Books and Drinks……would they ever go together????? YES…..especially if you happen to be by the mountainside in a temperature closer to zero than 40 AND if both of them: kithaab and sharaab – are at an arm’s distance. Welcome to the world of Vallavaru, Nallavaru and Chinnavaru……..which comprised of a retired airforce man, a maverick phy.-chem wizard and a specimen who could never say no to anything in this world.
Three men from different generation and yet and yet a common interest!!!!! This had to do with their basic philosophy of – Living life to its fullest AND subscribing to Oscar Wilde’s view that in order to resist a temptation one needs to first surrender to it. This common strand of thought led them to design THE library – an aesthetically designed state of art monument – wide variety of books that would interest any bibliophile, a cozy, almost cryogenice ambience that would make you want to cuddle up in a diwan or a bean bag AND a expansive bar which had an assortment of liquors catering to diverse taste and which not only served the purpose of satisfying your thirst for the –OH but also served the functional purpose of keeping you warm in freezing temperature. And yes…..I forgot to tell…..this library also has a vast array of music collection most appropriate for the place – lilting tunes of Rafi, Hemant Kumar et al.
These three protagonists shared another common facet – their family. They were the Tau, Pa and the Son…and their credo was…We Are Like This Wonly………..
Monday, May 7, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Benz Diaries – Nalaabhaaham
This story spans my prefinal and final yr in Kkdi. On the weekends I would go off to Soda’s house and there we used to improve our cooking skills.
Soda was living with his father, paati and sambar. Paati was one wonderful lady – very jovial and VERY tolerant. She gave us full freedom to exploit her kitchen. Soda was a character. I first came to know him through my sister and then through the years we started knowing each other better. The more I know of him, the more I am amazed at his sincerity at whatever he does.
What started as a cooking for 3-4 people soon turned into a community cooking. At best we had 15-20 people in our home.
The protagonists were sambar, myself quarter, H1, soda, gymJ,gateMani. Scienti and whoever who wished to come. The previous day we used to make a rough cut menu. GymJ used to bring a bag ful of rice from his house. I used to bring some vegetables. Once in Soda’s home we used to inventory all that was available and all that was requirements. The next 30 mins we spent purchasing. Our staple used to be rice (plain and pulao), roti, eggs, beans,dal, carrot, potato, tomato, onions, capsicum…well….anything and everything we could lay our hands on.
We used to work in batches. One group for kneading the dough and rolling it, one for cutting vegetables, one for mixing condiments and making pastes, one for cooking, one for washing the vessels and one for eating and watching TV .
Fortunately none of us cared for aesthetics while cooking…….we were strictly functional. Hence the vegetables never had any shape in our dishes neither did the rotis.
Sambar was our chief chef and myself his apprentice. Our cooking style was instinctive…..call us touch artistes. And our vessel utilization was minimal – we preferred eating out of our vessels…a la Satte pe Satta.
Excesses & shortages (both of dishes and the condiments in them) were commonplace. But the long time we spent in cooking the dishes and the fact that we had invested heavily in it ensured that we ate whatever was made to the last morsel. Through such frequent exercise at self-flagellations did we become the descendents of Nala :D
Soda was living with his father, paati and sambar. Paati was one wonderful lady – very jovial and VERY tolerant. She gave us full freedom to exploit her kitchen. Soda was a character. I first came to know him through my sister and then through the years we started knowing each other better. The more I know of him, the more I am amazed at his sincerity at whatever he does.
What started as a cooking for 3-4 people soon turned into a community cooking. At best we had 15-20 people in our home.
The protagonists were sambar, myself quarter, H1, soda, gymJ,gateMani. Scienti and whoever who wished to come. The previous day we used to make a rough cut menu. GymJ used to bring a bag ful of rice from his house. I used to bring some vegetables. Once in Soda’s home we used to inventory all that was available and all that was requirements. The next 30 mins we spent purchasing. Our staple used to be rice (plain and pulao), roti, eggs, beans,dal, carrot, potato, tomato, onions, capsicum…well….anything and everything we could lay our hands on.
We used to work in batches. One group for kneading the dough and rolling it, one for cutting vegetables, one for mixing condiments and making pastes, one for cooking, one for washing the vessels and one for eating and watching TV .
Fortunately none of us cared for aesthetics while cooking…….we were strictly functional. Hence the vegetables never had any shape in our dishes neither did the rotis.
Sambar was our chief chef and myself his apprentice. Our cooking style was instinctive…..call us touch artistes. And our vessel utilization was minimal – we preferred eating out of our vessels…a la Satte pe Satta.
Excesses & shortages (both of dishes and the condiments in them) were commonplace. But the long time we spent in cooking the dishes and the fact that we had invested heavily in it ensured that we ate whatever was made to the last morsel. Through such frequent exercise at self-flagellations did we become the descendents of Nala :D
Benz Diaries - Benz and the Beautiful
Looking back, I can say for sure that most of my learnings in life has been during my 4yrs stay in Kkdi. I learnt to listen, I realized I am not the centre of the universe. More importantly I saw in front of my eyes the whole process of dreaming and working towards converting the dream into reality.
Okay...back to the world of Benz. There were lot more colorful personalites both in my friends cirlce and in my family circle. If i am not describing them now it is because of my inability to verbalize the effect they have had on me. Still I'll open out as and when the story warrants.
Two parts into the Benz diaries and I havent yet spoken of two things - Benz and girls. So this part is dedicated to them.
Well, at the end of my 1st yr, I decided to move out of hostel and live alone. Reasons??? to learn to live independently, to learn to understand life, to have a private space...truth is.....just for the heck of it. Hindsight almost always gives us plenty of attractive explanations...but truth is always..the truth. And so I moved out..stayed as a tenant of one Mr.Salim Bhai, was living next to my relatives and in their house I ate. About them....later.
For my commutation, I was given the Benz by my cousins. One of the most aesthetically (err...to my eyes) functional machine which was both rugged and stylish. My Benz epitomised the saying that the best of things are characterized by their simplicity. The Benz was.........my cycle....a ATB ranger which was bought around 10-15 yrs back when cousins were just out of their school. It had all that was required ( or JUST what was required) to ride a cycle. - a frame, a handlebar, a seat, 2 wheels, 2 tyres and a poor imitation of a mudguard. What it didnt have? - brakes, bell, carrier (carrier ilaadha cycle dhaan da kaadhalukku ethadhu therinjuko?????) , a proper cycle stand,. You get the picture right? And it was riding this Benz that I had all of my memorable experiences.
And girls......there is a simple explanation...most of them ran away from me or avoided me for obvious reasons. There were few whom I befriended although in general we had only a business like relationship in college. There were few interesting characters too.....
One was Narasimha Pallava's daughter- a very spirited character who always wanted to excel in whatever she did. As close to a rowdy as you can ever get, she was liked by one and all.
Then there was Babli - the greates OTMP (batch consensus..u see), a tomboyish character who loved to scrape.
And then bringing up the flank was Swarna akka, a very affable type of person, most down to earth and always ready to listen to our woes.
But then........my Benz and the Girls were two mutually exclusive sets............
Okay...back to the world of Benz. There were lot more colorful personalites both in my friends cirlce and in my family circle. If i am not describing them now it is because of my inability to verbalize the effect they have had on me. Still I'll open out as and when the story warrants.
Two parts into the Benz diaries and I havent yet spoken of two things - Benz and girls. So this part is dedicated to them.
Well, at the end of my 1st yr, I decided to move out of hostel and live alone. Reasons??? to learn to live independently, to learn to understand life, to have a private space...truth is.....just for the heck of it. Hindsight almost always gives us plenty of attractive explanations...but truth is always..the truth. And so I moved out..stayed as a tenant of one Mr.Salim Bhai, was living next to my relatives and in their house I ate. About them....later.
For my commutation, I was given the Benz by my cousins. One of the most aesthetically (err...to my eyes) functional machine which was both rugged and stylish. My Benz epitomised the saying that the best of things are characterized by their simplicity. The Benz was.........my cycle....a ATB ranger which was bought around 10-15 yrs back when cousins were just out of their school. It had all that was required ( or JUST what was required) to ride a cycle. - a frame, a handlebar, a seat, 2 wheels, 2 tyres and a poor imitation of a mudguard. What it didnt have? - brakes, bell, carrier (carrier ilaadha cycle dhaan da kaadhalukku ethadhu therinjuko?????) , a proper cycle stand,. You get the picture right? And it was riding this Benz that I had all of my memorable experiences.
And girls......there is a simple explanation...most of them ran away from me or avoided me for obvious reasons. There were few whom I befriended although in general we had only a business like relationship in college. There were few interesting characters too.....
One was Narasimha Pallava's daughter- a very spirited character who always wanted to excel in whatever she did. As close to a rowdy as you can ever get, she was liked by one and all.
Then there was Babli - the greates OTMP (batch consensus..u see), a tomboyish character who loved to scrape.
And then bringing up the flank was Swarna akka, a very affable type of person, most down to earth and always ready to listen to our woes.
But then........my Benz and the Girls were two mutually exclusive sets............
Monday, April 30, 2007
Benz Diaries - Comrades
I must confess that my life did not revolve around just the 6 of us. There were quite a few people whose company has enriched my life. So here we go......
One of the most laconic of personalities, an eternal romantic, one whose gait ensured that you would not notice his presence even if he stood right next to you. Let me introduce you to...Dead Body. The type of person on whom you can always depend on for a game of chess, an hour or two of movies....basically anything that has got noting to do with studies. We have been partners on a lot of occassions and have also been chucked out of our class together (he was the innocent victim of my assault). Watching him on the basketball court would definitely make you appreciate and understand how the 'dead' phoenix rose from its ashes.
If i was flanked by the Dead on one side, on another side I also had the venerable company of Thaatha. The perfect example of 'think twice before you speak'; he would do the same even when you ask him as simple a question as what his name is. He would bring us all to our wits ends with his irritating patience - time literally comes to a standstill when you are with him. He hadan interesting sing song accent which we all liked. Oh yes....despite being the Thaatha, he was a very fit person with 'Abs' to die for!!!!!
Have you guyz ever had a bully brother - who with a smile in his lips would exasperate you like anyting? We had one such character - the Sambar. Its a name derived not for any deer like characteristics but for reasons epicurean by nature. A 'stocky' oak of a person, he took immense pleasure in needling all of us. you never knew when he was telling the truth, when he was lying....when he was normal...when he was serious....all of this he used to do with a very dead pan impish expression. he also had a serious side to him which got overshadowed by his appetite. a 'Gurunaadhar' for quite a many of us...practice made him one of the better cooks amongst us...and frquently eating what he cooked made him aprreciate 'outside' food all the more. A very practical person, who at times had a dangerously short fuse - a veritable mixed bag. This is Sambar for you.
Next, we come to the king of anxiety, the guy who brought laughter to all of us with his rib tickling replication of Vijaykanth, who HAD to go home every weekend and who grew a moustache to cover up darker secrets - let me welcome one of the two Homo Sapiens H1 of our group. An extremely spiritual and honest person who could be sarcastic if required. A victim of Scientist's infamous Lunge - to this day we could not figure out what made Scientist do what he did!!!!!!!!!!
One of the two Homo Sapiens...this brings us to the other one who had an eerie similarity to H1 - he too was spritual and honest. Now I wont draw any inferences........but still........
H2 loved keeping his room clean (the one thing I hated). I always had the feeling that he required a Jambavan to get really worked up. This was one person with whom I could be myself. And by virtue of that misdeed was I branded the secretary of this ignominous club of 2 members.
One of the most laconic of personalities, an eternal romantic, one whose gait ensured that you would not notice his presence even if he stood right next to you. Let me introduce you to...Dead Body. The type of person on whom you can always depend on for a game of chess, an hour or two of movies....basically anything that has got noting to do with studies. We have been partners on a lot of occassions and have also been chucked out of our class together (he was the innocent victim of my assault). Watching him on the basketball court would definitely make you appreciate and understand how the 'dead' phoenix rose from its ashes.
If i was flanked by the Dead on one side, on another side I also had the venerable company of Thaatha. The perfect example of 'think twice before you speak'; he would do the same even when you ask him as simple a question as what his name is. He would bring us all to our wits ends with his irritating patience - time literally comes to a standstill when you are with him. He hadan interesting sing song accent which we all liked. Oh yes....despite being the Thaatha, he was a very fit person with 'Abs' to die for!!!!!
Have you guyz ever had a bully brother - who with a smile in his lips would exasperate you like anyting? We had one such character - the Sambar. Its a name derived not for any deer like characteristics but for reasons epicurean by nature. A 'stocky' oak of a person, he took immense pleasure in needling all of us. you never knew when he was telling the truth, when he was lying....when he was normal...when he was serious....all of this he used to do with a very dead pan impish expression. he also had a serious side to him which got overshadowed by his appetite. a 'Gurunaadhar' for quite a many of us...practice made him one of the better cooks amongst us...and frquently eating what he cooked made him aprreciate 'outside' food all the more. A very practical person, who at times had a dangerously short fuse - a veritable mixed bag. This is Sambar for you.
Next, we come to the king of anxiety, the guy who brought laughter to all of us with his rib tickling replication of Vijaykanth, who HAD to go home every weekend and who grew a moustache to cover up darker secrets - let me welcome one of the two Homo Sapiens H1 of our group. An extremely spiritual and honest person who could be sarcastic if required. A victim of Scientist's infamous Lunge - to this day we could not figure out what made Scientist do what he did!!!!!!!!!!
One of the two Homo Sapiens...this brings us to the other one who had an eerie similarity to H1 - he too was spritual and honest. Now I wont draw any inferences........but still........
H2 loved keeping his room clean (the one thing I hated). I always had the feeling that he required a Jambavan to get really worked up. This was one person with whom I could be myself. And by virtue of that misdeed was I branded the secretary of this ignominous club of 2 members.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Benz Diaries: The Beginning
A combination of serendipity, sage like advice and my own urge to move out of Chennai landed me in Karaikudi. My first step on the soil of Karaikudi would have given any Bharathiraja movie opening a run for its money. The railway station with its huge banyan tree seemed to welcome me with open arms as did my father’s cousin (who lived there). The roads had a dusty and dry look to it. There was a slight doubt in my mind: ‘Have I made the right choice?’ This was my first experience outside of Chennai and despite the general friendliness all around; there was a queasy feeling in my stomach. In a way my initial inhibitions were good – as in whatever nice was to happen to me in the following days was doubly sweet and any deviations from the niceties were expected – so to say.
Murugappa Hall was the place where we all assembled for our admission. The place was teeming with multitudes of boys and girls just out of their schools. If ever there was one commonality amongst us, it was he wide eyed anxiety that was seen across all our faces. Almost all of us had come with our parents. In the glut of activities that took place, we befriended some. But mostly it was a case of testing the waters. Spontaneity lost out to calculated and practised curtsey as the number of strangers far outnumbered the acquaintances and the sole constant was the we had to live together………in SCH.
SCH – the semi circular hostel was where we 1st yr boys had to stay. It was one expansive hostle with neem and peepul trees all around. There were about 60 rooms in all, across 3 floors with 4 guys made to share a room.
I was allotted room 212 and had roomies from Chennai, Trichy and Chengalpet. It was a really diverse group with even more diverse tolerance levels; the consequence of which was that in the span of 2 months it was divorce by mutual consent. This marked the beginning of an eventful stay in Karaikudi. I moved over to R211 as a non resident citizen to make it 5 in a room. This room was no less diverse. But more importantly each of us complimented each other wonderfully.
There was Nattamai, the venerable wise guy of our group whose wisdom increased in direct proportion to the no. of days he remained without a bath. A connoisseur of good food, good music, good gossip…..you name it, he likes it. A practical and a principled guy – what we dreaded most in him was his mace like left hand and his paranoiac affinity to illaiyaraja.
The we had TC. One of the most sincere sigamani you would ever come across. Owner of an acerbic tongue which he wielded sparingly, TC famously lived by the clock. I have never seen a person whose bio clock is as synchronized with our time clock as is TC. A very hard working person who tends to get anxious a bit too much – he went on to become the pride of the Pulsar family.
Following these two was THE man. Quarter – the mirasdar of Managorai; where his fellow Managorians used to send a herd of goats across the road to stop a route bus. He was one guy who never got tired of nakkals, naiyyandi and all other wise cracks which used to be under perennial production courtesy quarter. He was liked by one and all; so much so that any and every passing person used to inflict a mortal wound on him. He was and is my conscience keeper; someone I can always bank on to get the true picture of anything without any frills. He is one of the few guys who is almost always in the quest of self improvement. Also he is probably the only guy who is a teetotaler and yet seems like a congenital drunkard. Quarter needling nattamai was a sight fit for the gods. We used to split our guts out trying to control our laughter.
The other legal member of the room was mottai – from the forests…..err …tea estates. So much has been said of this guy and I shall contribute my two pence to it. He is someone who comes closest to my definition of a soul mate. He was all that a person would ever want to be…and more. Where I faltered, he stood firm; giving me the courage to fight once again. This apart……he was famous for turning a quack of a dentist in Madurai into a rich man in the course of our 4 years.
Then comes yours truly. I was similar to nattamai in maters involving bath. I was one of the lazier guys here, preferred novels over academics, took pleasure in facing off with lecturers, and slept like an oaf. Along with Scientist, we formed the sleeping beauties of our room.
Which brings us to the 6th member….yes…one more non resident…..Scientist is his name. for him bath and sleep are inverse functions and he doesn’t leave us to doubt as to what he prefers more. He was a sedate guy with a keen mind. Very helpful by nature…and as much a mech.engg as he was a compsci one.
Murugappa Hall was the place where we all assembled for our admission. The place was teeming with multitudes of boys and girls just out of their schools. If ever there was one commonality amongst us, it was he wide eyed anxiety that was seen across all our faces. Almost all of us had come with our parents. In the glut of activities that took place, we befriended some. But mostly it was a case of testing the waters. Spontaneity lost out to calculated and practised curtsey as the number of strangers far outnumbered the acquaintances and the sole constant was the we had to live together………in SCH.
SCH – the semi circular hostel was where we 1st yr boys had to stay. It was one expansive hostle with neem and peepul trees all around. There were about 60 rooms in all, across 3 floors with 4 guys made to share a room.
I was allotted room 212 and had roomies from Chennai, Trichy and Chengalpet. It was a really diverse group with even more diverse tolerance levels; the consequence of which was that in the span of 2 months it was divorce by mutual consent. This marked the beginning of an eventful stay in Karaikudi. I moved over to R211 as a non resident citizen to make it 5 in a room. This room was no less diverse. But more importantly each of us complimented each other wonderfully.
There was Nattamai, the venerable wise guy of our group whose wisdom increased in direct proportion to the no. of days he remained without a bath. A connoisseur of good food, good music, good gossip…..you name it, he likes it. A practical and a principled guy – what we dreaded most in him was his mace like left hand and his paranoiac affinity to illaiyaraja.
The we had TC. One of the most sincere sigamani you would ever come across. Owner of an acerbic tongue which he wielded sparingly, TC famously lived by the clock. I have never seen a person whose bio clock is as synchronized with our time clock as is TC. A very hard working person who tends to get anxious a bit too much – he went on to become the pride of the Pulsar family.
Following these two was THE man. Quarter – the mirasdar of Managorai; where his fellow Managorians used to send a herd of goats across the road to stop a route bus. He was one guy who never got tired of nakkals, naiyyandi and all other wise cracks which used to be under perennial production courtesy quarter. He was liked by one and all; so much so that any and every passing person used to inflict a mortal wound on him. He was and is my conscience keeper; someone I can always bank on to get the true picture of anything without any frills. He is one of the few guys who is almost always in the quest of self improvement. Also he is probably the only guy who is a teetotaler and yet seems like a congenital drunkard. Quarter needling nattamai was a sight fit for the gods. We used to split our guts out trying to control our laughter.
The other legal member of the room was mottai – from the forests…..err …tea estates. So much has been said of this guy and I shall contribute my two pence to it. He is someone who comes closest to my definition of a soul mate. He was all that a person would ever want to be…and more. Where I faltered, he stood firm; giving me the courage to fight once again. This apart……he was famous for turning a quack of a dentist in Madurai into a rich man in the course of our 4 years.
Then comes yours truly. I was similar to nattamai in maters involving bath. I was one of the lazier guys here, preferred novels over academics, took pleasure in facing off with lecturers, and slept like an oaf. Along with Scientist, we formed the sleeping beauties of our room.
Which brings us to the 6th member….yes…one more non resident…..Scientist is his name. for him bath and sleep are inverse functions and he doesn’t leave us to doubt as to what he prefers more. He was a sedate guy with a keen mind. Very helpful by nature…and as much a mech.engg as he was a compsci one.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Brotherhood: A Bag Full of Mysteries
Two friends who are having nothing worthwhile to do in life but have a balcony view of the scene below – a hundred odd candidates; guys and girls with the anxiety that is almost always prevalent when you are about to decide your career.
What catches the attention of these two guys is the black handbag that seems to be sticking like leech with the girls...ahem...a girl.....
Guy1: “Yaar…yeh bandhiyan kya rakhthi hain uss bag main? Har waqt usko le kar hi ghoomthe hain?”
Guy2: “Uthna kuch nahi re…..they have their pens, fir lipstick, dekh ke lagaane ke liye ek mirror, fir kerchief, tissue papers….woh perfume waale….aur unke purse…..par poore paise purse ke baahar handbag main hoga…….”
G1: “Uthna kuch nahi bol ke ithna bol diya be?”
G2: “Oye…abhi toh shuruaath hi ki hai……they also have their cell phone, uska charger, kangi, small small bills of shopping that they had done long ago…..”
G1: “Thik hai….yeh bathaa…..tu yeh sab kaise jaantha hai?”
G2: “Teri bhaabhi jo hai mere saath….you should see her taking something outta the bag…..PC Sorkar ke magic show dekhne ki experience aathi hai mujhe…each time something or the other (almost always unintended) comes out. Isi liye main bol dethaa hoon…..jab milke hi jaa rahe hain toh paise ki fikr kyun? Aur cell fone main meri pocket main rakh loonga….in dono ke alaavaa aur kuch isthemaal nahi kart hi toh bag hi kyun?”
What catches the attention of these two guys is the black handbag that seems to be sticking like leech with the girls...ahem...a girl.....
Guy1: “Yaar…yeh bandhiyan kya rakhthi hain uss bag main? Har waqt usko le kar hi ghoomthe hain?”
Guy2: “Uthna kuch nahi re…..they have their pens, fir lipstick, dekh ke lagaane ke liye ek mirror, fir kerchief, tissue papers….woh perfume waale….aur unke purse…..par poore paise purse ke baahar handbag main hoga…….”
G1: “Uthna kuch nahi bol ke ithna bol diya be?”
G2: “Oye…abhi toh shuruaath hi ki hai……they also have their cell phone, uska charger, kangi, small small bills of shopping that they had done long ago…..”
G1: “Thik hai….yeh bathaa…..tu yeh sab kaise jaantha hai?”
G2: “Teri bhaabhi jo hai mere saath….you should see her taking something outta the bag…..PC Sorkar ke magic show dekhne ki experience aathi hai mujhe…each time something or the other (almost always unintended) comes out. Isi liye main bol dethaa hoon…..jab milke hi jaa rahe hain toh paise ki fikr kyun? Aur cell fone main meri pocket main rakh loonga….in dono ke alaavaa aur kuch isthemaal nahi kart hi toh bag hi kyun?”
Sunday, April 15, 2007
A Steel Fork on a Glass Plate.......
When we get to meet so many people from diverse backgrounds, we are bound to like lots of things and imbibe them into our own practice....it is equally likely that there are few pet peeves that keeps gnawing us......
Here i am listing some of my pet peeves that I have come across....the often repeated phrases....flogged so much to death..that we tend to forget whether it is required or not....
Here i am listing some of my pet peeves that I have come across....the often repeated phrases....flogged so much to death..that we tend to forget whether it is required or not....
- A teacher in one of my tuitions...."OK, lets call it a day...." : Naanga mattum idhu raathiri nu sonnomaa?
- "What I want to say is.......at the end of the day......" : Yaen? idhu kaarthalai elaam vellaiki aagaadhaa?
- "X doesnt translate into Y per se": Appo edhuku adha patthi pesarae?
- "You have to think out of the box...": Dei daabur, munnadi neraa yosi, adhuku aparom thaavi thaavi yosikalaam
- "To tell you the truth....." : Yaen? idhu varaikkum poi pesirundheyaa?
And then you have people...telling......quote..unquote....bla bla bla.....which is accompanied by convoluted scratching in thin air.....some give an expansive scratch...while some give a very modest fig leaf type of scratch.......all this in the name of being expressive...being a really good communicator..........aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
