Istanbul 16.3.20121

Living in the new city means that we need to drive past the queen mothers mosque ,past the galatta bridge with in many avid anglers on either side,fishing in the waters of the Golden horn and then into the old city.We are told that each of the mosques can be distinguished by the number of minarets.A single one means that it is a local mosque,the blue mosque is an imperial mosque and that's where we are headed today.It large to begin with from the outside with typical Islamic architecture and beautifully laid out gardens (always symmetrical,this being a grand obsession).Inside we are made to take off our shoes and show into the main prayer hall.The entire floor is covered with a patterned red carpet which actually has designated places for people to stand in.Takes in many people and yes you have guessed it keep the symmetry,not one soul will be out of place standing the way they are supposed to.The ceiling is high and its cold inside.A hush descends on the groups as the atmosphere here is peaceful.The walls are lined with blue tiles and the designs on the walls and the central dome are all of flora and intricately worked.Long ropes hold up millions of lights and natural sunlight streams in thought the many windows all around.The pulpit from where the Friday sermon is preached is a long marble staircase that leads up to a pulpit covered in lattice work.From here the imam of the day can deliver his message.There are places all around the sides for the woman to pray.They tell us that at 12 noon the many mosques around Istanbul will call for prayer and its music to ones ears.My first time in a mosque and i am glad its here .One is almost tempted to go down on ones knees and offer prayers such is the calmness and serenity of the place.Behind the mosque is an ancient Hippodrome but nothing much is left of it.Here also is the entrance to the underground canal system that one sees in the movies but we skip that due to lack of time.Right across the mosque on the other side is the Hagia sophia.This one time christian church,was converted into a mosque and is now a museum.Strangely it looks like a mosque with its minarets and its many domes.Inside blue tiles like the mosque and an almost identical pulpit.Here there are pictures of the 12 apostles and of Mary and Jesus but the 12 apostles could very well be the prophet Mohammed's companions.The guide tells us that while it was a church the pulpit faced east to Jerusalem and when it became a mosque it was shifted south east to face mecca.large urns face the entrance where people could wash themselves before prayers.The husband is recalling the James bond movie and is busy pointing out where their meeting places were.Such different experiences for the same place.

Istanbul 15/3/2011

The summer palace of the ottomans is pretty modest.Twenty four rooms doesn't seem like a lot.The insides are understated and elegant.The carpets are beautifully done in strong colours but not garish,the chandeliers are beautiful and are coloured to match each room.Blue,green and ruby red they send out sparks as the afternoon sun brushes them as the curtains sway.The play of colours is a sight to behold.Each of them made with crystal from Bulgaria and some from china.The carpets are laid out on rush mats all made in turkey and some from India and china (came as gifts).There are paintings in each of the rooms and the sultan being a strong naval man he has a naval room with pictures of naval ships,another room that has furniture whose frames represent naval knots.Besides being a naval man he was also a wrestler and an artist hence the emphasis on symmetry (all door and windows are place opposite each other as is the furniture the lights etc,nothing is out of place or at odds).Legend has it that the sultan eat a kid lamb a day that was the kind of strength the man had.We move over to the ladies side of the palace starting with the rooms of the queen mother.The room is at the entrance of the ladies quarters and gave her a fine view of the happenings there.Having 4 legitimate wives,7 favourite woman and some 200 concubines he needed to know what was going on and his mother was probably the eyes and ears of the palace.The way to become powerful was to produce a son for the sultan and there was much competition amongst the woman.All the rooms in the ladies quarters open onto wide marble balconies that face the Bosporus and the breeze that comes in through the windows could well take away the heat of summer.The high ceiling made sure that there was enough natural cooling so no modern day air conditioning was required.Many girls were given to the sultan at ages as young as eight and nine and there was a school in the ladies section to teach these children the fine points of life from painting,music,cooking,etiquette and maths.This went on till they were old enough to join the harem.The wide lawns and trees around the palace makes for long evening walks and the back gate opens on the the Bosporus and has a long walkway which leads back to the palace.A lazy walk along the waters is enough to sooth the most troubled soul.

Istanbul-15/3/2011

Its 6.30am and the air is crisp and cold,while the husband sleeps I decide to open a window and take in the early morning sights.The baker arrives to deliver bread.In all shapes and sizes it looks so tempting.The baker himself is a good advertisment for his produce.Large and heavy he looks like Al karim Bey (of James Bond fame)

Breakfast is a meal fit for kings.Three tables loaded with food,olives of different sizes and colours (green and black) cheese-with differnt spices added,meats chicken and beef,lovely brown eggs,breads in varieties that I can recognise at all along with plain toast,tahini (seseme seed paste) and plenty of jam (varieties).Oranges that are so sweet and cucumbers and tomatoes.It all reeks of healthy food and we tuck in all ready to face the day.

Our first stop is the Egyptian spice bazzar.It reminds me of Moor Market of the old Madras or of the Lal bazaar in Ahmendabad.Nothing very exciting here if one is from India.Having been one of the countries on the original spice route the spices here are most of what one gets back home,except for the sumac (i dont care too much for its taste ).The loofas are interesting as they are sponges from the sea of marmara and are uses in Turkish baths.We decide to wander behind the market and here we encounter the rest of the place.Early morning catch of the day has fishes of varied sizes and shapes not one variety do I recognise,lots of tripe,pigs trotters and cheese.There are cats all over turkey and well fed ones at that,.Every fish shop has a regular cat and not a single dog in sight.The shops selling pots and pans and household items are a plenty but we dont stop.This is a local market.The garden section is what gets me.Tulips,lavender,orange plants,cactus and plenty more,soil and manure for sale.I cant get away,I need it all.It take the sensible husband to drag me away from there for a much needed tea.Then I fall in love with a little black kitten who is ready to play and is jumping all over me.Most adorable but once again the hassled husband has the sense to pull me away before I make some harebrained offer to adopt the kitten.Its warm and sunny as we make out way to the ferry station to take a tour down the Bosporus and see the strait that separates Asia minor and Europe.We are told that the European side is the place for commerce and industry and the Asian side for residence.Every morning hundreds of thousands of people make their way across to Europe.We get on the boat and start to sail down the choppy blue waters.Within minutes the cold winds start blowing and despite the sun,its suddenly cool.Very soon most of the tourists have found warmer parts of the boat.I decide to brave it out in the open.After all this is the kind of weather I have longed for.Two suspension bridges connect the two continents by land and its so high its scary.Large home with private swimming pools dot the Bosporus on the Asian side and when we hear the price we all but faint.Obviously a lot of rich people live here.Beautiful wooden house are also there but preserved by the government.Lunch is in the old city and we are greeted with a salad of beetroots,carrots,corn and green vegetables.We eat heartily unlike the rest of our group who don't touch the stuff.Then the soup arrives and its lentil soup (in Indian terms plain dhal with a bit of salt and spice).The husband is in seventh heaven as he sees his beloved dhal arrive.I,a die hard dhal hater decide that I have no choice and as starving is not an option I drink up and realise that its not bad at all.The main course arrives with rice and some boiled chicken which looks so unappetising that I am tempted to try the vegetarian option which come with grilled eggplant and zucchini as looks so much better,but I decide to spice it all up and get the waiter to get me some Turkish salsa and before I know it the chicken has been transformed.The rest of the table also adapt to the new taste and soon the meal is over.Our next stop is the highest point in Istanbul and can be reached by the suspension bridge that was constructed with the help of french,German and Turkish engineers.It hangs from the sky held together by large ropes of steel and at that height it doesn't even sway.Its truly amazing.The place offers some good photo opportunities and great views of the city but nothing else besides.We then move on the the summer palace of the sultans.

Istanbul-14/3/2011

We enter the airport and find that Turkey is almost as stylish as Europe.Everone is dressed in long black coats,knee length boots with high heels and designer sunglasses.Coats are in such variety that I cant imagine so much style could be possible.I am a bit put off by the way I look but consider this,I am a tourist and its highly unlikely that I will very merge into the rest of them.As we step out we are met by our guide called Genghis,young Turk,handsome and with a charming manner he has us eating out of his hands in no time.Our driver is called tokut (pronounced too good) and they teach us our first Turkish phrase.How to say thank you,he tells us we need to say "tea,shukre and a dream" all in rapid speed and we have learnt to say thank you.The husband practises for the rest of the trip to the hotel while I soak in the sights.Genghis is by now is flirting mode and decides to use me for that purpose,he claims he is the original Turkish delight and is suitably impressed when I giggle.I am not complaining .Its the first time I have seen this many handsome men all at one shot so looks like this is going to be a soothing trip for the eyes.

Our hotel is bang in the centre of the commercial district in the European side and Taksim square is a close call.We wander around find a place close by to drink our tea in,then check out the food.having been told that the kebab is the best I make my way to the most crowded place and order a doner kebab put together in pita bread and loads of fresh veggies.Wow,now that was something good,not having enough I head out to the next place,order some great looking salad,aubergines with mince meat soaking in olive oil which is a killer dish.Not spicy as I know spice but delicately flavoured and smooth,served with pilaf its a great meal to start the holiday with.The husband for once cant complain about the food as its loaded with vegetables all of which he recognises and as a side dish there are pickled green chillies,no cause for complaint.A good refreshing nap later we are ready to check out the evenings in Istanbul.Perfect weather to dress us and that sees me wrapped up in good black clothes and high heels and I almost feel a part of the landscape.Never mind a bit of protests from the feet,no pain no gain is what I say.Dinner us yet another adventure,we walk down the street full of people rushing around looking busy,thankfully this is not a typical touristy place so one can see the locals as they are and check out what they do in the evenings.It looks like the favourite pass time is to drink tea,smoke hookahs and play back gammon.The only drink that seem to be consumed are the local Raki (a drink flavoured with aniseed and a faint smell of some other spice) and beer.Salad,buttermilk,chicken and mushroom topped with cheese and plenty of olive oil to drip the bread in and lots of rice,this is almost feeling like home.Its been a long day and we sink into comfortable beds and soft pillows and call it a day.Our first day in Istanbul has been great

14/3/2011-Midair

On board Turkish airlines,at 5.30 am and as India awakes yours truly is being forced into sleep by efficient air hostesses who down the window blinds,switch off the light and try to make us sleep.The husband as usual doesn't need much encouragement and is off like lights.I am on high alert as usual.Discover that the airline has a great selection of music from the 60s and 70s so spend time listening to music,taking loo breaks and drinking tea (discover early that the Turks are as addicted to tea as I am and that says a lot).

Morning dawns as we near Istanbul and as I look out the mountains come into view,deep blue and half covered in snow.For someone who has never seen snow this takes my breath away.It looks like blueberry ice cream served with whipped cream,one is tempted to scoop it up.as we loose height the sea comes into view,magnificent blue flecked with white and all around there are boats and ships.Smooth touchdown in Istanbul.My face falls as I see the sun shining outside but I quickly recover my spirits,the temperature outside is 10 degrees as as we disembark I feel the whiff of cool air and I pinch myself not quiet sure if I have made the journey across the continents

Mumbai-13/3/2011

6pm on a flight to Bombay,our snacks on the airplane are best forgotten,heavy potato cakes and cottage cheese that has seen better day,not a recipe for a good stomach on a long haul trip but hungry that I am I do eat it.Unfortunately the lady behind us was sick,threw up over the next passenger and the smell of sick was so overpowering I had to keep the contents of my stomach still by a sheer act of will.The aircraft is smothered with freshener and doesn't help.Well we make it to Bombay safe(this is after I nearly missed the flight being too engrossed in a pair of sunglasses by Gucci at the airport shop).Long taxi trip with an unhappy taxi driver sees is land up in a friends house on a short break in transit.

3.15am-Bombay-Having suffered a running stomach for more than four hours and chatting late into the night,its nearing my normal bed time of 1.30 am but there is no rest for the wicked.Leave for the airport half asleep and tottering on high heels (call it stupidity or plain vanity,I hate the thought of arriving anywhere in Europe in any thing other than a nice paid of black high heels) and go through the formalities,which are not as painful as expected except for the heat that is getting to me.The husband insists its cold but I beg to differ.Find a lone chair in the lounge and watch Europeans and Turks done many layers of clothes,whats with me? I am the only one in one layer and feeling hot...By now I am exhausted ,the stomach is empty that's to the runs,I am hungry and miserable and promise myself that I shall ask forgiveness for such unhappy thought in the first mosque or church I come across.In the meanwhile I long for the comfort of my bed.

Holidays

This is the only time I miss the laptop,when I am travelling in a strange place and want to note down everything and all the experiences,so i do it the old fashioned way,carry a note book and pen and write a diary of events every evening.Its a bother really but considering how shallow my memories are this is the best way...I went to Turkey for ten days and has a great time,it was my first experience of winter (it was almost at its end) and for me the cold was exhilarating and so beautiful.I met people from so many countries,learnt so much from the interactions and found that like minded people live all over the world.We found commonalities in thinking,in values and in our experiences despite the countries being so far apart culturally.To me that's what defines travel,its the enriching experience of seeing places and people and though conducted tour cant give one the essence of every country it does make for some unique experiences all the same.

This is why my greatest ambition is to travel and wander the world as much as I can.I have been so inspired by some people,amused by others that all of them must form a part of one of the posts that are to come.....written up in this blog after coming home

Aunty Patty and Christmas

It was Christmas eve and a party was on in full swing next door,it was well after midnight but none of us could sleep thanks to the fun next door,the music was at full volume and the merry making was going on well after food and many a drink later.

I watched the fun from our bedroom window,my mother didn't approve of parties so I wasn't allowed to attend despite some rather nice looking boys asking me over.I was 13 and still under my parents roof so the rules were rules.My father was also forbidden to attend and was sulking in some corner of the house.My mother after having enforced the rules,managed to drop off to sleep.Sometime after midnight she woke up sweating (unusual for a December night in madras) then started to act strangely.She called out to me insisting she was dying and looking terrified at what might happen to me once she was gone.I was terrified as I had never seen her like this,then her body went cold and she was beginning to look like death.Call it survival or just instinct but I ran over next door(jumped the compound fence actually ) and told the party next door that my mother was dying.My father never at his best in a crisis just wrung his hands and looked on helplessly.In no time at all a very efficient aunt from the party arrived.She came armed with Christmas cake and brandy (very strange things to bring to someones house when she thought there may be someone dying,but she obviously knew what she was about).In no time at all she had put my father to work rubbing brandy into my mothers cold body while she managed to stuff some cake down her mouth.In a matter of minutes the mother was back to normal.I was convinced that Patty (that was her name) was either god or an angel or just a plain miracle worker who had saved me from a life in the workhouse.She then turned to me and explained that my mother being diabetic ,had just had a nasty bout of hypoglycemia or low sugar and all i needed to do in another emergency was to give her a quick sugar boost.I learnt to live with diabetes from that time on but I will never forget her for what she did.For years afterwards the memory of that Christmas party will stay etched in my mind.Today many years later that house has become apartments and I live in one of them.Every Christmas we continue to have a big party just like they did and I always remember her with thanks in my heart.

Babysitter me

At the best of times i am a bad babysitter,babies not being one of my favourite beings so when my niece asked me if i would babysit her kids for an afternoon i refused point blank but when she asked me again in the evening and promised me that her kids would sleep while she was out watching a movie I didn't think it was a big deal so agreed.After all the parents seemed very confident and her kids are well brought up so I didn't think i had cause to worry.Of course I agreed only after I made sure she would put them to sleep before leaving so all settled I saw them off and went off to bed.Having had a long day i was asleep in no time at all.The husband has also gone off for the movie with the gang so there was just me and the two kids fast asleep no problem at all.They had even given me the script in the unlikely event that the children woke up so everything seemed fine.I was in dreamland soon enough and was having this rather vivid dream when I heard crying in the far recesses of my brain.Something stirred,some vague memory of kids in the house and before i knew it I was out of bed and out of the room.Imagine my horror at seeing two kids standing outside my room bawling their heads off asking for their mother.In my half sleepy state I tried hard to think straight,remember the script i told myself.Finally I remembered they were to be offered water.I dashed off to do that got them to drink some water and then told them their parents would be back in a minute.I was told to say that as the kids probably don't know how long a minute is and I am guessing this is one of those undefinable minutes that can stretch to hours.Well the parent knew what they were talking about as the kids bought into it.Then I had the bright idea to getting them under a comforter in my room and the younger kid fell asleep at once.The older one thought it was a good opportunity for a chat with an otherwise uncommunicative aunt.Now being a real clueless baby person I was in panic,now what can one possibly say to a five year old at midnight?.She seemed to have had it all worked out.She started by asking me if the husband has gone along with her parents,she figured he was the last person to abandon someone as clueless as me which really meant that her parents would come back eventually.At this point i thought a phone message to the parents was in order.Hadn't realised that the child in question is a good reader and as i struggled to type the message without the aid of my glassed and in darkness,the child was reading over my shoulder and seemed seriously amused at my panic.Honestly there is nothing like a clueless aunt to make children see fun and games dancing before their eyes....and so i sensed glee of some kind in the child.....saved by the doorbell.Never have i been so happy to hear a squeaky gate and the door bell.The parents were back and I had the kids off my hands......funny when i saw them again in the morning they didn't look half as alarming as they did at night....oh dear that is the last time i babysit anyone....

Modern housing and amenities

We have all gone through the stage of house hunting,we pour over the ads in the papers,check the advertisements,buy into some of all the hype and end up with a flat or house (in most cases a flat if one is living in this part of the world) which may not be the thing of your dreams but is rather close.I did it too and cant say I am unhappy with the choice,but there are things I need changed.

The ads in the papers brag of swimming pools,gyms,schools,utility stores,walkways,gardens and what have you.All sound very inviting especially as most people invest in homes in their 20s and 30s.Which brings me to my point.We live in high rise building with elevators but none of those can accommodate a stretcher or a coffin. I have been at the receiving end of this lack of amenities.Living with old parents does mean that one cannot blind oneself to the possibility of them falling ill and needing to be taken to a hospital in an ambulance on a stretcher,nor can one ignore the face that they will pass on and need to be taken down in a coffin.Shouldn't there be dignity in death.My flat for instance has cars and bikes that take up all of the parking space.There isn't enough space to swing a cat let alone get a stretcher through.I had the misfortune of having to help my mother down with a drip down her arm and in a half conscious state because the stairway was too narrow to accommodate a stretcher.Then when the father passed on the coffin had to be brought down by the narrow stairway and one wondered why he had to be pushed and shoved to get it all down.Recently I went to another funeral,same story,this time the coffin came down from the second floor.What is one expected to do if one lives on the seventh or eleventh floor.Why don't we plan ahead,do builders and investors believe that people will never grow old,will never need an ambulance or die.Why are our high rise buildings so elderly unfriendly.Don't we care or are we too caught up in the mad rush to build higher and provide amenities that are only suited to the young or do we just need to live in denial.I agree that it may be morbid to think of death while still alive but increasingly with old people living alone it is something we need to think about after all the population of this country will also grow old sooner or later.I have spent a large part of my life with old people in cities and it pains me to see that so little thought is given to the basics of people who have given so much and receive so little in return.Perhaps I should insist on these amenities in the future but will I be a lone voice?

The year that was

The year 2011 has arrived and I thought it best to do a review of the year gone by.To say that it was near perfect would be an understatement.I cant remember another year that was so stress free and good and I wouldn't complain if there is a repeat performance.

We started off going to Hyderabad for our annual visit to the in laws (actually my annual visit,the husband visits more often).A week of doing nothing can get a bit tough especially for someone like me who's attention span is really little.But it was one of those relaxing weeks when I discovered new andhra dishes that I made my favourites.It was also a time to catch up on friends in that city.Our next trip was in April when on the spur of the moment we jumped into the car and made off to Bangalore.The unplanned trips are the best.My sister in laws house is so huge that one can get lost in it and since she is super cool and relaxed its a time to walk around the campus,drink endless cups of green tea and chat for hours on end.Of course Bangalore was hot but madras is hotter so that's fine.

Summer was a real hot affair in madras and as luck would have it my elder sister broke her leg (now don't get me wrong,wasn't lucky for her but this was the only way one gets time to spend with her,in normal times she has wheels on her feet) so off we went to ooty and to the cool of the blue mountains.All we did on that trip was to eat all the time and walk a mile everyday to digest what we ate only to start all over again.Of course the fun part was the birthday party her daughter and i russled up and the time when the kids tried outsmarting us but we won in the end.

There is something to be said about travelling,it can become addictive.Once again we were off to Bangalore thanks to a cricket test match that the husband wanted to go for and the fact that a friend from London was in town and it meant quality time with old friends.The trip we women took to srirangapatnam was such fun that we have decided to do it all over again every year in a new place.Wow now that something to look forward to.

Finally one last fling took us to Cochin and the navy ball and all the drama associated with navy week,the fun times with our friends,visiting the markets of kerala looking for fish and foods of my childhood and the warm hot days and the cool waters of the backwaters of kerala

The year was not just about travelling,there was the big relief that right through the year the mother kept good health and seemed far more relaxed,the other highlight was all the stuff I learnt ,from swimming to yoga and regular bouts at the gym were enough to keep me in good health,unfortunately the same cant be said about the husband who is still battling the common cold,and it looks like its going to be a constant in his life.

There were the sad bits when friends lost their parents to old age and some of them old folk happen to be my friends,to watch them suffer and not be able to do anything about it is sad but one hopes that the memories of their lives will stay with us and we have learnt lessons from their lives.

I loved 2010 for all it many highs and I hope that 2011 will keep me forever young in mind and spirit

Sign boards in the vernacular

There is a rule that all signboards in the city must have the vernacular boards also in addition to the English ones.My guess is that this is for the benefit of people who do not understand English.Now i think that is a good rule but what baffles me is this.I drive through the city and every board has the equivalent in Tamil,except that the English board is rewritten in Tamil,so we have pharmacy and medical shop written in Tamil,or take "established in ......" or "bone and spine clinic" etc.Now of course I know what bone means in English but if the whole point is to make the non English understand what would they understand by writing bone in Tamil,shouldn't it be "elambu"shouldn't medical shop be"maratuva kadai".The whole purpose is lost.What the government means is surely a translation of what the establishment stands for.Of course the name has to be rewritten in the vernacular as it is,but that's excusable,after all it is a name,but for the life of me i cant understand why we don't translate.In a city like madras where the Tamil language has a host of English words that one sooner or later thinks is Tamil,this problem may not be so severe but imagine the villages....when do we learn to follow the rule not as it is but as it is meant to be....

The Buzz words

Watch any news channel and you can be sure that some words are very dear to some news reporters.Some of them drag their words with much humming and hawing during that time.Me thinks the teleprompter is not working to well.Then there is the use of some words with no relevance.Some of them are as follows.

indeed

absolutely

on the other side

right

eer

these are just some of them,then one has to contend with the various accents,ranging from American Indian to some that are strange to ones ears.News channels are so funny to watch that they are now a great source of entertainment.For real news devoid of all the emotions and the rants of news readers.....i stay with the BBC....

Corruption and the media

The tv channels are full of corruption stories,there are hysterical news reporters to indignant ones who are judge and jury and have already sentensed many a corrupt person long before the courts can give a verdict.The newspapers are also full of such stories,and as for the general public,well some of us share the angst of the TV channels,others have decided to take a moderate view.

I for one am not sure what my reaction should be.Look at it from a day to day perspective of an ordinary individual like me.I have to pay off the garbage man to remove my garbage despite the fact that I pay taxes and he gets a salary.If I don't he doesn't pick up the garbage despite it being his job to do so....is this a bribe,is this corruption?.Then I need to pay off many people in the course of various chores in my life.But these are minor ones.The same newspapers and TV channels,will happily pay off the government in crores to get their licenses,will they then tell themselves that this is corruption and one should refrain from doing so.I doubt it,as it will mean that someone else got a license and business will suffer.Corporate India has funds ready in huge amounts to pay off the corrupt but they will be the first to claim that corruption has to be taken out of the system.Right now each of the political parties are trying to paint themselves as better than the rest but we all know that its a choice between a rock and a hard place.The BJP will claim to be against corruption but they are the most narrow minded and the most corrupt in more ways than one,the lady in madras sees an opportunity to fight her case in the coming elections,but have we all forgotten that there are ever so many cases against her.The prime minister gives a diplomatic answer and everyone is out to get him.Lets face it the man is clean and just because he refused to answer every silly question put to him by some journalist or the other,doesn't make him corrupt.While the media must report cases,they must also not resort to judgments,after all we do have a corrupt judicial system in place that will try and punish the corrupt people and the tv channels will then go on to a different story and continue paying off who ever has to be paid off while going hammer and tongs on how corrupt the system is.This is a national disease that we have now learnt to live with.It simply boils down to the fact that if we stand up to corruption ,we will have to suffer the consequences.The question rally is....how many of us have the guts to do that....when we are ready to act,we should talk then,until that time,this is just another news story that can get in more trps.....

Its raining cats

Its raining cats....a cyclone has hit the city and early morning we woke up to gale winds and beautiful rain and cool weather (for those of us in this hot city this is paradise).My heart sang as i looked forward to a new day and endless possibilities but had not contended with the fact that some cats have been in action and the end result is that there were two kittens trying to snuggle up in the bonnet of my car.Terrified that I would cause their death the maid and i tried to get them out and after much shouting on her part they ventured out.I dashed off to do my shopping.Came back to find the most adorable kittens curled up on my doorstep.Now once again after six months my heart aches.I cant stand by and watch them without giving them a cuddle,they are irresistible.Then the poor things have to survive in the cold and i am dying to give them some hot milk.Unfortunately the husband wont have any of it.He doesn't like animals and wants us to not encourage them.Of course when you love animals there are many ways to work around the system.So while the husband took his afternoon nap and the mother kept watch over him,I sneaked out some milk.This happened twice.By the evening my constant updates on the kittens could have melted the hardest of hearts and the husband actually gave me a box to keep them warm.Surprise surprise....there are three and not two,where did the new one come from,who are the parents.I have no idea.Endless mewing and I have to investigate,only to find the staircase has a kitten on every landing.Now I am in a fix.I cant eat my dinner as guilt is eating me,I cant go out and feed them as the husband is lurking around and the mother is not happy at my so called indifference.I curse the cats who left their offspring at my doorstep,I beat myself up about my soft heart (i have tried to become hard hearted but its not easy).Just when it all gets too much my neighbour comes down with a bowl of food and the kittens follow.Thank god I say,the burden is shared.I go back to the first kitten who came my way and how my heart broke when I had to give him up for adoption I cant go through this again ...and i wonder what happened to me,I who have never cared too much for cats,just cant resist the kittens.I swear to keep away from animal planet....the animals are driving me nuts,but who can resist those beautiful eyes,those little bundles of fur....so another day of sneaking food

The festival of lights

Its called the festival of lights but most often than not its the festival of sound.At the end of a long day of continuous din of firecrackers,my eardrums are under stress as is my throbbing head not least of all my poor eyes that have been dazzled by the glare of a thousand fireworks that light up the night sky on Diwali.But there is something about this festival (that unlike all other Hindu festivals),transcends religious beliefs and becomes a common festival that everyone can indulge in.Its a time when friends will come home with boxes of sweets (diets are out of the window,all the days of keeping away from the sugars are best forgotten) and dried fruits.Its a time for indulgences and shops full of people.Houses lit up with a thousand lights and everyone rushing to fit in last minute shopping.Living in a mixed religion house we celebrate Diwali and Christmas as the only religious festivals that this house has.It a time when all our friends come over and we manage to have those unplanned festivities that are the best.When the day is over its a sad feeling as the only next big thing is Christmas and already we have friends who are leaving out of town and family with their own agendas so will it be just the husband ,the mother and me around the Christmas tree or will it all turn out fine and the house burst at the seams with guests and the kitchen kept busy with aromas and good food.....i guess I shall wait

The men in the pool

After almost four months since i started swimming I am not about to give up.Its been an uphill task or should I say a watery one,nevertheless I have made great progress in my opinion.I can now do the breadth of the pool from the shallow end and reach the other side without much ado though anyone hearing me heave and pant may just send for an ambulance and no one can blame them for it.Here I am kidding myself that all the yoga and gyming is keeping me fit and full of stamina and one lap in the pool is enough to dispel all such illusions.

But swimming is not the only thing that happens there.It is a known fact that the ratio of men to woman is heavily skewed towards men so one has to be on the look out for compulsive gawkers and the ones who are dying to start a conversation.It will invariable start with some tip on swimming and then move on to ones life history.One man has been looking at us with a great deal of intensity but hadn't plucked up the courage to talk,we knew it was a matter of time before he lost control and sure enough he broke the other day.It always starts with "how long have you been swimming",then moves on to the frequency of swimming,if I inform then that i am not a regular swimmer they need to know why (i still cant understand this great need to figure out what i do with my time).The the next question is to weather i work.I say no with a deadpan expression (no point in telling them that i was a full time working woman till recently,this can only lead to more questions).They then assume I am a housewife (I dont dispel that notion as it gives one a staid image though they do look puzzled,as I don't fit their image of nice housewife).The next question is what really throws the real conservatives.How many children do you have is met with my answer of "no children".This is a huge full stop.Most men in this country don't know how to deal with that,as do most woman (but we are dealing with men at this point).They are not sure what to do after that.Of course i could put them out of their misery by swimming to the other end but considering my privacy has been invaded I have no intentions of making it comfortable for them.Well the next thing one knows,the man is question will swim away and not come my way for a while.....perfect.Ofcourse there are the nosy ones and the one one cant get rid of who carry on the most inane conversation and will not budge until questions have been answered.These I avoid,by now well aware of all types and their swimming schedules,I am out of the pool the moment the creeps get in.Of course there are the nice gentlemen who will watch my progress,give excellent advice and clap or encourage every time i cross a milestone in my swimming progress.These are the ones to keep company with.Should I make the unfortunate mistake of sinking at the deep end these will be the one who will haul me out.In the meanwhile I swim and swim determined to conquer the stamina bit and the deep end.The next time i see water I will want to plunge then my swimming saga will be complete

Swimming woes

Its been three months since my last swimming class and I have been going to the pool twice a week.I was told by everyone that in two months time I would be swimming the length of the pool and would enjoy it.Well if I were to count the days I may have done two months of swimming but apart from the 4ft end of the pool it doesn't look like I am getting anywhere.'Have enlisted a friend who spends time trying to make me do it all right.I know how to float holding my breadth,I can kick pretty well,I can also move my hands but tell me to do all three together and breath and panic strikes,and before i know it half the water in the pool has been swallowed and i am nowhere close to learning to master this sport.

I am now breathing and kicking and moving my arms,or at least trying to,but the moment i come up for air all i get is water....there are others who manage to move and reach goals,kids who jump in and enjoy it,old people who seem to take to it like ducks and here I am waiting and trying but just not getting it.....when will i ever learn.....be sure there is a party when I break the world record for the longest time taken to learn swimming

Rat attack

In the many years that I was in the corporate sector,I have met a number of rats in the eternal rat race that work life is in the big bad world of business.Some have outsmarted me and others have been killed in the bargain,so its natural that I had it all figured out.I knew every trick in the book to deal with rats of all kinds.Except that in the rodent world of survival,the odd are against the rat and therefore the innovation and expertise they bring into their range of survival skills is not something that can be taught in any business school.

For the last few months we have been plagued by a family of rats who believe it is their right to invade out kitchen.Much like the toys in children's books who come alive after midnight,the rats in our area come into the kitchen the moment we switch off the lights and go to bed.Now we take pains to hide all foodstuffs,clean the kitchen remove all dirty dishes etc etc but the rat comes in,knocks a few things down,scampers over all the kitchen exploring things and when it gets tired,it climbs up the chimney to the loft and goes to sleep.Our first course of action was to trap them but having failed to gather courage to deal with their killing we had to rat proof the kitchen.It started with closing the windows of the kitchen,then they came in through the dining room so now we spend half an hour ever evening closing all the windows (and in the process dying of heat and humidity in the house).We invested in good wire mesh and sealed all possible entry points to and from the kitchen.We now find that the rat has decide that the balcony is his new home so the next step is to close those windows too.Funny how our conversations are all rat centered,we have become obsessed with the rat population in this area.Our lives revolve around the rat.The husband and I no longer fight about anything but the rat and how foolproof the husbands efforts have been in restricting entry into the house.My friends with similar problems discuss new ways of outsmarting the rat.It is an insult to our intelligence that this creature who is well below us in the evolution chain,can cause such fear,heartache and disgust in out lives.Strange.....I am beginning to think those corporate rats were a harmless lot after all

Traffic Sense

Some twenty years ago I bought myself a bike not knowing how to ride a bicycle this was quiet an achievement.I learnt to ride it though after many a fall and bruise till I was pretty sure of myself on the road.It was a bit battle scared by the time I was ready to trade it in for a car.I have been driving the car now for over 10 years and haven't had too many mishaps except during the int ital years.But over the years I have learnt a few home truths especially if you live in my part of the woods.Its came home to me this morning when I had to pick a scrap with a young chap who simply refused to move out of my way despite being parked in the wrong place.So for the uninitiated here are a few ground rules to negotiate traffic in this country.

1.Before you leave home and get into the car make sure that common sense,courtesy and good manners are locked in the cupboard.Replace this with loads of aggression,stupidity and a total disregard for fellow citizens on the road.

2.At all times make sure to park in front of someones gate.(parking spaces are few and far between so grab the place and never mind if the people who live there have an emergency or simply need to go out and take their car with them,remember you have left common sense at home)

3.If someone has parallel parked in a designated parking space,make sure to park just behind them,switch off your engine,take the key and disappear for hours on end (chances are that the nice person who parked the right way is left stranded not being able to take his car out thanks to you,but remember he ought to have left good sense at home)

4.If anyone flashed his lights at you on the road,don't give way,drive on like you haven't seen a thing after all you need to get to your destination and to hell with what the other guy wants.

5.Make sure you always overtake from the left (in this country we drive on the left) and never mind that the person you are trying to overtake doesn't see you.

6.Make sure that if you want to turn to the right you don't have to be in the right lane.Do all of the above and cut across from the far left of the road at breakneck speed and leave the poor drivers on the right side either too shocked to react or dead in the bargain.

7.Indicators must have been the fancy of some automobile designer but they don't really serve any purpose so don't bother using them after all you will still be overtaken if you did.

8.Put your headlights on full beam as soon as the sun sets,this will make the driver on the opposite side blind but do you care?

9.The red light at the traffic signal ....well if you must you could stop but if your in a hurry just hurtle across the light and be gone

10.Make sure you honk all the time and as loud as you can,remember most people wont hear you or couldn't care less.

And if after all this you want to park your car,remember designated parking is for the foolish.This is Madras,this is India,learn to live by the rules you set.

Am I being funny and irresponsible?Well after having been subjected to all of the above on the roads of this city I am not sure who issues driving licenses nor am I sure where people learn to drive.Honestly some of the biggest offenders are the so called well off educated types with fancy expensive cars so am I surprised that the rest are not far behind?