Hung-over

Well I’ll be danged – New Year’s Eve sure packed a wallop this year. It took me three damn days to get over the hang-over from New Year’s Eve! Not that I drank that much – come to think of it, I only touched orange juice and didn’t even finish that! Then what hang-over? Hang-over of the fever and cold I have been suffering from since 31st Dec 2004!

This has got to be the most miserable New Year’s Eve ever (I think worse than the year my friends gate-crashed in order to prevent me from spending it wallowing in self-pity and despair and buckets of tears) – the barbeque dinner was at a wonderful place in Baner which opened into a private lawn, beyond which was the hill. Sit out under the porch and you just saw the outline of the hill rising up in front of you and the clear skies dotted with stars – quite romantic and almost sublime…from my perspective that night, though, it was too darn cold and windy and no fun at all! The music (pulled out from my favourites and currently touring Bangalore, instead of me) usually has me increasing the volume, making my hips swing and groove to the beat – but on that night I was actually wondering why people enjoy listening to loud music. Felt like hammers pounding on my head. Misreable as I could be, by 11 p.m I was begging to be allowed to go home, and dragged my family out minutes after midnight and everyone was through with cheerfully wishing each other and kissing the air around each other’s cheeks! Sheesh, such enthusiasm for an event that’s just brought us closer to the apocalyptic end!

Spent the next 2 days laid up in bed nursing a fever and a very nasty cold, because of which I had to postpone my Bangalore trip as well. Not fair!!! I was so looking forward to visiting the Garden City, spending time with my favourite jiju jani, meeting some cousins who are down from the Land of Dreams & other relatives, as well as catching up with some friends & acquaintances who stay there! :-(

Definitely not the most rocking beginning for the New Year, but then as a newly-made-dear friend said, if I start the year at rock-bottom, the only place I can go from here is up! (I won’t say who s/he is or quote exactly out of the fear that a lawyer shall be present at our next conversation to ensure that I do not use his/her words against him/her!) ;-)

I finally felt good enough today to drag myself out of bed and start attacking the Blogger’s world anew – but me thinks me’s close to the end of my energy reserves now – feeling that strain in my chest again. Better go rest some more before it blows into full-blown palpitations and chest-aches. Ah the wonders of having an enlarged heart – you gotta tread carefully even when it’s just a mere cold.

PS On a rather disgusted note – the members of the Society I’m staying in started a campaign to collect money to send to the Tsunami Relief Fund – considering that 75% of the residents here are from the Defense I expected generous donations – was extremely appalled and disgusted to see the miserly amounts that were doled out and one Brigadier who went as far as entering his name in the list, only to put N-I-L next to it…sheesh, if you don’t have the heart (or conscience) to donate, atleast don’t announce your miserliness!

Arriverdeci 2004, Bienvenue 2005!

Adieu 2004 – Snapshots from the Year

• Brought in the year with new friends at Magdeburg – some are still around, closer than ever, while other’s drifted out of my life, just as they had drifted in. Kuch pal ke saati the woh…
• Back home after a 3-month hiatus & jumped straight into the rat-race that’s quintessentially Bombay
• Drove down to Bhopal for a wedding – all 5 of us, for a change – met all my aunts & uncles under 1 roof and some cousins and distant relatives I don’t get the opportunity to meet often. Phenomenal trip!
• OvG students came down for a Dharavi project – showed my German & Czech friends around town – Annika, my favourite German stayed back for another month. I still miss seeing her walk around the house in her striped socks, her head bent in concentration as one of us spoke to her!
• M.A II (Eng) examinations, Alliance Francaise III examinations – loads of studying
• Summer vacations – a trip to Ahmedabad and Udaipur (Devigadh) with Kunal, mon cher ami!
• More rendezvous with friends – bidding adieu to them, even as I started packing to shift to Pune with bag, baggage, dog and family! ;-)
• Tears and tantrums and nasty quarrels with one of my most cherished friends, Appu – me getting paranoid that we’ve drifted apart made me insecure and silly. Patched up now (we’ve both grown up!) – and miss her so much. Delhi is too frigging far –away!
• Some really cherished moments spent with Amit this year – won’t be forgetting any of them any time soon. :-)
• Mansi was here in June, for her annual India vacation – ran to Bbay ever so often to spend time with her. Still recall some of those crazy conversations we had in Suku’s 6th floor apartment, while the rain pelted the Bbay streets way into the wee hours of the night. Already waiting for next June!
• Adjusted to this hamlet (Keshavnagar, Mundhwa, Pune) – signed up for Diplome at Alliance Francaise de Poona. (AFP)
• Papa set up the factory of Phoenix Mecano India at Priangut, Pune and it was officially inaugurated on the 9th Nov, 2004. PMI also celebrated its 10th anniversary the next day – with some decent news coverage as well! My father rocks! :-)
• Set up my own room for the first-time – already too accustomed to “my” space -pottering around in my room, using it as a dressing room (who changes in the bathroom anymore?), messing around my antique desk, picking up a book frm my shelves, falling asleep listening to my favourite CDs…
• Loads of problems with AFP – wrecked class schedules, pre-poned exam schedules, class politics, inefficiency and lack of communication – all translated into loads of headaches & Dispirins popping into my mouth way too often for my liking
• Way too many angsty moments for my liking - though alot lesser than the previous two years. So I guess there's been some improvement there!
• More Gyan Better Geets Project – Art and Mythology are just 2 of the things I’ve been reading up on.
• Geebaby has grown to become more than ‘just’ a blog – it’s my baby. It’s an obsession. It keeps me going. It revitalizes me. It opens new worlds for me…
• Caferati – a new chapter in my life. New friends, read-meets, writing & exploring my ‘talents’ – still to decide if there’s enough of that!
• Some really good movies this year – Maqbool, Morning Raga, Khamosh Pani, Raincoat, Hyderbad Blues 2 and a few firang flicks too.
• Stayed as far from the Bollywood fairy-tales as I could, but fell victim to Veer Zara at the year-end.
• Patricia and Bernard visited us for Christmas – they are here for their honeymoon (I couldn’t go for their wedding, despite the invitation and the temptation). Showed them around. Felt good to be with them again this year – last year Xmas was at their homes in Bordeaux!
• Kunal came again to Pune – he’s the only one of all my friends who actually lived up to the threat of piling on, except for Tasu, who has other reasons to visit Pune ;-)
• Oodles of time spent with cousins this year – as some of them made frequent trips to Pune. Rakhi, Diwali, Bhai Duj and New Year’s Eve this year were purely family affairs.

• Looking forward now to 2005, which will start with a short trip to Bangalore, followed by a trip to Delhi (soon, I hope) – and perhaps some more traveling
• We’ll be welcoming a new person into the family in the third week of May – trying to get attuned to the idea of seeing a baby crawling around the house. A play-mate for Schnapps. A new responsibility and a new role for me! :-)
• Have some critical decisions to take next year regarding my career and future – get sweaty palms and headaches thinking about it. Hope it all falls into place. Touchwood.
• Praying that the next year doesn’t bring anymore catastrophes to our nation – let it be a smoother sail all year round, let the sun shine, the rains come, the farms yield good crop and the Gods smile down at us Indians! Let fewer of us fly away to greener pastures, staying back to enrich our own soils. Amen!

On that note, I shall bid adieu a phenomenal year 2004, which has brought many surprises and many changes in my life – good and bad, but mostly good. I look back and see how much I’ve grown and changed in the past one year (and I’m not just talking about the waist-line and hips!) – hope the improvement and growth continues into the next year! Here’s to the coming year – may it bring you all much prosperity, joy and success –much, much, much more than I hope for myself!

Arriverdeci 2004, Bienvenue 2005!

Bombay Hang-over

The year-end has been busy, filled with frantic activity. A cousin in the hospital, operated for gall-bladder stones meant frequent visits to the Command Hospital, Pune, which is like the other side of town for us, followed by visits home while she was convalescing. All this just before my trip to Bombay, which was even more hectic than ever before, was sapping out my energy reserves (not to mention, patience reserves).

Bombay was crazy as ever. Hot and humid, with no sign of winter – I left Pune huddled up in my sweater, wishing I’d worn something thicker, and when I emerged from the car in Bombay I was wishing I’d packed sleeveless stuff – the sweater was definitely not going to be used! Hmm…Bombay after a month. More changes in the area I’ve grown up in – as always I greedily soaked in the sights and smells (yes, even the smells)! It was crazy – having to cancel previously fixed rendezvous in order to spend more time with someone else (flushes guiltily), but it was worth every bit of the exhaustion, sleepless nights and running around trying to reach places at the right time!

Threw caution to the winds and went in for a daring (for me) short step-cut, bidding adieu to the waist-long hair that’s my only vanity…it will be some months before I’ll be able to run a comb down those long heavy tresses and fling them over my shoulder…sure as hell feel light-weighted with half my hair gone! But looks good, if I may so myself – pretty sexy for me! Hehehe! Let’s see how long I enjoy this – probably start pining for my braid within a few days! ;-)

Pop Tate’s is still churning out good food and attracting wanna-bes and groupies and the hep-n-happening – spent a nice lazy afternoon there with Kunu Baba.

Barista Versova hasn’t seen much change except for a new guy at the counter who was actually trying to flirt with me! Actually had me turning around to see if there’s someone behind me – jeepers bleepers – doesn’t he know no one flirts with Plain Jane a.k.a Ice Maiden Geets! ;-)

Spent oodles of time with Amit – getting my bheja-fried and falling prey to his usual tactics at raising my hackles – when will I learn! Smart ass that he is, he sure knows how to get under my skin…but then I adore him for that. Stop complaining Geets – you enjoy every minute of it! ;-) Saw Khamosh Pani at Fame Adlabs and shared more than one Candy-floss. Word of advice – never have more than one Candy-floss on a nearly empty stomach, no matter how high the temptation; it leaves you feeling very very queasy.

Snatched two evenings with cousins and two of my favourite nieces – spent a night with them, giving up my usual independence in Bombay – I’ve been spoilt by the luxury of having Suku’s fully finished flat available, through which I can waltz in-n-out without worrying about other people’s schedules or offending someone with the time I’m returning!

Finally managed to go meet Mechthild – the German student who’s down this year for the exchange programme with the Univ of Mumbai. Gave her some pointers on where she should go, what would be the better option for traveling etc etc. Since I was at the University I also dropped in to meet my mentor Dr Bharucha – oh it felt so damn good to knock on the office of Head of Department, and walk in to see her and not the ogre Dr.Bhongle! The Department is FINALLY in good hands!

Patricia and Bernard (mes amis Francais) are here for their honeymoon – I got them back with me to Pune. Showed them around for 2 days – oh how much we walked – saw some areas of Pune for the first time myself – including the red-light area in Budhwar Peth, that we stumbled on inadvertently and backed out hurriedly when I saw the looks we were getting. *Shudder* Sumptuous dinner at Riverview for Xmas eve, when Kunal joined us rather late, coming in from Bombay after a full day’s work. Christmas day was equally nice with a visit to Lonavala, Bushy dam where we discovered a lovely spot by the water, perfect for a picnic and yet another sumptuous meal, at Fariyas this time. After bidding adieu to Patricia & Bernard, Kunal and I went for Raincoat, after a long leisurely walk in Nala Park. Finished off a bottle of Montbazillac later that night – excellent wine!

Now – we’ve got some cousins who’ve driven down from Bangalore – the year sure is spiraling into a busy end!

Raincoat (2004)

Raincoat – I went for the movie with more than a slight trepidation. The reason being Ms.Rai and her ability to set my nerves on the edge with her hysterical, over-the-top ‘acting’. I am glad I didn’t allow myself to fall prey to my prejudice against her. Inspired by O Henry's classic short story The Gift of Magi, the film narrates the tale of two estranged lovers who meet on a rainy afternoon in a dingy room of a house in South Calcutta. Poetic, subtle, intelligent, sensitive, heart-touchingly romantic, depressing and witty – the movie is all that and more. I have to hand it to Rituparno Ghosh for penning such a brilliant script and producing such fine acting from his cast compromising of Ajay Devgan and Annu Kapoor, apart from the ubiquitous Ms. Rai. What I loved the most about the film was the moments of dark humour and the nasty, yet poignant little exchanges between the character of Manoj and his wife’s friend.

The art design, the cinematography, the dialogues, the acting – it all compiled to make a must-watch movie. Shubha Mudgal’s soulful rendering of the theme song ensures that you’re choked up at the poignant moments of the film – the film leaves you’re eyes damp without resorting to any clichés or melodrama. Simply told, it is perhaps one of the most beautiful movies I’ve seen, on par with Mr and Mrs Iyer.

I’m going to go grab a copy of the soundtrack ASAP – you go watch the movie!

Khamosh Pani (2003)

Directed by debutante film-maker Sabiha Sumar, Khamosh Pani (Still Waters) narrates the tale of Ayesha (Kiron Kher), a woman well into her forties who has devoted her life to bringing up her son in a small village in the Punjab district of Pakistan. Set in 1979, when General Zia-ul-Haq has imposed martial law and the country was decreed a Muslim state, the film raises probing and rather uncomfortable questions about the partition, without resorting to the usual hysteria, melodrama and violence one associates and expects from a movie dealing with as volatile a subject. Though a Pakistani, she presents an unbiased view of the partition, when many Sikh and Muslim women were cold-bloodedly killed by their own families in order to avoid dishonour at the hands of the ‘enemy’. The irony in this narrative is that the women were perhaps safer left in the enemy’s hands. Sumar also deals with the themes of women’s emancipation, dreams of the youth in a country struggling to assert its identity, the need for a vocation and a goal in life and how easy it is to fall victim to fundamentalism in the absence of such a goal.

An absolutely brilliant movie – it is subtle and simple, but extremely effective. Excellent acting by the cast and a taut script drove home the point, without making the film a propaganda, unlike most movies on Partition. The movie has already won critical acclaim at international film festivals and received good reviews world-wide. Take my advice – go see it, before it vanishes from the Cinemas!

Of Silver Linings and Rainbows

Me's saying me's posted new story on Literary Mosaic ! Please read and comment...meanwhile I shall go bite my nails and wait nervously for the verdict!

Edgar Degas (1834- 1917)

I have been reading up on Impressionism for the past few weeks (Essential Impressionists, ed Hurrel Karen,© Parragon, 2000 and Artchive.com) – a style of painting favoured by a group of artists, who preferred painting outdoors in plein-air, recording the changing conditions of light and atmosphere, as well as their individual sensations before nature. The emphasis was on the over-all visual impression, stamped on the senses by a transitory visual experience – my favourite is undeniably Claude Monet, whose Giverny: Spring(1900) and The Japanese Bridge (1900) stole my breath away and made me itch to own it…I’ll never afford it in this lifetime, I know – but I’ve promised myself that my foyer shall boast a replication/poster one day.

But this post isn’t about Monet, it’s about Degas. Edgar Degas, acknowledged as the master of drawing human figures. Before I started studying Impressionism, I wasn’t really fond of nudes, per se. But Degas’ nudes are something else all together. Beauty personified. The ultimate compliment paid to the woman. Voyeuristic. Passionate. Objective. Real. Brilliant. Sensual. Sensuous.

Rejecting the idea of formal beauty as seen in the Salon nudes with their rosy nipple et al, he was often seen as a misogynist. "Why do you paint women so ugly, Monsieur Degas?" some hostess unwisely asked him. "Parce que la femme en general est laide, madame, " growled back Degas, in his characteristic Great Bear style.("Because, madam, women in general are ugly." )

This couldn’t be further from the truth; all you have to do to discover Degas’ true feelings is to take a look at his nudes, painted in the 1880s and 1890s. Some critics still find them "clinical," because they seem to be done from a point outside the model's awareness, as though she did not know he was there and were not, actually, posing. This is partly true. The series of ‘Key-Hole’ bathers, which caused a scandalous uproar in gentile Parisian society, showed the woman at her toilette, and was exhibited at the 8th Impressionist exhibition in 1886. In this series, Degas painted the woman as he viewed her from his vantage point at the key-hole, as a voyeur.

Critic J.K Huysman said “It seems as though [Degas]…has determined to retaliate and fling in the face of the century the worst insult he can devise, overturning that cherished idol, woman, degrading her by showing her actually in her bath, in the most humiliating postures of her toilette.” Despite all the criticism and flak the series earned itself, over half the paintings were sold before the exhibition opened. What could, after all, be more appealing to the eyes, the senses?

Degas himself described the woman, as the “human creature preoccupied with itself, a cat that licks itself.” Later he admitted that “Perhaps I have treated women too much as animals” (I chewed and ruminated and masticated over these statements, trying to be offended, but ended up struck by the sheer sensuality of the words. And they say the man was impotent? Well, the passion his contemporary women lost out on, the art world gained – big time!)


I found some of the nudes online:-











Monet’s work will definitely grace my home one day; but I hope to have one of these as well – though for that I’m going to have to find one helluva tolerant husband (not that difficult. I’m sure few guys would object to having a Nude to admire on a daily basis ;-)) and even more tolerant in-laws! (Now that’s going to be a task – can’t imagine too many in-laws being happy with the prospect of putting up a nude – art or not, nude it is!)

The Vegetable Vendor Is No More

My dear friend Annika who lives in Magdeburg recently wrote to me after the vegetable vendor's shop at the end of her street, Gutenberg Strasse, shut down. A vegetarian, she was deeply affected by this new development - and wrote a very moving email to me, sharing her woes with me, in characterstic Annika style! And as usual I was clapping my hands in glee at the way she put it! I had to share it with you - so here it is :-

I'm dead blue. The vegetable vendor in my block is no more.
Minute of silence.
He opened up in August and brought sunshine into my life:
fresh vegetables within a few steps of my house,
no more carrying of heavy loads across the whole city,
personal sale instead of self-take box, amounts according to my wishes
instead of prepacked portions --
I could buy a single carrot, okay,
that is possible at Real as well but only for bio veges
and they cost more.
Now he is no longer.
The sales in this small road with hardly any stores must have been to small.
The only chance was that the people visiting the bakery next door
would also frequent the veg store but I guess fewest of them did.
So he closed down.
Leaving behind a sad, vegless, paintorn Annika.
© Annika Schlee

Ain't she good? :-)

Grrrrrr

Grrr…I’m snarling like a nasty bull-dog. So irritated. And frustrated. Feel like tearing someone’s hair out. Clawing at someone’s face with my claws…oh, but I don’t have any. Damn. Why can’t I grow my nails into long painted red talons like other women do? Now I know the purpose they serve. Hehe smart bimbos, have to hand it to them! Muhahaha…that makes me feel better. I’m laughing – even if it’s a raucous hysterical laughter of a witch! Ok it isn’t – so no scratching, and no laughing like witches either. Sigh – kya kismat hai! *Giggles hysterically*

Don’t ask what brought on this mood – long story. You don’t want to read about it. Trust me.

Accomplishments of the day :- Finally picked up the CD of Morning Raga – also Def Lepard’s Best Hits and Shania Twain – Best Hits. Looking forward to listening to them for the next few days…

Short Story

"Hang your head Tom Dooley" – as I kept humming that tune inside my head, I realised it can sound quite menacing and all of a sudden an image of “poor Laura” holding a knife popped into my head. So I sat me down at the computer and let my fingers build the image further – came up with a short story which I’ve posted on Literary Mosaic for feelers – as before, comments are more than welcome. Leave them here or at LM! :-)

Had a pretty decent weekend apart from the enforced movie-experience – filled with late night Biryani dinners, great conversations and a Caferati meet. The week has been its usual lazy, vella self so far, except for yesterday evening which passed in a flurry of activities as I put in my two-bit for a dinner party – need to stop being lazy and go to AFP and MMB-Pune to get some formalities out of the way, and thinking of making a painting for Dr.B…

Pardon Me...

Veer Zara. A Yash Chopra extravaganza. A love story to rival the greatest love stories of all time. Boasting the golden melodies of Madan Mohan and the brilliant performances of the nation’s favourite Khan, with two beautiful damsels to support him. What more could you want?

I don’t know the answer to that. But I do know what I don’t want. I don’t want to be subjected to three hours of clichés. Mr.Chopra tugged at every string he could, not leaving anything to chance. So he tossed in the elements and come up with a mind-blowing granola. The love-story with insurmountable difficulties that tore the lovers apart. The Hindu-Muslim conflict. The India-Pakistan war. The Partition. The commonalities between us - “sanskar” in the youth, loving parents, rich traditions preserved through the years… The childless couple who brought up their relatives orphaned child, and would but obviously have had an inter-community love marriage and been the pioneering couple of the village. The fields of golden corn (or was it wheat I saw) and colourful flowers in bloom. The patriotic songs of “Yeh mera desh hai aisa…jaisa desh hai tera.” The designer dresses and exquisite embroidery. And oh, let’s not forget the “bebe” (an old maid who served the family through-out her life and brought up the heroine) who maintained a child’s joie de vivre till the day she lay on her death-bed and decided she wants her ashes to be thrown into an Indian river, for after all, she was an Indian at heart, even though she had spent her entire life in Pakistan.

Pardon me for predicting every turn in the story.
Pardon me for questioning how Zara managed to fit half a dozen heavy salwar-kurtas and matching jewellery into a small rucksack.
Pardon me for wondering if all Punjabi farmers look as robust and wear as colourful clothes to the fields.
Pardon me for groaning as they belted out clichéd songs about the richness of their soil, and their traditions.
Pardon me for analyzing Kiron Kher’s nails & thinking she probably doesn’t lift a glass at home, as she inflicted another tear-jerking dialogue on the audience.
Pardon me for admiring the architecture and wondering if the monument is really in Pakistan, or that red fort next to the Taj Mahal, as Veer Pratap Singh lets his Zara know that she must marry the guy chosen by her parents and produce 8-10 children after which she can come visit him in his village and they can take a ride around it, on a bicycle…no, a tractor.
Pardon me for preferring the maid Shabbo’s simple clothes and the Punjabi farmers’ floral lungis over Zara’s richly embroidered ensembles.
Pardon me for remembering my friend Saima, who also has crochet done on all her dupattas to show that she is not a widow and regretting the fall-out in our friendship, instead of empathizing with Zara’s pain.
Pardon me for wondering why I agreed to go for this movie, after successfully resisting K3G, KHNH, MHN et al…
Pardon me for paying more attention to the ushers at E-Square, who reprimanded those using their cell phones in the hall, and escorting them out (probably to fine them), than to the dialogues.
Pardon me for asking you to go grab a DVD/VCD of Morning Raga (it disappeared from cinemas within a week) and avoid this sob-story like the plague.
Pardon me for resisting the great Indian tradition of extravagant Bollywood love stories.
Pardon me for praying I never, ever, again have to do this as a family duty.

Hang Your Head Tom Dooley..

Hang your head Tom Dooley, Hang your head and cry,
Killed poor Laura Foster, And you know you’re bound to die…

Running through my head like an endless refrain – it’s stuck there and won’t go away. But then I’m not doing anything to make it go away – music inside my head lightens my mood, brushes away those dark clouds of dourness, wipes that scowl away, brings back the light in eyes that were reflecting a boiling cauldron of emotions a few hours ago. So I continue to hum at the back of mind, this classic by The Kingston Trio…

Peeled my eyes open this morning – something that’s been happening a lot lately, since I’ve been sleeping late, after having spent hours curled up in my razai devouring some book or the other and then spending at least half-an-hour, if not more, tossing around in bed trying to fall asleep. But the thoughts don’t let me – sometimes I’m just mulling over what I’ve just read; sometimes I’m composing something in my mind; sometimes I’m wondering where I will be next year – is it where I want to be or will I end up somewhere else,; sometimes I’m trying to shut the Pandora’s Box of emotions that I wish were filtered and subdued, wishing I could let them stream out unbridled, but knowing that would mess things up real bad and I don’t want that to happen…

So I sleep late and there is no reason to wake up early – I definitely don’t want the day to stretch endlessly in front of me, late nights don’t call for early mornings – so I wake up leisurely when Apollo has already made it’s way half-way up, when the birds have stopped twittering in delight over a new day, when the early morning activities in the kitchen have died away…I groggily force one eye-lid apart, peer like a blind owl at my bed-side clock that informs me it’s 8.30 a.m and I wait for Schnapps to come bounding into my room to inform me that I’m the only one still in bed. A jab with his wet, rather cold nose and I lazily poke one leg out of the razai…it’s a brand new day, let’s get out of bed and get those crooked teeth brushed and shiny. Yawn! Putting Schnapps on my cupboard so he can bark at the team of sweepers busy sprucing up the avenue that leads up to the bungalows beyond the buildings, I reach for my glasses, smile as the world clears up, and make my way to the breakfast table – some toast with eggs/jam/tomatoes (I’m not particular), some fruit and coffee, a jostle over the newspaper with my father who’s intent on reading every tiny bit of news in there before he leaves for his office in the ‘dongar’ and I’m set for the day.

But this morning it all went out of kilter – an enquiry from my mother regarding which tickets to ask my brother to book for a movie I’m not particularly (make that, not at all) keen on seeing led to a rather nasty show-down between my brother and me. Barely awake, I was breathing down fumes and shooting daggers at him with my eyes – argh I hate it when men put on this “I’m so busy, you oughtta be glad I’m running this errand for you” act. Makes me want to throw something at them – something crystal, something that would make a nice loud crash as it hits that thick skull! Itched to tell him he can take those tickets and go to hell for all I care, it’s not me who wants to watch the latest addition to sob-love-stories! Ick – I hate it even more when I have to swallow my anger to ensure the smiles stay intact on other’s faces!!!

Hang your head Tom Dooley, Hang your head and cry,
Killed poor Laura Foster, And you know you’re bound to die…

Currently:-

• Reading William Dalrymple’s mammoth work, White Moghuls, after having finished The Handmaid’s Tale. (Find my review of this classic by Margaret Atwood at Literary Mosaic)
• Itching to head to Bombay and vent this hoarded up energy by walking down Marine Drive, breathing in that salty air & letting the wind play with my hair for a change, sharing my woes with one of my bosom buddies, and then over to Causeway - Mondegar for supper or mayhaps to Oxford (I haven’t been there in aeons) for a tall glass of iced tea and a nice Turkish salad. Hmm…

Truffles

Truffles – when I first learnt about them from my friend Patricia, last year in Bordeaux, I thought to myself, “Ridiculous! Such a high price for a tiny little underground mushroom! The things people pass off as ‘delicacies’!” For Christmas dinner, at Patricia’s mother-in-law’s beautiful Bordelaise home, we had 'Boudain Blanc' (plump white sausages served with stewed apples) and I was informed that the little black specks I saw in the sausages were truffles…still not convinced of their value, I grunted in response, nodded briefly and continued to enjoy the Sausages. Delicacy or not, they were delicious!

Less than a year later, I read Encore Provence in which the author Peter Mayle indulges in an entire chapter on truffles! And I decided it’s time I polished up my knowledge on these trifling mushrooms that cost a tiny fortune!

It is common to say that the truffle is an underground mushroom, but more exactly it is the fruit of the Mycelium. In the classification of mushrooms, the truffle is in the category of the Ascomycetes Hypoges. (Ascomycetes because the spores are enclosed in small pockets (asques) and Hypogee because it is underground.)

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Known as the King of Fungi, this highly fragrant tuber has been the cause of gunfights, thefts, wild accusations of fraud, and inquiries that take the police across countries to catch the culprits! In France, truffle commerce is very secretive – truffle cultivators and “hunters” avoid the taxman just as much as drug dealers do elsewhere in the world. And why? Because of it’s cost & rarity - These days a kilo costs US $750 in French markets. By the time we get them in North America the price may be as high as $1,250 to $1,500, depending on store location, and fame of the establishment. Dean and Deluca in New York will not part with a kilogram of truffles for less than $1,400, and Fauchon in Paris is likely to charge $1,000. To make it more exciting – truffles lose weight as they dry, so you actually lose money as the clock ticks – the race to carry the truffles across from the market-places to Paris into the kitchen of an exclusive restaurant is critical and I definitely don’t envy the man who has the job of transporting this delicacy from source to destination! A tiny consolation is that they can be stored for months, as long as they are kept in a damp atmosphere, and even frozen, though that affects the quality & texture of the mushroom.

Since truffles cannot be seen, specially trained sows and dogs are employed to find the elusive tubers, Sows love to eat them and have a keen sense of smell, but because of their size, transportation tends to be cumbersome, also once they start digging, it is difficult to stop them to retrieve the truffle. Many “hunters” prefer specially trained dogs that are easier to control. And then there are the precautions one must take to ensure that one’s precious truffles aren’t stolen from the “fields” overnight by the “smugglers” of the truffle trade!
There are three types of truffles – black, grey, and white. Black truffles generally come from France, white from Piedmont and Umbria, Italy and grey can be found in North America. Because black truffles are in such high demand, many fraudulent dealers buy inferior truffles like fungi, colour them and sell at exorbitant prices. Chinese truffles look like black French truffles, and some dealers are known to colour and sell them for authentic. Generally they buy the Chinese truffle for $30 a kilogram and after colouring sell it whatever the going market is. Considered an aphrodisiac, truffles are used in various preparations - goose liver pates, in sauces, omelettes, scrambled eggs, compound butters, baked in puff pastry... Mayle, suggests that the true relishment of truffles is found in the simplest recipes. So the best way to enjoy it, is to have it with plain scrambled eggs!

Hmm…perhaps next time I’m in France? (IF I can afford it!)

Stubborn Bitch?

So I got reprimanded for being too busy browsing other’s blogs and ignoring my own blog – glanced at my last post and realized that I have been ignoring my baby…

Sheesh – I don’t quite understand how this is happening. I’m officially vella since the last 3 weeks. No more Alliance Francaise classes till the results are declared and I’ve not taken on any more of the freelancing work I was doing. I had a slight tussle with my ‘employer’ over some minor ego issues and I’m refusing to back down, stubborn mule that I am…infact that led to a detailed analysis of this aspect of my personality. Here goes...

Geetanjali and her Stubbornness

I was never a docile child – infact my mother couldn’t leave me in a cradle 'coz I was too active for my own good and would end up tipping it over and landing on my head…she finally resorted to leaving me on a mattress on the ground, during the day-time. I could crawl off wherever I wished, but atleast I wouldn’t fall and do some permanent damage to my head…she started to suspect that the few falls I had already taken must have affected my head for I soon started asserting my (inherent) nature!

Innumerable battles over the milk bottle later, I graduated to eating food. And sure enough newer battles ensued. An incident that even I remember has me sitting on the table the entire afternoon refusing to touch the gajar methi ki sabzi. Amma had told me that I couldn’t get up from the table till I finished what was on my plate – so I didn’t. Till date that is one sabzi I abhor – gajar is meant for salads and gajar ka halwa…why would anyone want to mix it with something and ruin that sabzi?

My sister recounted another incident – I must have been around 5 or 6 at the time. Amma had gone to attend some family function, leaving me in the care of my father, brother and cousin sister. My “favourite” cousin sister at the time (one I’m still close it and whose house we are currently living in) – but even she couldn’t make me do something I didn’t want to. Good at mathematics herself, she thought I should do some extra exercises to improve my grades – Math was my only weak point till Marathi came along! Now, asking me to do more than the required number of sums was worse than asking me to eat gajar-methi. I refused. She insisted. I continued to stand my ground. When Papa came home from work, she told him what I’d done. Being the typical “Daddy’s girl” I thought I’d get my way. To my horror my father agreed with Didi – she couldn’t have done anything worse. Turning my father against me! How could she? I never got around to doing those sums – I also refused to talk to her for a whole year.

She thought I’d be a little embarrassed when she narrated this tale, especially since my Bhabhi was there as well and Bhabhi hasn’t had much opportunity yet to see me in action ;-) Little did she know that I’d retaliate with a similar incident…

A decade after my sister’s futile efforts at making me practice Math, my friend Mansi thought she’d tutor me in Math. Same result. I threw her out of my house telling her that no one tells Geetanjali Shrivastava how, what and when to study. We didn’t talk for over a year – for those of you who don’t know, Mansi is a bosom pal (chaddi pal if you prefer) – she’s seen me through my lowest, darkest phases in life, pulled me through a difficult puberty and been my rock ever since we became friends. I don’t think I’d quarrel with her over something so silly today, but yes, even she’s stopped trying to make me do something I don’t want to!

(We’ve had some remarkable moments over the years haven’t we Mansi? I think I’m going to take this opportunity to raise a toast to our friendship – Vive l’amitie entre nous!)

This brought up the whole Marathi exam saga – my parents had hoped that atleast one member of the family would learn Marathi. My brother never had the knack for languages so he didn’t pick up any of the languages taught to him in school. Having experienced that, my folks thought that some extra training in Marathi wouldn’t hurt me. So they enrolled me for these State Language Exams we could take, through school. Our school provided coaching lessons which would take place once a week, for a mere 45 minutes. But those 45 minutes were half of the week’s allotted time for “C.C.A” or co-curricular activities. I hated it. The idea of missing my art classes for Marathi was abhorrent. I didn’t sit for any of the coaching classes and when the notice came for the exam I calmly told my parents that I never wanted to take the exam, so I wasn’t going to. I was in the 5th std. Needless to say that was the last time my parents tried to bend my will and make me do something against my wishes! It’s also why they never tried to get me to take any tuitions for any subject, no matter how weak I was in it, or how important the exam was deemed to be (SSC / HSC / whatever!) – and I think I’m quite proud of the fact!!

Heh…I’ve mellowed down over the years and sometimes do follow other’s advice, but once in a while my stubborn streak rears up and then I’m quite unreasonable. Quite. Re-reading what I just wrote, I’m tickled pink at my abominable behaviour – I was a regular brat, wasn’t I ? – and I marvel at how much I’ve changed over the years. Definitely more subtle in my reactions and approaches. And more mature; or so I believe, though there are those who’d beg to disagree – hint hint! I’d like to think that I am an interesting character to have around, but I’ll let you’ll decide that! ;-)

Currently :-

• Listening to “Ladies & Gentlemen - The Best of George Michael” – can’t decide which I like the best – Freedom 90, Killer/Papa was a Rolling Stone, I Want Your Sex, I Knew You Were Waiting for Me, Faith or Father Figure…damn but the man sure knows how to spin his tunes…& damn but what a waste of perfectly delicious man! ;-)
• Reading Peter Mayle’s “Encore Provence” – a most delightful read…I must post a review of the book on Literary Mosaic!
• Sporting a toe-ring – it’s become a regular companion for my toe and I quite like it.
• Feeling upbeat and cheerful – the last remnants of a dark mood having passed into the inky blackness last night. A.Diddy – me thinks those three cups of coffee, did it’s bit in boosting those energy levels ;-) Muhahahaha!

Caferati

Caferati

I stumbled onto their blog, through Akshay’s blog and immediately knew I’d found a treasure. I was still getting over the content on Akshay’s blog, which isn’t half as trivial as he claims, and here I was confronted with a blog of a “motley group of writers” who meet up online and offline, over coffees and conversation to read out their oeuvres and discuss them. I browsed their blog for a few days – leaving comments where I felt I had something worthwhile to say, and then Max Babi contacted me. A founder-member of the group, he was organizing the first-ever Pune Caferati meet – “Would I like to come?” he asked. There was no doubt in my mind that this was something I wanted to do – I am not a great writer, infact I’ve hardly written any stories and can’t write verse for nuts, yet I knew I HAD to attend.

So I went – 7th November 2004, Titash Neogi’s apartment off Spicer College Road – and am I glad I went! I went as an observer, commenting very little, seizing the opportunity to simply soak in the atmosphere and get a feel of what the meetings are all about. I was quite awed (and even inspired) by some of the stuff read out – the talent in these people left me feeling humbled, at the same time it made me realise that I might have something to offer as well…

I attended the Bombay Caferati meet this Sunday (21st November 2004), having gathered the courage to read out something I’d written a year back. Hosted at Gold Mist, in a beautiful apartment, overlooking Jogger’s Park, Bandra and the awe-inspiring Arabian Sea (awe-inspiring the Bombay coastline is, whether it’s because of the degree to which it is polluted, or those huge waves that crash the shore during monsoons!) the meet was a bit disappointing in terms of what was read – most of the pieces read didn’t do much for me. The last item on the agenda – the play reading, by Peter and Vijay – was mind-blowing stuff! “Relaxing” was how one gentleman described it ; I’d say “invigorating”, “spell-binding” and “captivating” – the oratory skills of the two gentlemen who read it out, coupled with the taut, well-bound script made me want more than the two scenes that were read out!

To Life, posted on Literary Mosaic, was my first-ever attempt at fiction writing…as I’ve said myself, it’s a simple story, almost simplistic. An experiment, to see if I’m capable of producing anything worthwhile or am I just full of useless crap that no one will want to read… friends who read it, had stuff to say, but most of it wasn’t constructive criticism that would guide me to improvement. Caferati gave me that – starting with Max, who read my story and encouraged me to read it at the B’bay meet, Manisha, Avi and Peter who critiqued it at the meet and gave me pointers on how to improve the story (rather, make it one!) and Titash, who with his organized little comments, ripped my story apart, giving suggestions on how to improve it…

I have just started my journey with Caferati and have a long way to go – I’m sure as hell looking forward it…it’s going to be one rocking trip!!! :-)

P.S Any more comments on the story are welcome!

Back from Tinsel Town

Back from Tinsel Town – the city rocks! LOL – the city can be its usual polluted, traffic-jammed, crazy, hot n humid self, but for me, it always works wonders. This time there were no hectic rendezvous with pals and dinner/lunch dates at my favourite restaurants, since I spent most of the time with Ma, shopping, visiting family friends & attending a rather-boring party. Yet, I managed to squeeze in enough to keep me going till the next trip!

Sunday evening was the only time I had to myself – so I packed in several things. Since had decided to attend the Caferati meet in B’bay and read out my short-story I pataoed Madusa to accompany me , thus killing 2 birds with 1 stone. Kunu called up at the last minute, saying he was free so he’d also attend, so I actually managed to meet both of them and do the Caferati bit, all in one go! After the meet I had to meet that incredibly adorable and sexy man, Amit – the meet got over later than I expected and I thought those plans would go awry; fortunately they didn’t, and my mood which was slipping rapidly, was restored before I cracked up in public! Needless to say, rushing across town, asking the rickshaw-walla to step on the gas, was worth it! No more on the subject… ;-)

Monday and Tuesday passed in a haze of meeting family-friends…had to attend a birthday party of a one-year old…I’m afraid I don’t understand the concept of throwing a party to celebrate your child’s 1st birthday party, by inviting 150-200 odd adults to a club. The kid ends up feeling tired and irritable, as he is passed around from one arm to the other; a myriad strangers kiss him and insist he looks “Cho-Chweet” in his brand new “Baba-suit” while the kid is probably feeling stuffy and uncomfortable in the new starched clothes and wondering why the whole world is intent on smothering him! *Puke*

A cozy family get-together, with a sumptuous meal (keeping in mind that a year-old infant also has to enjoy) seems more appropriate to me. Birthday Parties like this, strike me as a nouveau-riche way of showing off your money and your child to the world, more than a genuine celebration of your child’s birthday. But then, I’m not one to throw birthday parties, having had only one in my life – I’ve always preferred cozy rendezvous with family and friends, over a typical party (blowing out candles, cutting cakes, collecting gifts from a dozen people who were worrying about the month’s budget while buying the gift, and providing food to all of them, ending up tired by the end of your red-letter day!)…ah well, each to his own, I guess.

Word of the Day - Zeus/Jupiter

Zeus, n, (Greek mythology) the supreme god of ancient Greek mythology; son of Rhea and Cronus whom he dethroned; husband and brother of Hera; brother of Poseidon and Hades; father of many gods; counterpart of Roman Jupiter

Word History:
Homer's Iliad calls him “Zeus who thunders on high” and Milton's Paradise Lost, “the Thunderer,” so it is surprising to learn that the Indo-European ancestor of Zeus was a god of the bright daytime sky. Zeus is a somewhat unusual noun in Greek, having both a stem Zn- (as in the philosopher Zeno's name) and a stem Di- (earlier Diw-). In the Iliad prayers to Zeus begin with the vocative form Zeu pater, “o father Zeus.” Father Zeus was the head of the Greek pantheon; another ancient Indo-European society, the Romans, called the head of their pantheon Ipiter or Iuppiter-Jupiter. The -piter part of his name is just a reduced form of pater, father and I- corresponds to the Zeu in Greek: Ipiter is therefore precisely equivalent to Zeu pater and could be translated “father Jove.” Jove itself is from Latin Iov-, the stem form of Ipiter, an older version of which in Latin was Diov-, showing that the word once had a d as in Greek Diw-. An exact parallel to Zeus and Jupiter is found in the Sanskrit god addressed as Dyau pitar: pitar is “father,” and dyau means “sky.”
We can equate Greek Zeu pater, Latin I-piter, and Sanskrit dyau pitar and reconstruct an Indo-European deity, *Dyus pter, who was associated with the sky and addressed as “father.” Comparative philology has revealed that the “sky” word refers specifically to the bright daytime sky, as it is derived from the root meaning “to shine.”
This root also shows up in Latin dis “day,” borrowed into English in words like diurnal. Closely related to these words is Indo-European *deiwos “god,” which shows up, among other places, in the name of the Old English god Tw in Modern English Tuesday, “Tiw's day.” *Deiwos is also the source of Latin dvus “pertaining to the gods,” whence English divine and the Italian operatic diva, and deus, “god,” whence deity.

(*Phew!* - that's enough gyan for the day!)

Food for Thought

The Festive Season has been taking it's toll on our stomachs. Along with all the rich curries, deep-fried pakwaans, and mouth-watering mithais sashaying onto our tables and delighting our palates, comes the fear of Calories & Cholestrol and Crisis-time hits the Kitchens before you know it...before you start planning that next diet, here's something I gleaned from India Today Travel Plus -

I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond. – Mae West

Eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. – Mark Twain

My advice if you insist on slimming: Eat as much as you like – just don’t swallow it! – Harry Secombe

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless, there are three other people. – Orson Welles

I have a great diet. You’re allowed to eat anything you want, but you must eat it with naked people. – Ed Bluestone

I don’t diet. I just don’t eat as much as I’d like to. – Linda Evangelista

All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal or fattening. – Alexander Woollcott

Great restaurants are, of course, nothing but mouth-brothels. There is no point in going to them if one intends to keep one’s belt buckled. – Frederick Raphael

The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health, or we suffer in soul, or we get fat. – Albert Einstein

Give me liberty or…Ooooooo…A jelly doughnut! – Homer Simpson

The journey of a thousand pounds begins with a single burger. – Chris O’Brien

Thank you for calling the Weight-Loss Hotline. If you’d like to lose half a pound right away, press 1 eighteen thousand times. – Randy Glasbergen

To supplement that, I have some more Food for Thought for you - hey come on, this stuff is easy to digest!

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it...don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer?Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain?Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the frui ty bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain.Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry.My philosophy is: No Pain...Good, Very very GOOD.

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO. Cocoa beans ... another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around! (check out Chocoholics United, if you don't believe me!)

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets and remember,

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand -- strawberries in the other -- body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming - WOO HOO! What a Ride!" ;-)

Diwali Pooja

Diwali - the Festival of Lights

Diwali is a five day Hindu festival which occurs on the fifteenth day of Kartika. During this time, homes are thoroughly cleaned and windows are opened to welcome Laksmi, goddess of wealth. Candles and lamps are lit as a greeting to Laksmi. Gifts are exchanged and festive meals are prepared during Diwali. Diwali, being the festival of lights, thousands of lamps are lit in and outside every home on the day. Lamp or “Deep” is the symbol of knowledge. The act of lighting the lamp of knowledge within us signifies an understanding and reflection upon the significant purpose of each of the five days of festivities and to bring those thoughts in to our day to day lives.

According to Ramayana, Diwali commemorates the return of Ram, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the eldest son of King Dasharath of Ayodhya, from his 14-year exile with Sita and Lakshman after killing the Ravan, a demon king. The people of Ayodhya illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas and fireworks to celebration of the return of their king.

There are other myths as well, that explain the existence of the festival, but for me the festival means Diwali pooja, gujiyas, flowers, rangolis (though I can't make one!), malpuas, lights strung across homes, diyas (loads of them), new clothes ;-) and kheer...it's my favourite festival, despite the pollution created by the fireworks which are a major nuisance...

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY DIWALI & A POSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!

Have a colourful, exciting Diwali - but let's not forget our duty to the environment!

Notes From My Appointment Diary...

As I said earlier this week (or was it last week?) this week has been a flurry of activities for me. This is pretty much how the week progressed:-

Tuesday 9th Nov – Inauguration of the Phoenix Mecano India factory at Pirangut by Mr GoldKamp, CEO of Phoenix Mecano A.G.

This factory is basically the reason why I’ve been uprooted from my beloved Bombay, yet I couldn’t stop myself from beaming with pride, since this factory is proof of my father’s achievements. He first started working with PMI when he was asked to audit the company back in 1996 when the company was riddled with losses. He took on as a Managing Consultant by the end of the audit and soon became the Managing Director and share-holder. My father has put in his blood, sweat, money (he is one of the few men I know who can put in their own money to give the company the monetary boost it needs, even at the cost of nearly wiping clean his personal account) – in short my father has dedicated his life to PMI in the last 8 years. And it paid off – for the company that was on the verge of being shut-down and took 3 years to break even, after my father took control at the helm, has become a successful, fast-growing enterprise today. Needless to say, the Inauguration of the factory went off smoothly…

Wednesday 10th Nov – Pooja at the factory – one elaborate affair. I’d expected a low-key, simple Diwali pooja, but it turned out to be a grand pooja for good beginnings, that swallowed up the entire morning. It was followed by a press conference, the results of which I saw in the papers this morning! We got back home, changed, wrapped a few details for the evening’s presentation and rushed back across town and up the “dongars” to Pirangut for the 10th anniversary celebrations of Phoenix Mecano India. A bit pressed for time, running slightly behind schedule, and praying that the rains would hold off since the terrace where the programme was scheduled to take place was uncovered, the evening was definitely a success. Hats off to my father - the company wouldn’t be where it is today without him, for the Germans had decided to shut down operations in India when he took on. But he didn’t let them, kept pushing the company uphill and he hasn’t stopped yet – MY DAD ROCKS!

Thursday 11th Nov – Lunch with Dr.Metzger at our home. My cousin arrived early in the morn’g to help us out – she’s a chef par excellence and an army-wife to boot. Needless to say, she organized the kitchen in a jiffy and produced some mouth-watering stuff for lunch! I am in the “cleaning department” for such rendezvous at home, so I had to make sure the place looked spick-n-span...plus I’ve inherited my parent’s inherent need to see perfection in what we do. It may be simple, but it has to be perfect. The morning passed way too quickly for my liking, but my efforts at re-organising and sprucing up the place paid off! I think we won’t have to do much tomorrow in that department, apart for the daily cleaning that one really can’t avoid!

Went out in the evening to pick up the stuff for tomorrow’s pooja – Ghorpodi gaon, with my skirt pulled up high up my calves in an effort to keep the skirt clean, with a shawl wrapped around my self to ward off the after-rains cold breeze. Drooled over the mounds of flowers, the rangoli colours, the "kheel-batashas" being sold after every two shops,and the diyas at the potter’s shops…this was something I never saw in Bombay since we got everything in our local grocery shops and never ventured into the “market-areas” of the city. Quite a treat for me!
Even though I’m exhausted with the activities and running around of the last 3 days, I can still feel the adrenaline running through my veins…saved some of it for tomorrow! ;-)

The Queens That Ruled The Roost Before Schnapps

Since I posted a pic of Schnapps, I couldn't resist posting pics of my previous pets -

Tika came to us, just before I was born. My brother who loves dogs more than anyone else in the family, tried for a camel, horse, monkey and finally settled for a dog! She hated kids and was jealous of me, when I was born, but dare anyone scold me - Tika was at my rescue immediately, growling deep in her throat at whoever it was who dared raise his voice at the baby of the house! I've been told by all those who saw us grow up together that I used to share my b'fast toasts and biscuits with her - how? One bite goes into Geetanjali's mouth, next into Tika's and the last back in Geetanjali's! I still miss her sometimes!



On our terrace in Gayatri - playing with her ball! This is one of my fav pics of Frisky! She was very camera-reticent, so we have very few...Our neighbour had brought her back from his brother's house, but aunty brought the house down! Mom took one look at the cute black pup cruled up in the basket looking fearfully at Smita aunty and melted. So she became ours...

When she came to us, she was this bundle of energy who wouldn't stop frisking around (thus her name!) - but over the years, she grew into the most lovable, gentle soul, who loved her food, wanted her CoffeeBites immediately after dinner, irrespective of whether the humans had dessert or not! She was a very sensitive dog who sat by my mother's bed through-out the time Ma was convalescing after the bypass. We lost her to a tumour in Dec 2002 - my last memory of her is of her sitting in the back of Suku's Bolero, excited that she's going for a drive. Even though I knew that if we didn't put her down then, she'd die a painful death a few days later, it felt like cold-blooded murder...I cried for days after.

Hardly a day goes by when I don't think of her and compare her to Schnapps - only to remind myself that they shall both occupy their own niche in my heart!

She was a Queen, like her predecessor... he's a Royal Brat!

Monsieur Ginger Schnapps a.k.a Lucifer

Je vous presente Monsieur Ginger Schnapps, mon favori Diable!

Achoo-Sniff-Cough...

« Achoo – sniff – cough... »

That’s been my refrain since Tuesday evening. A nasty cold descended on me within a few hours and by night-fall I was sneezing, sniffing and sure I’d have a sore throat & congestion by the next morning. One prophecy of mine that did come true! Hah!

Anyways I spent a couple of days, pretty miserable coz this was one of my worst colds ever – luckily my colds get cured within a few days, without me having to take any major medication. My cough syrup insures I sleep well at night, lozenges drag me through the day and plenty of tissue papers come to the rescue when a running nose threatens to embarrass me! Taking the exam yesterday was a pain, but I’ve gone through several exams with much worse hanging over my head – be it my world falling apart just before the BA Univ exams coupled with Ma's bypass surgery, or Papa’s stroke during MA-I exams…this was a cake-walk in comparison! How was it? As usual – OK. The rest as we’ll find out when the results are declared! For now “Cest finit!” Finished. Over. Done with.

Am well on my road to well-being now – infact I spent the whole morning cleaning out and re-organising my book-shelves and cupboards as a part of my annual “Diwali” cleaning…

While we don’t indulge in spring-cleaning in the true-blue sense of the term, Diwali does call for some basic dusting off cob-webs and sprucing up the cupboards, pulling out the new/lesser used linens etc, so that the house looks nice and welcoming for the guests atleast, not to mention Goddess Lakshmi ;-) Larger house this time, but far less work, coz we don’t have half-as-many cupboards and storing space here, so most of the crockery and crystal is still packed away in cartons… Feels odd not having to wash the Swarovski this year, or dust the books that lined the unit in the living-room…Also going to miss stringing lights across the terrace we had back in B’bay – but I think we’ll figure out a way to string some lights on the sorry excuse of a “terrace” we have here! Where there is a will, there is a way! :- )

Next week sure is packed with activities (good thing my cold is beating a fast retreat!) – the Chairman and Dr.M are coming down for the official inauguration of the PMI factory at Pirangut and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of PMI, so I can look forward to some corporate dinners and lunches. Not going to be easy on the daily routines – hectic and tiring, but fun as well! And then Diwali…ohhh I’m excited!

Currently:-

• Planning things for the next few weeks…
• Listening to Pdt.Shiv Kumar Sharma’s Santoor Virasat
• Fed-up of hearing & seeing music videos that sound & look so similar – be it the hip-hop videos with the nearly naked babes in thongs, or our desi variety of remixes and Indi-hip-hop with the half-naked babes in ethno-chic! Gimme a break and come up with something original guys!
• Reading Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

The Incurable Bombay Disease

Got back from B’bay this morning and have been sluggish ever since – the exhaustion of cramming in a month worth of rendezvous with friends and fun combined with the effect of being back in this hamlet sucked all energy out of me! But…

WHAT A WEEKEND!

I left for B’bay immediately after the “Examen Orale” at AF (which was comme ci-comme ca – it all depends on whether the examiners thought I was upto the mark!) reaching there late anoon. Walking down to Dadar station, up the pedestrian bridge across to the Western railway line and running to catch an Andheri local, sweat pouring down my back, running errands at Andheri stn before catching the 249 to 7-Bungalows, and walking into the breezy compound of Gayatri Housing Co-op Society shaded with Ashoka trees planted a year before I was born…it felt to great to be back where I belong.

“Home” may technically be Pune for now, but my heart is never here…I leave it behind each time I leave the city to come back here. As I told someone recently the "Bombay Disease" is incurable... ;-)

This time I crammed lots of rendezvous into just one-n-half days : – met up with Shivaji after aeons (I used to each him French once upon a time – somewhere along the line he became a good friend). Dinner at Lemon Grass (I can still taste the succulent Chicken wrapped in leaves - ummmm - and my cheeks still ache when I think of the amount I talked and laughed that nite!) with Tasneem-Aranyak and Kunaal, followed by Irish coffee at Prithvi, which is getting geared for the Prithvi festival – it was beautiful – the hand painted glasses and bottles, the way they’ve strung different coloured clothes-line across the compound, the red shoe dangling in one corner…quite charming to say the least! Hrishit (my 10am Sunday morng film-show companion!) dropped in for a quick hello. Volleyed bitchy comments with him (LOL!) before he went back to his beloved CA preparation!

The next day it was errands time again (for Mommy dearest) and quick hellos to Suku who’s house I raid while I’m in B’bay and our much beloved maid, Shanta. Lunch with college friends – catching up with the gang – Amrita, Sherry and Yamini…

Next up – darling Madusa who gifted me Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale. Mrrci beaucoup ma chere amie!! We went for Morning Raga with Kunaal. An AWESOME movie, with a mind-blowing performance by Shabana Azmi and pretty good supporting cast. (though Abhinav could have been played by a less wooden actor) – the music, needless to say, has wormed its way into my system…can’t wait to get my hands on the soundtrack! Fusion-Carnatic music rocks! As for the scenes shot in a village near Hyderabad – picture-perfect is all I can say…a MUST SEE!!

Kunaal and I dined on Frankies, at his current pad, with the inimitable Akhil Seth (classmate from AVM) for company – needless to say we found out about a lot about who’s earning how much and doing what with life…

Sauntered back to Gayatri around midnight, packed and collapsed coz I had to arise at 5 am, in order to be out by 6.15 and catch the 7.15 bus at Dadar…boy did I drag my feet last night – I soooooooooooooo didn’t want to come back. Sigh…

Got the written exam to look forward to – and then Diwali. One of my favourite cousins is in town for Diwali – so it’s going to be fun this year, more so coz I have to make up for missing Diwali last year! Got to plan my trip to Delhi to visit Appu…and figure out what next if the Diplome Superieur doesn’t start soon…

But before all that is my first ever BWC meeting at Pune on 7th November – excited about that :-)

Ganymede and Zeus

Ganymede, the son of King Tros of Troy, was an exceptionally handsome young man. Zeus found him desirable, and changed himself into the form of an eagle to abduct him from Troy. He snatched Ganymede into the air with his claws, and carried him to Olympus, much to the annoyance of his wife Hera (Juno). Annoying Hera further, Zeus made Ganymede the cupbearer to the gods, a task which was previously carried out by Hebe, the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Zeus went further still, commemorating his love for Ganymede in the constellation Aquarius, the water-bearer.

The Rape of Ganymede - painting by Anton Domenico Gabbiani (1700)

This affair is believed to be a religious justification for homosexuality within Greek culture. Others state that it’s merely a reflection of Greek life at that time – Plato used this myth to justify his sexual feelings towards his male pupils. This myth did serve to increase tolerance for sodomy, which till then was only accepted as an external for of goddess worship – Rhea’s (Mother of Gods – also the Goddess of Caverns and earth in its primitive state, known in Roman mythology as Cybele) male devotees tried to achieve unity with her by castrating themselves and dressing like women.

In the 19th century, homosexuality was attributed to moral degeneracy, mental illness and 'congenital anomaly'. Come 20th century, we are still not completely rid of such theories, but scientific research done on the subject states hormonal imbalance, psychosocial influences and biological factors (difference in brain structures & genetic reasons) named as possible suspects.

The most interesting reason (according to me) was the one given by Appollodorus (Greek historian and scholar, to whom the ‘Bibliotheke' or Library of Greek mythology is attributed). According to him, this myth emphasized the victory of patriarchy over matriarchy, showing that men don’t need the attentions of women and they did not need women to exist!
*Gags in disbelief*

Whatever the reasons behind homosexuality, the question that nags most of us is whether it is normal?

But then what is normal?

That, which is accepted as the norm by the majority and enforced on the minority? That which comes “naturally”? Or that which the Gods intended us to be? And if the Gods themselves indulged in homosexuality…umm?

All said and done, I say - live and let live!

Sources: Mythology – Myths, Legends, & Fantasies, Ed. Parker Janet, Stanton Julie
© Global Book Publishing Pty Ltd, 2003
"Ganymede." Encyclopedia Mythica from Encyclopedia Mythica Online
[Accessed October 29, 2004].

Beauty and the Beast

The fairy tale of “Beauty and the Beast” was strongly influenced by the myth of Eros (better known as Cupid) and Psyche. Both are stories of love being tested by outward show. Beauty and Psyche both fail the test at first, as beauty does not learn to love the Beast until he lies dying, while Psyche believes her sisters’ story that her husband is a murderous monster. Beauty is literally confronted with a Beast; however it is only in Psyche’s imagination that Eros is anything but a most desirable god in the shape of a man. In the fairy tale both Beauty and the Beast have something to learn before they can fully love one another. In the myth, there are numerous ordeals for Psyche but not for Eros, who manages to stay hidden at his mother’s (Aphrodite) house while his beloved is suffering. (Why am I not surprised ?)
Perhaps this helps to explain, why Eros is often depicted as a little boy who never grows up.

(The myth of Eros-Psyche and Psyche’s ordeals is worth reading!)

Source : Mythology – Myths, Legends, & Fantasies, Ed. Parker Janet, Stanton Julie
© Global Book Publishing Pty Ltd, 2003

The Missing Half

The philosopher Plato explained the nature of love by telling a myth about the first human beings that were circular creatures each with two faces on a single neck, four legs and four arms. They traveled by rolling their bodies along the ground. Zeus (Jupiter) grew angry with these early humans when they challenged the rule of the gods, and sliced each of them in half, leaving humankind with only one face, two legs and two arms. Zeus threatened that if, ever there was any more serious trouble from humankind, he would cut everyone in half again. Then with one leg and one arm each, reduced to hopping everywhere, people would finally learn how to treat gods with respect. According to this myth, we are all halves of lost wholes, each longing and searching for its missing half. Love according to this myth, is the desire and pursuit of the whole.

Source: Mythology – Myths, Legends, & Fantasies, Ed. Parker Janet, Stanton Julie
© Global Book Publishing Pty Ltd, 2003

Buzzing with Ideas & Thoughts...

My head is buzzing with thoughts and ideas almost constantly these days – I’ve been reading up on varied subjects as a part of my “More Gyan, Better Geets” project and cutting out all sorts of write-ups from the newspapers and magazines these past few months. The last few weeks it’s gained momentum and the direct effect was on my schedule as I tried to do more than one thing at a time – something I’ve never been very good at. Multi-tasking I can do, provided the tasks are linked or they create a kind of harmony for the main task at hand – but when I haven’t chalked out some kind of order/schedule then I end up falling behind in one or the other thing. In this case blogging…

Anyways so here I am – after a rather interesting week. Lots of reading up online, sparked off by some gyan-search needed for my AF exam which kind of spread out, with some attempts to study and a successful effort at organizing my notes. Had planned to visit Bbay this weekend and have some much-deserved fun now that Kunu has officially shifted back to Bbay (I envy him big-time!), but my BP played truant and dipped low (54/90 - horror of horrors!) forcing me to stay back….the mood-swings oscillating faster than a pendulum didn’t help matters much! So now I’m under the scrutiny of Mommy dearest who’s doing her best to pump Vitamins into me – atleast she can’t complain that I’m not eating well – with the amount of weight I’ve gained since I got back from Europe I have to now start thinking seriously of getting an exercise regime into action, if I hope to continue fitting into my size 24 jeans! Ah where went those days when I was ridiculously underweight? ;-)

Note on advertisements that caught my attention recently – The (Motorola?) SLIM advert annoys me. I find it quite disturbing that the advert promotes the ‘slim’ image for women – and we are trying to battle the growing incidences of Anorexia among young women?
The new Reliance phones advert makes me want to slap someone – could the girl have been portrayed more materialistic and silly? Gawd – but that couple is the heights!
On the other hand – the Tata Indigo Marina advert is very nice. Tasteful. Classy. And I love the way they wove the by-line into the story. "Because we like to carry the world with us" - I like! :-)

Right now

• I’m reading a book on Picasso – it’s a Taschen publication. I picked up the book from the Taschen outlet, Paris (yeps it’s been months since then) and started reading it last week to get the French flowing in my head! Though I didn’t quite comprehend Picasso's style of painting earlier, it’s slowly starting to make sense to me now and I'm regretting having missed the Picasso exhibition when it had come to NGMA (Bbay). Am finding myself increasingly interested in Art and with my preliminary readings I think I quite like the Impressionists.
• I’m listening to Billy Joel’s We Dint Start the Fire.
• I'm feeling very Smug and Content with today's shopping at FabIndia, my decision to send personally made cards this year for Diwali and my initial preparations on this new project - and finally having bought a nice book to jot down quotes/poems/gyan that catch my attention! The double dessert of Kheer and left-over Apple Stew just made that smile broader! :-)

Being Twenty-Something

"They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't.

One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook-ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic.

You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out...maybe it will help to think that you aren't alone in this state of confusion...

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF US. " - Anonymous

- I received this forward a few years ago, when I'd just turned twenty and found it amazingly "spot-on" in its content...an ex-classmate from college sent it again today - and as I read it, I was struck by how many of the things mentioned have been experienced by me, and even catalogued in this very blog. Simply had to post it!

Amused & Bemused

A classmate remarked on my appearance today, leaving me amused, not to mention bemused!!

"You are looking very Indian today"
- Eh? So normally I look like a....??? LOL!!

Current mood :- Very very nostalgic about my stay in Germany last year -October, November and December (the month I travelled to Sweden and France) - I soooooooo wanna go back to France...not to mention Magdeburg. I've been thinking about our apartment, the route to REAL/Karstadt, the trams, all those soirees with Annika...hope I can go back one day - preferably soon! :-)

The Spread of English or the Death of Native Languages

The British Council Library organised a series lectures by David Crystal, world-renowned linguist who's publications include Cambridge Encyclopaedia of English. Unfortunately I didn't know about the lecture in Pune in advance, so I couldn't go attend it...ICK! I really should get that BCL membership, being too lazy...anyways found these articles in the TOI reporting his lectures in Delhi and Pune :-

The world'll speak in Hinglish'

'One language is dying every two weeks'

They are worth reading - what he says about the spread of English and it's impact on world languages is highly pertinent and something that we should all be conscious of, since our generation is after all the generation that speaks a very hybridised language most of the time, and is losing touch with "Indian realities" in terms of language and culture very very fast...

Ranting, Raving, Raging

Tempers are flaring in class as the mess with our course schedule & exam schedule gets worse – so now the Director wants us to have our written exam also to be held in end Oct. Ofcourse people have problems – while the Director is right when he says that the long gap will affect our performance, I find it extremely annoying that the institution is acting in such a hap-hazard confused manner. It’s unfair to ask students to adjust because a new exam schedule has to be made – no official institution should be changing the schedule, just because a professor has to go elsewhere for work….a replacement should be arranged. When students signed up for the course they assumed that the exams would be in December – moving it upto November was one thing, but to move it upto Oct and then blatantly ask people to re-arrange things that they have planned and oragnised 3 months ago is highly unjust, unprofessional and unethical, in my opinion. And if you’re falling short of teachers – hire new ones damn it – AF doesn’t fall under the awful government bureaucracy that prevents them from hiring teachers easily…

Yesterday I could feel the difference in the ways the AF-Pune and AF-Bombay are run, more than ever before…I felt like telling my professor that THIS is why Bombay is a better city – this kind of unprofessional behaviour would never be seen in AF-Bombay. Schedules once fixed are not screwed around with.

Now you wonder why I’m up in arms about all this – I have no plans for Oct – I can give the exam as easily in Oct, as Nov or Dec…Heh…I’m just falling back on an old habit of taking up for classmates and crusading for their cause. I so hate it when people say “We can’t make adjustments for one or two people – you have to think of the good of the whole group” – yes, you do…but if you really mean that, then you wouldn’t mess up in the first place, would you? Hypocrites – banish them from the surface of the earth please!

Phew…I raged about this yesterday in class and later at home, while cooking up a meal for my dear brother, who’s been pining for an “English dinner” (read – no roti, sabzi, dal, chawal – but stuff that I cook!)…Ma got quite fed-up of me banging utensils around and hearing me rant and rave…Hahaha…but the catharsis sure feels good.

On a different note – Papa had accidentally broken the bottle of wine I’d bought in Bordeaux and was saving for a special occasion, when we’d just shifted into this place…I was really upset with him and didn’t speak to him for several days…the darling that he is, he asked his Boss, Dr Metzger to get 2 bottles of French red wine for me. And...the nice man that Dr.M is, he picked up pretty good wines – Provencal and Sauvignon…

Ok Papa I take back all those nasty things I said that day – you still are the bestest father in the whole universe!!!! :-)

R.I.P

In the last one month we’ve lost several great people, who have shaped the way culture is as we say it today – world culture and Indian culture…

Christopher Reeves – Superman – passed away 2 days ago, after a long struggle against the paralysis that had confined him to a wheelchair and forced him to survive on a respirator, after a equestrian accident.

Derrida, the founder of the Deconstructionist school of thought (which I studied in MA-II but still don’t under what it is all about!) passed away a few days back in Paris – the man definitely has an enormous impact on philosophy and the way literary texts are analysed today. Even though most of those who profess to understand him don’t really understand anything, he is a person you can NOT be ignorant of, if you’re in the field.

In India, we paid our last respects Mulk Raj Anand, one of the founders of Modern Indian English Literature, Shobha Gurtu who played an influential role in way Indian music developed and Arun Kolatkar, bi-lingual poet of collections of poems such as “Jejuri” and “Kala Ghoda”….

R.I.P

P.S. While on the subject of literature, I couldn’t resist making this small point – as I read about the latest Nobel Laureate, I couldn’t help but think that there is at least one person I know who would want to read “The Piano Teacher” ;-)

Stressed...

Discovered this week that my AF classes for this session are getting over in 2 weeks – our prof has to go to France, so we were having extra sessions in order to wrap up the syllabus before she left…in the process, we’ve wrapped up the syllabus and completed the number of hours well before her departure…so they’ve decided to prepone the exams, since a very long break before exams would obviously effect our performance, specially in the orals. My oral exam is scheduled to be held in the last week of October and the written will be held during the last weekend of November…

When I began the course I thought it's a 6 month course with my exams in end Dec - that moved up to end Nov, and I assumed we'd have classes till the Diwali break, which starts from Nov6th...now suddenly I have to prepare myself for the orals which will be in another 3 weeks...doesn't help that this time one of the examiners will be the Director of AFP and our papers go to France for correction. Ah well, just an exam...so I've been moved into action sooner than I thought...and so the schedule has been moved around...nothing earth-shattering!

Remember my belief :-

Exam is just a letter word - so are "Life" and "F***" both of which are more important!! ;-)

I am a bit upset with the change in schedules though -hopefully the next (and my last level) at AF will start in Jan : Diplome Superieur. If that doesn't go as planned, then my plans for the immediate future are sure going to be screwed up royally...I'll be the dhobi ka kutta, jo na ghar ka hota hai na ghat ka...
*Crossing my fingers tight*