Two Roses and Water

 Two Roses and Water by Navya Sahay ( Amazon / Kindle version / Rs 49/-)

My comments in 2 parts.

In the first part I take the role of that self-important critic who thinks he/she knows everything and has the God given right to trample even the best of works.

And these folks give a 1.5 out of 5  rating to a book/movie and try to justify it by ripping it apart.

A book or a movie is a work of  fiction and why should it always have to meet the lofty standards of these self-righteous critics, I do not know.

The second part is the good part and I had fun writing this one!

So here we go !!!  Two Roses & Water.

It took me all of three days and a lot of determination (and enduring some bit of mild torture as well) to finally read thru this book and finish it without abandoning it midway.

It was real challenging to read this mushy love story and the 10 plus long sad poems it contained.

And I did not give up.!

I read it all !!.

Why did I take all this effort to read?

 Because it was written by a young writer from Sobha Palladian.

And why was it so challenging?   Multiple reason ..

For one, I am not a big fan of love stories.

Long winding descriptions with lots of English and fancy phrases, loads of super sentimental emotions and tear-jerkimg situations, altruism and sacrificing for others does not go well with my taste. And the elaborate scenario created to describe the first kiss between two young girls is sort of ‘yucky’ to me. And this book has loads of such scenes.

There are too many disconnects with (my) reality and it jolts me each time . 

I am unable to appreciate why Rahul has to go to Cornell university to study political science after his 12^th and then come back to Bihar to join politics.

And I cannot imagine for a moment how a group of Young/12^th  std girls can go off on their own, to a lake in Bihar woods and have a swim and have fun the whole day.

And many more…

And me being male & 64+ old and coming from a conservative background, the theme of the book, which is based on Homosexuality (between two girls/women) , is quite a challenge to appreciate.

At 15 years, the young author has made a very bold attempt to explore this sensitive subject. And in my opinion, she has been successful and has done a good job! 

Kudos, Navya!!

However, she has overreached herself and it shows in her choice of words, expressions and in her earnestness to demonstrate her understanding and general awareness of the subject.

And the last part where the successful Bihar politician sacrifices his career for the sake of 2 women (who are in love with each other) will need a lot of Digene to digest!

All the poems are great. They have originality, a lot of depth and meaning and I enjoyed reading them.

And now before I go to the second part, I must give you a gist of this story.

Rahul & Meghna are twins and they study in one of those elite schools in Bihar.

A third of the book is devoted to describing the close relationships between them and the concern and commitment they have for each other.

Meghna discovers her preference for girls and falls in love with a classmate, Khushi.

Khushi’s dad discovers this and pack her off and they all move to Mumbai. Where in due course of time Khushi can be married off to some unsuspecting boy.

Meghna and Rahul complete their 12^th and move to the US. Rahul to Cornell to study Political Science and Meghna to Columbia to major in English.

And in this free and unrestricted land Meghna goes all out-dating girls, visiting various gay bars and becomes a Gay activist. She writes articles and supports the movement. She also becomes a successful writer.

And thankfully her parents in India and all her friends & relatives including Rahul are blissfully unaware of Meghna’s  sexual preferences.

Both twins decide to return back to Bihar. Rahul becomes a successful politician and makes it to be the Chief Minister of the state. Meghna continues as a successful writer.

Until their Mom, Mrs Varma pesters them, to get married.

When Meghna reveals her preference to her mom, she goes bonkers.  The family  doctor comes in to give some advice and explains the perils of being declared a homosexual. And Meghna finally relents and agrees to marry her school friend.

Soon after marriage, Meghna gets into a serious relationship with Meera, whose parents have been more forward looking and understanding. She then divorces her husband in order to live with Meera. But in order to shield them from social stigma & boycott and other challenges, Rahul makes a agreement to ‘marry’ Meera (formally on paper) and then  all the three live together happily  and pursue their preferences.

Rahul becomes a very successful CM of Bihar and brings significant improvement in the state and pulls up Bihar into prosperity & out of quagmire. The opposition party tries to unearth some dirt on him so that they can oust him and drag Bihar back into its quagmire once again.

So they catch Meghna & Meera kissing each other on camera. And they plan to expose these two and in the process brihg Rahul down as well.

Rahul's altruism and his deep caring for his sister kicks in. He wants to protect these two women (his sister and her lover/his wife) from embarrassment and social vendetta.
So Rahul, the CM sacrifices his career and his life. He negotiates their privacy by proclaiming himself to be a homosexual, which is a much bigger expose' for the opposition 

And that is the climax of this story.
 Followed by a convenient reason that Rahul had some terminal disease and had only a few months to live. And hence this drastic action.

And so on.

And all this this is narrated by Meera to her daughter on her 16^th birthday. 
And all this, in response to her daughter’s question, “who is my dad??”

Part 2:

If I was Karan Johar, I would be super thrilled with this book and will rush to Navya and sign up a movie contract!

This story has all the right masala for a Dharma Production block buster!!

And this would be far far better than Dostana, you bet.

A multi starrer production to start with.

Shah Ruhh Khan in the lead role as Rahul and John Abraham in a supporting role as Meghna’s short term husband.

Kajol as lead actress supported by two more Vidya Balan as Khushi and Rani Mukherjee for Meera. We will also have a tall foreign US blond actress to play as Rosaline, Meghna's daring room mate in Columbia

Some great location shooting in Bihar in its pristine forest areas and waterfalls. Some bikini clad girls frolicking in the waterfalls to add some OOHs and OOMPHS.

A few good coverage of an elite school in Bihar and some classroom scenes, teenage romance and a song thrown in s well.

Many of the poems in the book can be turned into great songs. A few melancholy songs by Kailash Kher. The first kiss scene background song by Sultan Khan in his lustrous voice.  And a couple of sad ones from Bhupen Hazarika as well.

Some foreign location shots in Cornell & Columbia, a few footage on those colorful Gay marches and the movement in the US. Coverage of Gay bars will also add to variety.

The Mom, Mrs Varma:  Rohini Hattagadi fits this role best. She can display all her attitude, her hysterics and her sobbing dialogue wonderfully.

And the Doctor? Let’s get Amitabh Bachchan in a guest appearance. He fits the role as a caring doc and has the right seriousness and the perfect voice to articulate the harsh realities of life.

The marriage scene would be one of  Karan Johar’s standard ‘classics’. Bright colors, lively music and choreography by Farah Khan will do the trick.

The Bihar press conference scene, the media frenzy on hearing that CM is gay and the aftermath can get some wonderful coverage too. Maybe we can throw in a riot scene too and get some gory footage of two Bihar political parties fighting??

And the multiple opportunities for the hero, heroine, supporting roles breaking down, sobbing and reciting sad and heavy dialogs are sure to melt the hearts of the masses

And Shah Rukh Khan does best! and so does Kajol!!

And the final hospital scene, and the hero’s  last dialogues can all take inspiration from Rajesh Khanna’s ‘Anand’. Many extended dialog by everyone present, multiple pan & zoom shots of people's tear-stained faces, the patient monitoring equipment and the ECG monitor and all the leads from the hero's arms,  the grim faces of white robed doctors can all add to this glorious melodrama.

And the movie will be a mega box office hit!
You cannot go wrong with a Karan Johar / SRK / Kajol / Rani Mukherjee / Amitabh Bachchan combine!! 
And for another month at least thy all will be giving TV interviews, take part in talk shows and discuss seriously on this sensitive subject of homosexuality. 

So, a good book for the Indian movie going crowd. And I am sure a few of you may also enjoy reading this in its current form.

And a good choice for the Book club too.

Krish..

Mooku vechha Gooja & Erendu kaadu Gangalum !!

This blog post is a Special Supplement targeted at the  Tamil folks of my génération.

 

Wonder how many of us can recognize the familiar ring of these words !

And how many of the younger kids in all the large cities / towns and abroad know what these articles are ??

·                 Thirugu  gooja, mooku vechha gooja

·                 Kaadu vechha gangalum

·                 Kullikara mondali

·                 Onnu-kulla-onnu-kulla-onnu joartholai

·                 Pithali shombu, paal kachera annda

·                 Vengala paanai, thannir shombu

·                 Eversilver adukku

·                 Aruvamanai

·                  Kal Kachatti , eeya shombu

·                 Thuddupu & challadai

·                 Villumbu vechha poashi

·                 Oorgai Jaadi

·                 Periya thambalam

·                 Kuzhandai paaladai. Gindi, marpachhi bommai

·                 Kaapi filter

·                 Illuppa vaanali

·                 Onnu mela onnu mela  onnu tiffin carrier

·                 Shombu, Kulavataram

·                 Anjanna potti

·                 Ammi, voral, vollakkai, kalloral

·                 Kai vechha pathiram

·                 Paal tookku

·                 Moonu kaal illupa stand

·                 Thengai thirivee

Alas, most of them have gone obsolete – now the modern home & kitchen is ruled by Teflon, copper bottomed alloys, stainless steel, glass, microwave compatible plastic and of course ceramic & melamine ware. And of course, induction compatibles too.

Also the sizes of today’s articles would be probably 5 to 10 times smaller than the grand old daddys of yesteryear's!!

I discovered all of these and much more while cleaning our ancestral home.  And sadly there were not many takers and I had to sell them off at metal scrap value ..

Krish..

Prized Possessions! Priceless Memories!! @ Rs 40 – Rs 4000 per Kilo!!!

‘Saath kilo now so pachees’ !  (Seven Kilos & nine twenty-five grams)

And he beamed a smile at me !!
WOW !! I exclaimed .

‘Theen Kilo saath sow paanch’ !  (three Kilos & seven hundred five grams)

He rang out once more!

And I was really impressed !!
Hearing Hindi in a small shop in Mylapore, Chennai was the last I expected!!

Thin & short, dark & wiry, white dazzling pearly teeth, bright shining eyes – man ( ? ). youth ( ??) or boy ( ???) of indeterminate age.

And  he  clearly enjoyed his job !!

Here I was, in a narrow dingy shop filled all over with old piling Junk – old vessels , old used pressure cookers, pots , pans, brass plates and a lot of shiny stainless steel vessels hanging from the roof as well.
Not a logical place where one would find happiness, cheer and enthusiasm.

But Senthil defied logic !!
He was a shop assistant at the Indra Vessels Mart, which was squeezed between two equally depressing dingy shops in one of the small crowded by-lanes of Mylapore , Chennai .

I was there to dispose off our huge family collection of old vessels – huge heavy copper, bronze and brass vessels, massive woks, enormous pots, pans, plates, pitchers etc, etc – many belonging to my grand mom and her mom as well. Most of these would have been offered as a part of their dowry package and proudly displayed ( in new & polished & shining condition, of course ) along with other silver & gold ornaments and silk sarees in the display room ( seer room ) which is a traditional part of every south India marriage ritual .
Now they were no use , no relevance and their grand value reduced to just Rs 180/kilo for bronze, Rs 200/kg for brass & Rs 220/ kg for copper !!
Sad , 3 generations of prized possession getting sold at scrap value !!

Some of you might have had a similar sad and unpleasant task to relocating your grandparents / parents  and elders from their ancestral homes in small towns.

And bring them to cities and metros to live with you, to enjoy a comfortable life with their children and grandchildren.

And many times, I wonder if this was really a good move for them. Uprooting them from their well-established environment and eco-system and making them resettle in totally new place and at an age when it becomes extremely challenging for them to adapt to change.

I guess some of us did it for our own convenience, so that it becomes easier for us to be near them when they need any help.  Catching a bus and a train or driving a couple of hundred miles frequently is not a good arrangement for most of us.

And clearing up the old house (and in many cases haveli / bungalow / mansion), is never an easy task – both physically & emotionally).

Every article that you touched had a history, a story relating to your mom or dad and your grand mom and dad as well. Many had a deep sentimental value and brought back memories of your early childhood days when you spent your summer vacations in that house.

And as you start clearing up the house, you are overwhelmed with the tons and tons of thing that you unearth.

 Things that have been stacked away in the deep recess of lofts, almirahs and in those huge wooden and steel trunks. And the amounts of things that are put up on the walls.

And It starts with the big grandfather clock (its once shiny brass pendulum now black with corrosion). A few  family portraits in sepia,  some huge framed pictures of majestic looking Gods and Goddesses -  reproductions of  paintings by Ravi Varma.

And those massive furniture that weighed a ton each!

Your granddad’s Favorited easy chair made of solid wood. And Grandma’s rocking chair, made of rose wood and the writing table, the center table (also called teapoy in south), the chest of draws and the three-legged stool!  All made from solid local wood or Burma teak!

Plywood and particle board technology was not developed then, and people did not cover their furniture with foam, fabric or leather.

Everything was plain dark rich polished wood!

And the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the huge bound volumes of Ramayana (we had a huge volume of Ram Charit Manas published by the famous Gita Press in Gorakhpur).  And the big Golu Potti that every South Indian household had in those days. And it contained a variety of brightly painted mud, wood and ceramic toys all carefully packed  in shredded white and pink colored paper and then tightly wrapped in newspaper.

I stood alone  at the counter, lost in my thoughts.

And then I hear
Saar, your money Saar !!
I was jolted back into reality. This trip yielded me 8000 bucks !!

7 days , numerous calls to all relatives encouraging them to take away all they wanted , multiple trips to libraries, junk marts , and finally a call to Udavamkarangal – the NGO that takes house hold goods and uses them to maintain their charity and old age homes .

Mom had died a few years back ..
And Dad slowly switched off from reality, and his Alzheimer’s was catching up on him as well .
It was impossible to remotely maintain our house .
Three  generations of family heirloom
All sold for a song – a very sad song !!

Chhai Piyo , Saar !!
Senthil  bounced back in front of me .
With a steaming glass and a beaming smile !!

The hot syrupy chai restored my bearings and I slowly headed back to my car.

And that was 9 years back. 

Time really flies . You bet!!

Krish..

Happiness – Once Again!!!

I rewind the clock some 9 years back when we were facing acute water shortage problems in our old house in Vinayaka Nagar situated on the other side of HAL Airport. 

Happiness in ordinary things!

A sump full of water = a heart full of joy !!

We all take our normal routine happenings for granted .

For Example,

We push a switch and the light must glow :
We turn the tap and water must flow :
We lift the hand set and we must hear the ring tone :
We turn the ignition key and the car must roar to life :

Do we classify these as happy moments ??
No !

And not until the normal routine happening fails to happen .
And then it is first irritation, then anger , then tension, and then finally, its  panic !!

Coming back home,
We did not get fresh water in our colony for more than a month – no Kaveri water supply , low pressure and power supply cuts were some of the many reasons .
And to make matters worse, a couple of times my dad would forget to close the tap in our first floor bathroom and our overhead Sintex tank would run dry!

And amongst the residents, tempers ran high, fights for water tanker became frequent , and people became selfish, fitted illegal on-line water pumps and greedily started  hoarding water !!

We survived by using our bore well pump sparingly . 

But anxiety led to tension and then ventured into the panic zone – especially when our bore well pump started spewing engine oil and making strange noises .

Jay, my wife,  kept a stoic silence – maintaining sheer confidence that things will improve soon .

And things did improve somewhat – but not for us !
Somehow, many  houses started getting water except ours . Each morning Jay would wake up and religiously lift the underground water sump’s cast iron lid and peep inside – and to be disappointed each time.

Then she would reluctantly switch ON the bore well pump .

Anxiety & desperation made her call the plumber many times to check the valves and the meter as well – still no sign of water. And it was heart-breaking to see her sad & disappointed face each time she lowered the sump lid and walked up to the motor switch each morning. .

Then one day a trickle started and 2 nights later the sump got full .

When Jay lifted the sump lid that morning , she beamed – and pure happiness radiated from her face .

And she looked at me and smiled – a dazzling one which even the early morning summer sun could not have challenged !!

And that day Jay was so happy that she was extra nice to the house maid , more accommodating with our part-time cook , took that  extra effort to pull out a 10 rupee note for the road corner beggar and of course visit the colony temple to break the traditional ‘thank you’ coconut !!

A sump full of water = a heart full of Joy !!

That’s pure Happiness once again, Folks !!

Krish.

Happiness!!!

A few days back I was asked to read and comment on a set of essays written by 4^th and 5^th std students in TISB Bangalore.

I made a one sheeter that I have attached at the end of this post.

As I wrote my critical comment, I imagined one TISB teacher commenting, “This wise guy can critique well.  Can he write an essay equally well ??”

And I took up that unspoken challenge!

Not sure if I will pass the test.

Happiness:

I pick up that brightly colored plastic rattle and noisily wave it in front of my 8-month-old granddaughter. And I watch her wide toothless smile, her eyes widen, and I hear a series of squawks and gurgles as she rapidly shakes her hands and feet in response to the rattle.

And I have spent endless such happy hours near her, imitating her, playing with her purple Elephant, her squeaky yellow rubber duck and the variety of Chennapatna wooden toys. (I would have played with those toys more than my granddaughter ever did!)

And those were some of the happiest periods in my life.

I approach my retired army friend and ask him to define happiness.

And he instantly replies – ‘ 4 to 6PM at TOIT”.

And he adds , De’Mello makes a mean Mojito !!

And my salute to all the bar tenders for they have spread happiness to a greater number of people than all the religious leaders, spiritual gurus, psychiatrists and happiness therapists in the world put together!

My friend who fills in as a relief teacher in our neighboring school once tripped as she entered her 3^rd standard classroom. Her load of corrected notebooks went flying all over as she sprawled on the floor.

And the entire class of some 30 odd kids roared with laughter!

And as she started picking up the books, the classroom became very silent. The kids were now expecting a big scolding and probably a punishment as well.

She picked up all her books silently, got up, walked a few steps and faked a trip once again, threw the notebook up in the air and fell again with a loud shout.

Pin Drop silence!

And then she burst into an uncontrolled laughter.

And the children realized her prank and laughed again.

And the whole hour they talked about how she fell, and some kids imitated her as well.

And that was the happiest one hour that she and her class had spent in school!

Cut to the India - New Zealand match.

Rohit Sharma faces the Super Over.  Millions of eyeballs glued to the TV. Last ball and Rohit Sharma lifts it for a gigantic six!!

One good knock and the entire India breaks into a frenzy of happiness! No words can adequately describe the feeling inside the sports bars and in the millions of home where people erupted with joy after the nail biting tension was rewarded with one mega Sixer!

And that’s is MEGA Happiness!!

Happiness is triggered.

An action, a reaction, a relief from a tense situation, a sight, a sound, a touch, a feel and a smell can all trigger happiness in you. A positive vibe, an awareness of something good, an anticipation, an exciting moment can all make you very happy.

Happiness need not be triggered.

It can come from within us.

By being contended with what you are, what you have and what you do.

And that’s true happiness – leading to eternal bliss.

And here is what some great minds say ..

Every morning when you wake up, Be Happy.

Be Happy that you are alive!

 A million people have slept the night before but failed to get up the next day.

So Be Happy that you are alive !    says Sadguru.

Be Happy that you can briskly walk up to the washroom and brush your teeth.

Be Happy that you can open the curtains and blink at the bright sunlight  flooding your room.

Be happy that you have food in your kitchen, a family to live with, a friend to call and talk, an office to go to work, and a million other things that you take for granted.

And there are millions of people who do not have even a fraction of what you have.

Happiness =  contentment!  Ashtey.

Remember this passage?

I cried because I had no shoes.

Until I met a man who had no legs!

So, Be Happy.

& Stay blessed, Folks!

contd...

Essay on Happiness : TISB Bangalore.

Summary & First Impression:

23 essays on Happiness by Class 4 and 5 students.

Written in pencil. Closely spaced. Different types & shades  of paper.

It is very difficult, if not painful, to studiously read thru each essay word by word.

A very dry dry subject that does not give much scope for imagination and colorful articulation of ideas – especially for students so young.

Parents help comes out in some long essays.

I am sure the students must have found it difficult to do justice. Except for a few long and well composed write ups, most essays  ran out of steam after the first page. Thankfully some aborted soon enough and concluded shortly.

What made me very happy:

Good English. Excellent vocabulary  and well chosen phrases in all the write-ups.

Some good data points, general observations made a few essays very interesting.

A few individual experiences and thoughts were nicely brought out.

Almost all the writers got the main points that lead to happiness and articulated  them  well.

Critical Analysis:

All the young writers took the philosophical / moral route. Made reading dull and repetitive.

Wish some took the experiential route and articulated about a few instances that made them  real happy  (sans philosophy and theory)

Almost all writers missed out on Humor!  Comedy, Cartoons (Tom & Jerry), slapstick comedy / circus clowns and funny incidents that make people laugh aloud !!

Most essays were tedious. Though the efforts put in by the various writers  was clearly noticeable, they did not make an impact on me / nor touch that chord of familiarity with me.

Net Net :  In my personal opinion only one essay stood out prominently because it touched my heart. And it was a personal experience that the writer had with an infant baby !

Anushka’s (Class V-A) essay is brilliant. Nice & Simple English &  has a wonderful human touch and a good ending too !!

Krish..

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One Man’s Meat is Another Man’s Pizza ??

This post is for restricted circulation. I had promised not to spam the Sobha Palladian WhatsApp group with my obsession and tirade against Deep Frying!

To me, the thought of allowing deep frying and serious coking in the clubhouse pantry is not a good idea.

And  I  must highlight this strongly.

Because as the Jedi Master Yoda would say –

If it has to be said,

Say it!  You must!!

On special days and on some weekends, our house gets flooded with strong aroma of fresh cooking from other kitchens in our block. Some of it , we like , and some we do not – unfortunately we being vegetarians.

But since they are for small families, the odour goes off in an hour and we are back to our usual Sandal/Jasmine/Mogra agarbatti smelling atmosphere.

And from these events, I  learnt the physics of chimney working.

Chimneys do not absorb smoke or vapours. They just suck them up from the kitchen and spew it out elsewhere.

Now imagine our clubhouse pantry to be fully equipped with piped gas and chimney and the works.

So, cooks will happily cook as is to be expected. And I have seen how outsourced cooks handle food.

And some folks cannot imagine their house party without fried puris or samisas or bajji bonda. Don’t dirty the common area.

So 100 people attend such a party . And  they consume 120 samosas / 6 Kgs of pakoras,l bhajji and bondas / 250 puris / and 120 papads.

All deep fried in our pantry.

Now where does all the smoke and smell go ??  

Through the convenient chimney and into Block 5 and 4 respectively!!

So folks , for each such party you can have Free Aroma !

I personally have no issues , I live in Block 2!

Now if some folks can have a gala time with Samosas and Puries, the folks from Punjab may also want to have some serious fun as well.

And what can be a great Punjabi party without tandoori chicken and chicken tikka and daal makhni and more. 

And 100 such revellers means a substantial  amount of smoke and aroma into Block 5 and 4.

So folks , you can again enjoy  Free Aroma !

I personally have no issues , I live in Block 2!

And if such folks can have a good time, why should not our relatives from Bengal and North east celebrate Puja and other festivals in their own way.

And why should  they compromise their lunch / dinner  without fish & ghugni and food cooked in rich mustard oil??

And imagine such a party for 100 invitees and food cooked in our panty.

Guess once again where does all that wonderful aroma go.

So folks , once again you can enjoy  Free Aroma !

 I personally have no issues , I live in Block 2!

And who  can prevent other party folks  from cooking and enjoying  a Chinese or a seafood dinner??

So Nett Nett

If folks in Block 5 and Block 4 want their homes to perpetually smell like Hotel Rajdhani or Oye’ Amritsar or Mainland China, who am I to object?

I personally have no issues , I live in Block 2!

And cooks will spill and damage the floor. Oil fumes will blacken the ceilings. Masala patches will smudge the walls.  You cannot undo such damage – chk out yr own kitchen, folks!

And I will guarantee that in less than a  year our clubhouse pantry and the area outside it will look no better than  Pararthey wali gali or worse!!

And personally, I will shudder if I have to eat anything that comes out from this pantry.

So folks, its your call.

You have paid a bomb for your dream house

So you are entitled to a variety of fresh &  free aroma as well !!

(and this comes on top of the regular wafts we enjoy from the canal outside)

Krish..