May 4, 2011 - Posted by Sahithya - 34 Comments
It was a pleasant Saturday morning. The boys had just wrapped up their early morning cricket match and were waiting to get back to bed and doze off till noon. Among the boys was my brother and his friend Sonu from the neighboring building. Sonu jumped over the fence and they stood talking for a few minutes. And that was the historical moment which led to the series of events during that day.
Sonu : Suna kya? Early this morning, that A block Lalitha aunty ‘s son ran away from home.There was a lot of commotion here and apparently the police had come too. We could hear the noise all the way down to my flat”.
Bro : “Kya baat kar raha hai? That’s crazy.. I should tell my mother about this immediately. She was one of her good friends..”
Now, Lalitha is a very common name and the blunder could have happened to anyone else. But before I proceed, I must clarify that, yes, my mother’s good friend Lalitha lived in A block and had a son. But she lived in Sonu’s building (No.33) and not ours ( No.32) . Sonu was infact talking about a Lalitha who was living in our building. The chaos which ensued is still not clear to me to this day but one thing which is clear is that my family was at the crux of the entire situation, and are perhaps the only people who know the entire story.
Back home, Mom had just finished her chores, and left home in a hurry to catch her standard local train. 15 minutes later someone pounded the door. I groggily answered the door and almost got smashed behind it as my bro rushed in and called mom informing her about the incident. Mom was in shock when she heard but she was nearing office ,so she called my Dad who was driving to work and whose office was relatively closer home, “ Listen, Sandeep just told me that Lalitha’s son has run away from home. Her husband passed away long back and she was widowed at a very young age. She also has a daughter. It must be a huge shock for her. Please try dropping in from office and enquire how she is..”.
My Dad, who was right in the middle of some heavy traffic , horns blaring next to him, heard a few words “Lalitha,daughter and ran away” and formed a story of his own. Hard to blame him considering you need more than 5 senses to handle Mumbai traffic, and my dad was juggling with a phone in one hand and the steering wheel in another. He had just entered his office and kept his briefcase down, when his colleague and a person who used to live in our quarters, Mr.Mohan walked upto him, lowered his voice and said, “Sir, there is some disturbing news, CM Raman’s son from A 104 ran away from home. They apparently realized it today morning.” Now, my Dad who had just come to terms with his wife’s close friend’s daughter’s running away matter, was confounded. Why were all the kids choosing this particular day to run away?? He dubiously asked “Pardon, I am not sure if I heard right..” and was told the same thing as earlier. He pondered for a minute and told Mohan, “That is really shocking! My wife just called and told me that neighboring building Lalitha’s daughter is also missing since today morning.” “Are you serious? God, what is happening to kids these days. I just cannot believe this”. Men, as I now understand sometimes gossip more than women. This news had spread like wildfire and several calls were made to eager housewives waiting to hear updates.
Soon, Dad was busy with paper work and talking to customers and the morning’s incident slipped away from his mind for a while. After finishing his work to an extent, he walked to the cafeteria for lunch and sat down with a few of his colleagues. As he started digging into his food, he heard fragments of the ongoing conversation,
“ Yeah, we were all shocked..” “That too Mr.Raman…” “ Such a respectable man..”
“I have a strong feeling that girl and this boy have run away together. It makes sense..They were living in flats facing each other.”
“Oh my god. That makes more sense that you can imagine. Recently, Mr.Raman just shifted from A-102 facing 33 bldg to A-104 which faces the road. Maybe there was more to it than we knew.”
This, was new to my Dad. He was trying to sort out this brand new information in his head and called Mom to tell her the latest happenings. Mom : “Hello, did you go to meet Lalitha? I am really anxious..”
Dad : “No..I’ll go as soon as I reach home. Did you know that Raman had shifted his house recently? Here , everyone is discussing that Lalitha’s daughter and Raman’s son have run away together.”
Mom: “WHAT????!!?? How did Lalitha’s daughter come into the picture? That poor girl has been married since three years and lives abroad with her husband and kid.
Dad : “But you just told me today morning that her daughter ran away..”
Mom : “Why don’t you ever pay attention to what I say? I told her SON ran away. I cannot understand why you HAVE to complicate things. ”
Dad : “Sorry sorry, Don’t worry, ill sort out things and clarify matters..”
He kept the phone and spent the next hour clarifying the misunderstanding. He then made a few calls and when someone mentioned about “Raman’s wife Lalitha”, it all became clear to Dad. That no child of Lalitha from 33 bldg had run away. Only one boy had run away and he was the son of Raman, CM (Chief Manager) of one of his bank’s branches and his wife Lalitha. He guffawed to himself as he thought over the events that had occurred since morning. He decided he would get back home and call my Mom to tell her about it.
Meanwhile, it was 4 pm and my grandmother normally goes over to our neighbor’s house for the afternoon discussion of tamil serials over coffee. As they had an animated conversation about the previous day’s episode, someone bought up the topic of the CM’s son who had run away. My grandmother listened seriously and then returned home soon as it was time for Dad’s return from work. When my Dad rang the bell, granny opened the door as soon as she could. He had hardly stepped into the house, when she asked my dad “Who’s the Chief Minister of Maharashtra?”. Dad was bewildered. He had heard her tell him about the girl in the serial whose husband was killed and that she had remarried and was now being tortured by her in-laws, but NEVER before had he heard her ask anything like this. He kept his briefcase down, and asked “What? Why do you want to know the chief minister’s name?” Granny solemnly replied : “You see, Meena from next door just told me that the CM’s son ran away from home today morning! Now, all this is common for people in politics, but I was just curious about his name , that’s all..” And that was the last straw.
I heard a explosion from the hall and ran to find my dad sitting on the sofa, clutching his stomach, laughing loudly, tears streaming down his face and I couldn’t help but smile. To think that it all started with an assumption made by my bro , and that the main person in focus was sidelined in all this mess!
Shakespere quoted “Whats in a name?” . My only retort to him is : More than you can ever imagine! 
March 31, 2011 - Posted by Sahithya - 14 Comments
As soon as we’re born into this crazy world,
and the cord of life is snipped,
Not too long after we open our eyes,
To us, a dozen strings are fixed.
They stem from family, relatives and neighbors,
Friends, acquaintances and society,
And those you might not even suspect,
Like your cousin’s friend’s aunty!
Every step of our beautiful journey,
We get not one but numerous opinions.
On food, clothing, work and education,
Before we even realize, the dozen strings are replaced by billions!
Like ants crawling in a circle,
We follow people while they follow us.
Each thinking the other is right,
Its all too synchronous.
This clockwork system needs no oil,
We play our parts too well.
A scheme which none would dare to foil,
Its like we’ve been put under a vicious spell.
Globalization has made the situation worse,
And we are now all thinking alike,
From the movies that we love to watch,
Down to the facebook pages that we like.
Life moves on at its own pace,
And we go along hand-in-hand..
Only when we retire from this wondrous world,
We see, not two, but a thousand footprints in the sand.
– Written as an active note
on my phone
in the bus
on my way back home..
February 22, 2011 - Posted by Sahithya - 32 Comments
A simple question. Most people would answer it in a second saying “Cochin”, “Delhi”, “ Mumbai”, But for me and several folks who have parents in a transferrable job or who are highly ambitious, this is one dreaded question in any conversation.
People normally face identity crisis in families with mixed marriages. With statements like “I am quarter Punjabi, quarter Malyali, half Tamilian and half Gujrathi” soon becoming common, the question “whats your mother tongue” is going to be one baffling question in the future. But to identify themselves with a native place is soon turning out to be a worse nightmare for people these days.
Most times, I try to avoid further questions if I am really not in the mood to continue the conversation by plainly saying “ Bangalore”. But situations are not always kind to me.
“You mean, your native is Bangalore?” (Yeah, that’s funny. Because most people in India are convinced that a place can be your native only if you mention a remote village or town which they have never heard of. )
“yeah..”
“But Baskaran? Your surname sounds tamilian to me. Whats with the “an” at the end of it?”
“<slapping my head mentally> Oh that. My father’s family settled in Tamil Nadu long ago and have stayed there for several generations.”
“So , he’s a tamilian? “
“<trying to hide my gritting teeth> Um, nope.My parents are kannadigas.” ( This statement is always stated with a moment of hesitation. Even you would, if the language you speak at home is a homogenous mix of several Indian languages peppered with English. And how confidently can I state this when my Father can read,write and speak Tamil better than most Tamilians while he cannot read a single letter in Kannada and blinks uncomprehendingly when the Kannada news channel is on? )
And that’s a sample of the simplest conversation that this question can result in.
During times when I feel the need to explain exactly where I am from, I start by saying “ Well, my dad works in a Bank. So I was born in chennai where i lived for the first five years of my life, I did most of my schooling in Mumbai , my xith and xiith in Chennai, and then came to Bangalore to do my Engineering. Basically, I am a kannadiga.”
By this time, the unfortunate person conversing with me would get the feeling that he probably asked too much, and I would be groaning inside for blabbering so much.
One my closest friends faces a similar dilemma. On being asked the damned question, she clears her throat and replies : “Well, I was born in Hyderabad. Then, my dad moved to Chennai. After a couple of years in Chennai, my dad got a job in Bangkok, So I did a couple of years of school there.Then my parents continued to stay there while I returned to Chennai. Then my parents shifted to Mumbai.After two years there, Dad shifted to Dubai and I went to high school there. Then I came to Bangalore to do my engineering.”. Phew. By the end of this family history speech, most people feel like they have known her for years.
My geometry skills @ work
Like i heard someone comment recently, maybe we should find a place approximately average of the coordinates of place of birth, maximum years of stay, and mother tongue ( mine being Chennai,Mumbai and Bangalore). So maybe i should start telling people I am from Hospet and that would probably shut them up for a while, or knowing my luck, would invite a zillion more questions :S. If you have a story similar to mine, and have additionally lived abroad, i would advice you to avoid this theory or you’ll probably end up saying “Dead Sea”.
Of late, I mentally try to fix word limits and frame the reply in my head, doing a cut copy paste here and there to avoid boring a senior colleague @ work ( who I wish to impress ) /a friend (who I wish to keep).
And this highly edited reply comes to much use, like recently at work, I entered the lift and struck conversation with a person who asked this question casually. My department being in the second floor, I quickly glanced at the floor indicator and mentally formatted my reply. Modulating my speed to finish answering before the lift opened, I just had the time to say bye before the door closed behind me.
I took a deep breath and sighed.
December 14, 2010 - Posted by Sahithya - 6 Comments
There are some good memories which you know will stay with you for a lifetime even if they are for a few moments or a couple of days and the hostel gang’s trip to kerala is definitely one of them.
After the monotonous routine of poring over textbooks, late nights and pathetic hostel food during the semester exams, the trip came as a relief to us and we were all set to lose it completely!
After the bus reached kottayam, we had breakfast in a restaurant known for its masala dosas. We tucked in and got into the cars arranged to take us to peermade.Although tired from the previous night’s journey we couldn’t help but stare out of the window at the picturesque view on the way to our friend Tamara’s house.Out came all the cams and within no time we were clicking away to glory asking the driver to stop whenever we wished.We reached tam’s house and after settling down and over eating on a sumptuous meal we left for Periyar tiger reserve which was a two hour drive from there accompanied by tam’s parents.
As we entered the reserve and drove through the wilderness , tam spotted the leaves which leave an imprint when pressed against your skin and we got down to get ourselves some natural tattoos We drove further and shifted to a jeep which was better suited for a drive through the woods and finally reached our destination – a house set right in the middle of the forest with a waterfall flowing beside it, with an atmosphere so serene , that all we could hear were the crickets, the calls of different birds and the sound of water gushing through the rocks.
After unpacking and marveling the wooden flooring and the beautiful wooden elephant carvings on the walls of our rooms, we had tea with ginger biscuits and jam tarts ( my fav!) by the waterfall side and enjoyed the misty view of the tall trees around us.
Tam’s mom suggested we take a small trek in the woods before the night set in, so we put on our jackets and jogging shoes and armed with salt to protect us from the leaches , we started on our evening walk , all set to enjoy the pleasant breeze and the smell of forest air. Little did we anticipate the chaos which ensued.Leaches.There were millions of tiny leeches all over the place and as we briskly walked on the grass, they stuck on to our shoes and swiftly climbed on to our pants within seconds.As one person paused to put some salt over it and flick it off, someone else would scream out and the packet of salt was passed there. Except the few who were unaffected by the leech and calmly walked ahead, the rest of us , especially me being the one paranoid about all sorts of insects and worms, ran as fast as we could to avoid the leeches. The whole walk turned out to be hilarious as me and Gayathri( who made the situation even funnier when she yelled sai baba as she sprinted) ran frantically into a trail which led to nowhere and had to run back to take the correct path! The guide was completely taken aback , which was expected coz the gang had split into various groups, some walking , some almost jogging, others running wildly ,but mostly coz he had probably never seen girls acting this wild before.
Panting and totally drained out , we came back to our place , a campfire welcoming us. Some snacks and juice was passed around and after freshening up and relaxing for a while, we left for a night safari on the jeep. Although the ride was a little bumpy and it was pitch dark outside , we had a nice time shining our torches all around and spotting footprints of animals, backs of deer moving away as we came near them and also the red eyes of wild bison. We returned to a light homely dinner and soon retired to our rooms and jumped into our beds after the long day we had.
Early next morning, the IS crowd (sangeeta,shruthi,tam,gayatri,upasna and myself) woke up eagerly to explore theforests in daylight. Before the sun could rise, we climbed into the jeep and the driver took us on another safari. That is one drive I will never forget in my life!
We took turns to stand and stick our heads out of the jeep and to our excitement spotted some flying squirrels,samba deer,elephants and bison! The slight drizzle on my face and the wind blowing as the jeep sped past lush greenery while I inhaled the fresh unpolluted air – definitely one of the best experiences of my life.
Completely rejuvenated, we returned to get ready for the drive back to tam’s place. After playing with the owner’s friendly Alsatian and taking pics with the tiny adorable turtle which we discovered, we packed our bags and left for kuttikanam. On our way we stopped at “parindapara” which we christened “ Rabindranath tagore point” as one of the peaks had a striking resemblance to his face.The view was simply breathtaking and I don’t blame upasna for declaring dramatically over the phone to her mom – “Mama, I am on top of the world”!!!
Back in tam’s place, we played for a while with her dogs – tim ,the golden Labrador and rudy , the jealous Alsatian 
, played monopoly to kill time, watched the movie bucket list just to stay awake and celebrate dribbly’s birthday and as midnight struck, we groggily watched as dribbly cut the home made chocolate birthday cake tam’s mom had baked for her.
The next morning, after a yummy breakfast of fresh sugar coated doughnuts made by thengaccha( tam’s cook), we drove to the huge waterfall downhill and climbed our way up the slippery rocks precariously. We were the only souls in the entire place and we utilized that benefit to the maximum, singing, continuously blocking and unblocking the water.( this can only be understood by the crazy fools who invented the game..when will we ever grow up?!)
Lunch was followed by kayaking in the dam which was a little strenuous but great fun!We walked back home and stopped to visit the treehouse en-route which was built by some local tribals.
After spending most of the day outdoors, we relaxed at home for the rest of the day and had dinner at Misty mountain.
Our last day in kerala dawned bright and clear and as we dint want to waste a single moment, we went for an early morning walk through tea estates, picking leaves and sitting by the small natural lake we chanced upon.
We left soon after breakfast( hot delicious appams ),to catch our train to Bangalore which was as eventful as the rest of our trip, since we dint have some identity proof for our tickets and had a heated ( read amusing) discussion with the TT.
The longest trip taken by the hostel gang so far – the trip to kerala – is one of the most memorable trips I have ever made. The delicious, homely and “fit for royalty” meals which we were served with love and affection by Tamara’s family will never be forgotten! Every single moment including the numerous funny incidents which might have seemed insignificant in an account like this (gaya sleeping through “free willy” and asking us to wake her up after 5 mins, me refusing to enter the bathroom housing the big mean looking bat which Preethi claims stared back at her , the photo session with us serenading around in golf and sun hats!) will be cherished by each one of us for a long time to come!
Useful links :
For information on peermede : http://idukki.nic.in/peermede.htm
For homestays in kerala : http://www.keralaholidays.com/Homestays.htm
December 9, 2010 - Posted by Sahithya - 16 Comments
What i could never bring myself to tell her on her face. The poem written by me for my Mom’s 50th birthday. There’s a special joy in
writing your own lines in a greeting or a scrap book than the cheesy ones you can
buy, and its easier when you neednt think while writing and just put across what you really want to say! The origina
l lies in a scrapbook in Singapore. Here’s the digital version Love you amma!!
Every achievement of mine is dedicated to you
Every compliment and every single prize
You are the reason for everything beautiful in me
even my light hazel eyes.
You enlightened me about people
And taught me to appreciate them for what they are
To do whatever I can when they need me
whether they are kind, cruel or bizarre.
You stood by me through difficult times
Never hesitating to lend an ear
Patiently heard me out till the end
Whether we were miles apart or very near.
Your social networking skills
Can put facebook and twitter to shame
You have an excellent memory
You can remember every single birthday and every name.
You can be hysterical in trying situations
And extremely patient during other times
One habit which you can never lose
is sacrificing during mealtimes.
You cook meals fit for twenty
When we invite a family of four
And you will not rest in peace until
Every person has asked for some more.
A superwoman in the kitchen
Your cooking gives me sheer bliss
If someone asks you to lend a recipe
Its rumored that u give the secret ingredient a miss!
You’re the queen of the fake English accent
Of melodrama and of storytelling
With the right pauses and sound effects
You can make a dull incident sound gripping!
You introduced me to dance, music and so many other things
And helped me find my feet
You nurtured my creativity
And taught me to humbly accept defeat.
You never curtailed any wish of mine
From you I learnt “Never lie, Never quit”
It was because of you that I earned my freedom
And also learned to appreciate it.
The motivating factor in my life,
My role model and my inspiration
You have always encouraged me to keep learning
While having my share of fun.
You taught me the most important skills in life,
To encourage, praise and flatter
So here’s the best compliment I could give you
Amma, You are truly your father’s daughter.
With every decision and every step
You’ve always been by my side
I couldn’t ask more from you mao,
you will always remain my friend, philosopher and guide.
December 7, 2010 - Posted by Sahithya - 20 Comments
The baby rocked in the cradle
The midnight oil still burning
The mother watched with weary eyes
Looking at the bed in yearning
As she sang a song softly
With barely the strength to talk
The little one listened earnestly
And then got down to his task
Tugging at his chubby legs,
Gurgling and drooling , he flailed his arm
He still dint know what their purpose was
But they held a certain charm.
Trying to achieve the impossible
There was concentration on the cherubic face
As his tongue stuck out in the effort
For which he’d been struggling all these days.
The mother waited patiently
He’d been fed and clothed and cuddled
But not a sign of sleep he showed
He only looked befuddled.
She wondered what went behind the big brown eyes
And gave a serene motherly smile,
For what a mystery to see on the tiny face
An expression of pure guile.
He bent his flexible body
And touched his tiny toes
Pulled them hard towards his face
Till they came very close.
The infant-an epitome of perseverance
He stuck in his ludicrous pose
put in his last ounce of strength and
Finally! sucked on his tiny white toes.
A sudden look of understanding
Sparkled in the mother’s eyes
As he now peacefully yawned ,rolled over
and slept , confirming her surmise.
——-By sahithya
December 7, 2010 - Posted by Sahithya - 2 Comments
The Beacon of Hope
An oracle watched the overcast sky
And it was his renowned clairvoyance which made him sigh
The eerie sounds echoed far and wide
The howls of the wind, the rise of the tide
the growls from above and the rustling of the leaves
Over the empty dimly lit streets..
A storm was brewing as the canines could sense
This dint bode well and the owners grew tense
In the midst of this natural choir, grew louder,
the echoes of the drops on the roof
when all that could be heard was their cadence
There came a silent young man , grave and aloof.
The only soul in the dark gloomy alley
Walking morosely against the breeze
It was already late and he wasn’t going to dally
What he’d set out to do even if he would freeze.
Braving the violent downpour
He aimlessly wandered into an unknown lane
The water gushed through his feet
Along with it , a few dried leaves and an old man’s cane.
Never halting except for a brief pause
He waded across the building stream
As the emotions flickered on his face
He realized it wasn’t a dream.
He had taken a vow to not let it happen,
the deadly extended pause
But inspite of himself, it occurred.
Without a warning, without a cause.
His mind struggled in a fight of its own
As he pensively stared into the blue…
Scenes swiftly flashing before his eyes
Out came rushing, memories old and new.
As all those precious moments
Faded into a hazy mist
Struggling out like the soft sand
Through a tightly clenched fist..
The fame, the money and the luxury
Everything he’d lived for in his life
Were farther away than ever
He deplored as he brushed his fingers against the knife.
He would never succeed they told him
The secrets of life they claimed they knew
But never hesitating in his quest
His passion only grew.
But was it really worth it , the struggle, the condemning eyes,
He pondered about his plight
All that was left was a hole in his pocket
And the mission of this dreadful night.
As he delved in his own anguish
Of what he was about to do
He stepped into a manhole
Just as if on cue.
The moment came to a standstill
As his feelings bubbled away
This was not what he wanted, he begged,
God please show me a way.
He felt the clasp of gentle fingers
On his muscular weak arm
Gasping for breath and a whiff of hope
He felt a peaceful calm.
His eyes strained to open
as he slowly recovered from the shock
A clear blue sky was the first thing he saw
And overhead a flying hawk.
He found hope in the face of the stranger
In the glow and the assurance,
In the miracle which had just happened,
In the blinding iridescence.
His dreams, his passions came to him
As his senses slowly came by
He had never wished for life more
Ironically, on the day he had planned to die.
——–By Sahithya
9:00pm , 18th November 2009
