Chennai Times

• Chennai sometimes surprises me. I did not expect Chennai to have a sizeable audience for world cinema but the endless stream of Film festivals have swept me off my feet. If it was French last week, it is Algerian next and an Indian retrospective and then a Short film festival. The festival circuit seems to be very active. I went to Alliance Française for the screening of Guru Dutt's 'Kaagaz ke phool' (as a part of the Indian Retrospective). And in spite of it being a weekday afternoon, it was a full house. Way to go Chennai.

• My experience with Jiddu Krishnamurti, a.k.a JK was very limited, having only skimmed through a couple of his books. I had the opportunity to visit Krishnamurti Foundation of India - KFI's Study Centre in Adyar this weekend. KFI had organised a video screening of one of the lectures of JK (delivered in Saasen, Switzerland in 1980) and again, the enthusiastic participation gladdens me. These video screenings by KFI take place every alternate Sunday and there are plans for a discussion forum on the Sundays when there is no screening. People interested in JK's philosophy, cash in!

• Auto-rickshaws in Chennai were fitted with new electronic fare meters. The fare was also revised taking into consideration the fuel prices and such. The autowallahs proved the philosophy that "Even if everything changes, nothing really changes". You can bring in the latest space-age technology, to accurately measure the number of kilometers the auto has travelled to within a millimeter, you can bring in tamper-proof meters that will give you the same accurate reading every single time, but you cannot make the autowallah charge you by the meter. Try as I did, I couldn't get even one auto guy to use the meter. They even came up with ingenious excuses for not using the meter. One guy actually said that he can't use the meter in the night time, because all the battery power is sucked by the headlights leaving none for the meter. I am thinking of compiling all the reasons that they could possibly come up with.

• Following on the same vein, you can make a law but to enforce one, needs courage. The Madras High Court made it compulsory for all riders of two-wheelers to wear helmets. Helmet sales boomed and by the first of June, when the law came into effect, almost everyone had bought one. I am guessing the cops were looking forward to an early Diwali/Christmas. But then, man proposes and the chiefminister disposes. The gutless CM, afraid that he would lose public support, issued a statement that candidly assured the public that the law will not be 'enforced'. End result: even in the centre of the city, people ride their two-wheelers without headgear fearlessly. Thank you Mr. CM. You have the interest of the public, foremost in your mind.

RKN

I have always maintained that RK Narayan is one of my favourite authors and when Priya (of Numbskulls) tagged me to write my experiences with the Malgudi man, I can't refuse, can I? I know it has been a while since you posted that Priya, and I am sorry that I haven't been more regular to my blog. But better late than never.

Since everyone has written about Swami and friends, English teacher and Maneater of Malgudi rather extensively, I'll stay clear of it all. I'd better write about my favourite RKN novel: "Waiting for the Mahatma". Though much of WFTM happens outside Malgudi, I'd still vote it my favourite Malgudi novel. SriRam, the spoilt youngster from Malgudi, who lives with his grandmother gets transformed into a Gandhian, then a revolutionary and finally into what we hope a responsible adult. It was an amazing coming-of-age story interspered with a heart-warming romance and I cannot for the life of me imagine, why it was not made into a movie.

Similarly, I enjoyed the lesser popular collection of short stories, 'A Horse and two goats' and 'Lawley Road and other stories' and there were one or two very 'Malgudi'-ish stories in it.

Though I am as disappointed as all RKN fans that he did not receive many laurels (notable of which was the Nobel prize for Literature), I am sure the adulation of many readers spanning three-four generations was his greatest reward.

Oh! did you know his unfinished works, a collection of short stories is going to be published as Malgudi-O-Palooza.

No.... I was just kidding. I am suuposed to add Malgudi-O-Palloza to my post to help the aliens keep track of me.

Update: Gifted a collection of RKN's novels to two of my nephews. May the next generation live with the Malgudi man the way we did.