Can you tell a story?

Galadriel started this ...
"She wondered if she could ever count each of the twinkling stars in the night sky. The clock in the tower struck 9. She had to get back to reading her text book, ignoring the weird grumbling noises her stomach was making. The flickering orange street light looked like it would go put any minute."

Rayshma followed ...
"she considered her options. she cud complete reading before the light died on her. or she cud eat. or of course, she could attempt to count the stars. it was in the midst of this contemplation that her phone buzzed. books aside, hunger aside... she now focussed on the screen. should she answer... she wondered."

And she decided to tag me!! So here goes ...

She decided to let it ring.. must be her mother calling to find out if she was alright. She was really tired of her mom checking on her four times every day! And then she heard it, a blood curdling scream filled the air. There were sounds of running feet ,followed by another shrill scream!

And now I tag ... Dottie. I want to see where this goes.. keep me posted! Oh and the tag is to take the story ahead in EXACTLY 55 words. And if you want to bash up someone.. you know where to look!! Look for the lady who started this trail!!

Who me?

First weekend in our new home, and what did we do? Drove 160 miles (one-way) to catch a movie! Yes I know what you are thinking, we are really crazy! We really are! Cheeky was so well behaved and asked only 40 questions through the length of the movie.. and only climbed on and off my lap a dozen times! And only said it was a bad movie twice! So well behaved, I am feeling guilty! Next time I will have to find a baby sitter!
About the movie... it was Dasavatharam. I have been waiting for the movie for so long now, that we had to go watch it as soon as it was out! The movie was ok and I actually had a nice time. Also saw the numerous reviews on Dasavatharam. When I saw the movie, I had started enumerating the flaws in it myself. The biggest one in my mind was Kamal's tendency towards the gross depiction of violence. Otherwise, the movie was entertaining despite some flaws. I do not consider myself a movie critic. I have always looked at movies as a source of entertainment and sometimes if that means overlooking a few flaws/ aberration of common sense, so be it! I did not want to critic a movie or defend it. However, as the reviews started pouring in, some of them pure venom and others taking such an acute critical stance; I cannot help but comment. I can't help wondering, don't these people see any other Tamil or for that matter Indian movie at all? A lot of them seem to want to tie the movie to reality? Where have you heard of a bullet taking away cancer? And how can the bones of a man still be on the statue after 800 years? the questions are endless... It seemed to me that these self appointed critics have taken it on them to do this fault finding exercise and that was the sole purpose of watching the movie! I term it artistic license! There are some things that can be left to the imagination, some things that need to be as explicit as possible to reach to the mass audience, and some dramatization is essential! Remember not every person who watches a movie is of the same wavelength/ intelligence. The success in a movie is to appeal to these different levels of intelligence! Not every movie is a no-brainer! Further the comparison of Dasavatharam to every Hollywood movie we have ever seen is so unfair. Unfortunately Tamil cinema is not yet comparable to Hollywood no matter what we say... the budget, and technology as well as resources are just not at par!
As for the characterization of 10 characters, I think it is pretty apparent that when there are 10 characters, a few are going to come out looking strong, a few weak and a few others superfluous. If the characters had been done by other actors, we would have overlooked them. But just the fact that the characters have been played by Kamal has these critics raving about how bad/ unimportant some of them are! Just what did these people expect going in? And then there is the chaos theory and butterfly effect Kamal has based the story off and this actually has come out tying the story together. I also thought the screen play was pretty good, and tied the loose ends together, considering there were so many vital characters. Some of the characters were just brilliant like Balaram Naidu and Vincent. I liked the villain Fletcher too.. the brutality shone through, and that was critical Characterization. Some other of Kamals avatars lacked the conviction or presence like the Japanese or Kallif Ullah. But like I said, that is bound to happen!
While the movie has its own set of flaws, but which movie does not; it is a laudable effort and deserves due credit for the sheer mountain of work that has gone into this! The biggest irk factor for many seems to be all the hype before the movie! (read the audio release). So many seem to have gone in expecting Kamal to deliver something larger than life! My advice, watch Dasavatharam with an open mind and watch it some more and introspect! There is so much in hidden nuances in there!
There now that weight is off my mind.. I am no die hard fan, I enjoy Kamal movies, I also enjoy Rajini movies which sometimes require you to stop thinking so hard about reality and common sense. They are both entertainers and I have always enjoyed them. But this movie seems to have brought some daggers out and that has had me really bewildered. Some of the venom really seems uncalled for... But then I think some greats like Kamal and Sachin just have as many critics as fans.. that seems to be a tribute to their greatness.. When its a Kamal movie, we expect perfection, but others are ok if they are as far from it as they possibly can get! (Pict Courtesy: tamilcinimadownload.blogspot.com)

And now its tag time! Neera has tagged me to talk about ten things! Ten??!! Really.. here goes
Ten things I miss right now ...
1. Filter Coffee.. from Saravana Bhavan
2. California weather.. that was the best thing about California, I am an outdoorsy person and I loved California where I could just take long walks at all times!
3. Family and now that I am sitting all holed up in new city, I miss friends
4. Phone!! boohoo.. 3 more days to that elusive phone connection and my link to the outside world.
5. Unplanned days and nights of Pre-Nantu times
6. Baby gurgles and chubby feet climbing up onto my shoulders and face!!
7. The ability to eat what may and not gain weight.. And the ability to look at the weigh machine without that grimace!
8. Sleeping in...
9. Breakfast on a tray.. my stomach is grumbling and I have to get up to make breakfast.. (not that I ever have had breakfast served on a tray... but that does not mean I cannot miss it?!)
10. Home Sweet Home!! I still think of my place in Chennai as my home.. that and my childhood home in CBE... yes that too.. I miss them no matter where I go!

Ten things I would like to achieve in the next decade! Oh my! Neera you really got me on this one... I am not that well planned! But I just remembered that I have done this one after all.. Phew! Find it here - Planning Ahead

I am not going to tag anyone in particular. All of you who want to take it up are most welcome to do that!

Growing up pangs!

[CHEEKY IS BACK.. After a long break from his cheekiness. Well not really,Momma was taking a break from Momma-dom while the hoarde of friends and relatives in India listened to Cheeky! Now its back to when he talks and I listen, and he talks and I listen!!]
"Amma namma kitta naraya paisa iruka?" (Do we have a lot of money?) came a whiny voice. I sat typing away furiously as I chatted with my dear friend A. No phone and this has become a daily ritual of ours, this daily chats. And now we somehow end up spending even more time talking to each other than we would when we had a telephone.
Anyway, coming back to the whiny voice, I knew there had to be a reason. And there it was, ketchup adorned my new carpet! And my little imp had the cheek to ask me if I had money to pay for it!! God what will I do with this boy? Earlier today I moved his bed from his room to my room (thats another story I will talk about next, hold on)... and cheeky takes care to inform me "Don't spoil it? Do you know I spent so much money on this bed?"God help me!
Now to the bed story! When we got here, it was decided that Nantu will sleep on his bed in his room! And he has been doing a good job at it. Only a couple of hours later Mommy and Daddy peek in and finally after a lot of deliberation carry sleeping Cheeky to their bed! I am so worried that he will roll of his (so called) toddler bed! But Nantu has informed me that he will buy a bunk bed (yes all by himself) when he turns 4 and will sleep in his room by himself. My little boy is growing up fast, too fast!!
So that is the story of my life. I have a young adult now in my household, who talks and acts like one! And I have a whiny parent (yours truly) who misses the little baby who wanted mommy at all times! Time to get back to work I suppose! Cheeky thinks so too. "When I turn 5 go to work amma he says! You can come back home when I come home in the evening!". He figured not much use for mom in between I suppose.. so might as well put her to use!!
Amidst all this emotional trauma (!!), Rayshma decided to brighten my life with a lovely award and some lovelier words about me. I was really touched and now its my turn to brighten some of your lives!
It has been said "This award will be awarded to those that are just nice people, good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!".Now as per this, I have to give this award to all of you who have been so nice all this time that I have been blogging. And inspired me to write more and more of mundane topics!! (So what I am trying to say is that you are to blame for my boring blogs!).
However with value for time and space here I am going to mention a few.

K3 - She is a new blogger friend, and has touched me so much with her thoughtful comments and even inquiries when I went off the radar for a while. That was so sweet.Also I have to say I love Kocchuunni tales, even the name is so adorable!!
Neera - There is so much love shining through in all her posts. She is lucky to have a wonderful family. And her family is lucky to have her!
Keith - I absolutely love his sense of humor, his stories and his photographs. Everything he posts is so honest and full of life.
Rambler - Rambling on about his life, his take on the writer prompts at Sunday Scribblings, Writers Island always make me wonder why I never thought of it that way! He has been a loyal blog friend, visiting frequently and always has a nice word for me. Thanks Rambler!
Aryan's mom - I love the tales of Aryan.. I just adore the fact that it is written from the mouth of the babe! I know you wanted a break, but I want to give you a reason to come back!! :)
and Rayshma - thanks so much for the award. The only blogger friend I have ever spoken to! You are a lovely person with an enviable zest for life!! Stay that way!!
To all others out there, there are so many of you I wanted to mention and talk about.. but I will stop here for today.. My stomach is grumbling just a wee bit too loud! Thank you all for making this blogging world of mine so lovely!

Just In...

I have moved.. oh yeah the packers came and went, followed by the cleaning crew who scrubbed and cleaned while I cribbed to Hubby Dearest about how I had to do it all while he basked in NC. But then I locked the doors and bid final adieu to an over cast Denver and took the cab to the airport with a reluctant Nantu tagging along. At the security check point Cheeky stopped turned back dragging his little back pack with him and said " I am not going with you, I am going back to Denver". I could have cried, not that I have ever been emotional about the many moves I have made in life. After all, I have always looked forward to new explorations. But my pouting 3 yr old who declared how he missed Denver already had my heart tugging!
But then in true child like innocence he shifted the attention to the air train which did not have a driver.. and had little fans on the wall in the tunnel. Fascinating I know.. he still talks about it! And then we had to visit the gift shop where I walked away with a final souvenir of my favorite city so far - The Mile High City. I have lived in a lot of places, but I think the one place I loved the most was Denver.
On the plane we had our next adventure. Nantu got to peek into the cock pit. As you can imagine he found it very interesting that there are 2 people trying to fly the plane. I had to answer all his questions on that till he finally dozed off from exhaustion!
I reached NC in the middle of the night.. literally, and the first thing that hit me when I got off the plane was the heat! Whoa.. at midnight no less. What exactly did I get myself into? But then I have found the best thing I like about NC already.. the trees. I just love that there are trees everywhere.. dense thick trees, gives you calm, quiet and some wilderness, literally at my door step. Nantu on the other hand is excited about his new room with a patio no less and the very fact that his room turned out to be bigger than mine has him dancing.
So that is the report just in from NC. More later as I finally settle down. Once I am done settling down, I need to tackle the most dreaded of all chores! Finding the perfect school for Nantu. This has me in jitters, he has loved the school experience so far and I really want to keep it that way!! Meanwhile Cheeky claims that he doesn't have to go to school "I am just going to skip school and go to college" says he! Knowledge picked up from the India visit? Aaah, I do have my work cut out don't I?
(Pict Courtesy: www.photobucket.com, http://theexcitinglifeofthekenneys.blogspot.com)

That curve ball

This weeks prompt at Sunday Scribblings read curve. I thought very hard of what poetry to write on that topic. I had just finished writing a poem (sadly it did not turn out to be as rhythmic or fluent as I like it to be, but nevertheless a poem...) for writer's island. As I have already mentioned I am moving in 2 days and have had a hectic day. Blogging was supposed to be my break today and I am not in a very poetic mood. Not after dealing with customer service departments at every single company all day! You can imagine how frustrated and worn out I feel. Well, coming back to my point... I was thinking of all the curves I have encountered in life. Life has a knack of throwing me a curve ball every once in a while.
Thats the fun part of life don't you think? If life was always straight lines how boring would life be.. I cant even think of decorating my home with straight lines after all! I like curves and not every curve ball life has thrown me has been pleasant, but its always worked out! I wanted to be in mass communication, but ended up doing engineering like every other kid in India. And guess what? I even had fun doing it. What's more I landed a coveted job and had the time of my life there! I wanted to work after Nantu, but after a year I decided to quit. I was so sure I would be bored sick of it, but I have actually had a fun time and rediscovered my love for writing!
Through the years I have become fond of a place and considered settling there, but life would throw me a curve ball yet again and it would be time to move. But guess what, every time we move we go to a fresh place, meet new people, make some great friends and see some lovely places. Its been a rich experience!
Many have very radical views about my life.. either they are in awe of the number of places I get to visit or in absolute disgust of my nomadic life... I have also had mixed emotions each time, but I have always had fun nevertheless.
So here I am looking forward to all the curve balls life is going to throw my way... after all thats what colors up my life and makes it a fun ride!

Wrrrrrr... Zoom.. Bham!!

I know there are some of you out there bring out the clubs to bash me up.. No not story time yet.. I really wish I could sit down and pen some of the tales I gleefully listened to on my rendezvous to the Southern Tip of India. But please accept my apologies when I declare they will have to wait a while. I am about to tell you why.
First I have an unruly son who has now been spoilt rotten by all the attention he got. He is BORED! Aah.. and I thought he did not know how to get bored. Gone is my timid son who would sit in his room for hours and play with his cars and other four/two/one wheeled toys. Now he wants mommy to play with him, or take him out to the park or switch on the TV. When he is not doing any of this he is yelling and running around the house.. often in some language I cant even understand at times.. and even if I did I cant begin to describe! (Pict Courtesy: www.louielouie.net)
I started writing a Nantu update.. its been a while since I last did after all? But what can I say, my son went to the land of freedom it seems like. And he has now learnt the law of survival of the fittest. Its amazing how different kids there behave. If you don't shove you never get your turn... If you don't yell you don't get heard... If you don't go after the bad guys with guns and knives (I am not kidding... at least they were pretend/ verbal ammunition) you don't get included in the game! Now I grew up in India.. but this is the first time I am observing this difference.. maybe the first time I am taking a close look at the kids!!
Oh well, you do know I am exaggerating don't you? Yes I am... the kids are also such angels who respond every time they are called. And who listen unquestioningly to their parents!! No "Why should I eat that?", "What if I do not?" or "I don't think so" like I get from my little imp! So now I have a cheeky brat who has the American Independence mingled with his already present stubborn streak not to mention the Indian rough edges! So now you know why I cant write the stories yet?
Actually there is more.. no this was not enough excitement for me, returning from a long vacation with a little imp and settling down to the life here. I needed more to keep me occupied.. and I got just that. Oh yes we are moving again. You think that's enough fun? There is more.. we are moving in a week!! Yes I am not kidding.
So now I am getting everything organized.. and breaking out in cold sweat at least a dozen times every day!
The estimator from the moving company came here yesterday... He walked through my house and made elaborate notes and finally gave me an estimate of a fortune.. I am not shipping everything in gold am I? I am hoping it was just that moving company and not every one.. so I have another coming today.. and imagine how the lady who arrives today will gasp when I tell her I need everything out in 4 days? I am going to be dubbed "Crazy Woman" soon!
So why am I boring you with all these details? Oh just my way of spreading some joy.. you can all now be happy in the knowledge of how relaxed your life is!! So now I am moving East.. at least I am not moving countries as we considered doing but gave up in sheer despair of the complexity of the move!! I hope to do that soon though, after all I will soon exhaust every zip code in the US, then I will have to move to newer frontiers!!

Home Again....

He walked in and looked around the room.. not a visible surface. Every surface was covered... piles of clothes books, shopping bags and toys all over the place. "What is this?" he asked. "Just the things we are taking back home with us" she answered.
A while later the piles had disappeared into the bursting at the seams suitcases now filling the room. Later that evening we rushed from store to store in search of a weighing machine.. To weigh and repack and weigh and repack till the final hour when we will have to leave after all. In the process many of the books I had assimilated had to be put back with the promise of "Next Time"... The Cheeky Monkey however was pretty sneaky and all his toys kept appearing back in the suitcases as we kept putting them out when his head was turned! Smart eh? As I unpacked I found that every single toy was accounted for while a couple of my things had gone missing!!!
Oh yes I am back home and back to routine. Except that 3:30 AM this morning saw me wide awake and restless and as I write this I am feeling groggy and disoriented. I have also been eating like a pig this past couple of days.. I do hope this is all just jet lag and I wont tire myself by cooking incessantly for my growling tummy! I do intend to loose all the extra weight I have gained after all.
I would love to blame the jet lag (which by the way I am experiencing for the first time... I have made at least half a dozen trips back and forth and have never had these symptoms!!).. anyway, I was saying I would love to blame it on the geek or the imp.. But no, as they both love to remind me I am to blame. I was the one who inso-maniacally (spell mistake intentional) watched back-to-back Hindi movies on the flight. Well who is to blame for that? I never get enough time on the DVD player at home to catch all the meaningless never ending movies at home!! Anyway I was glad to get off the plane after the never ending flight back home. However, now I am nostalgic for India already.
And now I am back to both my obsessive compulsive disorder of straightening and cleaning all day, interspersed with the other addiction - blogging!!! Cheeky is back to his routine and has been begging to be taken to school.. Being typically male.. India is already in the past for him!! However, India has gotten in his blood and behavior.. more on that later!! I seem to have forgotten how to blog though.. so please bear with me as I re-acquaint myself with the blogging world..
(Pict Courtesy: Suma of Thinking Aloud, Airplane)
Before Signing off.. I have to leave you with this article.. A plane went missing in Bangalore Airport.. this is so hilarious.!!

UPDATE

My Dear dear blogger pals,
I am really touched by how so many of you have written to me asking for an update. I have been doing more visiting and have been out of town all this while. Meanwhile the computer has been fixed and I can visit and write blogs now (YIPEE!!). However, I am going to be busy for yet another week.. my last one in India. After that I sure will be back to active blogging.
Meanwhile just popped in to let you know that all is well. The heat is killing and Nantu fell sick a couple of times. But he is better now! He also had a lovely time with his 4 yr old cousin these past 10 days. It seemed like the two were glued together. I for my share got a lot of hugs and kisses and adulation from my darling niece and nephew!
There was a family function and hence a lovely get-together of the extended family which was good fun. We even had a Mehendi night (it was not a wedding, but who said Mehendi night are only for weddings?) and painted all our hands much to Nantu's amusement. For Nantu the amusement never ceased be it the paint on the floors (Kolam designs) or the palm tattoos (mehendi) and more feeding of cows and goats! This time he even fed a goat with his hand.. daringly. We for our share had endless rounds of card games (Its been years since I last played). Burnt our ears and toungues with more than decent share of gossip. Ate loads of rice, sweets and all kinds of delicacies. With the promise that once we are back home we will have to hit the gym! And the coming week I get to do an even more fun thing .. shopping.. I am already getting dreamy eyed for it. For all you bloggers I have brought back with me some very interesting village tales. Unfortunately I could not take pictures to support the tales like I wanted to. But soon you will see some of them making an appearance here in my blog.
Now I am off to savour my final week of vacation. I will be back after the break to torture you all with my blogs and comments. Till then Chao!!

Chennai Chronicles - Of Hills and Vales

A trotting we will go
A trotting we will go
Heigh Ho the Cherry Ho
A trotting we will go

This time to Ooty from Coimbatore. Ooty the celebrated hill station has always been in the backyard of my hometown. However it never held as much as charm as when I moved away from home. For years now I have been longing to spend a few days in Ooty, and the chance came this time! Ooty has just a handful of sights to see and the trip was over as soon as it began! Also the place was blazing hot and people were walking around with jackets and sweaters much to our amusement! However we had a great time.
The Ooty lake is so small boating in it gets boring in about 10 minutes. But not for Nantu. He wanted to go in the mini train which went on a rockety-rickety trip and back along a straight track. We tried to spruce it up a bit by hooting when we went through a tunnel. But everyone kept a straight face and ignored us! I remember doing this in the Smokeys once on the tram, Nantu and I hooted when the tram jerked and everyone joined us in our merry making! Unfortunately not this time.
Anyway, the next day we were off to Pykara falls and lake. The falls were so beautiful and cool, we hated to leave. We had a fun time splashing around and even got to see some Bison on our way there, as well as some Sheep grazing along the falls. We wanted to go to Mudumalai (Forest renowned for its wild Elephants) next but it was closed for "Fire Season" as they call it. Apparently this time of the year, the dry bamboo stems brush against each other and there are fires in the forest ever so often. So the elephants retreat to the thicker jungles. This was a big disappointment for us, as the forest safari was supposed to be the highlight of the ooty trip!
Spirits restored though, we were off to botanical gardens and some hiking. Most tourists seem to stick to some standard paths and don't venture up the slopes of the garden. But we were eager to move away from the crowd and in search of tranquility and more trees to climb we
ventured farther and farther. Soon we reached a revolving gate and lo behold we were at Toda Mund. A settlement of the toda tribes. Unfortunately our excitement was short lived as we saw the brick houses and very civilized people there! However we got to see their temple and one of the erstwhile huts. They hold the bufallo sacred and worship the pancha pandavas. Also there was a huge stone called the wedding stone, apparently the groom lifts the stone on to his shoulder in order to marry. A lady even obliged us by wearing the traditional garb. We later found out that she was missing the headdress!! Still we were thrilled nevertheless and later directed more aimless wanderers like us to the TodaMund.
Another fun thing about Ooty was the loads of shopping we did for Pashmina (Wool Silk) shawls and Pure Wool Shawls and pretty purses and bags. Why we (my sister and me, oh yes the bext part of shopping - window or otherwise is the company!!) needed so many of them I cannot answer. But the endless shopping did give us a reason to smile. And since then every once in a while, we examine the wares again for a return of the brilliant smile.
However one little gift I brought back from this trip is priceless. Ooty is going green and so are many other cities in south India. Plastics are banned in Ooty. You wont find plastic bags in the stores. They wrap stuff in Paper or give them in cloth bags. I was impressed with this start. Ofcourse there is a long way to go, what with tourists bringing in plastic and further dumping them carelessly on the roads. Also there is no proper mechanism for imposing fines/ punishment. Back in Coimbatore we received a circular saying that throwing away plastic bags was banned there too. I keep harping on the importance of going green. And this approach warmed by heart, the west has something to learn!

I am back in Chennai and will be lying low, staying at home and relaxing for the next couple of weeks, before I go traipsing again. So not much chance of updates from me. Also please remember my inability to check all your blogs at Chennai, am going to work at fixing my weird comp here!

Chennai Chronicles - Change!

I am a nomad as already has been established. But I am very fond of my home land India and the lure has always appealed to me. Yet to satisfy my travel urges I continue to live outside India. However, I have no doubts or misgivings about India's growth and progress. And this fact is re-instated to me every time I return back to India. This time again I can see the changes. Chennai seems to have expanded in all dimensions - become bigger, taller and broader to say the least!!

Every time I come back, a whole metamorphism has conspired in my absence!! This time too there are many such things I have just begun exploring. Years ago one rainy season I remember traversing the Old Mahabalipuram Road and wishing I had a boat instead of a car. The potholed road held sudden surprises for us besides the flooding of the road itself!
Today Old Mahabalipuram Road is a sight to see. The road has become broad and smooth. All the erstwhile potholes are long gone and the road is being beautified to have green medians and lovely looking bus stops! Not to mention the big hotels, apartments and IT Hubs that have appeared splattered all through the IT Corridor

Venture into the city though and I feel so lost... I used to know Chennai like the back of my hand, and zip by on my scooty many years back. Today all my regular routes are -ways and I find myself frequently disoriented in my attempt to paint the town red!
However there is nothing at all that is not available. From Fisher Price toys to Quesadilla's and Margaritas everything is readily available if you can pay the price! I visited City Center and stood in awe like a villager at all its splendor!
I packed my bags for the first train journey this trip and entered the Egmore railway station. The numerous helpers in India have always held an appeal to me. And I kept talking about hiring a porter to cart all the boxes to the train. Imagine my surprise when I saw escalators zipping up and down. However at the base of the escalator we encountered a porter. I remember my erstwhile trips to Egmore where I haggled with him and he always had the upper hand. Knowing fully well that we are going to have to use him. I would part with atleast a 100 bucks or more every time. This time the guy was willing to do it for next to nothing. I will do it for 20 bucks he said. I was very tempted to give it to him.. poor guy!

As I landed back in Chennai, I haggled with an auto wala to take me home and as expected he started off with atrocious prices. I called my uncle to ask him what the reasonable price was. And he educated me about the Volvo A/C Buses now plying across Chennai. These look so wonderful that now I need to take a trip just to experience the joy ride! We took a regular bus though, at Nantu's request. It was his first bus trip and turned out to be fun early in the morning with none of Chennai's hustle and bustle! We also made an auto trip also at Nantu's request. However in a few minutes the breeze and rocking put the li'l ruffian to sleep, so I was left alone to enjoy the sights and smells of Chennai!
Another experience of note was an evening at one of the oldest clubs in Chennai - The Gymkhana Club. The ambience and food was simply superb and we had a relaxing meal and uninterrupted gupshap (conversation) thanks to Uncle S. The club retains all of its old splendor and traditions, which include a strict no to photography. So my armor the camera was rendered useless there. But then we had a lovely time nevertheless and that was a lovely end to a busy shopping day at Chennai!
However, some things never change in Chennai and the familiarity they represent is strangely comforting - the heat, the traffic and the bustling city. But as bad as it sounds, these are the things that make Chennai what it is and I wont change a thing about it!! (Oh well, I take that back.. If only I could turn down the heat a bit!!)

Chennai Chronicles - Panguni Thirunal

The highlight of the trip to the village was the Panguni Utsavam. Every Panguni (Tamil calendar month - Last month in the tamil year - March 15th through April 15th), in the temple of Mahara Nedun Kuzhai Kadhar at Thenthiruperai a small village on the banks of Tamarabrani river, a festival is celebrated in full splendor. The festival starts on Panguni Uthram (tamil star) and goes on for the next 10 days.
Among all Vaishnava temples, the most celebrated are 106 Thirupathis (108 in all, 2 of which are believed to be in/on the way to Heaven) across the Indian Peninsular. One among these these is Thenthiruperai. The God there is MaharaNedunKuzhai Kadhar (The one with the ornamental Maharam on his Ear).
During the Panguni Utsavam, Lord Kuzhai Kadhar appears on the streets in a different vahanam every night. It ends with a trip on the Theru (Chariot). We were at Thenthiruperai for 5 of these days. Starting from the second day. Here are some pictures!

(Simha Vahanam - Lion)(Hanuman Vahanam)(Thanga Thozhi Kinnam - Golden Cup)
(Sesha Vahanam - Cobra)

(God on Garuda Vhanam and Goddess on Anna Vhanam - Vulture and Swan)

Nantu had a blast watching the God from our doorstep every evening. I looked every part of the photographer with a still and video camera hanging from my neck. It was a true village experience with loads of unsolicited advice on taking photographs. However unlike the city people moved out of the way to give me room to take pictures. And they did so for all the half a dozen or so people with cameras. It was a real fun experience, and we were sorry to leave before the end of the festival and miss the theru (Chariot)! However, we had to return and Nantu shifted all his enthusiasm to the train journey back home to Chennai.
We are already on our next trip. This time to Coimbatore my home town... for some fun and frolic and a lot of relaxation! We had a hail storm on our first night here and our first tryst with Indian never ending power failures where the UPS finally ran out of charge and spluttered off!! However, just the fact that I am home makes me forgive the EB and mother nature for ruining my first evening here! Looking forward to more adventures here!!