Musings from Chennai

2005-07-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Mumbai this morning. My Inbox had a message from a very close buddy. It finds a permanent place as the last post on this blog:

Its hardly been 12 hours since you left this place, but I miss you already.

I don't know why, it can't be because we met every day,
because we didn't.

It can't be because we smoked together,
because we didn't.

Nor can it be because we shared a drink,
because we didn't.

It can't be because we stayed at the same place,
because we didn't.

Neither can't be because we worked together,
because we didn't.

It can't be because we went on long drives down the ECR,
because we didn't.

Nor can it be because we spent a lot of our spare time together,
because we didn't.

I miss you already, but I don't know why.

Perhaps I don't need to know.

2005-07-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

Started the day with a photoshoot of Prema - and the rest of us. This lady had made Chennai so spectacular for us all. She spoke Hindi. She cooked Chapatis. She prepared extra strong coffee for Dil, strong for me and tea for Cheeru. She had brought the vegetables with her own money when she found the stock run-out at home. She had treated us like kids and doted on us. I'm not sure if I'd run into another Prema again.

We created a lot of noise in the comforts of the train coach. It was like a small get-together. Shom, Cheeru, Pondy, Dil and Robbie (with his Tie and official id tag still on) - looking like the Chief Railway Inspector.

I didn't want to say bye. I had to.

I spent the rest of the evening messaging everybody thanking them for making Chennai so special. I wouldn't get free messaging from an Aircel number in Mumbai would I ?!

2005-06-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

I was at the Computerised Railway Reservation Counter at Besant Nagar at 0630hrs. I was expecting to be the only person around but was greeted by 8 other people. The counter did not open till 0800hrs and I had Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies to pass my time with. Short stories are indeed so much fun.

The previous night Cheeru had double-checked with his travel agent who had told him that the chances of getting a 2nd AC Tatkaal ticket were more remote than getting a sleeper berth. That's because there are only 6 seats for the same.

Well. There was definitely something about my time being good. I got my 2nd AC ticket. I was definitely leaving Chennai on Friday afternoon.

We loaded my girl into the Cargo service. I wanted to travel light. So I took the extra trouble of packaging everything into cartons which would be cargoed. Pondy and Kaus helped me in packing her up. We wrapped her up like a young bride in all the jute bags I had. I wouldn't tolerate a scratch on her. She was too precious to be harmed.

I couldn't watch her getting loaded into the truck because Gandhi was leaving tonight. The idiots had not even brought a ramp. But Pondy was there to look after her. So she was safe.

Cheeru, Dil, Jai and myself headed to the Station to bid Gandhi Goodbye. He was off to New Delhi - closer home to his Dad. Never seen him happier ! He got luckier. Somebody wished to exchange his ticket with him, wanting to sit in Gandhi's coach. It turned out that the other ticket was a Class upgrade and Gandhi would spend the rest of his journey in 2nd AC comfort !

The rendezvous was Freez Zone, near Music Academy on TTK Road. Gandhi had shown us the spot. In fact he had raved like crazy about it. So there we were. Robbie, Dil, Cheeru, Jai, Shom, Maddy and myself. Blissfully eating Kulfis. In lovely Chennai.

Later that night. These chaps - my roomies of New#39 - Robbie, Maddy, Dil and Cheeru gifted me a Lord Ganesha idol - playing the flute. I also got a pack of Cigars. It was certainly not the most brilliant combination but it brought out the tears in my eyes.. These guys knew me too well.

2005-06-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well Well Well. They gave me news that I need to report to Mumbai immediately. It was no surprise. But I did not expect my transfer orders to come in this fashion.

A lot of good things have been happening in my life lately. And a grand party at Geoffery's, Radha Park Inn, on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai was certain tonight. Mumbai has happened for good. I've got a more responsible role at work. And that's one city that is sure to teach me more about life..

So it was the gang - Kaus, Shameel, Mhzhk, Zerish, Shom, Cheeru, Dil, Pondy, Maddy & Suddy. Cheeru was kind enough to scan the Menu and place this fantabulous order - Rough Seas Pitcher, Mango Madness, Strawberry Lemonade, Sea Green, Long Beach Iced Tea Pitcher, Bloody Mary and finally, Ambrosia. It was crazy. With all that stuff going down our throats, and a superb DJ playing the tracks that were just right for the moment - all of us were rocking to the music.

Initially there was only one couple dancing. Then the party got grander with the Lady coming up to us and asking us all to join in. Believe me, she did not ask any other group to join in. There must be definitely be something she saw in all of us. And we all shook the place like anything..

Somewhere around 12:30AM we realized that dinner was still on our To-Do list. AFAIK, IITM has one lovely place called Dhaba Express which is open till a cool 1:30AM mostly. The only problem was that we could all walk ten steps straight - but no Cop would buy it.

But we took the risk. Shom led the way and Maddy suggested driving thru T-Nagar to get to IITM faster. Now we know not to ever take Maddy's suggestions. Especially at an odd midnight hour.

We were greeted by some 4 Cops, complete with Jeep, Lathis and everything. Cheeru has a Hawk's eye when spotting Cops - because he's never got his scooter's papers. I realized that there was a Cop ahead after I was 26inches away from squashing him. Too late.

I have never been so terrified in Chennai. I definitely had a strange breath. And I didn't speak Tamil. I couldn't imagine how bad it would get.

But when already in trouble, its better to face it - keeping the helmet on. I just turned off my lights as the Cop waved his baton. Promptly turned off the engine as well. Smoothly opened my Toolbox and produced this plastic sheet enclosing a bunch of white sheets - photocopies of all my documents.

The act was so smoothly done that the Cop assumed I had everything right (I did, except my breath smelled corny). He just said, 'Go'. That was the fastest 0 to 60 (kmph) I had done in Chennai till date.

I guess he let the others go as well - because they looked like these cute school kids who had come to Anna Nagar to eat Pizza and were now returning home in Adyar.

Just when you think the surprise is over, you're greeted by another. The second stop was opposite Raj Bhavan. The Cops were not noticeable in the dark and they were stopping everyone - especially bikers. These guys looked really mean.

I tried to repeat the same thing over. It didn't work. The Cop asked 'Drinks saaptingla ?' From the limited Tamil I know, this translates to 'Have you had drinks ?' Its a good habit to say 'Tamil Teriada' when you have nothing else to say. It means 'I don't know Tamil'.

The Cop was not amused. 'You're saying you don't know Tamil, in fluent Tamil', he said. I just stared blankly. I had no clue what he was saying (Dil explained that to me later).

So he started bickering. He said you guys all smell weird. And had we had drinks ? I don't know how Dil came up with this but he told the Cop in Tamil - "Yes Saar. I am totally drunk. In fact, that is the reason I am sitting behind this fellow who is not".

Can you believe he let us go ? Neither did we.

The dinner at IITM was fabulous. Cheeru arrived before us. He took a detour to avoid the Cops by riding thru Guindy.

We had tons of Lassi and really well-prepared food. It had been a brilliant evening and I knew I was going to miss my time here.

It was somewhere at 0200hrs that I realized that this was the place where I set up base after arriving in Chennai - the first time 2.5yrs ago. It was ironic that I was celebrating my last dinner inside the same campus..

2005-06-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

Robbie is distraught. Robbie goes to the UK. Robbie returns. Robbie's boss finds greener pastures. Robbie gets promoted. Robbie and friends open the bottle.

Wine Connoisseur, veggie foodaholic, Jain Dharmatma cum idiot-extraordinaire - Cheeru turned Bartender tonight - mixing Maaza Mango Juice, Sprite Ice and 12-year old Chivas Regal Whiskey.

We could have planned, but the fun is in the chaos.

2005-06-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters

After listening to the original and the S&M version on Southern Spice Music till 0500hrs, Puyal and I finally crashed.

At precisely 1145hrs, Cheeru enquires about the shortest route to get to Ega Theatre. At 1200hrs, he informs us that all of us are also to come. At 1240hrs, after missing out a crucial Ghost-in-love-with-Mortal scene, we're all watching Amol Palekar's 'Paheli'. Thank God, Cheeru took that decision.

We practically had the entire Cinema Hall to ourselves. And aapno Rajasthan, its colours, its traditions, and the culture portrayed was marvellous. I, incidentally, was in my Jodhpuri Jootis, and not before long, I was enjoying the show sitting cross-legged on my seat as if it were a Diwan.

All the characters got their Rajasthani perfect, with a super-dignified Rajput twang. Naseeruddin Shah's unmistakeable voice carried the narration with style. But this was not all.

This film too, brought about a refreshing change in perspective. One big loser, Kisanlal, leaves his newly-wedded wife, a day after the wedding. The idea is to return after 5yrs with ten times more money. That's what we call the 'Baniyaa' in Rajasthan. He even checks his account books on the honeymoon night.

Kisanlal leaves the beautiful Lachchi to make money. And that's when the naughty Ghost, who can take any form he likes, and who adores the young bride, returns as 'Kisanlal'. The one-liners were sometimes hilarious, sometimes poignant. But not a word was to be missed.

The way the movie goes, the Ghost is so mesmerized by Lachchi's beauty, that he reveals his true identity - an apparition. And because he will not force her to accept him, he offers to leave. Which is when the Lady remarks, "Jaane waale ko to rok na saki, aane waale ko ub na jaane dungi".

This movie was about the woman. Her grief at not being able to restrain her man from leaving. And her accepting, and then falling in love with the Ghost embodied as her husband. It was her choice.

So even when the real Kisanlal returns and challenges the Ghost, she tells the Phantasm, 'Promise me you'll never let go'.

The ending was that of a classic fairytale and all of us had sored our throats with the cheering. My hands were throbbing from the intermittent claps throughout.

The liberal use of the lovely Rajasthani phrases 'Padhaaro' and 'Khama', reminded me of home. This movie is saturated with everything Rajasthan. And even before it ended, we had decided that lunch was to be at Jaipur.

Greams Road houses Jaipur - one fantastic place for Rajasthani cuisine. We weren't very hungry, so all of us ordered one Thali and multiple plates of Dal Baati. When visiting home, my ABCD (American born confused Desi) cousins refer to the stuff as paper-weights !

The Dal was marvellous, although the Baati had taken a form that neither Cheeru nor I were accustomed to - It was flat, like a cookie ?! The original paper-weights are spheres prepared by baking wheat flour.

We enjoyed the meal, nevertheless. The taste was different. And for a change, I was missing Ma's cooking.

We rounded up with the Matka Kulfi. Getting it out of the pot proved rather troublesome, until Maddy figured out using the reverse of the spoon to scoop the stuff out. Jai and Dil succeeded in bending a spoon Matrix-style.

Chennai has almost everything I have back home.

2005-06-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

Watched Fanta Regina Nacro's Bintou today. This lovely film portrays Bintou's struggle to educate her daughter. It reminded me a lot of rural Indian society, where women don't usually go to school, as its an added financial burden. In this film as well, Abel (the husband) is against the concept as there's not enough money to fund their sons' education itself.

But Bintou is adamant. She figures out a way to get a loan to start her own millet-sprouting business, which is a success. In the process she invites the wrath of her husband, because Abel fears that the newfound financial freedom would lead her to adultery.

The husband spies on the wife. And overhears Bintou's plans for a rendezvous the next afternoon. He plans to trap her red-handed in the act. However, when sneaking up at the place, he's spotted by some women who beat him up thinking he is an auto-thief. Bintou somehow helps him out and informs everybody that Abel's her husband.

The conclusion was lovely when its clarified that the afternoon meeting was that of a women's self-help group. One of the women tells Abel how lucky he is to have a wife like Bintou, who is so eager to share the financial responsibility of educating their children. In turn, which is what I liked even more, she tells how lucky Bintou is, to have a husband like Abel, who loves her so much. I guess it was all about perspective. The fact that Abel feared his wife's adultery (and all the crappy thoughts) was completely overshadowed by the fact that the cause for all this was his immense love for her. Hmm.

The last scene is even better. Bintou declares that her millet-sprouting business has helped generate enough money to fund two of their kids' studies. Abel can fund the second son's education. And he accepts. Their love for each other is superbly reflected on the screen, and it works magic.

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Also watched Joël Vanhoebrouck's Joséphine. It was hilariously creative. And there was this statistic that 99% of men will not talk to the woman they're interested in.. And this wasn't even India !

I liked this synopsis very much:
"Nowadays, in an appartment-building in Bruxelles (or anywhere else...) men and women cross paths. In the hallway. In the staircase. In the elevator. Men and women looking for something. Looking for each other or for themselves, it doesn’t really matter... And sometimes, they end up finding each other. An elevator-breakdown might even help. But that’s not always a solution. Why don’t you ask Augustin, the caretaker? He can tell you the stories. And maybe he’ll tell you about Joséphine?"

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Richard Jutras' 'Hit and Run' was hilarious. The story of Hélène and her baseball bat. Reminded me of "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned/ Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned", as quoted in William Congreve's The Mourning Bride.

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But the one movie that had us all sighing was Reines d’un jour by Pascal Magnin. Shot on the slopes of the gorgeous Swiss Alps, this short was all about the sensuality associated with graceful human movement. The best part was the idea of using breath, blowing in then blowing out, bringing people closer and then pushing them away (physically). It was too well done.

---

Just when I thought we were done for the day, I got a request from Jai - 'When is the screening ?'

Had been planning this for a long long time, and finally succeeded. We (Arun, Puyal, Shom, Dil, Cheeru, Jai, two special invitees - Pooja and Shakthi, Robbie, Maddy, Kaus, Zerish, Mhzhk, Shameel and myself) gathered at Pondy's place for a lights-off premiere of 'We'. Won the audience's approval. And then got kicked again. I don't know what it is with these guys, but there's no non-violent way to celebrate anything these days.

---

Finally headed to Romallee, next to Music Academy to celebrate two birthdays and friendship. The funny thing was that we first peeked into Mowbray's Inn on the same road. Neither Arun, nor Puyal nor I spoke a word as we entered. But the Concierge did. "Bar is closed.", he said. Now how did he know ? It was probably Puyal's long-hairdo and dope-eyed look. They'd probably serve him Toddy, even if he went to a free-food camp.

Romallee was fantabulous. To serve beer after 2330hrs. To treat us to amazing fish masala at 0100hrs. And to play Hindi tracks one after the other. Arun added another year on the 23rd. Puyal will, on the 27th. I, probably will, never grow up..

2005-06-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

They screened Frédéric Leroux' Jour de chance today. All the films screened at the festival seem to have sudden twists in their plot. This one was about a Tramp who moves around scavenging for food in dustbins and gets turned away from there as well..

It got worse. He enters a Supermart to exchange stuff (most probably food) for the Special Voucher he has found. The Store security gives him only 5mins to make his purchase. In between, an Assistant at the Confectionery offers a complimentary Cookie to the hungry man, which too is snapped up by the Security Guard.

He languorously makes his way to the Cashier, when another customer rudely overtakes him saying he doesn't have all day. Eventually, the Cashier trashes his Voucher because its invalid.

I had already lost my appetite for dinner.

All this was in black & white. The shot then changed to colour and some TV Presenter walks up to the Tramp and announces him as the 1,00,0000th customer at the Store. So he gets a million euros and a villa and a leather-interiored car and..

I started clapping. I was the only idiot to clap in the silence, characteristic of a special screening. People probably thought I was kiddish, but I really wanted something nice to happen to the poor man.

Meanwhile, the rude customer who had overtaken the Tramp comes up and says that the prize is actually his, because he had overtaken the man out-of-turn. It was hilarious to have the Presenter announce an XL T-shirt and a shiny watch with a leather strap for the disgruntled man.

The sad part is, that all this (the Tramp winning a jackpot) was only part of a low-budget shoot to promote the Store. I don't know why they involved the Tramp, because it wasn't clear if he was paid anything. Or if he in the shoot by accident. They show the crew asking the Tramp to leave because the Store shall be opening and there shall be customers soon.

Me thinks the movie should have ended with the Tramp winning the fortune of a lifetime, nevermind how and why he's initially in such a pitiable condition. But then, they had to twist something. Really creative, though.

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Marc Fitoussi's Illustre inconnue was another lovely film. This one was about a Manga Voice-artist (played by Marilyne Canto), who wants to make her lucky break as an actress.

She struggles real hard and gets an opportunity to prove herself in a screen-test. She is, however, turned down because she has to play a Nun. And the Casting Director thinks she doesn't fit the bill because she wore make-up and is a non-believer.

She gets news of another Director looking for a young actress and conspires to steal the script this time, in order to be better prepared. Her enthusiasm and keenness is something I would have encouraged. All this while the movie illustrates what lengths this Lady is willing to go to, to further her ambition. Most of her activities are quite harmless, me thinks.

At the venue of the screen-test, she even bribes a stranger into approaching her for an autograph. The Man was to make an entry when she is in conversation with the famed producer inside. Its all set and decided, and the plot doesn't surprise, when the stranger turns out to be the Director himself.

But the inevitable twist. I'd be in awe of a person who's tried so hard. She could have used more honest means, though. She doesn't make it.

And she returns to the studio as a Voice-over artist. The Manga script closes with her dubbing the voice of a woman who has been a failure.

I was thrilled to watch these films, despite all the irony.

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Another fantastic story was Emmanuel Malka's Une vie en l’air. About hired labourers who risk their lives to excavate Saturn's inhospitable moon Titan. The story of how Men break down after not having met their loved ones on Earth in years. And the tale of a man who yearns to return to his wife and daughter after spending five years on a moon. All this to make money to pay-off his father's debts.

Enter cost-cutting and constraints on transportation. The man now has to shell out 3,00,000 units of currency to officially return to Earth. That is 3/4th of his savings of 5years.

But he has to return. And some unscrupulous rocket pilots assure him a place as a stowaway aboard the spacecraft for a smaller, yet substantial sum. He has to, of course, trust the pilots, for he shall lose consciousness during the transit.

Of course, they make a mockery of the word 'Trust'. But the end is even more gross. He's deserted with his baggage on some rundown spacestation. He somehow salvages the only photo of his wife and daughter, and the corrosive atmosphere fades out the coating on the photo almost instantaneously. The film closes with the wife and daughter's last transmission to the Man.. 'At last.. At last..'

I was in the open. But I needed water. And even more, more fresh air. And mebbe a huge hug.

2005-06-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

They're having the Festival of francophone films at the Alliance Française backyard in Nungambakkam. I read that some of the films were laced with humour, and turning up became imminent.

I watched Jean-François Rivard's Noël blank (Best Foreign Short, Los Angeles Film Festival 2003). It started off as a sweet little film about a couple - Denis and Diane (they pronounced them as Den-ee and Dee-aahn), who bring home Denis' father to celebrate Christmas, apparently.

The Alzheimer's afflicted father played by Gilles Pelletier was touching. The emotions in the movie made me sit up. He insists that he only has a daughter Suzanne, and no son. Diane, although a loving wife, looks flustered at having to host the Old man for Christmas.

Everything looks perfect. Denis almost won my heart as the 'Good son'. Until the family exchange presents and the Old man regrets having brought nothing. Denis says that that's why he remembered to collect his Dad's cheque book from the Shelter where he stays. The story went from emotional to downright shocking after that. A figure of 1000 is scrawled onto a cheque leaf and the Old man encouraged to sign it.

It was fiction allright, but the dialogues were brilliant. Especially the line where the truth is revealed, when the son is driving him back. The Old man says 'Its Christmas, but I don't see any snow'. And Denis goes, 'because its August'.

Denis is not his son. He just works at the Shelter and found this novel way to make money. And its not Christmas time. They rob an Old man suffering from Alzheimer's in a sickening way. The daughter Suzanne never calls for her Dad anyway..

2005-06-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

I had two Aavin Kulfi bars at 2AM. I had one. And it was so good, that I had another. Tidel Park's ground floor is the only place around Adyar where you can get authentic Kulfi at such an hour. Too bad its only for people with a Tidel Access card (as only they get to enter the premises).

From the size of the dustbin put up next to the little stall, I know that that guy's business is roaring. Simple ideas work.

20mins later I rode the Bajaj Discover, racing the bike to a cool 80kmph on the ECR. At 125cc, she was puny, practically made no sound and I felt like I had nothing between my knees and was sitting on a little toy.

Nobody can match my girl.

2005-06-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Me and my baby went out for a spin this evening. I just got lucky and it started to rain. Considering the source and the destination, I was to cover a cool 10km one-way. And it didn't rain all the way. It was just bits of rainpour on a stretch, followed by a light drizzle on another and parched dry on some segments. But the stuff was enough to get me all excited. Its just so much fun to have raindrops cover the helmet visor. And I deliberately didn't put on my windcheater. So it was a dry head, and a lightly soaked button-down shirt and formal trousers. Little things to make me happy !

As per Cheeru's well-intimated plan, the third day of eating-out meant another assembly at home. I had been cribbing about the timing and had arranged for everyone to meet at 1900hrs sharp. So, when the rains played naughty, and I took my own sweet time to get home at 2000hrs, I was in for a painful surprise.

Reminds me of the birthday bumps at college. When all the people I knew, and even the others I didn't, gathered together to hang me by my limbs, and then kick my ass, literally.

Only this time, it wasn't college. And it wasn't my birthday. And this was no celebration. This is what I got for asking everybody to be on time, and everybody (surprisingly) turning up on time, and me not showing up.

BTW, in order of muscle power, this is how I rate their kicks:
Robbie < Delta < Cheeru <<< Dil <<<<< Pondy
I had to beg Pondy to stop. My seat was numb. It still is.

We gathered at Minar, atop Hotel Savera on Cathedral Road. The 'Long Island Iced Tea' served in a tall glass with Vodka, Gin, Rum and Coke (and no tea !) was of considerable help in distracting me from my aching bottom.

Those chaps permit access to the adjacent terrace and the weather was perfect to stand in the open and enjoy the wind in the face, high up on the 11th storey. Then there was the Ghazal singer to play our requests and Cheeru had the Gentleman churning out memorable numbers. This was a night of shayari.

The cocktails (that took 15minutes to arrive from Sparks on the ground floor) continued to flow, and consuming dinner actually got difficult. But while rounding up, we tried every dish listed under Dessert - their Shahi Khazana being one very creative dish with a bread base, while the Gajar ka Halwa and the ping-pong ball sized Gulab Jamun was simply spectacular.

All of us agreed on putting a halt to the incessant eating-out till further notice. Despite all the lovely food, we all were craving for Prema's recipes and Tahir Sadam again..

2005-06-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Tonight it was Little Italy, opposite Pizza Corner at Nungambakkam. Pondy was being toasted for his leap from Software Professional to Maritime Consultant. Cheeru, Jai, Dil, Maddy, Robbie, Delta and myself were also present to enjoy the Billabong white wine, prepared from the finest grapes from South Eastern Australia (the label said so).

It was quite funny.. the Steward got us this napkin-draped bottle of wine. He displayed it before me and I sheepishly pointed to Cheeru - recognized as the only wine Connoisseur among us. Then my cell buzzed, and I had to excuse myself. When I returned, my wine glass was full. The thing was, that after all the pomp and ceremony, all of us committed harakiri by not holding our glasses by the stem. What's more, the 0.5% alcohol Billagong wine was so tasty, that it was quickly gobbled up with the accompanying starters - cheese draped Nachos and assorted breads !

The pizzas were markedly different. They had unusually thin crusts, which on baking, made them crisp and kinda hard. I sprayed ketchup to make 'em soft. But as the dishes kept coming in, I started to relish the goulash on my plate. There was sauce dripping from everywhere and everything on my plate tasted wonderful. Towards the end, we were all so stuffed with the bakes, that nobody was willing to have the last slice of Pizza left on the serving plate. Finally, each of us took a bite to finish the thing !

And only then, did we order dessert. Somehow, there's always room for dessert.

And just as we were leaving, Madhavan makes an entry. I didn't recognize him in the 3seconds of direct eye-contact. The moment I did register who this chap was, my face probably gave it all, and the Dude quickly looked away. He looked shabby with his long uncropped hair. Must be the new look for his upcoming film. But one thing's for sure, make-up can do wonders.

The ride back was at a modest 60. Delta and I experienced single drops of rain on our faces. Not a drizzle. Just one raindrop at a time. It was wonderful.

2005-06-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

Delta, Pondy, Cheeru, Dil, Maddy and myself celebrated Delta's recent success pertaining to a job change on some floor of the Hotel Aruna Inn in Nungambakkam. A place called Mainland China. I had been told its one of those places that maketh you appreciate Chinese cuisine even if you think it sux. Well, that's why we were all there.

It didn't change our opinion much about Chinese cuisine, except that if such food is to be relished, its best done at Mainland China. The place is very elegant. Its the quiet kinds, and we were just too loud for a sombre dinner.

I started off with a Vodka and Pineapple based Planters Punch. I don't know if it was the crushed ice, the oriental music, or just all of us together.. But this was quickly followed by another Vodka, this time with Blue Curacao, aptly called Blue Lagoon. We ordered Chicken Taipei for starters and it was delicious. There was another dish as well, but I liked the Taipei so much that I memorized the name. They also serve Cucumber in a sweet syrup. None of us quite figured out what that liquid was, but it boosted the cucumber consumption big time !

Moi also liked the Butter Garlic Noodles. They felt like Maggi. They almost looked like Maggi. Thank God, they didn't taste like Maggi. They were kinda prepared in some sauce that gave them the peppy flavour. And they were very good.

I liked the place overall. Except its kinda quiet. Maybe I was in the mood for something noisier. The ride back was fantabulous. It had rained in the evening. And I ripped thru a desolate Mount Road with the Speedo hovering around 80. Delta clung on at the rear. The entire week ahead is gonna be like this..

2005-06-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

There were only two pieces of Starburst Fruit Chews left. One was the perky green flavour, the other, a sharp purple one. I've never bothered to check what I have eaten, as long as it tastes good.

But there were three of us. And although Cheeru insisted he had had enough of the delicious candy, Maddy decided to share some of his. When Maddy brought it out of the wrapper, what appeared was a distorted purple candy - because it had melted in the heat and had been refrigerated again. Cheeru, quite naturally, did not realize that the candy had not been split when Maddy had offered it to him expecting him to break it in half, and share the remaining.

As Maddy and I watched, Cheeru popped the candy right into his mouth and started munching it.. and Maddy let out a loud shriek 'Har-aa-ami !'.

Maddy is this nice little kid whose grown up speaking Telugu. When left to himself, he'll be beside the television, watching his favourite Nagarjuna movie or a recast of the last Australia vs Bangladesh cricket match. The biggest swear word we had heard from his mouth till today was 'Shit'. Cheeru and I agree that we have a promising effect on people. But so soon, was least expected.

Quite naturally, Cheeru nearly choked on his candy when he heard Maddy's shriek. I confirmed what I had heard, and Maddy quite proudly told us that he has no clue what the word meant, but liked the sound of it. Cheeru patted him on his back, as Maddy pondered over the repercussions. Cheeru told him that it literally means 'To every man (har), his mango (aam)'.

And he thinks Maddy believed that ?!

Later this evening, we headed to T-Nagar to say Bye to Pharaoh Ramses. We met up at Mansukh's sweets on Ramaswami Street, and although Pondy and myself had stuffed ourselves on the brilliantly prepared Club sandwich at Hot Chips, we proceeded to order a Basundhi and Shrikhand. Which was, of course, delighting.

Cheeru was kinda feeling low and we sauntered off to get him a tablet. There were two things that I observed while searching for a medicine shop in T-Nagar. There is only one chemist, and it is next to the massive Nalli Silks showroom. And its probably closed on Sundays.

The other thing is that being the Doorman at The Chennai Silks looked like a most interesting job. For one, he gets to sit at the door all day and enjoy their super-duper cold air-conditioner. Second, he gets to hold the door for the prettier women of Chennai. Now, how many men are THAT fortunate ?

Pondy and I didn't get the tablet. But we offered to get Cheeru his curd rice dinner, after bidding Ramses a farewell interspersed with warm hugs. Back in Adyar, its a pity that none of the better restaurants stock Cheeru's favourite dish. Sangeetha did not have it, Coronet's didn't list it on their menu, and the man at the counter at Hotel Runs thought we were mad.. It dawned on us that we could prepare the rice, but we wouldn't get curd at that hour. Thankfully, there's this little place called Ganga Mari Mess, near the Kun Honda Showroom, that serves stuff on a made-to-order basis.

Cheeru's dinner was sorted. So Pondy and I headed to his place for dinner. Got treated to fantastic food prepared by his maid, Mary. I guess Adyar is swelling with these housekeepers who help us bachelors get by. They have been a contributing factor in making Chennai the wonderful place it is.

2005-06-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

I submitted our day-night effort at the Ability Foundation office in Adyar today. Its in the form of a DVD - and the audio and video are present together, thanks to a Mr. Srinivasan. His 16-bit theory worked after all !

Our work was to be titled 'Naangal', meaning 'We' in Tamil. But we couldn't label it that way as none of us had a Tamil font on our PCs. So, its now simply titled 'We'. The 59second black and white screenplay depicts a differently-abled Cheeru's life in an inclusive society.

After all, all We need is each other.

2005-06-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

I am yet to come across a shopowner as Mr.Srinivasan of Sri Krishna Videos at Gokul Arcade in Adyar. Its very unlikely of a Chennai shopkeeper to treat you as his most-prized customer. And to value a commitment.

Shameel was able to compose an original score for our movie and even figured editing on Adobe Premiere Pro, with a little help from Shom. We were very excited when we got the fade-in effects right and the film completed in 00:00:59 seconds. Our first attempt had created a film that last an excruciating 00:01:13 seconds. And stripping down 14 seconds hurt. Bad. Editing a 3hr Indian feature must be very painful.

Once done, we headed for Lattice Bridge Road in the hope of contacting a Software Pro who could burn us our movie onto DVD. The problem with shopkeepers in Chennai is - that they answer 'Yes' only. If they don't do or have something, they usually don't reply. Sometimes, they say 'No'. But don't ever expect an answer to 'Can you suggest someone who..'. We tried four shops that advertised DVD copying, and in two of them, the proprietors didn't know what we were talking about.

That's how we headed to Gokul Arcade, because this place houses some of the few hi-tech shops in Adyar. Mr. Srinivasan wasn't available but his assistant called him up and we agreed on the price and time to collect the DVD.

At the appointed hour, I returned to his shop. The man was burning a second DVD in the hope of getting the audio right. Somehow, the video was getting saved, but the audio was not getting stored on the disc. The man tried everything, as I patiently watched. He called up his technology-savvy friends. Installed two new softwares to enable some features. But to no avail. Four hours after I had requested for burning my movie onto a DVD, I had the movie minus the audio.

I was angry, but kept quiet. He finally told me that the problem was that I had saved the audio in 32-bit format. Saving in 16-bit format would get me the sound as well. But the deadline was in 15mins. And rendering itself would take another 30mins !

So I decided to submit the movie minus the audio. I was obviously not gonna pay him the decided price (the work was not complete !). So I enquired about how much I owed him, preparing myself for an argument. And he replied - Zilch. I was really not expecting that. He had burnt the movie onto my DVD. Ok, it was minus the audio. But the audio didn't matter - there were no dialogues. It was just part of the background score. He told me he couldn't be paid for a job not done completely !

I was impressed with his service guarantee. He finally agreed on accepting money equivalent to the price of the second DVD that he had burnt in the hope of getting the audio saved correctly. He let me keep that second DVD.

I told him I'd come back if the Ability Foundation people allowed me a late submission tomorrow. That way I could save the audio in 16-bit format and try burning onto the DVD again.

If you're honest and true to your work, the rewards are forthcoming. Atleast, it works like that for me. And I suppose its like that for him too.

The Ability Foundation extended the deadline by one day. I was definitely going back to Mr. Srinivasan.

2005-06-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

We shot the last two scenes of the film at home tonight. Unable to stick to the original script, Shameel and I agreed to improvise and proceed. So, the idea of Cheeru appreciating a televised cricket match, despite his visual impairment was dropped.

Instead, Cheeru was to cut his birthday cake amidst loud cheering. Dil, Robbie, Maddy, Sud, Zerish and Shameel did a great job as the cheering extras ! I loved that shot. Cheeru was asked to don Zerish's Dunlops and keep his eyed closed throughout the shoot so that his actions looked little more convincing as a visually-impaired roommate.

He kindly obliged only after patiently hearing through a banter of the choicest abuses from me. That's because when we shot the first time - he kept his eyes open - and when Dil and Maddy offered him cake, he turned his face in their respective directions ! So much for being cast as visually-impaired.

The scene of Cheeru getting a job despite his disabilities could not be shot because none of us live in tidings having Corporate interiors. And we were not able to shoot at any of our workplaces because most of the cast was chilling outside Chennai over the weekend. So we decided on highlighting Cheeru's success in the form of an outstanding Certification that gets delivered to him by post - and the excitement that follows !

What we shot and have decided to keep, was an excited Robbie squeezing Cheeru's rotund stomach in appreciation of his stupendous achievement. But it was Pondy who stole the show (he wasn't in the Core Group of the Dramatics Society at IITB for nothing !) with his genuine appreciation for a visually-impaired colleague. Here too, Cheeru kept his eyes shut throughtout, so that he could momentarily experience the darkness in a blind man's life.

Maddy, meanwhile, took advantage of the situation and kissed Cheeru on his cheeks in both the takes. Although, Maddy's gay act does not appear in the final version, those frames have been retained for posterity !

2005-06-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

Shom's friends asked him to join them at Annapurna, near the Police Commissioner's office in Egmore. It was gonna be authentic Bengali cuisine. I had a fever but Shom insisted on taking me along. And then, I was on medication anyway. So I went.

Annapurna is not your regular restaurant. Its a small place. We initially rode past without spotting it. I met the entire gang. Everybody there seemed Bengali, or atleast spoke the language. The Menu was penned on a whiteboard in Bengali and I guess there were only 5 dishes.

As the afternoon progressed, I realized this place was unlike any restaurant I had visited in Chennai. Its more like an eatery put up by someone to allow other people sharing a similar taste in food to come and enjoy themselves. And that's what makes it so homely and no frills.

All of us were served the staple bhaat, motor dal, dhoka (something like a kofta) and thor (delta sweet and made of banana). I also got treated to rui maach. The overall feel was like having lunch at a Bengali home. The bhaat was way too much for me to swallow, but the the amer tok chutney did the trick and I rounded up the bhaat with it !

Later that evening.. 11pm and I was starving. Robbie and Maddy tried their luck at the Murugan Idli Shop and quit plans for a Dosa dinner after seeing the crowd. So even I wouldn't get packed Dosa.

Luckily, we've now got a new chain close-by - next to IITM. The decor is a welcome change from the dingily-lit Sangeetha. Its perky and bright in there. I really liked the interiors of the swanky new Hot Chips. Its got a huge inviting entrance. Their lower floor is a self-service restaurant. And the entrance has separate fruit juice and coffee counters on opposite sides - perfect to handle the crowds ! The seating is simple and comfortable. The delivery counters are deep inside and the space has enough fans and openings to keep the place airy. You can't feel claustrophobic in there. Great work by the interior designer !

I got my Masala Dosa pretty quick and spent most of my time thinking how pleased I was - never having to go to Sangeetha again !

They serve Cothas Coffee in plastic cups. And its bloody milky good. The one thing I forgot to ask them is - till what time they're open. The cuppa was worth coming back for more.

2005-06-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Pondy had not anticipated that permitting me to meddle with his Canon PowerShot S1IS would resurrect the film-maker in me. This ad was also the cause for my waking up Cheeru at an unearthly 0545hrs. Jai and Pondy usually beat the Rooster each day, and were more than happy to make themselves available for the shoot.

Zerish was kind enough to lend his Dunlop shades for maximum effect. We shot the first scene at Thiruvanmiyur Beach. After watching the sea being used as a gargantuan bidet, we strongly decided against touching the water. We didn't have a tripod yet, so I squat down, stabilized the Digicam on my kneecap and captured the waves, Cheeru, Jai and a fisherman's boat in one black and white frame. It was lovely. But the 10seconds of shooting took a lot of time and Pondy managed to get us a lot of attention thanks to his Sage-like attire.

I think the winds, the waves and the moment did something to Cheeru. And he insisted on taking us to Besant Nagar Beach. Pondy and I were already starving. We parked our bikes at the Parking lot and Cheeru had us trek about 500m to a broken bridge. Or was it an unfinished bridge ? Discounting the smell, the place was superb. What a view. I could sit there the whole day all by myself if the weather stayed good. The wind velocity was high and I got some excellent shots of the trio.

We spent about half-an-hour chilling out at the wind-loving spot. Until our stomachs were ready to cave-in. The all-new Murugan Idli Shop at Besant Nagar Beach is the place to be at 0800hrs on a pretty Friday morn. Chilled Water in disposable plastic was served in ornate holders. I have never enjoyed drinking water as much. Melt-in-your-mouth Idlis. Vadas that were fried but weren't oily. Piping hot sambhar accompanied with delectable chutney. Then crispy Dosas and finally, Sakara Pongal - that still sets my mouth watering. And the Kaapi.

Cheeru and I met an old lady on our way to wash hands. She couldn't figure how to turn the sensor taps on. Was sufficiently delighted as we demonstrated at the wash basin. And when the cashier returned the change, he gave me an extra Rs.100. Me being me, returned the Rs.100. It could have cost him dearly. Should have captured the grateful smile he gave me. I had started the day in a fine way.

2005-06-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

Was pretty unsure if my trip would work out, for my ticket was listed as Waitlist 3 when the Computerised Railway Ticketing System shut down for the day, last evening. Anyhow, I just crossed my fingers and reached the station at an unearthly 0630hrs. I was praying for an RAC (Reservation-against-cancellation) status, that way I'd atleast get to board the 2nd AC coach. But if it stayed WL, I would not be permitted to board the train at all ! As luck would have it, my ticket was confirmed.

2nd AC travel is a luxury. I could feel the difference. To begin with, everybody accompanying me on the journey was sophisticated. Nobody spoke to anybody. Everyone stressed on their 'Please' and 'Thankyous'. Even to the coffee/tea/soup vendor. People were courteous to turn off the light so that the neighbour could sleep, and leave mine on, so that I could continue reading. Everybody's cell was functional throughout the journey (Heck.. cellular roaming costs so much moolah man!). The Coachmen didn't ask anybody to pay upfront while ordering food. Instead, each individual was billed throughout the journey and the money was collected just before we got to our destination.And best of all, everybody folded their quilts when the Coachman returned to collect them.

The toilet had a fan, fluorescent tube-lighting, tiles (instead of the canvas floor that adorns the inferior Sleeper class), and even a porcelain sink with pedestal. The tap was not the push-button variety, and they even had a liquid soap-dispenser. Only the Kimberley-Clark tissue dispenser was conspicuously absent !

A 2nd AC train journey can really boost your ego. The pampering was royal. Incidentally, my coach also had 1st AC compartments in it. And I was amused to find a uniformed coach attendant sweep the (already) spotless interiors clean. Furthermore, there were none of the irritating eunuchs to harass us throughout the journey. No blind men. No patients of leprosy. No kid who could slide her body through a ring, and absolutely nobody to throw peanut shells on the floor.

Me being me, just had to find my way to the Pantry car, for I like my food fresh.. I crossed the 3rd AC coaches to get to the Pantry. The place was a ruckus. There was a noisy din just as I entered the 3rd AC compartment. There were more people than seats available. The floor was soiled and kids hopped around. The AC also didn't seem effective. I was disgusted with the sight. These were co-passengers, but only paying a little less.

Its the same everywhere. The more you're willing to pay, the better you'll get treated. But this was 3rd AC, which was more expensive than Sleeper class. How bad was that ?

I liked the 2nd AC experience. It was of an India I did not know, which exists. I hate it when money dicates worth. Thank God, life's not a journey by train.

2005-06-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Robbie returned from his UK experience at 0500hrs this morning. We were there to receive him.. Loaded as he was to the hilt with chocolates, two towers and a paunch to flaunt. There were so many people visiting our place today that Prema ended up preparing a feast and hand-rolled 25 chapattis. She took the evening off !

And then, a colleague of mine gifted me one beauty of a Ducati when he came home from the US. Its not such a big deal for him as he earns in US Dollars. He buys stuff like this with spare change.

She's been the cynosure of all eyes for some time now..

Pondy was busy all day on the phone explaining the features of his new Canon PowerShot S1IS with 10x optical zoom. He would have faced everybody's wrath when he nearly executed this manouevre on her.

2005-06-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't heard such good instrumental tracks in a long long time. And the ambience of Silver Streak, at the Ramada Raj Park on TTK Road, helped me ree-lax.

I don't know if it was the evening, or was it the place, but me has no memories of another restaurant in Chennai with such fine carpetting. Add to this, the fantastic Air-Conditioning, the opportunity to sit bare feet, and the lovely dinner. By the time I had finished with the gorgeous helping of Black Forest for dessert, I was in no mood to move.

But the wind outside was fantastic. And noo traffic. And a call from Cognitron after ages.. Riding home was so much fun. Great day.

2005-06-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

They call it 'Heaven and Earth'. And its difficult to believe that they were able to get so much floorspace, and so many Chinese waitresses in a single restaurant, located opposite Spencer Plaza on Mount Road.

The decor was very unique. Especially the numerous statuettes that adorn the walls of the place. They've got the Buddha, Shiva, Ganesha everything. The Lords, i.e.. Miniatures that were works of art. The colossal Buddha in penance, cast in stone, is beautiful as the centrepiece.

One shelf had a Lord Ganesha playing the violin. Never thought of something like that, but that idol's poise absolutely delights ! I was more fascinated with their exquisite collection than the food. And despite the polite waitresses with their cute English accents, the 'slawbelly putting with grep' was just plain sweet.

The highlight of the evening - after they offer you some brand of non-alcoholic fruit vodka called 'Mr Strong' and you politely refuse, the lone Gentleman tells you (sic), 'We have this in other different colours - green, pink, orange..'. Must have had a tough time memorizing them flavours.

2005-05-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

I like the 'Whenever, Wherever' track by Shakira. And I liked Suerte (the original number), performed by two lovely women from Colombia (they call their band 'Escape'), even more..

As they stirred the floor at the Zara Tapas bar on Cathedral Road, their graceful gyrations the Latino way - tweaked the Tuesday evening's tempo up. Gracias Señoritas !

The chilled Bacardi-based Torridora with just the right amount of cream was tempting, served as it was, in a Martini glass. Roasted cashew with lime - I couldn't believe I was enjoying it. Would make Ma happy.

And even something as bland as potato fingers had my mouth watering, thanks to the Mediterranean sauce. You know what its like when you like your cocktail so much that you just wanna swallow it in one huge gulp. Their 'Grape Escape' gets the best out of fresh grape, brandy, sparkling wine and crushed ice. Didn't Ulysses dream of drinking Life to the lees ? Salut !

2005-05-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Guess the weather was perfect this afternoon to make a visit to Amethyst really worth the while. Reminds me a lot of the converted Havelis we have back home in Jaipur. But having one in Chennai, that too in the heart of the city (its walking distance from Satyam cinemas), makes the place unique. And the surroundings are so tranquil.

You don't need to go to Amethyst to treat yourself to a grilled Salami sandwich, or sip spectacular iced with ice-cream Cappuccino, and certainly not for hogging on their banana-choco crepe, further laced with ice-cream flooded in chocolate sauce.

You head to Amethyst, when you want to enjoy the stillness of Pondicherry, without moving out of Chennai.

2005-05-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

They have a nice cozy place called Tandoor on the fourth floor of the Hotel Quality Inn Aruna, on Sterling Road, Nungambakkam. The decor is very Rajasthani and the place looks refreshingly new. The entrance is very welcoming, with an ornate swing that forms part of the waiting lounge. In fact, it was so inviting that I wasn't interested in stepping into the dining area and sitting down for the food.

I liked their starters and their sweet lassi had the Elaichi tinge that made it really enjoyable. If those chaps could just get their taste of Hindi Ghazals right, and cater to a clientele that would come in smaller, less cacophonous groups, this place would be ideal to spend an entire evening with a someone - special.

2005-05-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

We were cheering last night because Armageddon had its moments. Watching the movie for the nth time, Dil and I couldn't help raving as each frame progressed. It has been a pretty trying period for Dil. The final dates for dispatch of admits from Deutschland is almost here and the Dude, and the rest of us, had all taken to serious nail-biting.

Our loud adulation for Grace and AJ, and everything else in that movie, somehow helped us shun our worst fears for a while.

1700hrs, its fantasticly breezy today and Cheeru calls "Come home. Now".

Soon after, we were at the Base: Pondy, Delta, Jai, Cheeru and myself, and amidst loud cheering, we smothered Dil in cake and soaked his vest in Kingfisher - the King of Good Times. Achtung ! The Dude was now into Darmstadt !

Thursday evening it was, and a wait for the weekend was deemed unnecessary. So, we were at Pinnacle, the roof-top restaurant at Hotel Ranjith, in Nungambakkam. If you minus the slow delivery of the food (coz the place was full !), smiling hosts who laughed our laughs, fantastic etiquette, and a Menu card that gets you ordering pronto - this place is sure to get you addicted.

The evening rocked. The Dude was happy. And we all were simply digging it !

2005-05-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

I learnt the hard way that its unwise to drag her with a deflated rear.

A little nail made it way into the rear wheel. And it was quite stupid of me to drag my Machismo a few 100metres to get the flat repaired. When the chap removed the tube, the valve nozzle was neatly severed from it!

I spent the next 40minutes travelling to the Adyar Depot - to the nearest tyre shop, purchasing a new tube, returning to the repairman and finally, watching the chap fix it in. Was bathed in sweat by the time it was finally over.

Now I know. And the next time my bike has a puncture. Am gonna park her right there and get help.

2005-05-15T11:25:00.001-07:00

Kaus comes home with Malaniman and announces 'I got into Stanford. What should I do ?'

As simple as it gets, in the evening we're at Distil, at the Taj Connemara. Me tried the Blackberry Caipirissima and it really was straw-suckin good. Kaus and M'man experimented with their concotions on-the-rocks. Soon enough, a RedBull drink followed that tasted so good that M'man couldn't resist gulping down. That's the problem with M'man, you can never rely on him being the designated driver.

Convinced that the weird sounding names at their Pan-Asian cuisine restaurant were definitely not vegetarian, M'man dragged us into their Coffee shop, 'Verandah'. The rest of the evening was enjoyed over bland sizzlers, pepperred with sporadic laughter.

While M'man leaves to take up a new assignment at a Descartes-obsessed company, Kaus shall now gear up for the upcoming Visa interview. We might never meet in Chennai again.

2005-05-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

My sibling who gave Mum the nightmares - (on the probability of not screwing up the Class Xth Board), post-graduated from the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences today.

The function was organized in the Institute's Central Courtyard and the entire graduating class was made to sit on either side of the dais. Getting a higher degree is quite a proud moment, especially because most of India's Institutes don't even have any such thing as a Convocation for honouring their Graduates. Believe me, quite a few of them haven't even got their Undergraduate Degree yet, because the previous University hasn't yet prepared 'em !

Being dressed up in TISS logo-embroidered shawls and receiving the Degree could have been pleasanter, had the preceding speeches made by the Director and Chief Guest, been cut short. Everybody had the look of 'Get on with it Dude'.

Still. The kid was happy flashing the new posession with the name inscribed in a fantastic Calligraphic font. And best of all, I was present to see it happen !

Mera bhi number aayega.

2005-05-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

We went on board my Dad's ship today. It was a lot like old times. The Officers who once reported to him are now at the helm of affairs !

Its been some time since I felt like a kid. Back then I don't quite remember allowing the Ladies to board the ship first. And today, I almost forgot all my good manners when I stood in front of the majestic marine beauty - the pride of the Western Fleet.

As I walked down the Gangway, I felt 13 again. I realized that the Officers-on-duty who were saluting us (as is customary), were probably my age. I've loved the Indian Naval Uniform and everything about the Navy. But, not applying for the Defence Services was a career choice I made.

Am very happy to be visiting Mumbai. I grew up here.

2005-05-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

I got an auto ride from Madhya Kailash in Adyar to Chennai Central Railway Station in 50 bucks flat. So much for the Auto chap's failure at the fine art of persuasion. His original quote was 100 bucks. I stuck to my quote from the start.

The downside - his agreeing on the fare, but cribbing about the thing as he drove. I told him lets not discuss this and stay happy, and he did. He took the Mount Road route, then crossed the Park Town overbridge racing down the entire path, and got to the destination real quick.

I don't really know whether I got the best price, but this is my lowest yet ! BTW, this was at 0545hrs.

2005-05-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

VJ and Thuks fly to San Antonio tonight and the mandatory bye-bye get-together was scheduled at Café Coffee Day on Cenotaph Road.

I don't really remember where the conversation went as I was too busy concentrating on my 'Choc-a-Vloc'. The almonds were removed on special request. I have known only one way of eating almonds - when Ma stuffs them into my mouth while I am using both my hands to tie them shoelaces.

VJ still had a few hours left and was still to complete his packing and couldn't make it. So, once done with CCD, we decided to pick him up and head to the Fruit Shop in Besant Nagar. By the time, Dil and myself got there, Maddy, VJ, Cheeru and a Gentleman-I-had-never-met sat together, seemingly sharing innocuous tales of rambunctious women at their respective workplaces.

Once the juices came in, the circulation of the glasses followed. Strangely our Gentleman, stayed out of the U-sip-mine-I-sip-yours assembly. That didn't bother Dil and myself and we continued to enjoy the moment, just as everybody else.

Some, 33minutes later, after having heard through all our fantasies, expectations, truths and half-truths, the Gentleman rises, doesn't wave or nod to any of us, pays his bill and leaves. I was mighty shocked. Dil wasn't amused. And without checking the others' expressions, I finally gathered the nerve to ask VJ - who was that ? After all, it was a gathering for enjoying VJ's last evening in Chennai, so he mustave invited the man.

I thought he was VJ's friend. VJ thought he was Cheeru's friend. Cheeru thought he was Maddy's friend. Dil, forever baffled at the prospect of counting the exact number of Cheeru's acquaintances, thought he was another of his friends..

Maddy knew he was not one of us. Now he tells us. Apparently, the Gentleman had joined us for want of a table to place his glass on. It's a different thing that he didn't budge even after all the remaining tables were long empty.

Instead, he'd been courteous enough to sit thru all our conversations and lurid gestures, enjoy his drink nevertheless and gracefully leave after settling his bill.

I think the adaptation of the share-auto jig in juice-conclaves is a concept gone awry. I guess we've not been here long enough because the laughter is still spontaneous, everytime one thinks of the evening gone by.

2005-05-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

0500hrs Meenambakkam Airport was all set for a family gathering of sorts. The way it happened with us, while two of our buddies (Cheeru and Adi) were arriving, three other mates (Naidu Gaaru, Freddie and the Hulk) were scheduled to depart. I've never celebrated a homecoming and farewell concurrently. And I suppose, neither had Thuks, VJ, Jai, Dil or myself. The merriment, coupled with steaming Coffee and Britannia 50:50 outside the Sangeetha Foodcourt at the Aerodrome, was simply 'elevating' ! Perplexed bystanders didn't quite understand what the fuss was all about and must have been delighted after we finally left the place at around 0645hrs.

The sky was overcast and the light drizzle followed by the cruise back home, did wonders to my already ecstatic mood.

The cake-cutting and gorging is now a standard for all celebrations at home. Somu Dada, Pondy and Delta also joined in the ruckus. And our Landlord was at his sarcastic best 'Amit has come eh ? That's why you're behaving like noisy school-children'. I couldn't help agreeing with him.

Cheeru made a difference by flying in chocolates by the truckload. His plans to bring along Stella Artois and the venerated Budweiser were thwarted because he was already overladen with Chocolate. I've lost count of how many bars of chocolate I've thrust my teeth into. Believe me, even the Pepsodent kid would genuflect when told of the way I have feasted.

Prema treated us to piping hot Idlis and Sambar Vadas and despite the enormous quantity prepared, all the vessels were licked clean.

Sometime in between all this, Cheeru found the time to remove his Long Johns self-hoisted atop the shower. This was 2 months back. Glad, the man was home again..

2005-04-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

Ashu visited me. His last mail went 'Only Yamaraj (the God of Death) can stop me now'. So I knew he would be in Chennai this morning. Most people who don't know Ashu are left in a quandary when he shoots his contextual, yet inscrutable, one-liners.

Before we knew it, we were enjoying the delectable cavatelli at Gallopin' Gooseberries, on Greams Road. The only -ve with that saucy dish, was that some of it found its way onto my shirt. Ashu for some reason, kept silent. I realized something was wrong only after I started getting the 'Ate well, huh ?' look from complete strangers.

Satyam was sold out to College grads this afternoon. And Hitch had everybody in splits. The sad part with Alex Hitchens' practiced effrontery is - that after all the cheering and clapping, you realize that, that's one more idea you're not going to be able to pull-off as an original.

Soon after, we were at the Fruit Shop on Greams Road and I tried the Blue Dot Special. Best described as a strawberry banana combo, it irks me why the name chosen is so incongruous.

Late in the evening, Ashu, Kaus, Rohit, Zerish and myself gathered at Elliot's Beach after a lazy, stuffing meal at Eden. A powercut had us visiting a pitch black seaface. And despite the crashing of the waves, the eerie darkness made the place a whole lot quieter. I hadn't slept in the last 35hrs., and wasn't expecting much sleep tonight. Cheeru is arriving at an unearthly hour on Sunday.

2005-04-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

"Happy Vishu", they said. I got treated to Uniappam and Aaravana Payasam. I didn't know it was also the Mallu New Year day. And when there's loads of people around, you don't search for a bowl to serve yourself. Just pour the goulash into the palm of your hand, and slurp it all up !

In another interesting development, Zerish just returned after meeting his Mommy in Kerala. The terse message on my cell flashed 'Sweet Treasure to be found at home'. That was very nice of him, because he had returned with, not ample, but a whole tub of chocolate. Yessir, there was Van Houten's Full Cream and Hazel Nuts, Tiffany's Yummy with all that caramel, Cadbury's Flake, Vochelle Bittersweet and more Fruit & Nut, the Galaxys - Crispy and even more Hazelnuts, the Guylian Praliné and also the mini Toblerones. Thanks to the Chennai heat, we were using spoons on every one of those bars. I spent an hour at his place and tried very hard. I didn't want to be impolite. But there's still too much left..

2005-04-09T01:13:00.000-07:00

It may sound stupid, but I have started enjoying it. Numerous reasons can be attributed to this. For one, I treat the place like my own space - making myself comfortable without even waiting for the instructions. Second, I end up instructing the trainee Nurse on what she should do next (its fun when you know what you're saying is 100% correct). Third, I love that motherly smile the senior Nurse gives me - everytime. Fourth, I enjoy it when so many people say thank you to me (I'm more used to hearing stuff which is best not described here). Aah. 144 more to go.

2005-03-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

10pm and Satyam is overflowing with people. One of the best things of being in a metro like Chennai is that its still such a small place - you end up running into so many people you know !

Finding Neverland is Sir James Matthew Barrie's (1860-1937) story, tweaked here and there, but if you ignore the facts, the movie is memorable. Johnny Depp's performance convinced me that the roles he enacts are tailor-made for him. Barrie's portrayed antics are hilarious. The best part - he's not even labelled eccentric, although his social standing recieves a thorough beating. Its difficult to imagine such 44-year olds. And its plain simple - he just gets along with children like nobody else. And yes, its being with the orphaned kids, the Llewelyn-Davies brothers, that inspired Peter Pan.

Freddie Highmore made my heart go out to the young Peter Llewelyn-Davies (the actual inspiration for Peter Pan) - If J.M. Barrie never grew up, the young Peter was perhaps never a child. Peter's pain on missing his father (and later his mother), is fantastically expressed in the movie. This kid's performance is so stellar that in the scenes where Depp and Freddie are together, I could feel myself sitting still with my neck outstretched, not wanting to miss a thing.

I really respected the Llewelyn-Davies' brothers concern for their mother's worsening health. That's when you know those children aren't mere kids. There's a scene in the movie when the eldest son, George discusses his mother's health with Barrie. And Barrie remarks in his Scottish accent - "Magnificent. The boy is gone. In the last 30 seconds... you became a grown-up."

Barrie is there for the kids and their mother Sylvia, throughout. In the movie, they accidentally meet in the Park, and slowly, a bond develops. And as the movie progresses, you realize, that this Gentleman is there, and will always be, to support and bring joy to a family, yet to recover from a horrible loss. That's what makes it so memorable. Being there, for someone. No strings attached.

2005-02-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

I wasn't expecting the courtyard at the British Council to be so pleasantly comfortable in the Chennai heat. There were just a couple of pedestal fans placed at the periphery and this made the open-air movie screening so much more enjoyable.

Having studied the play at school, appreciating British humour was a tad bit easier. The screen adaptation of Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' was a treat, though I was laughing out loud even before the dialogues came thru.

2005-02-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

Woke up to Shombit's frantic call that he was grounded. The Chennai Marathon was underway, and everything was apparently happening, just outside his home ?!? I was informed to stay put, because all routes in the city were blocked thanks to the Marathon.. Ok Dude. I didn't even have plans to get out of bed this morning, until you called. And then Sarin called...

Our meetings usually involve considerable planning, so Sarin's call to assemble at Ega Theatre at 12:30pm on a Sunday Morning was a little too wayward. My girl wasn't purring perfectly and for all purposes, I knew I needed a chauffer-driven vehicle. Luckily, Punnoose obliged.

When all of the city is crowding at Satyam cinemas, Ega theatre is the place to be. We got there at 12:00 and still got the tickets. The weekend shows at Satyam were sold out on Friday morning itself. Plus, Sarin had spoken with a lot of conviction about getting the tickets at Ega. The dash to the Theatre, having bathed, but not brushed, was therefore worth it.

I had had only a glass of milk this morning, and with time still at hand, we all headed to Nilgiris. Their Chocolate Pyramid pastry is oh so good. It made up for the skipped breakfast. Well, almost.

Shom, Punnoose, Sarin, Vins and myself. This was a bunch of schoolmates grouping up after ages. And somehow I felt, we were not ready to watch 'Black'. There was so much of life-since-school to chatter about. But the movie was captivating enough to leave us speechless. Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his team have crafted a masterpiece by scripting a movie based on Helen Keller and her real-life Teacher, Anne Sullivan.

Best of all, the emotions were like those of a stage play. There were no glycerine effects for the numerous emotionally charged scenes, and I nearly wanted to burst out weeping. There were a lot of clichéd dialogues, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. The Big B had his usual unparalleled aura, but me thinks Shernaz Patel (as Catherine McNally) and Ayesha Kapoor (as the young Michelle) stole the show. Ofcourse, Rani Mukherjee's 'I can feel it snowing' dance sequence now finds a permanent place in all my celebrations. I perceived the tale of a girl's victory over her disabilities, as a story that celebrates life..

The chatter that was interrupted with the screening of Black, resumed full-swing at the Sweet Chariot Cafe in Ispahani Centre. Their jumbo sandwich was well grilled and it brought back memories of School.. And till we split, the discussion on our circa '98 canteen Burger (for the present day-price of a Chinna Pepsi) held the fore.

2005-02-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

I've been curious about Middle-eastern cuisine for sometime now. And the visit to Sea Shells on Greams Road, finally happened. The service was quick and the salad served, tasted brilliant. The pleasure in enjoying delectable shawarma, with freshly prepared kubboos, hummus and the stinging tahina (Garlic paste?) was, very very dry. Well, the chaps have no curry in their food, but I really did enjoy swallowing the differently-prepared dishes. The sorepoint: Was left with parched lips and a breath that'd keep women miles away.

I couldn't help ordering some liquid. It was a tumbler of bleached-white super-chilled Apricot ice-cream shake. And they called it Blue Boy ? Was marvellous.

And what's with 'Sea Shells' ? Very confusing moniker, if you consider the cuisine. BTW, the only thing thing about the decor that made the place Middle-eastern, was the air-conditioning. The Arabs in Chennai are crazy.

2005-02-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

Cheeru is out of town. And Cheeru being Cheeru, he asked me to deliver flowers to HIS girl this morning. The fun part is that he has never done something special for V-day in the brief 24years of his exciting existence. Incidentally, gifting flowers on Valentine's Day is not my idea of showering affection on women, but the prospect of treading on unventured turf seemed exciting..

Cheeru had taken the trouble of identifying the 'correct' florist. So I just had to go to 'our' man, collect and finally deliver the goods. V-Day is indeed rosy for them florists. This chap was open even before our neighbourhood Dhobi had pulled up his shutters. All this while, I've never spotted our flowerman or his little shop, just next to the Corporation Bank ATM in lovely Indira Nagar.

I was the only person at the shop so early in the morn. And the flowers I bought. The roses were fresh and delicate. Had trouble balancing them on my girl's tank. The thing is, when you're taking extra trouble to get something done well, everybody will be there to notice. I got a LOT of attention with them flowers. Most people on the streets don't obviously know how to react, to watching a person carry gorgeous flowers for a buddy's girlfriend. If you look close enough, you can see them turning green. Ha ha. Bliss.

As for the errand.. I've already received umpteen messages profusely thanking me for the job well done. And even his girl called (after having recovered from the shock, after a good 20minutes!). And as the news spreads, I've had delivery requests coming in from Visakhapatanam.

2005-02-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

Me was hungry and Shombit suggested redE. When one says redE repeatedly, it sounds more like a south Indian Saravana-Bhavan-like chain. Bang opposite Shopper's Stop in Chennai is this neat place called redE. They have a strange layout for a restaurant, why, I am still to figure out. You descend down steps, into an air-conditioned hall, and begin to wonder if its a fastfood joint, cause there are no tables in sight. I was almost preparing to leave, figuring they have no seating, when Shom located the dining area to the right..

The chairs were not the sink-in types but I was drained and couldn't be bothered. We had just placed our order, when there was this sound of plastic blocks tumbling. The kids in the play area were having a blast tossing the super-light furniture all over the place. Shom noticed that it was a tiny little girl responsible for all the commotion. That one kid had enough energy to drain out the Bose™ music system in the background. She was also responsible for the terrorised look in all the little boys' eyes. We were able to enjoy dinner only after her Mum asked her to cool down.

I couldn't help laughing to myself.. remembering the British Airways Calendar campaign that went:
"All over the world, little boys hate little girls, and then they get married."

The day after, is V-day. tut tut.

2005-02-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

Zerish had plans for tonight. 2230hrs we were to rendezvous at the Besant Nagar bus-stand. 2225hrs and there was nobody in sight. So Cheeru, Dil, Arun, Zerish and myself headed to Java Green for some 'Bring me to life' coffee. By the time we returned, there was a fairly large group of people assembled for the 'Turtle Walk'.

Groups of people in shorts and slippers with shoulderbags. Moving down a deserted Besant Nagar road at an odd 2315hrs. People stare at you with that quizzical look 'Scout camp ?'

We walked from there and again assembled at the beach, near the Murugan Temple in Besant Nagar. Arun, from the School Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN), gave us a brief introduction. Yeah. The pregnant turtles come to shore around this time. Dig deep pits on the shore and lay their eggs. We're here to find those eggs and carry them to this shelter which they call the 'hatchery'. There, the Olive Ridleys have a better chance of survival. Wait a minute.. Did he say we ? Me was a bit unprepared for the 'we'. I was here for the Turtle Walk. The fine print in the Adyar Times never mentioned that we'd be digging up the sand and carrying eggs. Cheeru, Arun and myself dashed home to be 'suitably dressed' for the evening.

By the time we returned, the others had got a two km lead. The walk from Besant Nagar to Thiruvanmiyur beach takes a while. The entire stretch was desolate and the waves kept crashing onto the shore. We kept walking. The only people we spotted were two youngsters who wanted us to join, in their game of flood-lit beach football.

Some 20mins of walking later, we caught up with our group of Turtle lovers lying on the sand. I've been part of a Nature trail earlier, and such lazy breaks are, mandatory. The air was moist. My hands felt salty and all of us were already hungry. My remark on having turtle eggs for breakfast did not go down well with the women.

I don't know how long we walked. This was unlike a regular nature trail through swamp, grass and creepy-crawlies' infested country. We stopped once more to watch some SSTCN volunteers poke their sticks in possible turtle cavities. No luck.

At around 2AM we were at the hatchery in Nilankarai. We were dumb to assume that there'd be eggs all over the place. They were, but all buried 20cm in the sand. The area was enclosed in a bamboo fence and there was not much left to witness. So all the nature lovers pulled out their quilts and sleeping mattresses and collapsed.

The Famous 5. Salted, hungry and tired. We were in no mood to rest on the sands. Got directions for a 24hr coffee shop nearby and before we realized, we were on the ECR. Helped ourselves to some Tiger biscuits and Coffee/Tea, flagged down a share auto and returned home. It was 4AM. The only thing you'll get in all of Besant Nagar and Adyar at that hour, is more Coffee/Tea and inquisitive cops.

We didn't see any of them turtle eggs. And I didn't even see the tracks. But somehow everybody had had a good time. And Zerish wants more of it. I'm not going back till its sprouting season.

2005-01-26T00:14:00.000-08:00

Today was very eventful. Considering that it was a National Holiday bang in the middle of the week.

I was up at 0630hrs. Spruced up my bike for the Republic Day Ride ! We all assembled at Giorgio, Besant Nagar. The location has its advantages - Petrol bunk across the road, plenty of chai shops all around the place, and enough space for parking 32 bikes, without creating obstructions. Forgot to mention the Restaurant as a scenic prop for the photoshoots !

This was my first time on the ride as a Madras Bull. Starting her up and standing in line with the other rhythmically-humming babes was quite an experience.

We rode in a two-row staggered formation. Down the Besant Nagar beach road, thru Shastri Nagar to hit Lattice Bridge Road and then onto the ECR. With so many bikes moving together, the thumps reverberated all over the place.

Once on the ECR, and after the initial traffic had thinned out, the thumping gave way to the characterisitic hum of cruising at 60kmph. The tri-colour on some of the Bulls fluttered violently. I liked the discipline that we tried to enforce among ourselves, as we zipped down the ECR.

Halted at the Sholinganallur Turn. There's a Rising Star Outreach of India orphanage out there. Those kids had been anxiously expecting us. One could make out from the loud cheers each one of us got, as every rider entered their gates.

Kids at orphanages are, somehow, always disciplined. All of 'em queued up to have the National Flag pinned onto their proud chests. Then they formed a circle. A quick and earnest prayer in Tamil followed. And breakfast was served. Nobody fussed and the plates were clean in no time.

And then 'twas play time. They did a Simon says.. Man, do I remember doing that ages ago ? Heck it was so much fun. And these guys were loving it. ALL of them covered their eyes when Simon said 'Touch your ears'. When their instructor stressed 'EARS', the switch was prompt, amidst peals of laughter. Me has strongly believed that watching Forrest Gump is the fastest way to make one feel pleasant inside. But. Watching these tiny, frollicking, ecstatic kids - laughing, beats all of them get-happy-quick remedies.

We were told that some of these kids were keen to become doctors and policemen after meeting such people in their uniforms. I don't know what precedent we had set by turning up on loud motorcycles in denim overalls.

Moved on further down the ECR. The cruise till Hotel Mamalla was interspersed with occasional excursions to 90kmph. It was a bright sunny day. The winds were perfect and the sea was gentle. Spotted shelter camps and suddenly realized, it has been exactly one month. Groups of people smiled and waved at us. Maybe things were getting better, atleast along the ECR.

The stopover at Hotel Mamalla was fun. Masala Dosa, Aloo Puri and Kaapi. Didn't realize I was that hungry, until the food came in. We split from there. One group headed off to Chengelpet - exploring a new road. Myself, with a smaller group of riders, headed back to Chennai, the way we came. The ride back was different. My bum was now numb. The sun was getting a little uncomfortable and the traffic had increased considerably. So, it was more like driving thru the city. Guess there's always an ideal time for everything.

Late afternoon to late evening was at the Music Academy, the Odyssey Quiz 2005. Puyal, MIT (that's the middle part of her first name), and myself.. Man was it fun. The preliminary round was straight-forward. So we thought we stood a chance. The problem is, the people who finally made it onto the stage, probably didn't get a single question wrong. Like this trio who sat right ahead of us, quietly. One of them was this girl who was leafing thru some quiz book while the preliminary rounds' answers were being discussed. When their team qualified, there was no cheer or customary high 5s. It looked as if they were simply waiting for their turn to be called. That simple.

I liked this quiz better than the Landmark Quiz 2004. In the sense that one didn't need to have formidable knowledge to answer those questions. They were almost always at the tip of your tongue. I really liked these questions:

1. What is Project 119 ?
With 28 gold medals, China ranked third in medal tally at the Sydney Games 2000. However, only one gold came from what Chinese sports authorities describe as "the basic sports", namely, track and field, swimming and several other water sports including rowing, canoeing and kayaking.

There are a total of 119 gold medals in the above-mentioned sports. Thus, a 119 project was launched, with the focus on encouraging Chinese athletes to win golds in athletics and swimming.

2. His January 1931 cartoon stating that the United States had no official national anthem resulted in such a public outcry that "The Star Spangled Banner" was adopted as the official anthem of the United States on March 3, 1931. Cartoonist, Author, Radio Broadcaster. Identify him.
Robert Leroy Ripley of 'Ripley's Believe It or Not'.

3. "My father dropped the 'M' so that I would be first in everything, even in the alphabetical order." Identify this sportsperson.
Anju Bobby George

4. When Albert Szent-Györgyi (Nobel in Physiology) isolated this compound and published his findings, he called the new substance 'ignose' since he was convinced it was a sugar that resembled glucose and fructose, but was ignorant of its structure. When the editor of this journal (Nature), refused to accept ignose as a sensible name, Szent-Györgyi suggested 'Godnose' instead! Alas the editor was neither imaginative nor humorous, and suggested that a more proper name had to be used. Identify the compound.
Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid. The structure of the carbohydrate was elucidated in collaboration with Haworth at Birmingham and the alternative name given was hexuronic acid (hex = six). During the same period (1928–1931), Charles Glen King of the Columbia University of USA isolated Vitamin C from lemon juice and it was observed that hexuronic acid and Vitamin C were identical.

5. Building of this structure named Uffizi, was commenced in 1560 by Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo I de' Medici. What are we talking about ?
'Galleria degli Uffizi' is a palace or palazzo in Florence, holding one of the most famous museums in the world. These were the offices of the Florentine magistrates - hence the name uffizi, meaning offices.

6. This Latin term is used as a keyword on coins and postal stamps of this Nation, to refer to its inhabitants during the Middle Ages.
The label HELVETIA can be found on Swiss coins and postal stamps, while the abbreviation 'ch' (seen on Swiss cars and aircraft) stands for Confoederatio Helvetica, the Latin version of "Swiss Confederation".

7. The chance introduction of this packing material in 1848 by Rev Adam Paterson of St. Andrews, and the spread of the railways, directly contributed to the expansion of golf. What material is this ?
Gutta Percha, from the rubber like sap of the Gutta tree. It had been used to pack an idol that was shipped to Rev. Paterson.

8. He was the epitome of the chivalrous Indian knight, a friend to Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V. On his way to attend Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee celebrations in London all his baggage was lost at sea. Naturally, for such a grand occasion he required an immediate replacement of his wardrobe and, in explaining the cut of his breeches to a London tailor, he set the fashion for the riding breeches trousers which have borne his name ever since. What are these breeches known as ?
Jodhpurs, from Sir Pratap Singh of Jodhpur

9. The name of this Phoenician port city, which exported ‘papyrus,’ eventually, “Scrolls,” or what we call today, “books” came to be called by this name.
Biblios

10. The meaning of the name Cleopatra.
From the Greek name Kleopatra which meant "glory of the father", derived from kleos "glory" combined with patros "of the father"

2005-01-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Friday morning looked terrific. Thought I was in Ooty. The fog had engulfed the entire city and me was feeling all chilly and perked up. Strangely, none of my roomies looked as excited as I was. My nose was blocked. And I could not smell the air. Apparently, Bhogi Pongal was celebrated today. So, one honours Lord Indra by burning all old unused articles. And what I saw was smog, not fog. I was really put off.

The other 'real' treat to the eyes was the excellent Kollams that all the women in the neighbourhood have been preparing at the entrance of their homes.

I haven't bothered to enquire 'Why'. Its been a ritual for the past few weeks now. And the most complex of designs are restricted to this single stretch of straight road that I take on my way to work. I've spotted them washing the tarmacadam at an odd 2200hrs. And then chalking out the Kollam pattern on the roads under oil-lamp lighting. Dunno how long it takes, but when you traverse the route in the morning, you want to ride everywhere except on the road. Indeed, the stuff is beautiful.

2005-01-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Mogambo (khush hua) passed away this morning. Probably the most prominent villain in the Indian film industry with a stentorian voice. His anger-soaked eyes, alongwith the expressions on his face, worked magic on screen. I loved his role as a doting father in DDLJ and also in Taal. This guy could emote really well.

I think Amrish Puri's makeup as Mola Ram in the Temple of Doom was simply out of the ordinary..

Dined at Tic Tac, Montieth Road, Egmore. The long wait was annoying but their Tangri Kebab was one of the brilliant kind. The place is a pretty simple, no frills restaurant. But they play pleasant Hindi tracks and the evening was fun. One of the best things about dining out on a Wednesday: one gets empty roads on the way back. The seldom-braked ride back home on a chilly evening was simply marvellous.

2005-01-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

Was in for a pleasant shock at Saravana Bhavan, T-Nagar today. Was starving and yet, in the mood for a quick bite. In an overcrowded restaurant, thought it would be prudent to order the most popular dish of the afternoon - the Limited Meals. WYSI(not)WYG. Was totally unprepared for a kids meal, really. I dunno how they came up with a tray of six half-empty bowls with assorted varieties of rice and dry vegetables. Best of all, the stuff is served with chilled Pepsi (in a container the size of a coffee cup) and lemon pickle. After that meal, I was still hungry, but the desire to try anything else was gone.

Headed to the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam. The place looked neat and well decked up, especially the centre court. All that appreciation came crashing down when I headed to ease myself out. Its kinda sad that we probably have the worst-maintained public restrooms in the world.

4PM. Jonas Björkman and Mahesh Bhupathi were already on the court, practising. The warm-up session looked terrific, with every shot perfectly in place. The two of them got to the net and practised fiery volleys that brought in a serious round of applause from the small crowd at the stands.

Cat, Isaac, Hari and myself had our seats at South Yellow - right above the Players Guests's Area. Had a good view of the court, until the seats ahead of us got filled up. Who sits ahead of you, finally decides what you ultimately get to watch.

But Tennis is, really colourful. Yellow, brown, green and orange coloured seats. Event managers in maroon outfits. Ballboys and linesmen in Navy blues. Paradorn Srichaphan was in his usual audacious Adidas red Tee with black shorts. Carlos Moya did his bit for Nike - in a white 'n' blue combination and a headband with the 'swoosh'. And of course, a fantastic-green centre court, to play on.

Am not a sports addict, but liked the Moya dude. He lost the first set. Made a come-back by winning the second and was in deep trouble at 3-5 in the last set. Srichaphan was the crowd-favourite. Some of these kids kept yelling 'C'mon Tiger'. But I guess 'the Spaniard' is not called King Carlos for nothin'. Fought back to 5-5. Scrambled for every ball that Paradorn shoved at the baseline's extremes. Served at a pleasant 213kmph and also made one lob from the baseline that made everybody gasp in awe. Yeah, he got that point as well.

It looked like Srichaphan was having some trouble with his calf muscles. Seemed to be in pain. But he fought hard. This was not just-another-game. This was the Chennai Open Singles Final. I loved the pace and was thrilled that Moya won the match after a tie-breaker 7-6. Most importantly, I liked that feeling that strangely, criss-crossed, MY mind.. There's nothing like winning.

The Doubles match followed. But we had had our share of the fun. Did not stick around post the third game and headed for food.

Shombit joined us at Roomaallee - Dunno where they learnt to spell it that way. Its bang opposite Music Academy, and it was actually quite a lot of fun eating under concrete umbrellas and ambient lighting. The food was good. The roomallee was served steaming hot. Light music in the background. And service that was super fast. Sometimes, things are just right.

2004-12-31T10:14:00.000-08:00

I like Nurses who smile. Actually, anybody smiling. Another unit today !

2004-12-27T10:15:00.000-08:00

Watched Rituparno Ghosh's splendid adaptation of William Sydney Porter's 'The Gift of the Magi'. Raincoat.

Stumped. Floored. Mesmerized.

No histrionics. It looked like everything was a natural and spontaneous performance. I'm in love with the script. And however hard I try, I've once again tripped for Aish. But best of all, I loved Sheela Bhabhi's character (played by Mouli Ganguly to perfection!) Man, are there people like that ? They must be wonderful to live with..

Its kind of dumb that I went to watch a movie, when a tsunami had just struck my city. Trouble is, that everything around me looked so normal. It was only hours later that I learnt of its catastrophic impact..that too, through the images on TV. And from that onslaught of phonecalls, enquiring whether I'd not been washed away :: I figured some people REALLY were concerned. Thanks All.

2004-12-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

Was at Giorgio this evening. Its a little confusing - the place. They probably run three food outlets from the same location at Besant Nagar - so you have all these people with PizzaWorld, Giorgio and Kebab-something on their lapels.

I ate at Giorgio. They played all the danceable beat-packed numbers and it kind of made the long wait for the food a little tolerable. This is the first time I had pork in my soup - the 'American Gumbo' tasted different and nice.

The Menu cards at Giorgio are a bit bewildering. Once you've leafed through one of them, just ask if they have something else to offer, and the waiter presents an 'Indian Menu', a 'Sunday Dessert Menu' and also a 'Pizza Menu'. I think these guys are trying too hard to cater to everybody's palate.

I tried this Chinese dish called Dim Sum (Oh yes, there's the country flag for every dish on the Menu). Delicately minced chicken in some sort of flour covering - probably deep-fried (from all that oil oozing out). But it tasted great with the spicy accompaniment.

The Menu description for the Cuban Medianoche sandwich was terrific and I proceeded to order just that. After what seemed like eons, they served me a sandwich which had none of the ingredients highlighted in the Menu. I actually asked the waiter to point out 'What lies beneath' my Cuban crust. They actually 'realized' they'd served me the all-cheese, no-meat version. First its late and second, its not even what I ordered. Had it sent back for the dish I wanted.

Bored as hell, I ordered a Devil's Own chocolate shake which arrived ages later - warm, and tasting like Bournvita. I lost my temper. I don't know how polite I was, but they redid my Chocolate shake with extra ice-cream, extra extra chocolate shrapnel and packed me my Cuban sandwich - no charge. Hours later, that neatly packed sandwich tastes great. I just wish the place (munch) could practice (munch) on providing (munch) better service. He he.

2004-12-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

Day 2 had this brilliant film titled 'Eight'. About Jonathan, being brought up by a single mother, his love for football, and his Dad. Its Stephen Daldry's film, the bloke who directed Billy Elliot and The Hours. Gotta watch them both.

Shombit led me to the Saravana Bhavan bakery, very close to Satyam. Its a funny thing that I never knew of such a lovely place. We ordered pizza bun, mushroom patties and some more stuff.. its pure veg, and everything tasted so very good.

Caught up with Cat in the afternoon and we headed to Sameer's place on the ECR. A big puja was organized for his forthcoming Sabarimala darshan in January. Sameer and Sabarimala don't seem to mix. But he knows best. I got treated to an elaborate south Indian lunch and couldn't stop helping myself to the fabulous sakara pongal. Wowie.

Winded the day with the 'Colonial Custer' at the Fruitshop outlet in Besant Nagar. Farewell to my roomie who returns to Hyderabad. What a greedy day.

2004-12-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

British Council organized 'Moving the Goalposts' at Satyam cinemas - short films on the theme 'football'. There were actually quite a few people in popular Team jerseys and it looked kinda queer. We were given buttons with the dubious 'Just for kicks' inscribed.

Most of the films were a satire on the games' influence on society. Someone could do a take, on the way cricket fever hits life in India. Its maddening enough to see people flocking outside TV showrooms even when the boring Tests are on. Its as if watching the game is more important than actually playing it.

I liked this film titled 'Livertonian'. Had me in splits. About some funny town where you have to make a choice (as a toddler), on which team you will support. And about this father who is desperate to have his little son favour the colour blue - for the blue team. Everything works as per plan, except that the kid grows up to be a redhead.

I also liked 'The Worst Jewish Football Team In The World'. I couldn't figure out how someone could conceptualize a film about kids who play for a team sponsored by the local optician, and consistently lose, with scores like 0-32. Add to it the Jewish stereotypes and a really stupid notion of faith that they could win someday.

There was more satire in 'See You At Wembley, Frankie Walsh'. About this couple that never get married thanks to football matches on their wedding day. The show was well timed, because anymore of football, and I'd wanna throw up.

2004-12-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

Was at Benjarong on TTK Road tonight. Me thinks the last time I tried this kinda food was on a Thai Airways flight. It was bland. Am pretty unsure of what I ate. Was too busy concentrating on the lovely hostesses.

This place has a neat decor. Its the first time I've seen a circular dining table at a restaurant (had that really homely look to it). Music was flutes and pipes. There were two Thai women in their traditional attire. One of them was carving out floral patterns out of fruits and vegetables. All her movements were very practised. Very mechanical. Its a pity that they did not smile even once. So it was kinda messed up.

Me tried the honey on the table. I dunno why I felt it had some citric flavouring in it, but it was finished before the food arrived. Yum.

Sipped on an awesome natural strawberry fizz drink. And tried Cheeru's Ginger fizz as well. Burnt my throat. The waiter was recommending that ?!

Then, there was this brilliantly done chicken, for starters. Absolutely boneless, and then probably fried after wrapping it in coconut leaf. I dipped it in the ketchup-like accompaniment and it was finger-lickin good allright.

The main course had a lot of leaves in it. I was able to identify the spring onion stalks, but there was tons of this green leaf which had a sharp sting that annoyed me terribly. I wasn't too fascinated with the rice, but the noodles were well done. There's no bone or spine in anything. So the chicken and the fish were their very tender best. Everything tasted distinctly different from the masalas we use in India. Umm.. Its kinda nice I tried Thai food. Not sure if its the best of that cuisine, though.

Thankfully, dessert was classy. Am still wondering how they managed to serve vanilla ice-cream balls wrapped in some sort of mashed coconut covering. I don't fancy coconut in my food, but this was mouth-watering. That dish is a wonder.

2004-11-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

Met this extraordinary gentleman today. It was his humility that struck me. Told me that he exports handicrafts. When someone says 'handicraft', I understand it to mean something ornate and ready to crumble to pieces. To be honest, I didn't think too highly of the handicraft industry. So it was easy for me to conclude that he must be a successful, but little known curio exporter. But then, I was curious. And as I spoke to him, the stuff he did for a living, did not sound ordinary. So I asked if I could accompany him to one of his factories at Bagaru Industrial Area, 25kms from Jaipur.

Tut tut. My impression of what 'handicraft' is, has changed. The warehouse of the Dileep Trading Corporation was a museum. To create something in 2004 and make it look as if it was part of the original china onboard the Titanic in 1912, is most definitely, splendid art. The museum warehouse would normally be ignored for a shed that could house defunct aircraft. Once inside, I was convinced that M Night Shymalan could have used stuff from here as props for 'The Village'. There were cookie jars that looked really old, but I was told, that they were manufactured yesterday.

Mr. Dileep works with his team to develop curios for the world market. No he does not advertise. He does not really need to. His clients love his work. No there are no copyright violations. Everything is 100% original, from design, to crafting. But no patents either. If they did, his company would be filing a 100 patents a month. Its not economical, nor practical, he told me. Kids from design schools come to the place to get fundaes. I spent close to two hours touring the place. Awed. Dazed. Spellbound. Brass. Woodwork. China. Was this what they call handicraft ?

Guess what stopped me dead in my tracks. The form of a lady holding her legs close to her body with her forehead resting on her knees. Just the form, in white Plaster of Paris. It was simply beautiful. The delicate shape had been set in a mould. Allowed to harden. Then dusted and smoothened and inspected half-a-dozen times. And finally, packed into a cardboard box that had the words IKEA NÅGON on it. And labelled below, 'Made in India'..

2004-11-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Went home for Diwali and believe me, this time I got the bestest surprise of my life. My Mommy has learnt driving. She drove me around, and oh boy, although she's been driving to work everyday for almost a month now.. she was nervous as hell when she gave me the demo. The biggest thing about learning driving in India at age 50 - is leaving the 'Its-not-possible' crowd flummoxed. As for the son - I'm going to live my dream of having my kids driven around by a stunning silver-haired GrandMom.

2004-10-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today the rain got even better. I wasn't able to stay asleep beyond 0453hrs. So generally woke up and started leafing thru the four-weeks-overdue Keynote: A collection of JRD's speeches. I've been trying really hard to finish it. The section on Air-India and the Maharaja made interesting reading at those early hours. I pushed off for Tennis at the Krishnan Tennis Centre at 0620hrs. I usually take my Mach1, but there was them weird sounds coming from the axle and I took my baby for a spin instead.

Some Government Organization is more than happy screwing up the Old Mahabalipuram Road these days, and the road is now reduced to a dirt-track. Thanks to the rain, the Water Tankers and Public Transport buses that frequent that route, there's muck uniformly spread all over the route.

KTC wore a desserted look. The clay courts weren't usable at all. The support staff were running around frantically to dry up the hardcourts with their sponge rollers.

I decided to pursue the customary warm-up. Mr. Ramesh Krishnan was there. His genuine concern for us enthusiasts reflects in the words he utters. "Careful. That part's slippery." He's also the only person who'll enquire if 'am hurt, even as my OWN doubles partner ignores me for that unnecessary fall to get the ball. And so I proceeded with my warm-up with more care.

The drizzling didn't stop. But Man, do I enjoy warming up in the rain. Soon it began to pour. The warm-up was now unnecessary. By now, I was pretty sure there'd be no tennis today. Rested. It was around 0730hrs. The downpour had reduced to a drizzle again. Decided to return home. She was wet all over. I expected a starting tantrum. But she started up in one go. The better halves never cease to surprise. He he.

I loved my ride back home. It started to pour again. I hadn't brought my helmet along. But it turned out to be a lovely ride at the slow, yet steady pace. The rain lashing in my face. I don't know what's with the rain, but I had enjoyed getting soaked to the skin. Bliss.

That Veerappan dude got shot allright. Its interesting that I've met the person who was responsible for the final assault that got the most wanted criminal in India.

Supercop K Vijay Kumar. The Press claims he's 52. I've pondered how big this gentleman could have made it, if he were in the movies. Had shook hands with him when he was Commissioner of Police, Chennai. And was mightily impressed. Not much was spoken. But some people have it in them. That aura thing.

His being relieved as Commissioner made a lot of bad press. And now he's in the news for having headed the Special Task Force that brought down the Sandalwood King. I like this rise and fall thing. Only thing is, do I have the guts to fight the doldrums ?

2004-10-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Sunday installment of the Digital Film Festival had 'The Clays'. Wasn't really claymation. In terms of effort, this was no Wallace and Gromit. Everything done with a single ball of clay. The best thing was the simplicity of the film. The whole concept elegantly relayed through a ball of clay moving around under a single arc light. Must say that the music that accompanied it went well.

I was too tired in the afternoon. Had a lovely lunch and then crashed. Only to wake up at 1900hrs. Cheeru and me went cycling to the Thiruvanmayur beach. He's got this craving for the corn-on-the-cob that's sold there. Returned. Ate food and then crashed again. I was really tired.

2004-10-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

Okie Dokie. I was lucky to be awake at 9 on a Saturday Morning. Picked up Arun and rode down to Sree. Its good when life's in schedule. As long as the Digital Film Festival is on, Saturday too, has an itinerary. Today was the third installment. And it sucked. Big time.

Except for two films which I kind of enjoyed. 'Eating Out' - ten minutes of a conversation between a couple at a restaurant. I had trouble with the British accent again. But the stuff was superbly executed.

This other one was on something most people wouldn't want to discuss - 'All the Girls I've Loved before'. The bloke actually went about making a documentary on women he'd had relationships with. I don't know why the chap trivialized falling in and out of love. But then, its his life.

Lunch was at Sree Mithai at Spencer Plaza. We were both starving. I ordered a Pav Bhaaji and Arun helped himself to a generous lump of Bombay Halwa. It was only when Arun went for some Pakoda that I realized, we two - were the only 20-somethings in the place. There were only Uncle and Auntyji's around. With their well-fed kids. Luckily, there's no dearth of food joints in an arcade.. Felt more in place at the Fruitshop. The Cheeku shake was a filler.

At Nungambakkam. She just stopped. I thought it was a petrol issue. So I switched to reserve. Curious onlookers watched as I struggled to get her purring. When I finally pulled out the fuel tube, I realized there was no fuel flowing thru. I'd read about the air-locks which get formed in the petrol tank. So, unscrewed the petrol tank cover. Still no fuel. This was getting annoying. Decided on sucking the fuel into the tube. Did just that. Apart from a few millilitres of the fluid, nothing else flowed. Plus my mouth reeked of alcohol. But I got her running, eventually. He he.. I managed to turn her on after blowing into her..

Evening, me and Shombit were ogling at the other ladies. The Royal Enfield company-owned showroom was recently inaugrated at Besant Nagar. Has been beautifully done. The flooring is painted to resemble a highway. Mirrors are strategically positioned to help you get a feel of how you'd look if you owned one.. The lighting - all done up using Bullet headlamps.. And the most ego-boosting experience of them all - parking your own Enfield outside, while the lesser mortals gape. Ok.. the slight exaggeration hurt no one.

2004-10-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

Was at Madhya Kailash for a considerably long period of time in the afternoon. It also happened to coincide with the 'Class Disperse' bell of a nearby College. Its been some time since I just stood still at a place watching other people do their own thing. While the females passed by silently with the I've-got-six-million-chores-to-do-look, the Chennai males appeared to be a peculiar lot, worth this study:

While the belts holding their trousers might be completely out of place, the hair never is. That's because they're combing it all the time. I must have observed dozens of these chaps walk together, probably discuss complex Quanta, and at the same time comb their hair. Occasionally, quite a few of them would stop by the vehicles parked outside the Madhya Kailash Temple, and spend another couple of minutes combing their hair in the rear view mirrors that were on offer. It was amusing initially, then it got tiresome and finally, irritating.. That's because this Narcissist bloke, couldn't help stopping and setting his hair in every mirror that came his way. I was standing right beside her, and this nerd had the nerve to peek into the mirror that graces my beauty. Luckily, he did not adjust the mirror to serve his purpose. And I thought, "Dude. You've infiltrated my personal space. Excusable. But don't dare mess with my girl."

Cooled off at Mansukh Sweets, located on an obscure Ramaswamy Street in T Nagar. I like the Gujaratis allright. They're so sweet. There was sugar in every dish I tried. Is neat, if you're not having it everyday. Overall I liked the Khaman Dhokla, the Kachori and the sweet Pudina chutney. Really loved the thick Lassi, served with a spoon, not a straw ! I don't know what the Cheese toast was doing on a Gujarati Menu, but it tasted great. They ran out of Shrikhand on a Weekday afternoon. And I settled for melts-in-your-mouth Rasmalai. Well-wishers have now suggested that I stop using the word 'awesome' to describe food.

2004-10-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Cedars. In Kotturpuram. The most brilliant Mediterranean cuisine, most of which I have no clue of how to pronounce. Dim lighting and superbly done up decor characterized the place. I really liked the neatly framed photographs on the walls. And the unique set of lampshades.

He he.. The waiters do understand Tamil, but they reply only in English. And they know their Menu cards with the proper pronounciations. I think the only thing I pronounced correctly was the 'Kahwe' which was spectacular. It was served in a cup tiny enough to wash a lovely Barbie doll's feet.

I'm trying really hard to recall what all I ate. Well there were prawns with some yellow cream and sweet salad - mouth watering. Mushrooms cooked in wine. Chicken wings with fantastic pudina chutney. And an Arabian fish with pilaf, which I think, means rice. The fish was boneless, and I really mean absolutely no bone. Loved every bit of it with the accompanying yoghurt-like preparation. I also had brownies with Kulwa cream - and although I've never relished nuts, the dark nutty chocolate tasted brilliant with the cream. And the brownies. Oh man..

Am not over yet. Got treated to a cheery flavoured Sheesha. You kinda inhale the thing longer than a cigarette, making a soft gurgling sound in the contraption. And when you exhale, you get a lovely white mist and feel good all over. The tobacco plus cherry fragrance was overwhelming. Add to it the soft strings from Lebanon or Turkmenistan that played through the evening. Pacified. Is the only word that comes to my mind.

2004-10-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

Because Shombit's studying so hard these days, I missed out on the first installment (Saturday) of the Digital Film Festival being screened at Sree (he had the one pass!). Because Shombit never found time to pick up an additional pass on time, I nearly did not get to watch the second installment today. Because Aishwarya Rai had diverted everybody's attention with Bride and Prejudice, and Sree was only half-full, I actually got to watch the screening !

The opening short films were the result of a workshop with special children. I was amazed by the simplicity of the films and the apparent ease with which one can create them. The scripts were simple - one on wood conservation, another on water pollution and one on promoting vegetarianism - each executed in a different way. The hard work and creativity was all in planning the frames - these three were done entirely with crayon sketches, origami-like paper art and chalkwork on blackboard, respectively.

Some NID blokes made a film called Time Bomb, which, although neatly executed, left all of us wondering ?!? I'm not even sure if it was supposed to be blood dripping from the tap, only, I've seen better blood in Kubrick's 'The Shining'.

Gajra was another lovely script. Woman on the sidewalk. Makes flower Gajras for a living. Three shabby kids. Simple narration: "Makes Gajras for everyone else". "Never wears her Gajras". "Last night her husband came and took two Gajras". Long Pause. "She never wants to make Gajras again". Phil Collins makes me feel this pathetic in 'Another Day in Paradise'.

Then there was Kaun - had everybody in splits. That was 30s of convincing stuff on why one should vote..

Nikhil Alva's film on the illegal Ivory Trade threw light on the cause for the steady decline of the elephant population. Was supposed to be a sting operation (hidden camera and all), but it looked so well done, that it made me wonder why the Tehelka tapes are so screwed up ?!

Le Pocha was some kind of a painful documentary. It started off well with some Bengalis speaking gibberish. Went on to the history of Bengali Alternative Music. Then a few minutes of Bengali music videos performed by a band called Cactus - man they sounded good. A long discussion on 'Mohiner Ghoraguli' and then the audience was clapping for it to end. Still to figure out the 'Le Pocha' bit.

There were two films on eunuchs. The first one, 'Bijli', was on Fayaz Bijli, an eunuch from Pakistan, based in New York. Earns a living as a dancer in the night clubs. Owns a flat. Lives respectably. Compare this to the 'hijras' on Indias trains. The film convinced me that sometimes society can really screw up a person's happiness.

The second one was on eunuchs into prostitution. Mostly unbelievable, grotesque stuff.. but 'Nice Girls' is a must-watch.

I've finally got a hang of the Gemini circus allright.. It takes one wrong turn and a kilometre of no U-turns to make you memorize the Chennai traffic intersections in a jiffy. So, after Sree, me was chilling at Le New Yorker.. nevermind their Jain obsessed Menu. Being a pretty big group we practically ordered one dish from every leaf of the Menu. The enchilada was fabulous. And I, as usual, ate myself sick. But there's always space for dessert - and an awesome icecream sizzler that costs a fortune is not even served at Mövenpick!

Getting her has its advantages. You don't think twice about driving home from Gemini and returning back to Mowbray's Inn on TTK Road, a few hours later.. Caught up with Danadan after a long long time. We were upto no good during my brief tenure at IITM, and our plan to 'Vonamor' on the Kendriya Vidyalaya overhead water tank never materialized. The Cellar was unusually lonely for a Sunday evening. But there was loads to catch up on..

Now the trouble with having too much of a good time is getting flagged by the Cops. So, headed for Shombit's posh place in upmarket Nungambakkam. Was actually quite lucky to find all his roommates present and was treated to fantastic fish fry and fish curry. Topped it up with a boisterous discussion on the woes of single men. I progressed home with a fishy mouth. Funny thing is, when you're over-cautious, all the cops are on vacation!

2004-10-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

There's a plethora of Beach resorts all along the East Coast Road. Have visited the MGM Beach Resort in Muttukadu, so the
lush-green-lawn-running-parallel-to-an-endless-coastline-concept was not new. Fortunately, todays visit to Temple Bay, in Mamallapuram, only made for a better experience.

The place being far from Chennai, one can really cherish the solitude. Kerala-style sloping roofed rooms that look out to the sea. Undulating lawns (100m across - of welcoming grass). A neat row of coconut trees. And finally a beach, where, if you walk a kilometre to your right, you hit the Mahabalipuram Shore temple. Alternately, if you chose to walk left, you could tire yourself out in the quest to sight another human.. waah.

2004-10-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Visited the Lotus Pond (on top of FoodWorld) at Besant Nagar today. The Security Guard pissed me off because he wouldn't let me park her in the parking lot below the building. Well what is the Parking lot for anyway ?

The Lotus Pond is pretty uniquely situated, rooftop dining and all. The weather was splendid and the pleasant breeze just did wonders. Was with workmates and very fortunately, the only people at the place. So we got undivided attention and were served very well. They took a wee bit long to get us the food but everything - the service, the flavour yumm yumm.. man I ate like a pig, was brilliant. And yeah, the waiters spoke in Hindi. Been a while..

2004-09-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

Started the day with the bike wash. And that reminded everybody of Sardar. Its a good thing that I had watched him wash his bike, religiously each day. So it didn't seem painful when I did it myself. He and his Machismo have moved to Hyderabad now.. greener pastures ! Incidentally, most people in the neighbourhood who passed by me while I cleaned MY bike - gave me the look that they pitied me - for being forced into cleaning my elder brother's bike. Duhh.

Prema cooked excellent fish for us. And Dilip experimented with his own version of Bisi bela Bhath. It was a good attempt, except it looked more like fried rice prepared..umm.. differently. Bottomline is, it tasted great with the fish. This time around too, we had scraped the cooker clean.

Picked up Shombit from Nandanam and went shopping at General Patters Road. This is the place to visit, if you're shopping for helmets. Only if you can figure out how to get there. The only directions we had were, that its behind the imposing LIC building on Mount Road. I'm horrible at shopping, so it was great when Shombit and the lady-at-the-counter nodded in sync at my choice.

I had clocked about 100km in 24hrs and now happen to know a reasonable part of Mount Road and Nungambakkam quite well. But I'm still to figure out the Gemini Flyover intersection. Its probably the most confusing criss-cross in Chennai.

2004-09-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

I got my Enfield Machismo today...1721hrs to be precise. That's a 346cc cubic capacity and 163kgs of metal. I weigh about 57kgs after a heavy dinner. Although she looks big and imposing, someone demonstrated starting her - with one hand. Yeah. There's no electric push button start in mine. You just use a gentle leg stroke to bring her revving to life !

My first visit was to the temple. I didn't really know what was happening and except for my name, there was not much info I could provide to the Swamiji. He found it pretty weird that this biker doesn't know his own moon sign. Even if I did know it, how would I tell him the Tamil equivalent ? But the Gods were happy.

I squeezed two lemons, one under each wheel. That's for the destruction of all evil. Man.. those lemons were juicy. I would have preferred crushing some of the cashew and almonds which my Mum insists on me devouring. They always disgust.

Thank goodness we have something like the East Coast Road. The ride gets interesting only past the toll gate. It feels nice to be able to ride 20km down a road on MY OWN BIKE, drink a Cola and come back.

My roomies were ecstatic about my new posession. The best part is that the thrum of the bike is so powerful, that you don't need to honk to call the guys out !

I also caught up with Kaus and Malaniman at IIT. Took them for a round and nearly got chased by Campus Security for riding triples on the bike. Malaniman, is normally the unusually sincere types, but he now wanted to go for a longer ride, and we settled for Le Meridien. The pleasures of enjoying icecream at 4AM are one of a kind. And those of tipping everybody, right down to the sweet chappy who just smiles at you while you start your bike, are of another kind. I don't recall having spent so much time on the roads ever. And the weekend had only just begun..

2004-09-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Watched 'Inii.. What next', at the British Council Lecture Hall today. When your parents get too overbearing, and you dread returning home, its better to run away. Naww.

But I really liked the affection portrayed. 11yr-old Sathya waits at the School's steps for the younger Vijay to finish classes. I got the dialogue from the subtitles: When Vijay finally arrives and enquires why they aren't going home, Sathya asks him, 'Do YOUR parents matter to you more or do I ?' The kid replies 'Brother, you mean the world to me. I will come with you wherever you go.'

The stuff was too well done. And it made me stop and think if I could, in my lifetime, matter to somebody like that..

2004-09-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

When there's a pile of dishes in the sink, one knows the maid is on leave. At the end of day2, when there's not a single clean utensil left in the house (even the lids for covering the dishes have been used!), one can safely conclude that the maid is on leave and this is bachelor territory.

Prema was on leave yesterday and today. It took barely 24hrs for the repercussions to be felt.

•The knives, forks, pots and pans were all in the sink.
•The cabbage which had been lying in the closet since Wednesday morn (Prema would have kept it in the fridge) was now fluffy because of fungus all over it.
•The curd in the refrigerator was so horribly sour that it could have been used as an industrial cleaning agent.
•There were three days of newspapers piled all over the drawing room couch.
•Visitors to the home were greeted by a mound of used footwear at the doorstep (Prema would normally have stocked them up neatly on the shoe rack).
•All, except two buckets in the house had been stuffed with clothes for washing.
•Everybody's underwear was untraceable. (It somehow makes it to its respective shelf, when Prema is around)
•The yellow daal which had been lying in a bowl since I-don't-know-when, was now a thick white paste of fungal fluid.
•The effort to boil milk left us with a ¼ of what was originally the milk packets' content.
•Eating out was acceptable on a weekend, but its the last thing we'd ever want on a weekday. So Dilip treated us to his very own potato-tomato-onion stew. All of us hogged it up with steamed rice and scraped the cooker clean. Even then, our 5-man team effort could not make up for Prema - the One.

We were really missing our housekeeper.

2004-09-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

This time I behaved as if I was home after a long while. I was lucky that we got in at 1230hrs. Just made it. Its open only from 9AM to 1PM on Sundays. Made myself comfortable on the bed and as usual, looked the other way when the needle was pierced into my blood vessel. This time even Arun was with me. He's more of a veteran. The nurse was as friendly as always. Watched the Boys soundtrack play on the TV console. Within minutes, it was all over. Apollo Bloodbank gave me a fruitnik and vanilla cake. Yum. 146 more to go !

2004-09-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

Had just returned after a swim in the rain. Warm water in the pool with cold droplets of water hitting your skin. It wasn't a continuous shower, so I actually managed to stay dry as I cycled back home.

And then it really started to pour. I had barely changed when Cheeru stepped in - completely soaked. And even as he stood at the door with water dripping from the tip of his nose, ears and fingers, he goes - Chalta kya ?

He he.. open invitation to enjoy the rain - of course man. We rode down to Besant Nagar Beach.. Couldn't see a thing. Were shivering. It was cold and we were literally wading thru troughs of water.

It was fun observing how most people react to a downpour. Sullen faces. Desperate to get to dry land. Cars dashing past with their windows pulled up. Bikers trying everything they can to keep their trousers clean. And then there was us. In shorts and wretched tee-shirts. Chappals. Riding with smiles. This was like the college days.

Somewhere near Giorgio, the scooter stopped. As if we cared. Parked it at the safest spot possible and headed straight for the Besant Nagar beach.

The rain eventually stopped. Gentle breeze on the beach. Nothing like the coffee in clothing soaked to the undies.

Walked back to our scooter. It was still cold. So we just dragged it back home. It was as if we hadn't chatted like this in a long time. Didn't even realize how two hours had elapsed and we were home.

2004-09-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the alarm in Isaac's cell, we were up around 0530AM. It was nice and cozy in the blankets provided but I just had to do the Nature Walk. We were all out at 6AM. It was quite cold but not dark. Not exactly a hill-station. Sharp shrill of the crickets or whatever they have out there. Couple of birds chirping. Daybreak.

First halt at a small coffee shop near the Reserve's Entrance Gates. Fantabulous strong coffee. Loved it till the last drop. Served in white china with a saucer. I think that's what made it even more pleasant.

We took our entry passes at the gate and hired an auto to get us in. 7AM is kind of early for the Guides to arrive. Or maybe it was off-season. Or its just India. We found two Swiss Nationals from Einsiediln also looking for a Forest Guide. Signed a form declaring no one except me is responsible for injury blah blah during the trek. Refused the leech stockings. They prevent the leeches from climbing up your legs. Yeah but what the hell, I had come in shorts to get those suckers to come and get me.. needed some of that fun.

Had to cross this 30feet across section of the lake. They have these bamboo rafts crafted to carry upto three people across. Construction was simple - about six or seven 4inch dia., 12feet long bamboo logs tied together with jute ropes. Three additional bamboo stumps provided to sit on. And you just sit still, because those things looked easy to flip. Yeah, but the ride lasts about 43seconds.

Nature Walk was more like a brisk walk thru the jungle. There's a well-marked trail thru most of the forest. Occasionally, our guide stopped to show us animal tracks. He even pointed to one paw and said 'Tiger'. That was pretty tiny to be a tiger paw. It wasn't scary like a real jungle. There was virtually no grunt, snort or growl throughout the trek. But we did spot some trees being shaken by monkeys, and he also showed us a beehive. Cat tripped three times and let out the only 'Yeowl' sounds that we heard.

Yeah, the leeches. They were good. These were not the black slug-like variety. More like some worms with suckers at either end. So they just cling onto your shoe and move upwards till they find your flesh. None of the leeches got above my socks. I think wearing white shoes and socks helped spotting them. The Nature walk lasted about 3hrs and was quite frankly, more like a walk across a poorly maintained overgrown garden. Though I did like crossing the many streams with cold water in them. As for animals, I spotted one harmless green snake as it slithered across some bush. And that too at the forest periphery. Nothing eventful. Isaac, Cat and the Swiss folks had a nasty time with the leeches. There was blood oozing below their jeans.. It was gross. Cat had two of them inside his shoes. I set fire to one and it bloated up before turning to ash.

Got home, changed and returned to Aranya Niwas, inside the sanctuary. Cat fancied the place because they called it Beer Parlour. No snacks. No smoking inside. But it was fun to lounge about and discuss the days events. We settled for lunch at the restaurant there. Surrounded by trees and somewhat overlooking the lake. Food was good. Once again there were no Appams and we settled for Parotta.

We were completely done with the Periyar Reserve business now. Felt like we'd seen it all. So we headed to Rizzaz - the only place that looked serious about their ice-cream. We had chocolate sundae, followed with butterscotch with chocolate sauce. Treat.

I think that did it. We had run out of things to do at Thekkady and headed back to Green View. We were all pretty tired and just got some rest. The weather had been so pleasant all along, it was fun to just relax.

Dinner was at this restaurant above Aayur Cafe - the coolest looking hangout in town. Totally frustrated with the lack of Appams during meal time, we just ordered more Malabar Paratha. I was still to figure out what it is with the menus in Kerala.

2004-09-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

This was perhaps the laziest day of the trip. Woke up late. Freshened up and headed to Hotel Maharani for breakfast. By now, we had figured the three streets that made up Kumily town. Maharani did have Appams. I was most delighted. But they did not have coconut milk. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. I orderd vegetable stew. The Appam was cold but I enjoyed it. Followed it up with a massive Banana pancake.

As I write this, I wonder if there was anything else we did, except eat. After vacating the room, we headed to Hotel Ananda Bhavan, near the bus stand. This one served Non-veg unlike the pure veg Chennai chain. Lunch was ok. Though, I was still trying to figure out why nobody sold Appam with coconut milk in Kumily. Or was it so in entire Kerala ? And the coconut bits put in the curry had now begun to get tiring. It was time to head back home.

Kumily has only one bus for Chennai each day - the 1630bus. Otherwise you go back to C**b** and take the 1930bus from there. This bus was better - no video player. Plenty of leg-room because we got the first seats. The last I remember is stopping at Trichi around 2230hrs. Dinner was cream biscuits and bananas.

2004-09-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Woke up at Dindigul with my back really sore. Friday had been tiring and sitting 11hrs. thru a bus-ride was no way to re-energize yourself. I think we reached Cumbum at around 0930hrs. Boarded another bus to Kumily and pondered over WHEN we'd reach Mallu territory. The ride uphill lasted a good 30mins. thru well forrested terrain. Our questions were answered when we stepped over the border - a ramshackle checkpost at Kumily - into Kerala. It was zimbly great.

Because nobody bothered to tell us, and because we thought our destination was actually Thekkady, we took one more bus ride..to get dropped right inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve. I didn't see any hotels around. We were inside the reserve dammit.

Thanks to a local guide, and another auto ride back into Kumily, we found ourselves inspecting Green View Lodge with Cable TV. The owner of the place kept stressing on how this one room with toilet-attached was better than most others, thanks to a 14" cable TV. I hadn't come this far to be locked up inside a room and watch cable TV. Oh yeah, it was also strategically located, because it overlooked the Taj Garden Retreat. So, basically you get the same luxury of location as the Taj, at 1/10th the price. Drained from all those rides, we just settled for the place.

I think we had cold-showered and cleaned up by around 2PM, and so we stepped out for lunch. Since none of the hotels in Kumily accept plastic, one needs cash in hand. Luckily Kumily has a State Bank of Travancore ATM. Correction, Kumily has ONLY ONE ATM, and its from SBT. Cash in hand, we headed to the nearest KTDC tourist reception office, that's the one overlooking the bus-stand. It wore a sleepy look. The one lady manning everything had no clue what we were asking about, while we had no clue what she replied. Man, if the Indian tourists find it so hard here, how do the non-natives manage. Anyhow, she gave us two pamphlets which advertised everything the Reserve had to offer.

We were not looking for vegetarian food and it took us quite a while to reach the first hotel that advertised food. Hotel Revathy was bad lunch. Isaac ordered roasted beef and got something in gravy. I was already pissed because I was in Kerala and they didn't serve Appam here.

We walked 4.5kms to the boat-landing. It all made sense now. Kumily is this little town in Idukki district of Kerala. Thekkady just happens to be one of the spots inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve. But its green and cool allright. And that soothens your nerves.

The boat-ride commences at 4PM. But first you need to figure out which boat you are to board. They were named Jala Yathra, Jala Rathna, Jala Taranghini and Jala Mohini. But they were labelled Y-1, R-2, T-3, M-4 respectively. Why ? I don't know. Somebody got real creative and thought confusing everybody would be very amusing. We were on the lower deck and happy cause it started to rain. Got quite cold. In the hour and a half the ride lasted, we spotted a few birds, some buffaloes, pigs and one kid washing his clothes on the banks. Was actually delighted when I finally spotted an otter. Tha'wwaz great. I now knew why we had the Cable TV - we were all gonna go back and watch National Geographic's India specials. The ride got really tiresome and were only too happy to be back on land.

Took an auto-ride back into Kumily town, because the last bus out of Thekkady leaves at 1730hrs. And the Gates close at 1800 hrs. I don't know what happens if you get locked in.

Went to another Tourist Info booth. The chappy greeted us well and actually proposed some interesting activities. There was only one in our budget - the Nature walk. We'd have to be at the boat-landing next morning at 7AM; we were told.

Moved on. Began searching for a bar. Somehow, Cat turned ecstatic as he spotted atleast half a dozen Hotels where, on getting closer, the print read 'Bath attached'. That was bad humour. And we wanted a watering hole badly. After some scouting, we were back at the bus-stand. The only bar in town (apart from the Taj!), was at Hotel Kumily Gate. When we entered, we felt we were inside a TASMAC bar. Red lighting and the regular melee at the counter. Probably the only people not in Mundus, we were directed to the VIP Bar. This was a calmer place and we finally relaxed.

I think we got back to Green View around 2230hrs. Isaac could smell the dope in the air near our place. It lingered over around Hotel Armani - It was easier than calling it by its real name - Ambadi. Important landmark when the Thekkady folk enquired about our place of stay..

2004-09-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

Was late for work today because I went to Koyambedu bus-stand to organize our tickets to Kerala. Oh yes.. There was a long weekend ahead, and a Kerala trip was definitely on the cards.

Trouble is, Koyambedu bus-stand is really not tourist-friendly. None of the signboards are in English. Mansukh had told me that there's no direct bus to Thekkady. Instead, you ask for Theni. The lady selling the tickets had no clue which bus, if any, goes to Theni. Luckily, at 8AM there's no crowd at the counter, and someone from the Time-keeper's room told me to book tickets to a place 40mins. from Kumily. Kumily in turn, is about 15mins. from Thekkady. The name of the place - 'Cumbum'. I'm naught trying to be notty here.

Cat, Isaac and myself confirmed the spelling on the ticket. The name was as harmless as Ben Stiller being 'Gaylord Fucker' in Meet the Parents. Boarded the bus at 2100hrs. The ride to C**b** was quite uncomfortable. The video coach initially had some recorded KTV song-dance sequence playing. They followed this up with some movie starring Ajith and Simran. I dozed off somewhere after Simran's Mommy Daddy got killed for some stupid reason; and Ajith was serving as a Cadet in the Army.. some scenes from the DSSC Parade Ground in Wellington.

2004-08-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Caught up with Mansukh at Elco's Chaat in Bandra. Back home in Chennai, Mansukh's entry into Adyar Sangeetha meant trouble for the staff. Its normal for complete strangers to share a table with you in Chennai. But Mansukh would have none of it.

Once this gentleman nearly sat opposite him at Sangeetha saying 'Do you mind if I sit here?' The 'I do' reply from Mansukh stopped traffic at Sangeetha. It was hilarious. That's why when news of his shifting to Mumbai came thru, he chose to celebrate at Mövenpick ! It had been quite a while since I met the guy who set up his blog to get a gmail invite ! Spent the rest of the lazy afternoon at Barista, discussing his expedition to some caves near Mumbai.. of how he slipped in the terrain, ripped his shoes, and walked barefoot over fresh cow-dung.

Took the bus to Colaba. Crossing Regal brought back memories of 1993, when Mumbai was home. Colaba looked different. Brighter lights. As we headed down, Afghan Church, the Aditi-Ahilya buildings, and maybe if I had sat till the last stop, I'd be asked to get off at RC Church. Had been a long time.

Spent the last part of the evening at Major Gopal's place. I don't know how I would handle life if I were to lose my sight completely. This man does. As normal as it gets. My sis and he were fieldwork partners last year and she told me how much fun it is to have an Armyman as a classmate.. Apparently, the faculty found Gopal's style of sitting upright very 'uncomforting'. This gentleman would be somewhere in his thirties, but the way he and his wife hosted me, and the rest of his TISS peers, was frankly, quite amusing.

Things that one should not do in Mumbai - mistakenly read Mumbai CST on the ticket for Mumbai Cen. Central and CST are different. Many thanks to the nameless Mumbai taxi driver. I made it to CST just-in-time. Was stirred, not shaken.. Ha ha.

2004-08-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

There is a higher probability of me finding that lucky Gold coin in a bar of Lux soap than waking up to an alarm clock to catch the morning train. I had to board the Chennai Mumbai Express at 0650hrs and staying up all of Thursday night listening to sound rock music seemed like the perfect way to do so. It was.

Slept throughout the journey and somehow made it to Dadar station at 0630hrs on a pouring Friday morning. My last visit to Mumbai was to IITB, Powai, and I don't recall such a mad downpour then. This time I was being hosted by my sibling at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar !

In that incessant rainfall, and nestled in some sort of a lovely forest, TISS appeared to be the ideal place for a lovely vacation. The crowd on campus seemed to be a happy lot. I enjoyed my breakfast at TISS - moong, omelette, banana, coffee, bread, butter and generous dollops of mixed fruit jam. It was fun to laze around and watch the rain soak the young men and women as they headed for the morning lecture. Its been bliss not having to run for class anymore.

All that rainfall had me yearning for some dryland, and Centre One, the shopping mall at Vashi, was just the place to munch and of course, talk. By late evening, I think I had downed everything from a Subway sandwich to falooda icecream.

Blogworld caught up with us and as if all that food wasn't enough, we headed to 'Papa Pancho'. It was a nice feeling to be sitting on hard wooden dhaba-style benches with pedestal fans keeping us cool and lanterns for the lighting - all that on a busy street in Bandra.

Back at the base at midnight. And TISS was as lively as it can get. It was raining. And I liked the fact that everybody I'd been introduced to just seemed to be so happy lazing it out on the wood 'n' cane furniture outside the hostel. These Tissians see a different world studying people. Was chatting till 2AM. Talked a lot about the misery of people. And can't put any of it into print. But I now feel that doing anything out of pity is probably the worst way to serve humankind.

2004-08-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Its not everyday that you get an invitation to cycle down to a horse-riding school, 28kms down the ECR. So, when my 'Madras Bull' Sardar roomie asked me to pedal down to Velkom farm on ECR, I gladly accepted.

According to his approximations, we'd leave at a sunny 1545hrs, reach the place (about 15kms short of Mamallapuram) by about 1730hrs. He'd do his riding and demonstrate his superior skills in his 27th horse-riding class.

Pedalling down the East Coast Road on a BSA Mach1 has its advantages. You get the pleasure of riding against the wind and yet not tiring out. You also get to enjoy the whooshing sound the cars make as they zoom past. Even the Ambys seem to zip past at horrendous speeds. In the crawling city traffic, only riders on cycles get to overtake between the tiny gaps made by bigger stationary vehicles. I presume pressing on the accelerator is something every metropolitan driver yearns for.

Pepsi never tasted better. After a 15km stretch of non-stop cycling and my throat gone dry, it was wonderful to gulp down the 'Chinna' pepsi. It does not quench your thirst. But who cares ? I wasn't crossing the Sahara either.

Velkom farms was a treat. Loads of sand. Horses. Swift cool incessant breeze. A lonely goat with a white-coat named William. And a Worldspace radio playing some music of which I've failed to identify even a single track. Sardar zipped his chaps and mounted on his horse. I don't think its too big a deal to manage a well-trained horse. Sardar didn't even use a whip. Did the trot. The Canter. Made 'Phoenix' jump over some obstacles. Neat. And then horsey flipped him over. That was not part of the demo. Consider the guy lucky to fall in sand after doing a semi-somersault from 9ft high.

We started from there around 1915hrs. The cat eyes on the road are useless because they only reflect, not glow. We had to ride cautiously because we were cycling into dark space. Halted at the Boat House and munched our sandwiches. I think we swallowed 'em in less time than that spent in preparing 'em. Came home safe at 2100hrs, bathed, crashed. Sardar had to wake up early next morning for Class#28. I just had to sleep.

2004-08-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

What is God's own Country famous for ?
Oil Massage ? Onam ? Kathakali ? Mundu ? Export quality lobsters ? Toddy ?

Neh, I say. I had this superb Mallu dish when I was in Class VII at a buddy's place in Mumbai. Never again after that, although I've been craving for it ever since. It was one fortunate evening that brought back the wonderful memories of enjoying the Appam again.

For those of you less fortunate souls who have not savoured this Malayali dish, the Appam appears to be a Dosai with an Idli swelling in the centre. The ones prepared at Karaikudi, just at the start of the ECR, were simply superb. Soft and tender and fluffy. Served with sweet Coconut Milk, the stuff tastes brilliant and melts in your mouth. Because the other dishes were chilly hot, one wants to keep alternating between the spice and the sweet.

Shombit's Mom's birthday treat ended in a large helping of lovely Payasam. Irresistible. I really have plenty to do when I visit Kerala.

2004-07-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Wow.. Friday was a treat for the eyes. There were about twenty odd Enfield Bullets lined-up outside Giorgio at Besant Nagar Beach today. Two of the riders would be setting out on the Tip-Top expedition - from the tip of India to the top of India, the Kanyakumari to Khardung-La ride.

What was I doing there ? Well, my roomie happens to be a Madras Bull himself and he was accompanying these chaps to send them off from Kanyakumari.

The Madras Bulls are unlike the H.O.G. bikers of the Harley fame. No menacing looks. Reasonably normal frames and their bikes look mostly manageable. And I did not happen to spot any tattoos. Interestingly, one of the riders embarking on the K2K expedition did sport a tilak. That's for good luck. Somethings are best done the Indian way !

2004-07-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Things have been interesting. Attended the Tata Crucible Business Quiz at the Music Academy on TTK Salai. Involved two days of quizzing, day 1 for Tata Group employees and day 2 for the rest of the corporate world.

This was my first time inside the Music Academy and Ythee told me that the place is almost sacred for most classical artists in south India. So it was kind of queer that the quizzers were being tormented to loud crass music, better known as 'Remix'. I've watched those strip-tease videos on TV and seemed to enjoy them. It suddenly struck me how horrible they sound, when the visual element is removed. I was too happy when that music stopped, and the much-delayed quiz commenced.

This Mr. Pickbrain quiz master was kind of interesting. His curly jooties were similar to those worn by Air-India's mascot, the Maharaja. Most of his questions had clues in them, and he hosted both the quizzers and the audience really well. The rounds were aptly named after Tata slogans - 'Century of Trust', 'Vision through leadership' and interestingly, one called TATA - 'Think And Think Again'.

I particularly liked two questions:

1. This man spent two and a half years at General Motors. Has a stake in a lounge bar by the name of Suede. But he's famous in India for a different reason. Identify him.

2. Founded in 1943. Originally sold pens, table runners, jewellery and even nylon stockings. Now a global brand. Identify the brand and the founder.

The quizmaster informed us that Sachin Pilot, among the youngest MPs elected to Parliament this year, actually executed his election campaign like a GM product launch.

Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA when he was 17. IK are his initials, the E for the parental home Elmtaryd and the A for Agunnaryd, the village where he grew up. With the slide of the dollar against European currencies, he was briefly, the world's richest man. And yes, IKEA furniture came much later.

2004-06-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

Alliance Française organized a Film fest at Satyam Cineplex over the weekend. I missed the Saturday movie, thanks to the workload at office. But was fortunate to have the Sunday to myself - in the company of Kaus and Cat.

Kirikou et la sorcière is a masterpiece. It was a great time to review my French. The dialogues were at a pace that I could understand. My favourite character was Kirikou. Impatient and very very inquisitve. I liked the colours used in the environment depicting the path to the witch's home. Even the shades of red in the scene with Karaba the Witch were really soothing. Every bright shade in the film was expertly toned down. The blues used when Kirikou visits his wise Grandfather actually make one feel cold.

And I liked the Fetishes ! They seemed to be really flimsy. Jarring body movements, voice and all. But a real simple way to highlight evil.

His Mom's affection for Kirikou actually made me think of Ma. I just realized I've been missing Mom's hugs. Shit man. I'm getting so lost in my stupid world that it requires a French film to make me remember 'Mère'. Ummm.

We sauntered off for lunch at Le New Yorker, next to Gemini flyover.. where we did not order Le Big Mac. This was another of those restaurants which has something peculiarly amusing on the menu. Every page was labelled 'Most of our dishes can also be prepared for our Jain patrons'. Plus, some of the dishes were named *Jain*. I hope you know what those wildcard characters (*) stand for. So, you have Lebanese, Mexican and Jain Falafel. ??? Which probably means that there are Non-vegetarians, vegetarians, eggatarians and jains. Me thinks. Why ? Nevermind.

I ordered a Half-n-half Mexican & Lebanese Falafel. Yeah. The staff were so courteous in telling me that I can eat my Falafel like a burger. I think Cat told me the sauce in my plate was Salsa and the one in his, Tahini. That Tahini is so hot that I ended up emptying my entire Soda to cool down. But the stuff was good. And also squishy. Because the sauce is all over the place. The Lebanese peta bread is unique. And it was real crispy at the end. Plus the baked beans. Hadn't had them in a while. Never realized Lebanese food tasted so good. But that's always the conclusion when you're really hungry.

2004-06-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

On my way to work, I saw a very queer thing. There was this blind man begging outside a poor slum-like dwelling. He stood there begging till the lady of the house said something and he moved ahead. Its a funny thing that I didn't expect the beggar to get anything from that house. At the same time, I also wondered why this man was begging from house to house in that locality ? I mean, had he been doing the same where the affluent reside, he would have made himself some money to buy a good breakfast in a short while.

The point is - the blind man can't see. He obviously doesn't know whom he's begging before ? He can't differentiate between the rich and the poor by just hearing their voices. And I don't think the rich smell different either ? Pretty cool eh. All the way till work, this thought kept criss-crossing my mind - how does the blind man judge people ? Or does he not judge them at all ?

2004-05-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Waisa bhi hota hai Part II at 8PM today. Normally, my roommates prefer to watch some of the rauchy music videos that all the music channels play. Alternately, one could switch channels and watch Basketball or the F1. But if it is to be a movie, it better be good.

In this regard wbhhII turned out to be a masterpiece. Arshad Warsi plays Puneet. His story isn't very different from most ambitious people's lives. Aims to make a crore fast enough. Hates his boss. The one thing that's different is that his girlfriend is a policewoman. No not an Inspector. She's in the IPS. Sandhya Mridul is unlike the Kiran Bedi you'd expect. She's hated by her own superiors and is known for gunning down gangsters. Anyhow, she hardly speaks on screen. They're a live-in couple. And she sends blanks sms' to Puneet after they nearly break-up.

Prashant Narayan plays Vishnu as the Don's right-hand man. He's got this unique look that makes you feel there's a good side to the bad man. And he portrays that to perfection in the movie, especially once he and Warsi become best of friends.. Well, Puneet saves his life, and one good turn deserves another.

What did I like about the movie - the dialogues. beautifully crafted. and so very spontaneous. Gangutai, played by Pratima Kazi steals the show. They use the regular gangsta words like Khokha, peti and Ghoda (for the revolver). She's terrific in her role. There's this scene when she demands her henchman's finger for his mistake. "Ungli kapde mein lapet ke dena". She wants it the Japanese way !

If there's Warsi, there has to be humour. And this is not the slapstick variety. Gangutai gets Puneet to call her Maaaa, instead of Tai. That's a must watch. Warsi is too good at that.

And there's Allah ke bandhe. The song stops you dead in your tracks. Lovely.

My roomies actually ended up watching the whole movie. We guys didn't even switch channels during the adverts.

2004-05-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday was hilarious. I was in the mood for some North Indian gravy-laced food for dinner. At the Vasant Bhavan restaurant (close to Gemini): on the menu.. I read 'Chilli Paratha'.. sounds interesting. I interpret that to be a spicy Paratha, which would complement a dish of Paneer Butter Masala superbly..

And what do I get ? I almost sweared at the waiter when he got me a bowl of, what-appeared-to-be roasted Potato fries and spicy-fried Chana. Just to be sure, I ask him what it was ? Oh.. that's the Chilli Paratha. It turns out, that the Potato Chips were actually pieces of sliced paratha which had been fried. So what am I to eat the PBM with ? Well, down here.. the PBM comes with complimentary Roti (default) or Naan (if you ask for it). I enjoyed the CP (with Ketchup - I thought they were fries, remember ?). As for the Paneer Butter Masala, I cancelled it in order to finish my CP. Dunno what type to classify the CP dish. Safe to call it sub-continental, Indian sub-continental, I presume ?!

2004-05-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

I finally donated blood today. Well, its not because there weren't enough occasions that came my way earlier.. Let's say I was just too damn scared to do it before. Somebody posted an ad for a friend's ailing mother. She needed A+ blood. And I decided to Just do it.

Blood donation was quicker, fun and less fearsome than I expected. I went to the Apollo Hospital Blood Bank on Greams Road. They make you fill up a donor card and most of the info filled in there is taken for granted. Questions like:
1. Have you suffered from any viral illness in the past one year ?
2. Are you on any medication ?
3. Have you consumed alcohol in the last 12hrs. ?
I suppose you're supposed to have a 'no' for all those questions. And they assume that you know your blood group when you enter it on the card.

You're supposed to be over 45kgs. in weight and can donate blood every three months. And then they make you lie down. One prick, and the nurse tells you that's for heamoglobin ? Yeah what about my heamoglobin ? Don't expect an answer.

Then she fixed the sphygomanometer apparatus. For the uninitiated, that's your friendly BP Machine; was asked to squeeze a foam ball. And then the needle was in, and the 'Blood Collecting Machine' was switched on, which apart from making an irritating whirring sound, didn't do much apart from rocking the pouch in which the blood was being collected.

People around me knew immediately that this was a first time donor because I asked for a magazine to spend my time. The Head nurse stared at me as if I had uttered some obscenity, and goes 'It takes only 5 minutes'. Oh really ?

Before I finished viewing on TV: some freakish dance being performed by a Chiranjeevi lookalike in silver pants, the blood collection was over. I was asked to lie for another 5mins. And then requested to relax on the couch. Refreshments in the form of a Jam bun and coffee were served. And then, you may go.

Outside, at the reception was this 50+ year-old, distraught looking man. The nurse was really loud while saying 'I won't give your patient blood from our bloodbank because you are not willing to donate blood for your own relative'. She was absolutely delirious. Why would this man not donate blood for his own ailing relative. It seems nobody in his family was willing to donate blood either. Strange people in our human race.

There was also this other really-upset Nepali man. The Nurse was sweet with him, he hadn't been able to arrange enough blood for his loved one. But had got some offers from a few 'Professional' blood donors - these chaps sell their blood. But the Bloodbank doesn't seem to entertain them. Atleast, the nurse didn't seem to encourage the idea.

While leaving, I read the other messages.
No strenuous exercises for the next 12hours.
Consume lots of fluids.
Remove the band-aid after four hours.
No alcohol or smoking for the next 12hrs.

I also confirmed that 3month figure. Yes, you can donate once every three months. And upto the age of 60. A quick calculation gives me the years of donor life left in me. That gets you 37yrs. x 4times a year = 148units of blood in my life time. 147 more to go !

2004-05-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday 2PM
Its boiling here in Chennai. I went to IITM and back and was feelin terribly dehydrated. Its soo hot that all the other 39ers (the ppl. I share my apartment with) are snoozing.

Sunday 4PM
Something happens. The place looks unexpectedly gloomy. And then its starts to pour. And this is not just Cats and Dogs. Hail.. In Chennai. Incomparable.

Myself and Dil got into our swim-trunks and bared ourselves on the balcony.. coooooold. chilled water pouring down. And then the lights went out. There was an absolute tamasha on our balcony. An hour later, the downpour had reduced to a drizzle. We both headed out on our bikes (me has recently acquired a BSA Mach1), exploring the water-logged streets of Adyar. Ha Ha.. what a fun-filled Sunday.

2004-05-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

I didn't know that the guy who wrote Utopia was a big-shot in King Henry VIII's court. Well, not until I watched 'A Man for all Seasons'.

Most reviews described it as the true story of the famous Chancellor of England who gets beheaded for treason, only because he refused to part with his principles. I read more about Saint Thomas and thought I should include these lines:

Desiderius Erasmus called his good friend Thomas More a "homo omnium horarum," which was translated by one of More's English contemporaries as "a man for all seasons," better translated into modern English as "a man for every situation or opportunity."

Paul Scofield's manner and style.. hmm.. worth imitating. I dunno how these guys do it. Presented as a man of few words.. this dialogue to Sir Richard Rich when he betrays More was superbly executed "It profits a man nothing to give his life for the world. But for Wales ..."

Alrighty.

2004-05-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

Its the Death Centenary of a great man today. Hats off to this legend !

At 47, he launched the Swadeshi Mills to mark the beginning of the Swadeshi movement, whose aim was to reject foreign made goods.

J N Tata took two British clients with him to the Majestic Hotel but was denied entry because he was Indian. Stung by this insult, he decided to set up the world's finest hotel, and this led to the foundation of the prestigious Taj Mahal Hotel in 1902.

His dream of setting up a hydroelectric scheme with an objective to supply cheap and clean electric power for the growing needs of Bombay was also fulfilled in 1910 when the Tata Hydro Electric Power Supply Company was established.

He also set up India's best known research Institute, the Indian Institute of Science in 1911.

View the whole presentation here.

2004-05-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

One of the good things about being in a Metro is the presence of active organizations like the British Council. I decided to attend the screening of 'Educating Rita' at the Film Chamber Theatre. Good thing that they courier the complimentary passes to you ! But, its a strange thing that the British loose their punctuality in India. The show that was to begin at 1830hrs, didn't start till 1850hrs !

'Educating Rita' was a brilliant movie. But I had to really strain my ears to figure out what Rita spoke in her heavy Brit accent. I kinda liked the funda about this hairdresser wanting to change her life, and her passionate belief that getting educated would do just that. Boy, what a struggle. Loads of grit in that girl. Michael Caine plays the Whisky-loving devoted teacher. The transformation in Rita was superbly brought out. And the best part was the end.. after getting used to the patent Bollywood formula, the last thing you expect is what happens here. 'Feel good' film ;).

2004-05-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

When Cat invites you to a get-together. Never say no. Firstly, Cat has umpteen marriageable cousins scattered within travelling radii from Chennai. So he's usually unavailable on weekends, 'coz he's got all their weddings to attend to. Secondly, its not everyday that you get invited to a place like the GNC a.k.a Gandhi Nagar Club.

Wow man. What an evening. One distinguished engineer - now working with O&M, and three distinguished Animators (that includes Cat too) - whose creation for Club Mahindra brought them the coveted Abby ! And loads of booze. I, of course, was on a mocktail diet.

GNC - big spacious club. On the banks of the Adyar River. Of course, we weren't really exploring all the facilities. Just regular excursions between the Bar and the restroom. They've actually put up a board above the urinals for 'Graffiti'. The only legible message went:

"Don't write what you can't do.
Do what you can't write."

Heheheh. Apt.

Dinner was at Kwality Riviera, the AC Dhaba which is just across Adyar Bus Stand. I call it Dhaba because its such a favourite hangout for penniless brokes like me, that our frequent visits have made the place lose its restaurant-ish appeal.

Fud was gud. Finger-lickin gud. The ppl. there are kind enough to give you a 10% discount if you tell them you're from IIT (and are suitably dressed to drive home the point). Cheeru says that it is inappropriate to leave a tip for the waiter after taking a discount on the bill. Me thinks - Its gud to keep the other guy happy, if he's made you happy. Whatever.

2004-05-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Ok. This was supposed to happen. And it did. I had spotted a billboard near Ega Theatre that said Chennai was hosting the Coastal Nationals. That's the Sailing Championships. I had to be there. Question is - where is it being organized ? Were they expecting us to stand on the beach and wait for the regatta to start ?

Google to the rescue. And I got some links. From May 2nd to May 7th. The Indian Navy was providing logistical support. I learnt me sailing at the Naval Sailing Club, Vizag. The most natural thing to do was calling up INS Adyar. It worked. Gate#7, Chennai Port. I was there at last. Got there with Mansukh. There at 1430hrs. The place was swarming with kiddos. Not the regular kiddos. These guys are veterans at 10yrs. Everybody's done Nationals ! One fine lady had won a Gold in an International event ! And she isn't even eligible to vote yet ! This was not the ideal place to show what an amateur I was. But I had to sail.

They couldn't believe how I found out about the event. But I was very welcome ! I sailed the Optimist, after a good 13yrs. Thundering Typhoons. Blistering Barnacles. Anchor Time. Was introduced to Cmde. T. Hari, NoIC Tamil Nadu. Was happy to be in Navy company again. Atta Boy !

Took some tips from Hussein and Sarav - had forgotten all me knots. The boat parts - Kicker, tiller, Centre-board (Keel), Reef Knot, Figure'o'eight, pointers.. heheh.. It was all coming back to me.. And then I set sail.. The Coastal Nationals were over. I was sailing as part of the 'Celebrity Race', a mock race to entertain the big-shots who had come to watch the event after it was over. Yeah right. I was the only Optimist sailing in a race full of Enterprises. Those guys just zipped. Took me a while to figure out the Tack. Heheh. That done, I realized I'd be able to manage. I did. Well, fairly well. Except that, if this was a real race, I would have been disqualified straightaway. I didn't go around any of the buoys. Then my kicker came loose. Further, I changed my course into incoming traffic and took all the shortcuts I could. In spite of that, I came in last. But the point is, after 13yrs, I had sailed. Yahoooooooooooo.

2004-05-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Was supposed to be lunar eclipse night tonite. Had rained the whole day and Mansukh and I were hoping that the Rain Gods would be exhausted by nightfall. As per plan, we were to camp at Mansukh's terrace. I arrived (at about 11PM) after watching 'Double Team', with Van Damme and Dennis Rodman pulverizing everybody they come across in their race to save a cute baby. Whoa. Mansukh had his tri-pod, Vivitar and overexcited-puppy smile.. all geared for the moment. He had plans to capture the whole eclipse thru multiple exposure. Same way as explained here.

It wasn't raining then, and the eclipse was to start at 2318hrs. Yeah right, and that's when the clouds come in, obscuring the moon completely. The atmosphere was a foggy pink. Then, there was a light drizzle. After about 20 minutes, it started to pour. And it poured. And it poured. I don't know when I dozed off.

Mansukh woke me up somewhere in the night. We went up to the terrace. The sky was absolutely clear, but the moon was blocked by clouds. Damn.

Well, that was the lunar eclipse of May 2004.

2004-05-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Today was amazingly planned. There was a Cherry Red Enfield Bullet Electra at hand. This baby had to be put to good use. My mileage reading was 14760 when I saw it first and noted it down (for posterity !).

With a lovely bike at hand. What could be better than a long ride ? Another visit to Udavum Karangal ! This time I took along Nappies and Boost 'is the secret of my Energy'. It didn't hurt me to ask for a discount from Mr. Chemist - I told him that this was for the kiddies at Udavum Karangal and I would appreciate a discount. The Gentleman from M/s. Sri Kamatchi Medicals & Stores, #70 P.H. Road, Koyambedu gladly obliged.

Got there at 12PM, which is kinda siesta time for the kids. So I only got to meet the kids at the Air-conditoned Creche. Its a good thing they look after the little ones so well. The place smells like a dairy plant, though, with all that milk being cooked inside the same hall ! They looked healthy. One dopey pooed over his cot and the nurse just grabbed him (with legs dangling) and led him to the washroom. It was funny. One baby wanted to hold my hand. She was real tiny with even tinier fingers. But she clung on to my hand somehow. She seemed to be liking it, 'coz she wouldn't let go. They told me that I shouldn't get sooo friendly, 'coz she cries when its bye-bye time. I liked that place. And somehow that baby didn't cry. Once again, I felt happier when I left.

Headed home to me Aunt's place after that. There was delicious Baby corn ! Lunch was Finger-lickin' good. Thought it would be a good idea to watch Main Hoon Na at Mayajaal. Mansukh had tried for the tickets at Satyam on Friday, and he had been informed that even the Sunday last show was sold out ! Mayajaal was the only other theatre screening the movie and 'I' was Vetty. So I headed to MJaal. The ride was awesome. I took the beauty to a smooth 30kmph fourth gear steady. She hummed. Perfect. Reached the place after about 45 minutes. Maybe more. That ECR thing is one good road. Its among the few roads that I really appreciate after the superb Jaipur-New Delhi expressway. But Mayajaal came as a rude shock. In spite of reaching there at 1545 hrs., there were no tickets for the 1730 show. You could, however, get one of the 13 first row seats for the 2030 show. Yuck. Who's gonna stick around ? I buzzed off and headed for the beach. You don't know what beach I'm talking about. This one can be approached by taking the lane opposite the Dental Hospital - right after the ECR Toll Booth. Its lovely. Unpolluted. Virgin. Really. Very few ppl., actually venture onto that territory. The bike got stuck. Yeah right. The back-ache which is still on, is a result of the bullet-lifting I did, to get my baby out of the sand. Its a good thing that one has learnt from past experience that putting dry palm leaves below the wheel might just get you a better grip. It worked.. after one full hour of exasperation. The important thing is knowing - 'this baby wouldn't let me down !'

The other highlight of the evening was the lovely Papaya Shake at Nandhiniee, inside IITM. The guy still gives you one shake free if you order two. Man, was I hungry !

Spencer's has a 'Fruitshop on Greams Road' on the top floor in Phase III. Maybe this isn't news to most ppl. But it was a welcome surprise for me. With absolutely pathetic navigational skills in regards to Chennai, I was more than happy to relish the juice at their Spencer Plaza outlet. I still need to figure out how to get to the main one. Worked well, though. Re-energized me just enough to get home and survive a bath. I was at Sukh Sagar at Anna Nagar after that. This one's right next to the Thurakia Opticians showroom near Rountana. The fud is gud. Real gud. And the icecream is even better. The only thing that annoyed me is that the waiters are overcourteous to inform you that there's no dessert after dinner. That was done deliberately, because they shut down the dining area at 11PM on the dot. I guess some Army Man runs the shop. Came home, noted my closing reading to be 14893, and crashed. It had been a lovely Saturday.

2004-04-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 4AM today. Cyclerun 2004 Time. This was after just 3.5hours of sleep after an exhausting dance party.

Ti cycles came up with this cool idea of bringing Chennai's cyclists together. Me just had to be there. I wanted to take my cycle along, so I cycled to the Island Grounds venue. Its quite interesting to note the activity on the roads at 5AM on a Sunday morning. The beach road was flooded and these guys weren't there for the cycle rally. They were just there, like every other day, it seemed ! I guess its only us Engineers who like to wake-up late on Sundays.

I got to the venue at 5:45AM. There must've been a queue of about 500 ppl., ready to pedal. We were supposed to be at the venue at 6AM. But the gates didn't open till quite late. There was chaos. Absolute chaos. When I checked the time again, it was 7:30AM, and I was trying to get my cycle in for the registration. Perhaps, the next time they do it, the organizers will know how to make better use of the 150 security guards and another 100 clueless volunteers, they had at the venue.

There was one gentleman with his kid from Scotland. He brought his Cannondale for the 24km rally ! The bike was a beautiful yellow. I brought along Ashu's Hercules Tracer. Pretty smooth bike.

They roped in Kapil Dev, Dhanraj Pillay, Ruby Bhatia and the actress from 'Manmadha Rasa' - Chitra Singh. That's Chithra in Tamil Nadu ! Mr. R. Nataraj, CoP, Chennai did the first flag-off.

I didn't get riding till 8:30AM. The sun was up. It was beginning to get hot. But 'twas fun. The path was well planned. There were cops all along the way to direct us. Never felt this special before. Didn't stop at any of the intersections. This time all other traffic stopped for us. Loads of curious onlookers. Most ppl appeared to know that something was going on. Yeah what ? Cycle race ?

My partners on the ride were a retired Bank Manager and a Chartered Accountant who's into modelling. Bikers all of us !

2004-04-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

Mandakini Hostel, a.k.a. Mandak had its Hostel Nite. Akki invited me. The entire Mandak had changed. Typically its dull with hostelites' undies drying on the strings. And usually a group playing footer. And of course one lone security guard announcing '347, Local Call Online'.

But tonite was different. The main entrance had a Disco Ball firmly in place. A torch projected a green light onto it. And there was light music playing in the background. This was at 7PM. The walls were plastered with descriptions of the inmates, alongwith a wacko photo for good measure. They call it Profile.

This was like a farewell for the outgoing batch. There had to be good food and an even better dance floor. The other part of the field was done up nice and proper - the garden and all.

The booze flowed in the rooms. Thanks to Dee, we guys helped ourselves to Romanov and Old Monk, followed by Unlimited Pizza from Pizza Corner. I don't know if those dopecats were on some cost-cutting spree, but no ketchup or chilli-flakes were served. Yeah, but who was in it for the Pizza anyway ?

Danced till 12:30 AM. One helluva party. There was everything - Bhangra, Rock, Tam, Gult, you name it. Awesome.

My black shoes turned red in the IIT sand. My white shirt is a shade lighter than pink. But the party was awesome.

2004-04-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to write about my experience at a shelter for kids.. Sometime back I visited Udavum Karangal. This translates to 'My Helping Hands' in Tamil. A gentleman called Mr.Vidyakar started this shelter for kids abandoned by their parents, and also for serving mentally sick people, way back in 1983.

I visited the place out of curiosity. Was quite nervous initially. But the people there were very warm. Its common culture here to take of your shoes outside a home. I took them off at the reception. A young volunteer led me to the creche.. there was one kid who was only a week old. I don't remember how many there were, but you couldn't count all those kids on your fingers. Their eyes just lit up when they saw us (I was accompanied by my Aunt and Uncle). Twas as if they were waiting for us, and rather, expecting us.. Most of the kids were girls. In spite of so much media attention and fuss that our politicians make, one such visit and you know what the ground reality is.

We had brought fruits and biscuits for the kids. A notice put up at the reception mentioned a need for nappies, horlicks and bedsheets. So we enquired why they didn't inform us, for we could have brought those things as well.. And the volunteer says 'We want to encourage people to share with these kids, whatever they wish to, voluntarily; that's why we never demand anything from our donors'. Come to think about it, all I've always thought about is : 'If God gave me three wishes, what would I ask for ?' Shux.. There are such content people on this Earth. I have a lot to learn. A lot.

The volunteer then took us to the Kids Dormitory. They all lined up and accepted the stuff with a huge smile and 'Thank You'. We distributed the biscuits to the mentally sick people as well.. they were unlike anything portrayed on TV. That's bullshit. Everybody smiled. They thanked us. And when we began to leave, they clasped our hands as a warm gesture. No screams. No wailing. No madmen.

I don't feel like visiting temples and chanting mantras for eternal good.. anymore. I was really happy after my Udavum Karangal visit. It gave me the peace.

2004-04-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

I got here on the 27th of February 2003. Things were different then. I had just quit my job in Jaipur and decided to travel south to visit my relatives here. This was after a brief stop-over at IIT Bombay for about 15days, scouting for an RA position. I never got the project of my taste. But the place was beautiful. I stayed at the SAMEER Guest house and literally fell in love with the campus of IIT Powai. Most memorable event: Watching the screening of Mr. & Mrs. Iyer at the IITB Audi. And enjoying all those jibes on south Indians.. somehow, everybody just laughed.

I moved to Bangalore after that, and spent a week there. This was at the IISc Campus. This place is supposed to be heaven for ambitious Engineers. I scouted for an RA position at CEDT and the MEMS Centre. These places were big-time happening. But that didn't happen. However, It was one helluva lovely place.. Memorable event: Watching Cliffhanger in the Badminton court, which is reachable via the IISc overbridge. Hmm.. this was a totally different experience allright..

I had spent about 21 days away from home. With little success. Pissed off and irritated, I just wanted to go home. Fate had planned otherwise.

I had no confirmed tickets for home from Bangalore. I got a call from my Aunt in Chennai to come-over and spend a few days with her and Uncle. Hmm.. I thought. Chennai ? Me. No thank you. Waste of time. Waste of money. What'll I do there ?

I landed in Chennai in Feb. end. The place was hot. Unpleasant, after Bangalore. By the time I got home, I was drenched in sweat and was double irritated.

Its 10th April 2004 today. I've spent more than a year here. I got my RA at IITM. I completed my tenure there. And the last one year here, has changed my impression of the place - totally. Everything, except of course, the unfriendly autowallahs. But then, one can't obviously judge a city by its autowallahs ?! Thank God, I'm here. I'm loving it.