Mummy's day out

It's a much awaited day on the calendar,the day my mother decides or is forced to exist home after six years a to make a long trip up the hills to her other daughters home. The last visit was an astronomical disaster which left my mother so shaken she swore never to set foot in the hills again. Let's go back a few years,there she was in my home,staying with us because my dad had just passed away,wondering if she had to spend the rest of her life being shunted from one daughters house to the other. While she was getting used to the idea we carted her off to the hills. Everything about the trip was a disaster. The last time my mother traveled was twenty five years ago and since then the world had changed and not for the better. The trains were air conditioned but crowded,space being at a premium. The stations had no facilities for old people which meant a long walk to the compartment. For someone whose only walk is from bedroom to kitchen this is a daunting tast. Getting off at an unearthly hour when most sane people are asleep we took a cab up the hill with no help from motion sickness,only to find that the house was situated on a steep hill which left your breathless after a few steps,and when one finally reached the house it was cold and damp with no heating. Enough to put even a veteran traveller off visiting and for my mother a promise of a one month holiday ended in a week and me who was the travel agent cum companion bore the brunt of her frustration and ire. Back to the present and once again we planned a holiday to the same hills but this time the scenario is a little different. For starters my mother and I are going on a blind visit. We haven't seen this new house but have heard much of it,the husband is now my travel companion and he is an eternal optimist and can see the bright side of things always. He is a micro manager which means he will think of anything and everything. This time my role is that of companion and chief of prayer. I have bombarded heaven with my prayers I am sure god is soon going to be deaf with my constant pleas. We get an air conditioned station wagon to take us to the railway station,my husband has organised a buggy ride to the compartment which leave my mother delighted,he's booked us first class which means a clean cabin to ourselves and he has organised a break in journey for her to rest before going up the hills,a rest to recoup and an opportunity to meet her great grand children. My mother at eighty three is not easy but the husband had got it all organised. We arrive at out first stop to find that this station has no facilities for the old and the infirm and are forced to walk a great lenght to the car. The mother has gotten tired,and the early hour has left her sleep deprived and exhausted. Thankfully the grandson is on hand and the home is read and the bed made so she can sleep. It takes till five in the evening for her to regain her spirit and I am greatful that one half of the trip is done and dusted. My mother however for all her anxieties,can be pretty entertaining. The husband who had never travelled with her is in shock at her comments on several fellow passengers. Because she is a bit hard of hearing my mother thinks it's ok to speak loudly,she also believes that not too many people speak her language so she is busy firing one liners and laughing her head off at people. I shush her up as best as I can but the husband is seeing a new side to his mother in law and is not sure if he needs to encourage such behaviour or to just ignore it,but we are both happy to see her laugh,can be so bad a journey can it if she finds it so amusing.

Tomorrow is another day and I plan to spend the night storming heavens gates with my prayers for a safe trip up the hills after all I do have vested interest....I am trying to escape the heat of the city and take a much need break from mummy sitting so I need this time to be happy for all of us and thus we come to the end of mummy's day out

The elections

Born into a malayalee family it's no surprise that I am opinionated and political. Most of us are so from the time I turned eighteen my father made sure I exercised my right to vote and I have done so ever since . Being Christian ,married to a Hindu,with a fair number of Muslim friends,I grew up not having to know anyone's religion to be friends with them so it's scary and disturbing when the Indian elections throw up such hatred and below the belt jibes which lowers the discussion on serious issues and leaves me wondering why after being a decent country,we have suddenly become such bigots. The social media which is fairly new to most of us,is a real offender. All over it people are getting worked up (me included) and friendships (not the real strong ones) are being destroyed simply because some ruthless power hungry politicians have made us take sides. Do I blame the politicians ...well not really,their have always wanted power and will go to any lengths to get it,that is what they do. What disturbs me is not their shrill rhetoric but the gullibility of educated people who can fall for ad campaigns,social media vitriol and myths . Somewhere in the back of my mind I have always held a thory that education (the academic kind and not the broadening of the mind) has made us more narrow minded and more selfish. The average poor Indian will take the bribes and handouts given to them but will make a decision based in a completely different set of rules. We the educated instead,will rant and rave on social media and then sit and home and watch TV and get more worked up and come Election Day some of us will realise rather late in the day that our names are not on the list or we will discover a party which we simply can't attend or we will proudly announce that we use the none of the above option so no one wins....well the whole idea is to get someone to govern . Imagine if all of us (thank god we are a small minority of urban educated elite or so we are branded) opted for the none of the above option....we will be left with a country with no government. How foolish is that. This election for my city is just a day away and then I will have to vote for the ones I think will be better than the ones existing but it still leaves me disturbed

The elections

Born into a malayalee family it's no surprise that I am opinionated and political. Most of us are so from the time I turned eighteen my father made sure I exercised my right to vote and I have done so ever since . Being Christian ,married to a Hindu,with a fair number of Muslim friends,I grew up not having to know anyone's religion to be friends with them so it's scary and disturbing when the Indian elections throw up such hatred and below the belt jibes which lowers the discussion on serious issues and leaves me wondering why after being a decent country,we have suddenly become such bigots. The social media which is fairly new to most of us,is a real offender. All over it people are getting worked up (me included) and friendships (not the real strong ones) are being destroyed simply because some ruthless power hungry politicians have made us take sides. Do I blame the politicians ...well not really,their have always wanted power and will go to any lengths to get it,that is what they do. What disturbs me is not their shrill rhetoric but the gullibility of educated people who can fall for ad campaigns,social media vitriol and myths . Somewhere in the back of my mind I have always held a thory that education (the academic kind and not the broadening of the mind) has made us more narrow minded and more selfish. The average poor Indian will take the bribes and handouts given to them but will make a decision based in a completely different set of rules. We the educated instead,will rant and rave on social media and then sit and home and watch TV and get more worked up and come Election Day some of us will realise rather late in the day that our names are not on the list or we will discover a party which we simply can't attend or we will proudly announce that we use the none of the above option so no one wins....well the whole idea is to get someone to govern . Imagine if all of us (thank god we are a small minority of urban educated elite or so we are branded) opted for the none of the above option....we will be left with a country with no government. How foolish is that. This election for my city is just a day away and then I will have to vote for the ones I think will be better than the ones existing but it still leaves me disturbed

April and the summer is here

April is the cruelest month according to T S Elliot and in more ways than one it is true for me to. In march I gave myself a holiday from exercise and let me tell you it was great fun to be lazy,to sleep late into the morning to eat at will and generally do nothing but at my age even good things have to end or the actual end may come faster then I am prepared for. It's just a week into April and I have been exercising every day,yoga,swimming and cutting down on the eating. There are two delicious slabs of halwa waiting to be eaten in fact begging to be eaten but I have ignored them and left them in the fridge. One is being donated to an elder sister who has endless guests so my guilt is taken care of. I have kep a diary of all that I eat and am cutting down on my favourite rice. Now the heat and dust of an Indian summer is well and truly here and like every year I actually hope that all my fat melts but it never happens so I drink fruit juice and sweat it out,not because I have to but simply because I live in a city which has probably the hottest summers ever. It's humid and miserable and enough to dampen more than just the soul but the flip side is that one is forced to do all the exercising in the early morning which leaves one the whole day to do other things and one big chore is out of the way. I have stayed away from the weighing scales as they have a nasty habit of giving me the wrong figures though they are always right about the husbands weight. The big bonus this month is that I have had to give up my exercise buddy but found that the husband was actually willing to replace her for a month so obviously the gods are against me too....no excuse for the wicked I say.

Much as I love to crib the point is that I am secretly enjoying myself. The water in the pool is warm and washes over me like a blanket. I can swim before sunrise and beat the heat too. My yoga class is also going well and it's nice to have company from home as I don't even have to drive the car to class this month. The husband is exercise buddy and chauffeur this month,what bliss.

All this because my body mind and should do not see eye to eye. The pull in different directions and I can't get them to be friends and like typical enemies they are constantly pulling each other down with me caught in the middle.....but what they don't realise is that they have no choice but to stick with me so there I am going to teach them who is the boss . This is only week one and if I can keep this up the entire week well that's mission impossible accomplished 

My exercise holiday

For many years now I have been exercising every day almost. Have tried many things,for the first few years it was hitting the gym,and only the guilt of having paid so much for the membership kept me going. After four years of doing the same thing with hardly any results (I continued to be the same weight as before though I was always healthy) I decided it wasn't for me. Then I took up yoga and continued for five years of almost regular attendance . I like the slow pace and the calming effect and the fact that it is done first thing in the morning and kind of sets the agenda for the day. Swimming I took up to prove to myself that an old dog can be taught new tricks. I am a slow swimmer but can swim for an hour and be very happy. I have been swimming for three years. This month a nasty cold caught hold of me and put paid to any exercise so I decided to take an exercise holiday especially after blood tests proved that I was in the pink of health. I feel guilty about doing nothing (though I enjoy my laziness). Someone told me that a habit takes only twenty one days to form and as they say habits are supposed to die hard. Well I have been doing all manner of exercise in the last six years but it's always been a big ask to get me going. The fact that mostly guilt guids me is one thing,it's just that despite all of this I can't make exercise a habit. Dedication is not my thing at all and as for commitment well it's skipped me by totally. I know I eat too much but I do cook rather well and I know I must exercise but I just can't. My friends are all dedicated exercise people and nothing seems to bother me. Unfortunately I can't seem to get away from it. The icing on the cake was when a neighbour who normally never talks to me...actually asked me why I haven't been going for yoga. Now am I so fat that even the neighbourhood is concerned? .i promise myself everyday that today is the day and that day is still coming. My mother who normally frowns at my swimming obsession has asked me why I haven t been swimming. It look like the whole world is conspiring against me so well....maybe I should do something g about it. My exercise holiday just isn't so blissful after all

The elections and he debates

It's election time in India and despite having worked in media or perhaps because of this I find the TV debates biased,hysterical and just playing to the gallery. It's an entertainment show unlike the BBC debates or other international media where facts are discussed and not emotions. Our media does random voting at TV shows. For instance today I watched a show where the audience consisted of youngster s from cities all rather too young to vote. Half do them have no understanding of the economy but are asked to vote in the subject. The panelists are all experienced men but the show is all about putting words into peoples mouths,no substance but plenty of entertainment. Those of us you worked in media know that the show must bring in advertising revenue. Today even journalists are marketing persons,they sell what the advertisers want. Unfortunately marketing has taken over so much of our lives that even the election is all money power and marketing. Everyday we have some thing thrown at us about how one man can change the world. Not since Jesus Christ have we had such blind faith in one man. Unfortunately none of the men. Who claim to change our country have any idea what we want. Our welfare is far from their minds,their own ambition overrides all else. Finally  we are left with a crowd of disjointed candidates all of whole we know cannot deliver a stable government or progress along with social justice. Will we ever see change for the better?. I am willing to settle for a stable political environment where all of us are living in peace. Sadly today we are being made aware of our many differences of culture,religion etc despite having lived peacefully for many years . Because he choices are so limited we try and make sense of what media says but when even that is all hype and hoppla one wonders,what at we basing our choices on....god save our country.

Online myths

Going online for things is alien for me as is buying ,selling and all. eBay was never my thing but because I believe that one must know how all things work,I decided to go online to rent out my flat. Old fashioned me believes in doing some research so there I was looking for possible rents for the area so I went on to an Indian rental service website which has been advertised so heavily that I expected not just the earth and the moon but also the stars. Suffice to say I got nothing at all. When I couldn't find what I was looking for I did an advance search and put on location and various other parameters and what I got was rents for apartments in places at least forty five to fifty kilometers away from the location chosen. Now explain to me how this is of anyrelevance. So who actually updates these sites,and let me tell you I didn't stop with one. The point is that each area commands a different rate,each product demands a different set of parameters,so what is the idea of giving one every choice available most of which is irrelevant. This is my problem with internet these days and especially with the Indian web sites. Of ourse we Indians demand a lot more,we are the kind who love to search for the best bargains and all that but honestly if I wanted to do that wouldn't I just go driving around in my car. Talking to all and sundry why would I click on something from the privacy of my home only to be given data which is of no use to me....what irks me most ofcourse if the constant ads that these sites run,all of them telling us how we can change our lives in seconds (that in itself should have warned me,where does anything happen in seconds?. Even god took seven days for heavens sake). Thanks to having grown up with no internet,I have all my age old fallback options,friends,phone calls,etc etc so it's back to good old legs to do the walking and coversations that will throw up the next best thing. As for online checking,well I will indulge in to just to pick holes but never to do serious business.

The sound of music

It's been six years to the day that my father passed away,six years since I quit work,six years since my mother came to stay with me. A long time but it doesn't feel that way. I still can't bring myself to visit his grave,though I am more than happy to visit graveyards in other countries. The trauma is too much for me. I believe the first time someone in ones family dies is the most difficult of times,and despite the time I wake up with nightmares of that time. But over the years I have tried to put away the bad memories and focus on the good. Today was one such. Surfing the tv channels looking for something to view I came across the movie...the sound of music. A great believer in signs to me this was one such. Many years ago,I think I may have been six though I can't be sure. The movie was playing to packed houses in madras at one of the premium cinemas of that day. The novelty of wide screen was a big event in our city and my father wanted me to share the excitement . The memory of it is etched in my mind,how much is truth or just my imagination I can't tell but I did see the movie in wide screen,I remember eating sandwiches my mother had packed which my father carried in a worn green leather bag that the same one he took to office. I remember him telling me to look out for Maria coming in from the far end of the screen. I sat spellbound and to this day the scene where the captain and Maria finally decide to come together and that song is what defines romance for me. Hills beautiful green and the alps in all their majesty was for my six year old mind,the ultimate experience. That movie I held on to and to this day when I am feeling sad I simply remember the movie and I feel happy. Last year I finally fulfilled my dream of wandering around Salzburg and reliving the movie. Today as I remember my father the one memory I hold dear is my sound of music experience and so with gratitude I watch the movie and feel happy many years after my father has gone and I am no longer a six year old ....memories such as this is what defines life and for that I am for ever grateful .

 

Frumpy me

The new year dawned and with it a vague sense of unease. I have been trying in vain to pin it down to a reason but all reason seems to fail me. Yet I have noticed little things....I am just a tad bored. Unlike other years I don't have a project this time around. Then I notice that my wardrobe is full of clothes I don't wear and as the years roll nut they are becoming faded and dated like yours truly. My once fashionable clothes have given way to a kind of uniform....all day sees me in shorts and t shirts,the evening give way to t shirts and track pants. My high heals have given way to flats and my flats have given way to running shoes....oh no don't get me wrong there is no running in this life. Hush puppies and sky high boots have been replaced by stodgy Clark's . The once coiffed hair has given way to a birds nest which at best of times I battle with and the one time I put a hair dryer to it,I have to make an SOS call to the hairdresser. My beautiful midnight blue mascara is languishing thanks to disuse....I am sure my neighbours might think me a bit mad if I wore shorts,t shirt and blue mascara even I couldn't carry that off though I do most things. My make up kits are now used on unsuspecting nieces who have no choice but to let me "make them up". I haven't heard a complain which means I am good at what I do. My designer handbags have given way to a mop. Yes a mop if you please,as in cleaning the floors. The only spreadsheet s that I use now are to make notes on fish prices or to make meal plans for my never ending guests.

All symptoms of becoming a frump I think. So drastic action has to be taken. Except for church where I still manage to go well presented to meet my maker,I have decided that all clothes will be donated to girls who could use them. Unfortunately they may have to pin and tuck to get them to be serviceable after all I did pile on some weight over the years. I have solved the handbag problem.i had donated them early and now use hand me downs of my well travelled sisters. Having figured out my basic problem (turning into a frump) I am still left with the strange sense of unease. I blame kindle for that. Having worked long and hard in the corporate sector we were conditioned to believe that most things that can be had for free must be taken for free,so we learnt to get everything sponsored. Now here it am very loathed to buy books online or offline. I need to read a book a day and all the classics are free online and I have read them all in my lifetime so here I am going cross eyed by the hour hunting down free books.  The vague sense is still there,somewhere something is up and if I do get to the bottom of it then I will make notes but for now the idea is to make frump a fashionable state of being.

Only time will tell

Growing up,we had parents who were as different as chalk and cheese in their attitude to life. My mother was conservative,docile (on the outside) and very hands on as far as parenting goes. Her life revolved around the comfort of her children . No demand was too much for her,baring not studying. She wanted us to make something of our lives so we were well fed,she being a brilliant cook and she spent hours teaching us,looking after us and generally doing everything and some to make our lives as comfortable as possible . She and my dad didn't agree on most things,their outlook to life being so different . My mother would worry about finances,about our health and so on. My father was a man given to loving the good things of life. Much as my mother would do without some luxuries,my father made sure he could enjoy life. He loved his food and drink,was reckless in many ways was more of an absent father not because he was working himself to the bone but rather that he was enjoying the company of his friends in the evenings. He lived his life on his terms and if we didn't understand those terms very many times it was too bad. He really couldn't care less. But having said that he did make sure we got the best education he could provide,he always told us economic independence was important for a woman and he didn't believe our role was that of housewife and mother (though he did think that was my mothers role).

Thus three children grew up in this environment and as adults all three of us in many ways are like chalk and cheese. I grew up with a fierce sense of independence,a determination to earn my living and to be economically independent. I live life on my terms but it came with a huge burden of responsibility. I believe it was my role to give back for all that I got,and for me that meant looking after my parents in old age,providing every comfort that I could afford. I married late (by Indian standards) as I was pretty sure that marriage should be a meeting of minds to be successful . My eldest sister was married very young and had two children in quick succession and for many years we didn't know too much of how she lived her life. While we didn't know too much,she in many ways also lived life on her terms,doing all the things that she enjoyed and a bit like my father she was and absent daughter,no phone calls no letters and few visits....things changed once she got older and now we see more of her. Both of us like our father like the good things in life,we will go after it,hunt out our food and drink to the extent that it is one of our prime passions. We have varied interests and seem to have a lot of fun....we have picked up a lot of traits of our mother but to a large extent a lot of our father can be seen in us.

My. Idle sister like most middle children remains a mystery. She like my mother is conservative to the point of being hilarious. She lives by rules,demands that rules are followed,even when they defy logic. She is a bit of a loner and is almost as negative as my mother but like my mother her heart is in the right place. She can be dependable but can also be overbearing . She like my mother has made sulking a fine art and will always have her way. She is as anxious as my mother and has very little of my father except for his domineering ways.

Today as we enter the twilight years of our lives I look back and wonder how three people who grew up in the same environment can be so different to each other. Does genetics or environment change our lives. What really makes us who we are.? I think the jury is still out on that one but I wait to see how the three of us will shape up in our seventies and eighties. Will we end up being crotchety old maids or will we be the merry wives of Windsor . Only time will tell

The many shades of new year

((This morning I got up and decided to look through the bulk of newspapers that had been delivers on this last day of the year and I must confess that it has left me very confused. Besides the main paper there were a number of supplements that advertised all manner of things to do today. Let me start with the list.

Most of them told us to eat excessively ,to drink even more (get drunk and bring in the year seems to be the mantra) though why one should be so drunk I wonder. Do the organisers have some inclination of how terrible a year this is going to be so are numbing us into oblivion?. There are many shows all involving dancing (most by foreign woman with very little clothes or local movie starts in equally less clothing). Why this grand obsession with white sking shows is beyond me,or for that matte why we we being subjected to the same old movie starts we saw all year around,doing the same things and why do people actually pay through their noses to see such shows. Obviously I am not the target audience.

While the hotels and resorts are busy telling us to eat and drink beyond reason,the local police force is coming down hard on drunken driving which I think is a very good thing but do you see the contradiction in these activities,we'll if you haven't take a look at the next lot of articles. The newspapers are full of advice on how to stay healthy,how to loose weight how to look good on the new year and which  health club and gym offer the best deals. We are told to eat more fruit and vegetables (nothing new there ) run,walk and swim and stay away from ancho and too much oil and rich foods but of course they still expect you to do all that to bring in the new year.....contradictions galore if you ask me. Everyone on some binge and then everyone one some other binge to stay healthy and if like me you are and old cynic then do what I do.....go over to the neighbours for an early meal,have a glass of wine,toast each other's health and head home to a good book and go to sleep and get up as refreshed as you can on the new year.....killjoy you may call me but I am happy and that's how it's going to stay.....happy new year world

The year gone by

It's just another day like all other days but for some reason it's different,just because it's the end if one year and the start of another. How can twenty four hours change anything?,but in our minds it does.

For instance why do I feel this sense of unease,why do I pray that the year should be as good as the one I am about to leave,why does it make such a difference. Honestly I don't know.

But before I get to all that's new,I must admit that two thousand and thirteen was one of the best years of my life,not too many close friends of family died ,not too many people I know fell ill,a lot got married,some went on to greener pastures and I did some travelling. I am superstitious about some things so I believe that what I do on the first of jean kind of determine what I do for the rest of the year,so this year I looked forward to travelling and did so on January second and because I started with a holiday. I felt I would do more holidays and I did. A lovely trip to Europe was the highlight,short trips to close by places,visiting friends having family over,all I'm all very many things to be happy about. Having my mother with us another year where her health stay ed stable was another added happiness.

Now as I look to the new year I haven't got too much planned so it makes me anxious. Having nothing to look forward to makes me nervous. I need projects....it's silly but true. I have a vague sense of disquiet but this too shall pass and I list the things to look forward to. I don't as a rule wish people on new year,yet another one of my silly habits,it makes me aware that a new year is around the corner,a year when I will grow older,my mother will too,more worries of old age etc but think of the bright side ...I tell myself,maybe our friends will meet more often,maybe just maybe I will loose weight (now that cheers me up and makes me laugh as it never happens). Overall I am thinking god for all the blessings of this year and hope to see a peaceful one next year and on that note I shall stop

Smart gadgets and me

I am what you would call a late learner so while my friends were all into the latest phone that money can buy,there I was with no mobile phone at all,simply because I thought it intrusive. However technology caught up with me and I was forced to get one,I went for style and utility and was happy for a while until the phone gave up. Obviously long term relationships and phones don't go together. One is I am told expected to change ones phone with every new model that comes into the market. I then got a hand me down phone from my sister which seems to serve the purpose rather well,or until such time as phones became not just phones (no one seems to make simple phone calls anymore),but came with "whatsap"and social net works and all manner of facilities that let people send photographs and messages for free,call all across the world for free and there I am still not up to all the changes. My friends and the husband tried convincing me to get a new smart phone but somehow the thought of a phone trying to be smarter than me doesn't quiet go down well with my way of thinking. Also the thought of peering in to a small screen is not something I want to do when even large print is an issue. So I settled for an iPad . Now all my friends were well into their third and fourth generation iPads and I was still reading physical books and using an out of date laptop. On holiday I still used a camera to take pictures while the whole world and his uncle took pictures on iPads and uploaded them for all the world to see in real time. I waited for an iPad that suited me. Not for me the thick heavy ones.....so I waited patiently till they launched and iPad air and then bought it right away. Having an ardent apple fan in the family helped,also the fact that Apple made gadgets that require no thinking to use. They obviously do all the thinking ahead and all I have to do is follow instructions. So while most people are using their gadgets to make high tech presentations and review sales figures here I am planning a Christmas party using formats already on the iPad,I am writing more simply because it's handy and I am not chained to a desk. The iPad is most often than not,in my kitchen,recipes are read,downloaded and there I am using it as much as I can. I am convinced of course that I am headed for early Alzheimer's as thinking seems to have taken a back seat and my brain cells are probably dying a slow death but for the moment this gadget is doing a good job and I can't say how happy I am that I didn't fall for the smart phone trap. And while I may not find my way around as easily as my younger nephews and nieces do,I am getting there as usual at my own pace and my own rules after all I have lived my life on my terms thus far so why let a gadget decide otherwise

The drama queen

We are a family of three girls and each one is more different from each other as chalk is to cheese. The most colourful of the lot is the eldest. From childhood she was lost to the world of literature and lived out her life as one character to the other. She was and still is a drama queen. Nothing is quite the same when my sister is around. Considering we lost her to literature it's not surprising that normal everyday life is beyond her. Her costume cupboard is extensive as is her kitchen but while she may know every bit of her costume cupboard,her kitchen is quiet another matter. My husband believes in order and systems so makes it his mission to rearrange her kitchen cupboard into some system that will work. Over the years he has discovered many thing in that cupboard that my sister didn't know existed. Her standard response is that she has no time to do anything (not surprising since she lives in an alternate world). While she is a fantastic cook and can churn out dishes Ina jiffy we are all a bit vary about her cooking. Very much like the witches in Macbeth her cauldron may be filled with things we are not too sure of.

When she comes to the city we brace ourselves for a stormy stay. From the time she arrives it's almost like a tornado has hit the house. Our collective stress levels go up as she jumps from one activity to the other. Endless cups of tea will be followed by never ending snacking and before you can say jack robins the kitchen will look like a bomb site. Visit her at her home in the hills and you can be sure that she will crib about her lack of space and this when the house is rather large. Her house is reminiscent of aladins cave.....all manner of treasures can be found if only you knew where to look. She very much like my mother, is a hoarder,not a bit of paper will be thrown away and after a few years she will be inundated with stuff she has no use for. 

Her love of drama is only surpassed by her love of cooking. Her love for English literature ensures that all cooking will be recipes from some English country scene so don't be surprised if you find roast chicken and Yorkshire pudding on the menu with mashed potatoes. She is probably more English than the average English person.

All her mad hatter behaviours is a great source of entertainment for the rest of the family. There is never a dull moment when she is around. All tales are colourful and depending on the audience she will add a few colourful angles to the story. My mother swears that this trait started long before literature took over her life. My mother in her youth was subjected to such tall tales from her eldest daughter that over the years she has learnt to take everything she says with a huge bag of salt. My middle sister despairs over the eldest and their conversations always end in tears. As for me I watch and listen and am entertained but her housekeeping skills can drive me nuts (this from someone whose housekeeping skills are nothing to write home about). My husband thinks the world may greatly benefit from her skills if only she would put it to good use by writing a book but as my sister is always telling us .....where is the time?

A wedding to remember

It's the wedding we have all waited for. A child we knew from when she was about  two is now a young woman ready to be a bride. It's a longstanding friendship that brings us to this wedding. The father of the bride is one of those rare human beings who can unite diverse people and bring them all on one platform. He has the ability to form friendships that last forever,change with times and still maintain his basic personality. I have seen him over the years growing from an executive,changing jobs,changing roles getting more and more confidant and now here is organising one of the biggest events of his life,the marriage of his daughter. He has called friends from twenty years ago and as we come to the venue it's almost like a class reunion,we are trilled to see friends we have lost touch with,people we haven't seen in years and as the hours move more and more friends arrive till it's one big party with every one catching up on years of catching up. It's a happy occasion in more ways than one and our friend has been behind it. His organisation is fantastic. The wedding venue is one of the finest I have seen in years,no usual rush of the big fat Indian wedding,no crowds at the meal tables,it's all running like clock work and everyone is happy. In a big fat Indian wedding which this one certainly is more often than not chaos is the name of the game,not so here. The reception is even better,it's like a big event,the venue is decked out beautifully and the bride and groom are not stressed,we all get enough opportunity to meet and greet the couple and at the end of it all the big gang of friends who have converged from all over the country are congregated in one big room to party on into the night. As someone who would skip weddings simply because I find them too stressful this is one wedding I enjoyed and will remember for years to come. A friend who always lives on the edge and for whom stress is a way of life,has pulled of one of the finest events of his life and I can't but take my hat off to him and his wife for doing what they did and for all the happiness they created in the bargain.

Chennai to Bangalore

It's one thirty on a December afternoon and after two years we are on our way to Bangalore by train this time . We take a slow train so armed with magazines and things to eat we board. The train has dull brown seats,faded interiors and is not clean (not to my standards in any case). With enough time to kill I indulge in my pet pastime of peoples watching. The first interesting people I spy are pretty unique. A young couple,he in shorts,a loose t shirt,flip flops and an interesting bandana on his head. She is in all black jeans t shirt and pullover,hair tied back in no nonsense ponytail. The reason I watch then is that the girl is talking non stop with a great deal of animation but it evokes not a single response from the boy. His expression is one of bored tolerance and not a single other emotion crosses his face,nor does he respond verbally. Strangely this had no effect on the girl she continues to talk until it's time for the train to move when the boy stirs from his apathy and follows her into the train.....I wonder what kind of relationship they have two individuals communicating despite looking to be in their own private universe.

The train finally moves and we are at once assaulted by food vendors who ply their wares non stop,unfortunately none of them are even remotely healthy,all deep fried and served with oil dripping off them enough to block all arteries with just one look. Having packed a reasonably decent picnic of egg and pork sandwich we are safe from having to eat the stuff.

Now I for one loves peace and quiet ,I love solitude and am more than happy to be in the company of silent adults on train journeys but unfortunately in a train filled to capacity with at least eight hundred passengers this is asking for the moon. I will settle for a bit of silence though but the tv in the cabin is on full blast and weather I want to or not I am forced to listen to whatever is going on. A child in front then sets up a wail that will wake the dead and not just the dead but by the sound of it an entire graveyard. The screaming continues unabated and the parents are either deaf having to listen to it on a daily basis or are so immune as as to not bother. By now I will willingly strangle the child who is giving me a splitting headache and I would do anything to get it to shut up. No such luck and I wonder why parents who are incapable of controlling their kids insist on travelling by public transport. The mother is helpless having another demanding toddler hanging on to her but the grandparents for some inexplicable reason seem to think it's all very cute and in the meanwhile I suffer in silence. Fortunately (we had figured this out ages ago) the mother decide the kid was hungry and shovelled some food into its mouth after which peace reigned.

All that racket has made me need a rest so I fall into a fitful sleep very soon only to be awakened again by food aromas. Deciding its time for tea I order one and have trouble keeping it down. It's one of those over milky,over sugary drinks far removed from what tea ought to taste like but nevertheless I drink it. Finally the passengers are winding down so I sit back and enjoy the view which is pretty green and rich after all this is December and the best time of the year in this state. By the time I write this the sun is dipping into the western horizon and daylight begins to fade,food now has moved from snacks and tea to something more wholesome to do with the time.

Despite the grime,the noise,the dreary and the beautiful landscape I still love train journeys.

Value for money

There is a lot to be said for good service.Honestly that is a subjective ,matter but for me if I feel happy after sampling something and is I feel I have had value for money then I would say it was good service .

So here I was wanting to spruce up for Christmas and wondering which place to go to for a good hair style and colour. Having looked at a few options my friend and I decided to go with one we had tried before despite them being more expensive or so we imagined. We have always had pretty decent seri ice in this place so there we were and we opted for a hairdresser we had used before. Considering how confused we were about the colour for our hair (our hair texture has changed over the years and needs a different feel) we plied him with questions all of which we're answered patiently and he spent and hour explaining how Indian hair was different from European ones and need to be treated differently,he took us through the colours explained how it would look and what we need to keep in mind by which time we were comfortable enough to let him do what he thought best. For the next three hours while my friend and I chatted the man did hair and then taught us how to style it ourselves and spent another few minutes explain gin the technique so there we were not just getting our hair coloured and styled but also getting a master class on styling.Now contrast this to my perivious experience where colour was slathered on and no explanations were given. I came away unhappy with the texture and color of my hair but had to live with it for a while and when all said and done we ended up paying the same at both places. Today we thought that we had got value for money both May friend and I were happy with the whole experience,the way our hair looked whereas in the previous place they styled it (if you can call that styling) it as they thought it should look and not the way I wanted it.

Now value for money was not so much in the fact that we went to an international chain of hair dressers but it was largely dependent on the fact that the service was on par with their salons in the rest of the world and that all the staff know what they are talking about . It's about the whole experience,it about the knowledge and the experience of going to an expert and then we do nt mind paying for it. Isn't it time for salons around the city to train their staff to such standards instead if it being just making a fast buck?. I for one am staying with the tried and tested thank you very much

The digital minefield

Learning is never that easy more so when one is in ones twilight years so here I am trying to get my head around the iPad Air...yes I actually decided to catapult myself into the new age digital world after finding to my dismay that people no longer went to bookstores and browsed books or for that matter even bought books. Deeply disappointed as I was with the bookstores which in my heydays was a place to hang out in and read and exchange notes,I was told in no uncertain terms that today the world belonged to kindle and iPad and tablets and all manner of digital technology hence the new acquisition. Unfortunately no one told me about the minefield that is the digital world. For the uninitiated let me explain that it's all about aps. I am guessing this is what in our day passed for applications. These are things that give one access to all manner of data (read books,music etc) and while a lot of them are free ,most of them are only gateway s to a better world. Get there and while one gloats over the abundance of books and music,one discovers as I did that all of it has to be paid for,or at least all the ones I want. I feel like a child in a candy store being offered all the goddies only to have it taken away . Right so then having no choice I decide to buy a book and then my troubles begin. First off one needs a credit card (which I have). Now we need a password and all manner do security levels to pass through. For the life of me I can't remember password so to boggle my mind with so many of them is in my opinion making my life more difficult however you may convince me of making it easier. Having a morbid fear do using online payment options means I am back to square one no books no music but on a device that demands that I have all of it. Now I stumble along and with trial and error find a few books which wonder of wonders actually download without asking me a hundred questions so thinking that like some modern day hacker I may have cracked a code I sit down to read. The books in page turning gripping and soon I am lost to it. End of chapter one and eager to find what's to come I find to my horror that once again I was subjected to child in candy store syndrome . I was allowed to read a sample and now need to buy the book if I want more. It obviously can't be as difficult as I make it out to be so I am giving me some time to master the technology and in the meanwhile the nephews (who are both pretty clued up on technology )are being put to good use. It is their responsibility to help me master this new age so as time goes by I Amy just become a geek and hold my own th he best of them but doe now I am a bit confused.

Dishwashers

Holidays for most people are about memories and photographs,for us its all that and more.Every time we come back from a holiday in Europe,we marvel at how self sufficient people are.The absence of maids and drivers and many helpers is what fascinates us.We then come back and try and replicate as much as we can here.
When i was working the house was run by a maid and a cook.My meals and general housework was dictated by them.A few months later I was sick of eating the same food and having to put up with a not so neat house but the freedom to sack anyone was not mine so i grit my teeth and continued.
Then I did the smart thing and got out of the rat race.My cook,not happy with the new member in the kitchen and uncomfortable with the competition (me being a rather good cook myself) decided to call it a day.He was a nice chap and told me that he didn't think I needed him and he needed to work for someone who actually didn't know how to cook.So we parted ways
The maid continued to stay but started grumbling soon enough at my demanding standards,the fact that I was constantly entertaining and the amount of vessels she had to wash.When her tantrums got the better of me I asked her to leave and took over her job too.
We were on our own now very much like our friends abroad except that we had not too many of the gadgets.
For years now I have hated housekeeping....cooking and gardening i can do but washing dishes and clothes is just not something I like doing.The washing machine does the clothes but for two years I felt tethered to the sink and its pile of dirty dishes.My kitchen was always full of vessels and my dining table was full of china kept out to dry.I kept harping about getting us a dishwasher but the husband was convinced it was a useless gadget.We discussed it at length for years but all feedback from friends and family in India who actually had one,wasn't encouraging.I was convinced but not the husband.
Then we went to Germany and stayed with friends and watched as dishes disappeared into the machine and the kitchen stayed clean and our friends had plenty of time to sit and chat with us.Our friends convinced the husband that the machine was one of the many must haves and it looked like we had a convert on our hands.
We came back and for some reason (like it always happens) there were ads advertising dishwashers (first time in our city),not too many but it looked like it may be the next big thing this Diwali.In the meanwhile I got proactive,called the store,did some research and checked prices and the reluctant convert was a full convert.
The machine arrived and like all new converts the husband is fanatical about it.He read the manual from cover to cover,he asked a hundred questions ,he showed it off to all the neighbours and he extolled its virtues like never before.Me I am happy that the dishes disappear,I have time on my hands to read (didn't realise how much time i spent washing dishes) and my kitchen is clean,neat and had loads more space.
If anyone in India says the machine cant handle washing Indian dishes then they are talking through their hat.Not the cheapest of gadgets but apart from my microwave oven this is by far the best gadget in the house.
Thank you German holiday and thank you German technology

The Austrian Alps

Its been two hours since we left home,driving through country roads till we reach theautobhan  and then its a long stretch of the most beautiful road with picturesque views on either side and not a pothole in sight.Not once does a pedestrian cross unexpectedly no do animals amble along the roads as they do here at home.

As we cross the boarder from Germany to Austria we are told that the beauty will be breathtaking.Unfortunately we are delayed and by the time we reach the rain is beating a steady rhythm on the roof of the car and the light fades and all we can see are looming shadows which look menacing in the dark.We arrive finally at a little village at the foot of the alps and are shown to our apartment which is a well appointed two room home for the next three days.We try opening the windows but the icy blast of an alpine wind makes us close it in a hurry.We snuggle up in soft feather pillows and equally soft duvets and drift off to sleep and the silence ensures we have a deep and dreamless sleep.
We wake next morning to a view that will forever stay in my memory as the most beautiful way to wake up.As I stretch lazily in bed the mountains beckon blue and inviting.Outside the window is the most pretty cottage I have seen,all wood,lace curtains twitch and the windows burst with flowerbed in a profusion of colour.I jump out to take it in and as i stand on the balcony the view outside is different.The grass is emerald green,the houses a deep dark wood interspersed with flowers and the village is surrounded by high alps.Some blue with pine trees,some with a touch of snow in the higher peaks.The air is so fresh my lungs (used as they are to polluted air) gasp at the purity of it all.I breath deep and get a mixture of fresh earth drenched in rain and mixed with hay and pine.

This is a little bit of Paradise I think until I am told that the day involves a climb into the high mountains.Used as I am to walking on concrete in a city with hardly any green,I am daunted at the very thought but looking around the cottage there are a multitude of reminders that god alone can help me get there.I pray a silent prayer and quote the psalm and literally lift up my eyes to the hills from where i hope to get help.

We set off at a steady pace and the walking isn't all that bad.We decide to talk a small walk up some nursery slopes (by Austrian standards) and walk all the way past the village.As we leave,we see less and less of people and the country side become more stark.The silence engulfs us and its a silence broken not by words but by the tinkling of cow bells and music from some distant churches.The hill seem to be alive with the sound of music but created by bells,the whistling of the wind in the trees and by the silence of the mountains.
We reach the lake and its emerald green perfection is broken only by a duck or two but otherwise its still.We stop to throw pebbles to create ripples and continue to walk.The path narrows and become steeper and my muscles grown with every step.Determined to do this I slow my pace,breath deep and find myself a pine stick to help me up.Its a slow amble but the stillness is what is the beauty as we walk in silence with our breaths breathing little rings as the air get colder and colder.We finally reach our waterfall and stop to wonder at natures beauty and drink from clear mountain springs.The water is clear and cold and refreshing so we wait awhile to enjoy it.The walk back is even better.Leaving the regular path we decide to take the forest path that meander through tall pine forests with gurgling brooks and gushing waterfalls.A lone bird sings in the trees and content cows munch the grass in such beautiful surrounding that I wonder how the milk must taste in these parts.We stop right there to drink fresh milk in an alpine cottage and fest at the creaminess of the milk.Its wholesome goodness is manna to the system.I gulp in a large glass and set off once again.

A lunch break at a lakeside place gives us yet another sense of the majesty of nature.In a space of some ten minutes while we wait for lunch,the alps put up a performance that no theater can beat.The rain falls like a torrent and the clouds turn dark and gloomy and threatening.Suddenly it stops and the light is back the sun shine albeit a pale sun but its back,then just as we bask in the warm sunshine,the clouds decent and once again we are shrouded in cold cloud.We reach out to feel the vapours and just as suddenly it all changes and we are faced with a clear bright day,the sun is shining with even more warmth,and the mountains and visible once again.We marvel at the performance and understand why the mountains are dotted with beautiful churches all singing praised to god and nature.We marvel at the simplicity of the people who live with nature and its many moods.People to whom all this is a way of life ,who graze their cows and sheep in the high alps and bring them down in the harsh winters.They breath clean air,untouched by multitudes of tourists,make their own cheese,butter and eat meat from animals reared on fresh grass and greens.

I offer a silent prayer of thanks to have been this close to such beauty.To see the world from the eyes of local people to be so far removed from the sweat and grime of my everyday life is truly a blessing.A memory to be cherished and enjoyed.

Airports

I spent three weeks in and around Europe and when I came back to India the differences hit me.Its a world away from each other but in its own ways both places have somethings to offer one being that one is home and the other is a holiday destination but lets celebrate the differences

At the Indian airports I am required to tag my bags with baggage tags,then my check in baggage will have to be sent through a scanner,i will be frisked by a very bored often times sleepy security staff and sent on my way to immigration.Here most often than not there is a disgruntled person who thinks i have no business to be jetting off on holiday and so he or she will pour over my passport and stamp it at random.I will them sit in a very dull and drab airport which claims to have duty free but if retail businesses are run the way our duty free is then god help the seller and they buyer

In the one hour that i am there there are at least three announcements that flights have been delayed thanks to technical fault or late arrival of another flight.

As we enter the aircraft,the air hostesses that greet us are all in their 35 to 50 years .They are well groomed and efficient but not very pretty.....flash back to Indian carriers....most in their 20 or 30,most very pretty or well made up with ready smile and polite manner.Would i trust them in an emergency? Not sure as they don't inspire confidence in me (though they may in the male traveller).

Crying children who's parents cant get them to wear seat belts are no problem to the German air hostess,they will start by telling the parents to make sure their child is seated and should that fail they will get the job done.In many cases the child is either so terrified of the big built woman or they just need some discipline....but they sit quiet.

If a passenger has had too much to drink they will tell him or her in no uncertain terms that they will not be served again.I don't see that happening in our country.
Get off at a German airport and there are hardly any staff.Just enough to guide you if you happen to be getting a connecting flight.All the others will follow arrows and signboards that will get one to the correct place.
We get to immigration and are passports are stamped by a very bored but scary looking German and we are on our way.

The duty free is like a fancy mall,every luxury item is there in well proportioned shops,well lit displays and efficient staff.All promotions (and there are plenty) are clear and interesting.We are offered a shot of Remy martin as there is a promo on (what fun).The eating places are plenty and we have choices so a two or four hour transit passes off with ease.No bored moments.

The toilets and this is my biggest concern....In Indian airports the toilets are just about OK or real dirty.There will be many a cleaning person but for some reason it just cant stay clean.....reach Frankfurt and decide to use the loo.....quantum leap in cleanliness.Not a single cleaning person in sight but the toilets are clean they smell good one can have a shower,separate rooms for nursing mothers,room for kids to have diaper changes and room for handicapped.Toilets in large numbers and every one of them without exception are clean and smell good...

So at the end of the holiday we are back at the German airport.We have checked in online,the boarding pass is scanned.For those with smart phones they scan their phone on a machine.The we drop our baggage (no tags no security check).We wander until its time to board and have to pass security.No frisking....we just walk through a scanner and god forbid it beeps then from nowhere there will be enough people to surround you but otherwise walk through.All bags,belts,jackets are neatly sent out in trays so no need to wipe the dirt off the conveyor belt (no dirt in their airports but most certainly in ours).Then we are ready to board.It takes about less half an hour at the most and with the minimum of staff and the most efficient machines.

As we wait i hear an announcement of flight every minute or so,the boards are full of flight departing to places far and wide.I wait in vain for a flight to be delayed or cancelled (it probably happens only in storms,snow or ice or some such act of god).and once again I wonder what makes us so different?.Are we just not bothered are are we just too many people?

all I know is that that level of efficiency is not just system driven it is an attitude and I don't see us getting there very soon ,but at the end of the day its good to be home.

iPad and me

If I repeat myself its only because I can't get my head around the iPad which insists on eating my words.But that's my only way go post so due apologies.

Nice experiences in Frankfurt part two

Eating cabbage soup thanks to it being the most popular.We wander around town and go to places with the largest customer base,then we ask a few suits what they are eating,and order the same.This we find is the best way to save money and get the right things to eat.

We decide our breakfast options twenty days before we plan to have breakfast.Getting organized the German way.

No frisking at the airport,everything is just scanned.

Immigration officer who reminds me of nazi all Prussian blue eyes and blond hair,he sends a shiver down my spine but is not unfriendly.My imagination works over time when in Germany.

Browsing around duty free and we are offered premium cognac. What more can one ask for ?.The liquid gold warms our insides as it makes its smooth transition from mouth to stomach.

Meeting nick the friendly Australian who gave us tips on traveling in Frankfurt.He had been there a few days ahead and was glad to meet some one who spoke English so there we were exchanging notes


The local Germans who helped us with the stations and directions without being asked.

Meeting jayanth the nine year old passenger who was traveling alone to Canada.We exchange smiles but an hour into the end of our flight he discovers that the husband in Telugu and that they share a home town.Then he makes up for list time and talks non stop giving us his entire life ,all of nine years.His wish to have a sibling and how his parents think he is more than enough as far as they are concerned.He recognized all the cars in the auto magazine and tells us which ones are bis favorite.

Solar powers scooters,men and woman in suits riding bicycles to work,even woman in skirts and high heels.

People in wheel chairs not dependent on anyone thanks to fancy powered chairs that they can drive around the city with ease,get into the metro negotiate stairs and generally live and work like the rest of us

Paying three euros for water when beer is the same price,we quickly switch to beer.

Garden shops which store so much variety and all things one may need for a garden that they can get the most die hard non gardening person to garden.


Desperately seeking vegetables other than the potato in its many avatars.

Sausages and meats in such mind boggling variety that its an insult to call myself a non vegetarian.I obviously no nothing when it comes to meat.Plenty to learn

Frankfurt airport has a flight every one and a half minutes to every corner of the world and not once in even an hour did we hear of a flight being delayed due to a teaching al fault or because an incoming flight was delayed.....in Indian as we left we heard of at least three flights delayed for the above reasons.How do they do it?

Restrooms that are clean and fragrant despite begin dry.....in contrast I had to hold my breath while using the toilets

Nice experiences in Frankfurt

Arrive in Frankfurt for a ten hour transit before we catch our connecting flight so we decide to explore the city.In the many hours we spent on flight ,in the airport and in the city there were some interesting experiences which the husband and I thought we must record.

It was the first time we had seen a child on a leash .Similar to leading a dog this kid was all over the place but his father had him on a tight leash literally.

A lady in a wheel chair had her little dog in her handbag.Only his head was out and he was a real small dog,she was trying to get him a ticket on a flight.The dog was being allowed to become cabin baggage.

The pet check in at Frankfurt airport.New to us from a country where animals are not allowed in any public place.

Out shopping in the city were a mother an daughter .The mother was around eighty and was finding it difficult to walk,her hand shook every time she needed to open her handbag,but she was well dressed and her daughter held her arm and conducted her across the streets and into shops.We had once agin had our faith in human goodness reinforced.

Mickey Mouse in Frankfurt?.Yes like in most countries here was a man dressed in a costume (looked uncomfortable and hot but it being a cool day it was fine) and entertaining kids and adults alike for a few photo ops and a few pennies.Poor man had to ask for the pennies to drop.Not very different from people all over the world.

Not knowing the language we resort to asking all manner of people to guid us.We watch while office goers all seem to tuck into a hearty soup but having no idea what it is we ask a few suits what they are eating.Its a pickled cabbage soup and while I am not sure how that will taste we go by popular demand and order it.Fantastic.

We read the menu on a small cafe in the airport and have already decided what we want for breakfast twenty days from now.Getting organized the German way.

Surprised that there is no frisking at the airport like we are used to back home.Its all something sailing from now on.When will we learn to secure our airports without all the unnecessary checking that goes on?

The immigration officer who stamped our passports was all blue eyes and blond hair and cold nazi looks.We knew we had entered Germany and i think back to those world war years.

We are browsing through duty free and this shop assistant walks up to us asking if we would like a shot of cognac.In surprise we take it and its a super surprise as the golden liquid slips down our throat

Standing on the platform to take the metro to city central we try in vain to understand the German direction when out of the blue comes a young Australian who has heard us speaking English and we slip into conversation.Nick is a young friendly chap who is half way across the world exploring on his own.He gives us a few tips he's picked up on his travels and we exchange notes.

Local Germans who help us find our trains without us asking for help

Meeting Jayant a nine year old passenger on his way to Canada and traveling alone.On the ten hour flight he and I smile at each other but don't talk.The with one hour left to end the flight the husband talks to some kid in Telugu and the little boy is all animated.He launches into his life story and won't stop.We discover that he s from the same town as the husbands parents,they seem to know all the popular haunts in that city

A walk around town

It's the fourth day of our holiday and having checked out the local markets for salad and fruit we head off to the railway station to check on our tickets for the next leg of our journey.

From the house we walk up cobbled stone roads ,past a small stream across the local river.On either side there are gardens filled with roses in a riot of color pink,red and a strange mix of orange and pink.They hang in clumps and are fragrant.We pass along and walk down a tunnel encountering a musician on the way.He is playing "Lara's theam" on a violin .Its customary to drop a few coins so we do so and head out of the tunnel and are suddenly out there amount green lawns a large lake with ducks floating on them.Huge trees dot the lawns on either side and people cycle on their way to wherever it is their are going.Mothers with children in prams amble along and dogs follow their masters on their walks.Its all peaceful and serene and one wonders how one country can alive this way while we are faced with crowds,pollution and clutter.

We reach the train station and while we sort out our tickets,another customer comes in with his dog.Animals have access into public transport and places.While he goes in the dog is told to sit outside which he does with no fuss at all.Even children in our country wouldn't be so well behaved.

Onward then across a scenic rout around town,we watch swans glide up and down river,dipping their long stately necks into the water to catch a fish or two,ducks who steer clear of the swans but manage to go their own ways.The river is muddy thanks to the rain but the banks are full of weeping willows how's branches are heavy with rain and they droop even further into the water.Uo on the bridge we are busy taking photographs of this   Pastoral   scene .Next stop to the Italian shop to check out cheese and sausages.We find cheese but not the sausages and continue on our way.All this while we see very few cars.Everyone is walking its a perfect way to get some exercise without consciously doing so.

All this walking has made us hungry s it's lunch time.We opt to eat local food but since we are clueless we leave it to our friend to choose.As we wait for our food we watch the world go by.Our friends neighbor has just got married and we watch them go by.Living in the same building one would not have imagined there was a marriage party on.Hardly any guests.This is a small party like most marriages in Germany.Around ten people make up the marriage party and they walk past the square in their wedding finery ,no fancy cars  and no fanfare.So different from the big fat Indian wedding .

The temperature has dipped suddenly and there is a nip in the air but nano thing stops people from wandering around checking out small time retailers selling all manner on items,from food to crafts.The work culture is very different here.People decide their work times so flextime while it may be a novelty in India,is common practice here, so at any given point in time people can be around and they are working people.

Having got our cultural lesson for the day we head back home to relax and catch up on conversation.

The food and wine market

The Italians and the French have arrived in tubingen.From the morning the town has been buzzing with excitement.Stalls have been put up,stall owners are busy decorating their tents and long benches and tables are  being laid out for the start of a wine,cheese and meat festival which is an annual event showcasing all produce from these countries.

By the time we arrive the place is full despite the rain.Every stall allows us to taste bits and bobs of all things available.Being a big cheese fan I am ready to sample everything but nothing prepares me for the variety of flavor that assaults my taste buds.I can taste wine,mushrooms,wild herbs,spices and sweet .Nothing prepares me for this.How does one buy anything in this place.Move over to the wine stall and we get some red wine without too much fuss thanks to our friends who are veterans of this festival.Sausage stall is next and I don't know where to start.I am given a choice of dried,smoked sausage with wild mushrooms herbs garlic and cheese.I try everything very happy that tasting is a done thing in this place.I eat a variety of hams,bacon and sausage and move on to olive oil.Now in India I have been using olive oil for years now but again the texture here is so different.To begin with the color is a typical olive green.Not too deep but more on green than yellow like the stuff we get back home.The taste us also different.Its tastes of fresh fields and meadows.It can be tasted like wine .The stall owner gives us some toast that is soaked in this oil and one taste of it and the husband is sold so one large bottle is going back home.

Out last stop is the cheese stall so we stop to taste some Parmesan cheese.The last time I bought some of this was from a supermarket and I thought it tasted fantastic but when I was giving a sample of this  I realized why people rave so much of hand made far fresh farm cheese.The cheese is so sweet,it's almost sugary with just a hint of brine.We realize finally why this cheese is far more expensive than the supermarket variety and a small slice is bought.

We come home with a variety of cheeses and oils and its back to the market for dinner.I am ready to eat mussels or oysters but by the time we finish our wine the stall closed so we settle for pasta and some pizza.All of these flavors are new to us and we mull over the taste and eat to our hearts content.The walk back home is temperature of ten degrees is also a new experience and we come home happy to have got a taste of local life in a small town in Germany.It is one more experience in my file.

country roads

A long drive is scheduled for today and it takes us through long winding country roads beautifully tarred and not a pot hole in sight.On either side the road are rolling greens and tall trees.The grass is trimmed and not a blade out of place.The only cars on the road are BMWs ,Audis and Mercedes's this is Germany after all and the speeds make me believe I am in a race track rather than a country road.

There are flower fields in the road sides and one can pick flowers of ones choice and pay for it depending on what you think it's worth.All based on trust and I think that in our country this would have meant that the poor flowers seller would be poor in no time at all.

We arrive for lunch at a Thai place and get some familiar noodles and rice all toned down to suit the bland German pallet

Our next stop is Ikea .Its our one port of call every visit just because the shop fascinates us.The displays on each floor are neat,practical and so inspiring.Add t that we can choose and write down codes then go down to the wear house
 And pick what we want.The husband is very interested in finding stuff so he is off like a dog in a rabbit chase.We haven't bought a thing simply because this time around almost all the stuff is available Ina India but the experience of this shop is what we come for.

The rain lashes down and by German autumn standards it's a crappy day but for me the cold and rain is the best thing about the place.The sloping roofs of the houses with their dormer windows and wine curling around the front door are all awash with the rain.Almost every house has window boxes overflowing with flowers of every hue.Its a visual treat and the whole picture is a picture postcard.

Our drive back is equally eventful,diversions means we take the long way around and this is like a conducted tour around the country side.The colors are all different shades of green,red,and pink.Blue skies sometimes with dark clouds lends to atmosphere.I soak it all in a file it away for when I get back.

We are worth it

The rape in Bombay of a girl has made me wonder yet again on the brutality of men in this country.This is not about sex at all,this is just a power struggle of men with small minds and cowards who cant make anything of themselves in the real world and think that this is their way of showing power.How pathetic that even in rape then need company.It shows the depravity of their minds.I have young nieces and nephews in college and school in the big cities and I wonder how they manage in this day and age.
Then I listen to television debates on what people think about it all.Yesterday there were woman who claimed that it is the business of the state to protect its woman .I agree that this is the job of the law enforcement agencies but lets face it they do nothing at all.When the state fails in its duty do we lament or decide to empower our woman.
The police force tell us every time a woman in murdered in her home that we woman shouldn't allow anyone into the house when we are alone.Haven't these people heard of single woman.Tell me if I live alone do I have to not open doors to the electrician,the plumber and all manner of other suppliers?.The stupidity of these diktats is what gets me.Get real there are few solutions to this increase in rape.But there are solutions if the government will only enforce it.
What prevent the government in punishing a rapist as fast as possible? Why is a woman's claim alone not good enough.I understand that this can lead to many misinterpretations,it can mean innocent men will go behind bars.Yes that's true but while we worry about the misuse of the law,innocent woman are being raped and should we in the interest of few good men,delay justice? The answer if obviously a big no.Quick punishment is the best deterrent for crime.Remember the rapist is a man of low self esteem,and a complex (otherwise he would be having normal sex) and fear is the only way to stop them.This is the responsibility of the government and the police
But what about the woman themselves.Once again there are solutions.When I see parents spend hours sending their girls for dance class,grooming class and when they talk fashion,marriage and beauty contests to young girls,i wonder why we stick to stereotypes.When are we going to teach our girls martial arts,self defence,high self esteem (not the kind that comes from the catwalk).When will we teach our girls that they are equal or better than the men,that they can hold their own in any field and that only they can protect themselves.When will we teach our boys that woman are equal citizens,that they have brains,opinions,and intellect and that no man has a right to a woman's body without her consent.Its about time the men in this country realised that woman are not playthings (go to the toy shop for heavens sake if you are so inclined) and are capable individuals.Unfortunately in a panel discussion on tv where the large majority were woman ,only one woman believed that her destiny was in her hands.
Ambition and career are all very well unfortunately in our country we haven't evolved to a time when a sexual abuse complaint against a boss will get the justice it requires,unfortunately the law will not protect us and the tv discussions and the media circus will not protect us.We need to protect ourselves.We are worth it.

A strange encounter

The India I know has changed so much in the last few decades and unfortunately not always for the better.My friends and I grew up in innocent times,most of our worries were about being caught by parents talking to boys from our school or neighbourhood,we worried that parents would find out that we had run off to see a movie when we had promised to be visiting friends.Those were the days when we didn't have a lan line phone let alone a mobile so there was no way we could be traced.We wandered the streets without a fear in the world.A lot of us hadn't heard of rape (except for rapeseed oil) and our newspapers didn't have rape and murder and sexual abuse as main stories.Our parents were parents not friends,they didn't dress like us and there was no question of being friends on facebook.We lost touch with our friends after college and when we did reconnect after years of being out of touch,our friendships simply started from where we had left.Not being in touch every minute of everyday did not damage our relationships,we had built rock solid ones so no worries.
Today when I read of all the rape that seems to happen and the reaction of people and the acceptance that this is how we live,I am pretty shocked.The number of times I have been in danger (as in this day and age) in my twenties would have a modern day parent worried.
I remember one such incident.My dad worked for the railways so I always travelled first class on the Indian railways.This was long before the days of air conditioned second and third class travel The first class compartment had four occupants and because my name is so unindian  (the railways never did know my sex by my name) most of the time i ended up in a compartment with all men.On the Tamil nadu express bound for Delhi I was in this situation and thought nothing of it as I had never travelled to the north and had no clue that woman in the north were in far more danger than us fortunate one in Tamil nadu (where its relatively safe).There was a man also bound for Delhi when we started the journey and another couple.Somewhere in the north the couple left and were replaced by two huge men (most people in the north are taller than us south Indians) and their friends.They entered the compartment at ten at night and were pretty drunk.Then the left and continued to drink near the toilets.While they were out my travelling companion from the start,told me that he had informed the men that I was his sister.I was truly puzzled.My name I told him would be a give away along with the fact that I spoke no Hindi and couldn't understand a word.The man insisted and told me to stick to the story for my own safety.I didn't understand what the fuss was all about and as I was ready to ask the drunks to leave (youthful bravado was a sign of our times,not knowing that rape existed and how much in danger i was) I wasn't sure but since he seems so terrified for my life and safety I decided to go along with the story.The drunks came back and i went off to sleep (fitful) and the so called brother kept watch.We got to Delhi in good time and with no harm done.What I didn't realise at that time (thanks to not understanding the language) was that the men had made comments about intentions which had got my travel companion so terrified.I never gave the incident a thought  all these years but today when I read about woman in danger I wonder who that nice man was who insisted I was his sister.I don't know which state he was from,his English was pretty bad and he wasn't sophisticated either but his heart was in the right place and maybe the fact that he was so concerned (about an innocent south India girl clueless in Delhi)  makes me remember that for all the miserable men out there who prey on helpless people simply because they don't have the guts to take on someone their own size,there are the nice people who will stand up for others protect and look out for some stranger in danger.To that nice man I salute you and may your tribe increase.

lessons from the veg

Brave attempts at food security saw me planting all kind of vegetables on my terrace.Now while they have not managed to bring down my food bill they have nevertheless taught me a few lessons.Lessons in patience,love and inter race relations.

It started with a tomato and the okra,both of them grew well and flourished until a little bug got both of them and with that all my efforts at organic farming went right out of the window.It was chemical pesticide as the bug was resistant to all manner of organic remedies.My next attempt was to grow bitter gourd and ridge gourd (both creepers)who needed a fine trellis to grow on.In the absence of any kind of prop,I spent three hours working my way with rope and twine to make a fine cris cross of trellis and there it was.Enough place for my plants to grow and flourish.The plants like me unfortunately have a mind of their own so in their own way both of then ignored my labour of love and climbed instead onto a rough wall.My morning are spent training them on to the trellis i have created.This morning however love and fresh air seem to have taken over.The gourds have now got so involved with each other that they have wound themselves against each other in a serious love knot.The husband had plenty to say about the affairs that were happening on the terrace.Now here was a true inter caste marriage if ever there was one.Same family types but different caste if one is to use the Hindu cast system as a base.As a not very amused parent (by virtue of being the grower) I tried to disentangle them but they held tight.I decided that those whom god has brought together let me not put asunder.So they continue to hug and grow and flourish.

My beans on the other hand grew beautifully considering I had tilled the soil and enriched it with all manner of organic manure.They were green and tall and beautiful until a few days ago when they wilted and I found them covered in fine dust particles.Much hosing and cleaning did nothing to them hence it was back to chemical pesticide.With a heavy heat i sprayed them and plucked out all the infected leaves and like the doctor (who prescribes antibiotics in the hope that an infection will go away ,only to find that he has to re prescribe a new set) i watch them everyday to see if the pests are back.

If anyone wonders why I don't give up on my plants when it is so labour intensive to look after them,its simple.Nothing is more fulfilling that watching little shoots become big plants,which then yield good fruit.The joy of plucking vegetable and serving them up in less than an hour from plant to table is something that any one who has taken a turn at gardening will understand.I can spend hours tending to my vegetables and have learnt so much in the last few months more than i could have by reading or attending courses.I have learnt a lesson everyday about the soil,about the behaviour of different plants,who loves the sun,who doesn't,who wants to be left alone and who wants all the attention I can offer and each of them has their own personality even the weeds.....gardening even when one has limited space is a happy pastime

Habits....die

Habits they say die hard,yet in my case habits are not even born to die naturally.I looked it up and found that if one did the same thing at the same time everyday it tends to become a habit,or just doing some routine things could become a habit.I was also told that if one exercised or did a new activity for 21 days at a stretch then it would become a habit.In the days when we poured over zodiac signs to find out what kind of persons we were or would become I was forever warned that drug abuse and alcoholism would be my downfall if I didn't watch out.I tried one but not the other but haven't become addicted to either.

In all the years that I have lived on this earth I am yet to form a habit,consoling myself of being unique or extraordinary or an exception to the rule is actually some rubbish rationalization,the face of the matter is that laziness is so strong in me that sticking to a routine is just too much.

let me tell you of my numerous attempts at forming habits.I told myself that when i finally hung up my boots and quit the rat race,then I would sack the maid ,do all the housework like my sisters in western countries,exercise everyday and generally loose weight and become some kind of super woman.Well not exactly super (that would have been too aspirational even for me)....well I did sack the maid,i do do all the work at home and i do exercise pretty often,but what drives me is not habit forming ,it a whole lot of guilt and dirt.I started off rather well.In my enthusiasm for new found goals,i swept and wiped the house and dusted and cleaned and cooked like there was no tomorrow.Then i discovered that i didn't have to slog so much so i cleaned once in two days,then it became one a week,then one thing or the other and it became cleaning day when the dirt got too much even for me....so much for habit forming ....Now i am back to twice a week but cant stick to my timetable of cleaning days.Why is it that on cleaning day mornings,I develop a cold (me who never gets a cold) or I end up feeling so tired that i cant lift the broom?( laziness rears its ugly head).The the exercise.....i have an exercise buddy (if it wasn't for her I would do nothing) .the thing about doing things with people is that one is forced not to let down the other side,there is a certain responsibility that comes into the picture so since it will be my turn to pick her up for yoga class,guilt will make sure that at the first ring of the alarm I am out and about.Now the funny part....for years now i have been waking up at 5am to go for a walk or a swim or for yoga.One would imagine that by now my mind and body were conditioned to be awake at that time.Ha so much for conditioning or learning theory.I am no Pavlov dog,my brains refused to be conditioned.Hence like this morning (forgot the fix an alarm) the phone was in one room and me in another hence no alarm bells went off.I was in deep slumber well after the appointed hour and even guilt took a back seat(the friend was left high and dry thanks to me sleeping the sleep of the dead).The husband who is a prime candidate for conditioning and who will get up at 5.15 sharp a full fifteen minutes before his alarm goes off (he has been doing so for just over a month as opposed to my years) work me up to ask why I was sleeping when the friend was waiting for me.Deep slumber is not a good place to have a conversation with me so in half sleep i dashed off a short message on the phone to said friend saying i couldn't make it.Without the aid of my glasses I wonder what the message was (some garbled rubbish no doubt) but said friend would have understood and there i was back to sleep only to wake up to find the husband gone and the clock showing a good 9am.Scrambling out of bed i dashed about watering my plants,making some tea deciding meals etc until the husband came back having has breakfast outside.
So much for habit forming....is that a good thing that my habits don't take birth,well looks like its fine considering i have lead a sober life despite the naysayers and looking at the bright side,how boring may i have been if everything ran according to plan?...for now i like to see myself as extraordinary and fun so habits well.....we keep at them even the good one in the hope that in some unpredictable future I will wake up at dawn without the aid of an alarm clock,exercise everyday and keep a neat house and end up being the super woman i have read so much about....until then its back to bed....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Visa,dosa and scraps

Today was the day we had an interview with the German embassy for a visa.Honestly the number of times we have to go to various agencies with proof that we have enough money to take a holiday,that we wont stay back in Germany and become a burden to the German economy etc its all a bit much.Seriously is there someway i can become British ,it may allow me to travel without the red tape but of course that's impossible and lets face it can i imagine myself in England earning a living?...i think not.

Now the fun part of all this is that we go armed with proof and more proof ,we get up early to make it on time to the embassy.We remember are dealing with the Germans who we all believe live by a time table and schedule,are known for their efficiency etc etc.So we are told to be there ten minutes before the time allotted to us.We make it in fifteen.We are frisked at the entrance and ushered into an ultra cool room except that this one looks a bit like a prison in some third rate Hollywood blockbuster.The counters (there are four) are shut and the only way one can talk to the person on the other side is to pick up the wall phone.We wait and as the minutes tick by our impatience grows.The husband is ready to burst a blood vessel at the delay and I do my best to keep him calm.Finally fifteen minutes after our allotted time the counter opens.Please note only one out of the four is open and there are already some twenty people waiting.The the slow process of asking questions begins.Its a full forty five minutes before we are called.Then we are asked some questions that have already been asked by the previous agency.Now tell me why reinvent the wheel and do the same job twice?.Funny how they ask the husband where he works,then looking at me she ask if i work (please note no where i work,so i guess some gender issues rears its head here) no I say and its accepted.Some more paper pushing and we are done.Now why exactly were we called when all the paper work had already been done.Oh yes the best part is that the person who decided if we get a visa or not,hasn't even seen us.So much for German efficiency.We come away deeply disappointed and cant help comparing this experience to the UK visa process.Efficient and effective they have systems in place that take minimum time if the paper work is in order and things move fast and easily.Small wonder then that they resist being part of the EU so much.

All the red tape has given us a serious appetite so off we go to the local joint to get some breakfast.No parking at nine in the morning and having to put up with a surly attendant has us loosing our appetite so we drive away to the next place only to be greeted by an affable chap and pleasant people who smile and are welcoming.We place our orders and the husband is in the mood for chit chat but i have my back to a couple who are in the middle of a seriously good scrap.Considering the voice levels I signal to the husband that i have become part of a far more interesting conversation and while he tucks into his vada and sambar i keep my ears peeled to the scrap that's going on behind me.Its like reading a book,the girl accused the boy of seeing some one if office who she thinks is up to no good.How can he not stand up to her,why does he have to have anything to do with her etc etc and in that vein it goes on in Tamil and English.The boy obviously is used to dealing with this on an everyday basis and steers the conversation to safer areas.Before my dosa arrives they are laughing about something and all is forgotten,so I turn my attention back to the attention starved husband and we continue to trash the German embassy and its silly practises.

Two hours of life in the city has given us enough fun for a day hence the need to write about it.Will I get to Germany eventually?.....only time and the German embassy will tell

Normal people fine examples

Ever since I have become a stay at home,I make it a point to go out at least once a day not too far but just around the neighbourhood to look at things to see changes and to enjoy myself.Every journey has a lesson or a truth to uncover but I don't always record them but sometimes a thing just hits me so I do.

For sometime now I have been witness to a lot a hatred between people based on religion and politics or gender and it disturbs me this trend.When I was growing up in this multicultural country we went to christian schools and colleges.In my day they were the majority when it came to educational institutions.We never once saw children as Hindu,christian or Muslim.They were just children and we were friends.We never worried about safety,we didn't worry about being raped,or killed or kidnapped.We were told not to speak to strangers,to always use well lit streets,to always look both sides of the road before crossing and to never lie,cheat or speak ill of people.Simple common sense,I thought.But obviously the world as I know it has changed.On facebook I shudder at the kind of hatred and venom that is unleashed at people because of their religion or politics.The one sightedness of our debates disturbs me because it means we have lost our ability to empathise and to appreciate our differences.Unfortunately the more affluent the more intolerant,the educated people seem to be worse off than the rest.Which is why i see simplicity and togetherness in people who don't have much.

Yesterday for instance I was driving by a slum (a lower middle class community that was once a very poor slum) and there was a woman fast asleep on the side of the road with not a care in the world.She was sleeping the sleep of the very tired.In madras she also slept without fear.I wondered if she had done the same in Delhi.Wouldn't she have been gang raped and then the action justified as "she was asking for it".I sent up a silent prayer for living in this city.Then I went for  a swim and in the pool was a father and son.The boy is around 18 and mentally challenged,but his father comes every single day to swim with him for an hour.Such dedication and the boy enjoys it.Well as we went about doing our laps,the boy came very close to me almost within bumping distance.Since this is a common occurrence when the pool is crowded,I moved away despite hearing the father telling him to shake hands.I wasn't sure what he was trying to communicate so i went away but turned around as I thought I has missed some communication.The boy actually wanted to shake hands,it was some form of communication and me with my education didn't get it.The coach on the other hand who is around twenty saw this and swam over and shook the boys hands and was so gentle and understanding (despite being in the middle of coaching a class) that I waited to see what happened.The boy was obviously overjoyed and I continued to swim albeit a little ashamed of myself.On the way back through the same slum there was biryani being prepared by some Muslims,the Hindus waited patiently for a taste and a christian was being buried in a funeral a few feet away.Another example of communities living together and dying together.Recently a Muslim shopkeeper lost all his earnings when his shop was gutted in a fire in the early hours of the morning.The neighbours,one a builder and another a government official turned up to help him get back on his feet with an interest free loan,christian,Muslim and Hindu helping each other simply because they are neighbours.I emphasise the religion because we tend today to always talk of minorities in derogatory tones and as being non Indian.The people who rise in politics today are those that pursue rabid doctrine and disharmony and unfortunately we the so called educated elite fall prey to it most of the time.My forays into my neighbourhood continue to teach me that the differences exist only in the minds of the petty few but to the people who care to go out and have a look there is goodness in people if only we choose to see and learn and appreciate.I have lived in this city all my life but I can say without doubt that this city has a lot more to offer than hate or communal discord.small wonder then that I love living here.

Living a miserable life

for years now I have fought an ideological battle with my mother and am yet to score a point.Clinging like a limpet to petty differences,so called slights and imagined grievances are my mothers forte.She holds long standing grudges and cant go beyond them to even forgive or forget.Yes she will never remember the good things of life ,the happy moments,the joys.For her its always been about negatives.Its a long and loosing psychological battle that leaves me drained.I wonder why I even bother but to see such negativity irks me.I cant imagine being 83 and not remembering a single good thing in life.She keeps count of all the good things she has done for others and then laments that nothing good came to her.Never mind that she lives in happiness and in a stress free environment while many people of her age we know are in old age homes and forgotten by their children.They learn to accept but my mother hates it when I come up with alternatives.She knows that I have a point but is too proud to accept it.Comparisons have been another great asset in her life.From the time i was a child she told me how every other child was better than me in every way.Not once did I receive praise for anything.Till today my mother will lament the fact that she doesn't have a son to look after her (never mind that most sons we know have no time for their mothers).She has one set of rules for men and another for women.My mother will be happy to see all woman covered from heat to toe and sitting at home.She would like every young woman who has lost a husband to moan in self pity and shut themselves up.She has no sympathy for the brave and the ones who get on with life.Its a sad commentary on the life of a woman who has so much going for her.Everything is about her and her life.All comparisons will come back to how good she has been and how miserable her life has been.I wonder is this what keeps her going.Will positive emotions kill her because its all so alien a concept for someone whose way of life is to wallow in self pity.To live in the past is my mothers greatest virtue (at least  according to her).Everyday I battle with this attitude.I have made small headway in the many years that I have lived with her.My only course of action thank god is to be everything that she is not.To see life as it is with all its faults,to enjoy the moments,the share the sorrow,to escape into fantasy if need be but for the life of me I refuse to hold on to grudges,to constantly tell myself I am not good enough.Facts have no meaning for my mother,its all about conditioning of an extreme kind.Its sad to see people waste their lives to see them spend all energy of being miserable.Will the god who provides ever forgive?I wonder and while I still have life I will use every weapon to fight this attitude.Some day somewhere I hope to see results.