ERRAND

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My parents started the groom hunting session looking for a perfect bakra a year before...but to their dismay and despair, they were unable to find a guy with whom my jadagam ( it is those tiny, twelve boxes based on which they make prediction about marriage, kids, career, next birth..and every thing that u can imagine) could be matched... a bit nonsense in all weddings
The hunting sessions for my parents started...my parents cud start a marriage bureau i felt looking at the amount of jadagams they managed to collect in short span of time....
they managed to make my entire family members and known relatives as my marriage agents and almost anyone everyone wud come over or call us up and let us know about the "REALLY NICE" boy they had in their mind....90 out of the 100 cases wud be of guys who are settled in chennai....i had already told my parents to look for a guy outside India, to which she gave an expression as if i had committed the most fatal of sins....anyways.....
Most of theguys settled in US or UK, making BIG money... and hunt was launched looking for a nice guy from a NICE family....registrations were done on all the matrimonial sites available, all the near and dear ones were asked to participate in the search, magazines were being filtered to give in the ads for a Bridegroom...
I was away from all this perfectly away from home, on sundays as i will be questioned on these stories. ....things hardly reached my ear, i had convinced to the fact that there was hardly anything that i cud do..as mine was going to be an arranged marriage...unknown devil or angel..i was prepared for both..
After a few months pased, there was finally a guy's jadagam that matched with mine...the guy was working in hyderabad and was supposedly equal to my height. i cannot say good looking. and from a very respectable family,,( enough to earn points from everyone)... I wondered!!! .and even if they do, wud they like to be wedded to a compilcated extraordinary gal like me???
So both the families spoke...i was expected to speak with the guy. v were left alone to speak i dominated in speaking( wich is the only job i can do) ALL MY FLY MEMBERS WERE GATHERED OUT ( AS IF WAITING FOR WORLD CUP FINALS, OR WAITING FOR EXAM RESULT ) I really hate this..its that day when a girl is examined like a bacteria under the microscope by people from the guys side, right from the tiniest of tots to the oldest of grandmas)....or maybe that's what i thought.....
i spoke to this guy whom i havent seen or havent known for 26 years of my life....after a25min of converstaion i came out.( really pity for him) i gave him a chance to speak jus 5sec to say hi n thanksAfter that came the rally of questionss from my parents...chitti...mamas..as to what happened..what did i speak with the guy?? was he good?? did he respond well?? how did i like him?? Did he seem interested? after all i said i liked him. but due to false information from their side tis story came to an end.

But even now this hunt is runnning on & on & on....................................

My First Trip To mumbai

Having spent all my life in Chennai & being a native of Kerala, I have never had a chance to visit the northern part of India. I used to spend my vacations in & around Kerala. Recently, I had the chance to go to Mumbai, for a cousin’s wedding.
The first thing I did was to hunt for a reasonable air-fare. After a week’s time, I got my itinerary ready. My dad and nephew also accompanied me; my nephew was so thrilled to travel as he has always fantasised about travelling by plane.
I reached Mumbai the day before the wedding. We travelled by car for about 45 minutes from the airport & reached my cousin’s house. I was seeing her after 7 yrs. I looked tiny when compared to her.
The usual wedding rituals, with a North Indian touch, made the pre-wedding event colourful. There was obviously a lot of delicious food, which I enjoyed. My nephew was quite uncontrollable, as he found a lot of kids to play with. I also happened to meet some other cousins whom I hadn’t met for many years. So, my first day in Mumbai was interesting. There were many guys trying to impress the girls, but I didn’t find any one interesting.
One major difference I found in Mumbai was the culture. I saw a family dressed in an ultra modern way, in a temple. You don’t get to see such things in Chennai.
On the day of the wedding I got dressed in one of my favourite dresses, a green salwar kameez with a white dupatta (scarf). By the time we finished a good south Indian breakfast, it was time for the wedding. I was asked to carry the lamp to welcome the groom, as I was among the single girls at the wedding. It is believed that girls who do this will get married soon. I was a little embarrassed to do so, as I do not believe in all these customs and beliefs. The wedding went off well. I am a poor eater, but I took an hour to finish lunch. If you think I ate a lot, you are wrong. I was looking at all the guys and girls around me for most of the hour.
Later in the evening, I went shopping with another cousin. Any trip feels incomplete if I don’t buy anything. Even though the shopping area was very different from Chennai, I bought a few things.
We had dinner on the terrace of the building we were living in. I had to share the room with a few cousins so we spent a little time gossiping. I slept off soon, as we had to catch an early morning flight.My first trip to Mumbai turned out to be a very enjoyable one, having spent it with relatives in the midst of festivities.

A DAY IN BANGALORE-PART II

The moment that I had been waiting for had arrived, it was time to enter the plane. The three of us finished checking in and were all set to fly. I was so nervous that I could hear my heart beating very fast. My friends consoled me by saying that it would be just a little jerk while take-off, and after that I wouldn't feel anything. Gathering all the courage I had, I boarded the flight, was welcomed by the smiling air-hostesses, and settled down in the middle seat; my friends on my sides, to protect me :-).

The plane took-off and I felt a little giddy, but I was fine in a few minutes. Even before I had any time to get scared, we were landing in the Bangalore, the city of gardens. We walked out looking for an auto to get to my colleague's friend's (also a Malayalee) house; my butler Hindi came in handy for communicating with the auto driver.

We had a heavy breakfast at their house and headed out for shopping. It was pretty hot outside, but we were too excited to even think about it. We were back home by around 3 PM, had a heavy lunch (typical Kerala food) and went to sleep.

After a short nap, we packed our things and went to "Garuda Mall"- the equivalent to our Spencer Plaza. I had a nice time, chilling out with my friends.

I was extremely annoyed by the culture and the fashion sense of the people I saw there, especially the teenage girls.

Our flight to Chennai was at 9pm. We reached the airport by around 7:40, had dinner there itself and spent time taking loads of snaps. By the end of it all we were totally tired. The flight was delayed by 30 mins and we started our return trip at 9:30. This time I wasn't scared to enter the plane. Instead, I was looking at the guy sitting opposite to me. He smiled at me and in turn I smiled and said a hello.

Soon, I realized that my short vacation was coming to a fast end, the next day was Monday and I had to go back to the routine life. My Monday morning blues started a little early…

Even though I couldn't enjoy with my two best friends, one who is far away and the other who is also going away soon, this was a very different experience. My long time dream to chill out with my friends and travel in an airplane came true.

I am still waiting for that one day when I will travel with my best friends, and spend a whole day with them, without any disturbances.

So this was my first flying experience...

A DAY IN BANGALORE PART-I

Let me tell you about my passions - Shopping & Travelling. Both are fun to do, especially when friends are involved. Have you ever travelled with your friends for one whole day? I got to do that once, and it was a lot of fun.

My boss offered me a free ticket to Bangalore and asked me to choose my travel partners and I decided to go with two of my colleagues. I still remember the day, it was March 3rd, 2008. I was going to fly for the very first time, and I can't tell you how excited I was about the whole thing.
The flight was scheduled to leave at 0555 from Chennai. I was so excited that I couldn't wait for my alarm to go off. My alarm was set for 3am, and I was up at 2:30.

As usual, I couldn't decide what to wear, especially because this was going to be a first time experience for me…After a lot of thinking, I decided to wear my favourite blacktop and blue jeans. Our tour manager had arranged a car to pick me up and I finally reached the airport at 0420; I was partly scared, partly excited…and was completely unaware of how my first flight was going to be.

It's a Nightmare for Me

Even now my body shivers thinking about it. Let me share it with you all.

It was during my 5th grade summer vacation. I had accompanied my mother to attend her cousin’s wedding in Chennai. There is always lots of fun and rituals before the wedding which is then followed by the arrival of relatives from various places.

The wedding went off well. I was not well the whole day. I was feeling uneasy and drowsy. As the wedding took place at the end of May, all the guests were rushing back to their destinations. Next day morning, I started vomiting and ended up having dehydration. The medicines my doctor gave me also failed me.

I was admitted in Maya nursing home, were I was kept for two weeks. Once I recovered I went back to school. As usual my friends and teachers welcomed me warmly and helped me with my studies.

But it looked like the hospital missed me very badly! Within two days in school, I fell sick again and was admitted in same hospital. The doctors diagnosed me with typhoid.

I was so scarred of doctors, injections and medicines that I used to shout at everybody.

I have always been a poor eater, but at that time I was longing to have good food. The doctors kept me on a very strict diet.

My temperature kept fluctuating very badly. The doctors made me sleep on ice cubes to bring down the fever, but it refused to budge. In fact, at one point my temperature rose up to 107 degrees and the doctors gave up all hope of saving me. My parents were beyond themselves with grief. My aunt and uncle consoled them.But God knew that he can’t handle me in heaven and sent a nurse to attend on me. I remember her giving me three injections at a time.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the I.C.U...

The Rainy Day

Let me share one of my childhood memories with you all. It was raining and I was sitting on a window sill enjoying the beauty of the rain. It was a lovely sight. The weather had cooled down.

Have you ever witnessed a road when it starts to rain? People all round are suddenly moved into action—some run to the nearest place for shelter and some struggle to open their umbrellas.

I enjoy the rainy season a lot. The only thing I am scared of is the thunder and lightening. I always pray to God when the sky thunders.

As a kid, I would write messages in small pieces of paper and share it with my friends. I have let slippers slip into the water and have run behind it. I used to enjoy these playing these games.

My childhood memories bring Rabindranath Tagore’s poem The Rainy Day to my mind:

Sullen clouds are gathering fast over the black fringe of the forest.
O child, do not go out!
The palm trees in a row by the lake are smiting their heads against the dismal sky; the crows with their draggled wings are silent on the tamarind branches, and the eastern bank of the river is haunted by a deepening gloom.

Our cow is lowing loud, tied at the fence.
O child, wait here till I bring her into the stall.
Men have crowded into the flooded field to catch the fishes as they escape from the overflowing ponds; the rain water is running in rills through the narrow lanes like a laughing boy who has run away from his mother to tease her.

Listen, someone is shouting for the boatman at the ford.
O child, the daylight is dim, and the crossing at the ferry is closed.
The sky seems to ride fast upon the madly-rushing rain; the water in the river is loud and impatient; women have hastened home early from the Ganges with their filled pitchers.

The evening lamps must be made ready.
O child, do not go out!
The road to the market is desolate, the lane to the river is slippery. The wind is roaring and struggling among the bamboo branches like a wild beast tangled in a net.

The last line is particularly a favourite of mine.

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