Naan Madras Suththi saapida Poren

Hurray People! I am coming to Madras (why is "Chennai" so difficult to say).

A month back, I was reluctant to get my tickets to India - buying them for October or November would seal the issue: I could not go any earlier. The 'fantasy' that I could go sooner would collapse; castles cave in. But the wait was enough. Accepted that my fantasy wasn't rational, sigh!!! Decided that I'll take my break (I am eligible for 20 days vacation per year... only 20 days. Grrr. Is there any Human Rights Actvist reading this) in October so I can spend the Navarathri - Deepavali period home. Informed my supervisor and received his blessings (a major achievement). Excitement overwhelmed me as tickets were blocked for October 7th and it wasn't curbed by the airfare the Travel agent quoted- $1200 for return...hmmm good price - steal deal.

The wheels have been set in motion. A shopping schedule has been planned (to coincide with my scholarship) and prices, deals, shops, etc. for gifts are being thoroughly researched. The Travel Agent has been reminded to get me "Asian Vegetarian" meals on board. Mails have been despatched to all the near and dear about the trip (and many of the N&D haven't responded yet...grrrrrr). Last year, Deepavali was a major dud, a disaster. I had exam the next morning. Plans are also being hatched for this Deepavali in Chennai :). With ear-splitting 1000-walas and soaring rockets.

I am so looking forward to the trip. After being in exile for a year and a half, I am returning to Chennai (for a short-holiday only :(( ). Come October and I'll be sailing through the pot-holed Madras roads, eating Sambhar Vadai and Masala Dosai in Saravana Bhavan, guggling Filter Coffee (besh! besh! Coffee na filter coffee thaan), stuffing myself with home-made Vengaya Veththa Kuzhambu and Urulai Fry, visiting the Marina - just to eat Samosas, Bhel Puri or Pav Bhaji, and eat and drink the numerous things (Shri Krishna sweets Mysurpa, Mithai Shoppe Kaju Khatli, Venkateswara Boli Stall Thattai, ad infinitum) that I have missed the last eighteen months. Will also be visiting the numerous Periappas, Athais and cousins and sure to be welcomed like a war-hero and fed like a bull, watsay???

Readers are bound to think of me as "Saapaatu Rama" but truly Chennai isn't Chennai without its mouth-watering, levitating, stirring-the-senses food. Yes, people. FOOD.

Readers are also bound to remind me that October is a long way away. But let me tell something to you... SCREW YOU!

Love - the eternal question

Love...it happens to most of us during the course of our existence. Different people call it by different names. When boy meets girl, there are quite a few things that can happen. It is tough to label and bracket them with strict definitions, but here's an attempt...

Lust: When your BODY says go for it, just do it and nothing else matters.In some parts of the world, this phenomenon is also called Love at first sight... he hehehe!

Infatuation: When your HEART says go for it but MIND says otherwise.

Platonic: When your SOUL falls for it, but BODY plays spoilsport.(I remember a definition of platonic that goes: the interval between the first meeting and the first kiss)

Arranged relationship (the arranged marriage phenomenon): When your MIND says you can make it work, it's just perfect and this is the person!

Love: When your HEART, MIND, BODY and SOUL realises and agrees that you are happy just being with this person!

Crush: When something about the person appeals to either your HEART, MIND, BODY or SOUL but you don't want to do anything about it.

But again, these definitions are just words...

As we grow older, we start adding criteria to our love with the pretext of maturity. We give it names and definitions as I have just done.

But truly, at the end of the day it's just about time and space. The more time and space you spend with one person, the more likely that you are going to be attached to them and at some point, even fall in love. It's very scientific at some level. Which is why arranged marriages in India WORK. Two people who spend a lot of time and space together, discover each other and learn to live unconditionally, in spite of what the other person actually is. Even if he/she is ugly, fat, lazy, stupid, evil, loathsome or diametrically opposite to what you really wanted.

It is the will that matters. The resolve. Determination. Add Understanding each other to that and any two people in this world can live with each other.

Love is that unconditional 'being-there-for-the-other' element which keeps people together. Which is why best friends make great life partners and great life partners make best friends.

I wudn't say this is a totally accurate observation... but yeah, this is wat Sudhish thinks! And he should know!

A weekend to remember

Danielle, my neighbour at the Hall (hostel) I lived in last year was finishing her course and leaving on Saturday for Florida. So we were meeting for a drink on Friday evening. We met at a small Bar near the university and there were heaps of other friends, coursemates who had also come to bid her farewell. Nothing special happened (there was no drunk fist fighting or tongue-sucking in the nearby tables). I had"Sweet Cider" for the first time and unlike beer this was sweet (sweet cider will be sweet, right? grin...)and was palatable.

Then we went to the Hall where some other person (whom I didn't know) was having a farewell party in the Senior Common Room(But that doesn't matter, does it?). Made friends with friends of Danielle and shouted at the top of my voice in order to be heard in the ear-drum shattering loud music. The highlight of the party was that i saw the "Most" beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life. She was like a sculpture of gold come alive. I would do no justice to her beauty by even attempting to describe it. There is nothing in this world that could be compared to her beauty. Not the moon, not the lotus in bloom, not the peacock. Nothing. It was matchless.

Of course I felt a creature as heavenly as she would have nothing to do with me and stood at a reverential distance, gaped at her and made no effort to introduce myself or strike conversation.

This would have gone on with no end had we not have to leave. We left at 1:30 in the night and we were actually one of the early leavers.

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Saturday, as expected didn't wake up until 10 in the morn and even then spent a lazy morning. Cooked Vengaya Sambhar after a very very long time. It became too watery but tasted alright.

After working for a couple of hours on my research (where nothing much was accomplished) went to a friend's place and the whole lot of us went to "Madagascar" - an animated movie, from the makers of Shrek.

In spite of the occasional ridicule from family and friends about watching Animated "Kids" movies and how I need to grow-up, I would settle for a "Madagascar" to a, say "Mr.&Mrs.Smith" any day of the week. I could go on and give a lengthy review, but let me just say the movie was really good. Ben Stiller and Chris Rock as voices of the lead characters were rib-tickling funny and Hans Zimmer's music was brilliant. Undiluted, immaculate entertainment. For all.

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Sunday, was supposed to leave for Helensburg temple (outskirts of Sydney) early in the morning which ended up being 10 AM. Not my fault. I woke up at 6:30 and was ready by 7. Anywayz, we drove in a friend's Honda CR-V while a Toyota Avalon and a Toyota Camry (Why is it Indians always buy Toyotas or Hondas) followed us (more friends). We made a nice motorcade and reached Helensburg before 1. Had a splendid darshan of Chandramouleeswarar, Thirupurasundari and Valli,Devayanai samedha Shri Subramania Swamy. Also Prasanna Venkateshwarar (Thats the Saivite in me speaking).

Spent two hours savouring the atmosphere there and then left for Liverpool, a suburb of Sydney, where every other shop was either Indian groceries or an Indian restaurant. I did not feel like I was in Australia at all. Didn't even see one Caucasian there. Heaps n heaps of Indians everywhich side you turn.

We shopped for a while (which was like three hours and three hundred dollars - all thanks to one of the women in our entourage). Had dinner at Woodlands - South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant, with Kaapi in 'Dabara Tumbler' and water in eversilver glass. I had a thali - sambhar, rasam, appalam, getti thayir, oorugai, paayasam, urulai poriyal, keerai, rice and poori. Yummy!

Frankly, the food wasn't anything to write home about, but the fact that I was eating in a restaurant that reminds me of eating, lets say Ramanathapuram, makes it very special. Oh! the fate of people living far from home.

We were a group of 15, with four very small kids who made such a racket (and mess) that I am confident the hotel would never entertain us, if we were to return there. The kids were irrepressible and were getting on to my nerves but more on this later.

I reached home by 11:30 in the night totally spent. Phew! What a weekend.