This pottery painting was done some months back, when I went home. It was the time of torrential monsoon showers in Kerala, which made outdoor life miserable and almost nil. Being confined to home, I soon grew bored & decided to lavish my skills on the poor pot :) I found these Mughal paintings printed on some coffee mugs & thought it would be interesting recreate the same on pottery. Below are the 3 different views.








 Once upon a time, there lived a little girl with sunshine in her eyes & laughter in her voice. It was a Christmas Eve & the little girl Anna was busy making a handmade Christmas card for her best friend. Crayons & coloured bits of paper lay scattered around her. She drew a cheerful, colourful Santa Claus on the card & sloppily sprawled “Merry Christmas” across it…. From where she sat , she could hear the clutter of vessels from the kitchen, where her mother was baking her favourite fruit cake. She sneaked in there to check out the status-quo of the cakes. To her disappointment, her mom was still mixing the batter & the cakes were yet to be baked. Unnoticed by her mom, she dipped her fingers into the creamy batter & licked it gleefully…

Then she ran off towards the window, impatiently waiting for the local church group to visit her home. Outside in the chilly night, she could feel the magic of Christmas in the air. The glowing red star & bunch of balloons that hung on the branches of the gulmohar, wavered in a cold gush of gale. She wished it would snow in India, like it did in those European post cards she admired so much. Waiting on the window sill, she must have dozed off somewhere in between. She could see herself making a real snow man & having snowball fights with her friends. She could hear the jingling of sleigh bells, and the clatter of reindeer hooves on snow…. The strains of carol woke her up. At last the church group had arrived, singing carols & frolicking away. Anna was on cloud nine seeing the bulky Santa dancing, with his wobbling stomach, funny long beard & masked face. She was utterly delighted when he took her hand & made her dance with him. Then he gave her toffees & went away…………

That was years back. Little Anna has grown up. Sending xmas cards is no longer in her busy agenda, let alone a hand made one. Neither does she write any long personal letters. Sitting in her cubicle, the only letters she write are the brisk, professional emails she send to her colleagues seated just yonder her . Cakes are no longer a Christmas extravagance for her. She devours yummy pastries often at parties and then ends up dieting the rest of the week. She shrugs and then laughs off seeing the funny Santa, with that silly looking plastic mask. Anna still religiously attends the midnight mass & celebrates Christmas. But the magic has been lost, somewhere along those years of growing up .

Musings....

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I woke up to the terrible feeling of cramps in my legs. I was still in the bus, on my way home to attend a friend’s betrothal. I was not sure of making it there on time. The bus was already late by 2 hrs, thanks to the tense situations at the Kerala- Tamil Nadu border, all in the name of some Mullaperiyar issue. After being immobilized for 2 hrs at the border, the bus finally took off from the Walayar checkpost…Suddenly you could feel & sense Kerala ; the enchanting greenery, the imposing Western Ghats & the refreshing morning air. Never had all this been so alluring ,until I started staying away from home. No longer is anything taken for granted. I particularly love traveling when it’s drizzling. If it’s a heavy downpour, you have to close your window and just sit there sulking & watching the fog developing on the glass panes. But if it’s a slight drizzle, you can leisurely keep your windows open and bask in cool air and enjoy the sight of glistening leaves & the rain drenched tiled roofs of kerala

The last 3 yrs I had been living in 3 different states..A year back, I was in Tanjore in TN.. The first thing you notice there, is the feeling of “ghee on sacrificial fire”. It used to be too damn hoooooot. And we had to walk a long way through the treeless campus to reach our class. We used to literally race to the class to sit inside the a/c. It must be one of the reasons we never bunked any classes:) There was nothing to do out under the scroching sun.My attendance level was too high to suit my character .We were too happy to sit inside the class & doze off

Another thing you notice in the campus is the ease with which you can locate fellow mallus inside the campus. They are the only ones who walk under the fiery sun with an umbrella. I guess the Tamilians & Northies are used to these environmental conditions. So as I walk around with a red poppy umbrella, if I come across anyone with a blue/green/red poppy umbrella, I can confidently walk up to them & ask “enthokkeyundu visesham”( how are you)

But the nights in Tanjore are quite in contrast with the days. Nights are heavily windy, especially during the ‘aadi season’ . They are crispy cool with clear, star studded skies. At hostel, we used to take our mattresses up to the terrace, and lie down there under those heavenly skies ,chatting all the way into the night. We used to try figuring out the constellations and the non-existent comets, that fire away in the night sky (comets will usually be a figment of somebody’s flourishing imagination)..

Then, there was this farmland behind our hostel with rose farms, paddy fields & sugarcane fields. The swaying paddy fields are a rendezvous for the peacocks. If you are shrewd & careful enough to stand like a statue/scare crow, the suspicious peacocks will sometimes allow you watch them. But the moment you take out the camera, some sixth sense makes them to flee away, cackling its horrible cry.(it’s cry is similar to a cat’s cry with a little more volume & bass) . And for some unknown reasons, we gals used to derive much pleasure, by sneaking into the rose farms & taking away some of those pretty flowers.

Then I miss the fun we had in the hostel, the hanging-outs after each exam, watching tamil movies, breaking bday eggs on friends’s heads, sitting late in college in the name of projects & seminars(but browsing most of the time)

The place is famous for the big Brahadeeswara rock temple, with its mind blowing architectural beauty,built during the reign of Chola King, Raja Chola. The tall architecture is designed such that it’s shadow never cast upon the ground , at any time of the day

Ajith had tagged me to ponder on the world of books.And there is a slice of my life associated with each of the books.This is my first tag & here it goes...


1) One book that has changed my life

I never came across any drastic life altering books. But I remember reading ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ when I was 13. The diary is 13 year old Anne’s account of her life , when forced to go into hiding during the World War 2 , at the time when Hitler started his anti Jewish decrees. The Jewish girl whose young dreams withered away in the ghastly Nazi concentration camp.


After her death, her diary was recovered by her father & published. I too wanted to be like Anne; bold, ambitious and a real life heroine. That was the time when I started writing diaries. In those swashbuckling teenage years, I day dreamt of being famous through my diaries..heehehee.. It is so funny now to even think of it , let alone read through the diary entries of those times. That year, I wrote a review of this book in my school magazine




2) One book that you have read more than once.

It’s the ‘Mahabharatha ’ stories. The intricate plots & human emotions depicted in it has always captured my imagination . My mother used to tell me stories of Krishna, when I was a kid .Once when I was hardly 3 years, she narrated me how Krishna as a child put sand into his mouth , and when his angry mother made him open his mouth she nearly fainted on seeing all the 3 worlds there. The very next day, I discreetly went & scrapped off some sand , managed to put a wholesome amount in my mouth & ran excitedly to my mother. My mother almost fainted seeing the stones , debris & a poor dead beetle there..That incident marked the death knell of the story telling sessions…


3) One book that you would want on a deserted Island

Maybe a copy of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ will guide me on how to survive in an uninhabited island, how to build a fire, make a tree house, hunt down beasts, collect wild berries & manage to stay alive fighting off any cannibal attacks

4) One book that made you laugh

I have not read many rib tickling books lately .The only humorous tales I read recently are the ones from ‘Tinkle Digest’

5) One book that made me cry

I cant think of any book that made me shed a few tears.. But there are some heart rending incidents in books like ‘Les Miserables’-Victor Hugo

6) One book you wish had been written
Compilation of the works of a Flaway Mind.. hehehee :)


7) One book you wish had not been written

The whole of M& B series!!!! I have always been tempted to read them at the wrong times.It always happened during my study holidays. Though I knew it’s all mushy & crap, I was never able to resist the temptation.. I think I outgrew those books now. I am no longer tempted by them, maybe because exams are not there any more :)

8) One book that you are currently reading

“Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra”- Ruskin Bond. I am a big time fan of Ruskin Bond. No other Indian writer has enchanted the world more. His stories spun around the Himalayan foothill, fascinate us with its simple, down to earth characters and the magical aura of Himalayan flora & fauna. His stories are closely interwoven with nature. The stories set against the backdrop of pine ,deodar trees, chirping of magpie robin , the gurgling streams & brooks set our imagination on wings

9) One book that you have been meaning to read

Catch 22 - Joseph Keller

I pass on this tag to Calvin, my buddy who recently ventured on a brand new blog.

So it has been exactly 1 month since I shifted to a new accomodation. It is a comfy place 5 minutes away from my office & most importantly near to the so-called-happening place in Bangalore - The Forum .Apart from that, it is the most boring-to-death place you can ever find. I live in that hole all alone.

Before I shifted, I was convinced that I am going to die of loneliness there. How can I survive there ,after having lived in an ear splitting ,high decibel environment of Ladies Hostel.On the first day, I was experiencing a feeling of "suddenly single" .I was convinced I am going to turn into a human island...Three days later, I was relaxing in my room listening to Radio Mirchi and reading my favorite novels. Nobody to disturb the peace. I have the whole room to myself. I can throw my whole stuff around- books,clothes & still get away with it .I can listen to music & dance(secretly of course) all the way around in the privacy of my room.(ya..burning the dance floor)I can lie down in my bed , hearing the rhythm of music, stare at the star studded skies through the window & drift in my flyaway thoughts.This's quite blissful.

Two week later, I was tired of this routine. Suddenly,the silence is deafening.I crave for another human presence.Or should I think of getting married ?? heheee.. I took my cell phone & started calling my friends in the list. Afterwards,I felt slightly better. Within the next 3 days,I have exhausted my whole currency & decided I have had enough.

The whole scenario changed last weekend.Finally a new gal came to my room : a student & a friendly looking gal. Appearances can be deceptive, I warned myself. I was indeed ecstaic, but outwardly kept a straight face. She introduced herself as S . Then she looked at me slyly "Hope you wont be offended by my preferences. I wear minimal clothes". Interesting indeed!!!I refrained myself from commenting.

Some time went by peacefully.I went as usual to my FM world. Then she dropped the next bomb
S: "Do you think there are gals in this PG who flicks stuff??"
me: eh??? not that I know of....
S: I have 3 lakhs bucks with me !!!

I looked passive.Did I mishear?? Then she repeated proudly, "I have 3 lakhs bucks with me". My thoughts were racing. 3 lakhs with a student??hmmm..Finally,I concluded her father must be into smuggling. And why the hell is she telling all this to me. With a sinking feeling, I thought of the consequences lest she loses her bucks. As her sole roommate, all suspicions will be directed at me.I looked at her as if I am hearing the most natural thing in the world, "Better take care of your stuff"

I have been waiting for a roomy all this while & now a smuggler lady has sailed in. I mentally cursed all my karma for this . I decided to ignore her and go my own way before she tries to disclose more about her possessions to me. That night went rather peacefully, while she slept like an angel with the loud, blaring hiphop music ON on her tape recorder.Since I am the kind of gal who continues to sleep, even if a tsunami rages in & swallows up the whole Bangalore, it is not a matter of much thought.

Next morning, by the time I got up, she was all ready to go out. Before she sailed out of the room, she announced , "I just left my ipod nano in your cupboard. Hope you don't mind"
I screamed, "Whaaaaaaaaat??????" But she was already gone.Ayyyo...Now the burden of 3 lakhs ,an iPod & the antics of a minimally dressed devil is on me.

By the time I came back in the evening, she told, "Bad news for you"... My heart skipped many beats.My stomach made a somersault. Then to my utter relief, she muttered "I am leaving the place. I am moving in with a friend"

I simply love being alone. By the way, ever heard of cases where people die of claustrophobia ????

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