Whattay night

A year ago, my workplace had a technical competition. We would be given a problem and we had to come up with a business solution within 24 hours. There was another choice for the real innovators - they could pick any mind-twister and sell their business case to get rid of it. All arrangements were made for the participants to stay in campus overnight.

I participated with 2 of my close friends - V (my friend and teammate) & B (my friend from college days). We called ourselves 'The Nutketeers' !!! Don't you just love our name? We lived up to it to the hilt :D We chose to go with option 1 (easy for the truly lazy) - find a solution for a problem presented to us. Days prior to the event, all captains ( read 'guinea-pigs' ) were asked to attend a series of meetings for the important and not so important details. No prizes for guessing who was forcibly made the 'captain'. Grrr.. I used to religiously attend all these meetings and relay the information to V & B who were least interested. Instead they used to gang up and laugh mercilessly at my plight.

Friday came. We came prepared for the event -- with our toothbrushes and clothes! ;) At 5 p.m. we were sent a mail with the problem / system information and other necessities needed for coding. V was the smartest among us and we allocated the task of coming up with the solution to him. We trooped to a meeting room where he came up with a brilliant plan -- Lets eat before we get started! Even before he finished the sentence we were out of the MR heading to the cafeteria. As we knew that we had to do a lot of thinking, we ate like pigs - Noodles, Chips, Chocolate doughnut and Juice! Tummy full and happy, we set off again (to work). V did some serious thinking and came up with a neat and simple solution. We pitched in here and there with pointless suggestions and finally decided to follow the master. We spent the following 1 hour trying to find the perfect place with 3 workstations where we could code uninterrupted.. oh yeah!

The only sound heard was the pitter pattering of fingers on the keyboards. B was tapping away so rapidly that V & I were suitably impressed. A closer look told us that she was furiously chatting with her friend online !! We worked for an hour or two like this when we unanimously agreed that our solution was very simple and we didn't need 24 hours for this! Geeks would have tried other difficult approaches but having more time on our hands, we decided to take yet another break. We went for a walk around the campus talking nonsense and enjoying the December breeze. V had this brainwave here (I told you he was the smartest) and suggested we watch a movie together in one of the meeting rooms. We were delighted and literally jumping in the air. The chosen movie was 'Road to El Dorado'. As it was nearly dinner time, food was calling again. We ordered from the nearest Dominos outlet and scouted around finding a MR with a projector. Soon the show began - Movie, pizza, coke and laughter!

The beddings were provided and we could put it anywhere we wanted (inside the buildings of course). V put his in a meeting room near our workstations whereas B & I decided to sleep in the ladies room. Feeling a little guilty after seeing others' sincerely working, we again tapped at our keyboards for an hour. At midnight, there was a mail circulated informing us about the availability of midnight snacks. The 3 gluttons shut down their systems and went to explore the food. We gobbled sandwiches, had juice and decided to call it a day(night)! B & I traipsed to the ladies room where we found a few girls discussing their business cases animatedly. How boring can one get we thought. We played a game of Dumb-charades, 20 Questions etc and dozed off.

6:30 a.m. I got a call from V calling us for a drive. I thought I was dreaming .. Turned out that one of our friends N who was also participating called us for an early morning drive. I was really excited. B needed to sleep more. At 7, we went for a long drive and it was quite refreshing - sleepy people, misty trees, hint of dew in the air, chilly all around and smell of coffee from the roadside.. On our way back, V complained that he felt queasy. While he took some rest, B & I showered and had a hearty breakfast. V had gotten worse and was looking very very pale. The in-house doctor gave him some medicines. B & I worked a little sans enthusiasm , completely lost without our mast-head. Couple of hours later, we had some kind of a prototype which was satisfying (to us). We had to prepare a presentation and showcase it to a panel of judges. Since V was getting worse by the minute we decided to give up and go home (at least enjoy the rest of the Saturday). We sent a mail explaining V's plight in detail and why we simply couldn't stay although we really really wanted to ;)

As were heading out, we heard that backpacks were being given to all the participants. Shucks.. How could we not collect our bags that we 'rightfully' deserved? We went and shamelessly asked for our bags only to be told sternly that we could collect it at night after the event. Damn!! Resorting to half-measures, we made some calls and found a couple of friends who were staying back till the end. Entrusting them with the duty of collecting 3 bags, we fled feeling very gratified.

Are you thinking .. The three Nutketeers ran away???

*As I wrote this post, I almost felt wistful. I miss my friends and those mad mad days! :(

A tale of two "arranged" marriages - Part 2

Cut to the present, 2009.. 

       A nuclear family in Kolkatta is trying to find the perfect groom for their only daughter CB. CB is in her twenties and works in Bangalore. She is open to an arranged marriage provided her expectations are met. 

      Her parents stumble upon a boy working in Bangalore , seemingly a nice match for our CB. The families interact and they urge the two to meet in Bangalore. Forum mall in Hosur road is the destined location. Boy meets girl and the rest is NOT history :P  They get acquainted in a popular hang-out , discuss interests and future plans among other trivial and crucial details. Later in the evening, they part with heads filled with opinions, happy thoughts, doubts, judgements and a million other perceptions. It is understood that the decision will be made only after a few more meetings / telephonic discussions. 

        In a couple of days , CB leaves for Kolkatta for a short vacation. The boy , in the meantime tries to get in touch with her and eventually learns that she's in Kolkatta. Well, I know it would have made for a perfect ending but the guy did not fly to Kolkatta and go down on his knees for CB. Instead .. 

In Kolkatta .. 

CB has just landed home exhausted after a long & delayed flight. 

        Ting tong ting tong !! 

At the door is none other than .. the boy's mother !!! CB's mom welcomes her thoroughly astounded. CB is made to appear presentable immediately. 

" So beta, how are you? You met my son XX in B'lore ? " , XX's mom with a broad smile. 

" I'm good aunty. Haanji I met XX last week. Didn't get to talk to him again as I was busy with this trip home " , CB explains hesitantly. 

" Of course I understand. Lekin ab what do you feel ? Tujhe pasand aaya ? " , XX's mom bluntly. 

" ????? " , CB looks around hoping the earth would swallow her.. " Dekhiye aunty, actually I would need to talk to him some more and get comfortable before I can decide. Ab toh sirf ek baar baat hui  ".. 

" XX has fallen in love with you. He wants to marry you and no other girl. Isliye main idhar aa gayi. My son likes someone so I have to ensure he gets married to whom he likes na.. " 

" Ohhh !!! Lekin aunty, I am not in love with XX. I have only met him ONCE !! " , CB is outrageous. 

" Mujhe kuch nahi maalum. XX likes you and you will have to marry him " , the obstinate mother.

" Sorry I am not going to marry XX. In fact I don't like XX or you either. Please leave " CB makes her point strongly. 

" Arre beta, it doesn't matter whether you like me or not. I will not be living with you. XX and you will be happy together and thats all I want ". 

" Who wants a mother-in-law like you!!! ", CB has the last word and storms out of the room. 

    CB's mom tries to calm the situation but the damage has been done. Never to be repaired much to CB's relief. 

Arranged marriages -- You have all sorts of them. Comes with a statutory warning - Persist at your own risk. 

***************************************************************************************************************************************

The first story was about my grand-parents. They lived happily together for 50 years until my grandfather passed away. To this day my granny never fails to mention this story and never fails to add indignantly as an after-thought - " What was the need to ask me for my Xth Std marks and favourite subject when he wasn't going to allow me to study further ever !!! "  ..

The second story is also TRUE. No, CB isn't me. I'm frank but not brazen! It happened to a friend whom I met recently :-)

 

I have tried to stick to the facts and not exaggerate. Of course, this post is not written to offend any person or community. It is merely an attempt at story-writing by yours truly. 

A tale of two "arranged" marriages - Part 1

      A traditional South Indian household in Chennai is involved in the last minute preparations of welcoming a prospective groom and his family. The girl in question is the eldest daughter of the house. She is all of 15 years old and has no clue what to expect. 

      The all important horoscopes were matched prior to their visit and the elders were satisfied with what the stars foretold about this possible match. All the elders are present to judge the boy and his family with a magnifying glass. An assortment of sweets are prepared and the whole house wears a festive look. The girls` parents have butterflies in their stomachs. They give strict instructions to the girl - Do not sit like that/ Do not stare/ Do not laugh/ Speak only when you are spoken , yada yada yada.. So much so, that the girl decides to keep mum and pretend to be a statue for the whole time. 

          The paltan arrives. They are welcomed suitably ,some small talk is made and refreshments are served. There are roughly 15 people from both sides present for this occasion. Every one's word counts. All eyes are on the groom scrutinizing him with questioning eyes. The girl is ushered in by her sister and aunt. The attention is now diverted to the girl. She is asked to sing a classical song. Together with her sister, she obliges. Shortly after, the groom's party takes leave. It is understood that the groom will respond within a day or two. 

2 days later. 

         Trrrriiiiiiinnnggg! Girl's father picks up the phone (They are travelling to a temple town that day and everyone is getting ready to leave). 

The boy's father on the other end " Namaskaram ! Hope alls well at home ? "

" Ohhh Namaskaram namaskaram ! So nice of you to call. Yes yes we are all doing fine. How are you all ? " , the girl's father breaking into a sweat. 

The rest of the family crowds around him trying to catch some words from the other end. 

" Listen ,actually there's been a slight confusion. Our boy is perplexed and is not able to decide because on that day two of your daughters sang . He does not know which one is THE girl " , the boy's father sheepishly. 

" Oh is that so ? Would you like to meet the girl again then ? The right girl .. Ha ha ha " , he enquires trying to sound jovial. 

" Yes please. So sorry for the embarrassment. My son will be leaving for work. Will it be alright if he stops for a couple of minutes to meet your daughter ? " . 

" What a question !! He is welcome anytime .. Please don't feel bad. We didn't realize this confusion might occur. Do come, why don't you all come ? " . 

" No no, we don't want to cause any inconvenience. He will be there alone in half an hour. Thank you so much " the boy's father hangs up. 

     Tension fills the girls` house. Temple trips are forgotten momentarily. The girl is decked up yet again. Half an hour whizzes away like a nano-second. The boy arrives. He courteously apologizes for the mess and requests to speak to the right girl for five minutes in private. He is ushered to the first floor veranda where the girl is standing nervously. 

" So what have you studied ? " the boy breaks the ice.

" Just.. completed my Xth Std.. bought my XIth Std books ", the girl answers in a whisper

" Oh.. How much did you score in Xth ? And what was your favourite subject ? ".

" I passed .. got 67 % ... and  I liked Maths the most ". 

" OK very good. You needn't study further. My family will not permit my wife to study. Your duties henceforth will be to take care of my family and their needs  " so saying, the boy made his exit.

    Thanking the girls` parents and other relatives around for their hospitality, he made his way to work. The decision was made. 

Phones rang, telegrams were sent, letters were posted and wedding invites were sent out requesting everyone close to attend the marriage. Within a month, the boy and the girl are married... 

This wedding took place in the year 1959... 

--- ( to be continued )

Water colours and painting

       Work hard, party harder! 

       No no.. I am not a workaholic these days (was I ever?). Yet I work 5 days a week, I travel from the jungles to the other end of the city and its hardwork sitting motionless and speechless in Bangalore traffic :-P    There are 2 kinds of people - The ones who unwind and relax during weekends and begin the week fresh as a daisy. Then there are others who juggle a million things and have crazily hectic weekends. I fall in category # 2 - My weekdays are more spaced out than the weekends. I have no clue when the weekend begins and ends :-) and I like it that way. 

     I went to a friend's place on Saturday. We decided to do a whole bunch of things such as watch a play, play Scotland Yard, cook dinner & paint. Only the last 2 materialized. She's a very good cook so I got to eat yummy dinner. Thanks S. Around 11 in the night, we became painters. Don't let your imagination wander. Picture this - 2 working girls poring over a kids` colouring book with pictures and painting them gloriously with water colours. At the end we had red mountains, a brown duck (monkey!), gray sea and flourescent yellow flooring !! Minds were blank and hearts were light and happy. I shall try to update this post soon with a 'colourful' picture of our art-work. 

[Edited to update : Here's the picture as promised]

   I have learnt a few styles of painting. That night in S's home, I learnt free-style. Its fun to be a kid every once in a while (read--always) :-)

Here's a picture of my first Tanjore painting (Oct 2005) - This is Radha and Krishna.  

In case anyone in Bangalore is interested to learn , please give me your e-mail ID and I can give you my teacher's contact details. She's an artist cum teacher par excellence. 

.. and of course, S and I can give you a crash course in free-style anytime!

It only rains on me

  I LOVE rains. 

  Rains are replete with oh-so-special memories. 

  Its the only time I could turn into a poet if I tried hard enough.

  I'd like to know what comes to your mind when it rains.. but first listen to this..

I couldn't find the original video, this is an audio clip from YouTube

Watch your step

        All said and done, there's nothing like writing about a goofy incident from one's childhood! Its theraupetic. 

       Speaking about childhood, I have studied in 5 schools and I believe this is one of the reasons for my extrovertive nature. Its just so simple to start a conversation even with a wall for me. Jokes apart, it depends on how one sees it. I always saw it as an opportunity to make more friends and have an adventure or two there. The flipside is I never mastered this useful talent of staying in touch with all those wonderful friends. Thanks to social networking sites its not too hard these days. 

     There are special memories associated with every friend and every school. In school # 4 (Bangalore), there was quite a lot of importance given to sports. Me being the enthusiastic tomboy used to take part in nearly all the games (a good excuse to miss classes). One of my good friends S in this school was a superb athlete. As in all schools, we were also divided into Houses - here it was named after the famous scientists Edison, Newton and Faraday. I remember I was in Edison House and so was S. We were in Vth Std. Sports day was around the corner. We were in the Juniors category. Post-heats (heats is the name for the pre-selection phase - something like a qualifier), the entire school geared up for the D-day. The heats had been a dampener as it had been raining for a considerable amount of time. But RainGod decided not to play spoilsport and the D-day dawned shiny and bright! Obviously there was neck and neck competition and everyone wanted to do his/her House proud. I had qualified for 4-5 events - 100m sprint, 200m sprint, Sack race, Three-legged race... As I write this now, I find it so hilarious to imagine myself running in a gunny bag! :-) Back in time though, I did run like mad towards the finish line. 

    S had qualified for all the events as she was undoubtedly the best in our category. Her parents had come and my mom and brother were also on their way. S's parents were very enthusiastic and they encouraged her no end. Her dad also came armed with bottles of glucose and after every event she would partake the energy drink! The first few events got over - 100m, Sack race. I really don't remember how I did. I always ended up with something - By a stroke of luck sometimes I stood first. I kept scanning the crowds for my folks who hadn't reached by then. My mom would surely have to come to take me back home but didn't she have to come early to watch me run ?? (and maybe collect a prize or two !). After the third event, I saw my mom and brother - they had just reached and they waved to me. My brother was gobbling something happily and cheering for me ;-) Who needs glucose now? My energy levels shot up. The next event was Three-Legged race. In short, there are 2 people who run together. One person's left leg is tied together with the partner's right leg - which makes it 3 legs. My partner was S. She was insanely energetic (also because she was on a roll so far). 

    Ready.. Steady.. GO & The whistle blew!! We were in the right hand corner. We set off. I was pretty confident we would win. I had more faith in S's legs taking us to the finish line even if mine faltered. We were nearly half-way when disaster struck. My free leg landed on a puddle (remember the rains?!) just outside the boundary line and needless to say - all 3 legs, 4 hands and 2 bodies went down in a heap!! :-( :-(

Puff.. That was the sound of our combined dreams of collecting the first prize evaporating into thin air :-) 

On No!! .. That was my mom immediately worried about cleaning the messy and muddy uniform.

Damn!Clean sweep shattered .. S's father glucose in hand.

Ha Ha Haaa!! Good Show! This is what I came to watch  .. My devilish brother.

    

    S was pretty miffed with me for obvious reasons. But she still bagged the "Best Sportsperson (Girl) in Juniors category" so she was alright. I was a little dejected with my abysmal performance but not for long. Sadly I have lost all contact with S and none of our common friends seem to know of her whereabouts currently. Still, I wonder if S remembers this - and whether she is still mad at me? :D

An evening in the life of a pseudo housewife

         Its 6:30 p.m. and I have just reached home. I read the newspaper for 10 minutes, munching potato chips and watching an IPL match at the same time. Once I am well-fed, I look around - that the house is a total mess would be an understatement. Broom in hand, I sweep the entire house talking on the phone.. Its actually a good idea. You don't realize how quickly you have finished ;) This was easy. The next chore is something I abhor with all my heart - Washing clothes :( :(  More so, since the washing machine is not working. Yet, it has to be done today. The easy part is done in a trice - soaking the clothes. I need to move on to something else before I can wash these. I earnestly pray that by some stroke of luck, they end up washed (and dried?!) when I see them next. Sighs.

       Dinner has to be done. I tried a new dish and totally enjoyed it. These days I love cooking (only dinner - don't ask what I plan to do for the remaining meals). I can't wait to have my own cute li'l kitchen with new utensils and cook all my inventions in them :D If my parents ever knew I nursed such a 'homely' dream, they would go about fulfilling it with such a frenzy I cannot even describe !! Ahaa, dinner was roti and aloo gobi (cauliflower & potatoes). Very basic but a first attempt for me (the sabji of course). My colleagues taught me the nuances of this dish patiently so I am going to describe in great detail with great gusto .. stay with me. 

The all important ingredients (serves two)

2 small tomatoes

2 small potatoes

1/4 of a small cauliflower

1 big onion

2 green chillies

Corriander leaves for garnishing

Masalas - Chat masala, garam masala, biriyani masala (basically anything you want to add)

Jeera, Mustard, Ginger garlic paste, Oil, Salt

This is how its done, or rather how I did it

Chop the onion (thin and long) and washed tomatoes (also long). Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium sized cubes. Wash the cauliflower a couple of times and cut them into florets. Chop the chillies into small fine pieces. Soak the potatoes and cauliflower in water and keep aside.

Add a little oil (how little? - well about 2 tbspoons) in your kadai. 

Heat oil for a minute and then throw in the jeera and mustard. 

Once mustard starts to splutter, throw in the cut onions. When it turns golden brown add a spoonful of ginger garlic paste. Stir well and add the tomatoes. Keep stirring until tomato puree is made - when the onion and tomatoes have blended well. This would take about 5 minutes.  

Oh, I nearly forgot, do add the chillies here :) You need to stir continuously, otherwise you will end up with a burnt puree. 

Now add the soaked potatoes and cauliflower. Pour water ( you may pour the water used for soaking the vegs earlier - I've heard it adds to the taste ) such that the vegetables are nearly immersed (gosh - I need to read up on proper culinary language) and stir a little. 

I added the masalas and salt at this juncture - Chaat masala, garam masala & biriyani masala. I didn't add haldi powder as I didn't want it yellow. You may do so of course. I stirred lightly and closed the kadai allowing it to cook. 

While it was cooking, I kneaded the dough, ready to be made into rotis. I love the smell of dough .. I have always loved it for as long as I can remember. Funny isn't it ! 

After 10 minutes, open the lid and check .. stir a little, taste a little, check for a yummy smell .. you get it :)

Simple test to check whether it is done - Try to cut the potato pieces with your ladle. If it is still hard, some more cooking - maybe on a higher flame for faster results. I cooked for 5 -7 more minutes and it was DONE !! Only half an hour and ready to be eaten .. The acid test as I called it had to be carried out and the guinea pig (as my aunt aptfully described) was my dad. Experience and every history book states that dads will eat anything prepared by daughters. History repeated! Dad praised it no end and polished it off. What was new was dad took 2 more helpings and ate extra. Bonus ain't it ?! ;) I wish I had a picture of my creation. Point noted for next time. Chef was very very happy. 

    They say happiness is short-lived. You bet mine was. All the smiles disappeared when I saw the soaked clothes in the bathroom. Controlling my urge to cry and tear the clothes apart, I washed them quickly and put them out to dry. I then ironed my clothes and washed the dishes lying the kitchen (this I enjoy doing). I would gladly wash dishes any day rather than cook 3 meals !! After all this back-breaking work, I put up my feet and watched Kolkata Knight Riders get thrashed yet again in the IPL tournament, this time by the Delhi boys! IPL is seriously good timepass. 

    I realized, not for the first time though, as I was calling it a day that being a housewife is no child's play. Can't wait for mom to return :) Sleep and dreamland calling ... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz !