Trials and Tribulations by Fire

Nithya Suresh Kaun Hai? Well, this would be the case a few hours ago. But now, 1 hour later, its a fact. A simple yeah, has completed my journey. Maybe I am crazy to say yes, without even thinking. But I had already decided to say yes even without meeting the guy. The Groom, to be exact. Suresh alias Subramanian, would have been my Prince Charming. A would be husband. But destiny had other plans in store. Suresh, withered away without even a trace. My beloved parents spurned him. He was shooed away, because, he turned out to be something else that he originally wasn't. His lies, had turned him into a non-performing asset. NPA. Suresh had to go. He had not completed the formalities. He had lied about his qualifications and job. He had to be stopped from starting the engagement formalities. A phone call took care of that. And an e-mail did the trick. I was relieved. Woudn't I?

Have you felt the need to confirm? The oppressive need to be right in someone else's eyes. This is a feeling that takes out your ego and tosses it unceremoniously out the window. I always have this feeling of incompleteness, of having to confirm to others. To say yes, when I want to say NO. Is this a common feeling or am I all alone in this? Maybe there are others. Other women. Seldom have I seen men being a Confirm freak. They have a whole society backing them up. What is right for them is right for the world. Ain't it. Well, this time round, I have decided to turn this thing on its head and say No. Finally. I have the courage to do it. But somewhere near my ribs I get a pull, that is difficult to handle, I am lost for words and my mind becomes bemuddled. Is it normal? I ask myself. But I want to do what I want to do. Not act according to some guy's whims and fancies. Is it too much? But then, this has a root in the year 1977. Or maybe 1978. I am not sure. When the mind go...

In this world filled with people - successful people, unsuccessful people, diseased people, cheaters, teachers, mothers, beggars, CEOs, anybody worth a dime, have they ever pondered on this - Is everything in their control? We perceive so. We think everything is in our hands. It gives us a boost and makes us feel very powerful. We feed our egos with this thought. But is it true? What can we control? Life? No. We can die anytime. Money? No. We can lose our job/business anytime to some unknown unimaginable catastrophe. Then what? The you are rendered homeless and have to depend on the State or the Society. This is true in the US. But what about the mere mortals in Indian states. They have to depend on their brethren. You cannot even control your own reflexes. You, the most powerful species on earth, with Intelligence, cannot do anything if your body suddenly stops working. Nothing. You can do something, though. You can cry. Feel sorry. Thats it. Ponder on this.............

Have you ever wondered if you were living all parts of your body totally and completely? Have you ever wondered how it would feel to feel and live with all the parts of your body? Do you know that people only accept certain parts of you. Rest, they simply reject. Maybe, because they aren't so comfortable with the parts. Leave alone other people, have you, as an individual, accepted your wholeness with all its flaws. Do you have the courage to face yourself?

Got a few minutes to chill out. So thought would write a blog on the travails of driving (riding) in the water-infested roads of Chennai. Chennai, the hot tropical metro where there are no winters. There are only summers, which are described as hot, hotter and hottest. LOL. The cyclone that has showered its love on the city was supposed to have moved on to AP. But my guess is that the rains (much needed) are here to stay, atleast for a short while. Rain or no rain, a person like me has to face the trecherous roads and reach office on time. Riding a bike in Chennai is like trying to play a guessing game every second. You need to remember each and every pothole on the road and try not to fall into any of the miniature manholes. Today, I stepped into the Adyar river when I came out of my bulding. The strong currents threatened to submerge my bike. I braved the waters and turned towards Kotturpuram. Then the ordeal started. I heard myself saying, Water water everywhere.... Reached office a...

We decided to woo a gastronomic delight called as Paav Bhaaji to our tummies, that lazy Saturday, 14th of October 2006, a day to remember, when two friends met and zoomed on the black machine to the 3rd Big friend's house. The Big friend had invited her friends to her "self-prepared lunch." It turned out that PP, one of the friends and the driver Nk were the ones who did it all. Well, in all honesty (Lest I get a virtual kick from Big!) I would tell you that Nk did nothing to the creation of the yummy Paav Bhaaji. Big got all the ingredients and PP barged into the small kitchen. Well, the kitchen is not small, but there are 2 cupboards that take up space. There is a small service veranda (where the Bai would show her talent) adjacent to the kitchen. Lets get onto the pictorial story of the day, when we met and made Paav Bhaaji, Mumbaiyya Ishtyle. This picture shows the cold haandi ready to be used for cooking. Lets go on to the chefs. They are ready and excited to start t...

October7th, 2006, went to Shirdi. A place where Sai Baba stayed and blessed his devotees and people who flocked to him. He was above all caste and creed and welcomed all and sundry with open arms. Sai Baba has a great following due to his gentleness and love for all human beings. Shirdi is supposed to be a very holy place and I had a deep want to go visit the place and feel the presence of the holy saint who once lived there. I went, with a lot of hope and wishes. I travelled to Pune and endured a treacherous drive on bumpy roads and arrived at Shirdi at 4 o' clock. It is a noisy Maharashtrian town, which has shaken off its village charms and has taken on the viles of the city. Around 150 - 200 kms from Pune, the bustling town draws a lot of tourists and piligrims from all over. Sai Baba calls devotees from every corner. He called me. I went. But a security guard, a mere mortal, made my encounter a bitter one. But I will go again. My relation is with the Baba, who soothed my pain a...

This is my version of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehnaa. Please bear with it. :) Once upon a time, in Delhi, the capital of India, there lived a guy, called Small. He had an elder brother twelve years his senior, married, with two kids. The elder brother, Big, was very protective of his younger brother, Small, so much that he pampered the kid and spoiled him rotten.Small's mother wanted a daughter very badly, but as she had a son, she named him Pinky! Much to the frustration of the guy, his mum would dress him up in pink frocks and cute dresses. As he grew up nobody took him seriously. He grew frustrated and took to drinking, drugs and smoking. Eventually, Small wanted to leave home and live alone, as people at home were treating him like a child, though he was one. He travelled away from home, and got a great job in Nify Ltd. He took up a house and started his new life. Small got many friends in the firm. He became fast friends with a girl called, Lady. Lady fell in love with Small, as she ...

This is a true incident narrated by my friend when she went on a Blind Date! Read on.... Saw the movie with err a friend. A friend who was close, but not so close, with me! Why I went, I dunno, but this is a question even my best friend, the lady with the eliminator is trying to figure out. The movie had already started when we went in. The animals in question were having a meet in their icy homeland and planning to migrate towards land. I had gone to Rendezvous to see the movie but my companion err had other not-so-icy ideas for the duration of the movie. Probably because of the fact that English was still a phoren language for people be-longing to a certain community . As my wise big friend told me (predicted) that my companion would be far far away from the dialogues, I had scoffed at her. But after I laughed at a joke and my friend was looking slightly lost, i decided that my big friend was, after all correct. She usually is. I am slightly impulsive and tend to do whatever I want ...

Coffee - its heady aroma makes you come alive, truly. What all could happen when a group of 20 somethings go on a coffee trip around Chennai, looking for a place called Barista. A lot in fact. For instance, an estranged couple could feel one's eyes boring into the other, or the presence of pretty young things in teen weeny tops could make the female of the couple suddenly feel conscious of her bulge and her expanding waistline. But love has a way of blinding a man and he cannot see any woman except his loved one. So was the case with the couple who itched to hold hands and lock eyes but rarely looked at each other and tried to act as if they were just part of the group, who were out on a trip to the cafe at Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Chennai - Mocha`. Three boys and four girls from different age groups made their way to the cafe near Barista. The couple of our story had been seeing each other for quite some time, but meeting in a group and acting as if they knew each other only as fri...