Excited and a bit nervous about forthcoming trip!!!! Going to India for the first time with husband, first time with daughter! That's going to be interesting! Accounts of my travails - err.. travels will follow!!!!
After a 5 day layover in Dubai, we'll proceed to Bangalore, our headquarters.
A Tirupathi tonsure trip, a madras visiting-relatives-and-shopping trip, parents' Sashthiaptha poorthy aka 60th wedding - a big misnomer! - the second wedding ceremony for a couple when the husband turns 60 - no season or reason to suddenly become unabashedly polygamous!, a Tanjavur, Kumbakonam temple trip...Visiting uncles, aunts, cousins, friends; extended relatives visiting us to see my daughter!
I have been advised/cautioned about possible sicknesses my daughter can develop - maleria/typhoid/stomach upset!
We have to eat at a few relatives' houses, we have a small list of restaurants we have visited in the past and want to go again to and a few places that are new to us and highly recommended. My mother and my husband's mother are waiting to make savouries for their grandchild! Hubby and I have discussed a day by day agenda of our trip a few times, each time it keeps getting modified. Our parents already take issue with parts of our loosely drafted programme!
I must remember to take deep breaths, not be overwhelmed and tackle shopping, daughter, husband-during-journey, husband-after-landing-in-India( most certainly 2 different entities), parents, in-laws, out-laws, on-the-fence-laws, break-the-laws - without getting flustered! So help me God!
Let's start with the basics!
Ever feel like
1)becoming a better person
2)wanting to be less of a pain to others
3)being a little more conscientious
start with the loo! If you're uncomfortable right here, STOP reading further! We all stand to gain from a good dose of reality check. If you believe this is true, read on!
Yeah, Seriously I can't believe how clueless( and callous) some folks are when it comes to restroom usage! How many times have we not entered a stall only to be repelled by the sights and smells? I am not talking about rest stops off highways with little maintenance! But about restrooms in offices, malls, airports etc which are being frequently cleaned painstakingly by janitors. It's a luxury that we have access to clean toilets in most public places free of charge. The least we can do is to at least leave it as clean as we found it. What's with the incomplete flushing, the messing beyond the confines of the toilet, the toilet paper strewn all over etc etc! I am deeply enraged when I see such sights. Today I felt miserable when a restroom attendant lady told me she just cleaned up pee off the floor in the restroom just minutes after she had done her routine detailed cleaning. I was washing my hands in the sink when she suddenly blurted out how miserable some people make her feel. I cringed to hear this, God knows how she must have felt. I see people rushing out of stalls sometimes merrily chatting on their cell phones with the flushing sound behind them. They don't even wait to check if all is clean before they leave. Why should they, it's something for the next occupant or the janitor to worry about!
If spitting or littering in public is indecency, so is this kind of apalling attitude in public restrooms! I hope someone comes up with an invention to enforce restroom etiquette- a device that sits inside each stall, say affixed to the inside of the door. It should be able to scan the state of the place before each occupant comes in, and should allow the door to open only when the place hasn't been messed relative to the initial scan. It should basically lock the occupant in until the toilet is flushed clean, toilet paper is in its place and no mess is made on the floor or walls. Seriously! Of course it should be able to sense if the flush is broken or the toilet paper dispenser is faulty or something!
We all have days when we open our eyes and just wish we didn't have to go to work that day; No matter what our professions we've all had days when work becomes mundane, repititious and a pain in the neck. A janitor's daily duties are not exactly fun or exciting - God bless them for their good attitude and work ethic.
It'd behoove us to remember what we teach little kids - Clean up after yourself! Adults, first get your own potty training straightened out! The kids are way less obnoxious!
1)becoming a better person
2)wanting to be less of a pain to others
3)being a little more conscientious
start with the loo! If you're uncomfortable right here, STOP reading further! We all stand to gain from a good dose of reality check. If you believe this is true, read on!
Yeah, Seriously I can't believe how clueless( and callous) some folks are when it comes to restroom usage! How many times have we not entered a stall only to be repelled by the sights and smells? I am not talking about rest stops off highways with little maintenance! But about restrooms in offices, malls, airports etc which are being frequently cleaned painstakingly by janitors. It's a luxury that we have access to clean toilets in most public places free of charge. The least we can do is to at least leave it as clean as we found it. What's with the incomplete flushing, the messing beyond the confines of the toilet, the toilet paper strewn all over etc etc! I am deeply enraged when I see such sights. Today I felt miserable when a restroom attendant lady told me she just cleaned up pee off the floor in the restroom just minutes after she had done her routine detailed cleaning. I was washing my hands in the sink when she suddenly blurted out how miserable some people make her feel. I cringed to hear this, God knows how she must have felt. I see people rushing out of stalls sometimes merrily chatting on their cell phones with the flushing sound behind them. They don't even wait to check if all is clean before they leave. Why should they, it's something for the next occupant or the janitor to worry about!
If spitting or littering in public is indecency, so is this kind of apalling attitude in public restrooms! I hope someone comes up with an invention to enforce restroom etiquette- a device that sits inside each stall, say affixed to the inside of the door. It should be able to scan the state of the place before each occupant comes in, and should allow the door to open only when the place hasn't been messed relative to the initial scan. It should basically lock the occupant in until the toilet is flushed clean, toilet paper is in its place and no mess is made on the floor or walls. Seriously! Of course it should be able to sense if the flush is broken or the toilet paper dispenser is faulty or something!
We all have days when we open our eyes and just wish we didn't have to go to work that day; No matter what our professions we've all had days when work becomes mundane, repititious and a pain in the neck. A janitor's daily duties are not exactly fun or exciting - God bless them for their good attitude and work ethic.
It'd behoove us to remember what we teach little kids - Clean up after yourself! Adults, first get your own potty training straightened out! The kids are way less obnoxious!
It's okay to be selfish
Yeah, that's right! Be a little self-centred, do a few things for yourself -
* Schedule that long overdue dentist appointment. You can act now and get it taken care of before those tingling sensations give way to shooting pain at 2 am followed by frantically looking for any available dentist who can see you, even if it means driving 25 miles from home.
* Get your hair trimmed/styled/colored - whatever it is you have been thinking of for a long time and just haven't gotten around to!
* Go for a jog, hit the gym or just go for that hike some friends keep bringing up in their conversations. Regular physical activity that you enjoy can make the day more manageable.
* Buy that top you so longingly keep turning over and over again in your hands at the store, yes the fitting room mirror said 'It looks good on you!'. It's okay to buy what you like even if your spouse, friend or that girl from the floor above you at work seem to disapprove of!
* Take those fifteen minutes to dress up every morning. In that time you could be watering the plants, replying to a couple of emails, fixing up a bit more in the kitchen or catching up on your voicemails. These are all important too, but go ahead and those few minutes you deny yourself wearing that lip gloss or eyeliner, doing your hair or looking for that matching bracelet to wear that day.
Taking a little time for your health, for your relaxation, for your grooming is not being selfish or superficial. Doing that bit for yourself will go a long way in preserving the health and happiness of those around you too. Especially motherhood is not martyr-hood. You set a great example for your kids when you take care of yourself. Taking care of family and home is very important, just don't lose sight of yourself in that family picture. Remember - Wear that oxygen mask yourself first before you can help others!
And in case you're wondering if I came up with all this introspection and deep thinking in a shrink's office, you're a little off the mark - it was at my long overdue visit to my dentist's office.
* Schedule that long overdue dentist appointment. You can act now and get it taken care of before those tingling sensations give way to shooting pain at 2 am followed by frantically looking for any available dentist who can see you, even if it means driving 25 miles from home.
* Get your hair trimmed/styled/colored - whatever it is you have been thinking of for a long time and just haven't gotten around to!
* Go for a jog, hit the gym or just go for that hike some friends keep bringing up in their conversations. Regular physical activity that you enjoy can make the day more manageable.
* Buy that top you so longingly keep turning over and over again in your hands at the store, yes the fitting room mirror said 'It looks good on you!'. It's okay to buy what you like even if your spouse, friend or that girl from the floor above you at work seem to disapprove of!
* Take those fifteen minutes to dress up every morning. In that time you could be watering the plants, replying to a couple of emails, fixing up a bit more in the kitchen or catching up on your voicemails. These are all important too, but go ahead and those few minutes you deny yourself wearing that lip gloss or eyeliner, doing your hair or looking for that matching bracelet to wear that day.
Taking a little time for your health, for your relaxation, for your grooming is not being selfish or superficial. Doing that bit for yourself will go a long way in preserving the health and happiness of those around you too. Especially motherhood is not martyr-hood. You set a great example for your kids when you take care of yourself. Taking care of family and home is very important, just don't lose sight of yourself in that family picture. Remember - Wear that oxygen mask yourself first before you can help others!
And in case you're wondering if I came up with all this introspection and deep thinking in a shrink's office, you're a little off the mark - it was at my long overdue visit to my dentist's office.
For the love of kick boxing
I have found an exercise activity that I enjoy doing - Turbo kick boxing! I enjoy the music, the moves and above all my guru - sach at 24 hr fitness. He is the reason I joined the gym again after a hiatus of almost two years after giving birth to my daughter. It's funny when I think - how I was a member of the gym for almost 3 odd years before I even conceived my daughter. At that time I'd go for 2 days and then not go for weeks or months together! Once in a while when DH would be looking at his bank account online, he'd bemoan paying up my monthly gym fee and would exclaim that he'd be feeling better doing charity instead! I'd then silently tie up my sneaker laces and chug up to work out. After a couple of days I'd slide off the routine. This story was repeating itself way too often. On occasions I did go, I'd only work on the treadmill and later on the ellipical. From my treadmill I always watched the group exercise classes going on through the glass walls of the exercise room. I never once felt that I should go and try one out, I cannot fathom why I didn't do that. After a really long time I once stepped into one of the classes - Turbo kick boxing by Sach. He was energetic and encouraging. I lasted for about 10 minutes and then, I had to rush to the back of the class to puff and pant for dear life on all fours! I went back a couple of times to that class and worked up my endurance to about 30 minutes. I liked how he was friendly and easy to approach. He always mindfully goes over the punches and kicks for the benefit of the one or two people in a sea of fifty, who are new to the class and to the activity itself. And he keeps a smiling face throughout the workout. But even that didn't spike my attendance at the gym. When I was about 4-5 months pregnant I cancelled my membership.
Now I 've joined again with the modest goal of going to kickboxing once every week, that's it. I have a two year old, I have to stealthily sneak out like a thief ( except that I am trying to exit the house and not the other way around). I don't feel good when I hear her searching for me while I am still in the garage. When she cries I feel selfish, evil! But I go! I have more things to do now as a working mother. It's hard, but I still go. On rare occasions I have also been able to go twice or sometimes even three times a week. I really really love the class. I have tried a few other classes too, but I keep concluding that this is my favourite. Sach makes it fun, he strikes a good balance and doesn't overdo it. His constant pushing by way of the verbal instructions and shout-outs makes the one hour just fly by. At the end of the hour I am sweaty, tired and sore, but blissfully so! Kickboxing is kicking my butt and I am loving it!
Now I 've joined again with the modest goal of going to kickboxing once every week, that's it. I have a two year old, I have to stealthily sneak out like a thief ( except that I am trying to exit the house and not the other way around). I don't feel good when I hear her searching for me while I am still in the garage. When she cries I feel selfish, evil! But I go! I have more things to do now as a working mother. It's hard, but I still go. On rare occasions I have also been able to go twice or sometimes even three times a week. I really really love the class. I have tried a few other classes too, but I keep concluding that this is my favourite. Sach makes it fun, he strikes a good balance and doesn't overdo it. His constant pushing by way of the verbal instructions and shout-outs makes the one hour just fly by. At the end of the hour I am sweaty, tired and sore, but blissfully so! Kickboxing is kicking my butt and I am loving it!
GIVE ME RED!
We have a maple tree off our family room balcony and another just by our front porch. The leaves have turned a beautiful red. Yes, this is no New England fall color extravaganza, but this is 'Autumn in California'. We spend most of our time at home in our family room-kitchen, the glass sliding door to the balcony forms one entire wall rendering these scarlet beauties a natural mural to this space.
At the crack of dawn, they are a picture of tenderness - they always make me smile as I draw the blinds open. At mid-day the direct rays of the sunlight suffuse the entire room with a nice red glow ; and in the evenings, they have yet another warm aura to them! It's heartwarming to see them gently sway in the breeze. I am not a maple tree starer ( or gazer, or whatever the term is!), but every time I look up, every time I turn my head I can't help but catch a glimpse and let a sigh of admiration! And I am a sucker for crimson!
How true - A thing of beauty is a joy forever!
At the crack of dawn, they are a picture of tenderness - they always make me smile as I draw the blinds open. At mid-day the direct rays of the sunlight suffuse the entire room with a nice red glow ; and in the evenings, they have yet another warm aura to them! It's heartwarming to see them gently sway in the breeze. I am not a maple tree starer ( or gazer, or whatever the term is!), but every time I look up, every time I turn my head I can't help but catch a glimpse and let a sigh of admiration! And I am a sucker for crimson!
How true - A thing of beauty is a joy forever!
No fun without faux-pas!
Embarassments and goof-ups make for interesting anecdotes and some of the best laugh-worthy moments. Laughter that periodically punctuates a good conversation detailing one's own or better still - someone else's slip ups - some of the best times in life! These moments positively beat the contrived, compressed humor of movies based on mistaken identities, overly exaggerated circumstances trying very hard to whip up a comedy of errors.
Like this one time when : my sister,Vidya who lives in Santa Rosa does all her Indian grocery shopping everytime she comes down to the Bay area. If she knows someone from here is visiting her, she usually gives them a shopping list of things she needs. One time, when a relative of ours, who we call 'kanna anna' was going to visit Santa Rosa, she wanted to send him an email asking him to fetch a few things for her. Kanna anna's actual name is Gopal. My sister who did not know his email id very confidently emailed a list to gopal@XYZ.com ( he worked for XYZ company). Needless to say, it reached the wrong Mr.Gopal in Seattle. Her email said - kanna anna, please bring me the following items from the Indian store......
The reply came in a few minutes - " Dear Vidya, I'd love to bring these things for you, but I am sorry, I do not know where you live and I am not your kanna anna".
The best part is, after seeing this email, my sister writes again - 'C'mon kanna anna, please don't joke. I really need these things, so please bring them ...blah! blah!
A phone convo later in the day with the real kanna anna cleared the confusion and resulted in a great deal of embarassment to my sister and some laughs for all of us.
Another total sardarji joke moment - My mother took my sister and me to have us start carnatic music classes with an elderly lady. When we reached the gate of their house, which was big and posh, my mother asked me to wait before entering. She wanted me to enquire if they had a dog that we should be wary about,(we are all a little fond of and equally scared of dogs) even though there was no 'Beware of dog' sign that most dog owners display. There was a garage at the end of the drive way which was open and inside a lady was teaching a few children - looked like tutorials to us. I opened my mouth and said something that caused everyone to stare at me in shocked disbelief, followed by some giggles and laughs, and my mom gave me a gentle slap on my back! I myself could not believe I had said "Excuse me, nimma manelli aane idiya?" - Do you have an elephant in your house - instead of "nimma manelli naayi idiya?" - Is there a dog in your house? I have been quoted for this one and it has caused some big outbursts of laughs on different occasions, but till today I cannot figure out what made me blurt out something like that!
I'll recount a few more in subsequent articles! why don't you share some of your comic moments ?
Like this one time when : my sister,Vidya who lives in Santa Rosa does all her Indian grocery shopping everytime she comes down to the Bay area. If she knows someone from here is visiting her, she usually gives them a shopping list of things she needs. One time, when a relative of ours, who we call 'kanna anna' was going to visit Santa Rosa, she wanted to send him an email asking him to fetch a few things for her. Kanna anna's actual name is Gopal. My sister who did not know his email id very confidently emailed a list to gopal@XYZ.com ( he worked for XYZ company). Needless to say, it reached the wrong Mr.Gopal in Seattle. Her email said - kanna anna, please bring me the following items from the Indian store......
The reply came in a few minutes - " Dear Vidya, I'd love to bring these things for you, but I am sorry, I do not know where you live and I am not your kanna anna".
The best part is, after seeing this email, my sister writes again - 'C'mon kanna anna, please don't joke. I really need these things, so please bring them ...blah! blah!
A phone convo later in the day with the real kanna anna cleared the confusion and resulted in a great deal of embarassment to my sister and some laughs for all of us.
Another total sardarji joke moment - My mother took my sister and me to have us start carnatic music classes with an elderly lady. When we reached the gate of their house, which was big and posh, my mother asked me to wait before entering. She wanted me to enquire if they had a dog that we should be wary about,(we are all a little fond of and equally scared of dogs) even though there was no 'Beware of dog' sign that most dog owners display. There was a garage at the end of the drive way which was open and inside a lady was teaching a few children - looked like tutorials to us. I opened my mouth and said something that caused everyone to stare at me in shocked disbelief, followed by some giggles and laughs, and my mom gave me a gentle slap on my back! I myself could not believe I had said "Excuse me, nimma manelli aane idiya?" - Do you have an elephant in your house - instead of "nimma manelli naayi idiya?" - Is there a dog in your house? I have been quoted for this one and it has caused some big outbursts of laughs on different occasions, but till today I cannot figure out what made me blurt out something like that!
I'll recount a few more in subsequent articles! why don't you share some of your comic moments ?
Kindness in the most unusual forms
It was the first day of our three day trip to Seattle. Despite its weather and all the bad rep the city gets because of it, I've always liked Seattle on each of my visits. May be it's the verdant setting, the ubiquitous lakes or simply the good time I'd had there with family and our friends, Seattle is a little dear to me.
On this particular day, the four of us - myself, husband, daughter and my youunger sister drove to Snoqualmie falls after a nice sumptuous lunch. My sister had recently had an ankle fracture, her left foot was still in a cast and she walked using crutches. We enjoyed the view of the falls, at a distance, from the lookout. We took some pictures and as we were walking back toward the parkling lot, we saw a sign that read ' river trail, 1 mi'. I was tempted and asked my sister if she thought she could make it. The folks walking back after the hike raved about the spectacular view of the falls from down there and said it was really a short, easy hike. So, I coaxed DH and DS ( dear sister) to go on the trail with me. It was ridiculous and insane of me to do that. The hike was steadily downhill which meant we would have a difficult ascent on the way back. After every 5 minutes, people returning told us we were very close to it and that it was worth the trouble. But obviously, some of them were wrong, it did take us a good 25-30 minutes to get down there. When we were almost there, we saw a parking lot down there to our right. It immediately gave us a sense of hope that if one of us could drive the car down from the upper level parking lot, to this lot, it'd mean escaping the almost impossible climb with our toddler and my sister limping with her crutches.
We had to walk over a narrow wooden bridge to reach the deck, from where there was an indeed breathtaking view of the falls. After some mandatory 'click click' we managed to walk back to the parking lot we'd spotted on our way down. My husband enquired with a couple of people there and learnt the upper leve parking lot was only five minutes drive away. He asked me to wait there with DD and DS while he walked up and drove back to pick us up. It was barely 2-3 minutes since he'd left that a downpour started. I saw DH running back toward us. The rain forced us under a tree and we quickly decided asking for help was the only way to go.
DH first asked the driver of a silver Hyundai if they had room for one person. They didn't, there were 3 adults and two kids in their child seats. We then spotted a desi family loading up into their green SUV. As DH went up to them to explain the situation, I suddenly turned my head to see the silver Hyundai do a full speed reverse, a lady from the back seat got out and sat on the lap of a gentleman in the front passenger seat. Meanwhile, the driver, a lady in her late fifties I suppose, asked me where my husband was. She said she could give him a ride. I swallowed in amazement, nodded and called out to DH saying 'She can take you!'. He immediately thanked the desi family and ran toward the silver car, sat in the back and they left. All three adults in that car were really large, they were fat. For them to sit on one another just so they could help us, was indeed an extraordinary act of kindness. They must have felt sorry for our plight - caught in the rain with a baby and a handicapped person. I turned towards DS and said " See, desis never help. These other guys have been so kind!". Before I could finish my thought, the green SUV stopped by us, the driver asked us if my husband had received help, I said "yes". He asked us if we were okay or if we needed a ride. I told him if he could take us, that'd be helpful or else, we would just wait for my husband to come back for us. The desi family had two slightly older kids on booster seats. They had the 2 kids sit on their grandparents' laps and removed the booster seats to make room for us. It was just enough room for one adult, but myself, DS and DD on my lap managed to squish ourselves fit! My sister gave me a smile as to say " what did you just say about Indians and their helping nature?"! It was only a five minute ride to the top, but in heavy rain and some really winding roads with no pavement. We got out, just as my husband exited the silver Hyundai. We thanked both the families and said bye to them. We had seen two examples of timely help from total strangers, people who went out of their ways, inconvenienced themselves to do this. But for them, we would have had a nightmare of an experience making it all the way to the top by ourselves, on foot. I don't know if I'll ever have a chance to repay the same folks, but I intend to repay the good deed when an opportunity presents itself, continuing the chain of kindness.
On this particular day, the four of us - myself, husband, daughter and my youunger sister drove to Snoqualmie falls after a nice sumptuous lunch. My sister had recently had an ankle fracture, her left foot was still in a cast and she walked using crutches. We enjoyed the view of the falls, at a distance, from the lookout. We took some pictures and as we were walking back toward the parkling lot, we saw a sign that read ' river trail, 1 mi'. I was tempted and asked my sister if she thought she could make it. The folks walking back after the hike raved about the spectacular view of the falls from down there and said it was really a short, easy hike. So, I coaxed DH and DS ( dear sister) to go on the trail with me. It was ridiculous and insane of me to do that. The hike was steadily downhill which meant we would have a difficult ascent on the way back. After every 5 minutes, people returning told us we were very close to it and that it was worth the trouble. But obviously, some of them were wrong, it did take us a good 25-30 minutes to get down there. When we were almost there, we saw a parking lot down there to our right. It immediately gave us a sense of hope that if one of us could drive the car down from the upper level parking lot, to this lot, it'd mean escaping the almost impossible climb with our toddler and my sister limping with her crutches.
We had to walk over a narrow wooden bridge to reach the deck, from where there was an indeed breathtaking view of the falls. After some mandatory 'click click' we managed to walk back to the parking lot we'd spotted on our way down. My husband enquired with a couple of people there and learnt the upper leve parking lot was only five minutes drive away. He asked me to wait there with DD and DS while he walked up and drove back to pick us up. It was barely 2-3 minutes since he'd left that a downpour started. I saw DH running back toward us. The rain forced us under a tree and we quickly decided asking for help was the only way to go.
DH first asked the driver of a silver Hyundai if they had room for one person. They didn't, there were 3 adults and two kids in their child seats. We then spotted a desi family loading up into their green SUV. As DH went up to them to explain the situation, I suddenly turned my head to see the silver Hyundai do a full speed reverse, a lady from the back seat got out and sat on the lap of a gentleman in the front passenger seat. Meanwhile, the driver, a lady in her late fifties I suppose, asked me where my husband was. She said she could give him a ride. I swallowed in amazement, nodded and called out to DH saying 'She can take you!'. He immediately thanked the desi family and ran toward the silver car, sat in the back and they left. All three adults in that car were really large, they were fat. For them to sit on one another just so they could help us, was indeed an extraordinary act of kindness. They must have felt sorry for our plight - caught in the rain with a baby and a handicapped person. I turned towards DS and said " See, desis never help. These other guys have been so kind!". Before I could finish my thought, the green SUV stopped by us, the driver asked us if my husband had received help, I said "yes". He asked us if we were okay or if we needed a ride. I told him if he could take us, that'd be helpful or else, we would just wait for my husband to come back for us. The desi family had two slightly older kids on booster seats. They had the 2 kids sit on their grandparents' laps and removed the booster seats to make room for us. It was just enough room for one adult, but myself, DS and DD on my lap managed to squish ourselves fit! My sister gave me a smile as to say " what did you just say about Indians and their helping nature?"! It was only a five minute ride to the top, but in heavy rain and some really winding roads with no pavement. We got out, just as my husband exited the silver Hyundai. We thanked both the families and said bye to them. We had seen two examples of timely help from total strangers, people who went out of their ways, inconvenienced themselves to do this. But for them, we would have had a nightmare of an experience making it all the way to the top by ourselves, on foot. I don't know if I'll ever have a chance to repay the same folks, but I intend to repay the good deed when an opportunity presents itself, continuing the chain of kindness.
Vaara banthamma ( spoof of devotional song)
Vishranthi Kaaranaarthaya Swashareera hithaya cha
Pathinaam Gruhakaaryani kaarayasya mahasathi
Vaara banthamma Ravivaara banthamma
Raayara kareyamma pathiraayara kareyamma
maneya kelasavanu avarigitthu vishranthi padeyiramma
1) Bega yelisamma, Thindi-kaafi maadisamma
Savi ootava Nala raya unisi besarava kalevanamma
(Vaara banthamma Ravivaara banthamma)
2) Maneya tholesiramma, Batteya avare vageyalamma
vaaradinda kale haakidella koley avare tholeyalamma
(Vaara banthamma Ravivaara banthamma)
3) Kopa ariyanamma Gandina ghanathe thiliyanamma
madadi maathige thaleya thoogo basavanna kaaniramma
(Vaara banthamma Ravivaara banthamma)
4) Hindebaruvanamma makkala horuvudavana karma
Madadi makkala seveyalle baalella kalevanamma
Vaara banthamma Ravivaara banthamma
Raayara kareyamma pathiraayara kareyamma
maneya kelasavanu avarigitthu vishranthi padeyiramma
Pathinaam Gruhakaaryani kaarayasya mahasathi
Vaara banthamma Ravivaara banthamma
Raayara kareyamma pathiraayara kareyamma
maneya kelasavanu avarigitthu vishranthi padeyiramma
1) Bega yelisamma, Thindi-kaafi maadisamma
Savi ootava Nala raya unisi besarava kalevanamma
(Vaara banthamma Ravivaara banthamma)
2) Maneya tholesiramma, Batteya avare vageyalamma
vaaradinda kale haakidella koley avare tholeyalamma
(Vaara banthamma Ravivaara banthamma)
3) Kopa ariyanamma Gandina ghanathe thiliyanamma
madadi maathige thaleya thoogo basavanna kaaniramma
(Vaara banthamma Ravivaara banthamma)
4) Hindebaruvanamma makkala horuvudavana karma
Madadi makkala seveyalle baalella kalevanamma
Vaara banthamma Ravivaara banthamma
Raayara kareyamma pathiraayara kareyamma
maneya kelasavanu avarigitthu vishranthi padeyiramma
Remembering master Balachandra
This morning, as I was packing lunches for DD(dear daughter) and DH (dear husband), my thoughts randomly landed on one of my high school teachers, Master Balachandra - that's how we addressed him. He was very different from teachers I was used to until then - strict, mean, unforgiving and unfriendly. M.BC was always smiling, friendly, had a nice sense of humor. He was cheerful, he didn't have the typical frown and tight face that most teachers wear to remind themselves or others of their seriousness of purpose. He was like the art teacher character - Ram Shankar Nikumbh- played by Aamir Khan in Taare Zameen Par. In that story, the teacher comes as a breath of fresh air amidst other over-strict, uptight teachers, makes the children feel relaxed and express themselves without inhibitions.
He was extremely good at the subjects he taught. His disposition and friendliness did not mean he was too lenient and would let boisterous students walk all over him. Once he started teaching, he commanded respect. Of course, he expected attentiveness and discipline like every other teacher. He entered the class with a smile, spent the first 3-5 minutes sharing a joke or an interesting thing that had happened that day in another class or on the street. And then we would get on to learning and serious stuff. Even through the lesson, he maintained an amiable front that made it easy for students to stop him and ask questions without fear of an angry reaction. He taught maths, he was excellent and even for a math-phobic person like me, he made it seem easy and doable.
In my midterm maths exam paper, when I totalled up the marks on the corrected answer sheet, I had received 1 mark more than the total. I checked twice and found the same result. Even though I hadn't scored great marks, I went up to the desk and told him he'd given me an extra mark by mistake. He was so happy with me for doing that, he wrote in his neat, legible handwriting on the top of my answer sheet - plus 1 mark for honesty! It's still so fresh in my mind!
When I was in ninth grade, the school was looking for a kannada language teacher. And M.BC became our kannada teacher until we found one. As the year progressed many of us sincerely prayed the school wouldn't find one that would replace M.BC.
For a teacher like M.BC, language class was the most conducive environment for his creativity, spontaneity and humor to coalesce. Very few language teachers can actually instill in you the appreciation for nuances of the language and grammar. In every class, we interacted freely and expressed opinions. He brought out common pronunciation and grammatical mistakes in the most fun filled ways.
Hakashadalli akkigalu aaruthive!- he once said interchanging 'ha' and 'aa' sounds, a common language faux pas.
He did mimicry and could do several accents and dialects. He also sang a song for us one day which was a spoof of a popular devotional song - it totally cracked us up.
http://some-ramblings-and-reflections.blogspot.com/2009/10/vaara-banthamma-spoof-of-devotional.html
He also played the harmonium and sang for a dance drama at one of the cultural events. He liked my kannada handwriting a lot. Once when I stopped by the staff room with a couple of classmates, he told me many times, over and over how beautiful and impeccable my writing was. I smiled and thanked him, but was a little embarrassed. He was profuse in his praise and kept saying how my handwriting looked like printed letters and how well I had written even in a timed examination.
After we finished school I have no recollection of meeting or talking to him. I heard a few months back from a friend that he had died of cancer. It stung me to hear that. He must've only been in his late forties. I will always remember him with fondness for all the relief moments he provided, the laughter and smiles he evoked, for all his interesting anecdotes and especially for providing a de-stressting atmosphere in which learning can come more easily and leaves one with lasting impressions! I wish there would be more teachers like him. I salute you Sir! May God Bless you, wherever you are!
He was extremely good at the subjects he taught. His disposition and friendliness did not mean he was too lenient and would let boisterous students walk all over him. Once he started teaching, he commanded respect. Of course, he expected attentiveness and discipline like every other teacher. He entered the class with a smile, spent the first 3-5 minutes sharing a joke or an interesting thing that had happened that day in another class or on the street. And then we would get on to learning and serious stuff. Even through the lesson, he maintained an amiable front that made it easy for students to stop him and ask questions without fear of an angry reaction. He taught maths, he was excellent and even for a math-phobic person like me, he made it seem easy and doable.
In my midterm maths exam paper, when I totalled up the marks on the corrected answer sheet, I had received 1 mark more than the total. I checked twice and found the same result. Even though I hadn't scored great marks, I went up to the desk and told him he'd given me an extra mark by mistake. He was so happy with me for doing that, he wrote in his neat, legible handwriting on the top of my answer sheet - plus 1 mark for honesty! It's still so fresh in my mind!
When I was in ninth grade, the school was looking for a kannada language teacher. And M.BC became our kannada teacher until we found one. As the year progressed many of us sincerely prayed the school wouldn't find one that would replace M.BC.
For a teacher like M.BC, language class was the most conducive environment for his creativity, spontaneity and humor to coalesce. Very few language teachers can actually instill in you the appreciation for nuances of the language and grammar. In every class, we interacted freely and expressed opinions. He brought out common pronunciation and grammatical mistakes in the most fun filled ways.
Hakashadalli akkigalu aaruthive!- he once said interchanging 'ha' and 'aa' sounds, a common language faux pas.
He did mimicry and could do several accents and dialects. He also sang a song for us one day which was a spoof of a popular devotional song - it totally cracked us up.
http://some-ramblings-and-reflections.blogspot.com/2009/10/vaara-banthamma-spoof-of-devotional.html
He also played the harmonium and sang for a dance drama at one of the cultural events. He liked my kannada handwriting a lot. Once when I stopped by the staff room with a couple of classmates, he told me many times, over and over how beautiful and impeccable my writing was. I smiled and thanked him, but was a little embarrassed. He was profuse in his praise and kept saying how my handwriting looked like printed letters and how well I had written even in a timed examination.
After we finished school I have no recollection of meeting or talking to him. I heard a few months back from a friend that he had died of cancer. It stung me to hear that. He must've only been in his late forties. I will always remember him with fondness for all the relief moments he provided, the laughter and smiles he evoked, for all his interesting anecdotes and especially for providing a de-stressting atmosphere in which learning can come more easily and leaves one with lasting impressions! I wish there would be more teachers like him. I salute you Sir! May God Bless you, wherever you are!
Cute moments with Shree
One of the biggest payoffs for all the toiling, sacrifice and labor (pun intended!) involved in giving birth to and raising a child is some of the insightful, unwittingly witty, unassumingly humorous remarks they make,their exclamations. And these verbal pearls drop down at the most unexpected of moments. Amidst some really chaotic times, in hair splitting moments of stress - induced and/or enhanced by these VIPs themselves! It's not so much their mispronunciations and baby babble, but their take, their view and their 2 cents on what they see and perceive.
Shree usually, in response to 'what is your name', says ' She or Shwee'. Prod her with 'what's your full name' and she goes - She-Ao (for Shree Rao).
The other day, while browsing through Cost Plus, a local store here that sells kitchen and home decoration products from different countries, we spotted a small zebra cloth toy. I pointed to it and aksed her what animal it was. She said ' Zebrao', I couldn't contain my laughter. Last week, after a full day of sightseeing in Old Montreal and a whole lot of walking through the various streets and inside the Botanical Gardens, we sat down on a bench, exhausted, waiting for the last toy train ride of the day. We knew she'd like it and didn't want to miss it. There, we saw many crows on a nearby grass patch, cawing. Shree's dad asked her , "what does the crow say?". We expected her to just come back with the "caw caw" sound of the crow. She replied " paati paati please vada thaa" and we both looked at each other and burst out laughing!
Couldn't resist adding this - Whenever I am coaxing Shree to try some new food item - be it a fruit or something cooked at home and she's unwilling, turning her face away, I always say "just a taste" to make her try a really small amount. Yesterday, Shree and I were playing with some paints. After a while, I told her that was enough and that we should get up and wash our hands. Shree goes, " Amma, taste, taste!" - it took me a couple of seconds to realize that she wanted a tiny amount of paint and was using 'taste' to mean - 'just a little bit' and not to actually lick it!!!
Shree usually, in response to 'what is your name', says ' She or Shwee'. Prod her with 'what's your full name' and she goes - She-Ao (for Shree Rao).
The other day, while browsing through Cost Plus, a local store here that sells kitchen and home decoration products from different countries, we spotted a small zebra cloth toy. I pointed to it and aksed her what animal it was. She said ' Zebrao', I couldn't contain my laughter. Last week, after a full day of sightseeing in Old Montreal and a whole lot of walking through the various streets and inside the Botanical Gardens, we sat down on a bench, exhausted, waiting for the last toy train ride of the day. We knew she'd like it and didn't want to miss it. There, we saw many crows on a nearby grass patch, cawing. Shree's dad asked her , "what does the crow say?". We expected her to just come back with the "caw caw" sound of the crow. She replied " paati paati please vada thaa" and we both looked at each other and burst out laughing!
Couldn't resist adding this - Whenever I am coaxing Shree to try some new food item - be it a fruit or something cooked at home and she's unwilling, turning her face away, I always say "just a taste" to make her try a really small amount. Yesterday, Shree and I were playing with some paints. After a while, I told her that was enough and that we should get up and wash our hands. Shree goes, " Amma, taste, taste!" - it took me a couple of seconds to realize that she wanted a tiny amount of paint and was using 'taste' to mean - 'just a little bit' and not to actually lick it!!!
Wi-fi or Wi-fe
If you've been married for more than 3 weeks, you know the answer to this question!
Personally, I have nothing against the laptop. I do think it's a handy, neat piece of invention; Only I don't approve of the role it plays in my (and many others') marital life. I look at my husband and he looks into its screen, whenever we are having a conversation - I found this disturbing, initially. As days and months went by, with no possibility of any favorable change happenning, I slowly made peace with this ; Like how one frets in the beginning but then learns to live with slowly emerging grey hair. I still get quite irritated with the timed groans like ummmm, uhhh, oooo which make my husband seem less human and more of a robot programmed to carry on a chat. What usually qualify as abrupt 'brakes' to the conversation, followed by angry silence and/or storming out of the place - are the sudden emergence of the head from the lap-top with some suprised, but totally unrelated reaction or question ;
Case in point : I was animatedly describing to my husband my interaction with another woman in the parking lot of a mall,a few hours before. Like I said before, from his side he was interjecting with some ummm and uhhh! At one point I was telling him, " I asked her - Do you mind?", which caused the spouse to suddenly look up at me and say, " No, I have no problem. As long as you take Shree( our toddler) with you to the mall. While you're there also look for this charger ( blah blah) at the Apple store... I have stuff to do, so I'll be busy until you guys come back".
I was so irate, I could have grabbed that laptop and flung it down from the balcony. I just left the scene and came upstairs to immerse myself in something, anything - less aggravating. Which made me think of attentiveness, love, devotion and dedication to spouse etc etc. Somehow my mind wandered to mythology - Rama and Sita.
Suddenly I had a flash - what would it have been like if Rama had a laptop when they were in the forest, and if Rama was anything like my husband .... Picture this....
Sita : My Lord, Rama, come here, look, there's a beautiful little deer by the brook
Rama ( sitting with his laptop) : uhhhhh
Sita: Rama, Rama, I want that deer, please!
Rama : Yeah yeah, you are my 'dear' Sita, don't I call you 'dear', c'mon!
Sita : Rama, I said I want that little deer outside, with the shimmering spots!!!
Rama : Hey, I am just looking at your credit card statement, you've already spent too much this month, you've gone way overboard, now you want something else?
Sita : No Rama, this deer, I want you to bring it for me
Rama : Sita, don't forget I am working from home today, I can't be running errands for you, I have a lot of things to get done. And by the way, we can't have the overhead of a deer right now. You're always coming up with some crazy stuff. Were you not supposed to get the flight tickets booked by yesterday, what happened to that ? And have you emailed XYZ ? By the way, I need the white clothes washed by today....
Personally, I have nothing against the laptop. I do think it's a handy, neat piece of invention; Only I don't approve of the role it plays in my (and many others') marital life. I look at my husband and he looks into its screen, whenever we are having a conversation - I found this disturbing, initially. As days and months went by, with no possibility of any favorable change happenning, I slowly made peace with this ; Like how one frets in the beginning but then learns to live with slowly emerging grey hair. I still get quite irritated with the timed groans like ummmm, uhhh, oooo which make my husband seem less human and more of a robot programmed to carry on a chat. What usually qualify as abrupt 'brakes' to the conversation, followed by angry silence and/or storming out of the place - are the sudden emergence of the head from the lap-top with some suprised, but totally unrelated reaction or question ;
Case in point : I was animatedly describing to my husband my interaction with another woman in the parking lot of a mall,a few hours before. Like I said before, from his side he was interjecting with some ummm and uhhh! At one point I was telling him, " I asked her - Do you mind?", which caused the spouse to suddenly look up at me and say, " No, I have no problem. As long as you take Shree( our toddler) with you to the mall. While you're there also look for this charger ( blah blah) at the Apple store... I have stuff to do, so I'll be busy until you guys come back".
I was so irate, I could have grabbed that laptop and flung it down from the balcony. I just left the scene and came upstairs to immerse myself in something, anything - less aggravating. Which made me think of attentiveness, love, devotion and dedication to spouse etc etc. Somehow my mind wandered to mythology - Rama and Sita.
Suddenly I had a flash - what would it have been like if Rama had a laptop when they were in the forest, and if Rama was anything like my husband .... Picture this....
Sita : My Lord, Rama, come here, look, there's a beautiful little deer by the brook
Rama ( sitting with his laptop) : uhhhhh
Sita: Rama, Rama, I want that deer, please!
Rama : Yeah yeah, you are my 'dear' Sita, don't I call you 'dear', c'mon!
Sita : Rama, I said I want that little deer outside, with the shimmering spots!!!
Rama : Hey, I am just looking at your credit card statement, you've already spent too much this month, you've gone way overboard, now you want something else?
Sita : No Rama, this deer, I want you to bring it for me
Rama : Sita, don't forget I am working from home today, I can't be running errands for you, I have a lot of things to get done. And by the way, we can't have the overhead of a deer right now. You're always coming up with some crazy stuff. Were you not supposed to get the flight tickets booked by yesterday, what happened to that ? And have you emailed XYZ ? By the way, I need the white clothes washed by today....
Of priorities and scheduling
I read this in the signature line of someone's email
'There are 24 hours in a day, if you think this is insufficient for you to do all your tasks, you should consider working at night!' I laughed hard when I first read this. In a silly sort of way I found it funny.
I know there are many people out there who're much busier than me, have many more responsibilities to juggle, have less help and more trying life situations. But why does everyday life as a working mom of a toddler, trying hard to cook one healthy hot meal for her family per day, keeping the clutter at home to a sane level, coaxing and cajoling the little one to eat 3-4 spoonfuls per meal and managing a host of other sundries seem like a feat? Throw into this mix, weightloss efforts - read cracked wheat for me, white rice for husband and daughter ; brisk 45 min walk for me, splashing in the pool, bonding for them ; pastries for them while watching TV as I try to appear stoical munching on a handful of unsalted almonds.
All in a day's work is archaic! Like the quote says, working at night is the only way to get a grasp of timelines. Why else am I sitting here blogging at 11:00 in the night?
'There are 24 hours in a day, if you think this is insufficient for you to do all your tasks, you should consider working at night!' I laughed hard when I first read this. In a silly sort of way I found it funny.
I know there are many people out there who're much busier than me, have many more responsibilities to juggle, have less help and more trying life situations. But why does everyday life as a working mom of a toddler, trying hard to cook one healthy hot meal for her family per day, keeping the clutter at home to a sane level, coaxing and cajoling the little one to eat 3-4 spoonfuls per meal and managing a host of other sundries seem like a feat? Throw into this mix, weightloss efforts - read cracked wheat for me, white rice for husband and daughter ; brisk 45 min walk for me, splashing in the pool, bonding for them ; pastries for them while watching TV as I try to appear stoical munching on a handful of unsalted almonds.
All in a day's work is archaic! Like the quote says, working at night is the only way to get a grasp of timelines. Why else am I sitting here blogging at 11:00 in the night?
My sweet sister, sandhya
This topic was suggested by none other than my sweet sister, sandhya ! Can't believe my kid sister has finished her degree and is 3 weeks into her first job !!!! I don't want to think how old this makes me feel! Being eleven years younger to me, my relationship with Sandy is significantly different from that with my older sister who's only two years older than I. Also my elder sister is only about 2 hours drive away from me. Whereas Sandy lives back home in namma Bengalooru. My conversations with her are few and far between ; but we are sisters, so when we do meet, even if it's after a long gap of 4-5 years, we get along like nobody's business.
I am very bad at keeping in touch with everybody and that unfortunately includes my dear sibling too. Losing contact with friends/family, un-returned phone messages, tardy responses to emails - worse still - incomplete emails sitting in my draft folder - this is probably the loose-est of loose ends in my life right now. I feel miserable but am still stuck in this bog. Well Sandy, thanks to your suggestion of topic for my post, I'll make a renewed effort from today to revive and maintain my relationship with you and many others.
I am very bad at keeping in touch with everybody and that unfortunately includes my dear sibling too. Losing contact with friends/family, un-returned phone messages, tardy responses to emails - worse still - incomplete emails sitting in my draft folder - this is probably the loose-est of loose ends in my life right now. I feel miserable but am still stuck in this bog. Well Sandy, thanks to your suggestion of topic for my post, I'll make a renewed effort from today to revive and maintain my relationship with you and many others.
My very first posting
Shree Ganesh!
Landed on blogosphere! A bit jet lagged - had been toying with the idea for quite some time. Sometimes it was procrastination, sometimes I just forgot about it, and yet other times I just couldn't decide what my blog would be about. Did not want to write about food and recipes - there are many excellent ones out there. movies - no! hiking , biking , marathons - not my forte (yet!) ; geeky stuff - Naah! dieting and weight loss efforts - yeah, I might write quite a bit about my struggles there. My 21 month old devil and the disco she makes me do - oh yeah!
(in)significant other - yep! sometimes.
I always thought I do not have anything colorful and interesting to share on a regular basis. In short, I started a blog without a good idea of what to talk about. It's somewhat like Seinfeld - it's about nothing! Am I saying too soon that this could be a success too? We'll see.
Landed on blogosphere! A bit jet lagged - had been toying with the idea for quite some time. Sometimes it was procrastination, sometimes I just forgot about it, and yet other times I just couldn't decide what my blog would be about. Did not want to write about food and recipes - there are many excellent ones out there. movies - no! hiking , biking , marathons - not my forte (yet!) ; geeky stuff - Naah! dieting and weight loss efforts - yeah, I might write quite a bit about my struggles there. My 21 month old devil and the disco she makes me do - oh yeah!
(in)significant other - yep! sometimes.
I always thought I do not have anything colorful and interesting to share on a regular basis. In short, I started a blog without a good idea of what to talk about. It's somewhat like Seinfeld - it's about nothing! Am I saying too soon that this could be a success too? We'll see.
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