Welcome 2014!!

I am unable to keep up my resolution to blog daily. I do log in to my blog, and write but the writing is not comprehensive.  But today have decided to post whatever I am writing , for only continuous writing would lead to an improvement.  

One more year went by.  Had a fair share of good tidings and more than fair share of bad luck.  But the end result was good.  So would not like to talk about  the bad time that I had but would share the little joys that kept me going. .  

Beginning of the year saw me successfully ensuring my company's participation in a major exhibition. My son passed his Xth and joined college.  Though the onus for his passing would go to my sister who worked harder for it,  I take pride in his accomplishment.    Did a lot of cooking , celebrated all festivals by preparing sweets, read a few books, finished an on-line course... The year could have been more good but yes, the time gone is gone and never to return. No point regretting but shall try to cover up for the time wasted. Last but not the least I did make some new friends whom I feel would be friends for my rest of life.  

I am optimistic about 2014 and welcome it with open hands.  

Thank you...

Back to Blogging

Beginning this week, decided to restart blogging and that too on a daily basis.  To be on safer side, should I say regularly or periodically?  I think I would keep it ‘Daily’ for I really wish to.

This year one of my main resolutions is to invest quality time in myself.   Included in it is blogging as this helped me create an identity and a space for myself.  Had I been sincere to myself or should I say grateful to my blog,  I should have continued blogging but took to Facebook.  Well, because of its format, ideas could be posted while on the move, or while watching TV . I made more friends , got connected to all my ex colleagues, friends from school , college. It was a virtual party.  But Facebook had its own disadvantages.  Though there was knowledge transfer , as friends would share the link that they read, it also had its “Games” which I got addicted to. And now Face book for me is competing with friends or to post photographs and to “like” others posts and comments.  

Hence this determined shift back to blogging.  But not giving up Facebook .  

See you tomorrow.  

Men and Women are mere Actors

“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.”

The very famous Shakespearan Quote. I just rephrased it as “All the world’s a stage and all men and women merely actors” .

When I look around , all of us are actors. We wear masks and act different in each circumstance. As a daughter, parent, sister, spouse, friend , colleague, we wear different masks.

The first thing that a child is taught is to act differently in front of guests, teachers etc. So, when these film actors do multiple roles in a film, we appreciate and applaud them. But a child not knowing that he is acting, behaves different with different people.

There is hardly any occasion when we get to wear a mask with which we were born. For me, the real me is the image created by my posts in my blog. Here, I have had no pretensions, no masks and have written as to what I feel and this is who I am.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall

As I changed in front of the mirror after getting back from work last evening, it struck me : When was the last time I had looked at myself ?
Over the years, I have distanced myself from my image that today when I stood in front of mirror, it was difficult to recognise. This made me ponder. When did I last look at myself? It might sound strange, but I rarely stand in front of the mirror except for a flash of seconds to apply bindi or for combing my hair. And so, I did not miss a mirror in my last house where I stayed for one year.

Yesterday, this starting line given by my friend to reinitiate me to blogging made me look in the mirror. I could not identify myself with my mirror image. I was trying to interpret my age. I recalled the other day, a lady in her thirties calling me ‘aunty’. Do I look that old? It is very easy to pin other’s age at the look of their face, but I could not do to my own face.

Probably not looking at the mirror regularly, has given me a bulging tummy, wrinkled face and weight. Though it has its disadvantages, I feel that not looking at my image has had its own advantages. I did not get to look at the wrinkles or my worn out face. I still am young as I feel.

I think and so I blog

I read this caption 'I think and so I blog' on someone’s tee-shirt today. On reading this, I asked myself the question : ‘Have I stopped thinking “ and more importantly was I really thinking when I was blogging. :)

Poignant movement

The post below is taken from a letter written by my father Late sh R K Chari to his cousin.

When I applied for a job in Calcutta Marwari Co., the immediate eligibility was my neat hand and the M.D. employed me for writing his personal cheques. I as a hobby collected foreign makes like Parker 51, Chinese Pilot German or French Monte Blanc etc. all during my walk back home at the Chowringhee. You can realise the poignancy and sorrow that which got me the bread is dumped in the dung heap now in the IT age.

Now that the computer has arrived, the use of letterheads, fountain or ball pens has altogether gone. (Even banking is done online and cash through ATM).

The Unsung Hero

The story below is written by my uncle Late J Rajgopalachari, based on the chronicle from my father's records.

It happened in a village in the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu in the third decade of the twentieth century. In those halcyon days, Tanjore District was famous for its prosperity, with well-irrigated lands, thanks to the bounty of the Cauvery River, the flow of water was plentiful as the population of the upper riparian areas, in common with the rest of India , was just about a third of what it is today. The flow to the lower riparian fields and irrigation canals was in the region of 400 to 500 thousand million cubic feet, well over the double the flow these days. With affluence, came the leisure for other pursuits including debates

The incident narrated in this story happened in a small village , Therazhundur , well known as the birth place of the great Tamil poet, Kamban, renowned for his Tamil version of the great epic Ramayana. While he was born in a potter’s colony, it is a matter of pride to me that I was born two hundred yards of where he was born , though in the Brahmin Agraharam a few centuries later. The village, though small is rich in its heritage, and its title to fame in history is rooted in the many stories of legendary characters associated with this village. It was here that Tamil sage Agasthya , fell in love with Cauvery. Cauvery, however refused to marry him and, in consequence, the jilted sage pronounced a curse. Legend has it that Cauvery did her penance in the village to appease the enraged sage and save the people from Agasthya’s curse.

But this story is not about the village or the legendary figures associated with it, but about a humble unsung hero figuring in a chronicle of his life and times recorded by the chronicler Sh. R.K.Chari. In his trip down memory lane, he has recounted the celebration in the village of the birthday of the king Emperor, King George the Fifth. Two hand picked students were to carry the garlanded portraits of king George and Queen Mary in procession down the streets of the village, the students singing, “Long Live the King and Queen” in Tamil. The President of the Tanjore District Board, a Dewan Bahadur, was present. The procession was all set to start, when someone went to the Headmaster asking for the portraits and the Union Jack Flags to be carried by the students. There was sudden excitement as the teacher entrusted with the custody of flags and portraits was not to be seen. A search of his table drew a blank. The Headmaster was on the point of fainting with the entire school staring at him in a state of shocked disbelief. The teacher in charge turned up but had no clue as to the disappearance of the precious objects. He had no solution to the mystery. The occasion produced the man. The Assistant Headmaster briskly walked towards the school well with the air of a Sherlock Holmes. The well had two pillars, one at either end a cross bar at the top with a roller at the centre. A large bucket and a thick long rope were requisitioned. He climbed into the bucket, had himself lowered into the well. After some search, he was able to salvage the portraits and flags without much damage. As the teacher dried them in the hot sun, the high dignitaries and invitees were whisked away by the school trustee , the staff were in a fix and the students escorted home by their parents. In the words of the chronicler, ‘the two portraits were left leaning on the wall of the well, their Majesties regretting that the sun never set in the British Empire”.

An inquisition ensued. The mystery remained unresolved. The Headmaster, held morally responsible for the insult to the Empire was transferred to a smaller school in a more remote village. That it was a very well run school with an excellent academic record could not save him from the wrath of the authorities, who considered the affront to HIS Majesty unpardonable. The Assistant Headmaster was rewarded for his gallant service to the Empire and promoted as Headmaster. But, the angry, silent patriot who had the fire in his belly and guts to dump the flags and royal portraits into the well in the heyday of the Empire, will forever, remain anonymous. In a small village nothing remains secret for too long. But to their eternal credit, the villagers refused to betray their hero for punitive action by the agents of the empire.

Celebrity Crushes (contd…)

WoW! 101st post
Shankari : ) In 70’s when the Big B was in the peak, I was never into Hindi films and used to find it weird when my cousin used to have his posters on her wall and wanting to marry him. I started liking him post KBC. Junior B is my favourite actor, but no crush.

But my list of crushes is incomplete without the mention of Shekar Kapur. His looks still make my heart go Boom boody-boom boody-boom boody-boom.{couldnt get the musical trck of the song} I remember enjoying the film ‘Masoom’ w/o even knowing who the director was , and once I got to know the director of the film, it was the film no. 1 for me till the release of Mr India.

I till date ardently follow his blog.

Celebrity Crush!!!

Second post for the day!!
Interesting Tag. Probably, when I publish my autobiography at the fag end of my life, I would also include the other crushes that I had. Cant help but to keep quiet about them now, as is expected by the society.

As a school girl, I had a crush on Sanjay Khan, after a film of his with Rajender Kumar where his name was Raj. My first crush, but then I didn’t know the word crush. Ihave a soft corner for Zayed Kjust because he happens to be his son

I took a liking to all Pathans after Imran Khan. I was jealous of all the girls that he used to flirt with, and it is his leadership skills, his display of anger which motivated me to watch cricket. I used to enviously watch the celebrity females sitting in the pavilion and watching him play.

Charles Sobhraj: Not many would call him a celebrity, but for me he was dashing personality. I was disheartened when I heard of his arrest.

Mohammad Azharuddin: I was floored by his graceful batting and his looks. His being an Aquarian was an icing on the cake.

Anil Ambani: No reason. still makes me laugh when I wonder as to how i got a crush on him. But that’s what crushes are, Illogical.

Thanks, Shankari. Had fun doing it.