Making new bonds, forgetting et al

I am not for lavish weddings, I cant stand the flamboyance there. I still stick to it. I could argue, scream and fight about the money spent at it. I could stand upside down and protest against the wastage that happens. Plastic, clothes, food, water, power , MONEY! I can go on. The reason i cant get out of this topic is that its happening all around me and am not able to escape all the thoughts it kindles. Especially after having witnessed one so closely. I thought weddings are just plain waste of a lot of things and nothing more. I would change a little at that now.

The occasion sure causes a lot of unnecessary expenditure and uninhibited wastage of things for which you would have no control(when i say this i stick to a typical, traditional, family & friends type wedding) , but there really couldn't be a better occasion to meet new people and connect with the old ones.
Meeting long and literally lost relatives. School friends whom you see unbelievably changed. A congregation where you are immersed in a sea of known unknown people, when you just don't go into reality of the relationship and nod and smile to every human around. A lot of whom you sure wouldn't meet for a good ten years to come and the instant thing to reconnect would be "Aah! i met you at her wedding." Its an event that etches different memories for each one of them there and it sure is a family affair!

Now what do i say is the best part of it?

The beautiful 'Uunjal' songs that we get to hear mostly only then? The fact that you experience meanings to words that you just heard and read till now? The one time that you get to look beautiful whatsoever? That everything on that day boils down to the one moment you wait for, no matter how much you knew its coming and however long the boy and girl knew each other? Or the reality that however planned you are or you decide to be, you are sure to mess up things on that day and it doesn't even dawn on you at the moment!A moment long after the when you hit yourselves saying you are relatives now?

Or just that one emotion that brings in both laughter and tears, when things just stall and resume, when you are uncontrollably happy and giggling while the nadaswaram takes over with that mellifluous tune i love!

The Pros definitely did take over the Cons. Or may be there is a way to work around both. To keep all the good things there and still make a wedding that is so worth it, where people care about what they are doing, where they are spending and say a big NO to wastage of any sort.
There sure is a scope for something like that. When we find a balance where we dont contribute to flamboyance and still live the tradition that is beautiful and is so worth preserving!

A toast to the congenital quality – Womanhood

The world is defined as a stage and people as actors. We all play roles, take charge, change to situations, act to advantage and so on and so forth. It’s a talent today, they commonly call it ‘multi tasking’.
I got reminded of one of those typical, laid back and no purpose conversations at home. These happen in holidays when most of us are at home and we talk about old stories. This is a time when everybody talks a lot especially my grandmom. There is something extremely divine about the way ‘grand moms’ look. They have a glow in their faces exuberant of holiness and this terrific immature smile of childishness, as if old age is childhood regained. She was easily in that category. A quick conversation with her, and she drives us down her memory lane, remembering her childhood and life after that. She starts off about her pre independence life and the big job her dad had those days in madras. It was a big deal to own a car and a phone and they were one of the few families who did back then. ‘I Was 14 when I got married’ she recalls with a chuckle and a vague remembrance of the day. While speaking of a typical day during peak life, she said ‘I had 8 kids at home. All in the age difference of one or two years. We normally have at least 20 people to eat. I had to bathe all my kids, cook food for them, pack food for my husband and manage the house work’. She also added in a due pride ‘We had a cook then, we were a little rich.’ I just breathed a sigh. I took a few minutes aside and just recounted what I heard. Having said all this, these are the genre of people who have no regrets in the way they spent their lives whatsoever.
Of course, we now belong to a new age, a different era. We work on modes of redefined aspirations and compete for privileges, rights, act and what not. We are the new age women sans discrepancies and gender bias. We don’t understand the ‘Only men can’ way of things and we thrive in the same space where Anuradha Vaidhyanathan qualifies for Half-Iron man. I wonder if this is what Bharathiyar meant when he called us ‘Pudhumai Penn’. We definitely have come a long way. We have sailed through the beaten torn tracks and swam our way into the safer zones.
But, amidst all this is there something that we still carry from the yester years? Is there something common in you and your grand mom? A vibe that connects both of you? I guess there is. It’s the congenital womanhood, the quality that defines and identifies every woman. It’s that wave that connects us and gets us going in 2 minutes of an ice breaker, the same vibe that lets us be the achievers we are today. I strongly feel that women those days were no less a multi-taskers than any CEO today. Only the way we define success has been changed and we are catering to the new definition. We define the woman of today as someone who plays multiple roles mom, girlfriend, wife, professional. It really isn’t a big deal because it’s just innate in her to do it. That is the way she is made and she loves to live with it. Look around you and there are millions of women catering to every aspect of her multiplicity every day in life. Right from your mom at home to the girl in your adjacent cubicle!
Happy woman’s day!!

A for Action!

Pounding hearts, Butterflies in stomach, clasped hands, counting beats....Three, two, one and rolling went Vasanth's keyboard to get the audience's first attention in synchronous with the introductions. 'Welcome to Chautanki'!

It was our first time on stage , the first play to go and ON went the 'Pair of glasses team'. Minutes after the play began the butterflies vanished and performances came up. The actors complemented each other as though they have been doing the play all their life, as if the journalist and the military man's families in Gujarat were really neighbours ; singing and dancing. Shaunak's entry added the much needed seriousness to the romance and the slight humour which caught on and kept people busy laughing! The puppets coordinated each other perfectly, confused a little yet acting to the moment, working as a team and making that ending as good as it can get, garnished by Vipul's Shayari verses getting our grey cells working. They had a blast on stage and came back to the green room relieved and tired.


The next was really a task. I always wondered why Ranji wanted us amatures to do something as serious as Improvisation. This was no joke. The audience were asked to narrate a story from their experience and the actors enacted it on the spot. Spontaneity and creativity had to be in tune to keep it going. When i watched the first improv team perform i knew why. In the end it was more about living that moment, letting go and jus plain acting. You only improve when you perform! The story was funny and so were the actors. The rest of the team sat giggling uncontrollably which soon got retorted by a serious 'ssssshhh' from the musician who was right next to us.



It was fun, to watch others. I had this creepy feeling growing everytime i got reminded of my turn- for improv. I was nervous and had no idea how it was gonna be. It turned out to be a simple story, rather so simple that i felt there was no story (:P) ; well, we had to perform. I had no idea what i was saying or doing, so were the others beside me. But, i had fun! Guess thats how an Improv is supposed to be. The best part was when a sweet lady came upto me after the show and said 'Hey! your "Maa ko yaad kar was super". Pause. There was a bubble which grew above my head saying "Eeeeh! did i say that?". ofcourse i was sweet enough thank the lady but.

Time for some more drama. The last play in line was 'The unknown', a regular fiction with a mysterious ending. Infact there was no ending and was left the imagination of the audience. This was designed to be a scary one and who else could be a better choice to scare ppl. Yes.... you all got it wrong, it was the tiny little poor me (grinnnn). In plain words, i had ball on stage. One reassuring thing for me before i got on was it was all dark (:P). No one could see me in light except for a small candle in front meant to make me look scary! But that was just on the first day. Sunday was all let loose, i couldnt wait to get there! I tired to get a lil creative thou for which i had the consequences to follow (:D). seriously, grt fun!







The entire show was a culmination of a lot of things. For me it was the curiousity that kept me on. I was extremely inqusitive to know what happened to me on stage, end of all those weeks of interaction. And the good news is the results were astounding. It was just too much fun pilled in a single day for all of us. It really was tiring but one of those times when you enjoy being tired. When all that pain is worth it (sob, sob ) (:P).


Like all good things come to sweet endings, the weekend cheer ended with a well deserved lunch at 'Legacy of Punjab'. This was well deserved cuz of two reasons. one, it was three in the afternoon and people hardly spoke to each other when they saw food. two, we paid a price for it (;D).







PS:

Few things that just could not go unnoticed at chautanki:





Annie's perky simle all over the place.

Manisha's cute and feminine ways at things. The best 'ma' around!

Vineet's adorable daddajish 'dum dum dum' - hilarious!!

Anish - The most lethargic military man! :P

Vipul's theartrical traits and artistic looks.

Abhijit's concern and unmistakable sense.

Ambika's easiest approaches to most complex situations.

Gaurav's awesome voice.

Bhargav's commitment and witty attitude.

Hari's compelmenting hairstyles :)

Sound and strength alias khadir.

Kishore's heartening and memorable speeches

Laynum's voice and prominence in all photographs [;)]

Madhu's hero ishtyle.

Goshia's grace that kept most men busy :P

Mayank- sense and sensibility

The magnitude of things that Nandhini has to say. Everytime! :)

Prashant's funny bewilderment at normal things.

Ranji's serious yet not so serious looks.

Rovan- The journalist babu, who sings for neighbours wifes!

Saurab's immense knowledge about cosmetics!! (:P)

Shaunak's flow of complicated hindi

Vasanth's mellifulous tamil tunes ;)

Karthik's camera skills off stage!

and the tiny but tuny and not so tawny Priya!


If I had to describe the entire show of ' Chautanki' in two words I would say Ranji and Nandini. The directors playing their cards fabulously sailed the entire team through a fun filled Journey which could not be deciphered unless experienced. Kudos YT!!

My interaction with art in its true form

It was a perfect winter morning. The light yellow early rays of the sun brought some relief to the goose bumps in my hands. I entered the place with a lot of preconceived notions in my mind. What i saw there was a difference i dint quiet expect.

I got out of the auto right in front of the Chitrakala parishad. To my right were two students busily discussing something. As i walked inside, the girl got up and walked into the campus. Her friend screamed out to her " All the best daa, copy well, dont get caught, ha ha ha". Usual college talk.
I walked through the shaded green pathway looking to find the gallery. I found loads of students all across the steps, the pavement, benches;busy with books, pulling each others legs and sharing jokes. It was a great place to just sit and watch around till the gallery opened. Students kept walking in and out of that place, there was this buzz all around the place of exams and books though they were not so serious. I realized that everything about that place was very typical, something that would remind you of your college and exams. Yet, there was something different. Each one of them had something to convey, in the way they looked, they dressed, the bags they carried and the way they walked. They whole place was overwhelming with like minded people who were so expressive. Extermely subtle and captivating, exactly how any art form is.

I sat on the steps chatting with the security men around when i saw a middle aged man wearing a nice khadii kurta climb up the stairs towards the gallery. With the change in expression on faces of the security men i realised that he was the owner of the paintings which were on display that day. I smiled at him and he gave me a wide smile back with a handshake. "You have changed a lot , u look different" he said. "Im sorry sir, Im meeting you for the first time." I replied. "Oh, is it! ha ha ha.. i thought u were the student i met yesterday. U look similar to them." That was the normal naive attitude that Mr. Eby Joseph, carried with him. Extremely humble.

A walk around the gallery with him was like a sojourn to the interiors of kerala. Multiple shades of green was in prominence on his landscapes . Every painting was real. The thick forests of Waynade and Kumorakom with the early sun rays on the leaves could take the audience into the scene. There were also shots from cochin and a couple of scenes of Mr. Joseph's native. A conversation with him about each painting took me to notice the details and little nuances in them.



The paintings had a rough and a smooth part. The rough part was at the bottom of the canvas and formed the land or the leaves on the floor in this case. They could cause an optical illusion to the viewer. When viewed from far they looked like leaves and land and when viewed standing close to the paining they seemed like strokes of colour. It was phenomenal. A time to explore for me. I kept moving back and forth to look at those paintings and was spell bound. A small stroke of yellow colour from close looked like sunlight through the leaves when i looked from a distance. I was amazed by the magic his fingers could produce with simple combination of acrylic colours when intelligently combined. That was "Kerala Darshan", as put down by Mr. Eby N. Joseph.

An hour long journey in the interiors of kerala ended with a quick chat with Mr Joseph when he told me his plans about making a "Bharat Darshan". When he would give the feel of entire india as he had with this collection of Kerala. Soon after the conversation, i saw him searching his draw for something and he flipped out sheet of paper. He asked me to sit where i was and not move for sometime. The result of 15 minutes of concentrated viewing was a mind blowing sketch of me that Mr Joseph made.

I was delighted! He gave me his comments book where i genuienly poured out my feelings at that moment. I thanked him and promising to visit his gallery in kannur soon i bid adieu.

Update: Here is the sketch that he did, of mine :)

Recognising that Glow

'Hatred' can be safely classified as the worst quality someone could possess.
Alas, we are all humans;we all experience this feeling sometime or other in life.
Beating this deadly infectious disease could be a great leap towards,
being at peace with yourself, rejuvenating and working towards being enlightened.
I experienced that the best way to do this is by spreading love,
looking into the positive about that person and breaking that mental block.
I'm amazed at how some people can do that so easily.The sheer look at that person, makes you feel happy and gives you fulfillment, even though you hardly know them.
It definitely is a divine quality, the gift to tame that bundle of emotions for good, the intention to look at the positive in people and just forget the evil, the ability to look at a child's innocence and own it, the innate nature to enjoy the trivial things in life and cherish them.
Its not something that everyone can do that easily or something that can be taught or learnt..
Its congenital.
I think they are those people whom we call 'God's own kids'.We still experience goodness because of these people alive.
No, they aren't politicians, celebrities nor social workers...
Some normal human beings, who go on spreading this divine quality.
People who are all around, who just need a second glance to be identified,who all posses an inborn glow.
They could be your mom, dad, neighbour or the person sitting next to you.
I'm so sure that there are so many of them, celebrating humanity and love.
Cheers to all those divine humans, I'm glad i was able to recognize some of them.

Is the money burnt, the Joy earned?

Stunning clothes , expensive food, the best of places available in town, music is a must and crackers too sometimes!3 months of planning, Suggestions from even the not so well known relatives, confusion all around the house, but we claim to enjoy it.Its takes 3 whole days for the boy to tie just 3 knots around the girl's neck....and shhhhhh no one here talks about how much all this costs, it just has to be spent, its just once in a lifetime afterall!

Feels like we are headed to making a status quotient through the occassion, everyone wants to make a big wedding.The rich ones have the money and they have to spend it, the not so rich ones have some money but then comes the 'once in lifetime' quote, the poor cant show that they are poor else how do they get their daughters married?, so even they have to spend...by hook or by crook.
We belong to the modern world ,we have girls who earn equally well .According to us dowry is a thing passe'.There are just two questions which go unanswered amdist all this,
One, are we moulding the so called 'dowry' to a much subtler version through lavish weddings?
Two, are we putting the burden through our weddings , jus because we could afford it, on to the people in the lower social strata?
This seriously needs a second though.

Words can create a passion

" He seemed to pluck notes from an impregnable abyss; sewing them seamlessly into dazzling swaras with a tone so rich it moved people to tears."
These are lines from an article about the great musician T.R.Mahalingam, 'flute mali' as he is fondly called.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/11/10/stories/2006111000680300.htm
I was touched when i read these lines. Rather i was fascinated by the author's involvment.Can music really make people cry?
I had never listened to instrumental music before that, especially flute.
The next thing i did was tried to go get a cd of 'flute mali'.
Being in bangalore,i went to Crossword, Music world, Planet M, and every other shop which looked like having a decent collection.I tried to look for a carnatic music section and realised that there was only a classical music section and that too was filled with Hindustani music cd's.I hardly did find anything in vocal or instrumental carnatic music.I decide to ask for some help and went to the man in the counter and asked him if he had a cd of TR Mahalingam. He looked at me as if i was asking for some alien inhabitant. 'Execuse me' was the reply i got.
I repeated 'T R Mahalingam, he plays the flute.'
'Oh... would u like to try Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, he is amazing' he said.
'Mmm...sure, but not rite now, as i am looking for T R Mahalingam' i said and walked out. This was the reply or even worse in most of the places.
I logged on the Raaga and listened to his music. It was phenomenal.I really din kno, instrumental and that too flute could sound so exceptionally amazing.Well, thats really not it all.. theres so much more....
It got me to explore a whole new genre of instrumental music.
Now it seems plausible, it really can get u cry sometimes.....