Some more PJs

I came back from my aerobics class, tired. I saw my dad reading the newspaper. I had submitted some entry for an article in DNA. I wanted to see whether it was published. There was no chance of me getting the paper when my dad was reading it. I tried my luck.

"Daddy, DNA kodthya?"

"Yaavaaglo kottiddeeni. Even before you were born." He said it smiling at me. 

"Beligge beligge irritate maadthya? Hmmm.. You only read it." I started reading Bangalore Mirror.

After a few minutes, my dad spoke.

"Mirror kodu."

Finally, my turn.

"Sorry dad, I am not so strong."

"What?"

"Room nalli fix aagbittide. I can't pull it out."

My dad started laughing at this.

Our roads got some new boards with crosses, mains and street names. They gave some names of rivers. The previous road is named Tunga and ours Bhadra, with reference to the famous south Indian twin rivers Tunga-Bhadra. I had noticed it in the morning. I didn't think of it much. That evening when my dad returned, he was happy. He said

"I feel safer now.."

"You feel safer cos they put some crosses and mains??"

"No. Didn't you see the name? It says Bhadra Road."

"So?"

"Have you forgotten Kannada? Bhadra means Secure. This is a secure road." 

"Heights dad!!!!"

Angel in Disguise

A person ate 7 Ferrero Rocher chocolates in 1 minute and won himself a Guinness World record. Another person carved a pumpkin in 24.03 seconds and he gets another record. A person buries 77,882 unwanted and abandoned corpses and goes unrecognized..!! The person is Mahadeva who has been doing this work from the past 20-25 years. He was doing this in the premises of Victoria Hospital in Bangalore. He was given several awards from the state government but a work like this one deserves more than that. He retired a few years ago. But this does not end his work. His son is following his steps. His son, Praveen Kumar, aged 21, has already given a decent burial to more than a 13,000 unclaimed corpses. It is no big deal if a politician's son gets a political seat or an actor's son in spite of being untalented gets a lot of offers in acting but following his father in a work like this is highly surprising. Praveen Kumar has been supporting his own education from the past couple of years. He is currently pursuing his Master's degree in social work.

Praveen has been helping his father since he was 9 years old. His father, too had started this work around the same age. At his present age of 21, when other people prefer hanging around the posh localities of Bangalore, this boy goes to Victoria Hospital in search of these corpses. His daily routine includes attending college in the morning, and as soon as he returns to his home in Rajarajeshwarinagar, he takes an auto to Victoria Hospital and also NIMHANS. From there, he collects the unclaimed corpses, which may vary from 1-4 per day. A day without unwanted corpses is very rare! He takes these corpses to the burial grounds of Wilson Garden and gives them a decent burial. The police entrust him with this work and pays him Rs.350 per body. But by the end of the day, after paying the bills of mortuary and the burial grounds, he is left with Rs.25, which is very less for his work and for supporting his family. In spite of all this, he never claimed publicity. He was not doing this work for money. He said he did it for his satisfaction. Being the eldest son of four children, he makes his family proud.

I read about him in an article in the December issue of a Kannada magazine. I was not sure that many would have read it. So, thought of writing about him in the net. A news photographer K. Venkatesh who saw his work, had a display of around 50 photographs of his routine in Chitrakala Parishat in November. The people in the following picture are the true "Angels in Disguise"..

I miss 2008!!

The year 2008 has been the best year for me. Some of the most important things happened this year. Though I am dying to face my future, I miss this one. The year started for me at The Leela Palace, where the new year party was arranged by my dad's office. The same night, we met with an accident, so bad that it took around a fortnight to get our car back to normal. It was around 1.30 am. The roads were filled with drunkards and there was so much noise everywhere that it was impossible for my dad to concentrate and we hit a bike which seated 3 people. Our luck started there. None of us were injured, not even those 3 in the bike. Our vehicles were completely damaged though.. Again, the policemen were luckily near the site, else, the drunkards on the road could have pelted stones at our car. The police took over the case and it was discharged smoothly..
My 5th sem exams were actually going on at that time. We still had 3 subjects to complete. I could have missed them if there was any sort of injury. Academically too, the year was great. I faced 2 VTU exams this year, and both the times, I got a distinction. The first being the 5th sem exam, I got 72% and in the 6th sem, I got 78%, and was the second topper in our class..
I got placed through Campus Interviews in Infosys and Oracle Financial Services in this year only.. Both offering a good pay for a fresher. I am actually planning to join Oracle because they are likely to post us in Bangalore.
My dad got promoted as an Associate Vice President of the Corporate Legal Dept in his work place, GMR group of Companies. He was so excited, he finally started giving me a respectable pocket money. He always gave me money whenever I asked him, whatever may be the amount. But, I insisted I have some pocket money, so that I can manage my accounts in a better way. Well, that has not stopped me from asking him extra money though..
After much persuasion and convincing for about 10-15 years, my mom finally quit her job. Initially, she did not want to leave her job as she had no problem with it. She had worked for 22 years in BSNL and did not want to leave it as she had no clue how a housewife spends her time. Though she was working, she always had time for me and never left me uncared for. I have heard a lot about working women not having enough time for their kids. But my mom had managed it so well. I did not want her to work as she deserved some rest as her office was getting more crowded. She is actually a lot more busier now.
Our house got a completely new look this year. It had been 8 years since we shifted to this house. We wanted to change a few things about it. It looks more homely and comfortable now..
A lot other small and petty things happened this year which made my year great. It maybe my cousin's marriage or my trip to Goa with college and other things which are too much personal and cannot be mentioned here... ;)

Food v/s Money???

I don't understand how I got the courage to write this post at this time of my semester. By using the word 'courage' I mean my externals are going on. I wrote my first paper yesterday. I just could not resist sharing an incident which took place while I was on my way to college. 

I saw a man in rags in the dumping grounds near Bangalore University. It is a highway and passing that road in the peak hours is a nightmare. The traffic moves at a snail pace and one has to stand on feet until some of the vehicles move. I was standing there when I saw this man. He seemed mentally unstable. He was picking up some papers from the dump and was making a small bonfire nearby. When there was enough heat, he picked up a dead rat and started roasting it. I was shocked !! I could not see a man eating a dead rat. I turned around. I was even more shocked to see the people around me. Some saw him and made faces as though they were disgusted, some were laughing at him and some were indifferent. That man eating a dead rat made no impact on anyone.

The traffic began to move. I had to act fast to stop him from eating that rat. I was a bit scared to talk to him. May be because of his appearance. But still I did not want to leave him like that. I opened my wallet and took out a 50 rupees note and put it in front of him. I left the place with my vehicle and stood at a distance to check whether the man took the note. He came near the note and looked at me. I forcibly smiled and left for my college. As I told you I had my exams and forgot all about this.

While coming back, I remembered the incident and thought of checking whether he had not eaten the rat. I didn't see him anywhere, took a U turn and came to the place where he was previously there. I was shocked again as I saw some leftovers.. probably of the rat and a charred 50 rupees note!!  He had used the money I gave him as a fuel to his bonfire!! I was disappointed but that gave me some sense. I realised it was food that was more important to him than money. Everyone knows the value of hunger. As I told you before he was mentally unstable. Probably I should have thought of it at the time of giving him the money. I am not disappointed that he made a wrong use of my money but I am disappointed that the money I gave him did not help him with his food the way I wanted it to help.. 

Bangalore will surely develop!!!

I was on my way to college around 11.30 in the morning as I was attending only the second internals today. Near Rajarajeshwarinagar, I happened to see an accident. There were no threats to life but it was a Road roller which had crashed into two electric poles. The electric poles were damaged and the whole road was blocked. I cursed the driver as I had to take a very long route while trying to avoid this road. I made a mental note not to take this way for another 2-3 days before they repair the whole thing. It took me an extra 5 minutes and I reached the college to attend my internals. 

I had forgotten all about the accident in college, as I was more concerned about doing the internals well as I had to get a 25 in order to make my average 25.. I did it well and spoke for some half an hour with my friends and started towards my home. It was around 3.30. When I reached the same road, I remembered about the accident and I hated myself for forgetting it all this while. I could have taken a whole new route from college and reached home faster. I was imagining about the road block, the traffic jam, the hot sun, the way I had struggled in the morning amidst the cars and made my way out.. Suddenly, I realised that I had passed that road completely. Not even a slightest hint of the accident. 

I was afraid I had hallucinations about the accident and had been imagining things. I went back to the place of the accident and noticed that they had repaired the electric poles so well that there was not a single flaw in the pole. I have never heard a good opinion about BESCOM for years. I started to leave. All the way home I was happy to see their efficiency as they had managed a lot of damage with expertise and perfection in such a short span. Bangalore will definitely develop if people take more interest in making things work faster and more efficiently.

Superstitions

Superstition is said to be a belief in certain extra ordinary or singular events, or magic, omens, prognostics and other things like that. It is said to be believed from a long time back right from our great grandparents and theirs.. But have you ever wondered what they actually mean.. Cut out the scientific reasons. I wont be giving you the scientific reasons behind them like today's parents. Just the funny part of it.. But take it a bit seriously guys...

A glutton who called himself a family friend had come to visit my place for Diwali. He managed to eat the whole of a sweet box which was meant for the whole family. I was actually gaping at him.. My grandma hushed me saying it is bad on my part to gape at what others eat... They will suffer a bad stomach the next day. I thought, obviously he has to suffer if he eats so much.. Whether I stare at him or not..

There was a crow cawing at the top of my house. My grandma started preparing some good dishes that day saying there will be some guests coming home as the crow was cawing at the top of its voice. The dishes were so yummy but we were not allowed to touch any as they were meant for some unexpected guests. Well there were no one that day and it actually belonged to us. From that day we started putting some grains on the terrace so that in attracts some crows and my grandma starts preparing tasty dishes again..

My dad was leaving for the airport early in the morning in a cab. The cab driver seemed to be in his early twenties and was a very rash driver.. [ He may have given Karthikeyan a tough competition I guess.. ] He had put loud music what my dad hates and had covered the whole of his head with a monkey cap.. Suddenly a black cat crossed his path.. He screeched the cab to a halt and was completely blank.. My dad did not want to be late to the airport and asked him to continue. He hesitated to move further but my dad insisted [ He doesn't believe these things].. The driver was a changed man.. He put on a devotional song and did not speed up more than 40kmph the whole of the journey.. The black cat was good for my dad and there was nothing bad for the whole of the journey..

I heard someone say that 3 people cannot leave the home at the same time and go to any auspicious places or marriages.. I have also seen some people carrying a stone with them if they are 3 and it can't be avoided.. Does the stone mean a person??? Well.. I think its better to have a stone with them as the auto drivers in Bangalore charge extra if there are more than 3.. We are 3 in our family and we don't carry stones whenever we go out.. In the age of nuclear families you just can't help being 3.. 

I have seen a lot of people not starting anything good on a Tuesday.. I was wondering why was Tuesday named as Mangalwaar by our ancestors instead of Amangalwaar. I saw a person not attending an exam as it started on a Tuesday.. He was confident he will make through the supplement exams without even knowing about the main exam.. I was surprised when I found out his mother had asked him not to attend the exam.. It is definitely bad for his future if he doesn't attend his exam on a Tuesday.

Well this exactly is not a superstition.. but it is a popular belief in India that some people can predict a person's future by reading the lines on the palm.. This was an incident which took place with me..

I had been to a marriage. I saw many people crowding a person at one corner of the hall. Being a girl, I had to be curious. I made my way through it with great difficulty and found out it was a palmist. Everyone circled him to find out what the lines on their palms meant. I was about to show my palm to him when my eyes fell on a little boy who did not have his right hand. I felt strange. I stood there staring at him. He smiled and called me. When I went there he was laughing at those people flocking near the palmist and told me Didi.. mera haath nahi hai tho mera future bhi nahi hai kya?? Yeh sab bakwaas hai.. Mat maano.. I hugged and kissed him.. He was an eye opener. That was the last day I worried about my future..  

Yaadein Yaad Aati Hai...

I got a call at around 5 in the morning. I woke up with a start and found out it was from my friend. He had called me to wish me on my birthday. I was half asleep but still managed to respond politely. We spoke for around 15 minutes and I lied down on my bed realising I was getting older.. I am 21.. I couldn't sleep after that nor could I get out of my bed. I started thinking how much of my childhood can I recollect.. I hardly remember 50-60 days of my life.. That's roughly 2 days per year.. To kill the time, I thought I will just make a list of the days I remember in every year of my life.. The good and the bad days.. I came up with this list..

1. I literally don't remember anything in the first year

2. I remember walking on my grandpa's neatly ironed shirt and my grandpa scolding me with a wide grin on his face.. [ That is the only incident of my grandpa I remember.. ]

3. I had complained about the woman who used to pick me up from home to the Montessori that she had made me walk all the way instead of carrying me. My dad scolded me instead not to complain about silly things.

4. My first day at school. I still remember the way everyone were screaming at the top of their voices and I didn't know what to do. I don't remember my reaction..

5. My birthday at Holiday Home. I was 5 years old and I had asked my dad to get me some food before cutting the cake. I was famished.. But still.. I feel so embarrassed now..

6. The parent teacher meeting. My class teacher Mrs. Jayshree was telling my parents that I used to return my answer sheets within 15-20 minutes yet I used to score great marks. I started crying thinking she was scolding me. She consoled me saying I was her best student.

7. I had eaten a mango in the class. The teacher had called my parents to tell that.. That was the last day I ever ate anything when classes are going on.. [I am doing my B.E. yet I don't have the courage to face that incident again in my life]

8. I had asked one of my teachers Mrs. Kiran Gupta why she had the name of a man. She smiled and tried to convince me that names like Kiran are used for girls in the northern parts of India.. I was not convinced until I saw the movie Darr.

9. I had got a 100/100 in two of my subjects Science and Social Science but still got a second place.. So I am confused whether this is a good memory or bad.

10. I had fallen down while playing at the school grounds and hurt my lips so badly that I looked like SRK in the last scene of DDLJ..

11. The last day of my exams when my friend and I had walked all the way from our school to home.. A roughly 6 km stretch and our legs were aching like hell for the next 2 days.

12. My science experiment demonstration.. We had demonstrated an artificial volcanic eruption using ammonium salts and magnesium wire. We had got the first place as it got through beautifully. I had done the presentation of the experiment and I was beaming with joy when I came to know we had got full marks for presentation alone..

13. My annual day at school. I had taken part in a Sanskrit play where I was a thief from the olden days but still the protagonist. I was looking weird with a false moustache and a false mole that many people could not recognize me.

14. My most favorite teacher Mrs. Alka Bokil had praised me a lot for my Science project and wrote a long note to my dad about it in my diary. 

15. The day I was announced the School Captain. I was happier when I found out it was decided by polling and the result was unanimous.

16. My chemistry lab when I had broken a burette during a titration. I was totally freaked as I thought the punishment will be bad but was relieved when I found out I simply had to pay for it.

17. My college trip to Goa and Jog Falls. We had left Bangalore on the night of my birthday and one my lecturers G.Sreenivas had sung all night long in the bus. He had dedicated a few songs for me too..

18. My first day at the engineering college. It was similar to the first day at my school.. All new faces.. But they were smiling at each other eager to make new friends..

19. My trip to Mumbai. It was the first time I boarded a flight that too on a Kingfisher Airlines one. The same day, I was standing outside Hrithik's building for about half an hour in Mumbai.

20. The new year party at The Leela Palace which was arranged by my dad's office. It was a great experience. It was the first time I had the opportunity to get into the Grand Ball Room of Leela Palace.

21. The days I got placed in Infosys and iflex.. I can't forget both the days for sure. My 21st year has been the greatest year as of date in my life..