take him with us...Devina my second floor neighbour wanted to buy fish...i had to refill my 4litre cylinder and buy sari... and to top this Manish wanted to come with us, walking like a harlot... his mother caught us, as we were going out...we didn't listen to their words and came out... but they caught hold of Devina... we were calling Devina over mobile... but they didn't let Devina... so I had go back and get Devina under the pretext that i had forgot my mobile at home... i went back... got my mobile... and i told uncle and Manish's mom that - "sorry we have urgent work, we cannot take Manish with us"... and i dragged Devina from there... we had a jolly good time... our mission accomplished... lunch savoured... we returned home at 4:30... to find 2 bars across the door with papers posted stating.. Subha and Sumathi get out... and 5 burnt match sticks were kept on the door mat... in a semicircle... we were flabbergasted... we had walked till malleswaram and after my art exhibition strain... i was dead tired... now this... we 3 went to Devina's house... meanwhile Manish came up insisting that he shoo us away... just that morning... Manish's mom complained that Manish had lost his wallet... this guy carries atleast 2k in his purse... once they had blamed the previous roomie of stealing 500$ note...i was sick of all this... Devina diplomatically pacified Manish while we sat on the Sofa inside... then after few minutes... Manish's mom came up enquiring why we could not take Manish with us... she came inside.. before that Devina hid our slippers and bags while we sat for a while in the kitchen and later in the bathroom as that lady went on raving about us... she is very pretty like Aishwarya as most gals from mangalore are...but what women is she?.. to thrust her son on us...inspite of our telling that we cannot take him with us...
she kept on asking Devina where we were... we were no mood to argue or fight... so after 2 hours...after i got refreshed...we called up Manish and that lady to explain why we can not take him with us... and we went to the house... again we had papaya and honey for dinner and i slept fitfully... this morning after Manish left...uncle came and apologized for Manish's misbehaviour... Manish beats up his mom and no one can control him at his mother's home... god... what family... all because...i wanted to explore blore and stay in a place without giving 40k advance...probably i should have been a bit more diplomatic and said why i cannot take him with me instead of abruptly saying that i cannot take him with me... even then... how can she expect that we take her son over weekends...
from friday evening Manish would barge in, if by mistake we left the door open and say that i need a plastic surgery on my nose and change my complexion with surgery... and wat not... man... kids indeed... since this was my first week i took him light.. next week...or rather the week after next... i will put him in his place... this evening i need to talk to Manish's mom... and explain that supercilious woman... why i cannot entertain his son anymore very very diplomatically... hope all goes well...
Monday, November 12, 2007
Deepawali trip home
This thought indeed striked me, as I reached the anjaneyar temple on the way to majestic. Oh my God! Why majestic? Why didn’t I take the chance of boarding at cantonment? Why was the ticket available only from Maddur and not from Bangalore? Why only one train to trichy from Bangalore? Why so few compartments? Why did I get a waiting list 60 days earlier within 30 minutes of booking ticket? Why did I drink coffee n waste time sending parcel at the last minute? Why did I forget my air pillow and go back to get it? Why did I not want to board the first auto because he didn’t wait near the Citibank atm n moved further down n waited? Why this traffic jam? and why did I miss the Monday evening train by 11 minutes?
I remembered seeing the train starts at 7:20 pm from majestic.It used to be 8:20 when I first boarded it last year. And now I find, it is 7:05 from Majestic and 7:20 from cantonment. I reached Majestic after all prayers at 7:16. So I had missed it by 11 minutes. I had started at 5:50 instead of my planned 5:30 to board my whatIhadthoughtAs 7:20 train. I thought I would make it just in time. As I reached that anjaneyar temple, I thought, if I missed the train, I will go back and sit in the room and write my exam on Sunday without tension. So what if I had to spend deepawali alone.
When I reached the station, I thought I had 4 more minutes. I was surprised though, that they had not displayed mysore mayiladuthurai express timings in any of those cctvs. I was agonized when the vehicle guy said, I would have to take the stairs, since the train was blocking the path that the vehicle was supposed to take. The train, the ttr and so many station masters said would be coming in platform 6. No one told me then that the train had already left. I reached panting and puffing at platform 6 and I was surprised, it didn’t look bustling. I vividly remember my earlier sights in the platforms. How true, you get to see the unexpected inside the station, waiting for the trains, almost always. There has hardly been an exception to this. I asked the Nescafe guy, he said, it had left just now, I could not believe my ears, I asked another vendor, he too said the same thing. My throat started hurting. I was so angry, so shocked...so...
Well, I was so happy with myself for the wonderful way the things were going. I called up R and Cheenu asking them to cancel my eticket. Their reply was that they could not cancel tickets since the chart was already prepared. Train would have reached cantonment as well, by the time I had reached platform 6. So going to cantonment and boarding the train was impossible unless, I aparated as in Harry Potter.
I had two options now, to go house and spend deepawali alone. Or travel by bus overnight to trichy. I remembered how I had felt on spending Ayudha pooja hols alone. I decided, comewhatmay, am going to go home. With great difficulty I had convinced my PM on getting almost a week off for deepawali hols. And I didn’t want to go back to office on Tuesday.
I went to majestic SETC booking counter, the guys there said…they would not give me 2 tickets to stretch my leg. He said, he would give the front seat ticket. I decided, this time, I would not look at the road and I would not get paranoid…imagining accidents. I got my ticket, and walked up the place where I boarded the bus to vellore earlier in feb march. I sat on the cement bench. I could see only Chennai, pondy n mahabalipuram buses. There were no south bound buses. I tried to solve my last exam paper. But could not concentrate. I tried bugging cheenu to check if he could not indeed cancel the etickets. I bugged mom, saying, I am not going to go home. She said, okay stay there and then I told her, I had booked and am going to come home.
The bus was at 10:30 pm. I had been accustomed to sleep at 9-10 and wake up early these days. I waited in that area till 9:30 and decided to explore the south bound buses area. I would have asked and confirmed my route with some 6 people before I reached the actual stinking mosquito filled place at 10:15. Just then 9:45 trichy bus left. That also had the same route number and next to me was a guy rather a group who were lamenting that their 8:30 bus bound to Thanjavur had not come yet even after almost 2 hours. We were all chatting on how each of us had wonderful experiences coming and going from Bangalore with these buses. That guy on my left looked like my nov 1, EP pm senthil and the guy on my right was nondescript person.
At around 10:45, after checking with the inspector/time keeper, Trichy bus came. I boarded it and collapsed on my seat. All the guys entered and the conductor diplomatically managed to extract more than the actual fare and keep the balance with himself. He justified saying, if kpn walla asks extra bucks, you would give without complaint, but I cannot ask for extra amount. And while guys who had not reserved tickets came to book available tickets, the conductor clearly said you should not harp about balance. So guys ended up spending 300 or even 500 for 235 ticket.
The ladies with kids and hus-wife pairs got to sit behind the driver seat. In the place where the second driver is supposed to take rest, the driver said no luggages should be placed near him and the guy whose luggage was moved to my place said, he had no issues if I placed my legs on his luggage. I was glad, I had all the prop and just when I had settled, the conductor asked me to move behind, since I might have to sit with a guy next to me while traveling. I said, it is not a problem if it is a guy next to me, but I will not budge. Then he made another lady who was sitting in the third row to come and sit with me. That thayir sadham was apparently going to meet her mom who was in her deathbed. I got to listen to all her story, on how she was traveling just for a day before deepawali, since she had to be back for deepwali in Bangalore, on how her sick mom was just asking for her alone and no one else as she lay waiting for death, on how much she had to do, on how her mom could drink only water, that too after someone stroked her chest to make her sip water, on howSoManyThings yaar.
So I slumped on the seat, closing my eyes, opening once in a while. Think atlast I must have slept. Around 4 am, they put Shivaji, I could not bring myself to watch shivaji this early in the morning. I lay closing my eyes, unable to turn n see the tv, since the maami next to me had her lips parted as she was asleep and it was stinking as with every one’s early morning unbrushed mouth. Somehow she turned the other side and I watched shivaji from that time, when everything that Shivaji started had ruined.
And then till we reached chathram I had seen the starting of Unnale Unnale as well… the driver had been calling the substitute for quite some time. When the substitute was watching Shivaji, once Shivaji got over… the substitute driver opened the door, banged the door shut and chided the driving driver saying, "enna ya…konjam neram padam parka vida mattiya, athukulla unnaku enaa." I listened only that much, till the door was closed.
Since I had the prop, my legs were not swollen…and in chatram I found oft bus waiting and I sat next to a paati. I had worn sky blue kurta and black pants and had tied my hair in a bun. That paati asked me if I was returning from college and then she corrected herself asking, if I was a nurse and if I was returning from hospital. I didn’t want to speak without brushing my teeth and said yes. She asked which hospital. American was the first that came to my lips and I said American hospital. Then she asked what was the elbow crutch for. I said for walking and she uttered some gods name. From chatram to subramaniapuram where she alighted, she was praying at every structure that remotely resembled a temple.
I reached home at 9 am and found mom had gone to office. On the way, I had to samalchify all my ever nosePoking ex Aunties and akkas who had been our neighbours. Ours was the only family which was still struck to the same block from my 4th standard. So many had come and moved away. Somehow we never felt like moving out, at least this is one thing is relatively permanent.
If were to describe everything that would take another hour of my time. Just 2 things. One was while I was returning home from poolangudi after visiting my grandparents, I happened to meet another lady, whom I had never seen before and who described everything that had happened in the family accurately. I was surprised, there was literally nothing that she didn’t know. She later told me that she was the Pandian shop lady which was next to Reddiyar shop in the oft busstand. God! well, these ladies… well… she has the time to develop her general knowledge…
On Sunday, I had my train at 8:20 from junction…
I remembered seeing the train starts at 7:20 pm from majestic.It used to be 8:20 when I first boarded it last year. And now I find, it is 7:05 from Majestic and 7:20 from cantonment. I reached Majestic after all prayers at 7:16. So I had missed it by 11 minutes. I had started at 5:50 instead of my planned 5:30 to board my whatIhadthoughtAs 7:20 train. I thought I would make it just in time. As I reached that anjaneyar temple, I thought, if I missed the train, I will go back and sit in the room and write my exam on Sunday without tension. So what if I had to spend deepawali alone.
When I reached the station, I thought I had 4 more minutes. I was surprised though, that they had not displayed mysore mayiladuthurai express timings in any of those cctvs. I was agonized when the vehicle guy said, I would have to take the stairs, since the train was blocking the path that the vehicle was supposed to take. The train, the ttr and so many station masters said would be coming in platform 6. No one told me then that the train had already left. I reached panting and puffing at platform 6 and I was surprised, it didn’t look bustling. I vividly remember my earlier sights in the platforms. How true, you get to see the unexpected inside the station, waiting for the trains, almost always. There has hardly been an exception to this. I asked the Nescafe guy, he said, it had left just now, I could not believe my ears, I asked another vendor, he too said the same thing. My throat started hurting. I was so angry, so shocked...so...
Well, I was so happy with myself for the wonderful way the things were going. I called up R and Cheenu asking them to cancel my eticket. Their reply was that they could not cancel tickets since the chart was already prepared. Train would have reached cantonment as well, by the time I had reached platform 6. So going to cantonment and boarding the train was impossible unless, I aparated as in Harry Potter.
I had two options now, to go house and spend deepawali alone. Or travel by bus overnight to trichy. I remembered how I had felt on spending Ayudha pooja hols alone. I decided, comewhatmay, am going to go home. With great difficulty I had convinced my PM on getting almost a week off for deepawali hols. And I didn’t want to go back to office on Tuesday.
I went to majestic SETC booking counter, the guys there said…they would not give me 2 tickets to stretch my leg. He said, he would give the front seat ticket. I decided, this time, I would not look at the road and I would not get paranoid…imagining accidents. I got my ticket, and walked up the place where I boarded the bus to vellore earlier in feb march. I sat on the cement bench. I could see only Chennai, pondy n mahabalipuram buses. There were no south bound buses. I tried to solve my last exam paper. But could not concentrate. I tried bugging cheenu to check if he could not indeed cancel the etickets. I bugged mom, saying, I am not going to go home. She said, okay stay there and then I told her, I had booked and am going to come home.
The bus was at 10:30 pm. I had been accustomed to sleep at 9-10 and wake up early these days. I waited in that area till 9:30 and decided to explore the south bound buses area. I would have asked and confirmed my route with some 6 people before I reached the actual stinking mosquito filled place at 10:15. Just then 9:45 trichy bus left. That also had the same route number and next to me was a guy rather a group who were lamenting that their 8:30 bus bound to Thanjavur had not come yet even after almost 2 hours. We were all chatting on how each of us had wonderful experiences coming and going from Bangalore with these buses. That guy on my left looked like my nov 1, EP pm senthil and the guy on my right was nondescript person.
At around 10:45, after checking with the inspector/time keeper, Trichy bus came. I boarded it and collapsed on my seat. All the guys entered and the conductor diplomatically managed to extract more than the actual fare and keep the balance with himself. He justified saying, if kpn walla asks extra bucks, you would give without complaint, but I cannot ask for extra amount. And while guys who had not reserved tickets came to book available tickets, the conductor clearly said you should not harp about balance. So guys ended up spending 300 or even 500 for 235 ticket.
The ladies with kids and hus-wife pairs got to sit behind the driver seat. In the place where the second driver is supposed to take rest, the driver said no luggages should be placed near him and the guy whose luggage was moved to my place said, he had no issues if I placed my legs on his luggage. I was glad, I had all the prop and just when I had settled, the conductor asked me to move behind, since I might have to sit with a guy next to me while traveling. I said, it is not a problem if it is a guy next to me, but I will not budge. Then he made another lady who was sitting in the third row to come and sit with me. That thayir sadham was apparently going to meet her mom who was in her deathbed. I got to listen to all her story, on how she was traveling just for a day before deepawali, since she had to be back for deepwali in Bangalore, on how her sick mom was just asking for her alone and no one else as she lay waiting for death, on how much she had to do, on how her mom could drink only water, that too after someone stroked her chest to make her sip water, on howSoManyThings yaar.
So I slumped on the seat, closing my eyes, opening once in a while. Think atlast I must have slept. Around 4 am, they put Shivaji, I could not bring myself to watch shivaji this early in the morning. I lay closing my eyes, unable to turn n see the tv, since the maami next to me had her lips parted as she was asleep and it was stinking as with every one’s early morning unbrushed mouth. Somehow she turned the other side and I watched shivaji from that time, when everything that Shivaji started had ruined.
And then till we reached chathram I had seen the starting of Unnale Unnale as well… the driver had been calling the substitute for quite some time. When the substitute was watching Shivaji, once Shivaji got over… the substitute driver opened the door, banged the door shut and chided the driving driver saying, "enna ya…konjam neram padam parka vida mattiya, athukulla unnaku enaa." I listened only that much, till the door was closed.
Since I had the prop, my legs were not swollen…and in chatram I found oft bus waiting and I sat next to a paati. I had worn sky blue kurta and black pants and had tied my hair in a bun. That paati asked me if I was returning from college and then she corrected herself asking, if I was a nurse and if I was returning from hospital. I didn’t want to speak without brushing my teeth and said yes. She asked which hospital. American was the first that came to my lips and I said American hospital. Then she asked what was the elbow crutch for. I said for walking and she uttered some gods name. From chatram to subramaniapuram where she alighted, she was praying at every structure that remotely resembled a temple.
I reached home at 9 am and found mom had gone to office. On the way, I had to samalchify all my ever nosePoking ex Aunties and akkas who had been our neighbours. Ours was the only family which was still struck to the same block from my 4th standard. So many had come and moved away. Somehow we never felt like moving out, at least this is one thing is relatively permanent.
If were to describe everything that would take another hour of my time. Just 2 things. One was while I was returning home from poolangudi after visiting my grandparents, I happened to meet another lady, whom I had never seen before and who described everything that had happened in the family accurately. I was surprised, there was literally nothing that she didn’t know. She later told me that she was the Pandian shop lady which was next to Reddiyar shop in the oft busstand. God! well, these ladies… well… she has the time to develop her general knowledge…
On Sunday, I had my train at 8:20 from junction…
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