Love with Levity

 

Levity is one word I’m in love with. I cling on to it as much as I can like a victim from a crashing plane to a parachute. As much as I’m in love with this word, I guess I irk people around me!

 

You’ve forgotten the keys! – Oh its ok – I can spend another hour outside reading my ‘fiction’ with the help of the streetlight (err was it Tolstoy who did it before?..not sure!!). You’ve taken all the keys with you! – Borrow the neighbor’s lock for once! Keep some money with you – Oh I have the bus fare. You haven’t combed your hair, your bindi is not there, you look like a disaster!– You say the same when im ‘best dressed’ with all possible feats to beautify myself! Anyways I’ll carry a comb and ask my colleague for a Bindi! Oh I love hop the wall, pop the corn life I was floating through.

 

It isn’t all that easy everyday I guess. Especially when I get into a Volvo to escape the ‘poking crowd’ and sit next to the ‘well dressed gentleman’ ahem no I’m completely conscious of the probability of the readers in here and I swear I didn’t notice any further. Anyways It wasn’t easy to sit there and search a bag that is ditto to a school bag and churn out coins from among all the other trashes (my endeavor to save the roads from litter.. you see) and count it right there with a stranger staring at you as though you have landed right from another planet all for the heck of forgetting your purse! I almost thought I might have to ask for a rupee or 2 when fortunately one of the innermost pockets of the bag gifted me a long forgotten coin!

 

So I entirely understood the plight of another ‘well-dressed’ person with an ID card and US accent climbed up to the first floor of the building and knocked at our door for 70Rs! He even offered to keep his gold plated watch with us. Since Eby was there to deal with the whole situation I conveniently sat there behind the curtain in the comfortable sofa enjoying my ‘chocolate ice cream’ only to be shocked to hear my husband deny that man.

 

??!! He ought to be in utter disaster if he had all the patience in the world to learn US accent (quite perfectly I would say), and then go around for 70Rs! But Eby had for a change become a Sherlock Holmes! How was he drunk this early? He said he met with an accident, Y dint he have any dust or dirt in his clothes, why did he climb up till the first floor when there were actually more people downstairs and other houses nearby? Why did he fumble when I said there weren’t any bachelors in the house he claimed to be his friend’s house? Why didn’t he approach occupants of the same building who would have at least known his friend? Why couldn’t he call up a person he knew? Why didn’t he take an auto to someone he knew and then pay the Rick fellow? What if I kept his watch here and he later claimed that I robbed him of all his belongings and the watch was a proof! What with the happenings here for the past few weeks, how can I trust anyone! (Did I hear appreciations for living with a detective? J thank you!)

 

So the next time I forget my lock inside and ask for another lock I’d better be safe that the neighbor doesn’t think me a crook forging keys! Next time I dream of borrowing a rupee or two I better not risk being mistaken for a planned deceptive ‘watever’! I can’t blame Eby for being reluctant to part with an odd figure of 70 bucks to a drunk ‘well dressed’ stranger. Nor can I come to think that a person who looked like that would intend to do anything! But the fact is, his branded clothes, shoes or a gold plated watch & accent did not save him from the humiliation of being turned down for 70rs thanks to the happenings around us in Bangalore. For here, with the horrendous surging of murders & robbery, people sure seem to go to hell in a handbasket! No one seem to have any clue whom to trust and whom not to.       

 

There was a time when the world and our thinking were not like this. A time when the good old village of mine, never heard of conning. There was a time when you step out of your house with a bruise and you have your whole village asking about it. Don’t know about other cities but thanks to the cops in Bangalore (who seem to be in an indefinite slumber) and the crime rates soaring up faster than skyrockets – we are left on our own. Get hit, Get lost, Get strangled no one would help or rather no one would dare to!! That extra money, extra pair of keys and extra caution L seems inevitable! Alvida dear levity!

 

 

 

Much Ado about Nothing!

Is it me, my paper or… Guys/(girls too) please help me know as to whats wrong with who!

Couple of day before, in the paper the front page talks about Pakistan admitting its involvement in Mumbai attacks (which speaks the gravity of the situation for both countries) and very close to it with same importance is given Muthaliks – Pink chaddi  & his khadi sari news.. By now you all know what the whole thing is about! The next day same thing confronts me in the front page – Muthalik and his sena going haywire about V-day in other parts of Karnataka, being calm in Bangalore, Bajrang Dal being the berserk forceful matchmaker somewhere and being the placid “krishna love” admirers handing out Vday cards elsewhere!  And guess what I had to read on the third page of the vary same paper? Group Kiss in Mexico enter Guinness!!

There is Indian security issue at hand, there is an airshow here with 26 countries participating, there is this recession issue to deal with..etc!!!And the senas were busy buying chaddis and selling khadar saris. I wonder what they would have done in Mexico? Suicided or mass murdered? or would have themselves entered the Guinness record as the greatest match maker in the world.

It is so damn easy for a handful of youth to get into a pub and beat up girls, It is easy to stand in groups, catch up a couple and tell them to marry. Excuse me protectors, we looked around anxiously when we were wrapped up in 6 full yards of cotton cloth, travelling with our spouse when guys tried to poke their finger at us? Where were you? having tea breaks? Oh ok, perhaps these “Guys” who are out there, just to make travelling a torture for us girls is helping protect “Indian Culture” as well? These “Guys” who just make walking on roads an aerobic exercise for us (what with their dashing from all sides) is actually protecting the ‘sanctity’ of our “culture”?

MatchMaking – Do you even know what marriage is all about to marry off young couples just because they held hands? What rights do you have to claim that my country’s marriage belief is founded on the basis 0f ‘holding hands’?

Pub – What happened to “Sri Ram” value of treating women with respect?  The media story of Mangalore Pub Assault wasnt actually showing any “Maryada Purushottam” followers there!!

Indian Culture – If we have a couple more of such leaders, India wouldnt be there for them to protect Indian Culture!!  They will be so busy weaving Khadi Sarees for us, when the world around would have reached greater heights of progress and crushed us in seconds!

I’m appalled that one person as old as Muthalik can actually talk ‘such nonsense’, I’m alarmed at Acharya’s reaction to the whole situation! (Il need a seperate post for all those remarkable remarks!!), I’m dumbfound that there are actually youth who help sena and bajrang dal carry out their stupidity!, I’m blinking at the media making it their front page headlines for so many days! I’m confused as to how useful an exposure for the elections this would be for the particular groups! I’m sitting with my jaws dropped to the floor thinking how stupid can a whole nation get!

I certainly do not need a culture which will put me in the condition girls are put to in Afghanistan sans the protection they have. Im as wrapped up as an egyptian mummy is and guys keep peeping for one ‘open space’ and they give me the crap that they are trying to make the bharatiya naari? what about Ram jaise “maryada purushottams”?

I certainly dont have to take my time out and go stand in long queues, take the pain to chose some leader who displays such foolishness or allows during his tenure such foolishness!

I guess all those with sanity think this way! Is this nation at this juncture having too many self proclaimed rulers? Are we all sleeping to endure with those who think they are ‘Hitlers’ and force it upon us? Is it because our leaders have nothing regarding, security, development, recession  issues to deal with? Is there going to be a new department called Moral Policing? Moral Policing Minister – Mr. Muthalik! ?

My weekend trip – A tryst with Nature

 

I got 2 days for my eyes to feast upon. Now, as I relish those lovely moments let me try to frame it with words..the images I captured with the eyes of my mind. Now before you read the whole things and judge me a ‘psycho’ let me tell you to consider it in a more ‘relative’ term ;P.  For someone who hardly stepped out of the “office – house” consistent & infinite loop..it sure is worth writing about.

 

Our start off on Friday evening was eventful. A whole lot of chaos of getting late & yet another creative brain claiming the conductor that we are reporters from Aaj tak & would like to cover his ‘fuming’ at us has to be termed as eventul!! J

 

Saturday dawned with a ‘mind bathe’ in the river sowparnika. The ripples of flowing water alongside the greenery was worth watching though a dip in it was not ‘thinkable’ as the nearby masonry was taking its toll on the river. From there we went to Mookambika Temple. This is one temple which I was told I wouldn’t be able to make it unless the deity wanted me to! So to sum it up I had been to “the place” where I “had wanted” to go all my life but thought it was “impossible to”. The very mention of the word ‘tour’ would make me spring with joy so imagine the effects of a much-awaited one.

 

The only consolation I have when the world around calls me dumb ;P is that ‘I was born on the day my people celebrate the day of this Goddess of Literature.(yeah I see to it that I declare it as and where possible & it is with great difficulty I fitted this sentence here..phewww..) So it goes without saying that each step of my way in her sanctum was with awe. I found myself writing on those stones her name so that she would bless my pen forever, watched the kids start their first step of their journey to knowledge. This was one of those places devoid of captions & catalysts to stir up our devotion. And since devotion was one of those things which worked best without catalyst I had a great time with my inner self & the supremacy.

 

After noon we had a ‘bumpy’ or any ‘appropriate superlative’ ride to the hills of kudajaadhiri. Superlative coz by the team we reached the top a couple of us were completely shaken. The photographers were at work and the elders were at an easeful pace. I couldn’t spare a moment of mine to either. The view in front of me was the elixir I could ever hope to see and the tranquility it brought with it diminished the chaos around into distant clutter.

 

The trek uphill was worth it, trust me – for every step we took. I fell in love instantly with lush green abyss in front of me so much so that eby was left behind ;P. The trip to murudeshwar was the next day. Was much more easy when compared to this and yeah with a lot of perks on your way with the landscapes and sea playing hide & seek as you travel. It was hard to keep your eyes open but the thought that a person like me cannot ‘afford’ to miss the smallest visual treat helped me stay awake.

 

If it was greenery in Kudajaathiri, it was cool blue that soothed my eyes in Murudeshwar. As far as eyes could reach it was blue. The horizon where sea & sky met was blue and up even the sky was blue. And to compliment that we had huge structures in ash & golden . Now here in Murudeshwar I dint feel anything close to folding my hands and bowing my head. You know it was meant to attract, and attracted I was. It wasn’t a place, which allowed you to go back & explore your inner self. It had eye-catchy structures and scenery and as all guys invariably put it, when it is there for us to see, might as well open our eyes wide and see; P.

 

After a small  break (though unforgettable as I had my first fall in the sea!!) in a beach nearby, we went to Udupi Krishna temple. I don’t think I can put it in words the emotions that this small silent temple evoked in me. The fact that the trip was almost over clubbed with the confusion whether we would actually have time for the darshan before boarding our bus let me down a bit. But finally when we actually could have the darshan, Krishna especially in his quiet humble abode, glowing with gold sure had the effect on me as he would ever have, if not more!

 

I sure should thank my cousins, esp the avid traveler (by now this has become his pseudonym in my friend circle) for gifting me moments that don’t wear off with time, and sights that just don’t fade off J. Infact I guess I should thank them more to have roped in eby into a travel spree which was almost impossible for me all these days ;P