of friendship and crazy minds

long chats late into the night
crazy talk all through the day
lots of faces in the room
both familiar, and not.

similarities and differences galore
a range of experiences
of life, love and friendship.

at different times we met
and groups we formed
but what firmly remained
was the sameness.

each relationship so unique
each bond so special
was it you that enabled that?

where do we go from here
when do we meet again
it may be soon or not
life's too busy at times.

but, it doesn't matter
because whenever it is
we know what to expect
the sameness, the craziness
thank goodness for predictability, sometimes.

written June 11, 2015

Superhero!

One hand steered the wheel while the other did the rest – switched gears, collected money, handed back change, gave out tickets and brushed off the occasional stray-away hair that fell on his ‘tilak-clad’ forehead. All with that same practiced smooth motion. It was an almost-rehearsed rhythmic sequence of events that hinted at the repetitive, somewhat monotonous nature of his job.  

Driving a bus around Bangalore was no joke. Throw in a bus with just one door for entry & exit and no conductor to man the people-traffic? No joke at all! At the best of times when traffic was lean, maybe he flashed a wry smile. Most of the time however, he was probably at his grumpy efficient best. He had to be. For he was a multi-tasker, juggler, acrobat, artist – all of it rolled in one.

To think that we use the term Superhero for heroes that rescue their lady loves from hanging buses.

Happy Holidays!

It’s 5.45 in the morning. I’m surrounded by so much noise, action and drama that it feels like it’s mid-day. People checking their seats, trying to get their bags up in the storage space, haggling with coolies, buying magazines in a rush, rushing for a quick coffee/tea…a typical morning at the railway station. Me? I just about made it into the right compartment, hauled my bag up and got my kids seated before the train puffed out of the station!

There are some sights and sounds that amaze me every single time – the Indian family living abroad explaining (at the top of their voices) to their kids why they should speak quietly, the family of 4 that has about 15 smallish bags struggling to squeeze them into the storage bins, the person with one humungous bag bargaining with the coolie at the last minute, small kids wailing, my kids wanting chocolate or any other kind of junk….oh, the list is endless.

What makes me repeat this journey time and time again? The destination, of course – Madras, nalla Madras. I love everything about it. But in addition to this, it’s the joy of the journey itself. The Shatabdi Express’ lovely coaches that make you forget that you’re actually traveling Indian Railways! The clean bathrooms, excellent service and the invariable friends I make on the train thanks to the kids antics…all this and more is what I love.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Of gopurams and towers

I'm sitting in the balcony at our hotel in Pasumalai (Madurai). The view is breathtaking; dotted with houses in different colors and sizes, the five outer gopurams of the Meenakshi Amman temple....and innumerable cell phone towers! I don't think I've seen this many towers in such a small radius! Obviously, the reception here is far better than any that I've had in Madras or Bangalore.

I wonder what the Kings who built this temple (Pandya dynasty?) think of that. :)

Highway to hell

The Madras-Bangalore highway has excellent roads, decent loos, ok places to eat and simply amazing and super corny warning signs! Read at your own risk :)

• Don't learn safety by accident.
• If you want to stay married, divorce speed.
• Fast drive, last drive.
• Safety never takes a holiday.
• Don't mix drinking and driving.
• Lane discipline gives you long life.
• Safe driving is like breathing. Don't stop it.
• Cautious drive ensures longevity.
• Drive like hell, you will be there.

I warned you...!

Tragedy, TV, thoughts

It seems impossible to stop watching the news channels when a tragedy occurs. Constant stream of updates, photos, interviews, live action on 'ground zero' to name a few things that are shown; it is played out like a soap opera except that everything in it is real. No one walks away after the director says 'cut'. The stories are told and retold with modifications, some true and many made-up. 'Unanswered questions', 'suspicious events' and other such catchy headlines are splayed all over to make people take even more notice.

This is the age of TV sensationalism. And yet, we can't stop watching. What is it about tragedy that draws us to the TV screens? As much as the anchors host with saddened expressions and softer voices, do they actually care about how the victims' loved ones feel? Yes, they are doing their job but shouldn't there be a limit to how much is said and shown?

Feelings before TV ratings. Something to learn...for us and them.

Train travel trial(s)

Every summer all through school, I took train journeys with my grandparents. Rocky motion, non-stop snacking, reading under the dim lift-up lights, sleeping in the upper berth...many fond memories but always one peeve. The loos. As a kid, I don't think anything was scarier than the thought of having to use those loos. Many years have passed, many new trains and routes introduced, many techie things added(like plug points in the compartments, cell phone towers for coverage etc) but the loos have stayed the same. And overall cleanliness seems to have worsened.

I discovered this at the cost of taking my kids on a long train ride from Hyderabad to Madras. Sky rocketing fuel prices increasing the cost of flight tickets and saying Bye bye to Begumpet prompted this experimental train ride to Madras. First a/c is the business class of train rides or so we thought. (First class would be attaching your own coach to the train). The compartment was far from clean, the berths needing quite a bit of dusting and washing. An orange coloured cheese ball turned black after being dropped in the gap between the window glass and metal fix (Our intrigued kid was keen to taste that as well). A half hour into the ride and a trip to the loo revealed a broken potty and dirty, messy floors leaving it absolutely unusable. The bedding that was provided was musty-smelling and sneeze-inducing. And to top off all that, the train staff were not friendly or helpful. It's ironic that there was a bell to call them if we needed anything, but even a face-to-face didn't accomplish much. The one thing that they promptly did was to wake everyone up at all unearthly hours indicating the arrival of an important station making sure to mention that it was their job to do so.

Overall, the experiment was a bit of a flop. We will most certainly fly on our next trip. What trials that may bring is anyone's guess.

Bye bye Begumpet

Yesterday was the last day flights flew out of Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad. I'm not a Hyderabadi at heart to actually feel sad about that or be affected in any way other than the fact that my commute time to the new airport in Shamshabad has significantly increased; from 15 minutes to at least 45. I'm not denying cribbing at Begumpet when the wait at the check-in counter was too long or finding a parking spot was near impossible. Apparently the new airport addresses both these issues and a lot more. But I'm still irritated about the distance from my home. I've decided to look into the trains going into Madras. The only scary thing is the thought of having to entertain my daughter in a little cabin for 12 hours! (Ok, maybe not 12, she will sleep for a bit...but still...)