My love affair with Chennai buses

There are different ways of seeing a city’s ‘crowd’ :

If you are in Delhi ,I suggest you take a walk down the ‘university area’ or ‘chandini chowk’ or just hop into a metro ..

If you are in Hamara Lucknow .. go ‘ganjing’ in the evening or drive over to Tundae Kababs ( or if u need real ENTERTAINMENT …SaharaGanj ;-) )

But if you are in Chennai …you can Go over to Marina and Besant nagar beaches /  Mylapore temples / Kalakshetra / get lsot I nthe aroma of a hot filter coffee / go catch a first day show of Thala’s movie / go shopping down Ranganathan street

OR , you can take your ipod and hop into a bus :-D

See, I was raised as a ‘delicate darling’ .

So , the only time I traveled in buses/tempo was when I was escorted by an ‘adult’ .And by the time I grew up , my activa and I had a roaring affair going on .

Or , there was always someone’s car to jump onto .

The result ?

 I realized that if I don’t travel in buses while I am in college .. I’ll never do it !

So , after 3 years of jostling/getting trampled on/running like a maniac behind buses/screaming/passing tickets/carefully evading tamil ‘mamis’ in the buses …

 I realized that I am in love with them ( not the mamis sickos … the buses ) :)

The sheer plethora of people you come about ..

The ‘macha’ with full volume ‘otha sollala’ ringtone .

The paathi carrying her big shopping bag or dozing off near the window .

The random beautiful ‘salvar kameez’ clad girl with the flowers in her hair .

The old veshti clad grandfather holding his tattered cloth bag close to him .

The “IT” guy whispering into the phone to his girl phraand ..

The construction worker/vegetable seller looking uncertainly at the bus before getting in ..wondering if she should take a “lesser priced” bus

The rare bihari/northie guy bitching full on in hindi ( ahh … music to the ears ) :D

The ‘gold laden’ tamil mami shrewdly finding seats for her entire family !

( as Achyut rightly said “They are so short , you’ll never notice them coming .only a BUM will hit you on the leg and suddenly you’ll be pushed )

The group of giggling , noisy , spectacled school girls .

And the quiet housewife checking her watch again and again .

The scene outside the window is another story in itself .

It’s like someone is playing a live movie outside and you are being given the free seat ..there is no beginning … no end  .

Just the same movie again and again  with a myriad of characters .

Early morning Chennai … the temples alive with sounds . Big cars and aged scooters and testosterone pumped bikes roaring about ( I guess that’s the typical scene anywhere .. but the smell , the effect is unique to every city )

People driving all day .Some in a hurry , some just dozing off on their steering wheels . Some running to cross the streets .

The street hawkers resting .. the nighttime closing of shops … the chaos of everyday life and the sublime tranquility beneath it all :)

There is a certain magic about being in a bus .. you are surrounded by a crowd . And yet all alone .

Fights happen .. kindness appears out of nowhere .. everyone around is lost In their own world . Trapped in something that they love .. and yet despise .

People get in ..get out .. and the bus keeps moving .

Sometimes shaky , sometimes it breaks down and has to be repaired .

But it keeps moving … and somehow , isn’t that what life is all about ? :)

Do you BELIEVE that miracles happen ?

Yes , you read that right .

The big question is NOT whether miracles happen or not . 

The big question is , do you believe/see/perceive them happening ?

I was reading the chapter on complications of pregnancy .

Right from the moment a tiny sperm enters , to the moment this ‘bundle of joy’ *cough* is born … there are tons of obstacles , each one of them bent upon kicking the baby’s bum !

But even then , babies are born everyday .. (infact by the bushel in our India ) .

I consider it a miracle in itself !

The trouble is … our dear old Bollywood movies have narrowed our imagination ( which movies ALWAYS do … we’ll talk about that later ).

You only consider it a ‘chamtakaar’ if Karan Arjun come back to avenge their deaths .

Or Reena Roy sings ‘Shirid waale Sai baba’ and gets her eyesight back .

Or John Abraham actually ACTS in a movie ( oh wait … that one’s still in the pipeline )

But ,tiny things .. the fact that a plant grows fighting all odds and trauma …

Or you catch the bus you’d been running for …

Or you go upto your doctor and he tells you “aaaaal is well”

You drive on the road and come back safely every night …

Or the sheer fact that crap like ‘twilight’ actually sells …

Aren’t they all miracles in themselves ?

Insignificant ? yes . routine ? yes . But the point is …do we feel grateful for them ?

My ass !

My room caught fire last month . I wasn’t there … but from what I saw and heard later , the curtains went up in flames . So did the bed , the table , even the door to my books cupboard .

Not even ONE of my precious books caught fire .

Miracle ? Holy Jesus’ amma ! YES !

Maybe J.Krishnamurthi was right ! As we grow up , we seem to lose the open mindedness that we had when we were in booboo diapers .

We get too accustomed to society ..eager to play by their rules .. afraid of being labeled “weird” if we believe in any such phenomena .

And thereby … too tight assed to actually appreciate the ‘miracles’ .

Open the blinders on your eyes and see , my child  … and the more you’ll see , the more will come :)

Ps – God Lives In Food ! :D

We stopped caring ...

Remember when you were a kiddo

And everything seemed interesting

Whether the crawling of ants on the floor

Or your maid going around dusting

The jump of joy on hearing you dad come

The lump in the throat , before school

The wonder of staring through the car window

And make-believe games were so cool !

What happened when you grew up ?

Suddenly everything seems “okay”

You don’t feel sorry for the poor beggar

You don’t feel the ‘excitement’ everyday

All you care about is the same routine

And then you lie down and sleep

Curiosity has become a thing of the past

It’s all about being serious and looking deep

You go through the same motions everyday

Regardless of how people around are faring  

Some how it has become too costly to ‘feel’

Somewhere down the road .. we stopped caring

                                 …. We stopped caring

Jockey ,huh ? I got Calvin Klein !

The above heading typically describes symptoms of what I call “Comparison syndrome”

( Yes , I have seen enough cases of this to actually declare it a syndrome ! )

So , it starts like this . Do you have a friend who turns and adjusts his/her radar as soon as you mention some earthly possession of yours ?

Example :

 “Dood , I bought a new watch/underwear/eraser/camera/ear phones”

 “I love this man … I got it for my birthday”

“Hey , look isn’t this awesome ?”

“Hey , I had an awesome day today “

“Dood … the best food I’ve ever had ! “

“

At this point he/she will squint their eyes at you .. raise their chin by an inch and declare

“ huh ! This ? Please dood … I got one of these signed by Paris Hilton”

“outing , huh ? I went to Pluto last month man ! To ski around … “

“Oh man …you should go to my home/my roadside stall/my personal limousine kitchen , if you wana have good food ! “

Forgive my exaggerations …but I daresay you got the idea !

I mean to say “WHY !!! WHY !!!”

We humbly accept the fact that you have a hidden treasure left behind by your ancestors ; your share of property in Swarg-Loka ; magical maps to awesome places only you know about ; your personal army of house elves …or just a  horde of hand stitched sophisticated Prada space suits .

Now please let us mortals live …

Once , it’s okay ( I mean come on…who dosen’t show off ! ) but the chronic cases of this syndrome tend to develop symptoms at every possible exposure to the “opportunity” antigen .

I mean , after a point of time…it’s just LAME .

And in your mind ,you are like “leave it…can’t help this one !”

You think twice about sharing a news ( “huh ? You sister getting married ? Mine got divorced three times already “ )

You avoid colliding with them ( “oh ! what are you wearing ? tch … I have one of these in all 7 rainbow colours )

And I’ve had several parties spoilt ( “I did this…that..those ….these )

And I’ve researched , trying to find a plausible solution … with countless hours of agony that I had to go through with .

There dosen’t seem to be any … next time you want to vaccinate someone with Comparison Syndrome

1.Be direct and tell them to lay off  ( in your face ! )

2.Avoid , if you can . Stuff your mouth with something , talk to someone else or just  discuss the weather ( unless they live in Hawai , I doubt they can exaggerate much on that topic )

3.Accquire a moderate form of the syndrome yourself and give them a dosa…oops ! dose of their own medicine .

4. Pray , it always helps :D

YO BOOKSHELF !

Thanks to booboo for the idea .
ps - I love you :D :D

A story titled "ramyana" ..

It’s 1am and I’ve just finished 6 parts of Ramayana today .

And here I am , wide awake …replaying the entire epic in my mind

Ramayana always meant something special to me . I never saw it on tv…or read it .My entire knowledge of it ( and quite a substantial one at that ) came from what I heard from my nani’s mother …

She was frail , ancient , always wrapped in a spotless white sari . And somehow the story she narrated stuck with me . I don’t remember the words ..or the expressions ..or where did she tell it .

But the Ramayana I have always known …is her Ramayana .

So when I picked up this series ..I was excited . To see as to how much of my memory actually adhered to the main story .

Halfway through , I was lost …in an ecstasy so divine I could feel it pulsating in my brain  .

For it is a book of idealism …which shows you that if you are right …NOTHING …and I repeat ,nothing can touch you.

It is your faith in yourself and your principles that brings you victory .

Dasaratha , the ancient legendary warrior king fighting a losing battle between his ‘dharma’ and his love for his sons ( and wives )

Kaushalya , the kshatriya queen who bears it all with grace .

Kaikeyi , the warrior queen … assertive , proud , untamed . and yet a mother misled by those around her .

Manthara , the shrewd selfish cunning wielder of words ( and power )

Lakshman , the fighter ..who holds his head high . and love for his brother utmost .

Sita , the warrior princess who upholds her honour , dignity and her conviction for her husband .No matter what crosses her path !

Hanuman , the witty , all powerful  , braveheart who serves his Lord with a devotion so strong .. it manifests as his own shakti !

Jambhvan , the age old wise bear who watches it all with sad eyes and lends a hand to those lost around him .

Ravana , a maharishi in Himself . The sage…the sinner…the artist..the warrior…the just…the cunning … the master strategist ..the impulsive punisher .

Mandodhari , beautiful , serene , head-strong … knowing her place in the palace and yet ruling it all with an iron fist !

Suparnakha , the sexy lusty revengeful yaksi-rakshasi …ever on the lookout .

So many …so many more of them . Each character is a book in itself !

As you see the internal politics … the bravery ..the loyalty … the treachery ….every element of drama that unfolds …

You will realize that the book is all about how you FACE your fears . How it is easy to slip on the wrong path …and yet everyone has the inner courage to stick to what they believe is right .

How an army of puny vanars and bears went clashing against the mighty asuras .

Based on just the ove and devotion for that one figure , Rama

Read it … I am out of words to express what I want to . But you will realize it once your turn the pages …

And as far as Rama is concerned … I can’t ( or rather , won’t )describe him

For to all of us … He is what we want Him to be …

“Jai siyaram ”

Bandh ghunghroo sochti hoon

Kis dhun pe nachoon aaj

bandh ghughroo sochti hoon main

Nayno mein kajar ki dhaar

Palkon ko jhuka sochti hoon main

Cham cham kar payal bajaoon

Toh koi kayal nahi hota

Rang-mahal mein baith akeli

Main swaym dhun ramti hoon

Jo kar sringaar raas rachaoon

Toh raskion se ghir jaati hoon

Kuch palon ka jamavda hai

Fir rang manch se gir jaati hoon

Nachoon main uski bhakti mein

Toh baavri kah pukaarte hai

Jo ban bhavani karoon tandav

Toh bhay se kap-kapa jaate hain

Kis dhun pe nachoon sochti hoon main..

Bandh ghungroo sochti hoon main …