Reading Books

Reading books was not at all in my daily routine all my life time. Be it a text book or a novel it could never attract my attention. But I was tempted by the stories that my sis used to say after reading the books. “you will have to read them by yourself, to have the feel of the story” I used make all the excuses of exams, assignments and make her tell the story. You know my interests were just limited to the stories…….not the reading part of it……..

Once my sis introduced me to the works of a writer named Ramani Chandran. My god she writes all romantic stores. My sis always liked her works. My sis reads all sorts of books, mostly novels. To her it just meant time passing. To me it was time killing. I can never hold the curiosity of knowing the climax. Sometimes I have tried making my own screen play of the various novels. I would skip so many chapters and still get the hang of the story. I was considering myself to be creative as I could make out links of the story just by reading some 25% of the book. I had so much pride doing it. I used to tease my sis of wasting time by reading the whole story. But she had always restrained by saying that “She had a feel of the story”. Damn it I was still proud of my talents.

As my summer vacation came up……………..I was bored and badly needed to kill time. What doing useful things? That was out of my purview sorry………I thought of reading book………of course novels. I took the one my sis recommended. It was a historic novel having some information about the Cholas………that sounded interesting to me…………………..Though I never scored well in history exams, I had a flair for the ancient kingdoms. I took the book titled “Ponniyin Selvan” but was shocked to see five volumes of it. What am I going to do a thesis is it? I scolded my sis for giving this idea. But watching the idiot box made me more irritated. I thought at least I will have the freedom of imagination……….let me venture it out.

At first it looked as if it was a history text book rather than a novel. As the chapters rolled by, I could notice one thing strange. I was reading it word by word. I couldn’t afford to skip even words for I would miss the poetic beauty of narration. The story interested me a lot……I finished the five volumes of it in a month. I couldn’t believe myself. I have read a complete novel without hindering my imaginative skills……..That was amazing……..

Somebody told about Angels & Demons. Ok………this time its going to be English novel………….I completed reading it in a week…….that was more interesting. So guys I am a good reader (of novels J) I have something to add on to my resume probably……….Now I have planned to read The Digital Fortress………………………..

Easwari

“Amma, get up it’s already 6.00” my daughter woke me up. What? Not again. I’ve got up late today also. I’ll have to cook and make them ready. My daughter would have done one fourth of my work early in the morning. I thanked god for at least I have someone to help me.

I refreshed myself and prepared morning drink for my family. “I feel good only when I drink cup of tea prepared my darling” this is my husband, as if he never has tea outside. My son will not get up until his cup of milk is given. I went near his bed and called him, “thambhi…….” I was shocked as he stood up in the first call itself. He took the cup from me murmuring something. “What? What did u tell now?” “Easwari……..mmm…..nothing ma”. It looked as if he is trying to hide something from me.

I switched on the radio to change my bad mood. The moment I increased the volume, my son ran to the hall and started humming……”Easwari unna kalyaanam pannika aasapadarain” He always does this with the songs he like. But there is something really fishy in this……. I went to the kitchen continuing my thoughts at a slower pace. Lunch is packed in the boxes, half my task is accomplished. Something flashed in my mind…..yes my son was murmuring Easwari.when I gave him glass of milk.

What happened to my son? I was aware that my son had girlfriends, a list of hardly five girls. He had never mentioned this name before. Who could that be? Should I ask him? No he gets irritated when he smells a slightest disbelief in our minds and starts shouting. No. I cannot make him feel bad. Then?

Shall I ask my elder daughter? Nowadays he had started speaking more to her. They always giggle, pull each other legs, and sometimes even beat each other. I was surprised at the first time when they started talking smoothly as they’ve never been like this before. None of their tastes match. Might be she can explain this. I went to my daughter, who started laughing at my doubt. My goodness, what happened to this obedient daughter? “Amma to my opinion, he has only friends and not girl friends”

I went to office heavy hearted wanting somebody to give me a solution to this problem. During the lunch time as usual everybody started complaining about their kids. I never take part in such conversations as I really don’t want to let my children down. One colleague was complaining about her daughter engaged in phone always, other was complaining about her son getting phone calls from girl friends, etc. As I had the same problem, I sharpened my ears. Sharmi asked “how can you conclude that your boy is in love when he is getting just phone calls?” Girija told, “He is getting calls from the same girl”. “What? From the same girl?” this was Poornima, whose son got married recently to his lover. “I tell you, there should not even a bit of carelessness in this aspect. You will have an alert all the time if you really want your son to be yours?” Though I didn’t understand the link between a love marriage and the son departing with her, I concentrated in her words as I am in dire need of an advice. “Is your son talking to himself very often? Girija nodded her head a fast as she could. “Is he murmuring songs? Does he go out to attend calls? Does he see the mobile as soon as he gets up?” Nodding her head to all of the questions, Girija broke out to a loud cry. I didn’t show my expressions though my blood pressure rose up to its heights. If my son has a love marriage, who will marry me daughters? Oh…….I should somehow resolve this matter.

I went back home with a determined spirit to break my son’s love. My son came back late at 9.00pm. “Where were you so long?” “I went to meet my lover”. “What? When did you start doing this? “Oh amma the day when I saw my Easwari” replied my son in a romantic mood. “Why my son, why?” I almost broke out to cry. He started laughing louder, which made my daughters come out of the bedroom. “What happened amma?” “Ask your brother”. She turned to him he told, “She is worried I might marry Easwari” Everybody started laughing. I was a bit confused am I getting fooled? My elder sister was considerate enough to explain the situation to me. “Amma Easwari is a name that comes in a recent movie. Your lad likes it and is humming that. It has nothing to do with his love. He has only girls as friends and not girl friends” I was not convinced by that. “amma if at all I love a girl, I would first tell it to you, get your permission and then only would marry. It’s my promise ma” My younger daughter told “don’t worry anna, I will help you in your mission”. I was feeling a little guilty as I doubted my son for things which he never had an intention.

”Easwari unna kalyaanam pannika aasapadarain, the song is really nice is n’t it amma?” asked my elder daughter. “you should sing as Easwara and not Easwari” oh not again…

Phone Call

Tring …….Tring………I woke up on hearing my phone bell………who would call me at this time? Thought I. whoever it might be but they are sure to get a bang from me for disturbing my Saturday afternoon nap. Before I could get up, the call got cut. Would it be my husband? No the Malaysian timing is two and a half hour from the IST and it would be just 5.30pm there. I can never even imagine my husband seeing the sunset. To him it’s always working time and he hardly comes home from work. Since there is nobody to peg to return to home, he hardly remembers he has a residing place there too. Further he had the habit of calling us once in a week, mostly on Sunday (the day for his sleep at home).

Again the phone rang and as I was about to reach it, there was pin drop silence. Who is it trying to wake me up? Would it be my daughter or son? No way. They hardly remember me during summer vacation that too when they are in their Aunt’s place. “She makes cute crafts mummy. You don’t even know how to clean it u r a total waste” this is my daughter. She is so much impressed of my sister-in-law. “She makes delicious Jamoons…mummy yours always breaks before we eat. Hers always melts in the mouth” this is my son. This is what they have to tell about my talents. For your information both of them are telling their opinion about my two different in-laws! I always get irritated by these as I knew my cooking and crafting skill. I hardly prepare any sweets and never try out crafts. I always tell them that I am working and I can’t afford to get trained in all these and disturb my routine works. Anyways I am relived from them during summer vacation time due to the grace of my sister in-laws. So finally it’s not my children. Then?

Again the phone rang disturbing my thoughts. I literally ran toward the phone. But my running skills were overridden by the single ring of the phone. It got cut. I was totally frustrated and started scolding my husband for renting such a big house. I am the one who wanted a big kitchen and only this house had a bigger kitchen accommodating all I required. Will that be my father? Or any other relative of mine who really wanted my help? My anger converted itself to sympathy for the one who badly wanted my help.

Tring Tring……….this time the phone rang violently and I was successful in picking the receiver before the call getting cut. I was so excited that I told “yaarungha vaenum unghaluaku” as politely as I can. “Are you Mrs. Kumar?” asked a bold voice. “Yes” this time I warned my mind not to think of anything bad to anybody. “I am coming to your house now” before I could reply back he cut the call.

I was tensed. Who is he? Why is he coming to my house? Is he a robber fascinated by the Malaysian dollar salary my husband earns? Or a person attracted by the jewels my family wears? I was getting more and more tensed as the time passed. Tring………..this time it was my calling bell. I went up collecting all my confidence and opened the door. There stood a smart young chap in the age of my brother. He asked me “are you Mrs. Kumar?” the asked me the same voice……………..I was shocked to death when he pushed the door and entered the house. Before I could think of running out, he locked the door. I triggered my mind as to think of who he might be. He took a cover from his jerkin slowly providing time for me to imagine that it is a revolver. He gave the cover with a smiling face, “mam this is from your husband, there is Rs. 50,000 in this and I am his friend Ashwin”. Confused whether to laugh or shout, I made a big smile in my face. “Thank you for taking such efforts to hand it safely to me” He could have understood what I meant in a soothing voice he told, “sorry if I had frightened you. This is the first time that I am handling such a responsibility to deliver money”. Convinced by his words, I told “Don’t worry man, you’ll soon get used to it, but preferably change your process”. So that’s the way my husband proved he really remembers us and that he has a home. I rushed to the phone to inform my husband that the money had reached me safely?!

Crafting……..

Crafting is an interesting hobby. It makes you feel good of yourself. Many ask me how and from where you learned to make these crafts. I believe that crafting doesn’t come just by learning. Of course you get a clue of doing things but, a final master piece can be achieved only when you add your imagination and creativity to it. I do see and follow the illustrations that come in magazines. For people like me who always try to visualize anything and everything they hear crafting comes easier that’s it.

The process I follow to create an art piece is the thought of gifting some one, making note of things they like, the visualization of how they react when they see this gift, then only the actual process of crafting comes.

Many at times I’ve landed in creating pieces which I never had in mind. This might go with the saying “Pillayar pidika kuranga vantha kathai” (please we’ll ignore the actual meaning of the saying for the time being). Once I thought of creating a jewel box and landed up in making a stationery box due to the fact that I made a bigger box than I imagined. The most interesting piece was when I wanted to create chairs and sofas out of ice-cream stick but landed up in an “Oonjal”. I don’t know whether the chair would have been nice but the Oonjal was really very cute. There are numerous projects which I started and still not finished for want of the right occasion to gift others.

Once I wanted to tryout new kind of box, to store some jewel out of newspapers. The project involved rolling the papers and sticking together to form a box. First I started rolling using a thin roller, slowly grew lazy, rolling with a thick sketch pen. But to my surprise the box came out very cute. Nobody could identify the raw material I used for it. I was forced to gift it to my colleague who, greatly impressed by it didn’t even mind snatching from me. To keep up my image of tolerance I smiled and said take it “with pleasure” (?). It gives me immense pleasure when I see my gifts adding beauty to my colleagues’ worktables.

That was the lighter side of crafting. Actually speaking crafting is a not a time passing activity. It improves the concentration power, relieves stress and gives a sense of satisfaction (when the piece is in some shape!!). Every craft that I’ve made has its own stories to tell. My emotions actually pacifies in to a pleasant calm mood no matter how strong was the emotion. The art of crafting is really wonderful can only be felt. So people lets go crafting…….

Blogs.........

Feels good, to write something and share thoughts. When thoughts are shared, there is nothing that breaks your head. Its amazing to know about the speed of our thoughts. We are able to arrange ideas in a systematic fashion, put them across to an audience and finally, feel lights as the entire load from your head has been downloaded and documented. Great!!! I am back to blog world…………

Rain

Feeling fresh by the mercy of rain, I thought why can’t I blog about rain? Rain has a good role to play in my life as it always gives immense joy and transfers my mood to the default happy mood. During childhood days, when I was in primary school, the rain gave me pleasure as I would be allowed to wear my cute rain coat! It was very nice in transparent pinkish shade. I loved it because it had two small packets where I can fetch water, pour it and refill again, a little childish but good doing it. When I entered my middle school, I would pray for my dad not to call up to school whether it is working, as if he did that I would not get an opportunity to go in rain…………..How nice it is to play in rain without really making your dress wet……..

During my higher secondary days I would run early to school on hearing that low depression is formed in the Bay of Bengal. Even before my father would start shall I call school? School was in walking distance and I enjoyed going to school on rainy days…….every time it came some how my spirits gets boosted up and I am extremely happy…………..

I used to watch the trees, water dripping from the leaves, the wet walls, small pools and ponds formed on the road. My brother and I used to name those ponds as coffee and tea seeing the color the mud gave to the water. I liked the clear ponds on the road and would step in to it, if possible jump in to it. Seriously speaking, I never minded about the spectacles dripping with water but wished they too had wipers so that I can enjoy the rain to my heart full. I would even prefer to walk without spectacles (to note, I had a high power of -2 in both the eyes) rather to sit and clean them. Trust me the landscape painted by rain looks very cute even with that powerful eyes!!! During my college days when I had to wear a saree too I enjoyed the arrival of rain. The place I studied had a large ground filled with grass and trees at the fences. When I was in class at the time of rain I used long for a peacock to come and dance. It used to happen very often during the rainy days. I still remember the day when I was totally lost watching the Peacock and blabbered to the simplest question my lecturer. Thankfully I was her pet and she asked me what was wrong with me I showed her the wonderful pose of the Peacock and as a result the whole period got exciting watching it. I long for such a scene to happen in front of me.

During my postgraduate classes I enjoyed the other work of rain………the calm and beautiful seascape! My college was near Marina and I had the opportunity of visiting the seashore very often. There was no need for me to bunk classes as I hardly had classes in the evenings. No body should miss Marina during the rainy seasons. The bristling when combined with the hot “Mulaga bajji” would be simply great. We used to have them to the stomach full even it brings tears. Gone are those days’ folks…..

I am now working…….but still I am enjoying rain. My mother still complains me wearing bright dresses during rainy days as she is the one washing my clothes. But she can never understand the pleasure of enjoying the creativity of rain…………The bright clothes look brighter in rain and I want to welcome rain by wearing it. I don’t use black umbrellas as it might convey a wrong meaning that I am mourning for the rain……I don’t want that meaning to be conveyed. People I have sinus, which necessitates me to stay away from rain but I can never do it. I don’t think even for a minute to get drenched in rain except for that matter I might not be able to enjoy the rain again if I fall sick. My parents make it a point that I don’t get wet in rain even for a minute in the fear of cold or fever. So at least to enjoy rain I should come to office. I forgot to mention something……..I’ve got infected with cold and every body doubt whether I am talking through my nose……..But still I am waiting for the next outpour of rain……….