Back to business

I am in Bangalore, back from home after a month hiatus. Hope I am fine now. Still to get back to full, rosy pig health. Time to get back to work. Why not start with some blog :). Posted some of the old ones. Bear the boredom.

A cautionary reminder of the 'dont blame me later' warning-- This blog is strictly personal experiences... neither world enlightening one liners nor a collection of funny encounters.

Recuperating with IISC A-mess

2005 Nov 4-6:

Friday was holiday on the occasion of Ramzan. I thought, that would give my stomach another long weekend to mend itself. By the end of the first day it was clear, my control over food egress (doesn’t that sound acceptable replacement for diarrhea?:) ) is out of my hands; in spite of medication for two days and self prepared curd rice(as bitter to swallow as medicine:( ). In fact, it looked as if the condition has worsened. Even water seemed sewage to my poor, famished, food treatment plant.

Saturday, on invitation by Guru, I landed up in desperation at IISc. I gave up all the hope by that time and was prepared to gulp anything; since it didn’t matter what I am eating/drinking. All that ends up in drains anyway. With my deep hollow eyes and holes in my cheeks I show up at guru's lab feigning I am strong enough despite breach of banks in my food pipe. Surprising, the stomach seem to behave decent. It had allowed me a trip to Eloor Library. It had let me finish off Surya's Gajini too. Good.

It is interesting to see what a marriage can do to people. In the past Guru, was addicted to coffee, music, movies and books. Lately phone conversations have pushed the rest to secondary status. By the way, mobile phone is an aberration to this ascetic's life style. Earlier, several fellos in the campus (especially the fresher, the girl and the meek communities ) were victims only of his laughter. Now, to the embarrassment of his circle of friends, his legendary ultra loud roaring laughter is accompanied by a 'I love you dear' to Bhargavi over phone. The gentle giant Regin is a customary victim to Guru's audacity.

Out of sheer boredom and fear to stay alone at House, landed up at IISc on Sunday too. I must be given a honorary degree just for the time I spend on campus. I can discuss all the campus politics, all girls, 'Voices' and the rest with elan. Advantage of a noisy company. Isn't this enough for a degree? That’s what the registered students achieve anyway. Just kiddin. I know they achieve more … by publishing all this? :).

Finished Murakami from Vintage Classics on Sunday. I felt, some of the stories had significant similarity to my association with Sunil and Bura, though there are striking, undoable differences. May be Bura was right when she says I am a love lorn fool. Highlight of Sunday was Mallikarjun Mansur's Bhairavi courtesy Guru. The sight of 'calm river at sunrise' flows in air thru his deep rendering. Guru says, 'His voice reminds me of sparklers - a line with lots of bristling sparks'. Difference of opinion? Acceptable in music-- whose effects are always context sensitive.

The dream machine is running.

2005 Oct 29 - Nov 2
The week ahead is Diwali and by virtue of Indian festivals, I get 7 days of vacation during a 9 day period- starting from Saturday to following Sunday. Sadly heavy rains disrupted entire southern and south eastern rail system and road transport is not safe either. Added to that is my chronic diarrhea which forced me to run to loo than to VZM. Thus a precious vacation lost to uncontrolled downpour. (pun intended :)) To avoid boredom, as usual I landed up at IISc in search of some pleasant time on that Saturday. However, my grumbling stomach kept me away from calmness. As a last resort I called up Sunil in the night and told my prob. As usual, they felt as if it is one of them who is being troubled. After a few customary scolding for not informing early, they referred me to their family doc over phone and made me swallow Lopamide first. Then ordered that I should be in Chennai by Sunday.

Scary. Spooky. Goose bumpy. Awe. These are a few expressions that came to my mind when Sunil completed his dream about one of my visits. Some time back, he told me that he dreamt of my being unwell. I didn’t give any importance to that then. But when he completed it during this trip, I lost my senses. His complete dream was that, I will visit them when I am sick. Travel by bus. Color of the bus is green. I give up. Never could I have imagined that I travel when I am not well. That too by bus. And the pale green color of the bus I took? What kind of intuition is this? Superhuman. He claims that Krishna talks to him. Shiva guides him. And that he can connect to people. Must be true. This dream machine is churning more. More about that in a different blog.

Anyway, the moment I landed in Chennai, stomach has become as peaceful as it can be. Either the Lopamide has done the trick or the bacteria in the intestines were busy fighting the robust Chennai bacteria. Or is it psychological confidence in the presence of those who care? I trust the last reason. My solitary existence is in need of a big hug. 12 yrs of hostel life doesn’t let me enjoy isolated professional life. More than anything else, my stomach was craving for Bhu's culinary treats.

On Monday, with Sunil and Bura going on their ways to work, I found my self alone. To fend some boredom, I set off to cancel railway tkts that I have booked earlier to go to VZM. What a site! Thanks to unusually heavy rains in Chennai, the Taramani-Thiruvanmayur road is a witness to unnature. Four days after rains and four full days of Chennai sun, the 'Institute for fast processess' (first time I heard there is one such institute in India) is still in ankle deep water. The 'Research Institute for Highways and Roads' ironically has an approach way that will require the hapless employees to wade thru water for about 50 meters. So much for highways, which become waterways during cyclone.


...Work in progress :)

October trip to chennai

Sunil and Bhuvana 

Preparations for the trip start early with my search for a denim gown. How can I go to affable Bura with nothing in hands? My search thru the shops in Comm st ended vainly in raising an SOS with sumana. On her suggestion, I go to Baby Shop in Dickenson Rd and pick one nearest to what I was looking for, sadly this nearest is too far. But no options. Running short of time.

Sat morn 6.00 AM. Sunil is awake by the time I reach, ready with a tea too. Tea at 6? Who else will be making tea so early …. Go and ask the tea shack chap nearest to you and you should be surprised if he is not a mallu. Any way What more do you want from a host? Oops, I was never a guest at this house. This is my extended home. Bura says I feel so because, it is at their place that I get some bit of importance for the first time. I don’t care.

Sunil has apparently completed his DC meeting successfully the previous week and is in high spirits. Good to see him that way. The morning chat drifted from his thesis work to his dreams. If you have seen Minority Report, you are aware of the 'precogs' who are maintained to know about crime in advance. Sunil is probably destined to become a precog for archeology. It is amazing how he dreams of some vague place (typically a temple) which actually turns out to be very real. Lately courtesy a family rudraksha presented by Bura to him, he seem to dreamt Bura's family deity thus forcing a fresh dig at tracing Bura's family history. The spooky materializations of his dreams will give shivers to the unawares. From my count, he has seen existence of three temples with a resolution of about few nuts and bolts on main door. :)

Bura was not home till evening as she was attending a conf. Had to survive Sunil's experiments with food for that afternoon. Went to watch 'The Island' at OAT that evening. Gritty Bura has turned up for the movie after that tiring three day conference. Funny how fate test your mettle. While Sunil and Bura were coming by bike, the tyre punctured and all they could manage is a 45 min movie. No one can doubt of such discomfort by seeing their calm faces. Blessed guys. They are only annoyed by each other with their concern for respective others.

Sunday passed as usual, happily with lot of silly banter and some good food. Evenings are the most eventful. Surprise was in store for Sunil when Bura gifted him a watch. Simple things to show you love. Surprise was in store for me to discover that there is a PadmanabhaSwamy temple in Adyar junction. Surprise because, I thought I knew surroundings of IIT very well; all the while missing this large temple right in the busy road. Later, Bura bought some saffron. 'Saffron'? Why didn’t it occur to me while I was thinking what I can take for her? It missed me completely that pregnant women would like to have saffron. Simple things to show you care. My bad.