Put = புட்; Cut = கட்; Cute = க்யுட்

Yes, at the risk of repeating what scores of others have already stated - I categorically 'pronounce'- English is indeed a funny language!!! I realised, its cos, in English, we do not write things the way they are read, unlike in most Indian vernacular languages!
Now sample this:
Use is yu Z; used is yu Sd; Are there looSe ends or am i a lo'Z'r?

After 14 years of convent education, I still dont know :)

Didya knw - enthusiasm is actually pronounced In-thyu-ziazm. I can be an able (ஏபல்/ एबल) person, but my abilities (அபிலிடீஸ்/ अबिलिटीस) could be limited.

Well, if vision has to be pronounced vi-zh-un, why cant they write it so? If nymph is to be pronounced the way it has to be, wont it be simpler to spell it 'nimf'?

I, am a genius! (Courtesy: Sid the Sloth, Ice Age 1 :))

Ganpati Bappa Morya!!!

So here I am, in the land of SiddhiVinayak, celebrating Ganesh Chathurthi!


My first big festival (couldnt do justice to Lord Krishna on Janmashtami which, though technically my first, fell on a working day), celebrated sans the guidance of the seniors, in 'apna ghar' in the city of dreams :)...


Well... dint have a grand opening though - the pullayar idols cost a minimum of Rs 400 (the cost cutting juggernaut hadnt spared Him either - for the Rs 200 version of Ganesha was slim and trim, sans His charming belly!) so we decided to make do with the ubiquitous idols and photos that adorn our living room, swami room and our bedroom!

Anyway, the puja did turn out well (though Prasan had a tough time - to my merriment adn his chagrin - chanting verses from the 'sanskrit slokas in thamizh' book and yours truly had to assist him through) and, more importantly, the prasadam tasted decent too (Guarantee: Prasan or Anna)!!! Vella Kozhakkattai, Ulundhu Kozhakkattai and sakkarai Pongal!


May the reigning deity of aamchi Mumbai, bestow upon all His children, peace, prosperity, health and happiness :)


p.s: sorry, forgot to add that the entire city looks like a dulhan.
...Teen feet idols of the Elephant God in every street corner, frequent 'gale lagana' and social visits to friends and relatives, Bal Ganesh on air, brisk business in sweet shops, cries of Ganpati Bappa Morya and sound of drums and bugles! Well, well... this is jus one half of the story... the visarjan is still more than a week away :) on Sep 4, to be precise!

Madras... nalla madras

Aug 22 - Chennai Day...

Two and a half months since I stepped on "thamizh mann" !!! and the longest that I have stayed away from Madras (Tambaram IS part of Madras, whether you agree or not!)!

No, am not the mushy-mushy, lovey-dovey, basking-in-the-past soul who'd miss something terribly... am not cut-out for that; by the time i miss something from the past, i have already been catapulted quite some distance into the future :) and by then, all i have is fond memories and very lil emotional attachment...

Aamchi mumbai has already become home :) but it still is home, away from home!

Hmmm... fine... whats it about Chennai that captivates me, when am living in this retro city, the city of dreams?

1. Amma, Appa, Ram Daya, friends, relatives, my Pushpak (he he, aka TVS XL Super :))
2. தமிழ் - I cant pack enuf punch in English or Hindi while abusing a customer care fellow!
3. Anjaneyar Kovil (insiders, i know you know :))
4. The Contemporary mentality - not too modern, not too cocooned - eggzactly like ME!
5. The train rides :) :)
6. Central Station
7. Pondy Bazaar, Naidu Hall, Ratna Cafe!
8. Auto பேரம் :)
9. Mylapore maamis' jolikkum vaira thodu and Rangachari madisaars
10. The innocent illusion of/pride in LIC - as if it were the Petronas
11. The IT Corridor
12. Bessie beach (Marina ofc, rocks)
13. My AIR and Madras Univ visits by PP51.
14. Nandanam signal :)
15. Beach view from Beliciaa
16. Eng bus nos - 5A, A51, PP51, M15, 12B (dont scoff!- here, ५ looks like a shaken 4 while my mind reads ६ as AND)
17. The probability of bumping into atleast one schoolmate/coll mate/acquaintance!
18. Uninterrupted பொதிகை, Vijay, Mirchi, Suchi!
19. The Hindu Metro Plus - எவ்ளோ தான் online edition படிக்கிறது?
20. Karpagambal and Vadivudai Amman
21. ஆடி தள்ளுபடி
.... ... ... ..
Oops... started talking about the City adn ended up listing mostly about MEENU in MADRAS :)
"சொர்கமே என்றாலும் அது நம்ம ஊர் போல வருமா (tan ta da tan ta da tan)...
பல தேசம் முழுதும் பேசும் மொழிகள் (சென்னை) தமிழ் போல் இனித்திடுமா ஆ ஆ ஆ"

ek chalis ki last local

Two months in Bombay, atleast once inside the Andheri Station everyday- but never been in a 'local'!!!

I should be ashamed of myself - how can i not have travelled by the famous (read as crowded) Bombay train??? Well, thats how things stood, as of Saturday (Aug 8)... and what better way to open my account than on a Saturday (Appa says, 'sani perukkam' - Saturn increases and therefore Saturday augurs well for most activities)...


Well, coming back, my caro sposo wanted to go to the Town (imho, in Mumbai, town revolves around the axes of Dadar, Victoria Terminus, Churchgate and Nariman). Hence we set forth on this journey to the centre of the earth, oops, the heart of the city :), in a train.

The equation was right for me;

A Saturday afternoon + Opposite direction of the general flow of traffic + a Fast train = an easy ride... (so much so, it left me wondering, whats all this gung-ho about the train trave(ai)l? Everything seems so innocently quiet and at peace :) )

Add to it, the nostalgic pleasure of a solitary train travel in the ladies compartment (no offence meant to my better half, who seemed better off in the General)!!! but sigh... 20 kms covered in as many minutes... i wouldnt have complained if it had taken an extra ten minutes...

On a broader note, my contention has been that, if a train starts from some place, it invariably reaches its destination at more or less the appointed time - there is no question of traffic jams, processions (flooding in the tracks could be a plausible excuse; but a flooded road is worse off than a flooded track, I presume, unless the rail network decides to shut down).

And yeah, the ladies compartment - is a haven of sorts... when I run the risk of being sandwiched, i can be grateful that am being squeezed by people of the same species (Men are from a different planet, you see :)) and the multitude of vendors who have mastered the art of getting into and out of crowded trains, propose a welcome treat to the eye (to the purse also???)

No pollution, no back pains; sheltered stations, higher frequencies, better communication, more standing space, fourth seat comforts... numerous are the attractions of a train, over a bus (how we would travel three hours (close to ninety mins by train ) to attend a four-hour evening College!!! )

If you think five years of incessant train travel and a couple of years of intermittent but back-breaking bus travel (all in Chennai) has made me prejudiced towards trains - think again. Has there been a soul amongst us, who has not been captivated, at some point of time in life, by the sight of the great caterpillar plugging into/out of a station???
(Heard about the kid who wanted to be an engineer cos he thought, an engineer's job is to in an engine(train? this kid did turn out to be an engineer, whose goal (succesful, too) in life was to travel by both the TGV and the Shinkanzen!)
Ofc, not everyone is a freak who spends sleepless nights crouching in the lower berths, merely in analysis of the direction and union of tracks... but am sure, there is hardly a kid who hasnt quarrelled for a corner seat in a train!!!

But then, the charm of a train is unparalleled; dont take my word for it, just ask a kid... child IS the father of man :)

Lost :) and found :(

Lost a kilo, last week :) ... found it back on me today :(