THE HOT SEAT !!!!

‘BIG’ school in Bangalore,announces expected time of the departure of flight ENTRANCE EXAM.

All parents are requested to proceed for security check.
Fervent last min. checking of checklist before departure , for one ,last time .

"What’s 8 X 4??......what’s the format for the letter??……what’s Hindi for 'leave'?...I hope you remember all the formulae,we rehearsed this morning???” .The drone could match that of a big jet plane about to take off.Not very far away,a big family including grandparents, were trying to recite a last minute prayer,(more to calm their own frayed nerves).

"Don’t forget to check and recheck your paper,dear….and if time is still left…check it again O.K”.The busy corporate Mom ,instructed,checking her watch the tenth time, in the past 10 min.She more anxious about her office, than the exam.
I looked at my Sonnie boy,and he looked at me."What’s the fuss about?”we thought silently in unison. In one of those rare moments,he must have thanked god for,the right choice of mom.Despite that, the parent in me panicked

"Do you want to revise,anything beta?”very well expecting an expected answer.

" After this I’m free,RIGHT???”he questioned and I appreciated his attitude, just before the big T.I nodded and told him,"Just do your very best…the best that you can do,and that’ll be enough”.

He gave me a hug,something ten yr olds aren’t seen doing often……in public.


The flight is announced.Gates are thrown open.Faces are given a Kleenex wipe and the hair done up,the very last time.

"Say your good morning,stand straight,don’t slouch,don’t lose your admit card….get your things back….don’t talk too much…..attempt all the questions…..don’t leave any question….all the best….we love you ".....

Alas !!!! by the time, they said those three magical words, the kids had already reached the examination hall.
Whew!!! part I over ….now part II.Lucky one’s,who lived close by,went back home and those who had driven difficult distances, had no option but to choose the shades of trees,to wile away the time.Notes were exchanged and mothers boasted of triumphs in various entrance examinations, as if they were conquests of lands. The childrens’ present schools were denounced and criticized beyond repair.Apparently,"all the forces of education from the curriculum to the teachers,fellow students, and the management were out to conspire against their kids.”
I contributed heartily,for the past several years of being a parent and a teacher in the same school,had made me zip my lips.
You didn’t need a watch to tell you it was time for the school ‘to release the students’.The flurry of activity and the rising anxiety amongst parents,was an evident enough sign.We lined up,class wise,anxiously waiting to reclaim our baggage from the departure terminal.Anxious,to ask them,the contents of the paper,perhaps.Those moving out on the conveyor belt,were seen reciting the questions to eager parents ,mentally calculating answers and rechecking.


“I’m hungry!!!”blurted out my son, dashing my hopes and my questions and my chance to be a good parent. He finished his packet of Milano and his appy and gave me a dirty look and said,"No,use studying so much!!!!,they never asked anything so tough,ma!!!!”
I was crestfallen. All those precious no nap afternoons, and T.V deprived evenings,and late night studying and soaked almonds had been a waste then??!!!


“Tomorrow,we shall know,who has wasted whose time,betaji!!!”.There,I had said it. Spoken like a true modern day, over involved, 'i'm doing my bestest best,super anxious parent. I patted my back and bit my tongue and wished I hadn’t said that,at all.
Parenting isn’t easy and damn we just made it tougher !!!!!

'A' AND HIS BKB

"Your food is a big hit in the office," so,I'm told by hubby.

Despite the fact,that the office kitchen lays out a fairly edible spread,my hubby continues to take his 'ghar ka khana',everyday to work. And I'm not complaining. This speaks volumes about my cooking! !doesn't it.Well,frankly,fact is stranger than kitchen fiction.
I admit, on a candid note, that I love to feed people, whether the food is worth being eaten is an inconsequential and small issue.I inherit this streak from my Nani,who was known for her guerrilla tactics,at the dining table, especially when it came to loading and goading people to eat more.
So, everyday at lunch time,hubby dear opens up his dabba,of home made goodies,much to the envy of other colleagues.There are ready takers for paneer and egg curry and Dum Aloo and mix vegetables and the sweets, for all apparent reasons.But,why the dabba comes back with leftovers, on days when it housed orphans like lauki(ghia),tauri,cabbage kuttu,lobia or the oh- so -healthy soya nuggets, is no great mystery.
But,there’s one man,who managed to capture my attention.Mr.A (we shall call him), never has lunch,but has requested to be invited,ever since he spotted ‘Baigan ka bharta’in hubby's tiffin (Steamed brinjal mashed and curried,till it fails to resemble a brinjal)….(err I like to believe that I have readers across seven seas,as well).
“Now,that’s an unusual dish, to be saved under the ‘My favorites’ column”,I thought to myself,one morning packing an extra dose of BKB.Till,one lazy afternoon,the story unfolded itself and was narrated over ,the office lunch table.

The eighties were gloomy times. The economy wasn’t really ‘Rocking and rolling’,like it is.A good job and a decent salary, was what one should have looked forward too.No,flashy M.B.A’s,were required to keep pace with office politics and the job market, and those at the top of the corporate ladder were genuine stalwarts, who had ample amount of salt and pepper,both in their hair as well as their experience.Mr.A,was the average engineering graduate, who had a good job and manged to make more than a decent living, with his wife and little son, in a plush one BHK.

But,then his heart said, ‘Yeh Dil mange more’…much before the pepsi bottle ever did.He longed for an edge,for that elusive M.B.A,unheard of.His seniors laughed and dismissed it as the lunacy of a young mind.Add,to this ,his commitments as a husband and father loomed large,upon him.He,finally decided to take the risk asked his company, if he could somehow juggle both the job and the M.B.A.They declined,but offered to take him back, after he finished his studies.
It was a tough decision. With no job in hand, it was a herculean task,to manage both the household and his tuition fees at the university. His parents, coaxed him to take help from them. It was the easiest option out, but somehow, he couldn’t convince his pride and conscience.
Till, one day someone gave him the idea of approaching a bank.Loans, in those times, were actually a proof of your incapability to manage your income.Apart from being very difficult to obtain.But, finally the bank decided to give Mr. A an educational loan, along with a stipend of Rs.500 for managing his home needs.
He allotted Rs.250 judiciously for home and the rest for his college and stay at the campus.He shifted, his family to a one room barsati,which acted as hall..Kitchen….bedroom. All in one. They shared a common bathroom,with the other tenants,where water till 6 am was a luxury.
Back at the campus,things weren’t all that rosy.A’s classmates were from wealthy families,and were more than aware of A’s economic status. With books being a rare luxury, A often relied on libraries and lending’s from his friends. With his purse strings literally like a noose around his neck, Rs.3 per day was all he could afford to spend on his meals. Very often, the portions would barely suffice the hunger pangs of a students’ stomach. It was here that A discovered, that BKB was possibly the cheapest thing on the menu, and would invariably end up, with it, on his plate.


There were times when,the stipend gave way much before the end of the month and A had no money to buy himself a meal. At such times, his friends would invite him home on some pretext or the other,knowing very well,that he would never ask. He too always waited for such opportunities.
After a grueling two such years,Mr.A went back his old company.Impressed with his ideas and diligence, they further, sent him for further studies, to the U.S.A.The rest becomes,predictable history.Mr.A today is the V.P of an huge Indian corporate giant and enjoys his life,between office,home and his grandchildren.
I’m sure you have heard and read stories that have more awe value than this.But,what touched me was the fact that,when most of us would have chosen to willingly forget anything associated with difficult times in our life,for,it isn’t easy reliving memories that are bitter,Mr.A chose,to retain the humble BKB, as a reminder of the fact, that the life he enjoys today,is a gift from his past. We all move on in life, often embittered by either love,family politics,destiny.But,little do we realize that those times are the benchmark to measure the happiness we enjoy today.

Mr.A will never read this.But,it’s a tribute to his infectious good spirit and his love for the bharta. It’s a fact known by none that I think of Mr.A, every time I buy Baigan and pack in that extra helping.I know,I made someone happy that day.
My granny must be grinning, in heaven, I’m sure ! !

FOOD COURT

"THE HAND THAT HOLDS THE LADLE..........."

RESPONSES INVITED ! ! !

AN UPDATE

Sometimes an involuntary gesture and then an unplanned action leads to more action,than our 'meticulously planned ' activities.
I am referring to the post called 'heartless....Russell Market' on my photoblog and the'Wordless Wednesday'post.Little had I realized that,a trip made to check out aquariums,would actually lead to a lot of revelation and a cause,that would be taken by by bloggers.I'm glad it drew a rush of emotions in people,and that they penned it down in the comment box.I did realize that somewhere in this entire game, we were to blame for all this,as a demand leads to the need and supply and hence the market,thrives.
I can only hope that the animals ,although are subjected to 'inhuman' treatment,later find good homes.I hope,they are meant for homes,only.
Thanks a lot Madhu,for taking an active interest in the cause and contacting the PFA.We shall all hope that,the cause will have a 'liberating' outcome.

FISHY BUSINESS

Please say Hello, to my husbands’ official illegitimate children, whom he has lovingly named ‘fish babies’.Thankfully,not as a result of any extra marital affair!!!!A carp and a moliee(the little black Mollie was too camera shy).
Everytime he’s away on a tour, I promptly get a reminder SMS ,at 7 30 A.M sharp, which sounds more like an order than a request. ‘DO NOT FORGET TO FEED THE FISH BABIES’.
Everything and anything left undone at home can be forgiven, the sole exception being the change of water for the FB’s home…read bowl. The logic being, we(humans) can still help and change the way we live or where we live, they can’t !!!!And of course, the proud father himself has never ever changed their water. “I’m too nervous to take them out and see them slither (for precisely 3 seconds)…reminded me how changing diapers never went down well with him. Thank god, fishes don’t wear one!!!!!

This post is actually a prompt, after I happened to read Preethi’s blog and it was while writing the comment,the thought,to put this up, came in. Despite the fact,that I gush and drool over puppies,kittens,rabbits,squirrels,piglets and birds,in real and reel life, strangely enough, I have always shrugged and shied away from the responsibility of keeping a pet. A self proclaimed coward,I’m not sure whether I will be able to look after it,well.I have often seen pets being brought home, like a new toy,fussed over for a while and then left to whine away all morning,while everybody left home for work.I would rather not keep one, than keep the poor soul tied up at home, leading a solitary and hopeless life all day long.

This argument has never gone down well, with my family and continues to be a bone of contention.My heart does a quick flip,everytime I pet my neighbours’ dog,but my head quickly fights back.The battle continues,everyweek!!!
I hope and wish that someday logic will give way to emotions.Till then,I shall reiterate,what I wrote on Preethi’s post as a comment.

If you can’t get something big (as a pet), start by loving something, that’s small.

BTW it happens to be my deadline to change the FB’S water!!!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

'HEARTLESS'......RUSSELL MARKET (Bangalore)
A one stop shop for all pets !!!!!

some more images http://www.photoblog.com/gazal/2008/03/12/

Visit Wordless Wednesday for more participants.

A VIRTUAL CONFESSION !!!!!

If there is anything that makes me uncomfortable(low waist jeans being the only exception),it’s lying. If I can, I shall promise,or I won’t. When in doubt,I prefer to speak the truth(mark twain)

I say and admit that often, at the cost of sounding virtuous and godly. But that’s the way I am,honestly !!!! People say sometimes you have to lie,because you land yourself in a situation and there is no way out. I feel you can get past (that) situation if you are honest to others and yourself. There’s a thin line between being honest….frank….. Forthright…..brutal. They all stem from the same word, but then the harm you do ,with them,to others varies from left to right.Yes,there are times when I had to hold my honest opinion and tell people things that may not be true. Those are days,when I make people happy, by lying not to them but only to myself.But there are days, when lying is
the only way out(and I have to eat my own words, to accept that) and on such a day, I feel miserable and claustrophobic.

So today morning I geared myself up,took a deep breath,said my rehearsed lines,coz otherwise I would have fumbled over what was not true.I hope god forgives me,coz I have lied, as I would have been dishonest,to myself, had I spoken the truth.I wouldn’t have been able to do justice to my job,would have made my family uncomfortable, and would have given up the a lot of freedom and happiness that I enjoy. Convincing the mind is easy, but not the heart. Guilt like dandruff is difficult to get rid of.

And now that I have sinned, I shall go and sin a little more,by telling myself that rajma chawal is not fattening and so aren’t two packets of Cadbury's bytes chocolate crunch.

FILMY-FARE

I can now boast that I know Kareena Kapoor,up close and personal.unluckily,had the filmfare awards telecast stretched (just)another half an hour,I would have been able to sketch Kareena with my eyes closed.Just 20 mins into the programme,and I was prophetically announcing ,the next actor/actress in the frame,and there wasn't a very big list to choose from.You don't need to be a genius for that.The usual predictable sequence was hopelessly oscillating between Shakrukh ...Gauri...saif...kareena...saif.....kareena.....Shahrukh,to a point of blur.
The function was initiated by Vidya Balan, looking ,like a ready to pop, fanta bottle,(and i thought most men loved her for her cherubic face)ahem!!! the perfect nominee, for the 'wardrobe malfunction' award.I expected SRK and Saif to recreate,the brilliant comic timing they had displayed previously,I waited patiently,and they failed miserably.They tripped time and again over their lines and the jokes fell flat.It just proves,that big stars fail to shine,in the absence of a good script.However, full credit to SRK and Saif for correctly predicting that "we are going to be rude,crass ,cheap and ridiculous",as rude and cheap they were,down to the last E and the P.Their gags lacked humour,were in bad taste,hopelessly ridiculous.
The whole show seemed to be a public declaration of the Saif- Kareena love story and 'the tattoo within'.The Saif-Kareena onstage kiss (on the cheek)received more coverage than the union budget ,perhaps.Saawariyaa was literally the 'BUTT' of all jokes,for all BUTT obvious reasons.Maybe they should have renamed it to 'Filmfare Kapoor -Khan -dan' awards.Adding to the misery,was Karan Johar,his usual coyish,boyish and gayish self( he missed no opportunity to kiss Shahrukh on stage( close up Gauri Khan several times) .Not surprisingly,Aamir Khan kept away from the scenario(not even a scene was available from TZP for the nominee listing).Surprisingly,The Bachchan parivar absented themselves(for reasons known).None of the vetrans were present,(and if they were there,no one bothered to cover them).

Sigh,I should have watched "hum aapke hain kaun"running on Zee instead.Madhuri,tuffy.....the wonder dog and Salman in a vest ,singing dhik tana..dhik tana,is any day..err any night a more tolerable option.