Chennaiyil oru Mazhaikaalam !!

Ok dont start having any assumptions about this blog entry from the title - but still some relevance does exist!!

First things first!! Here goes my big toast to my 3rd big bro, who sumtimes I prefer calling, Ganboy, for also ending up being bitten by “louuv-bug”. For once again one of my cousins managed to surprise the entire PSV (named after my thatha) family ;-)

So where does this lead to!! Simple!! I can safely assume, as we are only four boys in the family in my generation, I have the moral obligation to go for an arranged marriage (read as UNLUCKY TILL DATE!!! Had my chances though ;-)

My cousin was my college classmate too, and this time around a pleasant surprise is that the bride also was; the last I heard, when the couple went onto invite professors for the marriage, the latter couldn’t believe, as they were more used to seeing these two engrossed in discussions like

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Scene 1: imagine these two in front of Notice Board, which has the dreaded grades of previous sem announced..

Groom - hey I got a 9.69 (read as no ‘B’ grades)…

Bride – oh!! Ossum!! got a 9.465…

Groom (as modest as ever) – lucky me!! Never thought I would get an ‘S’ in Mobile computing, I was ok with ‘A’…

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Or Scene 2: below our Bodhi Tree (like two laughing Buddhas)

Groom to Bride (or may be other way round): Hey!! I think you take better notes, can you share??

And me a respectable late 8’s and early 9’s pointer ;-), and some more of my lazy friends, would shamelessly piggyback!! The least we can do is atleast follow the footsteps of star performers!!

Note: The quintessential Bodhi Tree, is indeed a tree below where many a one enlightening discussions have taken place.

Jokes apart! A phenomenal marriage it was and a similar adjective for the couple, who complement each other well !!

Coming back to my Chennai trip this time around, I should say “Absolute cracker”!! Sweetest mom she is, almost everyday asks my opinion as to what to cook, which curry, choice of appalam/ vadam, desserts etc. Maybe she still doesn’t know that, most often than not, I am more than happy with just the idea of home food, and it doesn’t matter what’s on the menu.

This time I was less influenced by my father’s typical holiday suggestion of watching together a classic film, and this time he suggested “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” I guess!! I did watch it finally just before leaving for Mumbai. Being a guy who jus laps up anything with decent romance, comedy, or a combination of both, thoroughly enjoyed Audrey Hepburn’s role!! However it’s another story that I am come under intense scrutiny at my office, for even considering this film, post previous similar blemishes like “PS: I Love you”, “500 days of Summer”. (…as I am writing this, my colleagues are saying that I am missing some more path-breaking films, but I pretend not to care...)

Also I had my first experience of two kinds this time; one going with just my Mom and Sister to a movie (a very juvenile romcom “Chikku Bukku”, but I would like to add “feel good” just to save my A**), and another being watching it in ESCAPE (a luxury multiplex offering from Sathyam Cinemas). I was impressed with interesting screen names like Blush, Streak, Plush and five more such, and a very comfortable movie watching experience. I can safely say Santhanam is the best find after Vivek/ Vadivel and is here to stay. His style though reminds me of Goundamani, basically sarcasm, but as mentioned before nothing wrong in following star performers. RIP-ROARING HE IS!!

By the end of it all, the last day, I was feeling pretty down naturally!! But ofcourse I had to get back, it was definitely like a pseudo summer hols!! I was scared some relative of mine would ask whether I have left my job or something...I joked to my cousins that I just keep reminding my boss that I am alive at this end of the country, jus in case ;-) After I came back to Mumbai, my father had called me, and I dunno why he asked this question "so hows the first day? are they happy to see you back???"..pat came my reply "I am happy that they recognized me!!!"..I could hear me father laughing at the other end, and then I knew I am back all in ONE PIECE !!

tchus !!

late night rambling !!

So here I am in Chennai FINALLY after a looong gap of five seriously long months...though this five month period had three 31 day months, Feb came to my rescue and made it even..

I always feel so much at home just stepping into the lounge of Kamaraj Airport, which btw is supposedly renovated. However I feel the main lounge has become only more crampy, considering whatever little I am able to recall of my joyous airport visits during childhood, to see off dear & close ones..may be its because as a child, airport visits were a luxury and a rare event and the airport dimensions had a multiplier effect...and then now the pre-paid taxi service has made life so easy that in an ideal scenario, it jus takes max 5 mins to hit the road - adjustments for luggage handling, queue etc have to be done practically...nevertheless well organized !!

Chennai welcomed me with a nice cool breeze (I was coming from Mumbai, so its all relative)..was damn tired and wanted to doze off for sometime in the cab, but the cabbie made sure IT DOESNT HAPPEN !! it was clear that, for him, Chennai road seemed like a Monaco race track..had a lighthearted chat with him and said "yetho signal irukkardhunaala vandi nikkudhu!!", meaning "if not for the signals the cab would continue its juggernaut"..nehow he got offended I said that, and took it as a personal comment on his professional skills..

This time even though my visit to Chennai is really SHORT, so many things happen and yet again I seem to have something interesting to say or pen down !! bless BLOGS!! My cozin jus got married and I am so happy for him...to cut a long story short - CUPID JUST L-O-V-E-S OUR FAMILY !!!!!

And here's the weekend and I should give it to my appa for somehow magically making me watch late night Doordarshan classics ..before watching there's a dog fight to change the channel to some very stale tamil comedy and movies that is bound to be watched the umpteenth time..but at the end of the day you would thank someone like my father to knock in some taste for sensible movies (this time it was Girish Karnad's 1970's Kannada movie, "Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane") ..my college friend who is a self acclaimed film afficianado, rates my movie taste at GRADE 'B' with himself obviously at 'A'...thankfully my ratings should increase now (as though I give a damn neways..LOL)

As much as I am loving to continue writing this blog, the image of vengaya vetha kuzhambu, lemon rasam, appalam, kathrika podi curry, which amma has promised for Sunday grand brunch is so inspiring me to sleep - so that 90% of the next 10 hours should fly past quickly. Less cruel haan, wat say !!

HOME SWEET HOME !!!

Tchus !!