It's just a little rain

Bangalore greeted the rains with a sigh of relief today. Judo and I were just about sitting down to lunch when the formidable army of clouds marched upon us. The winds began to whistle through the streets and we stood and watched the magnificence of it all. It is amazing how, in an instant, the heart can do a flip and be unconditionally happy. When everything turns grey, and the storm comes to bang the door shut before you could run to it. You have to hurriedly get the clothes you had put out to dry off the clothesline. Then it would drizzle, through the leaves, on the awnings, in the little rivulets. You would make yourself a glass of hot chocolate, then curl your toes in and just sit there with a book, and a smile.

Who are these, golfers?

You know what, I think there is one divide, only ONE, between people. There are people on two sides of the barbed wire that skirts the golf course. There are those sporting caps and golfing clubs, with caddies trailing along. They with their refined walk and refined talk. With their English tea and cigars. With pearl earrings or Gucci tees. Then there are us, riding in an auto by that wired, around 100 ft high fence, looking lustily at the greens, wondering what life is like out there, being jolted back to reality when the auto hits a bump or ducks into a pothole, and quickly returning to our Rs 3 coffee and occasional Rs 20 ice cream treats. We get too busy running around in our faded slippers. Just once in a while, in those stolen moments, we think about those green outfields, wondering what lies in those rolling stretches, under those cool caps…

A day in the life of ... me

I just thought, after much thought and deliberation, that instead of thinking and thinking and thinking about what to write, I’ll just write. Write just about ANYTHING that occurs to me. Like the first thought is, I don’t want to think about what to write for my newspaper, every single day of my life. Maybe that’s also because lately I haven’t been able to think of any great or good, or even anywhere close to good, ideas for stories. (You can say I am ideatically challenged right now.) But that apart, they are always restrictive. I mean, there is one peg that you are supposed to follow. There is this one omnipresent (I just used that word because it seems quite imposing) idea and you have to generate a story about it. You can’t really just pen down anything and everything that comes to your heart.

So what did I do today? Or, what do I do everyday? I wake up around 9.30 a.m. – just about the time that the maid is to arrive. I brush and get fresh, make myself and hubby (if he’s at home coz he can be at office) two cups of tea. Sit with the newspaper and after a little while, switch on the television. The morning seems to be waking up slowly for me, with the sun pouring in first, maybe tiptoeing in. Then it stretches and gently puts her feet down, slips on her pink slippers, sits on the lovely cream-coloured cane chair, folds up her legs with the warm, warm tea and newspaper.

So, the day has begun. Then I cook, unless there are enough leftovers, or there is a food review I have to do. Like today I had to review a Kerala cuisine that Jamavar at The Leela Palace has laid out. Chimpu also came along and we had an absolutely quiet and peaceful afternoon together. The chakka payasam – payesh made with jackfruit – was just amazing! Add to it the fact that I just drool over jackfruit.

(In between all this I try thinking of the story ideas in the league of the good or great ones or follow up some little ones that I have.)

Then, we are off to office. It’s the daily grind. Tini’s chirpings and chat. After a while I realise that there is hardly anybody I can talk about a book about here. Rishi does his funny things and keeps us happily entertained. Poonam’s our fashion guru(mata) and Sangeeta’s the quiet, smiling one, although she is growing up fast for sure and somehow seems not too happy with me. Seena’s what we used to be in JU. Then there’s Ram and Jagan. And then of course, there is the boss. Ravi. Joshi. The days he is good, it takes us a little by surprise. The days he is bad, we keep our fingers crossed and pray we survive the day unscathed. Well... sometimes, he does seem human, and you might even understand why he is behaving totally like the clichéd idea called ‘the boss’.

Back home around 10.30 p.m. And after dinner it’s a heavy, very satisfactory dose of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Three back-to-back episodes, interspersed with flipping the channel to Sex and the City. I absolutely gorge on them. ‘Friends’ has been with me since I was in high school. Sex and the City is a more recent addition.

Bangalore is a cool city. I am gradually getting used to it and I even know many of the roads around.

(This was basically a diary entry written in early March)