Grey Matter

I decided to accompany @balaarjunan from office even though I started early. And as cliched as it can get : It rained. Rained cats and gods.(Yeah I know that its “Rained cats and ****”. But I don’t want to call them by their first name and call upon their wrath. I call them as Gods just to please them)

There is one thing about rains — it increases your biological needs. I mean when you are hungry it makes you feel more hungry, when you want to piss, it makes it more urgent need.

After waiting for a long time we decided to cover bala’s laptop with black sheets(Thanks to the black panthers ) and was ready to hit the road.

He was like batman with a long black paper on his back.

We went to Sholinganallur (Stupid people call this nice named place as SHOLS). There is a tea shop in Sholinganallur that is the first tea shop to open in the entire area. I used to have tea here at 3 am in the morning sometime  back.  Thanks to the night outs at office.

Being nostalgic to the 3 am tea, coupled with the rains, I recommended we have tea in the same shop.  Tea at 10:30 in the night did not seem right idea for Arjunan.  He had a cold drink and I ordered for my tea. One sip of the tea and you know you are in bliss. And that’s when the bloody bus came. I had to leave half of the tea and catch the bus due to Arjunan’s insistence.

And when walking to back home, I encountered GODS again. It was time to put up a brave face and walk past them. This time I made it. They didn’t bother to bark at me.

Politics has long been the creative juice of most of the satirists.

The cartoons, essays and the caricatures that we read in the newspapers have now started trickling  into Web2.0 world also. Like:  Ramesh Srivats’s tweets.

And what best time to hear the satirists than the elections.

I was travelling back to home on an Auto. The auto driver, on seeing a yellow and something flag, said “I wonder whose flag is this”. Then after seeing the Sarath Kumar posters he went on “Ah, Sarathu kumaru.. Everybody started creating a party. If it goes on like this Vadivelu, Kanja Karuppu will start parties”

“They occupy all these marriage halls and make  life hell for us”

And then came  a convoy of Sarath Kumar’s party workers. They were all in the usual cinema style Sumo cars. And all were shouting “Aye,Aye,Oyi,Oyi” at other vehicle drivers and onlookers as if they were shooing away some stray cow eating their plants.

The auto driver remarked “Ithungalukkellam vottu podanamam” /For these kinds we have to put vote- it seems,with a sarcastic look on his face/

“Yellam Kai nattu kesunga.. Namba payyan oruthan irukkan.. dei yennada panrennu ketten.. Katchila senthutan na nnu sonnan. Dei.. nee kainattu ache da nnu sonen.. Athukku avan solran ‘Katchila senthachu illa inimey minister ana padichikalamnnu’”

English translation:

All these are illiterates. I have a known person. I asked him what is he doing. For that he said I joined a party. I asked him what you joining a political party? Aren’t you illiterate. For that the guy replied ‘I have joined party right, we will learn if  I become minister’

There is a little stream that runs after a couple of streets away from where I live.  Having spent more than 2 days at home I thought let me wander beyond the streams and see what is there.

I started cycling and crossed the almost broken bridge. There was gap for a cycle perhaps a bike to go over that bridge.

Beyond the bridge was a large field for as long as i can see. Nothing but field except for a handful of houses scattered like miles apart. Like the one which comes in the trainspotting movie. I thought I should have taken my camera along with me.

There was small bumpy path way that was leading to somewhere. I thought let me bike along this path so that I don’t get lost. After a few hundreds of meters of biking did I realize that there is not even a single human around. Its just me and the vast field. What would you do now if a Dog comes? Somebody inside me was asking me. I was planning ways to escape the dog if at all I get to meet one.

And there came a Dog. Barking straight at me.

I was off balance in my cycle and heading straight towards the Dog. It got more scared than I am and was running away from me. It went a little further from me and was watching me drive for as long as it can see.

Then suddenly in the middle of nowhere I saw two sparkling estates. Like the ones in ECR. What are these doing in this no man’s land. I saw people from inside staring at me suspiciously.

I was about to take the right turn around the estate to spy around, when somebody yelled. “Yei Inga Yenna Panre” (“Hey you. What are you doing here”)

That was from a very stout lungi clad man. He was looking like the bald villains in Rajinikanth movies. I lied to him that I got lost and was trying to get back home. He gave me the directions to all the near by  places. Good fella. He told if I hit straight on the path i will reach some village called Durcas. And if i go in south easterly direction I would reach Kishkintha. From there I can go to Tambaram if i want.

But the best thing to do considering the fact that light was fast decreasing was to put a U turn and go back in the path in which i came.  I returned back wary of the fact that i would have to meet the Dog again. This time that dog wasn’t there. But a lot more were barking from the houses that were scattered here and there. And when I reached back the broken bridge it was dark.

The best adventures are self made. Instantly.

Dennis the menace was one among my favourite cartoons when i was a kid.

I used to love the way uncle Wilson was tormented by Dennis. But in recent times i empathize with what uncle Wilson might have felt.

All the kids that come to my home thing PC as a game box. They wouldn’t believe if i tell them i have no games on my machine. They go about telling me even if i dont have anything on my machine they can play on the Internet.

Ah Internet – creating spoilt brats.

I will tell them I dont have internet and promptly they would ask then why the heck do I have a Modem.

I remember my mom used to tell me that there is no current for the TV (but the fan would be still running ) and I would buy that as a reason for not switching on the TV.

Today morning I woke up to find my guitar being used in one of the games that they play. Luckily it didn’t die yet.

Afternoon it was time for my Flute to be used as a Cricket bat. And when the match ended in a quarrel it became a dagger. And was finally was thrown away by the biggest kid of the lot.

 Kids have become really smart these days. I pity all those uncles who I used to torment. May be its their curse. I will setout and find each one of them to apologize.

The dude who poses as warrior, as commando, who’s faces are all over the city with photoshopped gimmicks – like the face with a roaring panther besides it.
By far the best exponent of photo shop among politicians, proclaimed “Fast Unto Death”  if they dont stop the war in Sri Lanka.

And 4 days later he finished the fast by drinking the “Pala saru”.

It is not as difficult as everybody thinks it would be. At least not yet. But its only day two, five more days to go.

It was to do with some veg roll i had that Friday. That was so oily and yuck tasting. That’s when i decided i would quit junk food. At least for sometime.

By the time i reached home, I was wondering why not quit eating cooked food for some time.

Now that’s a big decision to take for a foodie like me. I usually eat more than one lunch box on any given day. I gulp anything thats edible and vegetarian.

But then any decision is never big enough. I decided to eat just uncooked food for a week. That means just vegetables and fruits. And that too not in the quantity that i usually have. But to use them as fuel to the body.

I announced this at home. And everybody was like stunned. I saw everyone’s face in slow motion. Giving mega serial effect. Nobody believed at first.  They thought this must be one of the pranks that I play.

But alas to everyone’s surprise i said no to breakfast!

Day one was over without much story to tell. I had an apple, an orange and few papaya pieces.

Day two is where the action is.

I started the day with some sprouted horse grams.

And they made chappathis and yummy graveys at home.  And followed this up with Bisibele Baath, payasam and some other sweet for lunch! apparently some guests were coming home.

And my friends called me for a lunch !

In between i had to say no to so many things including a remy martin cognac flavoured chocolate.

We went to Farmhouse in the ECR for the lunch. And i had just the vegetables – green and not even salt.

And when i return back home i see a sweets pack unopened. My mom offers me that. I had to say the nth NO for the day.

They are planning to make extravagant pongal varieties on the Pongal day just to tempt me. But then I am in no mood to change my plans as of now.

Will see what happens on that day

Wonder why people buy watches for thousands of bucks while the hundred buck one does the job. Moreover you cant wear those costly watches all the time, such as while playing volley ball.While the hundred rupee ones still work and even if it breaks its not much of a loss.

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
- Samuel Johnson

With the launch of thedeprived.com i am having the opportunity to talk to various kinds of people who inspire me.

Yesterday we happened to go to two homes. One run by a mini van driver for orphans and the other run by son of Jeevanandham. (Jeevanandham is a pioneer of communist movement in Tamil Nadu)

The first one called Adheeswarar Home is run by Mr.Srikanth and his wife Ms.Latha. Srikanth owns and drives a mini-van not just for his living but also to take care of the 42 children in the home ! He must have had a lot of guts and courage to start a home with the kind of work that he does.  I haven’t had chance to interact with him yet. He apparently had gone for a driving his van to some client’s place, when we were there.

The second one is called Saranalayam, run by Mr. Manikumar. We had chance to interact with Mr.Manikumar’s wife Ms.Vijayalakshmi. Jeevanandham was a revolutionary in his times. He was a social reformer, political leader and one of the pioneers of the communist movements in Tamil Nadu. Both Manikumar and his wife are salaried employees in Government institutions. So he has his father’s legacy to look upto and continue the good work his father had done.

A small anecdote that was shared with us by Ms.Vijayalakshmi:

Jeevanandham was running a home for orphans. When Gandhi happened to visit the place he was so impressed and asked Jeevanandham “you are so young. And already running a home. What are your assets? ” for which Jeevanandham replied “India is my asset. All Indians are my asset”

Similar to what Jeevanandham replied Saranalayam is run by the support of a lot of individuals right from bank managers to a poor iyer cook.

The spirit and and courage of these people do amaze me a lot. Would love to continue my interactions with people like these exceptional individuals.

Bala has started a website for a very good cause which i strongly support. Please visit thedeprived.com and make use of the information that we plan to put on this site.

We intend to collect, authenticate and publish information about the orphanges,old age homes and homes for disabled people which are in need of funds and cannot afford to have publicity of their own.

Please note that these are not the well known homes but are the remotely placed ones that are run by passionate people with a big heart.

Kindly make use of the information that we intend to provide there and make generous donations or spend your valuable time with them in your weekends/ special days.