Stolen and Returned

Laptop Bag Contents


Things that got stolen: I had made this list to give to the police station.

1. Laptop bag and inside it was:
2. Pocket Bhagawad Gita (had spent years translating each word in many shlokas/ had done sandhi viched, made notes topic wise) – can’t stay without BG in the mornings
3. Tata docomo data card
4. Office id and access card (replacement would cost 500)
5. Purse with 340+ rupees in cash
    a. ICICI debit card – balance Rs.1513.55
    b. PAN card
    c. B school alumni card
    d. B school student ID
    e. Lifestyle Inner circle card
    f. MORE card
    g. Auchan card
    h. Star Bazaar card
6. Makeup pouch
    a. Raaga bracelet like watch – 3750 Rs
    b. Hyderabadi pearl earrings – Rs. 650
    c. 4 one gram gold bangles – Rs. 1000+ (in 2004)
    d. Fa deodorant
    e. Bindi, Hairpins, Safety pins, Hairbands, ponds powder dabba
    f. Lakme Eyeliner, Mascara, Eyebrow pencil, eyetex, kumkum
7. Things that I forgot in my bag/purse (next day morning when I found it outside the door)
    a. Mouse
    b. Headset
    c. Yoga track pants
    d. Aqua blue earrings
    e. Visiting cards of young at heart friends, Id card of Anna Institute, Ramana maharishi photo, BMTC monthly pass, JustBooks Membership card

Retrospection

I was searching for theft in astrology, I was expecting 6th house, while 8th house came up. And I got mired by dwadamsha details. My mind went back to thiruvannamalai girivalam Dec 1-2, 2009, when a thief had stolen my purse with all id proofs, mobile and I had to borrow 500 from a Swiss law student. In my first thiruvannamalai full moon trip, I had kept my purse on kitchen stove and only when I had to buy bus tickets, I remembered, alighted somewhere, took an auto back home and went to cmbt after a long round trip. In one of the trips, when mom still didn’t know how to operate mobile, I was separated from mom in the crowd and I roamed all night, going between police station and temples without even a single paise in my hands. One constable lent me 100 rs that full moon day, one flower seller lent me 1Rs, so I could call my mom. Since phone was in silent mode, mom didn’t even answer the phone. We finally met only the next day morning. An autodriver in lungi stole my digital camera during inner path girivalam in 2011. And even now I feel nauseated seeing guys in lungis. Somehow am always penniless during thiruvannamalai full moon trips.

I was analyzing the chara dasa (maha, antar, pratyantar, shuksma) dasha of Dec 2, 2009 night and yesterday early morning and found commonalities.

Since I need the laptop for listening to my yoga teacher’s mp3 instructions and mobile for keeping timer for kapalabati, only my laptop bag and its contents were stolen and not the actual laptop and mobile which were supposed to be inside it. I get up at 5:30 am in the morning and watching the rising sun is something that really energizes me and makes me feel like a child again. I need lots of open space, with abundant ventilation, natural light. I brush my teeth outside on the terrace, facing north east, since my teacher wrote so. 5:40 am was when I opened the main door and went to terrace to brush my teeth and do my asans, keeping all doors open with lights on, in the pre- dawn darkness.

Discovery of Theft

Around 10:30 am when I wanted to recharge my mobile, I realized that laptop bag with my purse was missing. I searched all over, went 5 floors down, told the warden, they came up, searched all over, I got hysterical with the pg caretaker for not giving us keys (even if he had given keys, I would not have locked early morning, while doing surya namaskars), I shed tears, sat staring at the jyoti in front of god (Krishna, Raghavendra Swami, Rama) for 1 hr. I was angry that I could not stop my tears, I was wondering, if I lost my temper and cool for my laptop bag contents, did I possess them or those things possessed me? I was glad I had transferred all money to mom on Friday, except what I needed for this month’s expenses. My point to agni bhagawan in jyoti was, if it was mine, let it come back. I called up my brother to get my account number and called up icicibank and blocked the debit card.

Primarily since, my room is in 5th floor terrace with no lift, I sat staring at jyoti till lunch came at 12:45pm. One pg mate Anbu Lakshmi, held my hands and asked me not to cry or get angry and I felt so ashamed that someone had to tell me this. I kept telling others during lunch and dinner that that I must have stolen something in my previous life. My moochies purse had a marked price of Rs 450, but i felt a dead skin didn't deserve anything more than Rs. 200 and i had replaced the Rs 450 sticker with a Rs 200 sticker in a supermarket and bought it. It was too large to enter my jeans pocket and i was angry with that as well, in addition to overpricing. To compensate,  i spent the exact balance amount on 2 school boys on road. I frankly don't understand, looking back now.

Lost and Found

I had a disturbed sleep. I woke up around midnight and again at 2 am to put the quilt on the bare cot. It is cold only post 3 am in the night. I don’t like mattresses that others have slept on (also due to bed bugs) and prefer bare cot with a bare thin mattress that I can easily wash and dry for my back. I listen to BG explanation all night on laptop, when I sleep alone, so that I don’t think about unwanted things when am awake alone at night. Swami Sarveshananda was talking about desire clutching knowledge and how brilliance destroys a person who wants to be recognized for his knowledge, for being there, doing that and how a fall due to buddhi nasham was the worst fall.

This morning, I again woke up at 5:30 am, but instead of opening the door in the darkness, I sat to write down the punishments mentioned in garuda purana for stealing various things in an A4 sheet and translation of 1st verse of Isavasya upanisad and pasted it on the main door. I could remember the punishments only for stealing Au, books, money, food and poison. When I finished pasting 2 sheets on main door and bedroom door, sun was already up in its pinkish orange red glory. I brushed my teeth in full daylight in a hurry and was wondering, from where all blood was coming as I massaged my tongue. I came back to room to get the chair for kriya that I found the laptop bag outside the door. I felt so thankful to sun god, that my eyes moistened. I saw the guy in the adjacent buildinng, who returned my bag in blue lungi from the stairs, i saw only his legs from the top.

The fact that it came back – minus the Rs 340 cash (the thief didn’t even spare the Rs 2 coins inside the purse), rest everything, except my raga watch and one bangle, made me believe in divine force above. I was too excited to do suryanamaskars, I first called up my brother and told him. I called my mom next and sun was already uncomfortably hot at 6:30 am. Still, I did my asanas with heartfelt thanks. After bathing, I offered my head (remembering coconut), all knowledge to God. Everything is god’s gift. Sarvam ShriKrishnarpanmastu.

Saturday Samayal - Vaazh Podalanga and Pavakai Maanga Pitlai

Bittergourd (Momordica charantia/Kareta, Karavella, Kathilla, Sushavi)

Vaazh Podalanga Snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina)
See its interesting white flower at: Chachinda
Ayurvedic health benefits: Patola

Wheat Jaggery Kheer, Pavaka pitlai, Carrot slices, Vaazh Podalanga, Bikaneri Papad

Was wondering, what is different in Vaazh podalanga that commanded a price differential in market, that i decided to make podalanga, even though pitlai with podalangai was something i never tried before.

Mom said, it was different from usual fatter snake gourds, i could not discern anything different. Vaazh podalanga is a longer, sturdy and leaner than its smooth, chubby cousins.

We started with wheat kheer, cloyingly sweet with lots of jaggery and 10+ aromatic cardamoms. Whenever, i cook, i don't use tamarinds. So for pitlai, i used mangoes for tangyness. No konda kadalai, instead i used a mix of split moong and chana dal. Whenever i come home in spring and summer, i have to walk through a maze of drying tamarinds and finely cut baby mangoes, in various stages of being pickled. At times, I have to watch out for drying baby mangoes and tamarinds when i get up from bed or sofa. Mom would not even throw the tamarind seeds. She said, some one in village needed it.

Talking of tamarind reminds of this school song - Ram chale van ko mata, hum bhi chale jayenge. In the song, when mom asks her kids what will they eat as they accompany Sri Ram to jungle, the kids say, they will eat tamarind leaves and pods. We used to rub one side of the tamarind seeds, till they turned white and play dhaayam (dice) with 12 such seeds. One of my favourites is koil puliotharai. But believe, every eatable has a phase in life. So good bye tamarinds, if am at home. If i eat outside, i eat nonchalantly.

Last time, bitter gourd was crunchy, so this time i let bitter gourd cook for some more time for mom, till they were soft. Still mom said, she didn't want to chew the vegetables, she wanted to swallow them without having to chew them. Mom said, cook it for some more time, i will eat them in the evening. I told her i won't reheat anything that has oil in it. So i told her, when she is toothless, i would cook, so that she would not have to chew. God! our body constitutions are poles opposite.

Saturdays are for bittergourds, enemas, rest

Arisi payasam, Pavakkai pitlai, Murungai keerai, Roasted papad

Yet Another Saturday

Navadhanya Payasam, Kothavaranga Paruppu Usili, Murungai Keerai Poriyal, Pavakai Pitlai, Rasam, Curd, Roasted Papad

Navadhanya Payasam - Sathu mavu sauted in ghee with jaggery milk cashews, cardamoms and raisins

Kothavaranga Paruppu Usili, Murungai Keerai Poriyal

Pavakai Pitlai

Rasam

Curd

Full Meals

Peerkangai Thugayal

Torai Peerkangai Ridgegourd

Health benefits of Koshataki
spiceflair
logayurveda 

English School Teacher

My 11th and 12th standard english school teacher was LG, an Anglo Indian, a bachelor. One of his favourite movies was Kadhalikka neramillai. I loved his classes. He was the one who taught me how to pronounce V and W properly. I had changed schools after 10th and sir had taught his old students grammar just after 10th standard. However, for just two of us (new joinees) he stayed a bit longer after the classes got over and taught us english grammar. He was full of wise quotes.

One of the things, that i remember, he described, was answering the question - How is life? And different interpretations of the "so-so" response of say a tailor (sew-sew), a farmer (sow-sow) etc.

He used to say, how earlier, for a wedding, all that you had was a simple brinjal sambar and how ambrosiac it was, how the sambar's mouth-watering smell, would linger around the whole street. Now we have so many varieties, but gone is the taste, definitely gone is the health with pesticides, gone is the satisfied mind, gone with the wind. Incidentally, whenever, i find myself mentalizing too much, Scarlett O Hara's I will think about it tomorrow is what keeps me going. If not Hara, our 2nd chapter of BG. Thinking about variety, made me recollect the economic times spiritual columnist article on cooking blogs - where the author talks about Japanese tea ceremony - simple ritual which goes on for hours - partaking food as offering to God.

Once after a Kerala school trip, (when i still didn't know to read tamil alphabet written on buses), LG sir, sacrificed his sleep to help me board the bus at market.

Early Morning Gandhi Market

So at market I was, this morning. Anyway, once Mayiladuthurai Express reaches Trichy junction anywhere from 3:30-4:30 am in the morning, i would have to wait for at least 30 minutes for the first bus. So, i decided to go to Gandhi market to buy vegetables for home, along with local vegetable vendors.

Market pricing based on supply and demand is so amazing. Just two weeks before, around 4 am; i could buy a mega bunch of spear mint and corriander for Rs.10 each, this time, a even larger bunch was half the last price, at Rs. 5 each. Two weeks ago, all vegetables cost  Rs.10 each. Only carrot cost me 20 Rs a kg. This week, carrots were priced the same rate, but all other common vegetables - broad country beans (avarakai), ridge gourd, bitter gourd, beet, everything was 15-25. So last time, i had a half of gunny sack of 6 kgs of vegetables + additional 2 green bunches for Rs.90, this time,  it cost around 200, for 9 kg of vegetables + 2 green bunches.

Market Pricing Dynamics

Even funnier is the fact that this simple market pricing, like our 2G notional loss of 1.86 lakh crore, got a black mark on a government servant's ACR. The allegation against him was that, over many years, he pocketed lakhs by inflating vegetable prices meant for the mess, since he accounted for it uniformly, instead of considering daily market rates.

Thinking about allegations, I always used to wonder, mangal shani or rahu-shani combination (rule breaker-rule enforcer) like now in Thula. Christopher Reeves and Judy Garland with Mangal Shani dristi (movement vs. resistance). I asked an April 13, whose second born son had Mangal and Shani in his 12th house of thula, as to what he thought, if a person could make and break rules. The father said, such a person would be god. God or whatever, intriguing combination indeed.

Even more funny is the concept of 12th house. I read that it is likely that a person with venus in the 12th house was a female in the past life. I was thinking about gender, like idea's ad - couple accidentally swapping phone, what if the wife was born as the husband and vice versa. Does it take so much to understand each other? Especially, since in both my case and my sister's case, the 12th from guru (1st husband) is venus. My BIL has 12th venus in cancer, so every time, i would almost call him mother, for he cares for, cooks excellently for the whole joint family and feeds everyone around him effortlessly, that too from his childhood. There is nothing feminine physically about him. So my sis is married to a cancerian lady and i would be marrying a virgo lady who have become guys in this life. In my case, husband's 2nd house is my 12th house. I can't enjoy his wealth or his wealth is hoarded through my losses.

Vegetables and Ex - Neighbours

Back to ridge gourd. One of the harmless vegetables, sources say. Thugayal was too good, crunchy, a tad sweet, simply delicious. I had prepared a banana leaf feast of avarakkai sambar, my favourite kothavaranga paruppu usili, toasted bikaneri papad, fresh carrot juliennes, pudhina chutney, peerkangai thugayal, inji maanga thokku, yellow moong dal kheer laced with ghee with lots of ellaichi cashew and raisins. Since it was saturday, i had originally planned pavakkai pitlai. After my ex-neighbour barged in, i decided to make avarakkai sambar.

Yesterday night, i was watching Special 26. Nothing like having opposite door neighbour for a lover. There was this case of Aslesha girl who married her opposite door neighbour, another bongo mesha girl who married her March 9th neighbour. It was the same with my second cousin as well. In all cases, they were childhood pals, in all cases, first born was a son. In my case, am surrounded with immature kids who brandish their arms with self-inflicted knife scars. Home is a perennial conflict zone, from where i clamor to escape. I can't even open my windows and ask my mom to lock the front door to get some time to study peacefully. I can't even fart peacefully at home, for neither the locks nor the fence is any barrier to prying eyes  of my younger brother's junior set neighbour, (his elder sister is my close friend). He finds no shame in jumping over fences, or entering through back door, taking my snaps in my nighty. Had a mini fight snatching the camera phone. Had prepared extra food for him also, but after mom served payasam, carrot juliennes, kothavaranga paruppu usili on the banana leaf, he refused to eat stating, if mom had prepared food he would have had food, but he would not eat my preparation. Am extremely wary of accepting free gifts or anything for free from guys. So our initial agreement was that, if he ate lunch at home, i would accept his free ride till railway station on sunday evening. I added extra rice, only after he stated, he didn't want to miss my cooking. After mom left for work, he again sneaked in through back door, eating just the kheer stating, now that he had kheer, i should come in his cab to station. Whatever, this once-in-a-blue-moon-weekend-drama too would pass. Need to do a pranic cut-cut to all ties with these juvenile delinquents.

Yellow Pumpkin Mystery

Thinking about ridge gourd - harmless vegetable. I was surprised to learn that that yellow pumpkin ought to be avoided during menstruation. All that i remembered that anything yellow and orange was rich in vitamin A, good for skin, eyes. So i used to gorge in carrots, papayas, mangoes, pumpkins whenever i got a chance. While papapya clearly eases cramps during menstruation, am yet to understand, why yellow pumpkin ought to be avoided those days. 

Chakka Eriserri Maanga Pachadi Baby Corn Golden Roast

For Sunday - Crunchy wheat Jaggery sweet with cashew, raisins and ellaichi

Baby Corn Golden Roast

Maanga Pachadi

Wheat Balls, Sweet Amlas, Carrot, Maanga Pachadi, Chakka Eriserri, Murukku, Murungakka Sambar, Curd

Mom and Periyamma said, they don't want jaggery in maanga pacchadi, so we made two versions, one without jaggery and one with delicious jaggery.

Mom distributed mangoes and our mallu neighbours gave us raw jackfruit, so with google to guide me, we ended up with Chakka eriserri cooked in coconut oil, and avialish coconut paste. What an odd combination i thought, baby corns and jackfruit and mangoes. Any day, my first preference is ripe mangoes, ripe jack fruit part of the fruit triad.

The best part was maanga pachadi with jaggery, and maanga pachadi without jaggery for curd.

Hair Care - Hibiscus and Henna

When i stayed in Vannathurai, my room mate, KS took me to parlour once, where i observed how they did hair massage, and lo my hair massage was an instant hit with chithi, bro, sis and mom. Next need to learn stomach and abdomen massage.

My virgo ex-model apartmentmate runs BodyCare and she keeps on talking about costly imported machines that give figure correction massage. Her clientele includes the actresses and hi-fi folks. But i believe in the long run, it is simple boat asana and self massage that would help. Need to bring this topic up with my physiotherapist SIL. She spent hours massaging my quadriceps and taught me how to as well. Thanks to her, now am able to climb steps with lesser height with my right leg.

Hibiscus Sembaruthi

Maruthaani Henna

Mom plucked the leaves, made a smooth paste, while periyamma sat next to me, to ensure, i covered all my scalp. Was feeling bad that two hibiscus buds were there amongst plucked leaves. But the effect of this combination is simply too good. Only after hours, when my head started hurting, i washed my hair and stood under hot sun to dry my wet scalp. Omavalli leaves were growing wildly with the leaked water tank water. Thanks to mother nature, we are all able to savour these little little things. Thank you! God of small things, rather everything.

Every morning, when i touch the ground, am always amazed at the relative motion effect, where it is so difficult to believe being close to equator, it is always the stability of terra firma I perceive rather than the velocity with which earth is rotating and revolving.

Dogs and Fish

For the past two nights, i had been sleepless, first due to a ppt and the second due to train journey. From morning, when D gave a me box full of  chocolates, it was extremely difficult to be just its safekeeper and not relish it.  I told R that I badly missed chocolates and he bought my  favourite Temptations Rum and Raisins, which i almost single handedly polished off in just 30 minutes. (ok, I just gave just 8-9 bits to SB who was carrying for three months wondering, if chocolates were good for babies).

The cab supervisor was going to Mandya by Chamundi Express. Without asking, he handled
my trolley and i just followed him. The moment the train started jolting, i decided to spare my eyes and L3 and collapsed happily. At Karmelaram, B joined me with three soft idlies. Wow, it was ambrosia, after PG and office idlis, i almost forgot, what soft idlis and proper chutney sambar tasted like.

Every major stop woke me up. No water was there in the train and the stench was unbearable at the station halts. Lampooning the stench, someone played Veti veru vaasam, vedla pulla nesam around 3:30 am. Nothing indeed can match the fragrance of vetti veru scrub in soothing warm water. Since i massage with oil most days except mondays, thursdays and sundays, the vetti veru scrub would start smelling oil after just a week.

B woke me up at 4 am and we parted ways. So appa and amma came, gave me anna's blazer. Amma asked, did you get a trolley just for this. I said, no, i had things to take back. She asked me, if there was no car to pick me up. I said, it was only mom and she didn't know driving. They went to station to have coffee and I felt bad, with Adyar Anand Bhavan closed in station, i was going empty handed to meet mom. I typically give 150 to N to buy 1 kg pomegranates for mom during my trips, but he didn't come to office on friday. So I took a bus to Gandhi market and bought half a gunny sack of oranges and vegetables, coriander bunch, spearmint bunch, which i could carry without straining.

Along with other vegetable hawkers who were carrying many larger sacks of vegetables for their area customers, i stood waiting for bus, which came after a while and i reached home around 6 am. A police guy, helped with the trolley while alighting.

Mom was also there at the  bus stand, to buy milk. She buys milk only if someone comes home. She said, i looked like a theevaravadi (aathathayinah) in my black tshirt and grey pants and brown black stole covering my head and face. I was glad. My test while going outside, is street dogs behaviour. I intentionally build in some fury, make my footsteps firm, almost stomping, and walk brisk with my fist clenched and sharp thumb nails jutting out ready to draw blood. If the dogs run away when I approach, am sure none of the gropers would dare come near me. I hate going to crowded markets because of gropers. I badly wanted a physical shield that would sense gropers and became porcupine like, with sharp knives. It took me years to realize, that a girl's best self defence was arul kaapu (prayers) and protective thoughts. Have tried and tested in so many crowds and it does work for me.

Talking about vibrations around the body reminds me of fish in office. If the fish quickly swim away frightened  as i approach them; I stand and pray and bless everyone whom I am going to meet till the fish return. That is the best entry check for kitchen as well. To cook in a positive loving frame of mind.

Meals at Home

For Mom: Corriander Chutney Rice, Pumpkin, Snake Gourd, Bitter Gourd, MangoDrumstick Sambar, Curd, Kheer

For Periyamma

Ever since, it got confirmed that we are not working on saturdays and i didn't have to cancel my weekend train tickets, i had been asking mom for corriander chutney and pudhina chutney. After reaching home sleepless for 2 nights, woke up pretty late and missed breakfast's corriander chutney. So ended up making a makeshift corriander chutney pulav with fresh peas and carrot.

Kheer reminded me of cerelac. Laced with melting ghee, mashed rice, milk, cashews, fragrant ellaichies and jaggery to sweeten, i could not help taking one more tiny scoop from mom's and periyamma's share. It was too good.

Summer season, so everywhere, there was these tiny baby mangoes that had fallen in the wind, that ended up as avakai pickle. Maanga murungaka sambar was simply tangilicious.

I had gone straight to early morning Gandhi Market from junction, so ended up with kgs of vegetables. Tomorrow, we will have only one proper vegetable.

La Opala's can never beat the special taste of steaming rice on fresh banana leaf, probably an Ag/Au plate can beat the taste. Pradhosam and tomorrow is Maha shivarathiri, but we ended up eating so much, with paneer peas pulav for dinner. Gone are the days when i used to give rest to tummy on trayodashis. Now, it has shifted to weekly tuesdays rather than fortnightly trayodashis.