Quo Vadis?

Today I started for work 15 minutes earlier and what a difference it made to my day!!! On a Monday the usual commute of 10 odd kilometres takes a little more than 50 minutes if I hit the peak hour traffic after 9 AM.  Today I started just 15 minutes earlier since the newspaper came late and it was quite an interesting experience. The beautiful Chennai weather helped to elevate my mood and I started my commute. Since there was no rush I settled down and started to enjoy the ride. Driving was always therapeutic to me and years ago I used to go for night drives in Chennai to just chill out. The cool breeze on the face with the windows down (no convertibles here!!), good music (if available), empty roads make a wonderful cocktail that is savoured leisurely. Drive where the heart rather than the road leads and come back refreshed. Office commute was however devoid of all these and was a chore that got unbearable at times due to the traffic jams, idiot motorists and silly ja...

This is the epilogue for a story that is in the depths of my mind. If you have missed the prologue, you can read it here . If you want to know what happened in between the two keep watching this space. Epilogue August 22 nd 2015 “Machan! You have not changed! Except for this funny accent Melbourne has not changed you, you are still the man from Mount” said Edwin as he disengaged from the affectionate hug. He gazed at Rajesh with mixed feelings. It was after all a meeting after over 15 years and the first since he heard the news. “Come home man, I am still not sure why you want to meet here?” said Edwin. “Today would have been our 10 th anniversary and I wanted to be here where it all started” said Rajesh.  They both paused as the Beach Tambaram local pulled into the station and people rushed to disembark or board the train. In a few minutes the train pulled out and Rajesh resumed, “Iniya said yes to me here at this soft drink shop when I proposed and I w...

I was moving some things in my cupboard when I came upon some unused batteries still in their packaging and next to it this radio. For a moment I paused and in a flash the memories associated with both these things came back to mind from the deeper recesses of the brain. Some things cannot be forgotten and the Chennai floods will be one such. So much has been said and written about the floods and the destruction that it brought along but there is also another dimension to the floods that is overlooked. The floods brought people closer to one another and we have seen it all in the spirit of Chennai but the floods also brought people closer to themselves. It helped people discover themselves and thereby discover each other in ways that had not happened before. Our home was safe and relatively unscathed in the floods but we did have some of its effects; power shut down for over 3 days, lack of essentials and food items, complete shutdown of telecommunications and so much mo...

“How much is it for a day?” he asked. When he heard the amount he made some mental calculations and then handed over the crisp notes that would feed all the 20 inmates of that home for one day. He collected the receipt from the grateful lady at the desk and started his bike. The next day he met his friends at their usual hangout and over their large pizzas and unlimited colas they were having a great time when he suddenly remembered the receipt. “Hey guys I have the receipt of the Helping Hands food payment with me. Let’s pool in the cash guys, I am running dry as I paid for all” he said. “Hold on, let us finish dinner and then we will discuss it” replied his friend. “Guys I got the bill, its 2890, including taxes, split five ways it is 600 per person including the tip” he said after looking at the bill and making yet another mental calculation. He collected the money from his friends and placed it in the bill fold along with his share and  signaled  the waiter. Tu...

தலைக்கு   மேல   வேலை, when you hear this then the usual understanding is that the person is working very hard. There are times when தலைக்கு   மேல   வேலை for me means sitting and enjoying the labours of someone working on my head once every 40 odd days. The humble saloons have been replaced by glitzy parlours and the barbers are called hair stylists these days. There were days when a visit to the saloon was a thrill because of the large turning chairs that for small kids was something close to an amusing ride. The barbers were patient when small kids after the hair cut merrily used their precious chairs as merry go rounds. The barber also was a veritable source of information usually having a few periodicals for his clients and also having his own share of gossips collected from the visitors. Someone told me that you should give your head to one person only and for many years I had the same person cutting my hair and since he knew what I wanted he never wait...

This is a special post; it is special because this is about a compilation of short stories. It is also special because I have also written one of the 21 stories in the compilation. Without much ado I will jump right in and focus on the other stories that are in the book. I will refrain from focusing on the individual stories because they span various genres, styles and timelines. They are tied together by a few threads; the first being they are set in Chennai, this book was spurred by the Chennai floods and each of the authors had been affected by the flood in one way or the other, the majority of the authors are amateur bloggers and this is possibly their maiden published piece. Let me first get the good things out of the way: -           The compilation merited a publisher and this shows that the book has touched people even before it hit the stands -           The beautiful fore...

I am an irregular visitor to the Chennai book fair but this year there was a special reason to go to the fair but more about it later. This year the book fair has relocated to the Island Grounds instead of the other old venues. So the first challenge for four wheeler users who were not privileged enough was to park in the grounds near the Munro statue. The organizers had arranged vans but they were insufficient on Saturday and I used the autos available to reach the fair. The auto drivers made a killing for the short ride charging Rs 40 flat each way. The fair has enough non book options to interest people and besides the usual food stalls I even saw a stall that sold pickles outside the hall!!!  A large food court also ensured that food for the stomach will also be satiated with food for the mind at the venue. The fair charges a nominal entry fee of Rs 10 and the ticket is eligible for a lucky draw where the prizes are book vouchers so for a bibliophile nothing can be bett...

Chennai is changing and changing for the better. There are different changes but one change that I have noticed off late is the response to ambulances on the road. There have been days when an ambulance has been stuck in traffic and the other drivers not conceding an inch of room despite the blaring signal, but today it is different. I have observed on a few occasions when jam packed roads have opened up magically to allow an ambulance to pass. The motorists usually the cars and even LCVs pull to the side and patiently wait for the ambulance and then they resume. Sometimes the traffic cop also helps if he is around. Another thing that you will notice is the rapid mushrooming of restaurants of all kinds, from the humble all stars thattukadai to fancy five star joints there is one restaurant to suit each one. One reason for this is that food has now become a form of recreation and beyond. Functional eating or eating to live is passé it is now living to eat and living it up...

I look down upon two wheeler riders; they are probably just above the level of filth in my lexicon. Do not get me wrong I ride a scooter at times and so do my family members, so this is not a general statement. I am talking about one particular set of two wheeler riders who are a burden to planet earth and make me burst a nerve at times. Why do I get so emotional? How else do I react to those who: -           Break every rule in the book at great risk to self and to others -           Trespass or encroach upon others space and think it is their rightful due on the road -           Cause traffic jams by driving everywhere else except on the road -           Ride around with a defiant look on the face flouting every rule and yet not having the spine to look at the other person face to face - ...