Quo Vadis?

So the season of Advent has started, despite all the commercial trappings and merry making it is also a good time of preparation. Many Christian homes are painted and cleaned in time and the decorations are pulled out from the attic. The star goes up along with the tree and Christmas music starts playing regularly. The ladies get busy with the sweet preparation which used to be an event in itself, preparing the ingredients and making the sweets, storing them away in dry containers for Christmas day. As a child I remember wandering around when mum used to make murukkus, achappams, adhirasams among others sneaking in a bite or two and taking the broken pieces for snack time. The smells will be divine and then the baking will start, which will make the house smell like pastry heaven. Back then buying from stores was not even an option unlike today when a lot of the sweets are outsourced. Christmas Day usually was all about waking up early despite the late night service and taking...

The choir was singing the final hymn and the people were moving to pay their last respects to the deceased person. Annoyed at being dragged along by his parents for a funeral service of someone he hardly knew, Rajesh gave a bored look around. He made a double take when he noticed someone who looked familiar, their eyes met for a brief moment and she recognized him a brief moment before he did. As the crowd moved closer to the entrance following the funeral procession she managed to come closer to him. “What are you doing here? Are you planning to pull another stunt like your friend? Is this a place for it?” she hissed to him, not looking directly at him as her family was close by. “Wait! I came for the funeral service!” said Rajesh softly. “How do you know thatha?” she asked softly. “Thatha??!! Ok dad and his son are classmates, that’s dad over there, we came to pay our respects. I am sorry for your loss, you must have been close” Rajesh replied. “He is my paternal grand fath...

"This is a bad idea", said Rajesh to Edwin looking at the greeting card with hearts all over in the Landmark store. Having gone through all the cards for the last half hour and having found the one which he felt was apt for his feelings Edwin felt let down.  "Tell me again, why do you want to give this card to that girl, what did you say her name was again? Anita in the electric train?" persisted Rajesh. "Ok, I know she likes me machan, I have been seeing her for the last two months as she takes the train home and she has noticed me many times. I can feel that she likes me" said Edwin slowly. "Have you spoken to her?"  "No! I was too nervous!" "You think that she will take this card?" "Yes! Look at the words, they were written just for me! God bless Landmark" "Ok, I will come along with you but remember you will give the card alone, I am just there for moral support" "There she is!...

He still was not sure how Iniya agreed to the "date", well technically she agreed to meet him for some time outside their usual Nungambakkam platform and it developed into a milk shake in Sangeetha's that was a short distance away. He managed to hitch a ride with his best friends and Edwin could not restrain the big smile when he was told the big secret and Edwin being Edwin ensured that the big secret was known to the gang and so the gang all honourably agreed to drop Rajesh at Sangeetha's. After dropping him and wishing the very best they left and Rajesh with anxiety large on his face waited for Iniya. Time crawls when you wait but mercifully Iniya breezed in with a smile and they found a cozy alcove seating two in the restaurant. He offered the menu to Iniya  and struggled to read the letters in the dark mood lighting of the place, why it has to be dark in the afternoon hours in a hot city like Madras puzzled him and he heard Iniya asking for a drink that ...

The new traffic rules and fines have cause considerable outrage and humour online.  The outrage seems to overshadow the humour as many people are upset with the new fines as they will burn a big hole in many pockets. Many are saying that these fines are unfair and should be scrapped, I disagree here. A fine exists because the person who was fined was simply not fine. Putting that poor joke aside, it is obvious that a fine will only be feared by those who plan to violate the rules. These rules were not made to satisfy anyone’s personal ego but to ensure safety for all. People want to violate these rules and then crib about the fines. In some time people will get used to these fines and things will get normal again because we forget fast. The basic question remains why do people outrage so much? Let me tell you an open secret. The common man in India is largely decent till he gets on a two wheeler and then he sinks to the depths of depravity that is unimaginable. Look around ...

If you were living in Chennai or Madras (if you prefer) when the city went under the massive rains in December 2015 you will understand this post. Waking up to heavy incessant rains overnight the roads were inundated, power had been suspended several hours earlier as safety precaution, mobile towers were down because the generators that kept them running after the power supply was terminated had run down. The absence of power ensured that the humble radio was the only source of information and mercifully the land line worked. We were relatively better off than those whose homes got washed away or some who lost their lives due to a combination of nature’s fury and human incompetence or greed. We were cut off from outside world for a few days but we were well, we managed with what we had and then we ran out of essentials.  When the rain eased off a little I went out in the flooded roads looking for any shop that may be open to stock up on essentials after a search I mana...

So the other day I was talking to someone who works Sundays. Actually he works all days and on holidays he ensures his team also works as they target potential clients who will not be working. Well as for me I turned down a job offer when the condition was that I work on Sundays. If the Lord rested after six days of work, then it makes sense for mere mortals to follow at least this!!! Everyone needs to take a break to rest, refresh, rejuvenate and restart the next week. But for some work seems to be the recharge they need and if you have read my earlier post it is a matter of choice and this is a choice. I may never know if it is a wise choice. What do people have against rest anyway? Can there be anything better than resting a little when possible. Back then the best options were: A good book, a comfortable corner, some munchies if possible and bliss When company was on hand board games worked as well when outdoor games were not feasible A movie alone or with f...

The sense of pessimism all around is contagious and unless you are an ostrich with the head inside a hole by now the reasons for the economy and the shape that it is in should be easily understood. It also leads to the fact that competence is critical for success and posturing will remain just that. In all this the average man chooses to be in a virtual cocoon unless he is affected by what is going on around him. Political high handedness, religious and or caste based violence, job losses, falling or failing businesses, sexual violence and crimes the list goes on but they are reduced to scrolling tickers on news screens and life just goes on for those who are untouched by it all. T his made me ponder and many questions came up in no particular order: Can anyone be really untouched by what goes around in this connected world? Can someone feign ignorance because of possibly the distance or the demographics of the people who are affected? Have we become insular to that poi...

I had got out of blogging for quite some time; when I was looking for reasons I found that lethargy was 50% responsible & instant gratification thanks to the other Social Media tools took care of the other 50%. So why then did I start a post again? Probably because I get blog updates of a blogger whom I followed back then when blogging was still cool and when writing down thoughts helped in more ways than one, the last update made me think how much a journal helped. Also a HR agency consulting with my workplace after doing a high priced assessment of the team had mentioned in its recommendations for me that maintaining a journal would be beneficial so here is my attempt in writing again. Have you noticed attempts around you to conform to the idea of someone else who wishes to make a homogeneous nation with oneness in everything? Today people are being asked to prove and flaunt in public those things which often are intensely personal and private choices. What is ...