I have not, still I hold

They say that there is a very beautiful baby in the world and every mother has it.I think in my case it is wrong.
I was born ugly...Even my mother could not see me with out that horror in her eyes..
When I was very little..possibly I could not know but ever since I remember I was seen with disgust from every body from family members to outsiders.There was no day when there was some reference to my ugliness.There would be a lull in the conversation as I entered a room as the gazes would be averted from me very soon....
As I grew up I could sense why....I had the most ugly green colored eyes big enough to be saucers...A square face with very thin hair,pug nose and a jutting jaw ....I did not grow in height when I reached my youth..My teachers did not like me,I had no girl friends too...
The life dragged on until I could no longer take the suffering.
I decided that i would end my life...
I decided to go to San Fransisco as I always was fascinated by the city...To see the Golden Gate bridge by the sunset,To walk by the bay area ....and in the end getting runk with the poison I had kept ready for the purpose...
As i sat in the pier looking at the giant sea lions making awful noises,I felt the steady gaze of a person.Casually he approached me and started talkin to me...I do not know how,slowly I started taking and all my sorrows came out tumbling like balls from an inverted open sac....
It was almost one hour before I could stop ....
The person smiled at me and said that if i am willing he could procure a job for me.
I could not believe my ears...Who would give me,the ugly monster give a job and loose his customers?I wondered...
I askd him whether it was any thing illegal?
He said no,it was not at all illegal and asked me not to worry...
Since then I am working as a leprechaun in the house of horrors at the Universal Studios .My job is to stand in a remote dark corner and suddenly make my appearance.I make a very good effect and you should see the people shrieking and running away from me...
Do you know?I am now married to a girl who dances as the wicked devil bride in the same place....she has a heart of gold.....
Then we have promised ourselves that we will not have any children.....

It is twenty one days since I came to U.S.A.
These twenty one days are because I have not seen failure of electricity and mosquitoes.They go hand in hand in India.Our house there is in one of the areas with lot of shrubs and trees.So invariably we are plagued with a lot of mosquitoes To ward them off when there is fan turning in full speed and electric One or two brave ones always irritate you. run mosquito repellent is difficult enough.Once the electricity goes off we are at the mercy of these creatures.They bite you and irritate you with their droning noise near your ear.That is the one music I hate.
Here there is no power failure and no mosquito menace.I am enjoying these days....After sometime i am going back to fight the mosquitoes again.Wish me good luck.

Today I read a forward about life before 1986 for the children.
I am happy to say that we have so much to tell .Now it seems a lot of time in the evenings if there is no power and no T V.We did not have anything to see.We had only playing outside as an option.I am sure no child was indoors after it came from the school.There were scores of games to play.We used to play Lagori.Chinni dandu,marakothi aata,kunti mutto aata and somany other games .If it was very hot we had kavade aata.kallu aata.hagga aata and so many other indoor games.We used to get a lot of exercise and no child was fat.We did not get much to eat outside homes and the food was wholesome and i do not remember any parent complaining that her child do not eat.
We also had no footwear while playing and any injury would be treated by great physicians in ourselves.For scraping injuries we had few medicined like putting our saliva on a news paper chit and pasting it on the wound,putting very fine sand,putting the blue paper of a matchbox etc.If a thorn went in to the foot which was a very regular feature as our house was in an area that abounded in gobbali mullu,we used to put calotropis milk to make the thorn more visible and take the thorn out using another thorn or from a batte pinnu.Nobody bothered to get us tetvac injections and no one ied of tetanus infection either.
We used to roam about in the fields and come at lunch time and no parent used to be worried.Only dictum in our house was to come to the house once the street lights were on and to wash your hand and feet and recite some slokas and tabls and read for a while before mother would call for dinner.Once we had dinner,we used to sleep on the beds which were put side by side in the main hall.Many houses did not havebeds.All used to sleep on mats.We had never neard of a seperate room for a child....for that matter any one.

As we went through the lit road,we could see many many people opting for their favorite destinations.If they were regular,The girl at the front door recognized the customer she would give a broad smile and ask few pleasantries and sent them inside.
My daughter was calculating in her mind where to go since the moment we planned to go there.It was where she set her first home after she was married and knew the place very well.She was asking herself...should she have Thai or will it be Mexican?Will it be the tastiest Pizza or will it be the good old Indian Chana batura?It is a really difficult decision.
Ultimately she came to th decision that she is going to take us to one of her favoriteThai hote that is King of Siam.
As we went near the hotel,we could see the place busting with customers.A lady of indeterminable age greeted us with a smile which she had given all the customers from the day she joined the hotel.Asked us how many of us were there and when we told that we were four,beamed unnecessarily and asked us to occupy the front row tables.As we went inside we could see many portraits of the king of Thailand adorning all the walls.There was an imitation of a building n front of the Grand palace of Bangkok.There were many flowers and different decorative items increasing the ambiance of the hotel.There were statues of the laughing Buddha and other deities .They had kept few food items in front of them as offerings.
As we settled we were given the menu cards by a stern lady.We chose the things we wanted and when we told her again and again that we wanted the meat to be replaced by tofu she was slightly offended and told us that she knew about vegetarians.
When we got he vegetables in a thin gravy I was apprehensive but as i took a sip it was quite tasty.They had put ornately decorated porcelain dishes and plates in front of us.As we were served with the vegetables we got the pineapple rice which was stuffed in to a carved pineapple.We also got the mango rice.A mango had been slit open and the inner things taken ou and the rice with all the vegetables were stuffed inside.
As we tasted each dish the sweet taste took over our palates and by the time we finished our meal,we wre greatly satisfied.
WE can not leave the dessert,is it not?As we ordered mango with sticky rice,the waitress beamed at us approving of our taste.As we were served with the pieces of mango fruit with slighty sweet st
icky rice ,we slowly took one piece by one as they dissolved in our mouths.
As we came out we were hooked to Thai cuisine....

After reading my nephew Vasukis blog,it came to me that the art of giving gifts is always very interesting.
When I was married in the year 1980,very few gave gifts in the lavish way that it is being given now.
The economy was not strong and few relatives who had to give Muyyi{as gifts were called}Gave one rupee or two Rupees.If someone gave Rs Five it was a huge amount.Some used to give steel vessels with their family name written on it.I remember I got a total of Rs 15 for my marriage and few steel vessels.
Then the era of presenting bigger steel vessels came.They used to select good quality vessels.Moreover when someone gives a steel thing with the name engraved on it you have to use it as it cannot be recirculated.some people though very rare scrached away the name with the same macin and put their name and presented to others.
Then came the time when Milk cookers were in great demand as a gift.Any newly married couple could boast of at least five pieces of malk cookers.what to do?You were not buying enough milk to boil in all the cookers.So one was uswd and all others were kept in the attic.Those days in almost all the hoses we could hear the shrill voice of the milk cookers.
Slowly the times changed and people started to have more money and the quantity and quality of gifts changed.Even the parents of the girl and the boy were gifted with sarees and dhothis or pant pieces.The gifts of idols og Gods and cutlery sets are in vogue now.You can go to the shop and he will ask is it for yourself or for gifting?If you say it is for a gift then he will show different sets of thing which looks more attractive and has an amount which is far more than what you will give.These cutlery pieces and sets of coffee mugs,plates go on circulating as gifts with new gift wrapping!!!
now a days you can see many of them have a collection of Gansha idols in their show cases,telling every one that collecting Ganesha idols is their passion!

It is true that the smells and memories of your childhood remains in your mind eternally though you may not be aware of the same.Suddenly from somewhere they rush in and you go back to the time you had experienced the same.
Recently I had gone to some ones house for a meeting.After some time they served Orange juice and it was the brand kissan squash.Suddenly I remembered the times when we used to drink lots of kissan squash in our home.For the yonger children it may be a shock to know that then it was a luxury.not many had tasted the squashes and juices.Not many brands were available.The famous one was kissan brand.
When our father used to bring the bottle the orange colour and the shape used to mesmerise us children.If we tried to touch it,our mother used to be afraidthat we would break the bottle.We did not have a refregerator.many times we used to prepare the juice with room temperature water and consume.Sometimes we used to keep the bottle in cold water for some time and then prepare.
My mother used to prepare and give us all in steel tumblers and we used to relish the juices in the hot summers and ask for more and more.....
Now when i go to the malls and buy variety of juicesI simply think of the improvement of our country in consumer goods....
Any how the taste of the not so cool kissan sqush lingers..........

One evening i was in my clinic when three people came in.The worried mother,a small built daughter with a sick look and a father with no particular emotion.
i asked them to sit down and they did.The father took the news paper and sterted to glance The girl was looking that side and this side.I had a phone call to make and after that I enquired about the patient.
The mother told me that the girl had no appetite from two months and not eating properly and becomng weaker day by day.somebody had suggested my name and so hey are here.
I asked the usual questions and examines the girl.Usually when someone has long term loss of appetite we check them for signs of jaundice and they were not there in that girl.Then i told them to get a blood and urine check up and wrote the necessary investigations.As an after thought I also wrote a pregnancy test .We have a code my pathologist and me,when we dont want the people to know that we are getting a pregnancy test done but we have our own doubts The threesome went to the pathology lab which is nearby.
After 20 mins the pathologist telephoned me saying that the pregnancy test is positive for the girl.After some time the three people came and gave the report.
I called the girl inside and told her about the results.She begged me not to sayanything to her mother and she would come again tomorrow to consult me again.I told her that she would have to undergo a scanning to know the exactly the duration of pregnancy and then further expenditure for the medicines or a medical termination of pregnancy. she told she would take care of everything.
So i came out and said to her mother that due to some  harmonal changes this has happened {ofcourse it is true}
and to come after 2 days.
They went and the girl is yet to come.I dont know what the girl did  .....
I dont know whether her boy friend gave her the support she needed.
I dont know if she told the mother,and if she did what was her reaction?
I was also thinking what is the use of all those ads about contraception.
What should one do as a person and doctor?
There is no solution I think......


 

We were watching Travel and living last week and thhere we were watching a herd of mountain goats climbing a steep hill.As you know the mountain goats are very agile and can climb any steep hill with least effort.As we saw ,the old and the young goats climbed the hill as a river went with full speed below.One step wrong and the goats could fall to the valley and perish.They were climbing on the thin rock protrudes and enjoying a tuft of grass as if it is the prime thing in their life and may be it is.
Then we wondered why a old goat will never sit telling itself that it cannot climb?Do a old monkey refrain from climbing trees telling itself it cant climb a branch?Do a old duck does not swim?When in most of the animal kingdom the old ones continue doing what they were doing why in mankind the old will not do the activities it used to do once with ease?Is it the mental conditioning?As we are more civilised is it the penalty we are giving?Is it only due to the lack of exersise and faulty diet?
What may be the reason I wondered?????

We,in our life meet many types of people.Some people leave a lasting impression on you.You remember them many times in your life.I am now telling you about one of them.
We were a group of people of different ages going to maany treks.One of the beautiful treks we went was from Coonoor to Mettupalyam Rail Road trek.ONe is wonderstruck by the beauty of the trek.You start from Coonoor railway station and go on the railway tracks.
You will meet many water points and the flowres take away your breath.The size of the flowers doubles almost in Ooty and Coonoor side may be because of the weather. There are numerous varieties of flowers through out the rail road trek.We enjoyed in the water points.Ate the things we took along with usand spent one of the most beautiful days in our life.
Then we came to a section where the road meets the rail road.We were all tired and thought of taking an available transport.We waited for some time.That road was full of lorries with many vegetable produce After waiting for some time for a bus we decided that we would take a lorry.many lorries did not stop.At last one fellow slowed down and asked us what we wanted.When we asked him to give us a drop to Mettupalyam he was a little hesitant at first.Thenhe saw many young and charming girls and suddenly told us to hop in.We elders sat in the small cabin and the young ones sat behind with a carrot load.The young ones were giggling non stop and then the fellow strted the lorry.He was an expert driver.we sat wonderstruck seeing the speed and the precision of his driving.That was a ghat section and the lorries would go really near each other when thjey crossed.He was chatting with us happily and when he knew that we were from Karnataka he was very happy and told that he was from Nanjangud. We never saw a frown in his face through out the journey.When he had to pay bribe at the toll gate also he was smiling and was telling us these things are there,gave the money and resumed his journey.
At last when we reached Mettupalyam he gave us all carrots as much as we could take and bade us goodbye and resumed his journey.
Some how I remember his smiling face many times.....

My father was a teacher and he had scores of desciples .One of them was from Koppa,a small place in malnad.
My father had requested her to bring two canes from her place.It was for the sole purpose of disciplining us,specially my brother and me.
YOu should not think that he was always beating us.he used to show lot of love,take us for outings tell us stories etc.
Then when we were naughy and when we did not get the right answers for his questios we had it from him.SO we were very apprehensive that that lady was bringing cane.We did not know what a cane was.
Then she got the canes.It was polished canes,yellow coloured and cut exactly for the right size.
Then my brother somehow took one cane and desroyed it.When our father asked what happened to the cane we had our most innocent faces and told him that we had never seen them.
So our father was left with one cane.We (my brother and me}have got few nice beatings in that cane.I dont think nowadays any child will get such beatings.Even after one hour the place where we got hit was burning and the skin was showing red weals.
we were real tough.Next day we were up to our old misciefs.
The scrapes both of us fell in to.Out of ten times nine times we were caught and were given nice beatings.....
May be thats why now we have a bond and enjoy telling these stories to our children and bore them to death.....
but anyhow we enjoy going back to our childhood...

Our mind is like a still lake.Sometimes somehow there comes a time that the memories which were deep comes to the top and you relive the experience.
So suddenly one day i remembered an incident which might be the eariest i can remember ,I got beatings from my father.
We,my brother and I were very small and we had accompanied our father to a small provision store.As our father gave the list of things he wanted and the shopkeeper was packing those,we two were gleefully mixing ragi to rice and wheat to ragi and so forth.The shopkeeper noticed us and compained to our father.
We came home and we both got a nice beating with a cane specially kept for that purpose.
Nowadays I dont think anyone will get such type of caning......

This happened when I was in my 9th standard.
We had our final exams.
The maths paper was on a Saturday and when i asked my classmate who was residing on the same road as me at what time the exam starts ,she told me that it was from 10.30 A M as usual.So I was getting ready at 8.30 in the morning.Suddenly one more girl came to me and told me that all the girls had gone for the exam and why I was still at the house.
I was terrified.Went and enquired in two houses and all had gone including the girl who had told me the timing.
Even without bothering to comb my hair I rushed to the school and told the teacher what happened.She told it was my fault not having seen the time table properly.
i started crying so profusely,finally she let me see the Headmistress.
She allowed me to write the exam on one condition.she would give me no extra time.
I could finish my exam within that time.
Ipassed the exam .
Now i always tell my children to see the notice board properly and not to listen to anyone telling some information...

I woke up suddenly from the sound of telephone ringing…

I yawned and lifted the receiver and as soon as I heard the voice on the other side,I became irritated. That was the voice of Shantha..a cousin of mine. A lady with enormous talents, very artistic. I had a notion that she may call me as I had been warned that she may call me.

I heard she had been calling so many of her acquaintances and asking for help. Asking for money….begging for companionship….and all had slowly become irritated…

As I said “Hello…”my mind was already thinking what should I tell her If she asks for money .How should I tell her that I cannot give her any money.whatexcuse can I give her? She knew that I had money. What if she asks any other help? My mind was saying that I should be doing whatever she asks as she had helped me when I was in real difficulties…She had helped me with money when I needed it, she gave me food when I was hungry…Still my mind was searching for excuses to evade her requests…

She asked me to go to her house at 11oclock that day. She repeatedly requested me not to miss…I said “Yes,” and hung up…

I had determined that I would not go to her house. somewhere hidden, my mind would not let me .So I was out side her house at 11oclock.She came running and heartily welcomed me…I could sense she was having difficulties by the way the house was kept….I went inside and she made me sit on the single chair which was in front of the old reading table.
She went inside and asking thousand and one questions about how everyone was doing brought a big plate full of OTTU SYAVIGE and KAYIHAALU…

I stupidly asked “What is this Shantha?”

I prepared this delicacy and I knew you liked it very much.So I thought I should call you and make you eat.were you very busy?...she asked me

I felt so much ashamed of myself eversince then…

 

I have not tried writing about a film before.This time I am trying.
I knew the film would be one low grade movie.I told the people coming with me to the movie that it would be one of the worst film they have ever seen.Then they love me and knowing that I may go alone to the movie they came with me.
I did not know anything about the film at all.
So,we 8 people went to the theatre telling ourselves that the show will have been caancelled because of no people.First surprise.....many were waiting for the tickets.
Now we will come to the main parts.....
Anupam kher,a very good actor and reduced to playing a corpse with a silly grin on his face may be because he died while doing it with Rakhi Sawanth...(is there anything to be proud and happy about it?poor thing she does not say no to anybody}.His main difficulty is to keep that silly grin through out the film.he is a music baron whose very big photos adore every wall and piller of his house.moreover he has to reassure the audience that they would die laughing in frequent intervals in a most irritating way....He has one more ability.In death he never rots ,bloats and how they managed to dress him as he died doing that and he had no clothes when he died.....

Next in the cast important is Vidyut Baba....he is the baba who controls all of them in the house hold.whether he is an astrologer or anything we dont know but he has to satisfy the sister of anupam whenever she has TENSION and the elderson when he has tension..So an the process of satisfying these two he has to ask the God to give him extra energy other wise he will die of hypertension...mind u the sister looks like saroj khan has tension every where including boardroom meetings...poor fellow for all his satisfying both he will be ruthlessly killed by the same Bebe and darling for the money.....and Om Puri an artist of great calibre plays this part is a shame itself...whether he is doing it fot money,friendship or just kicks is known only to Him.he has bloated and looks huge and that smallpox scarred face has become so fat the nose itself weighs one K g may be.....

There is the elderson who loves vidya{who else but our Vidyut}who has a wife resembling tulsi who is also greedy for the money as everyone is.who inthe end says that her son is the son of her father in law so the son becomes his own bhathija....
The second son married a ball room dancer and the sarojkhan look alike never fails to remind the audience about that.there are all women fightings ........
There are two more girls ,one who wants to become an item girl and one who wants to be a surgeon. All her surgeries are onthe dead laash which is in the house.....
and last but the least there is a wafathar Ramukaka who is none other than our Paresh Rawal who blackmails everybody mercilessly...
Rakhi saawant who is a vishkanya....according to Vidyut baba  the vish has come down to that part.so we have  many deaths and every time the poor thing has to bear the weight of the body that too dead and sream her head off.and there is a cremation and an Adnansamy size fellow doing it with rakhi sawanth in the wash room..{how nauseating}and a psychitrist again sruggles with her and dies ....ramu kaka again the same plight...in the end aftre much sacrifice of somany people{men and women}she takes sanyas!!!!!!!

There is the situation that they cant announce the death....the govt will fall,the shares will fall,,,,,his body is to be disposed.....after many many things and happenings they cut the body in to pieces and each carry a piece in the suitcase s...and our Saroj is carrying the suitcase with the body without the head and the limbs....poor thing somebody steals it and ends up as police guests..
The higher police officer {lady}once she knows that it is a male body because it has Woh..was ecstastic to see and even if there is no head seeing That only recognises that the body belongs to L K that is Anupam kher!!!!!

But then all are put behind bars.......
nodoubt   the movie is a low grade black comedy as they proclaim it,,,it gave some laughs....in a very cheap way and i will be dishonest if i say that i did not enjoy it.....

If you are from Mysore ,you will be knowing Ballal circle. Before some time there was a theatre near that circle. That was Ganesh theatre.We have seen many many good English movies in that theatre.

There is a fellow who does spicy churumuris.It is a favorite spot of ours after the movies. We used ask him to put more spice and eat it with tears rolling .

There is one more coffee shop beside that churumuri shop. It is a shop on a gadi of four wheels. They prepare Idlis,Rice Bath and other items. There is coffee and tea also. all these are served on a teapoy and there are four foldable chairs which are placed around that. There is a water jug and few bottles of water in shapeless used mineral water bottles.

One day as I was having a plate of Tomato. The lady who runs the coffee shop was c losing the shop. If I had not seen with my eyes, I would not have believed that anyone can fit so many things in such a small space.

Inside the place on four wheels, there were already a stove and coffee kettle. There was a Idly preparing vessel. With that she kept a big water tank filled with water. then she folded the teapoy and kept it inside. then she kept the small water jug and the glasses.she chairs and kept them also inside.then she placed the mineral water bottles. She made space for a jug in which they serve sambar.

Then she folded the clothes which they use. One cloth she washed and in the full confidence that nobody will lift it she put it on the compound of the park to get dry for tomorrows use.

Then she closed the door of the shop and put six locks and with the keys safely tucked , started to go to her house, may be to do her other duties…

ce

It is really difficult to know when old memories resurface.
It is as if some recent event throws a stone to the still lake of the mind.
It happened suddenly when I was viewing Chak De INDIA yesterday.
In the film one player is selected from Jharkhand to play hockyfor the world cup.
The girl made me remember the time when I represented Chitradurga Disrict in Stete level Dasara Sports.
When I take painful steps now it seems long back that I used to bag all the first prizes in athletics and other sports events.
It so happened thatI was selected to represent Chitradurga District in running race and relay races.
ONe P T teacher and one more teacher accompanied us to Bangalore.
We were given residence in one of the schools.which had no electricity and we slept on the benches there.
In the morning there was a water tank and we washed our faces in the stagnant waters there..
The event was at Kanteerava stadium.
Then the noted names in athletics were Angel Mary,Irene D SOUZA and others.
They were ready with their spiked shoes and short skirts.I was in my unironed school uniform and bare feet.
They were well built and I was puny and frail.
After the gunshot we started to run.
They were so strong ,within minutes they were far ahead of me.

Oly satisfaction is I came second.....From the last!!!!!
The last one was a girl from K G F...

Of all the films I have seen, I have seen many,this film Mallammana Pavada holds a special place. That one was running at Padma theatre and my aunt gave me and Nagendra my cousin money to go and see that film.

We used to walk any distance then to see a movie and that theatre was two kilometers from our aunts house and we easily walked to the place.

We took two tickets and went to the doorkeeper .He did not allow me to get inside as the ticket was for only men’s side and if I wanted to see the movie I have to take a different ticket and go to the ladies side. Then it was like that, men used to go separate and women used to sit separately. When some people went with husband to balcony they used to sneer telling that “avaru bidi balconyge hogthare”

I had come from a small place and I was afraid and I started crying. My cousin was also a small boy and he did not know what to do and he too started crying….

Then a middle aged person came, enquired what happened and sold one ticket and got me one more ticket to go to the ladies side. WE met after the cinema and came told our adventure to all.

My other cousins were wonderstruck that I could go alone and watch the movie in the ladies section of the theatre…

It seems so long ago….

Everything has changed now. and back then it was a pavada that I sat alone and saw a movie

Yesterday I was riding my scooty on J L B Road.It was so full of traffic....somany traffic signs....vehicles are honking....you can see all types of vehicles.
My thoughts went to an incidence when I was a student of Mysore medical College. I was staying at the ladies hostel.in the weekends I used to go to my uncles house at Vidyaranya puram.I had to catch a bus to that area.It was either bus no 10 which used to go to Vidyaranyapuram or walk to the central busstand and take a bus from there.It was a long walk to the central bus stand.All advised me to walk to the central bus stand because J L B road was considered unsafe.
  One day some how I ended up waiting for the no ten bus on J L B road by my laziness to walk to the bus stand.one more old woman waiting for the same bus.We were waiting for quite some time.Then suddenly one car came near me and asked me whether I wanted a lift to the place I wanted to go.I told a firm no.That old lady came forward and asked them she would go.They told "NO Ajji,We are not going that side' andthey sped away.
After that we got the bus and both reached our destination.I never thought about it.
Now when I think about that incident I shudder thinking of what might have happened if I had accepted that lift...MY GOD!!!!!!!!

Recently I was traveling in a bus.as I wes snoozing with the effect of avomine in the system I heard a faint music from a small roadside hotel.It was the song bheeghi bheedi rathomein from the film Ajnabi.It had good music and in this song Rajesh Khanna and zeenie baby dance in the rain.

We were medical students and staying in the hostel at Mysore.My room mate was a saucy lady Fairoza Khatoon Khan from Kundapur.Then this song was very popular.and once we were in our room and suddenly there was a heavy shower .my room mate got the sudden idea of dancing in the rain.she pulled me out in to the balcony and strted dancing singing loudly this song.i too joined and we were wet to our skins within no time many of the hostel mates joined us and we had a very enjoyable time .Even now when I hear the song I cannot but remember that incident.

So like this, when I think of getting wet in the rain I think of the incident they happened when my daughter and I had the habit of taking a walk after we had dinner every day.

One day we went about two kms from the house and suddenly there were very thick black clouds .The night suddenly became errie. we hurried back home .have u been outside ur home in a road where there are not many lights and suddenly there is a lot of lightening and thunder ?we were almost running and were about 100 yards when we were struck by sudden heavy rain .The raindrops were big and within no time we were soaking wet and we were shivering. There was no place to take shelter.we ran and the rain drops were blinding us. At last we reached home and dried ourselves

Another time I remember getting wet thoroughly is when we went to vaishnodevi.All took the horses to go up except four of us who decided to climb. It takes many hours to reach the shrine. As we slowly climbed we experienced the first rain of that season.  The rain was falling continuously and all the people were taking shelter.  But we decided to continue our climb.  We were wet but once we became wet it was not bothering us.  Every one was looking at us as if we had gone crazy.  We were drinking hot coffee in the cafes and eating whatever thing which were available hot…The rain continued and we continued….then at last we reached the summit and by then the rain had lessened once we were at the top it became very cold and we were fortunate to get a room quickly and could change to dry clothes.

But that was a experience I would never forget…..

 

As children, we used to like and hate our attes visit to our place. Our father had many sisters. This one stayed near our place, only three hours journey from bus. Our father used to go and bring her. She used to bring her few possessions with her. As she was a widow, she used to shave her head and wear only red sari and follow rigid routine.

   As soon as she came she used to make the kitchen her domain. Even my mother was not allowed inside. No onions, we could not put our fingers near our mouth.We could not touch this or that. So a lot of our freedom was lost.

 She used to take bath and prepare breakfast. She used to keep her share and keep the remaining outside the kitchen door. My mother used to take that and give us our share. Mind you. you could not keep the plates you ate with the vessels that she used to prepare because enjalu and musure were different.

  One thing my mother was happy when she used to come was that my ate was an expert in constructing soude ole.She used to make us go get the red mud from some construction site. They used to use red mud then. we used to bring the red mud in a bandle.She used to assess the quality of the mud and with great reluctance agree that it was good. Then she used to mix with water and after demolishing the old ole ,clean the surface, she used to construct a new one. She had the concentration of an artist while doing it. She was an expert in doing the koodole where they make a side ole where u can cook simultaneously on a small vessel while you cook on a large vessel in the main ole.

After finishing they used to make a fine paste from the red mud and give a smooth finishing and let that dry.

Then she used to season it after she was satisfied that it has dried completely. If you suddenly put too much firewood it may crack. so slowly they used to increase the heat and get the ole used for optimum usage. My mother used to appreciate how well the ole has come and ate used to beam with satisfaction.

 One more thing we used to get when she was in our house was some tindi every night. Since she was not eating rice in the night she used to make rottis,uppittu ,avalakki e t c and we used to get a share. some how it used to taste very good.

 Then the day would come for her to go. Mother used to gift her a sari and both would cry a little. Father used to make us bow to her and take her blessings. Then

 She used to tell us to study well and then go with father with wet eyes and rubbing the tears with the edge of her red sari.

Ill her next visit the ole would be in constant use. Our life used to come to normal where we could touch anything any time.

Still we missed the thindi at the nights…