The ups and downs of friendship

Scene 1/ 10.30 PM on a weekday

V :"Amma, you're my best friend"
Me: *swoons* "TB, you heard that? So cute of him...yes kanna! you are my best friend too..."
V:" Acha is my best friend too!"
TB*does a very proud papa, tribal dance*"Yo"
V: "Can we play car now?"


Scene 2/ 8.00 PM, just before dinner

V: " Amma you're my friend , na?"
Me: " Of course yes Kanna, why ?"
V: " I want that" *Pointing to jar of strawberry jelly drops kept high away from him*
Me: "no"
V: " You're not my friend...Katti"

Scene 3/ 7.30 AM on saturday, like two seconds after waking up

V: " Amma, you're my best friend ever"
Me: " Ok kanna, you are my friend too"
V:*eager expression*" We'll go and play in park now, na?"
Me:Huh!

Scene 4/Anytime of the day

Me:" who made this mess here?, how many times have i told you blah blah....." *rolls eyes*
V: " You are my best friend, i want to hug you" holds onto leg amidst protests*.
" I will give you a kiss also"

Scene 5/ After a week of being best friends

V:" Amma, you are my best friend!"
Me:" Ok kanna, tell me what you want , NOW"


People...i see a future PR guy here.

My story of panchamritham......

Sivaratri is a big celebration back where i grew up..it still is. Only, i haven't been around during the celebrations for over a decade.

The sights, the sounds , the smells...oh ! the smells!

Sneaking into the granary to check if all the ingredients for 'panchamritam' have arrived, waking up on sivarathri mornings to the sounds over all the containers available being washed, mashing the bananas with sugar cane, wearing new dresses, arrival of all relatives.....the pooja, prasad on banana leaves, the fireworks after that.....and the sugar induced coma that sets in post lunch.

I now live with memories!

It was always the one festival that bought the entire extended family tree to our ancestral home...the house , the courtyard would be teeming with people, maybe a hundred relatives, and even more villagers....

The kids always got the messier tasks, collecting flowers, peeling bananas, mashing them, but participate we did. In between running around and sneaking off to play.

The men had the more serious tasks...arranging for the 'poojari', getting the pachamritam ready before the start of thew pooja, making sure the "kathina vedi"- barrel crackers , and planted safe and away from the crowd, while amma and ammamma made sure these were enough vessels to give away panchamritham to each house hold..of course after giving them a mouthful on not bringing their on containers:-)

We were free to do what we wanted and usually caught up on where we left of the day before, or the week before....playing, running around- till the pooja starts.
Then there is impatience, for the pooja to get over, and get the prasad..." pachamritam" on banana leaves, running in all directions.I always played safe and took one spoon on the leaf..then went and got myself a small bowl and took extra helpings in that...some advantages on being the girl of the house, and of staying in the 'tharavadu'.

Then we would all find a safe spot from the scorching sun stand and watch/ listen to the fireworks...it was always the youngest uncle who used to be in charge- i think he got a kick out of getting louder and scarier crackers every year....

My mom hated what came after this. The panchamritam, sittting in a huge vessle, had to divided between the various households as per their contribution, and number of members at home.
Logistical nightmare...and a very bad house keeping nightmare come true.
Pachamritham, is one tricky matter...like a mixture of custard and honey- sticky in parts, runny in some, stains like crazy and ants love it.

After all that is over, there would still be about 20 ltrs of the stuff left, that goes to the immediate family, and gets stored , to be sent away to....chez moi now, TB's house, Our BIL's house maybe this year..all relatives, who may come visiting in the next two months, or who may get visited in the same time span.
That leaves about 10 ltrs, which we ate in bulk...and passed out in sugar induced coma..for the remainder of the day.

oops! no sleep...there was still the whole night movie at the temple compound. All stories of god played out on the makeshift screen, while the entire village stayed awake with Lord Shiva. At some stage in life, we out grew this and stuck to watching the same stuff, but staying at home.

Sivarathri now, is another day ay office, trying to figure out how to keep V busy at home, missing the celebrations and calling up home to maybe catch some long distance sounds of the celebrations. And of course reminding amma to bring us( TB) a large horlicks bottle full of panchamritam on her next trip.

Life is all about living in anticipation , right? and my expectations are pretty simple. A bottle of home made panchamritam, make me delirously happy!

Bitchy rant

To the waif thin , size 34 suit weilding, just out of college, wannabe consultant......

A polite acknowledgement for the very well mannered " excuse me", " please" , and " thank you" will be appreciated in this office. Especially to the client who is paying us so you could be here in the first place!

THAT, maybe will go a long way , instead acting busy on the phone and dropping names in their vicinity.

Just so you know....

About 426

That is the number of muscles i have on the lower half of my body.

After a week on the treadmill, they are all clamouring for attention!!!!

Is restraint a quality for the masses?

I walked into office this morning..and read this article.

Could not help but agree with him. Over the last three months, i have been speaking to people who have been unceremoniusly asked to exit.
People who have been working for the last 20 years, Bright eyed MBA's who had bagged THAT fantastic job a year ago- now no more, That brilliant marketing guy who started a company last year..all of them, at the same door.

And companies that threw out people in masses, are still paying out bonuses to their management, in staggering figures!!

I sense the caution, the despair, the fear of not knowing what is in store for tomorrow...in the voices of people i speak to. And despair, as i have no way of helping them. For now....all of us are happy being able to get up in the morning and have someplace to work at.

Will we be able to spend on a lavish party for your child when half of his parents jobs are under threat?
Will we be able to have a dinner a week outside, in a new restaurant in the locality?
Will we be able to make it to all the sale that the city is being overrun with?
Will we, finally take off on that dream vacation that was long overdue, now with the bargains and all?
That car we have been talking about...can we buy that now?

Can we still afford all that? Thankfully, Yes!

Will we do it? Personally, i do not think so. That is where the article becomes relevant. Understanding the social situation around us and behaving as responsible people is what the hour needs....and i am sure we are not the only one's who think the same way.

And then, we read about the excesses, and wonder if restraint is a quality reserved for the masses??? Living within our means seems to be a middle class sentiment...at least it look like to me.

Sunit writes " sure, it's your money to do as you please, but is this conspicuous spending the right thing to do? Particularly when your armies of employees are working day and night to save their jobs? "

And also adds
"It's a tricky moral argument. Wealth has been flaunted through the ages, with varying degrees of tackiness. Simply put, the businessperson is today's maharaja and his/her shopping list is fodder for society. Indeed, the media has played a leading role in celebrating wealth, however notional. With terms like 'repressed demand', the 'many Indias' and the 'trickle-down effect', the middle class has rationalised the 450 million people living below the poverty line. It's debatable whether displays of wealth in tough times actually shock the poor. Truth be told, it upsets the middle class, more so when the going isn't good."

All we can hope for is that we do not go through a phase of lamenting over a "failed era of excesses".

There is an entire mass of people around us whose going is not so good right now. Maybe we should be considerate to them, thankful for what we still have and learn to appreciate it.

And the strength to tide over, if this ever comes knocking at our door.

All i need now is a pill for self inspiration

I re invent myself, every once in a while. And this does not mean start all over again..it might be something specific that i want to do....something i'd like to change.

Right now it feels like it is time to re invent- myself. No, i am not changing the way i am as a person, it has more to do with my lifestyle.. while i still have not figured out what all will i need to categorize under this...that list is still 'wip'.Given the fact that i have crossed the 30 bridge, and with a family lineage of diabetes and osteoporosis, it definitely includes eating sensibly, and giving my body enough exercise and rest of course.

I thought i should put this down somewhere, given my tendency to forget a lot of things one has to do for self. The stage is set,all that is left is for the mind to take over and execute.

If only it was that easy....

Lets see where this leads..and how much of it gets translated into action.

In anticipation

Of the pink Khadi saree from SRS, in return for half a dozen of pink chaddies sent so lovingly.

Very patient here:-)