The moment we hear the word death, our minds are conjured up with thoughts of bereavement, sadness and grief. However when a person has led a full life and he or she dies of old age, then the grief becomes momentous and what replaces this grief is a cheerful journey down the well travelled road of the deceased. There is no doubt that the person will be missed, however to me it is a time to recollect and remember the milestones and immortal moments of the mortal being and thus indirectly celebrate that life. It is also the time to offer our thanksgiving both to the almighty for bringing into our lives the said person and also to the mortal soul for being a part of our lives and for all the positive energy he radiated during his tenure on Earth.
I just returned from Kerala after a condolence visit. The person who died was my good friend Sarah’s father – Rtd. Lt. Cdr. W. C. John. He was 86 years old and had led a full life on his very own terms. Much as I wanted to attend his funeral, I was unable to do so. However having seen him twice earlier this year, I had good memories of him and thus thought it not necessary to see the mortal remains before the burial. Another reason why I delayed my visit was because I wanted to spend the time with the family and wanted to reminisce on the wonderful life that Uncle John had led and this would not have been possible had I gone in the midst of the funeral.
I spent two whole days with Aunty, Sarah and her brother Roy. It seemed like the old days when we were children/young adults with no families of our own and no care in the world. I was taken back in time to the late 60’s when I first came to know the family. Sarah joined our school in the 4th standard and instantaneously we became friends. It did not take long before our friendship spread to the families and thus we became family friends. Living in the vicinity our families saw a lot of each other and this strengthened the bond. I vividly remember Uncle in his white naval uniform, so crisp and starched and as to how dashing he looked driving his white Herald car. Unlike the other cars of that period the Herald had a style of its own. I remember Uncle taking us to see the only aircraft carrier of the Indian Naval Fleet, the INS Vikrant. He also took us to see an American war ship and even now I remember the jelly I ate from there. These visits were lessons which no text book ever taught. It meant a lot to a young girl. Uncle almost seemed like a hero.
Indeed he was a true hero having joined the Imperial Navy at a tender age of 16 as a young sailor with absolutely no clue as to what the world offered. Having come from a village in Kerala, he had not seen the outside world. His grit and determination saw him rise quickly and it was not long before he was sent to England for training. He was a self made man who came up the hard and tough way. His penchant for punctuality and perfection was very well known and it really needed guts to face him for a delayed appointment. I have had the joy of staying with the family when Uncle was posted in Cochin and was witness to one of the official parties he hosted in his residence. I won’t be wrong if I say that I have never ever seen brass more polished nor have I seen cutlery more shining and glasses more sparkling. The house was immaculate and the whole event was planned and executed like the preparation for battle. What I mean to say is that every tiny detail was taken into account and no leaf was left unturned. I had never seen anything like this before and I was truly impressed. I won’t be wrong if I say that that party kind of set a standard in my mind. Although I have not been able to maintain the high levels I saw that day, I do try and see that I put up an overall good presentation when I invite guests to the house.
Uncle followed the benchmark he had set for himself all through his life. He tried his best to impart to those who came to his life the importance of godliness, kindness, love, affection and all the virtues with which he was bestowed. His last official posting was as a NCC commandant and this post saw him in his elements as he could mould the lives of the young boys and girls who joined the Corps. With his son employed and daughter married, it seemed to him that the right thing to do was to get back to his roots and this saw him settle down in Malappally in Pathannamthitta District of Kerala. He had his aged parents to look after and he did everything in his means to make their old age comfortable. To him being of help to others was topmost in his priorities and this was a quality he wanted to imbibe in those around him. Thus he was instrumental in starting the Rotary Club of Malappally.
He fought every illness that came his way and did not slow down until it was absolutely beyond his control. He had had three heart attacks and in the year 2000 was diagnosed with malignancy of the colon and had to undergo a colostomy. The doctors had given him only a few months or maximum a couple of years to live, but he lived and lived well for over nine years. Uncle believed that life was a gift from the Almighty and he did whatever it took to relish and enjoy it. The heart which became weak having suffered three attacks, had to pull itself together to keep pace with the dynamic body in which it was housed. In Uncle’s scheme of things, there was no question of it giving way. Thus all his illnesses had to give way to the mighty juggernaut that he was.
The two times I met him this year, was once in March when he came to Chennai for his younger brother’s funeral. Although his body was weak, and he was in not in the best of health, he had insisted being there for the funeral, for his brother being much younger than him was almost like his eldest son. I am happy that I could be of help to him as he stayed with me for three days. I knew then that the light within him was slowly fading and that he was moving to the twilight zone. I was blessed to see him once more in April when I went to Hyderabad to attend his grand daughter’s marriage. No other human being with the prevalent health condition would have dared that journey, but not Uncle John, who was so definite about being there. As a memento of that happy occasion, he gifted me with a silk sari, a gift that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
There is much more than that sari for me to treasure. His life was astounding and a role model for all to emulate. His life was one which truly calls for a celebration. Thus it was in that celebrating mood that I spent the two days with the family. We did everything that would have made Uncle happy. As much as we prayed for his soul, we also toasted his life. This is something not possible in most cases. But then this is Uncle John’s life and it had to definitely be different.
Long live Uncle John!!!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tsunami in a Tea Cup
Ever since our Finance Minister came up with the idea of the austerity drive, there has been enough and more fodder for the print and electronic media. This has in turn produced free entertainment for the reader/viewer and has become the butt for so many jokes. I really wonder if the honourable minister had any clue as to what kind of hornets nest he was stirring. He had only hoped that the extravagant spending culture of our netas would be curtailed thus reducing the strain on the otherwise stretched exchequer. The tamasha began when the said minister travelled in the economy class of an airline from Delhi to Kolkatta. The minister must have done it in all sincerity being a man who believes in simple living and high thinking. However having stirred the otherwise placid waters, it was inevitable that a tsunami followed.
I am sure there were no compulsions from the high command, but then our shrewd ministers must have realised that when the number 2 in the cabinet can make do with economy class travel, they too had to do their bit to earn the said brownie points. Thus the next minister namely the Food and Agriculture Minister decided that he should lead by example and this saw him take another economy class flight from Mumbai to Delhi. He went a step further to issue a statement saying that he would have only travelled economy class but for his big frame. Now what I would like to know is as to how his frame shrunk in a couple of days so as to enable him to travel economy class. The third to do so was the big boss herself. This act of hers sealed the choices for the entire Indian National Congress ministers and Members of Parliament. How could anyone even think of travelling in Business class anymore? Overnight, this class became the pariah much to the chagrin of the airlines whose main source of income came from this category of travelers.
The prince in waiting went a step further and decided that the chair car of the Shatabdi Express was good enough for him to travel. Thus he covered Delhi –Ludhiana-Delhi by train much to the delight of the press and his followers. This provided the right moments for the perfect picture pose as well as a chance to deify the otherwise highly spoken of “youth leader” and strategist. I wonder as to how much of planning would have gone into that short train ride. The security and the railways would have been on tenterhooks till the said journey was over. When this topic came up for discussion in our midst on the very same day, I mentioned that henceforth ordinary citizens could be assured of better service in the trains and on economy class. A friend of mine had another take. She felt that by travelling with such VVIP’s, we were putting our lives in stake. She felt that if the terrorists had the VVIP’s in mind, we too would perish along. How right her words seemed when the same evening the said Shatabdi Express was stoned by miscreants. Would the cost of the repair to the bogies be part of the austerity?
Thus every leader who has a public standing is trying to do his bit to prove to the world that he is an austere person. The funny thing is that most of them may have not even heard about the word until the Finance Minister’s remark and thus are oblivious to its meaning which is rigorously self-disciplined and severely moral; ascetic; abstinent; grave; sober; solemn and serious. Would travelling in economy class change our leaders and make them austere? Is there one leader in this country who fits any aspect of this meaning for austere? Our Prime Minister may be the closest we have to fit the bill, but being the head of the country he has to maintain his status and dignity and thus his life is too precious to be wasted in a chair car ride. Apart from October 2nd and January 30th of every year, we hardly hear the name of the Father of the Nation being mentioned, however with this austerity drive, words like “Gandhian” seem to make it in print. The world respected Gandiji for his austerity and was willing to accept him as “the half naked fakir”. Since our present day leaders lack the austerity otherwise, I do hope that better sense will prevail and that they will not try and emulate him on the dressing front!!
To every flip there is a flop and in this case that has been brought about by the savviest of the ministers in the cabinet. When he was asked to move to humble dwellings from the five star hotel in which he had been staying, he was not a happy man at all. He felt he needed his privacy and his gym. He was vociferous in his protest and thus every follower of his tweets got to know of how exactly he felt. The powers to be let him off for the simple reason that he had paid the bills which mounted to Rs. 40,000/- daily from his own pocket. The said minister has been in the said hotel for three months and thus has spent approximately Rs. 36,00,000/- (take a few lakhs for the days when he is not in the capital) on his stay in the capital. There cannot be a bigger embarrassment than this for the government. Our country ranks 142th in the world when it comes to the per capita income which is less than Rs. 50,000/- annually. The straw that broke the camel’s neck was when the same minister again tweeted that he considers travelling in economy class as being part of a cattle herd. The cattle herd the minister is talking of is the privileged less than 10% of the population who can afford air travel. How did this man ever get to be the minister when he even considers travelling with a privileged group of citizens as being demeaning? Does the fact that he has the money make him in a class of his own? The moneyed class should remain the moneyed class and not enter into the job of serving the people and become politicians. I am at times made to feel that this minister has said in the open what others have had difficulty to pronounce for fears known/unknown. In that manner I appreciate the Minister for his truthfulness. Politics to this elitist may be just an additional feather to his otherwise plumed crown and austerity far from his last thought.
I really wonder what the final outcome of the Finance Minister’s drive is going to be. As I see it nothing will ever change. Austerity would be for that majority of our population who cannot afford the materialistic luxuries. Much as we live in a democracy and have a government which is “of the people, by the people and for the people” and which proclaims “Satyameva Jayathe”, our leaders will remain ignorant of these basics and the tsunami will be curtailed to just the tea cup.
I am sure there were no compulsions from the high command, but then our shrewd ministers must have realised that when the number 2 in the cabinet can make do with economy class travel, they too had to do their bit to earn the said brownie points. Thus the next minister namely the Food and Agriculture Minister decided that he should lead by example and this saw him take another economy class flight from Mumbai to Delhi. He went a step further to issue a statement saying that he would have only travelled economy class but for his big frame. Now what I would like to know is as to how his frame shrunk in a couple of days so as to enable him to travel economy class. The third to do so was the big boss herself. This act of hers sealed the choices for the entire Indian National Congress ministers and Members of Parliament. How could anyone even think of travelling in Business class anymore? Overnight, this class became the pariah much to the chagrin of the airlines whose main source of income came from this category of travelers.
The prince in waiting went a step further and decided that the chair car of the Shatabdi Express was good enough for him to travel. Thus he covered Delhi –Ludhiana-Delhi by train much to the delight of the press and his followers. This provided the right moments for the perfect picture pose as well as a chance to deify the otherwise highly spoken of “youth leader” and strategist. I wonder as to how much of planning would have gone into that short train ride. The security and the railways would have been on tenterhooks till the said journey was over. When this topic came up for discussion in our midst on the very same day, I mentioned that henceforth ordinary citizens could be assured of better service in the trains and on economy class. A friend of mine had another take. She felt that by travelling with such VVIP’s, we were putting our lives in stake. She felt that if the terrorists had the VVIP’s in mind, we too would perish along. How right her words seemed when the same evening the said Shatabdi Express was stoned by miscreants. Would the cost of the repair to the bogies be part of the austerity?
Thus every leader who has a public standing is trying to do his bit to prove to the world that he is an austere person. The funny thing is that most of them may have not even heard about the word until the Finance Minister’s remark and thus are oblivious to its meaning which is rigorously self-disciplined and severely moral; ascetic; abstinent; grave; sober; solemn and serious. Would travelling in economy class change our leaders and make them austere? Is there one leader in this country who fits any aspect of this meaning for austere? Our Prime Minister may be the closest we have to fit the bill, but being the head of the country he has to maintain his status and dignity and thus his life is too precious to be wasted in a chair car ride. Apart from October 2nd and January 30th of every year, we hardly hear the name of the Father of the Nation being mentioned, however with this austerity drive, words like “Gandhian” seem to make it in print. The world respected Gandiji for his austerity and was willing to accept him as “the half naked fakir”. Since our present day leaders lack the austerity otherwise, I do hope that better sense will prevail and that they will not try and emulate him on the dressing front!!
To every flip there is a flop and in this case that has been brought about by the savviest of the ministers in the cabinet. When he was asked to move to humble dwellings from the five star hotel in which he had been staying, he was not a happy man at all. He felt he needed his privacy and his gym. He was vociferous in his protest and thus every follower of his tweets got to know of how exactly he felt. The powers to be let him off for the simple reason that he had paid the bills which mounted to Rs. 40,000/- daily from his own pocket. The said minister has been in the said hotel for three months and thus has spent approximately Rs. 36,00,000/- (take a few lakhs for the days when he is not in the capital) on his stay in the capital. There cannot be a bigger embarrassment than this for the government. Our country ranks 142th in the world when it comes to the per capita income which is less than Rs. 50,000/- annually. The straw that broke the camel’s neck was when the same minister again tweeted that he considers travelling in economy class as being part of a cattle herd. The cattle herd the minister is talking of is the privileged less than 10% of the population who can afford air travel. How did this man ever get to be the minister when he even considers travelling with a privileged group of citizens as being demeaning? Does the fact that he has the money make him in a class of his own? The moneyed class should remain the moneyed class and not enter into the job of serving the people and become politicians. I am at times made to feel that this minister has said in the open what others have had difficulty to pronounce for fears known/unknown. In that manner I appreciate the Minister for his truthfulness. Politics to this elitist may be just an additional feather to his otherwise plumed crown and austerity far from his last thought.
I really wonder what the final outcome of the Finance Minister’s drive is going to be. As I see it nothing will ever change. Austerity would be for that majority of our population who cannot afford the materialistic luxuries. Much as we live in a democracy and have a government which is “of the people, by the people and for the people” and which proclaims “Satyameva Jayathe”, our leaders will remain ignorant of these basics and the tsunami will be curtailed to just the tea cup.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Golden Girls
As with most people, I too have my friends in groups. These groups range from my school friends to college friends to Middle East friends to Inner Wheel friends to Family friends and finally the group about which I am going to write today. All the above mentioned groups have featured in my blogs in some way or the other. The group about which I am about to write has somehow slipped the net and the reason could well be because I get to meet them only once a month. For that matter, some of the other groups I rarely get to meet these days. But what puts them at top priority in my memory bank could well be the proximity I enjoyed while those friendships were forged. The monthly meeting with this group is a joyful one. We meet, we greet, we interact, we eat, we deliberate and finally we exit. It may sound clinical in print, but I can assure you that it is far from that. There is a large dose of bon homie and camaraderie. This meeting is a great stress buster apart from being a forum to share the latest in the world of music, movies, fashion, people and last but not the least the main element that binds women together – GOSSIP. I must elaborate on the kind of gossip as I don’t want the reader to think of us as run of the mill characters. Our kind of gossip is not one that would hurt a friend or family but mainly consists of the inside knowledge available with regard to some interesting headline news. We consider ourselves different and would love the world to accept us that way.
In few hours from now, I would be meeting this group. I have been associated with them for the last 12 years however I must say that there is a lot about their family and background of which I am not aware. Here we meet as individuals with no strings attached. The two characteristics of our group is that we are all from Kerala and the second and most important is that we belong to the Golden Age of 50years and there about. These two characteristics make it wonderfully easy for us to vibe. I wonder as to how many of you have guessed the identity of my group. For those who have not, well I am talking of my kitty group. The kitty culture is nothing new as it has been an important instrument in the socializing network in India. I guess in its early stages, it must have started among the upper class women as the time relegated for playing cards or for simply having a coffee morning. Somewhere down the line the element of a kitty was added and this I’m sure must have given the event the required commitment. As the years went by the kitty party culture began to percolate and became a part of the burgeoning urban middle class.
The first time that I was associated with a kitty group was in Jeddah where my good friend and neighbor Usha put me on to the kitty of which she was a part. That kitty was different from the ones in India for the simple reason that it involved the whole family. One reason for this could be due to the immobility of women in Saudi Arabia in the early 90’s. After my return to India, my friend Latha Mohan set about planning a group to which she graciously invited me. She must have chosen the members with care, for we hit it off pretty well from the word go. The original group has seen many mutations what with people having to leave Chennai or moving away for personal reasons/commitments. Our present group consists of eleven members. We do not want to increase the number for the simple reason that a cycle finishes in one year as May is taken as the annual holiday for the kitty. The only rule that we follow in our kitty is that we meet for lunch. All of us being food connoisseurs, food does play an important part and I must say that we enjoy feasting on a well laden table. The venue of the kitty is left to the discretion of the host and thus can be at their respective houses or at a restaurant of their choice. Most restaurants in Chennai owe it to the kitty groups for their lunch business during the week. 75% of the lunch crowd at most of the restaurants is made up of women belonging to the various kitties. Some of these restaurants even offer deals to the all women groups. Being good homemakers we scout for the best deals and thus get to visit many of the new eateries and at times even make it to pubs were they serve a good pub meal.
The real kitty of the kitty is not a big sum, however it does make us ladies happy as it is more than sufficient to see us through some good shopping sprees. Also it is that part of the kitty which makes the experience wholesome. With women’s groups making a foray into the world of travel, my kitty members too do not want to be left behind. Thus I have been entrusted the job of finding the ideal destination for a 2/3 day break. If it happens, I am sure it will be one of the most memorable holidays that I have ever had.
The kitty groups remind me of the Hen parties of the west, of which I have read and have also seen during my travels. The ladies in those groups were so enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy as if there was no tomorrow. Being part of the kitty makes the two to three hours spent together work as an antidote to the otherwise mundane goings on and the mood at the end of a session is truly one of elation. My only sense of regret is that with most young girls seriously pursuing a career, it won’t be long before the kitties become a thing of the past. I wonder how we can save it for posterity for like us I wish for the future generations to enjoy and be the GOLDEN GIRLS that we are.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Dubai Gold
When Marilyn Monroe, sang “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend”, in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the whole world agreed. Although it is 56 years since the movie was released, every word still holds good and there is no contradiction as far as that goes. However I would like to bring to notice, that as far as Indian Girls (read women) are concerned especially the ones from the southern most state of Kerala, the lure for the yellow metal far out beats that for the carbon rock. May be they have not heard of Marilyn Monroe or the song. This being the frame of mind of the Malayali women, one can imagine what ecstasy they would be in when they land in the Sands of Arabia.
Much has been written about the Gold Souks of the Middle East. Gold is sold by the Kilo unlike in India where we still believe in the poor Grams. Every Malayali woman who has lived in the Middle East is sure to be a proud owner of at least a couple of kilos of gold. (I may be one of the few exceptions.) The excuse was always that we have a daughter to get married. Now since I had no children, my lips were tongue tied at that. However I would tickle them by asking if they were going to weigh their daughters against gold at the time of marriage. I have lived in all the major cities of Saudi Arabia and irrespective of the city, the topic at any get together eventually turned to the yellow metal. May be the bright sun and the yellow sands of the region gave an extra sheen to the metal. The only disappointment among the friends was that the designs available were not very fine. The jewelry was chunky and more to the Arab taste. This was however very particular of Saudi Arabia. On the other hand Dubai boasted of some of the biggest names among Jewelers from India, and hence it was mandatory that a trip there was not complete without coming back with booty.
It was in this context that I happened to go to Dubai along with my husband. We were there for a couple of days and then got back to Jeddah. A week or so after my return I had invited a fairly large group of friends for lunch. As expected the talk steered to my just concluded Dubai trip. Next came the question about what jewellery I had purchased. Before I could give an answer, my good friend and neighbour Usha who was well aware of all the nitty gritty about my trip, promptly replied that the booty was in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. All the ladies trooped into the kitchen and with great apprehension I opened the freezer door and took out a well wrapped bag which seemed to weigh a kilo. I could hear the murmurs, of how much gold has been purchased etc. Knowing me some of them were even surprised that I had splurged so much on something I deemed a waste. With 10 pairs of vigilant eyes staring, I calmly opened the bag and took out the contents. I cannot really put into words the reaction of my friends in the ensuing couple of minutes. However I can tell you that it was one of severe disappointment, for like a magician what I pulled out from the bag were packets of Kerala Pappadam (Made in Dubai). These shared the colour of the said metal and also when fried had a lovely golden sheen. What most of you may not know is that my husband’s love for the KERALA PAPPADAM far out beats the Malayali women’s love for GOLD.
The women must have considered me as an outcast; however they were decent enough to keep that feeling to themselves. I am sure that they must be having the last laugh, what with the price of gold spiraling to new highs every day. They are indeed sitting on the GOLD MINE. When I look back I can only say, “THOSE WERE THE GOLDEN DAYS.”
Posted by Usha Kumar at 5:42 PM
3 comments:
chickushyam said...
LOL...As a person who is not very fond of the yellow metal,I found this article very funny.I must agree,Pappadam,anytime.
February 19, 2009 9:11 PM
Geeta said...
haha. Wish I had a kilo of it. Dubai should make a doghouse for me to hide in- the only gold-less Mallu female in Dubai. Maybe that's why my daughter married an American, and she says- Don't buy me gold,mama, I cannot wear it here! Phew!
Thank you God for small mercies.
February 21, 2009 8:49 PM
Much has been written about the Gold Souks of the Middle East. Gold is sold by the Kilo unlike in India where we still believe in the poor Grams. Every Malayali woman who has lived in the Middle East is sure to be a proud owner of at least a couple of kilos of gold. (I may be one of the few exceptions.) The excuse was always that we have a daughter to get married. Now since I had no children, my lips were tongue tied at that. However I would tickle them by asking if they were going to weigh their daughters against gold at the time of marriage. I have lived in all the major cities of Saudi Arabia and irrespective of the city, the topic at any get together eventually turned to the yellow metal. May be the bright sun and the yellow sands of the region gave an extra sheen to the metal. The only disappointment among the friends was that the designs available were not very fine. The jewelry was chunky and more to the Arab taste. This was however very particular of Saudi Arabia. On the other hand Dubai boasted of some of the biggest names among Jewelers from India, and hence it was mandatory that a trip there was not complete without coming back with booty.
It was in this context that I happened to go to Dubai along with my husband. We were there for a couple of days and then got back to Jeddah. A week or so after my return I had invited a fairly large group of friends for lunch. As expected the talk steered to my just concluded Dubai trip. Next came the question about what jewellery I had purchased. Before I could give an answer, my good friend and neighbour Usha who was well aware of all the nitty gritty about my trip, promptly replied that the booty was in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. All the ladies trooped into the kitchen and with great apprehension I opened the freezer door and took out a well wrapped bag which seemed to weigh a kilo. I could hear the murmurs, of how much gold has been purchased etc. Knowing me some of them were even surprised that I had splurged so much on something I deemed a waste. With 10 pairs of vigilant eyes staring, I calmly opened the bag and took out the contents. I cannot really put into words the reaction of my friends in the ensuing couple of minutes. However I can tell you that it was one of severe disappointment, for like a magician what I pulled out from the bag were packets of Kerala Pappadam (Made in Dubai). These shared the colour of the said metal and also when fried had a lovely golden sheen. What most of you may not know is that my husband’s love for the KERALA PAPPADAM far out beats the Malayali women’s love for GOLD.
The women must have considered me as an outcast; however they were decent enough to keep that feeling to themselves. I am sure that they must be having the last laugh, what with the price of gold spiraling to new highs every day. They are indeed sitting on the GOLD MINE. When I look back I can only say, “THOSE WERE THE GOLDEN DAYS.”
Posted by Usha Kumar at 5:42 PM
3 comments:
chickushyam said...
LOL...As a person who is not very fond of the yellow metal,I found this article very funny.I must agree,Pappadam,anytime.
February 19, 2009 9:11 PM
Geeta said...
haha. Wish I had a kilo of it. Dubai should make a doghouse for me to hide in- the only gold-less Mallu female in Dubai. Maybe that's why my daughter married an American, and she says- Don't buy me gold,mama, I cannot wear it here! Phew!
Thank you God for small mercies.
February 21, 2009 8:49 PM
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Shubha Muhurtham
My idea was to publish this piece on the 3rd of September that being a very important date in my life. But it did not happen. The 3rd of September may not mean anything to the majority but may mean the world to a minority. I belong to the second group and if you are thinking that it was the day I got married, you are most certainly wrong. My marriage was on the 22nd of June 1977 a day chosen after reading horoscopes and consulting the astrologer. On the other hand 3rd September was a date that was decided at random. It was a date decided for convenience and not one of those termed “auspicious” by the Pundits.
When we got married, Kumar was working in Muscat and so I could not accompany him on his return. There was the formality of getting my entry permit and other papers in order and hence it was decided that I would follow him at the earliest. He left for Muscat by the end of July and within ten days got my papers ready. However he wanted me to be in Chennai until Onam was over and so asked me to travel to Muscat on the 3rd of September 1977. If I remember right, it happened to be a Saturday. This was the time before Chennai was directly connected to Muscat and so I had to take an Indian Airlines flight to Mumbai and from there I flew on a Gulf Air flight to Muscat. Thus my first proverbial crossing of the seas happened on that date. I was in no way to know then as to how many criss-crossings of the various Oceans and land masses I would make. I grew up in a simple and humble family and as I have earlier said, flying in an aircraft was something we did not even think about. For us it was always terra firma and the greatest joy we had as children was the annual trip to Kerala by train.
In the first three years of marriage, my travel only pertained to the annual vacations to India. The so called barrage gates in terms of my travel were let open in November of 1980 when we took a trip to the Far East. This was my first to places other than the Middle East of which I had reached Saudi Arabia earlier in 1980. During this trip we covered Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia. After that Hong Kong became a part of my yearly routine. Kumar was working for Cathay Pacific Airways and whenever he went on work, I too would accompany him. I won’t be wrong when I say that at one point I knew Tsim Sha Tsui (the shopping district of Hong Kong) like the back of my hand. This summer when we went to Hong Kong after a gap of 15 years, I was indeed proud that I could still find my way around and in fact floored a friend with this knowledge.
1987, is again an important year for me as it was in September of that year that I made my first visit to the United Kingdom. Although I grew up in the post colonial era, the fixation with the Raj was strongly within me. This may be one trait I picked up from my father. He had his reasons as he studied in an European High School and his father worked for the Imperial Army. Anything British he adored and he did not mince his words when he spoke about it. As for me the United Kingdom also meant the Western Hemisphere and visiting that part of the world was definitely the dream of a travel bug. My first trip to the UK was indeed memorable and I made sure that I visited the most prominent of the historical sights. Visiting the Lake District and seeing the Dove Cottage was an out of the world experience. William Wordsworth is my all time favourite poet and I am happy to say that two of his poems “The Daffodils” and “The Solitary Reaper” are etched in my mind. We also made a side trip to Amsterdam and seeing the windmills, canals and the dykes were so wonderful. The first time I had seen a picture of the windmill was in my 5th standard social studies book. It was a sketch and we had to colour it. The picture is still so vivid in my mind’s eye. When I went into the windmill, I thought to myself, where have I reached. Am I worthy of all this. It is embarrassing to write this, but UK became a part of my yearly trip what with my sister Latha having moved there after her marriage. Thus in a year there was a trip or two to India, a trip to Hong Kong and a trip to the UK. This period saw Geetha move to Brussels and that made Belgium too became a part of my yearly routine. It was during that time that we visited France, Germany, Italy and Turkey. Italy was a once in a life time experience and what made it outstanding was the fact that the three sisters with their spouses made it together.
1989 was when I made my first trip to the US. I was frankly not very enthusiastic about making that trip for the simple reason, that the travel involved was far too much. Also the Lockerbie disaster had just happened and hence it was not very appealing. The three cities I visited were Los Angeles, San Diego and New York. All the cities had so much to offer and that made the trip truly rewarding. Then in 1992, Geetha moved to Boston thus US too became a part of the circuit. Thus every other month saw me packing my bags and going on a jaunt within Saudi or the Gulf or elsewhere. Thus when we had to leave Saudi, one of the few things I was sad about, was my travel. I thought that being back in India meant a total full stop to all the wonderful over seas trips.
It is 14 years since I am back and I am indeed happy to say that but for the initial three years when we were busy finding our mooring, the following years have seen us go on a holiday. Thus we have visited Sri Lanka, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia (2000 & 2007), UK, Switzerland, USA (2002 & 2006) and of course our very recent trip to Hong Kong and China.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe that I have seen so many places and have had such wonderful experiences. As I keep telling people, most of what I know is not what I learnt from the text books but whatever I have picked up during my travels. I am grateful to God and thankful to Kumar for making all this possible. It also makes me strongly believe that September 3rd 1977 was a spectacular Shubha Muhurtham - one that changed a young girl’s life in more ways than one.
When we got married, Kumar was working in Muscat and so I could not accompany him on his return. There was the formality of getting my entry permit and other papers in order and hence it was decided that I would follow him at the earliest. He left for Muscat by the end of July and within ten days got my papers ready. However he wanted me to be in Chennai until Onam was over and so asked me to travel to Muscat on the 3rd of September 1977. If I remember right, it happened to be a Saturday. This was the time before Chennai was directly connected to Muscat and so I had to take an Indian Airlines flight to Mumbai and from there I flew on a Gulf Air flight to Muscat. Thus my first proverbial crossing of the seas happened on that date. I was in no way to know then as to how many criss-crossings of the various Oceans and land masses I would make. I grew up in a simple and humble family and as I have earlier said, flying in an aircraft was something we did not even think about. For us it was always terra firma and the greatest joy we had as children was the annual trip to Kerala by train.
In the first three years of marriage, my travel only pertained to the annual vacations to India. The so called barrage gates in terms of my travel were let open in November of 1980 when we took a trip to the Far East. This was my first to places other than the Middle East of which I had reached Saudi Arabia earlier in 1980. During this trip we covered Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia. After that Hong Kong became a part of my yearly routine. Kumar was working for Cathay Pacific Airways and whenever he went on work, I too would accompany him. I won’t be wrong when I say that at one point I knew Tsim Sha Tsui (the shopping district of Hong Kong) like the back of my hand. This summer when we went to Hong Kong after a gap of 15 years, I was indeed proud that I could still find my way around and in fact floored a friend with this knowledge.
1987, is again an important year for me as it was in September of that year that I made my first visit to the United Kingdom. Although I grew up in the post colonial era, the fixation with the Raj was strongly within me. This may be one trait I picked up from my father. He had his reasons as he studied in an European High School and his father worked for the Imperial Army. Anything British he adored and he did not mince his words when he spoke about it. As for me the United Kingdom also meant the Western Hemisphere and visiting that part of the world was definitely the dream of a travel bug. My first trip to the UK was indeed memorable and I made sure that I visited the most prominent of the historical sights. Visiting the Lake District and seeing the Dove Cottage was an out of the world experience. William Wordsworth is my all time favourite poet and I am happy to say that two of his poems “The Daffodils” and “The Solitary Reaper” are etched in my mind. We also made a side trip to Amsterdam and seeing the windmills, canals and the dykes were so wonderful. The first time I had seen a picture of the windmill was in my 5th standard social studies book. It was a sketch and we had to colour it. The picture is still so vivid in my mind’s eye. When I went into the windmill, I thought to myself, where have I reached. Am I worthy of all this. It is embarrassing to write this, but UK became a part of my yearly trip what with my sister Latha having moved there after her marriage. Thus in a year there was a trip or two to India, a trip to Hong Kong and a trip to the UK. This period saw Geetha move to Brussels and that made Belgium too became a part of my yearly routine. It was during that time that we visited France, Germany, Italy and Turkey. Italy was a once in a life time experience and what made it outstanding was the fact that the three sisters with their spouses made it together.
1989 was when I made my first trip to the US. I was frankly not very enthusiastic about making that trip for the simple reason, that the travel involved was far too much. Also the Lockerbie disaster had just happened and hence it was not very appealing. The three cities I visited were Los Angeles, San Diego and New York. All the cities had so much to offer and that made the trip truly rewarding. Then in 1992, Geetha moved to Boston thus US too became a part of the circuit. Thus every other month saw me packing my bags and going on a jaunt within Saudi or the Gulf or elsewhere. Thus when we had to leave Saudi, one of the few things I was sad about, was my travel. I thought that being back in India meant a total full stop to all the wonderful over seas trips.
It is 14 years since I am back and I am indeed happy to say that but for the initial three years when we were busy finding our mooring, the following years have seen us go on a holiday. Thus we have visited Sri Lanka, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia (2000 & 2007), UK, Switzerland, USA (2002 & 2006) and of course our very recent trip to Hong Kong and China.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe that I have seen so many places and have had such wonderful experiences. As I keep telling people, most of what I know is not what I learnt from the text books but whatever I have picked up during my travels. I am grateful to God and thankful to Kumar for making all this possible. It also makes me strongly believe that September 3rd 1977 was a spectacular Shubha Muhurtham - one that changed a young girl’s life in more ways than one.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Recognition
With, Onam, the biggest festival for the Malayalis having just got over, I made some observations, which I felt I should share with my readers. The thought that first came to my mind as a resident of Chennai Metropolis, is that “well Onam has finally arrived”. There is more than one reason for this. In 2007, the Chief Minister declared Onam as a Government Holiday for the district of Chennai along with the Districts of Kanyakumari and Nilgiris both of which have a large population of Malayalis. This in itself was news of great significance for all the Malayalis of Chennai. The other reasons are comparatively trivial and are more of marketing gimmicks, but nonetheless they seem to add a lot of colour to Onam and also bring about a mood of festivity to the city and to the minds of the Malayalis. The Onam season which traditionally lasts for ten days saw the papers flooded with wonderful discount offers by most of the leading jewelers and textile stores. The papers also seemed covered with advertisements from restaurants and hotels trying to promote the much acclaimed Onam Sadya. They also featured interviews with the leading Malayalis of Chennai. It was interesting to read and I would be lying if I stopped from saying that I was not just happy but indeed elated. For the thousands of people in my category who are both staunch Malayalis and true Chennaiites, we could not have asked for more. It also got me thinking back in time to the many Onams that we celebrated while growing up.
When we were children Onam was just a celebration in the family. The Malayali families living in Chennai like their brethren the world over celebrated Onam with gusto but just within the walls of their house. The outside world (read city) did not know of the festival, or in case they did, there was hardly any recognition. The only community celebrations that took place were held in the evening when most of the Malayali Social organizations would have a cultural meet. Since my mother was a member of one of these organizations, we girls would participate in some of the events that were put up. Thus that was the only highlight of our Onam. As for a holiday on Onam, it was unheard off since at most times there would be an exam on that day and hence it was compulsory to go to school or college. On reaching college, to mark the occasion, some of us would wear a Kerala sari or a two piece “set mundu”. But these things were far and rare. The sari or the Mundu had to be purchased from Kerala during our trips earlier. It was never ever available in any of the leading textile kingdoms of Chennai. Like Onam, the Kerala Sari too has come a long way and is freely available. I won’t be wrong if I say that it has become a fashion statement to be seen in one of these saris on Onam day. This Onam when I went to the office, I was surprised to see all the girls attired in Kerala Saris. On the other hand, I felt odd having worn a colourful Andhra handloom sari. I realized then the reach of the media and the awareness among the people. Thus Onam has got its due in the Chennai of the 21st Century.
It has taken more than a couple of centuries for Onam to get a foot hold in this Cosmopolitan city. The association of the then Madras and that part of Kerala called Malabar go a long way. Malabar was part of the Madras Presidency during the British Rule in India. For the people of Malabar, Madras was the capital and they were governed from here. This was the arrangement till the state of Kerala was formed on November 1st 1956. Madras has always been home to the Malayali and many a wanderlust Malayali has found his livelihood and established himself in Madras. The list is so long that I would not be doing justice by trying to give names. Since the best of education and medical facilities were only available here, the people from Kerala were always present in large numbers in Madras. They held and still continue to hold high positions in government, public and private sectors. The total lack of industry in Kerala in the early and middle 20th century saw the Malayali come to Madras in search of greener pastures. The formation of the state of Kerala has not deterred this movement as youngsters either educated or not, still make that journey to ensure a better future. I am sure that till date the Central Railway station must be witnessing the arrival of youngsters with fire in their hearts and stars in their eyes. “Stars” is the right word to use, for till the end of the 20th century, Madras was the home to the Malayalam Film industry. Thousands of Malayalam movies have been churned out from the various studios that used to dot the Kodambakkam/Vadapalani areas. The whole Malayalam film fraternity were residents of Madras. It was common to come across some green horns hoping to become a future Sathyan of Prem Nazir (Lead actors of yore) roaming the streets in the vicinity of the studios. With Madras/Chennai playing an integral part in the lives of so many Malayalis, it goes without saying that the Malayalis form a high percentage of the city’s population. The demography of the city of Chennai shows that Malayalis are the third biggest group just after the Tamilians and the Telegus.
This holiday declared for Onam is definitely a long overdue recognition for the Malayalis of Chennai. Their contribution to the development of the city and the vital roles they have played in various sectors are worthy of more than a mention. Life has not always been a bed of roses and there have been times when the going was tough. They have had to face the wrath of anti social elements who wanted to dislocate them. This was in the early 70’s and I vividly remember how slogans were written on walls of homes were Malayalis lived. Our home too was at the receiving end. Unlike the Anti Hindi agitation of the 60’s, better sense prevailed and the whole issue was quashed before things went out of hand.
I wonder why it took so long for this recognition to happen considering the fact that the leader/demi-god of the masses and the most popular and loved person in Chennai or for that matter in Tamil Nadu for the past 70 years has been Maruthur Gopalan R……………..
When we were children Onam was just a celebration in the family. The Malayali families living in Chennai like their brethren the world over celebrated Onam with gusto but just within the walls of their house. The outside world (read city) did not know of the festival, or in case they did, there was hardly any recognition. The only community celebrations that took place were held in the evening when most of the Malayali Social organizations would have a cultural meet. Since my mother was a member of one of these organizations, we girls would participate in some of the events that were put up. Thus that was the only highlight of our Onam. As for a holiday on Onam, it was unheard off since at most times there would be an exam on that day and hence it was compulsory to go to school or college. On reaching college, to mark the occasion, some of us would wear a Kerala sari or a two piece “set mundu”. But these things were far and rare. The sari or the Mundu had to be purchased from Kerala during our trips earlier. It was never ever available in any of the leading textile kingdoms of Chennai. Like Onam, the Kerala Sari too has come a long way and is freely available. I won’t be wrong if I say that it has become a fashion statement to be seen in one of these saris on Onam day. This Onam when I went to the office, I was surprised to see all the girls attired in Kerala Saris. On the other hand, I felt odd having worn a colourful Andhra handloom sari. I realized then the reach of the media and the awareness among the people. Thus Onam has got its due in the Chennai of the 21st Century.
It has taken more than a couple of centuries for Onam to get a foot hold in this Cosmopolitan city. The association of the then Madras and that part of Kerala called Malabar go a long way. Malabar was part of the Madras Presidency during the British Rule in India. For the people of Malabar, Madras was the capital and they were governed from here. This was the arrangement till the state of Kerala was formed on November 1st 1956. Madras has always been home to the Malayali and many a wanderlust Malayali has found his livelihood and established himself in Madras. The list is so long that I would not be doing justice by trying to give names. Since the best of education and medical facilities were only available here, the people from Kerala were always present in large numbers in Madras. They held and still continue to hold high positions in government, public and private sectors. The total lack of industry in Kerala in the early and middle 20th century saw the Malayali come to Madras in search of greener pastures. The formation of the state of Kerala has not deterred this movement as youngsters either educated or not, still make that journey to ensure a better future. I am sure that till date the Central Railway station must be witnessing the arrival of youngsters with fire in their hearts and stars in their eyes. “Stars” is the right word to use, for till the end of the 20th century, Madras was the home to the Malayalam Film industry. Thousands of Malayalam movies have been churned out from the various studios that used to dot the Kodambakkam/Vadapalani areas. The whole Malayalam film fraternity were residents of Madras. It was common to come across some green horns hoping to become a future Sathyan of Prem Nazir (Lead actors of yore) roaming the streets in the vicinity of the studios. With Madras/Chennai playing an integral part in the lives of so many Malayalis, it goes without saying that the Malayalis form a high percentage of the city’s population. The demography of the city of Chennai shows that Malayalis are the third biggest group just after the Tamilians and the Telegus.
This holiday declared for Onam is definitely a long overdue recognition for the Malayalis of Chennai. Their contribution to the development of the city and the vital roles they have played in various sectors are worthy of more than a mention. Life has not always been a bed of roses and there have been times when the going was tough. They have had to face the wrath of anti social elements who wanted to dislocate them. This was in the early 70’s and I vividly remember how slogans were written on walls of homes were Malayalis lived. Our home too was at the receiving end. Unlike the Anti Hindi agitation of the 60’s, better sense prevailed and the whole issue was quashed before things went out of hand.
I wonder why it took so long for this recognition to happen considering the fact that the leader/demi-god of the masses and the most popular and loved person in Chennai or for that matter in Tamil Nadu for the past 70 years has been Maruthur Gopalan R……………..
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