A very Orange House

Work took me to this cozy coastal town of Manglore which is adorned by coconut trees and enchanting beaches. There is something more than just the sea and the undulating countryside that made me feel like I belonged to this place. I wonder if it is because of its spectacular cuisine or its warm people or the muggy climate, but the X-factor generated a captivating charm that has me hooked to this city. This is perhaps one of the greenest cities I have been to in India with quaint little homes that make a perfect picture. There has to be something magical about Mangalore’s soil and waters to explain the lush greenery. People here are unimaginably sweet and have an air of content which is missing in our Mumbaikar’s lives.

The best part of this town is its vibrant coloured homes and their attached gardens that sport wondrous flowers. It’s a treat to watch them as they line the countryside, waiting to be captured onto a post card. The sandy beaches were spotless and the waters clear. On the brink of one such beach stood an orange coloured house sporting a sandy backyard that held my unwavering attention. I marched along its perimeter and relished the soft feel of the sand as it slipped away under my weight. The landlady watched me with suspicious eyes as I clicked away, capturing that house from all possible angles.

We moved to a guest house on the second day that had trees of every kind. The next day, we managed to visit a majestic temple that could have easily housed two city blocks. After a very long day, we rushed to the shore and relished our “ice golas” as the sun set in the deep waters.

Mumbai...Your place in my heart as one of the top places to live, now has a strong contender. Watch out! J Love you Manglore J

Monkey Business

Quit ‘monkeying around’ has a new meaning in my neighbourhood which is currently in combat with rogue primates. These mischief makers are considerably wiser than their caged colleagues as they make it on their own in our concrete jungle. These new age ‘junglees’ invade people’s homes and steal food and sometimes lipstick even (I swear I am not making this up)!

On one such lazy afternoon, while we were lounging in the living room, one of these creatures managed to squeeze in through the window bars and grabbed a banana crashing the fruit basket in the process. Startled by the sound, my grandma hurried to the kitchen and screamed in horror as the hairy creature unabashedly skittered out of the window snarling at her instead! On a separate occasion, another one of its ‘buddies’ managed to scare a worker half to death as he dangled precariously at the side of our building where he was trying to do some plaster work. I presume the monkey was feeling rather possessive of his precious coconut trees that hug our building and are his main source of livelihood.

They have managed to ruin our garden so much that no one bothers to plant saplings any more. It is pointless to put in that effort when these crazy creatures make breakfast of them. I am not heartless, I don’t mind when they devour all the fruits and flowers in our garden, and it is kind of gratifying to see our garden being appreciated, but to destroy little plants in the process seems cruel!

Today we ran out of water, because these mean creatures managed to turn the terrace tap on and they left it on for a day or two which exhausted our overhead water supply tank. It sure gets annoying when you have to run down to the pump room early in the morning even before brushing your teeth.

Enough monkeying around I say or the residents of Mithaghar Road may have to unite to form a Quit M Road movement against these irksome invaders!

hell hath no fury...?

Is murder a pardonable offense? Ofcourse not.

Yet, I am against the death penalty.

Some may disagree, especially for those individuals who deliberately commit the unspeakable and fail to show any remorse for their pre-meditated actions. If we do not have the power to create life, do we really have the right to take it away? Should economics (the jail budget) rule who gets to live as well? These concerns will find their way to another post, in the meantime, for people who do believe in the death penalty, Suzzane’s character (out of Saat Khoon Maaf) who killed out of spite, jealousy and self righteousness would qualify for the lethal injection.

In 7 khoon maaf, we are introduced to a stunning woman, who is somewhat of an executioner herself. She takes it upon herself to right all wrongs in her life by denying her criminals life itself without so much as batting an eyelid. What makes her exponentially more dangerous is that she used her devoted domestic help’s allegiance to her to commit these heinous crimes. This devious woman had the capability and will to convert her closest aides into killers and liars who did not stop, even when the justice system finally catches up with her. Suzanne spends her entire life falling in “love” with one man after the other. She leads a rather frivolous life and disregards her husbands' rights to live when she disapproves of their choices and moral standards. What made it worse is that Suzzane came from a wealthy household and HAD the means to live life on her own terms as opposed to the “Provoked”'s protagonist, whose pitiable state led to the discovery of “battered woman’s syndrome” and the enactment of the subsequent law. Despite having such a controversial main lead, I LOVED this movie, because Suzzane loved life endlessly. She stood up for herself and believed in love even when she was proved wrong time and again. These are the makings of a strong woman, maybe a little malicious and one with a rather questionable moral compass who ran her own court! If only she knew how much more ignorance hurt than murder, she would have had a better life… less satiating indeed, but guilt free one at the very least!

At the end of the movie, whether she is reformed or not, is immaterial and since she proved herself to be a serial killer she should have been isolated from the society before she fell prey to her whims again.

All in all a dark movie, a black comedy even, that has seen Ms Chopra grow as a splendid actor. This movie is featured over 20 years and the makeup crew has done a spectacular job of subtly aging her. So over 150 minutes, the audience initially falls prey to this temptress as she wins over her husband and then are amused as she flits from one relationship to another and then finally has nothing but contempt for her, as she kills her 6th husband, as though out of practice! The story ends as she confesses her crimes to the parishioner. As for the medical examiner who loved her unconditionally... who also covered up when her closest aide faked her death... shame on him..even love has its limits.

The best features of this movie are Ms Chopra’s, Neil Nitin Mukesh's and Mr. N Shah's effortless acting and ofcourse the number - Darrrling… which adds the much needed warmth to the movie! Don’t miss this one folks.

I do?

See what inflation has done to the common man's psyche

Miscellaneous Notes

I visited the SONY showroom today that was home to the new 3D LED! I abandoned my pursuit of the recorder (reason of my visit to the store) and focused all my attention on the shining new "slick" machine. The sales guy with his typical "Bombaiyaa" dukandari gave me a complete run down of that sexy thing...I mean sexy...Just check out SONY's web page for detailed features and you will see that damn thing photographed from different angles as it poses like a super model!
Moving on... I was given those super cool 3D glasses (which remind me of my own pair of sunglasses) and voila! A third dimension emerged as I watched a polar bear skinny dip in a pool of ice water, playing around. I could see the surface of the water as it bobbled up and down with the bear's belly which had a cuddly round shape! I swear I thought it was pregnant! This entire 3D image made me feel like I was in an aquarium and the TV screen was actually the glass wall! My entire face was lit up in glee when the showing came to an end! So my new aim in life is to earn that ** INR in surplus and own that thing!

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On a slightly related note, I have rejoined the gym after my sojourn. Consequently, my walk has been replaced by our very own "Munnabhai's" swagger complete with the position of the hands as I balanced my embarrassing weight on seriously exhausted quadriceps!


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PS - Tequila rocks :)

TerribleTwos? OR Terrific Twos?

I spent 4 hours with about 15 two year olds yesterday. They were all bright eyed and excited. Most of them were accustomed to their 120 minute class that included a lunch/snack break. Among these veteran two year olds was a 3 foot tall new member, who was not at all happy nor comfortable in those foreign surroundings. He bawled and howled till we were sure he was dehydrated. Finally he yielded and had a sip of water. His traumatic experience amused his peers who looked at him with not apprehension but mild amusement. They did not desert him or even shrink away from him. A couple of them even tried their best to console him by patting his cheek and tummy! I guess we all could learn a lesson in compassion from these two year olds!
And ofcourse there were excellent examples of ‘boys will be boys’ as they pushed and shoved each other and even ‘boy handled’ a classmate in the process!  All sorrows were forgotten as the teacher asked them to apologize to each other! Then ensued the lunch break wherein they nibbled at their boxes and snatching each others biscuits in the process. As the 120 minutes were up they hurried to their bags and shoes and slipped them on with equal fervor craning their necks to find their parents!
What wouldn’t we all give to be two again... where the biggest concerns of our life was if the teacher was handing out our own bags... guess we learn being possessive earlier on than we imagine!

WOMEN POWER

PROFFESSION: Domestic Help

RESPONSIBILITIES: Cooking and Cleaning

PART TIME JOB: Fish retail

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITES: Police Representative for her settlement

Dressed in a crisp saree, rather loud jewellery and sporting a hairdo where not a single hair is EVER out of place, my maid arrives every morning, with a scorn on her face. The minute she steps in though, her frown changes to a pleasant expression as she brisk walks to her work station. She deftly manoeuvres her way around the kitchen making hot chappatis/phulkas and an accompanying sabji with practiced ease and efficiency. Not a single minute is wasted but there is never a compromise on the small talk. We met after a period of...I guess 2 years and I am still a little surprised at her candor as she bluntly narrates all that happens in her neighbourhood. Then the topic moved to why that ‘funny looking’ man from “Aamrika” was getting so much importance. I mean what exactly do we want from him. She pauses a little and creases appear on her brow as she concentrates to remember his name. “OOBAAMA?” She asks. As my grandmum and I discuss world politics she listens keenly and even adds her two cents.

I am already impressed. But she does not stop there. She continues discussing all currents topics from the Aadarsh fiasco to the third airport of Mumbai. Granted she didn’t know there were already two airports but she did know that a third one was close to being sanctioned! All this from an barely educated women who is embarrassed to even sign her name and speak before the public. But I wonder why... cause she can easily put half the so called educated youngsters in India to shame with her opinionated view points. This women is also involved with the locals as she acts as a mediator in an final attempt to settle issues before they are made legal. She sends her sons to college and does her best to keep them invested in their education despite lacking one. The same dedicated woman with a social conscience is not without compassion as she tries her best to support stray animals. Currently she is supporting a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a squirrel and to the best of my knowledge half the dogs in my neighbourhood as well.

This woman my friends is in my opinion an established strong woman with exceptional taste who does not allow social and economic borders to limit her. She transcends beyond them and does her best to give back to the very community she is a part of.