A Tribute - to the One(S) who simply swept me off my feet

*Ahem - ahem* that looks like too big a title.. But I didn't want to postpone posting this postable post even after its post-production after so many hurdles in the post, oops sorry, Past! Confused? You better be. Just to get you into the mood...!!! This post is a tribute to all the One(S) who had the privilege of sweeping me off my feet, by their mere existence. Its the work I had written when I was utterly confused and hopelessly in ooh and aah,"you-know-wwhat-Love!" Ah, not anymore!
I take all the honour of submitting these works of sheer poetry , with an element of insanity and humour, despair and calm. I thank thee(S) for being the central element(s) around my poems.
I humbly submit them in ascending order ;-) of existence.

1. GOING NUTS ONCE UPON A TIME
- read the first post of this blog.



2. NAMELESS

Your music drives me crazy,
It turns me on...
Your love keeps me waiting,
AS time moves on....
Wish I could get entangled in your charm,
Forever cradled in your arm...!!!




3. SOLITUDE

Solitude is Bliss,
As lovely as a kiss,
Showered upon by a lover,
Who in the midst...Thinks
Ignorance is bliss!



Now for some stuff I came up with and in which I have a lot of belief..

"The Gods don't mind , but "THEY" do!"
- Against all religious superstitions in existence , just because they existed once upon a time. I am not an atheist. I am as strong a theist can be. I am a believer of God. And nothing more!


" Ours is a country where we mock at beggars 'cause they don't do any work and slam our doors at the faces of salesmen 'cause they do their work "
- Against the attitude of folks not able to respect people for what they are.


"I love myself 'cause I know I'm not perfect !"
-Against my complex and insecurities in life. The importance of imperfect !!

Madras city le atrocity...

I live in Madras for the past 15 years . Though the change from "Bengalooru" to Madras didn't work well with me and bro as kids, we kind of gave in, during the later years. Growing up in Madras has been a great experience, that soon, even the options of "Bengalooru" being on top of the list, looked very bleak. For all its beauty , after its name changed from Madras to "I dONT like it much - CHENNAI!" , its still lovable just the way it is. For all the nook"S" and corner"S" of Madras that I've been to, there's one thing that I keep noticing, unable to miss even once, something which has never failed my eyes, something written in charcoal that is pitch black, in a lopsided scrawl , something which has always been a mystery to me...It is the "JAMES MAGIC SHOW - 9841072571". Go to any place in Madras. Its there staring right at you. It's there in bus stops, on electric boxes, on lamp posts, on "walls", on flyover pillars, on closed shutters of shops, it's even in a few movies(Tamil) that I saw,spare the news!. . The same black scrawl on the wall that leaves me bewildered all the time! So, how many have noticed it and wondered about it like me?And still better, how many actually called to find out about the Magician JAMES..?

Another fascinating thing about Madras - the battle for breath in the "back(waters)shops" of the great Ranganathan Street, T.Nagar. A mere walk down the lane, you would face instant suffocation with mixed feelings of emotions, including the anxiety of your bag being snatched and getting lost in the crowd . The shops are the same there, as everywhere else. Its not exactly an overcrowded marketplace either. So why this running hither and thither , causing all the lack of space and breath, adding to higher decibels of sound(Noise Pollution)??

Change is inevitable. The universe changes, the world changes, "people" change, emotions change, Time changes and everything in existence is subjected to changes. The changing trends, urbanization has taken over most of the "hi-fi" cities in the country Mumbai,Delhi,Kolkatta,Hyderabad,Bengalooru(urgh!) including Madras ,to an extent. It is the "to an extent" that saves the day! Well, though Madras is falling prey to the "trendz", there are still places in the city which haven't changed and will not change in the future either. The areas in and around Mylapore tank is one solid example. The glitter of the dazzling bangles of North Mada Street, the beautiful jewellery shops lining the streets, shops with all the pooja -paraphernalia, scented agarbatis and sandal wood, all the shops forming a perfect circle around the huge , magnificent Kabalishwar temple. Its scenic, and like they say - You just have to be there! Its one of the few places that hasn't changed much over the years, the people are the same, even the sundal tastes the same! This is why I love Madras so much. It has so much to offer people . People here have an option, and are respected for the choices made. Its either being conservative, traditional, or being modern and etiquette . Whatever the people are, its left to them, a choice made entirely by themselves. There's no societal pressure here. Maybe,the people aren't that friendly and totally into hospitality. But still, Madras is special for me. A city which amuses me , fascinates me, educates me , in every second of my existence here . Madras - is beautiful, just the way it is.....!.

Vetti Post..trying to blog again,,!!

My mobile goes "squeak and tring". I wake up first. The first one to wake up always, due to the misfortune of studying in a college that starts before an average human had his morning breakfast and ended exactly at school timings. Maybe I should consider myself lucky that it closes early, in comparison to other colleges which are virtually a part of Madras, but are actually not! I revert back to school days when I gave up on having to arrange books according to time table day by day, eventually carrying a whole sack of books everyday! Life hadn't changed much between school and college - only thing was, now I was carrying the same load - "as per the time table"! After that small errand, I get into the actual business of doing my early morning duties, and get ready at the neck of the moment, grabbing my ID in one hand and my bag on the other, with a peck on Mom's cheek, I utter a "hurried- scared of running late sorta Goodbye" and step out.

The gates creak loudly and I try as far as possible to minimise the noise by walking deliberately and tapping my sandals hard to cover up. Dumb? I know..thank you...!!! I see my watchman sitting by the stone pavement near the gate, give him a weak smile and walk towards glory - my bus stop. I reach the stop just in time, thanking my lucky stars.My driver and me, share a wonderful chemistry! Now, don't give me that look...I just meant that he knew when I was gonna turn by the street and wave my hands and stop the bus on mid route,for which he gives me liberal doses of scoldings, aided by his accomplice - Domi, my adorable co-passenger who happens to be a close friend!. I usually come up with the same excuse "Anna late ayiduchu na!"(meaning..I was running late bro..) and he would let me off with that. Thank God ! This driver Anna is one who can make you feel the ride on a dusty old mahabalipuram road, like a Venice Gondola ride. He is prefect when it comes to applying brakes, always an inch away from the bus ahead,making us lose our minds for a minute!One of the rare occasions when I witness pin drop silence in bus. He smiles at no one in particular at the rear view mirror, and if we noticed that look, it would be like another feather on his cap!

We would reach college pretty late, when compared to other volvo-valluvar-buses! Our college is still into the underdeveloped rickety bus usage category. Surprisingly enough,myself and Domi would always find something or the other very amusing, from the moment we step down till the moment we reach the chem dept block for breakfast. We usually reach the place giggling, glad to meet the smiles of our other buddies, sharing the same mockery we had witnessed 2 minutes back. Sometimes I become wistful, amidst laughter, thinking and wishing we had been in the same dept and class. But would that have been as special as this relationship? I dint know! I reach my class , usually alone. I enjoy the walk across the lawn, escaping the smelly water fountain sprinklers and trying not to step on anything "non-human"! Class has me sitting beside my best associate(Sharmi) when it comes to getting through a "rigmarolish" mass transfer period with a cow-man -cross for a teacher,who with great difficulty makes sure that we don't understand a word of what he "tries" to tell us!

After endurance of two successful classes, we have a break, when the girl's loo is generally crowded with prom- queens, who would look more like a pack of losers than beauty contest winners! I would pity them and go to the loo for the purpose it served,wondering how many times they would adjust their one strand of hair. I would laugh to myself thinking that the Snow white today would have gone berserk, if she knew that there were so many "queens" obsessed with a cracking mirror in the loo of a dumb college! My gang mates would usually gather around the cooler, doing nothing other than commenting at whoever passes by, from the first floor, to the G'S(block incharges) ,to the junior's block next to us. Things like this was what made college a bit bearable!! We finally head inside after we notice the flock of hair (sometimes greeted by a glare too many from the respected baldies!)of the next scheduled lecturer, from the gap in the staircase. 2 more to go for Lunch...! Sometimes, I really think college was worth it. Some Professors(Biochem sir) are really good, we would be lost in the world they brought us, during those cherished moments! It would be so interesting that we would lose track of time and space and distance. Totally mesmerised...! Then goes the fire alarm , Oops that's my college Bell!

We start for the mess hall in packs of 4,5,6 , knowing what was awaiting us, the menu on the fingertips! Post lunch, is a delicious sleepy experience of trying to keep off the eyelids from dropping. Hard efforts do pay! Usually all teachers, on a full theory day, would let us free 10 minutes before the bell. Lucky if it was Ethics!.. Open boycott and the poor man will just have to heed to our wishes! That's because ethics was considered as an "Uppukuchapan" (Namesake)subject, by many depts including ours! The day would end with the welcome sound of the fire alarm, and this time I would walk across the lawn, accompanied by buddies and we would now be in a quick pace to reach the bus. War times in some buses. Getting a place would be difficult and people die hard to catch places for friends and foes alike! Its usually me and Domi and so we don't have much problems. The return journey in the bus would see either my head on Domi's or the vice-versa. We try to dissolve and melt all our fears and share everything that happened..How??? Did I ever tell you - Telepathy exists...so does the "Hibernation factor!""

kutty kutty things that make my day!!

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on."

-Robert Frost.

I strongly believe that its some of the smallest things in Life that make it worth living. Not everyday is bright and sunny. Some days can be so gloomy to the state of pushing you into hibernation, a state of mental absence. Even at such gruelling times, when we attain the heights of depression, its the smallest things in life that come to our rescue. We have all the reason and right to be happy. As I always tend to realise, Life is the same to every person, only the perceptions are different. Its left to us to enjoy this moment which is inevitable. As I was thinking about these " kutty " things that bring a smile to my lips, I was surprised at the number of things I came up with... Here are some of them..



1. Gobbling Pani puris at a road side shop, much to the annoyance of Mom.

2. The walk on the beach, playing running and catching with the approaching waves.

3. Meditating whenever possible, preferably in the peace of a temple, with the scent of agarbatis and temple bells chiming away.

4.Brave attempt at tasting something for the first time - Red wine,at my friend's place . Though it tasted more like a tonic and I hardly had a sip, it was enough to make me lift my collars and parade around telling whoever would listen that I had atlast tasted wine. ;-)

5.Meeting an old school mate at a very boring place, exactly at the moment when my hands are folded in desperate prayer, to send someone to rescue me from the boredom.

6.All the fuss people around you make, when you recieve a scratch from falling down. Only you would wear that secret smile on your face.

7.Going to school after years, meeting old teachers who all look the same, except for maybe a few grey hairs and bifocal spectacles.

8.Laughing and giggling in class , whenever possible, at all the "mokkai's" the girl next to me (sharmi)puts, at the "sight" of her many loved ones.

9. When someone in whose life you would have been a part of, knowingly or unknowingly, long time ago, remembers you. Eg : When a junior from my X-X-School came upto me and asked me if I remembered her. ;-) ofcourse I din't! but I had to say I did!

10.Listening to favourite music and lyrical wonders, musing over them again and again.

11.Buying "Kuchi" ice - Orange flavour, tearing the wrapper immediately, licking all the way home, sparing the stick and as soon as I reach home, checking if my lips have turned the right shade of orange.

12.Sharing dairy milk with friends in college and fighting for the "wrapper" waiting to be licked.

13.Missing college bus, on a dreadful , full theory classes day. A secret desire inside that no alternative buses should pass by the same route (like today..I missed the bus which made me so happy that I'm blogging about it)..

14.There's nothing more delightful than surprise parties - no matter which end you are in - the delivering or the receiving end ;-) . Recently it was at Domi's birthday. Me and Shara threw a surprise party especially for her with candle-lit cup cakes!! hehe.. not exactly a birthday bash with black forest chocolate cake, but it was her happiest moment in life, and that moment made our day! !

15.Relishing mom'a cooking during the week-ends, which is the only time I eat at home -thrice a day.

16. A cup of coffee, "I'm reading this at present" book, and the sound of music and rain in the background.

17.Appreciation from the most unexpected people and the least expected times .

18.Watching the kids on the street play cricket, their funny conversations, and chasing them when they break our window panes. Acting big sis, whenever possible, and scaring the guts out of them to pay for the broken glass.

19.Riding my bike all alone to class, without any escorts (Bharat and Dhivya), and successfully getting back home without meeting with any "major" accidents.

20.Observing people and letting my mind do all the talking, which turns out to be positive and negative as well.

21. Reading a diary after a long time and being transported to the memories of the past.

22.Glancing through old photos, wishing I could still have been a kid and regretting it the next moment thinking " who'll write X and XII exams again!!Jesus! "... ;-)

23.Writing an exam on the most darkest day of my life, which has been a catastrophe right from the moment I wake up till I step into the hall, but still, passing that exam by inches.

24.Getting through the Viva(Practicals) atleast on a 50-50 basis. I suck at VIVA- My greatest fear next to cockroaches.

25.Sitting right behind the driver( in the college bus) and cracking up with my accomplice , Domi, making the driver throw us weird looks in the rear view mirror,which would never go unnoticed by us. But still, we always end up in fits of laughter, for small things that we encounter, during our 40 minutes journey, on the rickety bus on an evenmore rickety, dust-filled, Old Mahabalipuram Road. *Sigh*.. Life is sure worth it!!



I started with a quote by one of my favourite poets of all times - Robert Frost. Now I end with another relevant quote I came across somewhere. Here goes..



"Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things, in which smiles, and kindnesses, and small obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve the heart and secure comfort”

C-R-Y-!

If you're wondering if its a campaign for "Child Relief and You ", you are wrong. Though I would love to blog about it (maybe in the near future), right now I meant the literal sense of the word - "cry". Someone said "Smiles form the channels of a future tear.” I can see you nodding away, thinking to yourself "How true!".

Today, I fell down and hurt my leg.Actually fell into a sump.I don't want to elaborate on that.I luckily escaped with a scratch and a minor swell . I had to go to a hospital for a TT injection and coincidentally, one of the physicians was a paediatrician and that was the only clinic close to my residence. I reached the place and was greeted with the cry for help - mostly from kids. I was astonished as I had never seen so many kids at one go, and all "crying". It was faster than a nuclear chain reaction. What was even more amusing was that only one child at a time was injected.Watching that child triggered the one next to it to cry, and the next and next and so on, resulting in the fastest chain reaction in history. I was so amused that I forgot that all the mothers were throwing me daggers with their looks, as I was smiling at the crying kids. Gee..couldn't help it..! I went back in time to an hour back when I had turned into Humpty and had a great fall. Though I fell completely inside with my hands stretching out, and the depth wasn't much, my dad caught me in a jiffy. But still that shock sort of triggered uneasy emotions and I cried- sorry Wailed like crazy. I can laugh now, thinking about it. So sitting in the wooden bench at the clinic, waiting for the doctor, I was wondering what actually made people cry. What evoked the tears? What was the scientific reason behind it? After the injection, I came home and started searching about the science behind tears. Wikipedia and few other sites had the answers. Here's what I found..

Tears are a liquid produced by the body's process of lacrimation to clean and lubricate the eyes. The word lacrimation may also be used in a medical or literary sense to refer to crying.Tears may be classified into 3 types:

*Basal Tears

*Reflex Tears

*Psychic Tears

Basal Tears :

Tears are continually produced in small quantities by the Tear Glands, which are located on the outer side of each eye, slightly above the eye and underneath the eyelid. Tears, which are spread evenly over the front surface of the eye during blinking, clean and lubricate the eye. An important component of tears is lysozyme, a chemical that inhibits bacterial growth on the eye's surface. Some of the tears evaporate, but the remainder are drained into the nose through the Tear Duct, keeping the nose moist. Lysozyme from the tears prevents bacterial growth in the nose as well.

Reflex Tears :

These result from the irritation of the eye by foreign particles, or from the presence of irritant substances such as onion vapours, tear gas or pepper spray in the eye's environment. These reflex tears attempt to wash out irritants that may have come into contact with the eye.

Psychic tears :

These tears have more to do with emotions and hurt - both physical and mental. They are also caused due to depression and emotional stress.However the chemical composition of the tears in this case is different. An interesting discovery was made by Dr. William H. Frey II, a biochemist at the St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center in Minnesota.On analysis, they found that emotional tears contained more of the protein-based hormones, prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and leucine enkephalin (natural painkiller), all of which are produced by our body when under stress. It seems as if the body is getting rid of these chemicals through tears. No wonder we feel better after a good cry!

The discovery of facts from http://www.wikipedia.com/ and http://www.scienceiq.com/ :

#1. "The crocodile tears syndrome" is an uncommon consequence of recovery from Bell's palsy where faulty regeneration of the facial nerve causes sufferers to shed tears while eating.

#2.Keratoconjunctivitis sicca , more commonly known as dry eye, is a very common disorder of the tear film. Paradoxically, sufferers can experience watering of the eyes .

#3. Here's my favourite ;) . An insincere display of grief or dishonest remorse is called crocodile tears,from the ancient anecdote that crocodiles would pretend to weep while luring or devouring their prey.

#4. Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from stop producing tears. Try it next time you chop onions. I don't know how far this is true. My granny says that the onion vapours increase the sharpness in sight . Same with the smoke from the flames while performing a "homam" during housewarming ceremonies.

#5. In space you cannot cry because there is no gravity to make the tears flow. HA -HA -HA...!

And nOW.. for my theory :

I think tears are a way of expressing helplessness. The reflex action arising out of confusion. Like when you suddenly meet with an accident, get hurt, there's a moment when you can feel pain at various angles. Like how I felt today. My stomach, legs, ankle, knee , elbow were all competing and when someone asked me where it hurt, I din't know where and I cried. Adding to the effect of helping me in my transformation into a child, was my mother, who said "Hayo evlo valikardho!" (meaning- Oh my God, How much it would pain") . That was the signal, and slowly the confused tears started making sense and became a wail and finally reached the peak of the vocal chords into the cry of a banshee.

AAA-OOO-MMM - peace!

It was the time when I was subjected to various complexities of the mind - primarily plagued with the fear of a six-letter word -Career. I had just completed the Higher Secondary, technically considered eligible to join College. I was a confused soul , unable to come to terms with what I wanted in life.I had ambitions (too big a word, desires would be appropriate ;) ) which were many in number, each making me go crazy,crazier,craziest. It was then that my cousin, Sowmya,who thought I was too "vetti" decided to act pioneer and pushed me into Pranayama classes. My mom and bro had already experienced the "Isha touch" before and so they had no objections. So I went along to Isha, to learn pranayama and "shunya" meditation,which sure helped to block out the building complexities in the head. It was a totally new experience. Very gratifying and it gave me a very new outlook to life. More than the exercises, it was the discussions we had everyday that really helped me. It was more to do with "self realisation". We enjoyed every moment and the sessions were very interactive. People, totally strangers, the previous minute, spoke freely, like they knew you for ages. It was a blissful experience. All good things come to an end, the course soon got over. It was the eve of the last day. At the stroke of twelve, me and my cousin,came up with a poem. Our experiences at Isha.....


THE LIGHTER SIDE OF ISHA…


For those brooding about the past
For those dreaming about the future
Bang came the knock on the head
Teaching them about the present.
Dumbstruck sat the gaping frogs
Accepting all that came across.
Adding colour to the place, with the clothes we wore
Opening our minds door, listening to Deepaji
Croaking and unfrocking the masks we wore.

Break the rules, we did it
Follow the rules,we didn’t.
OUR RULES,we followed it!!
Responsibility on ones shoulder,was like carrying a boulder
But the “ability to respond”,rolled the boulder,down the shoulder.
Out of temptation,we started meditation,
On continuation,we found that there's no expectation!
Man sowed the seed of conditional love
And eventually reaped the fruit of hatred…
Bygone days are bygone…for now its time to unweed…
And create a paradise of unconditional love indeed..!
Jesus said “love thy neighbour”
Isha said..”LOVE ALL EXISTENCE”


Note :
I read this poem the next day in class. Luckily didn't mess up much. Those who have been on the course will understand the poem better. 'cause every sentence is a lesson we learnt. our everyday classes dealt more with Life . Just in case you were wondering, Deepaji , was our guruji at the class. It's been like almost 3 years since we wrote this. I haven't modified it till now. I don't care if it sounds silly ;) . . About me in touch with the exercises..guess you'd know better - I tried,but I couldn't!!! I wouldn't mind enrolling a second time though.

The untold story

Once upon a time in India, in a district called "Dharapuram" , in the wee hours of the morning, a beautiful girl was born. She was the last one in a family of 5 and became the cutest "kadai kutty". Her folks named her "A" . She was an inborn mathematician, something she had inherited from her dad, who was a high school teacher. They then moved to Trichy. She did her schooling and graduation in an "all-girls" institution. She grew up into a strong and independent woman, who landed up in a job at a telephone exchange.And that's when she met Mr."B". Now a little background information about Mr.B. He was the third child in a family of 9 kids. Luckily,his granny was fond of him and he grew up under her care at Palayamkotai, Tirunelveli dist.,while his folks with the other kids stayed in Trichy. He was always full of energy and had an undying thirst for knowledge. He grew up into a very intelligent,dark and handsome young man, with an unbeatable sense of humour, which many of the opposite sex found totally irresistible. As fate would have it, he ended up in the same office as "A",who was the "woman next desk".
A and B soon became good friends. They had common interests which mostly figured around fiction and non fiction books, music and drama. Each found the other extraordinarily amusing and their relationship initially was a bond of friendship between two colleagues. It was those times when a guy talking to a girl was considered as the greatest "sin",with no chances of forgiveness!Their friendship looked like "Sin" to the scavengers in office,dying for some element of excitement,which would be the driving force to come to work the next day.Rumours started spreading like wild fire, in the office. Everything would have been perfect if they both were strong about their friendship.But then,"surprise surprise!". B was secretly in love with A. B knew quite well, unlike his future endeavors,that a love untold would remain untold forever.So mustering up the little courage that was left in him, he proposed to A.It was the hardest times of his life. A liked B but din't love B...well, not yet! "A" took her own sweet time. She had a lot of things to consider.For instance, their distinctive family backgrounds, A being an orthodox "iyer ponnu" and B belonging to a Non -Brahmin family. A was a strict veggie , even smelling an egg was equivalent to crime and nausea for her. B was brought up with an instinctive belly for the "non - vegetables". Considering all these facts,with some persuasion from B's faithful and emotionally driven buddies, she made up her mind. It was the hardest decision of her life and she made it. She never looked back after that.
Their love life bloomed into something so beautiful,something more like a fantasy,a dream come true. They wrote to each other regularly, met very rarely, and each time they met, their unconditional love for each other became more intense.Then what shouldn't happen, happened. Exactly like in the movies. "A" got caught.Guess how?? The Letters! I guess in those times, A didn't know that letters(love) were meant to be hidden,or rather burnt. Everything went from bad to worse, war broke out.The two families, on the very first acquaintance, waged war against each other. The usual hierarchy of events followed suit. A was completely isolated from the world. Totally under home arrest. B could do nothing but pine away for his love. Things went out of control and B decided to marry A in a Register Office. It was a fine day,a very special day for someone. She dressed up in a very ordinary saree,flung her bag on her shoulder,strapped her watch in position and snapped back to life. She was getting ready for work. She took one look at her Dad, Sis, Bro, all of whom had made the past 6 months of her life a catastrophe. Then she looked at her Mother,who's eyes welled up at the sight of her daughter looking normal,after what seemed like ages. She knew that they would love her, no matter what she became. A stepped out the house and their lives. B was her life now. They got married in a temple and went undercover, even on their honeymoon, as A's Big Bro was getting all serious about the issue and was trying to track them down. B had guts but not enough to handle thugs! So A and B travelled to a lot of places, along with a C,who was in the wireless service, and was B's close friend. After some months, B got a job in Bangalore and they started their life in a single bedroom,sorry, single room house, a cot and a wooden stool being their first piece of furniture. Life was too good to be true. Both of them earned and contributed to B's widespread family.A was immediately accepted by her in-laws , not the same with B. B was soon accepted, a year after their marriage ,when their first gift from God arrived - when their son was born. Things were back to normal. A and B still live with the same love and compassion they once felt, long time back, when they shared the same work space. Soon after their son was born, they had a daughter . A daredevil female, who had all the guts in the world,to blog about her parents, thinking it would be a nice change..Yea! you're right....!! Thats me!!!!! hahaha..................!!!!!!!!