Come Home - Part 1.

Long time no write! Battling laziness and procrastination takes a while; in my case a little over two years. Be as it may, let's move on because I have something very exciting to write about!

 I visited home during the months of December (2014) and January (2015). Home for me really means Malleswaram, nay Bangalore, nay India. I have been living away from home for a while now, and like most of you reading this post, you know what I'm talking about. When some wise thing said, life begins outside of your comfort zone, it wasn't kidding! I totally recommend it to anyone who wants to try. While its not all fun and games, at the end of it, very simply put, one gets to grow up. You may grow up a little too soon for the comfort of a few. However, its a necessary anti-oxidant in what will otherwise become a very well oxidized life. (What-a-simile da!) 

 

Flying eight thousand odd miles is a big deal. You endure less than acceptable circumstances to get to your destination. But bad experiences make good stories. While my flight back home was exhausting, I do a few good anecdotes. The on-flight entertainment has very little to offer but this time it had something in there that I was interested in - the movie 'Queen'. Call it attraction to the unknown, but I had always wanted to catch this movie that I knew nothing about it. Yes, I am one of those people who does not read the synopsis at the back of a book before reading the book itself. My interest in Queen was mostly through words of status updates on Facebook. I have to tell you though that watching Queen turned out to be so much more than just fun. A movie, with a female protagonist (even if Kanaga were portraying it!), shunning social norms to live life on her terms - now that's what I call a movie. So with all this feel goodness that I had scooped up, I alighted in Mumbai.

 

Mumbai airport is so cool - see (not so cool) pictures below!

 

Airport waits/transit are their own group of stories. There are stories and then there are airport stories. I hold them on a different level in my life. One such story was when I had effortlessly struck up a conversation with a man who was from England. He told me that he was a Project Manager in an (a?) NGO and that he was visiting his sister in Goa, who was a travel agent who designed bespoke holidays for international tourists. We got talking about a lot of things and one of them was how our country handles work visas. He told me that his sister had to pay thousands of rupees to renew her work visa every year - really??? For my part, I was absolutely ignorant about how tedious it could be to get a visa to visit or work in India. I learnt something that day - immigrants' paper work - a necessary burden - just deal with it. We also had conversations about how humanitarian work changed his attitude towards life or how he visited remote corners of Bangladesh to see people living in less than human conditions or how he had partied hard in Lebanon or about how I would like living downstairs in Downton Abbey but enough said. As a parting gift he gave me a 1000 mille livres (Lebanese Currency)  - now that's so cool - oh and very thoughtful :). Another person deserves a mention here; a very kind man who worked in Coffee Day at the Mumbai Airport let me borrow his phone to call my dad. Be mindful of the fact that this was an STD call but he still refused to let me pay him back. Such altruism - he didn't even expect me to buy anything from him. All this because BSNL had stopped functioning in the Airport - BSNL are you listening?  

So, 22 hours of flying / transit time / driving time and six mediocre in-flight meals later I was back home! Most Bangaloreans will agree with me when I say that the first breath of the salubrious Bangalore air is probably one of the best feelings of all times. The drive back home, even better. Bangalore commute is lovely late in the night, as long as you are safely locked away in your car. What was to come was going to be so cool - for finally I had more than two weeks of vacation and ample company. If an Indian vacation is as long as mine was it is but natural to assume its for - you know what! Anyway happy to report that it was just a fun trip to enjoy the little things; vegetable markets, smell of freshly ground coffee with chicory, Masala Puri, Lal Bagh; CTR dosa; bougainvillea, rangoli, jack-fruit; chikoo milkshake blah blah blah.... 

 

Part 2 coming to an electronic device near you - like in your hand probably.   

Whoever.... Whatever...

Hey there! Whoever you are.... whatever you are...
Listen up... I am telling ya... 

It's pretty darn serious...

How much more do you think one can take,
Natural calamities, emotional challenges or simply the monotony,
What; you think it's a joke or something!!!

After all, most of us don't ask for a lot,
Few of us even take the trouble of 'praying' and doing good!
And all you can do is this....Really now??

Of course... Life is what one makes of it;
But 'You' play a part too, right?
I mean... Come on... People wouldn't be trying to figure you out for aeons otherwise..

Sometimes I wonder... Are 'You' even worth it! 

Of course you are not...But people don't stop pursuing you... 

Or the idea that you exist... Sigh..

Mark my words...
You better prove your existence..
As people say you have done in the past.....

For my part, I am an optimist so I still believe in 'You'
I give you the benefit of doubt...
But I could use some miracle you know...
And I could really use 'You' too.

The question off late on my mind has been... Is there a greater force or is human effort the ultimate? In constant quest for a satisfying answer.. :)

Stormy!

Its storming again here in NJ. While it was Irene last year turns out its Sandy this time around. To weather such a storm, people mostly huddle up some place, down some alcohol and enjoy the locked-in situation. While I do enjoy the locked-in situation turns out I start writing.

I just realized that my experiences in this country could pretty much be summarized as such: "Life in between storms and snow storms". Certain mention worthy experiences:

Ike 2008 - New to the country, pretty exciting experience. Realized that hurricane is a real threat and that bread is the most sought after food especially during a hurricane.

White Christmas Dec 2009 - This particular day felt like the longest day of my life. I had to fly on this particular day and majority of the country was covered in snow. When I finally reached my destination I cried like a baby..... I mean quite literally... such was the experience!

Some where between the two I had a degree and a job. My mother visited and I was a visitor in my home for the first time. 

The Blizzard of Dec 2010 - I was in a ground floor apartment by myself and about 5 feet of snow had piled up outside my door with no candles in the house. I prayed very hard that night and realized that at least for dialing 911 its better to have a roomie.

Irene 2011 - I was a little more seasoned (or scarred??) by the time Irene visited. I was prepared for the trees to fall over our roof. So I had come up with my own little scheme of moving things around so the tree I swore would end up in our apartment could be accommodated. Luckily, whether the scheme was a good idea remains unknown.

During the year, I squeezed in a week's visit back home and I learned how to swim. I'll remember this particular year for a very long time.  

Sandy - the unknown - 2012 - Starting tonight the hurricane will just start making landfall. NJ is attracting some attention this time around because its sitting in the hurricane's path. All the predictions paid off and yes Sandy is headed exactly as predicted - towards the entire Northeast. What lies on the other end of the storm is yet to be seen.

So the past few month of the year... again very interesting. My father visited. Its eventful even otherwise but more so because he has wanted to experience the US of A for about 30 years now. Accordingly, he made the best of his visit and ended up spending his five weekends in five different cities spread across three different time zones. 

And here it is... the end of another rambling and I can only ask for your patience :)

But deep down I know that even with all the anticipation, this too shall pass...... 

Happy Birthday Bloggy!

Happy Third Birthday to Unwound! Yes, its been three years since I started scribbling in digital ink!!

The last post was in April, oh boy! Lengthy bout of laziness... or just too many things going on! 

Here is all that is in the works: 

1) Travel - watch out for a travelogue soon! 

2) Food - to be honest, haven't cooked much off late.

3) Paternal pampering - Pa dearest visited :)

4) Moving - An eternal pain. 

5) Work - Some under the ground stuff you know.

6) Performances - Here a song there a song :)

Oh and definitely...

7) Lessons learned!!

So yeah, hopefully should get going soon! :)

Not So Non-Veggie!!

For the past year or so I've become a big fan of eating healthy and living it! Along the way, the discovery of things which I knew nothing about has been the best part of it all. Also, these bits of facts came from very simple places like Yahoo and of course Google :)! Nothing over the top so read on... 

This post is dedicated to vegetables/tharakaari (kannada)/PRODUCE. Now...I am situated on that side of the globe that calls tharakaari produce... so I will stick to calling veggies produce, just so we blend in...

(Cutting to the chase now...) Having grown up in this area called Malleswaram and shopping for fresh produce at a market with great character (8th cross tharakaari markettu), going grocery shopping at a super market bummed me out! Most of you will agree that you'll walk the long drab aisles only if you have to! As luck would have it, in the middle of no where in College Station, Texas, my room mate discovered this adorable farmer's market called Farm Patch! Come to think of it, the proximity to Mexico does make Texas a good for produce state but who knew back then! So I had developed this weird affection for Farm Patch. I loved going out there and I can still remember exactly where what was. I had grown so comfortable shopping there...... and then the move happened...hmm...I landed in New Jersey. 

New Jersey, The Garden State, was even better actually! I started living in this area which had the best of several worlds - accessible to Princeton Downtown, huge farms and just the right amount of desi-ness. I found myself surrounded by farms and farmer's markets! Without realizing I had started to take a liking for vegetables such as asparagus and broccoli (I know right!!!) and fruits such as grape fruit and blueberries. These farms also let you pick fruits and vegetables off of their farm patches. So, what's the big deal in plucking your own strawberries and egg plants....nothing really.....but looks fun so definitely something to try this summer! 

The inspiration for this post came from this article I had read which stressed on buying produce from a local market rather than a super market. The produce from a local market is less likely to have been subjected to extensive storage and chemicals and hence is of more nutritional value. For me though, farmer's markets are pretty and a lot of fun :). To find your local market check out this website, http://www.localharvest.org/ , its pretty neat. 

Oh and to learn how to make broccoli more interesting try this recipe from a cooking blog created by one of my distant relatives: http://samayalarai-cookingisdivine.blogspot.com/2008/12/18th-december-2008.html

This recipe is a very typical South Indian dish worth the effort if you like eating curd in any form. 

And and....on a totally unrelated subject....the one thing to look out for in New York City just at the on set of spring is its tulip patches! A Steve Jobs invention helped me a little here. See below! The first picture is at the park behind the Wall Street Bull. The second picture is the view from the boss' room. The third picture is at the Zuccotti park or better known as the camping site of the Occupy Wall Street protest.

So thank you until next time :) 

Lessons Learned

First off, apologies for the previous post. I hit the return button by accident and that certainly did not turn out well!! But on the bright side of things the mistake stopped me from writing in a miserable state of mind. Just so you know, I was going to try recipe writing but decided against it. Trust me its tougher than you think! If you'd have to quantify your cooking, its tough :)

Meanwhile, for the last two months the following are the lessons learned:

Never underestimate a flat tyre situation: Starting with the spelling of "tyre", notice and learn by heart every single word of that statement!!!!! I, well....my car personally had 4 flat tyre situations this year all on the same tyre :). Funny, how I have driven by myself for probably a thousand miles without any AAA insurance. And finally after 4 near misses I bought one! Even though the insurance concept is pretty much messed up, AAA in particular is pretty cool.

English love: I love the English, I love the language English. I mean, its only in English you can say things without actually saying them :) As always few things will make you cry and few will make you laugh...

It's all about the Quote - Sun - Unquote: Spring's here :D one thing I'll never complain about - The Sun!! This winter has been one of the toughest! Regardless of the snow, winters are bad, period. What a blessed country India is with the Sun being its ultimate cleanser. And how blessed is Bangalore, sitting pretty at 3,800 ft above sea level :)

Love the people: I read somewhere that a nice conversation is like eating chocolate. Apparently both stimulate the same part of the brain. Its true. Nothing lightens one up like a good conversation or a nice square of dark chocolate (even better liquor chocolate :))

There is nothing like music: You know, if you ask me to choose between dance and music, I may just end up choosing music. Oops! Ok I take it back :):)!!! But anyway, music is something beautiful. A melody can fill up the ambiance around you and leave you in a state of trance like no other. Music is like an old friend, who understands you completely and can handle you no matter what the situation no matter what the lyric is. For every thought of yours, you are bound to find a song, if only you look for it hard enough :) Its like true love..... And the best part, if you can't find it, you can write a song and sing it the way you want to.... Now that's awesome right???

So mantra for the beautifully setting in spring... sing your song.... write your lyric.... live your life!!

2012

Happy New Year folks. So here we are finally, 2012!!

Say 2012 is definitely the end, I'd make it the best ever beginning to an epic end!! Hence I start by resolving to use the blogosphere to pen down all things that make me smile :) Simple ain't it.... and trust me when I say smile..... it does not mean shopping... nope... no way!!

So let's start with how special 2011 was. Let me tell you, it was a -snow storm/lots of sun/lots of rain/hurricane/hopelessly cold- of a year, oh but definitely fun :)

2011 started with the Crystal Ball Drop at Times Square. Being one of the half a million people in Times Square, standing in the cold for 9 hours to see a crystal ball, dropping a 100 feet (and still in one piece :P) feels pretty good for the first 3 hours. For the next 6 hours, some where between wanting to take that one damned call of nature and coping with numb legs, you are finding a wall to bang your head on :) And finally you shout Happy New Year and make your way back home.

Come February, I decided learning a new language is the answer to boredom :). So Espanol it was! The classes were great and an awesome stress buster. So if its your birthday today and you happen to stop by, Feliz Cumpleanos (Not from Google, OK)

Come April, I manage to get a project in New York City. So I start working there and dignify the experience with a poem on the blog. Learning the do's, don't s and don't ever do's of a job in a big city is a lot of fun; a job and in construction, that too!! I have never been more aware of the fact that I am a lady. Even back home where the gender ratio in construction is heavily skewed, it was not made this obvious :)

Come June, I wake up one day and realize I should probably be swimming (really??). How could I have not continued after giving up at the age of 12. Am guessing its because of a deep cut I received back then when I was swimming. I continue to carry the scar even now but why was that supposed to stop me from trying.... Enough said, I jumped in, head first :)

Come July, I made one of the most futile attempts of my life! I tried to take a flight out of New York City on a rainy day and some how, the Gods went crazy :) !! Its again, one of those experiences you'll keep entertaining people with :)

Come September, I was homesick! One conversation with Shwe was enough to book tickets to India and just for a week :). This visit was very interesting. It changed my take on arranged marriages; actually marriage as an institution. It also made me realize, there is only one place which is called home and for a darn good reason. If anybody tells you that you can't go back home, direct them to go jump!

Come October, I realized that in all this I'd let go of considerable adipose tissue :) The first thing I'd told myself I'd do if this ever happened was to dance. The moment I was asked to perform, I agreed! Was back on the stage after 9 years. Boy that felt good!! :)

Come November, I turned 25 :( The good part, received a sizable insurance refund :) bad part, the eligibility clock had started ticking... just like the Rose in Walt Disney's The Beauty and The Beast. Not that any of this mattered to me, but you know, these people called ma and pa.... oh! you know how they are!! Reality bites, ouch! But the best part of this month was San Francisco! Finally got to see the Pacific Ocean and was thrilled :)

Come December, quite a few interesting rendezvous happened. They all made me realize one very important fact; "Attraction fades away. Comfort alone pulls you through" Now you know why everyone loves their pj's (pyjammas :)) And yes, I spent New Year's Eve watching the ball drop on television (retroactively because I was on CST:)).

In addition to all this, I see blog feeding subjects all around me and yes they make me smile. It could be a lady playing the western violin on the street just for some extra money, or the Occupy Wall Street protest. But lets save it for another day, what say.....

Irene!!

In the eye of a forthcoming storm,
I stand by myself; notice not alone
It’s been a while since I realized
Not too many feel any different.

So I am told and am told again,
Where I live is probably out of danger;
Sure, in a way it’s like my life,
Maybe not a flood plain, but definitely storming!!

Of course everything will be alright;
Because there is a lot of calm now,
And am sure some tranquility after the storm,
But, what’ll become during passing…

So, it’ll probably uproot a few trees
Hamper a weekend escapade or two
Create this very watery gloom
And move along like all others do.

And during this waiting for me ahead
I’ll take anything you have to give;
Phone call, electronic mail or just a thought;
But I’ll watch and watch out for you.

Stay Safe folks!

So who goes next?

Its wedding season all around and oh boy..... facebook sure does keep you updated or what! Off late I have logged in everyday to find at least one relationship status update. As happy as I am with my friends' announcements, I cannot help wondering if such information should be classified.....especially you know....for parents! Peer pressure has different ways of getting the better of you and well....this way certainly is 'in-vogue'!! So who goes next is a primary thing on my mind these days.

One of my best friends got married a few weeks ago and I, by virtue of being an ocean or two and several land masses away, could not be there to see her get married. Nevertheless, I wish her the best of the best!! So.... are we already there? All the wise talk about lets cross the bridge when we get to it is just noise now, right??? We are at the bridge....you just have to walk a few more steps and there it is! And have we figured out a way to cross that damn thing....oh no!! Man, didn't we always think there was more time......Whatever happened?

Honestly nothing happened....just a bad dose of reality check or should I say its time to grow up! :)

So coming to more important things, there is a new addition to the list of small talk....a new sensational topic has made its way to the small talk hit list....we welcome, not so fervently, ECONOMY! So now three things to aid small talk...weekend, weather and economy! When I looked up the etymology of this word...it said it came from a Greek word which meant household management. Talk about getting blown out of proportion :)

So is it really possible to have the best of both worlds? Isn't it equivalent to asking for light but not too much Sun? Should the almighty even process such requests? The thing that really messed me up was The Kung-Fu Panda movie!! (why why why?!!) So you really think what set the adorable panda apart was his destiny? He was able to fast track through the challenging kung-fu training process because of destiny? And if destiny is the real deal...then why scratch your head for anything at all.... and if karma is the only thing you can control and hence do a good job of it and leave rest to destiny....what is karma really worth?

Alright, that's enough damage done for now! Hasta Luego!

I've been there..

So, I start walking swiftly
All the way down on Broadway,
The cognizance and the solitude
Beckoning a neophyte Newyorker.

The inevitable path I tread
From the ubiquitous sub-surface train station,
The thoroughfare offers numerous glares
At tourists, dwellers and freaks alike.

I remember like it was yesterday
Trying to see the twin tower memorial
Seeing the lady in green and thinking
Poised, just like in those post cards.

The Times Square, I went whoa!
Behold the sight of sights
The police, a wedding and me!
What a place, aflame with lights and much more.

The museums the metros and the edifices
Was this really happening
Wandering the up, down and mid towns
Strolling around 5th avenue, really now?!

I looked at people who worked there
Suited up, some dandy some pretty
And wondering, would there ever come such a day
Would I ever suit up for NYC...

And guess what, it did come,
I suited up, fairly presentable
Feeling the usual jitters
Of becoming a Newyorker.

Now I jostle through visitors and their maps
They stand awed by churches and cross roads
I look at them every day and smile
I've been there, done that and now....

I started working in THE CITY. New York city, a place of where Seinfeld and Friends happened :). The place for which, nature could not have done more. A place whose spirit is not daunted by numerous challenges it faces every single day! It can humble anyone and make anyone proud of just being a part of its function, in any which way.

I could go on writing about it, simply because I love that city! What better to shake off the laziness, other than an endearing subject :) !

A very American - Need indeed!

Scene: Before hitting the sack conversation with Panna.
Play: As Life likes it.

Characters:
Panna: A person whom I have known for a long time now.....I hope we can go on to discuss our grand-children with each other, someday... :)
Krith: Me, myself and I....Sigh...
Malleswaram: The quintessential old Bangalore residential area, where a lot can happen over a morning walk.
Madhavnagar: Place where Panna lives, an upscale - part residential, part commercial settlement.


Krith: Blah Blah yada yada...blah blah...more blah blah...
Panna: Absolutely Blah Blah...and yes Blah Blah...definitely Blah!
Krith: Blah Blah...Oh and Panna....I need to sleep now. Take care, good night!

(OK now here begins...)

Panna: Krith, why do people in America always say : "I NEED to..." for everything that they have to or want to do...
"I NEED to sleep" , "I NEED to go the Doctor", "I NEED to drop off something", "I NEED to go buy groceries" why is it that you Indians out there, feel this constant NEED to do things...why why why...

Krith: (Thanks for the feed!!) OK my dear, hear me out and I mean this is all earnestness (I really do). In this country, we do most things, because we "need" to do them.

Sleep: As much as I would love continue talking to you, I need to sleep so that I can avoid falling asleep at work, while I'm in the process of warming my extra comfortable chair for nine hours straight.

Doctor: Life hits a zenith of desperation here. I cannot continue ailing silently and am running out of ways to save money but putting off the visit, so you see I need to see the doctor before I get joked at by somebody about my miserable condition, for all you know a complete stranger.

Groceries: This is not Bangalore where its quite a pleasure to .....

Panna: HOLD ON! (Maybe sounded a little indignant :) but all in good humor) In Madhavnagar, its not fun to go buy vegetables!

Krith: OK, am sorry, but you see, Panna, in Malleswaram, it's a pleasure to shop for veggies....OK say you are on your morning walk, you see fresh, great looking, greater smelling green leafy vegetables, conveniently sold by a cycle vendor, standing and shouting at the top of his well honed voice.........You would definitely buy them and go that length of telling your neighbor about it.....you see its that simple. There are no such simple pleasures here(US of A). We "need" to buy groceries and drive at least three miles to get to the store......after all as the cliche goes, how much can you eat outside.

Panna: OK Krith, I need a break from you now, love ya gnite!

Krith: Man, I'm so gonna blog about this!! Luv you too bye!

Some where in the background, the winds sung (and that too, at 28 miles per hour!!)......its a long way home now.....

Curtains Close!!

Of the Biographies and Entrepreneurship

Recently I was on gtalk with Chandrika, doing my daily dose of chatting. Man......logging in to gtalk and facebook is as good as your ablutions! So I log in everyday.....jump in to the humdrum-ness of the society and enjoy it too :) (I resolved to get a life in 2011 BTW! :))

So ya... I was chatting with Chan and I remembered that I needed some blog feed (quite literally, things that my blog can feed on, things out of which, I can cough-up something), so I asked her: "Chan give me something to write about", without thinking twice she said, "Kriths, write about me!". And there it was!! My"blog feed".

Every human at the end of the day wants to be heard. Every person needs to feel 'listened to'. Its as simple as that. There lies a certain part within each of us, which wants our story told. By told, I do not mean gossiped about, oh no! Believe it or not its an ego swelling agent :) .The fact that someone would want to spend their time and energy telling your story, makes you feel good, and in today's day and age, mostly everything is about the feel good factor.

OK moving on, if someone asked you, where do you wish to get in life, what would you say? Well, I'd say that its most satisfying when you are able to create employment and are able to engage in charity work. By charity I mean, getting out on the field and doing something yourself, rather than cutting out big fat checks (cheques actually :)) from your father/spouse/anyone-fed bank account.

In India, almost 50 percent the households employ domestic helpers. This form of employment, benefits a lot of people and reminds you that in almost everyone of us, there lies an entrepreneur. I was amazed at how a normal, salaried, middle class-household, like most of ours, can create jobs. Try finding out how your domestic help makes his or her ends meet and that story, to me is a success story, worth being told. There's a saying, 'Stretch as much as your bed will allow you to' and that's exactly what most people do in our country. Never imagined how important the saying was, until I started living it myself.

I always try to stick to one topic, while writing, but that seems impossible. When there is so much going on around us, how is it possible to stay thematic?!! Maybe some blog-meditation should help.....what say :D!

When Gone Are Those Days

Its snowing this time around the year! What's new one would ask, true, sadly nothing about snow is new! But the way it makes me feel now, as compared to how it made me feel last year, has dramatically changed :) ! I hate all the white around me! Hate is a strong word and that's exactly how I feel about it! Maybe all this is coming out of getting stuck at home all alone during a scary blizzard :)....well maybe!!!

So out of this snow-inflicted boredom came a poem. This is probably tantamount to the worst possible boredom any of you have had ever, some of you might have watched a movie, taken a nap or well..... the options are endless, I decided to write a poem. Its absolutely cynical!! :) What the poem means, is left to you to figure out, if you really want to be a virtuoso :)

Yes, these are random writings,
Repeated if's, but's and may's,
Could meaning lie in musings,
When gone are those days.

So, strong willed you leave,
To take on the yessums and nays,
To feed on memories up your sleeve,
When gone are those days.

It is true, matter of factly,
Character builds with necessary frays,
There is no looking back, now, sadly,
When gone are those days.

You achieve, you get some where,
Having stood still during lulls and sways,
Tougher now, familiarity is rare,
When gone are those days.

Ultimately, down to this, it came,
Either one returns or stays,
But, will it, now, be the same,
When gone are those days.

Finally, inside you, tells a voice,
You go back home, to your own ways,
Hoping you will smile at your choice,
When gone, will be, those days.

Home Sojourn

Ironical as it may seem, I finally took a vacation and went back home for three weeks. After two and a half years, I went back to familiar territories, only for a while. As the saying goes, a place where everybody knows my name...well not quite!

The vacation was excellent. What else could I say after all those days....long time really! Let me tell you this, everything looked different for the first few days. Somewhere between battling jet lag (delightful concept!), enjoying Mom-made coffee and catching up with Dad, I was trying to ease myself in to everything I had left behind.

Did getting the hang of things back home take time? Oh yes it did. I did walk around with a look of - "Oh, is this how it's done" or worse "Is this how I used to do it" - for a few days.....I was acting quite 'dumb', the only difference here, however, was that I had black hair :).

Though I was brought up in Bangalore, I became a grown-up half way around the world from there. Shouldering responsibility, decision making and facing consequences, all these are hands-on lessons. You will not know what it is like to be thrown in to the deep end of the pool until you actually are thrown in to one. No doubt we train for bigger challenges at home, but only in the world outside, do you actually subject yourself to any hardship, if at all you do.

So 'what is' and 'what isn't' about this entire concept of 'living on one's own' :

'What it is' is this: It's necessary because it's growth. Growth, not because you have the edge of foreign currency, but because a qualified individuality which can benefit the society. Living on one's own could be even in the the same city, same locality, as guardians do, but it's also fending for one's own needs and knowing how much milk or rice would cost.

Freedom: Its yet another important treat.....seldom do people realize that freedom comes with consequences, its a package deal! If one has the freedom to act according to one's thoughts, one will have to live with its consequences. In a solo set up, freedom manifests in to consequence quite fast, especially when you are the only one left to pick up the pieces....hence you learn to set limits and stick to them.

Humility and humanity: When there is no one physically present to serve you food, launder your clothes or give you a simple hug, you value what you left behind. You realize that people should never be taken for granted and the fact that not everyone is blessed with good company all the time.

What 'it isn't' or 'should not' become is a mind numbing experience....remember one always carries what one learned as a child. Values, principles, even the accent. One needs to change for the better, accept changes as they are good, but never speak or think disparagingly about a place that makes such a wonderful home.

Not for nothing, does the heart reside back at home always.....the person who said so knew very well that a day would soon come, when home must only reside in the heart and the physical self must reside elsewhere for better or for worse....soaring high, growing up....but returning home to good food, better company and the best feeling of security.

Nostalgia in a Flash

It's been two years since I came to the US of A and a year since I started blogging. When I started writing I felt, oh wow, I have so much to write. The deeper I got in to blogging, I realized it was way harder than I had imagined it would be. Today as I lie comfortably in my apartment, blank and confused, shedding a few nostalgia-laden tears, I cannot help reminiscing over everything, in a flash.

Realizing the American dream, such a cliche isn't it!!! Why does this American dream even occur in the first place? Community, parents, peer pressure? Why?!! What dares people in the sub-continent to dream, pursue and conquer? I wonder where we get the strength from. To take on the challenges of settling down in a foreign land, is definitely something. But why did I start off and where? I come from this residential area in Bangalore called Malleswaram. Every house in this area has at least one Non-Resident Indian. I keep telling my mom that Malleswaram is filled with single parents. Single because somewhere down the lane, their children hopped on to the bandwagon of "foreign land dream pursuers" and left. Left, some would say, is a harsh way of putting it. Now a days parents want their kids to leave, the long list of software companies in Bangalore would fire employees if they refused to go abroad, and if some one wanted to stay back in India and work, they would be judged!! Do you see what sort of pressures our generation faces. A harmless next door neighbor, going about doing his own things, is also in some remote way, a threat to your own survival!! The fittest being in this day and age is truly a piece of art I must say, for to survive in today's world in not easy.

On the brighter side of things, my dearest cousin gave birth to a baby girl :)!! I had forgotten how preciously pink babies can be!!! When babies are born, family gets augmented and one realizes the true meaning of the concept "family". My cousin and I grew up together to say the least. As single kids to our respective parents, we shared almost everything in common, expect for the fact that we were two entirely different people. We almost agreed on nothing and fought each other with all our might!! We did very different things and ended up choosing totally different life styles. In all this, we never went over a month without seeing each other. Of course, once she got married and went to live in Baharain, things changed. Once I came to the US of A, things changed furthermore. It has been three years since I saw her in person (The numerous webcam conversations don't count, duh!!!). Nothing is ever going to be the same. What's more, we now have a baby too!! :) I saw my niece on the webcam (Again and yet again, thank God for that damned thing called skype!) and I heard her cry :)!!! That feeling was amazing. It's even more scintillating because it is Supreetha's child. If you have known someone all your life, like I have known Supreetha, then you would understand what I am going through. I just pray to God that I can age gracefully, become a cool aunt, while Supreetha becomes the strict mom and that one day we can narrate our story to our precious girl!! And on the same day, I will show her this blog post and probably go through another run of nostalgia....

Jersey versus Bangy!

In this post:

Jersey= New Jersey (NJ), my current home and comfort zone, Indians can quite comfortably live in their own Indian ways here.
Bangy= Bangalore(Karnataka, India), HOME!!! A place I haven't seen in almost two years now, used to be comfort zone, but well..the concept of comfort zones I have come to realize is an illusion!!
Edison= A small but significant sub-urban area in NJ, home town of Thomas Edision and named after him. It is famous not only for the number of Indians, but also for the general "Indian-ness" it has going on.

I read an article, which was recently published in the Times magazine.

Link: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1999416,00.html

The author, an American, from Edison, speaks about how the whole area has come be populated with Indians and how the entire look and feel of the area has changed. The article is bold indeed and is satirical, few seem to think it is insulting to India. It has stirred up many debates among Indians, of all origins, citizenship and residential status.

An opinion of the article was also published by 'The Hindu'.

Link: http://thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article495461.ece

It's very well written indeed, a no non-sensse illustration and is worth your time.

So where does good old Bangy fit in this equation......well as I see it Bangy is no different from Jersey.

Ever since the IT industry started growing (perhaps even earlier than that, but I would not be able to comment on that time frame!!) Bangalore has drawn crowds from all over the country. Bangalore, for one has no natives of it's own. It has always been a city made of people from other places. For some reason, a few people who stayed longer than the rest became Bangaloreans and the others became people who have settled down in Bangalore.

The city is cosmopolitan like no other! It's amazing, how much cultural diversity it offers. Then why do we complain???

People in Bangy town are too guarded about their space. Almost everyday the 'other people' who decided to settle down in Bangalore, be it for livelihood or otherwise get blamed for all that has been going wrong with the city. This particular attitude puts me off, somehow!! How are we to think of a unified country if we cannot learn to be tolerant. So what if people from other places wanted to come and settle down in Bangalore!!

I wish people were less possessive about their territories (ya ya...some philanthropic talk!!) Untimately, how much land does a man need? Something to think about.

Two Posts and One Evening....

Do you remember this movie called 'Yuva' made by Mr. Mani Ratnam. This is indeed one of the best movies made till date. Unfortunately very under rated. The public at large has the worst mood-swings. While flicks with no meaning click at the box-office, sensible movies like this somehow don't make an impact at all.

I am not trying to be a critic. But a few things are definitely thought provoking. When one of the heroines asks the hero why he loved her, he says it's all hormones! Wow....this is so true!! After all, everything is about hormones is it not???!!!! No wonder the world is prepared to invest big bucks in the field of genetics. If a string of proteins is basically the reason for almost everything in this world, then why let it be....why not tamper with it so that it can be reversed to favor mankind..right?? Well.... when will we ever learn to let things be.....

The movie by the way is also about politics.....About how young people enter politics as independents and swear to bring about radical changes in the society....It's a really strong and necessary move....especially for growing economies....I know that I have not supported this theory enough, but I will in future.....at this moment hunger has taken over.....and it's not like we can ask our mothers for food out here..... :)

The sweetest thing happened two days back...I was 'skype-ing' (another modern jargon combining man and machine) with my parents and was having trouble falling asleep...and my Mom offered to sing a lullaby for me :) Wow....I did offer my thanks to technology at that instant....and was even more thankful for life....even with all it's atrocities :)

Two Posts and One Evening....

This will be the first of the two posts I will write today. Why this sudden rush of writing, I don't know! I guess it's out of guilt.....Am feeling bad for being out of touch with my 'writer' side :D.....At times out of profuse penitence springs the best of works.... (OK whatever than meant!!)

I had been to Chicago over the Memorial Day Break. It's funny how these days are designated long weekend breaks....and yes, I've made fun of how conveniently they are spread out over the year....but let's face it, I'm thankful for these getaways....

Anyways coming back to Chicago, it was fantastic!! Let's draw some comparisons between Chicago and NYC, shall we... I for one, am a person who is in unwavering awe of New York City. My adoration of the place continues to grow even though I have grown in my acquaintance with 'The City'. And yet, Chicago still managed to enchant me. Before NYC became what it is today, Chicago was expected to be the hub of all the economic growth. But some how NYC walked away with all its grandeur and Chicago became the unassuming city, with a cute skyline having a character of it's own. While NYC is all buildings and narrow strips of water, Chicago has a small yet a poised skyline with the vastness of the brilliantly blue Lake Michigan. Wow!!! The sight of skylines of both these cities will probably be two of the most brilliant sights of my life....

There are more breath taking sights out there, am sure! But these definitely are something!! When I see such spectacular events, I wonder why I have had the opportunity to see them, while million others have not. I do enjoy the moment and make the most of it or at least try to! But I do so with a lot of mixed emotions. I wish more people could see such sights...I wish more boundaries were dissolved.....but yeah...reality does bite eventually, does it not....

An added feature of the trip was meeting up with friends from school.....People I have grown up with, people from the same 'speck of an area' on the map.....People who have the same stories to talk about over and over again without ever having had enough of it.......People who made it to Chicago from a small residential area called 'Malleswaram' in the city of Bangalore......Yes....circumstances did bring us all together..... and the feeling was overwhelming!
The feeling of being out of touch sublimes instantly........the boredom disappears as quickly as it had appeared....

Things are tough at times....So tough that every other week you promise yourself to make a new start :)......You forget that there is no way out of things so easily..... You have to find a way to keep going or draw a line altogether.....There cannot be too many beginnings...... But when such meetings happen....you feel good....and energized to face the monotony with a new perspective.

Mr. Mani Ratnam and his Commercial Flick

The post is not about Ravana!! Definitely not..... :)

So, if not totally, to a large extent, I got bashed up for my previous post. People called it all sorts of things- an outstretched opinion, dangerously presumptuous, a miserable attempt at trying to get commercial- just like Mani Ratnam trying to direct a commercial flick- and of course.... the 'one size fits all' adjective- NICE. Cricket is indeed a touchy topic and especially so with Indians :) and I learned it the hard way. But I enjoyed all the adulation it got :). Like in 'Guru' Abhishek Bacchan says 'If people are talking about, against or for you, assume that you are making progress :)'- Okay too much melo drama, I agree..... but hey it's true you know.......does it occur to you, yet again that I'm giving credit to Abhishek here and had to Google out Vijay Krishna Acharya's name?!!(one who wrote the Hindi dialouges for the movie)

But for all the conversations and emotions it stirred up over the last week, I would say that the purpose was met. After all blogging is a genre of expression. If I had people listen to me talk all day would I still feel the necessity to blog. Oh Yes!! Each conversation has a take away, at times applicable to the world at large...so yes...... why not document it. I am late to this agenda and there are better writers out there. But hey, intimidation and trepidation is common is it not? Neophytes would definitely fear a Sachin or an Amitabh. Their persona is indeed larger than life. But if Sachin or Amitabh gave up on their skills feeling the same about Gavaskar or Dilip Kumar respectively, would we have a master blaster or a superstar, today?

Consider this scenario. You have known a few people for sometime and are comfortable enough to narrate to them, in excruciatingly painful detail, the deepest thoughts and the most silliest of the occurrences on a daily basis. After a few years the reactions, advices and opinions you get from them become predictable. It's like you know what's coming next in a conversation. Is this point in a relationship a sort of dead end? But most people strive to have such a comfort zone with others, right? If 'comfort level' is what gives people the sense of security, then why does familiarity breed contempt? And out of no where, strangers appear more attractive and interesting, it's like we have something new, a change from the routine.... Do we forget that best friends and close ones were also strangers once? Do we also forget that at the end of the day predictability perhaps is comforting?

All these thoughts are probably a result of missing familiar faces or a result of accepting and instantly adapting to changed settings. Yes...a few of us here chose to change the 'default' setting we came with...(could you get any more geeky Kriths!! :))...But it's also essential to experiment....and while in the thick of things....the soul searching seems never ending....

Lagaan

Brilliant movie!!! Even if the love story between Gracy Sing and Aamir Khan was superfluous....but then what's Bollywood without its romances.... Again, the way cricket is woven in to the script is a laudable effort indeed... Ashutosh Gowariker is a good script writer... But some how it ended up being 'Aamir Khan's Lagaan'..... The guy with the big bucks gets all the fame eh!

Nothing unites or divides India like cricket, it's ironic don't you think? Cricket gives all Indians a sort of cult status that is almost peculiar only to India and yes that is something to be proud of! Apparently the sport originated in Northern Europe after the end of the Roman Empire but nothing is confirmed. But I still believe that it is indigenous to India and that it spawned out of Gilli Danda. No one knows if it came from Europe to India or went the other way round. Somethings in history have left no traces, sadly this is also up for speculative grabs.

Countless reasons make it a 'good for health' sport.

It's easily accessible to anyone who wants to play and provides enough scope for innovation, in the event of being equipment-handicapped- how else would you explain turning a racket ball bat in to a cricket bat.

You do not need a well kept turf or a perfectly flat floor. It can be played just about any where. Kitchen of the house, veranda, classroom, you just occupy and play!

Absolutely anyone can play. This is the only game in which the highly learned will entertain the underdogs and will be ever so glad to provide valuable lessons for free!

You do not need to posses any gadget at all to witness this game. Absolutely anyone- shop keeper, neighbor, stranger will let you watch it and all media of communication will be more than glad to bring the game closer to you in whichever language you prefer.

All the terminologies have a regional equivalent.

On a larger picture:
It brought home the concept of cheer leading squads (hardly a head turner) and leagues. Creates a very pro-active economy for those months of any major season. Eg: IPL (needless to mention..but hey....deserves one right?!).
Creates enough scandal and news to keep everyone up and running during those months.
Brings in enough money to make BCCI one of the richest sporting organizations in the world.
Takes the ad-making industry to a different height, churning out some of the best ads.
Leaves the citizens feeling absolutely entertained and happy :)

Cricket is also the reason sites like Cricinfo and true to the word blogs like 'Cricket with Balls' exist.

And all this is only about the sport at large...imagine if I had started getting in to the nitty gritty's of the players and their stances. I till date do not understand the rules of a test match and I'm not a cricket fanatic either. I still feel that the bat making any sort of connection with the ball is serendipity. Of course, the batsmen does aim at the gaps and makes sure he strikes the ball to a good velocity, but still it's all a big mind boggling game of probability.

The game in it's early years had a certain regal look about it with the lush green stadiums and the players dressed in white. It did look like a gentleman's game and probably was. But now with all the cacophony and theatrical moves all the gentleness is left behind :)

Albeit it never fails to grab the nation's attention, stir up the economy and feed people's imaginations.... So if people out there think cricket is overrated you might want to re-consider.

PS: This is the second blog in the 'you asked for it' series.......Dhiraj hopefully is a happier person now :)