Talk to me

I was born with a motor mouth. I am the kind of person who talks 99 % nonsense and 1 % sense. My family and friends vouch for this. What is really surprising is, even people who don't know me seem to have realized this in the first glance. Strangers talk to me out of the blue. They single me out and start off. It is disconcerting since I feel certain there must be a huge signpost on me that says - "Go on, you can always talk to me!"

On Saturday, I was returning home in an auto after watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (which was just as good and as bad as the remaining HP movies). At one of the signals quite far away from my home, the auto driver (I shall refer to him as uncle henceforth) turned to me and questioned - " What are you studying madam? ". I am on a 'trying-to-put-on-some-weight-to-look-my-age' stage so it wasn't really a compliment. I told him I am working. I guess he gave me some credibility because he mustered up the courage and said - "I wish to say something, but please do not mind or feel bad". When someone starts like this, I knew what to expect. I was quite sure he was going to give me a lecture on how girls should behave, wear decent clothes, not talk to boys, not hurt parents and get home on time etc. I have had auto drivers tell me such things on various occasions from the time I was 17. At that time their standard beginning line used to be - "All these MCC girls..". I used to find it amusing and would keep assuring them I will keep their 'feelings' in mind ;-) Back to the present story. I told uncle to go right ahead (and pour out all his frustrations- lol).

Uncle asked , " Is MBBS better or BE better? "

"Depends uncle. Both are very different and does not suit everyone of us", I answered very diplomatically. Although I truly wanted to say "MBBS of course! The world is filled with Engineers today. We need doctors !! "

" My daughter is in 9th Std and she wants to do MBBS but I want her to do BE. Doing MBBS is too strenuous for a girl. It is better for her to do BE since she will get a job here easily and live comfortably ", uncle assesses practically

Aha! My domain, I thought and started off. Notice how easily he got me to open up and start jabbering ??!!!?

" Uncle .. see.. your daughter has to work for the next 15 years and more. If she does BE for your comfort, what about hersatisfaction? MBBS is such a noble profession. She will struggle initially since she has to be an intern at less wages, do a good specialization and then find a good job, but at the end of the day she would be so proud to live her dream for the rest of her life! Whatever profession she chooses, if she is dedicated, a good life will follow. What if she does BE and hates her job ? She cannot then discontinue and start studying for MBBS all over again. Please please do not force her for a short-term gain. Let her make her choice. Ask her to speak to teachers, seniors and a lot of people , know whats really in store in both the options and then decide. "

Our conversation continued in this fashion until I reached my destination. I gave him some more inputs and listened to his side too. Eventually he thanked me and said he would ask his daughter Sunita to talk to me directly. He actually mistook me for some Career Counsellor. Sheesh - I think I went overboard with my ramblings !!!!! I hope I didn't put him off track at least or end up spoiling Sunita's dreams.

This ride was actually like a reality check for me. My heart went out for this uncle who was braving Bangalore traffic on a Saturday evening worried about his daughter's future and even prepared to share his problems with total strangers just to ensure his daughter does not make a mistake. While I appreciate this uncle and his foresight , I find it also a little sad that even today parents force their dreams on their children. I don't know whether Sunita will manage to become a doctor, but there are many Sunitas out there whose fathers will not even for a split-second consider an alternative and force them to do BE.

To all my blog-readers, What would you have done ??? - This is a future counsellor imploring for unsolicited advice just in case Sunita calls me on her father's behest :-)

B.35

Doesn't the title sound like a code word? Well there is something to it. It is definitely not my workstation number or route number or other such mundane identities. Then what the heck??? Oooooh, I always wanted to be the 'mysterious' girl !! Having one's own blog is FUN. I get to play with people's minds. Like a magician.

Without further hue and cry, let me stand up and reveal to the world that B.35 is my favourite dish in the best restaurant in Bangalore - Little Italy !!! Any Bangalorean who hasn't dined here must hang their head in deep shame. It is criminal. As criminal as my having a blog for the last 4 months and not mentioning it even once! Little Italy is on 100 Ft Road, Indiranagar and it is an Italian Vegetarian fine dining restaurant.

Take a look at their menu and don't tell me you aren't drooling yet ! They have the most mouth watering pastas, lasagnas, raviolis and wood burn pizzas. It is scrumptious. Once the food arrives, I simply forget everyone else around clearly stepping into a whole new 'tastier' world. I kind of lose myself, take in the aroma and the first bite is like ambrosia (Food of the Gods). Wouldn't you want to bite into something as delectable as that?

I am amusing myself with a take on B.35.

Ode to B.35

My life before ravioli

Was not even half as smiley

I tried to be content and happy

But pizzas and dosas made me snappy

There was always good ol' chocolate

Trust me, I spoke to the ice cream and ate

Then came pasta barbaresca

I accidentally discovered it! 'Yuummmmm, n'est pas?'

Topped with dancing Jalapenos

Veggies, Cheese and what else goodness knows

The hint of fresh broccoli

threw my taste buds into a frenzy

There's nothing like a hearty meal

Take this from a foodie full of zest and zeal !!

I know you must be wondering what hit me! I just decided to be outright ridiculous and let myself free :D

** B.35 is Pasta Barbaresca. My favourite. OK I shall stop. I wanted to make my point .. Err..Loud and clear. So who wants to dine with me at Little Italy? ;-)

My first class

I never wanted to be a teacher. An archeologist, astronaut, train driver, even engineer (yes, I know I am boring because eventually I fulfilled that 'goal') but not a teacher in my wildest dreams. When I was in school, I always looked down upon most of my teachers since they used to be the butt of all our nasty jokes. So you can very well imagine what crossed my mind when I stepped into class to teach a room full of little energized tykes.

I was their Art teacher. I mentally pictured Aamir Khan gliding into the room dressed as a clown in 'Taare Zameen Par' and capturing every kids` attention instantly. In sharp contrast, I ventured nervously and wondered how in the name of heaven was I to attract their attention. I requested them to stay quiet - Oh don't laugh, I was trying to be a paragon of virtue ! :-) Obviously they didn't even give me a glance and continued shouting, playing, beating and pinching each other. I raised my voice slightly and managed to silence 2 kids. Hopeful now, I walked around the class for 20 minutes ordering them - 'Finger on your lips' , 'Sit straight' , 'Go and sit in your place' and I was able to get the class to certain sane levels of civilization. Mission 1 accomplished. Teacher was far from fresh.

My students were aged between 8 and 14. This was a Government Tent School and the kids were fluent in Kannada and spoke sparing English. I, on the other hand spoke sparing Kannada and good English. Not a really good start, yes! With a lot of difficulty the books, pencils and colours were produced. I started drawing a cricket bat and there was sudden silence. As I was finishing, all the kids shrieked - " Bat bat bat missss !!!! " Giving them a broad smile, I told them to start drawing in their books. Instantly , all heads bent down and the bat was copied with utter concentration. Have you ever seen tiny tots copying anything? They will do it with perfection - the bat could be drawn with few strokes but even if a single stroke exceeded the calculated length, they will erase it and resume :-) It is endearing. Try and observe next time. They coloured it and clamoured for my attention thrusting their book into my face for approval. Some kids wouldn't take their book back unless I signed off with 'Very good'. Which I love doing - I even add stars and smileys !! Why not ?? ;-)

I drew a few more simple things which they obediently replicated in their notebooks and coloured it brilliantly - A dog, India Flag, Car, Pine-apple. Everytime I started , all the kids would stare at the board wide-eyed and attempt to outbeat one another by guessing what I was drawing. Competitive spirit sets in early truly. Art class is one where the kids never get bored. I don't take any credit here, I think generally all kids enjoy toying with colours. I speak from experience because I sure did !! Finally I drew a cat. All the kids chorused - " BEKKU BEKKU " !!! I heard it as " Ducku Ducku ". Staring hard at my cat , I tried to figure out why the kids were calling it a Duck. I erased the cat and re-drew. Again the same chant - "BEKKU BEKKU ". I was stumped for a minute and my friend came to my rescue by explaining that Cat in Kannada is Bekku. It was enlightening to me , not to mention embarassing ! :-)

I am only a part-time teacher but I am truly happiest when I am surrounded by these little angels who really deserve a better life. I shall write my other experiences with these kids and fellow volunteers as every single one of them deserves a mention!

You may visit this LINK to know more.

Update --- This post was later published in the official RIF blog too.

Life's like that

I confess I have stolen the title of this post from a popular column in 'Reader's Digest'. The idea is to write some "Stuff" ( My blog is called stuff and nonsense for nothing! ) and I have decided to start with the title of this blog post.

So, spurred by a few good friends and decent motivation levels, I registered for a 10km marathon in my city couple of months back. I 'practised' - in true exam style, exactly only 1 day prior to the event by walking 4 kms and jumping into the nearest auto huffing and panting. If you're wondering whether I still managed the impossible, YEAH I DID! First, Drum roll followed by Applause please!! :-) Even after I got the certificate in my hands from the organizers, I felt strangely funny (proud definitely). At the cost of sounding overly philosophical, I understood then what people mean when they say that the journey matters more than the destination.

** Flash back to 31st May '09 **

The marathon was to start at 8 A.M. The scene at the stadium was nothing short of a carnival. There were different tracks - One for the elite and competent, One for those running for a cause (that was me), one for senior citizens and one for people running in a group and dressed in fetching costumes. At 8, we set off. I participated with 4 other colleagues cum friends. At the offset, we ran together slowly taking in the cool breeze and enjoying the new experience. Trust me, we realized that day exactly how 'far' a distance of 1 km can be !! Amongst us, I had the least stamina - I was the first to stop the momentum and begin to walk slowly. One of my friends A slowed down and ensured I took a couple of deep breaths before we took off again and caught up with the rest.

My marathon continued this way after the 2nd km. I was exhausted , breathless (ashamed to admit it, but tis a fact) and continuously cursing myself for wasting a precious Sunday morning. My friends A & V kept me company in turns walking and jogging with me till we reached 7kms. The organizers had kept people like me in mind and there were innumerable stalls with energy drinks and water all along. Not just that, all participants were given a goody bag with eatables, first-aid and some freebies. Are you now repenting not having participated ?? ;-)

When we reached the 8km milestone, my friends were totally charged ( I was nowhere close to 'charged', I was still dreaming about my warm bed and a feast ...Phew ) and decided to finish off the last leg running !! So without further ado, they vanished .. literally. I swear - One moment they were all around me and puff! They were lost in the crowd. I decided not to attempt any more running than I had to and ambled along slowly waving to the morning walkers and enthusiastic spectators. Suddenly it hit me that I didn't have my mobile and I didn't have my bag or money on me either (My friend A was sweet enough to carry it for me seeing my condition). Guess what I did! I started running searching for my buddies .. Yeah I ran and ran ( Sort of like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump ) and never spotted them. My mind worked overtime and I decided to stand by my friend's car in case I didn't find them in the crowd. I didn't even observe the 9km milestone in all this and Viola! - I was at the finish line only to welcomed by my friend V who was looking for us at the gate. Yippee!!! My journey took a total of 1.5 hours (Not too bad for someone who walked most of the way :P ) I was thrilled to bits and I was taking home a certificate after almost 2 years :D

Thanks to my friends who took part with me. It was one of those sunny memorable marvellous days.

Oh, I cannot forget how divine that Dosa and Lime juice after the race was either :-)

Some food for thought - Don't you think this marathon has some similarities with 'life'? - Speaking in a very broad sense. I am curious to know how you would interpret it.

A long time ago..

I was 10 when I watched the movie Free Willy - Part I. It was summer vacation and my cousins and I were glued to the TV. The movie is about the growing friendship between an orca whale, Keiko and a 12 year old Jesse. For months I was fascinated with just about everything involving Free Willy - the boy, the whale, the ocean, the adventure !! I didn't miss Free Willy - Part II & III as and when they were released. Part II & III are filled with adventurous tales of rescuing Keiko from a crashed oil tanker, ocean fires and illegal whalers. Nevertheless for nearly 3 years, I always dreamt passionately that I would someday train a killer whale and rescue my "loving pet" from the blasted dangers of the world !!! ;-) You could call it an obsession I guess. I even named my imaginary whale. I don't recall when I eventually forgot Keiko but I am confident the subsequent dreams got bigger (and better) :-)

There is an ulterior motive behind all this rambling (in case you did not realize). In the first movie Free Willy, the OST - "Will you be there?" is a song very very close to my heart. The song, video, music and voice are all equally mesmerising and haunting. Every time I watch the whale soar high from the ocean and dive back in, I feel elated and can literally hear the sound of the splash. This one song gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. I don't want to post the YouTube or MP3 link here, but please do check it out.

Oh just for the sake of completing this post, the OST was composed by none other than Michael Jackson.I think everyone of us has some teeny weeny memory involving his chartbusters.