I attended a wedding couple of weeks ago. The last one was close to a decade ago. This was my cousin's wedding in Mumbai...ok its my nephew...
Mumbai weddings are always more sophisticated and had its fair share of outsourcing even before call centers and contract jobs hit the IT world. The days when Mama's and Mami's bragged about the Chellappas and Ambis to whom they gave wedding contracts. Big ticket items like cooking and floral arrangements were the ones Mumbai based Tamil community typically outsourced. With time Mumbai weddings have their fair share of originality and uniqueness and continue to be different from the ones that happened else where in the south.
Girls at the entrance with Kalkandu, paneer, poo, chandanam - mostly ponnu side or mapalai side. A combination of small kids and teenage girls - the younger ones going through their first experience of paavadai chattai and the slightly older ones years away from being a bride, draped in saree. The competition to see who gets a chance to be the official one(s)...
The recent wedding I attended had taken outsourcing to another level...it was interesting in Mumbai's own way of the Contract Kalyanam.
New faces for the Welcome greeting - Front Desk, outsourced. I did not recognize the young lady at the entrance and thought this may be one of the cousins or neice I have lost touch with...big smile with out an iota of shyness and a very formal welcome message. Nothing like what I've seen in weddings before. I realized it was outsourced only after I saw more women with the same colored saree. I was glad that we did not make our customary prank right at the entrance. The bold smile and professional welcome probably took our self-confidence away. We walked in with the minimal of acknowledgement and eyes wandering to pick a face we can connect with.
We had men in suits and women in uniformed sarees all over the hall providing refreshments regularly. Later I figured this uniform is on a per day basis and changes from one day to the other - thanks to multiday, multisession weddings we have. The logistics in the hall was outsourced to a local wedding planner, Nirmalyam.
Else where and in old times...one cannot forget mamas with soiled dhoti, wet red towel over one side of their shoulder, open torso and the infamous never-been-white poonal, serve food in the dining area. Walking with a basket of papadams or the ultra small vessel with spoon shell as flat as the handle, mamas pacing fast to serve pachadi on the Elai - a drop or two at best. I am sure we've all had our episodes of the rasam and payasam finding its way out of the elai.
Dining area was the one to remember...no more mamas, no more baskets and of course no more food encroached tables.
We had Nirmalyam ladies instruct and oversee well-dressed waiters serve food. Plates with elai, cups for rasam, sambar, payasam and curd and the impressive plastice cups with sealed lids and straw carrying water. Paper napkins carrying the Nirmalyam logo and to beat it all the after food pan, beeda plate had on its side a stack of Nirmalyam business cards.
I have to admit that the Nirmalyam concept and staff provided me and my brother-in-law with an arsenal of jokes that was well used during the wedding and sure to last till the next one.
We had a wonderful time meeting all our athais, athimbares, cousins, neice and nephews. Cant but wait for the next one.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Unusual Vegas Similarities...
More than once this past month I was reminded of LasVegas...drawn to similarities from two unrelated places I visited.
I flew Kingfisher airlines about a month ago from Bangalore to London, the 5-star airline. Plush red seats, individual touch screen monitors with a variety of entertainment options (Bollywood, Hollywood movies, local and US Sitcoms, games, news and you name it), models handpicked by Mallya as flight attendants , all in a spanking new aircraft.
As you enter, greetings galore every 30 feet by a variety of attendants. The flight was largely empty with many vacant seats in the economy class - the 5 star airline is not really making star profits. After take off and an hr or so into the journey...I wanted to get up, stretch and head to the designated stretch zone in international flights - next to the washrooms. I had one of the front seats before the business class and the restrooms were be a few 10 rows behind. I got up, walked back to the rear of the aircraft to stretch. From the rear, noticed rows of red seats each with brightly lit LCDs hosting the various entertainment menu, organized like a pack of open cards (3 in a row with 3 in each) looking nothing short of casino slot machine displays. Interestingly many empty seats had all their individual montiors in the read side of each seat lit and active. Red seats each with bright slot machine display and attendants serving beverage - How can one not be reminded of LasVegas.
Few weeks later, we drove to Chennai to have children spend time with grandpa and grandma. I had a working week. During my 25+ years of living in Chennai, we have never shopped in the famous T.Nagar area except many be once for my sister's wedding. My wife picked a holiday to go saree shopping with my mom - Day of Vijayadasami. This year Deepavali was just 3 weeks away. I concurred. Why do I need to concur, you may think. Filled with guilt to have come on a holiday to chennai and had to work every single day, I agreed to take them shopping. Yes, my wife, mother and I went to T Nagar for their saree shopping. If you thought the rest of this blog is about me between wife and mom taking sides awkwardly on selections and choices, you've been watching way too many soaps and movies in India lately. The wise one decided to keep the kids and stay back home - for all that grey hair he made this one right choice.
We left at about 1pm to T.Nagar. For those of you in Chennai you know what I am talking about.
This is a stretch of shops, Nalli old and new, Pothys, RMKV, Kumarans and few other lesser known names. Each store having its own architecture and interiors, all posh and flashy in and out. Huge chandeliers, Deities in xxl frames, work force greeting as you enter. Some with tie and badge, some with trousers, some in saree and some others in traditional Dhotis, men and women from the store every 10 feet greeting and running to take the purchase to the counter for payment, sorting out short lists and selections, helping customers pick the right aisle based on what silk from which part of India you want to shop (Mysore, Kanchipuram, Khota, Blah Blah Blah...). I took to a corner to observe as that was the best I could do given the situation. Crowds throng these stores - will be an understatement. People walking all over the T.Nagar main road stretch, hopping from one store to the other...varying building architectures and lightings, posh interiors, greeting staff and extravagant luxury. T.Nagar reminded me of the Vegas Strip.
KingFisher and T.Nagar were my little Vegas look alikes, minus the slot machines and the shows, ofcourse.
I flew Kingfisher airlines about a month ago from Bangalore to London, the 5-star airline. Plush red seats, individual touch screen monitors with a variety of entertainment options (Bollywood, Hollywood movies, local and US Sitcoms, games, news and you name it), models handpicked by Mallya as flight attendants , all in a spanking new aircraft.
As you enter, greetings galore every 30 feet by a variety of attendants. The flight was largely empty with many vacant seats in the economy class - the 5 star airline is not really making star profits. After take off and an hr or so into the journey...I wanted to get up, stretch and head to the designated stretch zone in international flights - next to the washrooms. I had one of the front seats before the business class and the restrooms were be a few 10 rows behind. I got up, walked back to the rear of the aircraft to stretch. From the rear, noticed rows of red seats each with brightly lit LCDs hosting the various entertainment menu, organized like a pack of open cards (3 in a row with 3 in each) looking nothing short of casino slot machine displays. Interestingly many empty seats had all their individual montiors in the read side of each seat lit and active. Red seats each with bright slot machine display and attendants serving beverage - How can one not be reminded of LasVegas.
Few weeks later, we drove to Chennai to have children spend time with grandpa and grandma. I had a working week. During my 25+ years of living in Chennai, we have never shopped in the famous T.Nagar area except many be once for my sister's wedding. My wife picked a holiday to go saree shopping with my mom - Day of Vijayadasami. This year Deepavali was just 3 weeks away. I concurred. Why do I need to concur, you may think. Filled with guilt to have come on a holiday to chennai and had to work every single day, I agreed to take them shopping. Yes, my wife, mother and I went to T Nagar for their saree shopping. If you thought the rest of this blog is about me between wife and mom taking sides awkwardly on selections and choices, you've been watching way too many soaps and movies in India lately. The wise one decided to keep the kids and stay back home - for all that grey hair he made this one right choice.
We left at about 1pm to T.Nagar. For those of you in Chennai you know what I am talking about.
This is a stretch of shops, Nalli old and new, Pothys, RMKV, Kumarans and few other lesser known names. Each store having its own architecture and interiors, all posh and flashy in and out. Huge chandeliers, Deities in xxl frames, work force greeting as you enter. Some with tie and badge, some with trousers, some in saree and some others in traditional Dhotis, men and women from the store every 10 feet greeting and running to take the purchase to the counter for payment, sorting out short lists and selections, helping customers pick the right aisle based on what silk from which part of India you want to shop (Mysore, Kanchipuram, Khota, Blah Blah Blah...). I took to a corner to observe as that was the best I could do given the situation. Crowds throng these stores - will be an understatement. People walking all over the T.Nagar main road stretch, hopping from one store to the other...varying building architectures and lightings, posh interiors, greeting staff and extravagant luxury. T.Nagar reminded me of the Vegas Strip.
KingFisher and T.Nagar were my little Vegas look alikes, minus the slot machines and the shows, ofcourse.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Realize your dreams...
At 61 very few get to realize their own dreams come true. Not enjoying the successes of the dreams of their sons and daughters or those of their grandchildren. But their dreams and those dreams they had for themselves. It is one thing to being self-less or taking pride in sacrificing ones own dream for others. Such selfless mindset is noble and I don't dispute that.
This blog is about having the will to realize ones own dream and ability to persevere the goal despite time and age. My mother just finished her Ph.d on Aug 14 2008. A dream she had, a dream she worked towards and most of all a dream she realized.
Dr. E.R.Saraswathi - Doctorate in Sanskrit from the University of Madras
This blog is a dedication to her efforts, perseverance and will to realize her dreams against all odds.
Timelines at a glance:
Completed her Masters in Sanskrit in 1999
Enrolled in her Phd program in 2001
Submitted her thesis in July 2008
A Phd that started around the BK era and lasted till the AS era.
BK - Before Kaavya was born
AS - After Saatvik was born
Along the way many a challenge slowed down the pace but nothing could dent her spirit.
By no stretch of imagination was it easy or simple given the social commitments, domestic responsibilities and the growing senility - let alone the complexity involved and support structure available to research a language that is not spoken or written in modern days.
I was a Ph.D drop out in 96. It is easy to get distracted and it only took a simple first obstacle for me to trade my Ph.D pursuit in a heart beat. May be that wasnt my dream :)
There are many who talk and read about living your dream. This is of course for those who restrict dreams as only a childhood privilege. Dreams are not qualified by age restrictions. My mother had a dream when she was around 50 and a decade later she fulfilled it.
Here is to everyone who have lost, forgotten dreams or who think it is too late to dream. Here is to everyone who think somethings can only be a dream...
A living example of one who has lived to pursue her dream. This is a very proud moment for all of us in our family - our first Doctrate in the family and what a way to get one.
Hats off to you, Mom.
This blog is about having the will to realize ones own dream and ability to persevere the goal despite time and age. My mother just finished her Ph.d on Aug 14 2008. A dream she had, a dream she worked towards and most of all a dream she realized.
Dr. E.R.Saraswathi - Doctorate in Sanskrit from the University of Madras
This blog is a dedication to her efforts, perseverance and will to realize her dreams against all odds.Timelines at a glance:
Completed her Masters in Sanskrit in 1999
Enrolled in her Phd program in 2001
Submitted her thesis in July 2008
A Phd that started around the BK era and lasted till the AS era.
BK - Before Kaavya was born
AS - After Saatvik was born
Along the way many a challenge slowed down the pace but nothing could dent her spirit.
By no stretch of imagination was it easy or simple given the social commitments, domestic responsibilities and the growing senility - let alone the complexity involved and support structure available to research a language that is not spoken or written in modern days.
I was a Ph.D drop out in 96. It is easy to get distracted and it only took a simple first obstacle for me to trade my Ph.D pursuit in a heart beat. May be that wasnt my dream :)
There are many who talk and read about living your dream. This is of course for those who restrict dreams as only a childhood privilege. Dreams are not qualified by age restrictions. My mother had a dream when she was around 50 and a decade later she fulfilled it.
Here is to everyone who have lost, forgotten dreams or who think it is too late to dream. Here is to everyone who think somethings can only be a dream...
A living example of one who has lived to pursue her dream. This is a very proud moment for all of us in our family - our first Doctrate in the family and what a way to get one.
Hats off to you, Mom.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Cows dont have hands...
I've had an interesting few days re-living my experience of taking my 3 year old to school. I am blessed I have a second chance and most likely the last one.
These days I drop Saatvik to school. I did this when Kaavya was in Montessori a few years ago. Without a doubt, the best part of my day...
Couple of days ago as Saatvik and I are in the car heading to school, I hear him say...
"Appa, cow cow..."
"What sound does a Cow make?", pretty stereo-typically, I retort...
"Appa, indha cowku, Kaiye illa"
If you know Saatvik, he has 3 questions that he will ask endlessly - Why, Who, Can you buy this for me...
But this time I know why Saatvik asked me this question. My Driver and I laugh. My driver laughed at how he asked and cant but hug Saat on why he asked. I dont have an answer.
Some days back, I started to teach Saatvik a little more than the alphabets we drive to school. Part of that was to say something more than C for Cat, Cow.
I decided to teach him what the Cow eats.
"Cow eats grass and plants. You know grass...you know cheddy"
He understood that. Asked him a few times so that he remembers and he will respond...
"Cow eats grass and..."
"PPPl", I prompt as he is more comfortable remembering the Tamil word. Lately he remembers them both and will respond with both Grass and Plants. Not to end with it he will also say, Cow gives us milk.
I went ahead said told him that cows eats grass and plants and give us milk.
Saatvik was immediate to correct me the first time he heard me teach that Cow gives milk.
"No, paper mama gives us milk. Not Cow"
He is only aware of the Paper vendor who gives us the news paper and deliver the milk packets as well. It is hard for him to fathom that the cow gives us milk. But I convinced him that the paper uncle gets it from the Cow.
Now you can relate to the observation he made that the Cow had no hands. Cow has no hands, then how can it GIVE milk to us or to the paper uncle - thats his point.
Do I teach Saatvik how Cows dont need hands to give us milk? Or
Do I teach him the difference between the cow GIVING us milk vs. we TAKING milk from the cow...
Interesting as it may seem, this is in some ways a reflection of our evolution - the human evolution. We conveniently teach the kids that all along the Cows willingly GIVE the humans milk to use, when in reality we have always TAKEN without its willful consent.
Some day Saatvik will realize this and wont feel too happy about the versions I have taught him. Should we change some of our communication to allow our next generation get an objective view of things?
These days I drop Saatvik to school. I did this when Kaavya was in Montessori a few years ago. Without a doubt, the best part of my day...
Couple of days ago as Saatvik and I are in the car heading to school, I hear him say...
"Appa, cow cow..."
"What sound does a Cow make?", pretty stereo-typically, I retort...
"Appa, indha cowku, Kaiye illa"
If you know Saatvik, he has 3 questions that he will ask endlessly - Why, Who, Can you buy this for me...
But this time I know why Saatvik asked me this question. My Driver and I laugh. My driver laughed at how he asked and cant but hug Saat on why he asked. I dont have an answer.
Some days back, I started to teach Saatvik a little more than the alphabets we drive to school. Part of that was to say something more than C for Cat, Cow.
I decided to teach him what the Cow eats.
"Cow eats grass and plants. You know grass...you know cheddy
He understood that. Asked him a few times so that he remembers and he will respond...
"Cow eats grass and..."
"PPPl", I prompt as he is more comfortable remembering the Tamil word. Lately he remembers them both and will respond with both Grass and Plants. Not to end with it he will also say, Cow gives us milk.
I went ahead said told him that cows eats grass and plants and give us milk.
Saatvik was immediate to correct me the first time he heard me teach that Cow gives milk.
"No, paper mama gives us milk. Not Cow"
He is only aware of the Paper vendor who gives us the news paper and deliver the milk packets as well. It is hard for him to fathom that the cow gives us milk. But I convinced him that the paper uncle gets it from the Cow.
Now you can relate to the observation he made that the Cow had no hands. Cow has no hands, then how can it GIVE milk to us or to the paper uncle - thats his point.
Do I teach Saatvik how Cows dont need hands to give us milk? Or
Do I teach him the difference between the cow GIVING us milk vs. we TAKING milk from the cow...
Interesting as it may seem, this is in some ways a reflection of our evolution - the human evolution. We conveniently teach the kids that all along the Cows willingly GIVE the humans milk to use, when in reality we have always TAKEN without its willful consent.
Some day Saatvik will realize this and wont feel too happy about the versions I have taught him. Should we change some of our communication to allow our next generation get an objective view of things?
Monday, August 4, 2008
Safe-Pedestrians still un-safe during Traffic...
9am at Marathahalli, past the outer ring road overpass...I am on my way to work after dropping my son at school. I am pleasantly surprised at the brisk pace of traffic this morning.
Normally my first big bottleneck is at the Marathahalli junction when I turn towards the Airport Road coming from the outer ring road. I drive past the famous outlet stores where one third of the road is dedicated for the people waiting for BMTC and Corporate buses and the rest for free flowing traffic.
It is common to see pedestrians using the hand signal to stop traffic and weave past the many different vehicles to cross the road. There are many types of hand signals and so much that it can reflect personality traits.
The Shy - slightly hidden hand signal, hands close to the body with wrists and palm close to the thigh showing the stop sign
The Confident - walk briskly with hands stretched out at shoulder level for an authoritative stop sign
The Arrogant - a high hand signal and cannot but bang the car boot as they walk past and
Of course
The indecisives - step down from the median and back a few times before taking the plunge
The one I noticed this morning introduced a new category - call him the confident safe pedestrian. A guy in white kurta, pyjama and with a black helmet using the confident jay walker shoulder level stop signs. We were not moving too fast as it was a stop and go traffic at 9am. I was thinking to myself that this must be Bangalore's most safe pedestrian. I guess he had the bike on the other side of the road and walking across for something. His outfit, helmet and hand signals caught my attention and introduced a new category of jay-walkers. He drew my attention for sure, went past my car, the next one and now to the last lane where cyclist and bikers use the best maneuvers to get past other vehicles.
As he approached the last row a bike runs into him - Two wheeler skids and now there are 3 helmeted heads on the road. The fall was not too serious. The biker blinded by other bigger vehicles did not see Mr.Safe pedestrian crossing and applied the breaks. Of course the hand signal posture did not help the Pedestrian to balance as the bike skids just in front of him. The bike skids, hits the pedestrian and they all fall down.
If someone did not notice the kurta pyjama helmeted pedestrian earlier, they would have mistaken this for the safest triple riding accident ever recorded - 3 helmets getting off the road. I move past and cannot but keep looking at my rear view to confirm if one of them was actually the safe pedestrian.
His white kurta pyjama with black helmet was a dead give-away.
Winner of the safe pedestrian award.
Normally my first big bottleneck is at the Marathahalli junction when I turn towards the Airport Road coming from the outer ring road. I drive past the famous outlet stores where one third of the road is dedicated for the people waiting for BMTC and Corporate buses and the rest for free flowing traffic.
It is common to see pedestrians using the hand signal to stop traffic and weave past the many different vehicles to cross the road. There are many types of hand signals and so much that it can reflect personality traits.
The Shy - slightly hidden hand signal, hands close to the body with wrists and palm close to the thigh showing the stop sign
The Confident - walk briskly with hands stretched out at shoulder level for an authoritative stop sign
The Arrogant - a high hand signal and cannot but bang the car boot as they walk past and
Of course
The indecisives - step down from the median and back a few times before taking the plunge
The one I noticed this morning introduced a new category - call him the confident safe pedestrian. A guy in white kurta, pyjama and with a black helmet using the confident jay walker shoulder level stop signs. We were not moving too fast as it was a stop and go traffic at 9am. I was thinking to myself that this must be Bangalore's most safe pedestrian. I guess he had the bike on the other side of the road and walking across for something. His outfit, helmet and hand signals caught my attention and introduced a new category of jay-walkers. He drew my attention for sure, went past my car, the next one and now to the last lane where cyclist and bikers use the best maneuvers to get past other vehicles.
As he approached the last row a bike runs into him - Two wheeler skids and now there are 3 helmeted heads on the road. The fall was not too serious. The biker blinded by other bigger vehicles did not see Mr.Safe pedestrian crossing and applied the breaks. Of course the hand signal posture did not help the Pedestrian to balance as the bike skids just in front of him. The bike skids, hits the pedestrian and they all fall down.
If someone did not notice the kurta pyjama helmeted pedestrian earlier, they would have mistaken this for the safest triple riding accident ever recorded - 3 helmets getting off the road. I move past and cannot but keep looking at my rear view to confirm if one of them was actually the safe pedestrian.
His white kurta pyjama with black helmet was a dead give-away.
Winner of the safe pedestrian award.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Diet Avakka - Served Fresh
If you are one of those who must have pickle but worried about the excess oil and havent figured out an effective way to have it without worrying about the extra calories...here is a proven technique to help you enjoy that special Vadu Manga or Avakka whole heartedly.
Things required
Urugai (Pickle) with excess oil - of course
Pickle in small microwavable container that has lid that is twistable - ie air tight lid - Quantity: sufficient for 3 to 4 aloo parattas
Microwavable lunch container having main course for which Pickle is required
Lunch bag of some sort carrying these 2 boxes with item - packed and zipped
Small Pickle container placed on top of the lunch box - this is important
Few paper towels
...And an enthusiastic boy (preferably 3 years of age)
This morning I am ready to leave to work with my well packed lunch. Priya does a great job of packing lunch for me and the lunch box is a very special gift I get each day. I have to accept with out much shame or remorse that I carry lunch to work on most days.
Saatvik is all set for his school and he absolutely has to help Dad carry his lunch bag to the car. The bag strap when extended completely, is unfortunately taller than the dutiful son. So the bag gets a few swings within the axis of the strap, moves a few times up and down and bounces off the floor. By this time, anger overrides gratefulness and Dad has yanked the bag from Saatvik. I did thank him but I have to admit not whole heartedly.
Normally I dont have a clue what is packed in the bag before I actually eat my lunch and sometime even after...
But today for some reason within the office, I could smell great Avakka pickle more than anything else. Initially I attributed it to the many false alarms of aging that I have been lately using when I mis-judge.
I move on...in and out of a few meetings, gym and now I am ready to eat. I open the bag and I am invited to a great aroma and a very colorful orange interior bag (normally it is white). You guessed it right.
Few paper towels, back and forth to the pantry and I start eating. Now I really and whole heartedly thanked Saatvik for a wonderful dry pickle serving. It was perfect.
I can vouch for the process, it works. If you have all the ingredients and an enthusiastic personnel, give it a try and you will be able to get a Diet-Avakka for your next lunch.
Things required
Urugai (Pickle) with excess oil - of course
Pickle in small microwavable container that has lid that is twistable - ie air tight lid - Quantity: sufficient for 3 to 4 aloo parattas
Microwavable lunch container having main course for which Pickle is required
Lunch bag of some sort carrying these 2 boxes with item - packed and zipped
Small Pickle container placed on top of the lunch box - this is important
Few paper towels
...And an enthusiastic boy (preferably 3 years of age)
This morning I am ready to leave to work with my well packed lunch. Priya does a great job of packing lunch for me and the lunch box is a very special gift I get each day. I have to accept with out much shame or remorse that I carry lunch to work on most days.
Saatvik is all set for his school and he absolutely has to help Dad carry his lunch bag to the car. The bag strap when extended completely, is unfortunately taller than the dutiful son. So the bag gets a few swings within the axis of the strap, moves a few times up and down and bounces off the floor. By this time, anger overrides gratefulness and Dad has yanked the bag from Saatvik. I did thank him but I have to admit not whole heartedly.
Normally I dont have a clue what is packed in the bag before I actually eat my lunch and sometime even after...
But today for some reason within the office, I could smell great Avakka pickle more than anything else. Initially I attributed it to the many false alarms of aging that I have been lately using when I mis-judge.
I move on...in and out of a few meetings, gym and now I am ready to eat. I open the bag and I am invited to a great aroma and a very colorful orange interior bag (normally it is white). You guessed it right.
Few paper towels, back and forth to the pantry and I start eating. Now I really and whole heartedly thanked Saatvik for a wonderful dry pickle serving. It was perfect.
I can vouch for the process, it works. If you have all the ingredients and an enthusiastic personnel, give it a try and you will be able to get a Diet-Avakka for your next lunch.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Cars, Cabs and Cellphones
Yet another traffic episode...
Here I am driving today to work...I lost my chaffeur privilages. Reminds me of "I got a new car this week...my wife will use the new one and I will be relegated to the old"...This is typical when couples in the US get their second car.
My situation after moving back is a little different. We finally decided to get a second but smaller and an automatic model to suit Bangalore traffic.
I am now using the new car (reminds me of guys driving a scooty) until she gets used to the Bangalore roads and traffic. It is only natural that I will be relegated to the old car soon.
Back to traffic story for today...
On the santro to work...during the commute, I notice a vehicle too close for comfort in the rear view mirror. A Qualis SUV Cab, literally stuck to my little Santro's bumper. As if that werent enough, the Qualis driver wanted to ensure that I notice his flirtations with the santro bumper by honking and flashing the headlight.
Well...that is it and he had it...Or may be not. I parked my instincts when I set in to drive a toy car. So my rage has turned into resignment. I religiously put my left indicator in frustration, wait for the next opportunity to move out and give way. Of course as a responsible driver I had to wait before I moved out. But our Qualis Cassanova cant wait...more honking. Finally I cave in, allow him to pass. He moves in front of me, narrowly squeezes past a couple of other cars and moves forward - looked more risky than his stunts with my car.
Well...he is now stuck in traffic and I am in his blind spot. We are not moving. I notice that this is a Cab and it has a note on rear windshield that reads, "If you notice rash driving, call...". And you know what happens next
Now I am busy dialing this number from my cell and at the same time maneuvering my way as the signal changes green...I get through first shot - must be my lucky day.
"Hello...Helli...evaru (Who is it)"
"I am calling to report rash driving of one of your vehicles..."
"Elli...(Where)"
"Marthahalli overpass...Driver is rash and has been getting close to many vehicles and cutting across lanes when there is no room for movement. Vehicle number is ..."
I have to write the reply I got in English.
"No...I was driving quite ok..."
I see our Qualis stud who is now right in front of my vehicle, talking to me from his cell phone.
So much for rash driving report...I guess the sticker should have said,
"If you notice rash driving, call the driver to discuss"...
I hang up...laugh out loud and move on.
Here I am driving today to work...I lost my chaffeur privilages. Reminds me of "I got a new car this week...my wife will use the new one and I will be relegated to the old"...This is typical when couples in the US get their second car.
My situation after moving back is a little different. We finally decided to get a second but smaller and an automatic model to suit Bangalore traffic.
I am now using the new car (reminds me of guys driving a scooty) until she gets used to the Bangalore roads and traffic. It is only natural that I will be relegated to the old car soon.
Back to traffic story for today...
On the santro to work...during the commute, I notice a vehicle too close for comfort in the rear view mirror. A Qualis SUV Cab, literally stuck to my little Santro's bumper. As if that werent enough, the Qualis driver wanted to ensure that I notice his flirtations with the santro bumper by honking and flashing the headlight.
Well...that is it and he had it...Or may be not. I parked my instincts when I set in to drive a toy car. So my rage has turned into resignment. I religiously put my left indicator in frustration, wait for the next opportunity to move out and give way. Of course as a responsible driver I had to wait before I moved out. But our Qualis Cassanova cant wait...more honking. Finally I cave in, allow him to pass. He moves in front of me, narrowly squeezes past a couple of other cars and moves forward - looked more risky than his stunts with my car.
Well...he is now stuck in traffic and I am in his blind spot. We are not moving. I notice that this is a Cab and it has a note on rear windshield that reads, "If you notice rash driving, call...". And you know what happens next
Now I am busy dialing this number from my cell and at the same time maneuvering my way as the signal changes green...I get through first shot - must be my lucky day.
"Hello...Helli...evaru (Who is it)"
"I am calling to report rash driving of one of your vehicles..."
"Elli...(Where)"
"Marthahalli overpass...Driver is rash and has been getting close to many vehicles and cutting across lanes when there is no room for movement. Vehicle number is ..."
I have to write the reply I got in English.
"No...I was driving quite ok..."
I see our Qualis stud who is now right in front of my vehicle, talking to me from his cell phone.
So much for rash driving report...I guess the sticker should have said,
"If you notice rash driving, call the driver to discuss"...
I hang up...laugh out loud and move on.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Winners and Losers
Morning of June 25th 2008, driving to work and about less than a km away. Stuck in a traffic jam in CV Raman Nagar...
I am at least a couple of signal full-cycles away, before I can turn right. The opposite side traffic is just as bad. As the signal turns green there is a growing urgency for each vehicle to pass through without having to wait for another cycle of the signal.
This is a 2 lane traffic on both directions of the road with concrete blocks for barricade, a few dis-oriented to let some one to cut across or just an example of an ill-supervised municipal work.
To my right I see few school kids trying to cross the road, boys with red shorts and ivory colored shirts and girls with red skirts. All wearing short ties and of course the heavy vintage backpacks - couple of 5 year olds, one 8 year old girl, couple of 5 year old and one more 8 year old boy, all joined hands in that order from left to right. These kids are standing on the other side of the road from my car. When the signal turns green the cars and bikes zip across as if there is on a dedicated run-way. This group had to stay on course, actually stay put in the narrow side-walk and not make the wrong step on the road. After this the traffic thins with just a few miscreants zipping after the red light.
Throughout, the 8 year old girl in the middle of the group is in-charge, fully in control of the situation and confident - she looks carefully on either side, monitors the traffic, stops the other 8 year old boy when he took a wrong step right after signal turned red and pulled the chain back. After some quick analysis, springs into take the decision, pulls the two sides of her control to get past one half of the road. They are mid-way but still have challenges. The kids are now balancing one on each block barely able to balance as the width of the block can just about house the little feat. This side of the traffic is fairly ok as we are still crawling. Makes a quick decision on the fly and pulls across the group to the other side of the road...Wallah mission accomplished. It was quite an excitement to watch this flawless execution.
This girl personified many things - courage, in control (took charge despite there being another kid of the same age group), cool as a cucumber, timely decision making and perfect execution. My hero and winner...
During times when children take school bus or get chauffered to school, a sight like this makes one wonder how much is too much or too little a real world exposure.
Visibly awe-struck observing the 3 minute road-crossing drill and wondering how the kid pulled this one off, I notice something else. The other side of the road has stopped and my side of traffic is moving to grab the opportunity to get past the intersection on green. Couple of bikers in front of me, in their infinite wisdom decide to squeeze through the few dis-oriented barricades, drive on the wrong side of the road and get back in to the lane just to get a few vehicles ahead and not wait for another signal change. Interesting that there are such educated idiots and such inspiring kids all within eye's reach - one exhibiting exemplary leadership qualities with high moral responsibility and the other shamelessly flaunting their indecency and lack of responsibility.
These losers cannot take anything away from the inspiration I drew this morning from a group of kids.
I am at least a couple of signal full-cycles away, before I can turn right. The opposite side traffic is just as bad. As the signal turns green there is a growing urgency for each vehicle to pass through without having to wait for another cycle of the signal.
This is a 2 lane traffic on both directions of the road with concrete blocks for barricade, a few dis-oriented to let some one to cut across or just an example of an ill-supervised municipal work.
To my right I see few school kids trying to cross the road, boys with red shorts and ivory colored shirts and girls with red skirts. All wearing short ties and of course the heavy vintage backpacks - couple of 5 year olds, one 8 year old girl, couple of 5 year old and one more 8 year old boy, all joined hands in that order from left to right. These kids are standing on the other side of the road from my car. When the signal turns green the cars and bikes zip across as if there is on a dedicated run-way. This group had to stay on course, actually stay put in the narrow side-walk and not make the wrong step on the road. After this the traffic thins with just a few miscreants zipping after the red light.
Throughout, the 8 year old girl in the middle of the group is in-charge, fully in control of the situation and confident - she looks carefully on either side, monitors the traffic, stops the other 8 year old boy when he took a wrong step right after signal turned red and pulled the chain back. After some quick analysis, springs into take the decision, pulls the two sides of her control to get past one half of the road. They are mid-way but still have challenges. The kids are now balancing one on each block barely able to balance as the width of the block can just about house the little feat. This side of the traffic is fairly ok as we are still crawling. Makes a quick decision on the fly and pulls across the group to the other side of the road...Wallah mission accomplished. It was quite an excitement to watch this flawless execution.
This girl personified many things - courage, in control (took charge despite there being another kid of the same age group), cool as a cucumber, timely decision making and perfect execution. My hero and winner...
During times when children take school bus or get chauffered to school, a sight like this makes one wonder how much is too much or too little a real world exposure.
Visibly awe-struck observing the 3 minute road-crossing drill and wondering how the kid pulled this one off, I notice something else. The other side of the road has stopped and my side of traffic is moving to grab the opportunity to get past the intersection on green. Couple of bikers in front of me, in their infinite wisdom decide to squeeze through the few dis-oriented barricades, drive on the wrong side of the road and get back in to the lane just to get a few vehicles ahead and not wait for another signal change. Interesting that there are such educated idiots and such inspiring kids all within eye's reach - one exhibiting exemplary leadership qualities with high moral responsibility and the other shamelessly flaunting their indecency and lack of responsibility.
These losers cannot take anything away from the inspiration I drew this morning from a group of kids.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Sleeping Chameleon, Moving Snails and Hanging Gulab Jamuns...
Here is an insider's view into my last weekend...
One may wonder what does a Sleeping chameleon, moving snails and hanging gulab jamuns have in common...
Dora, Diego and Boots went into the unexplored areas of the new house garden and its neighbouring layout. Lately this is one of my favourite escapes to fantasy land with my kids...Kaavya does an excellent Dora impersonation and you guessed it right - Diego and Boots are assigned characters by Kaavya. I played Diego's role and Saatvik will play Boots until he figures out who Boots really is. Diego often wonders how character selection by sisters are similar across generations.
Kaavya is 6 and Saatvik turns 3 in the next couple of weeks.
We took our usual stroll to explore and with the hope of striking some thing spectacular. I normally pray that we come across cool things that would excite my kids. But mostly nothing too memorable - dried leaves in the garden, shell and trash in beech have been the previous bests. This one was special and I am sure this gold mine we hit will be one of those to stay for a long time to come. Read along...
We started our journey trying to explore stones to build a temple under the Temple tree - this ones for another blog.
Ho..Ho..we spotted something. Deigo spotted a brown, stripped snail crossing the road...Snail with its tentacle, eyes and rest of its body out of the shell and moving at snails pace of course.
Boots has never seen a snail before. The last time Dora and Diego ventured in Snail adventure was in the beeches of Chennai. Diego had this crazy idea of taking them home in bottles. Dora of course agreed. Mami (Dora's mom) never in favor of such crazy ideas. Mami has a foresight of Nostradamus (particularly for Diego's ideas with Dora's enthusiasm) and almost always can predict doom. So clear that one may wonder if there is a conspiracy to make clairvoyance a reality. We got the snails home and overnight they all perished, all 4 of them. We woke up next day to the welcome aroma of dead snails in a bottle. If you guessed we left the bottle closed, you are probably Mami in some Dora fantasy house. We did not. However, in our over enthusiasm we had just 4 inches of extra water - yes we drowned the snails. These were land snails.
Back to the snails over zebra-crossing...Dora's enthusiasm is so predictable...First thing that comes out was, "...can we take this one home...". Diego a victim of past predictions, was smart for a change (normally known for pushing his luck and falling flat) and reminded Dora of the Chennai, "Snail in a bottle"...
After watching the snail move a few paces and taking the infamous mobile mugshots we moved on...
We moved on and I spotted a Jamun tree (Jamun is a local name for a variant of Plum). I stopped by to show Dora (and Boots of course) that here is a Jamun tree. Dora was quick to clarify to Boots that this is where he gets his favourite Gulab Jamuns...this was not a joke or anyway an attempt to fool Boots. Dora actually believed that Gulab Jamuns came from this tree. Next few minutes, Diego spent time trying to explain the difference between the Gulab Jamun and the Jamuns in a tree, with intermittent convincing argument from Dora that they were one and the same.
Thus ended a very rewarding hour of exploration. On reaching home, it was topped by spotting the Chameleon. The Chameleon that slept at night clinging to the branches of a barely-living hedge plant. It was pretty late the previous night when I saw this interesting sleeping beauty and decided to take pictures to show it to Dora and Boots when they wake up the next day.
Now that they saw it after our exploration the day after, they had to look at the pictures to be convinced it was the same one that was sleeping last night. Diego for once felt like everything was falling in place and brought the picture taken in the digital camera...Dont ask what was Diego doing at 10pm with a Digital Camera in hand the previous night.
Rest of my weekend went away indulging in Abuela's food and sleeping through the 18 overs of the T20 innings. Managed to see over 7 and 13 - both of which were non-consequential.
In some ways my weekend was nothing but a Sleeping Chameleon at snail's pace with loads of Jamun. Thanks to Dora, Boots and Mami - One heck of a weekend.
One may wonder what does a Sleeping chameleon, moving snails and hanging gulab jamuns have in common...
Dora, Diego and Boots went into the unexplored areas of the new house garden and its neighbouring layout. Lately this is one of my favourite escapes to fantasy land with my kids...Kaavya does an excellent Dora impersonation and you guessed it right - Diego and Boots are assigned characters by Kaavya. I played Diego's role and Saatvik will play Boots until he figures out who Boots really is. Diego often wonders how character selection by sisters are similar across generations.
Kaavya is 6 and Saatvik turns 3 in the next couple of weeks.
We took our usual stroll to explore and with the hope of striking some thing spectacular. I normally pray that we come across cool things that would excite my kids. But mostly nothing too memorable - dried leaves in the garden, shell and trash in beech have been the previous bests. This one was special and I am sure this gold mine we hit will be one of those to stay for a long time to come. Read along...
We started our journey trying to explore stones to build a temple under the Temple tree - this ones for another blog.
Ho..Ho..we spotted something. Deigo spotted a brown, stripped snail crossing the road...Snail with its tentacle, eyes and rest of its body out of the shell and moving at snails pace of course.
Boots has never seen a snail before. The last time Dora and Diego ventured in Snail adventure was in the beeches of Chennai. Diego had this crazy idea of taking them home in bottles. Dora of course agreed. Mami (Dora's mom) never in favor of such crazy ideas. Mami has a foresight of Nostradamus (particularly for Diego's ideas with Dora's enthusiasm) and almost always can predict doom. So clear that one may wonder if there is a conspiracy to make clairvoyance a reality. We got the snails home and overnight they all perished, all 4 of them. We woke up next day to the welcome aroma of dead snails in a bottle. If you guessed we left the bottle closed, you are probably Mami in some Dora fantasy house. We did not. However, in our over enthusiasm we had just 4 inches of extra water - yes we drowned the snails. These were land snails.
Back to the snails over zebra-crossing...Dora's enthusiasm is so predictable...First thing that comes out was, "...can we take this one home...". Diego a victim of past predictions, was smart for a change (normally known for pushing his luck and falling flat) and reminded Dora of the Chennai, "Snail in a bottle"...
After watching the snail move a few paces and taking the infamous mobile mugshots we moved on...
We moved on and I spotted a Jamun tree (Jamun is a local name for a variant of Plum). I stopped by to show Dora (and Boots of course) that here is a Jamun tree. Dora was quick to clarify to Boots that this is where he gets his favourite Gulab Jamuns...this was not a joke or anyway an attempt to fool Boots. Dora actually believed that Gulab Jamuns came from this tree. Next few minutes, Diego spent time trying to explain the difference between the Gulab Jamun and the Jamuns in a tree, with intermittent convincing argument from Dora that they were one and the same.
Thus ended a very rewarding hour of exploration. On reaching home, it was topped by spotting the Chameleon. The Chameleon that slept at night clinging to the branches of a barely-living hedge plant. It was pretty late the previous night when I saw this interesting sleeping beauty and decided to take pictures to show it to Dora and Boots when they wake up the next day.
Now that they saw it after our exploration the day after, they had to look at the pictures to be convinced it was the same one that was sleeping last night. Diego for once felt like everything was falling in place and brought the picture taken in the digital camera...Dont ask what was Diego doing at 10pm with a Digital Camera in hand the previous night.
Rest of my weekend went away indulging in Abuela's food and sleeping through the 18 overs of the T20 innings. Managed to see over 7 and 13 - both of which were non-consequential.
In some ways my weekend was nothing but a Sleeping Chameleon at snail's pace with loads of Jamun. Thanks to Dora, Boots and Mami - One heck of a weekend.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Bangalore Traffic Opportunities...
A thought...thanks to Bangalore, its traffic and some part of me saying why not...
Life is not as valuable in this part of the world...thats what some say. Another perspective, people are not too worried about what happens to them when they go about in a chaotic environment...Dont care so much about lack of first aid or emergency care as much as how can I save a few extra funds for kids school, how can I make my next 100 bucks, will I have my next meal or how much more do I need to walk to get to the nearest bus station. Yes, there are far more battles to be fought in a normal day in this part of the world than to think about planning for emergencies. "...here emergencies are every where, so there needs no special care..."
That said, it is a fact that it is difficult to get immediate medical attention for an emergency - be it a road accident, someone suffering from a heart attack or an injured child at school or home. If you have to rush some one to hospital, you will rush but your commute will slow you down. Such is the traffic condition in the roads of Bangalore. It is impossible to take someone to the nearest hospital or provide the right medical attention on time.
Why not turn the slow and often parking-lot like traffic into the world's high density first aid infrastructure. What if 1 in 5 or 10 cars on the road is equipped with first aid kit and driver trained in first aid and may be CPR. Now the need to save time or give the timely medical assistance can be well met. This will enable faster aid and provide timely attention to what may be a life threatening accident. Such an infrastructure can be a huge benefit to normal public on the road as well as to the poor who cannot get such attention even if the roads were free of traffic.
Why not start a small yet powerful campaign to create first aid readiness on wheels in Bangalore...and advance that to having some kind of radio facility to page these mobile first aid helpers at times of need...may be the license plate or a little rear wind shield sticker showing that this vehicle carries first aid personnel and first aid.
We may have just turned traffic filled streets to the most accessible life savers.
From being the most populous medical transcribers to being the most populous mediacal aid workers. Pretty powerful transformation uh...
Every bottleneck has an opening or a lid. We just need to open the lid for the water to flow, opportunities to gush out.
I am seriously considering why not...as a first step, I am committing to the idea by writing about it than just thinking about it.
Life is not as valuable in this part of the world...thats what some say. Another perspective, people are not too worried about what happens to them when they go about in a chaotic environment...Dont care so much about lack of first aid or emergency care as much as how can I save a few extra funds for kids school, how can I make my next 100 bucks, will I have my next meal or how much more do I need to walk to get to the nearest bus station. Yes, there are far more battles to be fought in a normal day in this part of the world than to think about planning for emergencies. "...here emergencies are every where, so there needs no special care..."
That said, it is a fact that it is difficult to get immediate medical attention for an emergency - be it a road accident, someone suffering from a heart attack or an injured child at school or home. If you have to rush some one to hospital, you will rush but your commute will slow you down. Such is the traffic condition in the roads of Bangalore. It is impossible to take someone to the nearest hospital or provide the right medical attention on time.
Why not turn the slow and often parking-lot like traffic into the world's high density first aid infrastructure. What if 1 in 5 or 10 cars on the road is equipped with first aid kit and driver trained in first aid and may be CPR. Now the need to save time or give the timely medical assistance can be well met. This will enable faster aid and provide timely attention to what may be a life threatening accident. Such an infrastructure can be a huge benefit to normal public on the road as well as to the poor who cannot get such attention even if the roads were free of traffic.
Why not start a small yet powerful campaign to create first aid readiness on wheels in Bangalore...and advance that to having some kind of radio facility to page these mobile first aid helpers at times of need...may be the license plate or a little rear wind shield sticker showing that this vehicle carries first aid personnel and first aid.
We may have just turned traffic filled streets to the most accessible life savers.
From being the most populous medical transcribers to being the most populous mediacal aid workers. Pretty powerful transformation uh...
Every bottleneck has an opening or a lid. We just need to open the lid for the water to flow, opportunities to gush out.
I am seriously considering why not...as a first step, I am committing to the idea by writing about it than just thinking about it.
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