My parents' visit to the Philippines

26 Feb thru 01 Mar - Coron, Palawan

Day 01

Mt. Tapyas



Day 1 - Mt. Tapyas - Mom and Dad successfully making it to the top, after 720 steps



My Be-Longings

Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect!

~Owens Lee Pomeroy

We all have our own nostalgic moments, some of them so defining that they radically change the way we perceive life. And it doesn’t come as a surprise when these moments take you to the best of college days. Traveling long distances from one’s hometown to the college itself was an exciting experience. As I hail from Chennai, which is in South India and went to BITS, Pilani for my graduate education, which is in North India, I have some fond memories traveling to and back from college.

Those memories of my train and bus journeys to Delhi and Pilani are the closest to my heart. Some of the best, surprising and downright ridiculous things have taken place during these journeys, ranging from meeting new people; to losing your bags; to getting stared at by the villagers on the bus to college just because you are seated next to this girl student; to getting into a different coach at a passing station and not knowing which way to go to reach your coach; to buying something and paying from a moving train but not collecting the change; to be happy to get a copy of The Hindu at a platform only to find out it was the previous day’s edition from a metro!

It was customary to reach Delhi a few hours earlier so one could roam around before taking the train. As I chose to leave a little early once the semester ended, I had little company and cut down the shopping time to reach Delhi Railway Station an hour early. I took my seat, arranged my belongings and opened my Reader’s Digest when I caught a glimpse of this woman and a young man, old enough to be her son, walk towards the coach. The woman was dressed in a white sari and wore a collared blouse with sleeves extending till her elbow. Her hair tied into a bun, she resembled my 5th grade class teacher Chechni Jacob who was a figure of authority that commanded the reverence of everyone around without a word uttered.

They seemed to be in a light-hearted conversation that lasted more than half an hour. Just a few minutes before the train was about to depart, the lady did something that would remain fresh in my memory even after everything is forgotten. As her son boarded the train and sat next to me, I introduced myself and found out that he was from Jammu and Kashmir. He was on his way to Sankara Nethralaya (an eye hospital and foundation in Chennai) for training on LASIK.

After a fair amount of solving the ‘acquaintance questionnaire’, I mustered a little courage to throw the bonus question – one that had been hogging my mind.

“Is that very common in your culture?” I asked him with a lot of hesitation
“Sorry. I am unable to understand what you are referring to”
“Your Mom, well, just hugged and kissed you” I said very unsure of his reaction
“Oh that? It wasn’t common in our culture. But things changed after my father left us”

With that remark, he went on to describe the incident that devoured his father to a visibly shocked me. The top storey of the 2-storey home they owned in a part of J&K had been hit by mortar firing. On hearing the deafening sound, they had rushed upstairs to rescue their father. With the whole floor ablaze, rescue hadn’t been remotely possible. And they only had had sufficient time to salvage their belongings in the ground floor. Belongings – With their loved one gone, I wonder if its other synonyms are mere anonyms. That incident, according to him, had brought all members of his family – his Mom, his Sister and himself – very close to each other.

The picture of a sari-clad woman hugging her son and planting a kiss on his forehead was a sight I never saw at that time in the South (except, maybe on Television but it was always exaggerated for effect!). Coincidence is the word we use when we can't see the levers and pulleys. I couldn’t see any but the timing of this incident amuses me even today. The thought of leaving home for studies, after the home-sick phase was over, had given me an enormous sense of having grown up. I was thrilled, and confused at the same time, by all the independence and a very false sense of freedom. What I saw and heard during the first few minutes of the train journey shook me up. As the train and my confusions departed, a sense of clear pervaded my mind. I was ready to face the world and free to do what I wanted but without forgetting where I belonged and where I was loved more than anywhere else – Home!

eLangaathu veesudhey

In the movie "Pithamagan", this song captures the flow of thoughts in the mind of Vikram (the lead cast) who makes his living as a cremator and scavenger, witnessing the grim departures but neither the timid arrivals nor the momentous journeys! His only company are those cadavers. He expresses the joy he sees in the life around him after he makes a few friends (Surya, his gal Laila and Sangeetha) who are just happy with his company, all this through a melody; miles away from the dirge he cries out for the body that he burns.

eLangaathu veesudhey
isai poala paesudhey
vaLaiyaadha moongilil
raagam vaLainchu oadudhey
maegham muzhichu kaetkudhey

Nature breathes a soft breeze,
Makes a conversation music-like
Through bamboo that has nary a curve
Flows all melodies wave-like
And all the clouds wake up and listen!

karum paaRai manasula
mayil thoagai virikkudhey
mazhai chaaral theLikkudhey
pul veLi paadhai virikkudhey
vaanavil kudaiyum pudikkudhey
pul veLi paadhai virikkudhey
vaanavil kudaiyum pudikkudhey

In a heart hardened and dull like a rock
A peacock spreads it feathers, lively and colorful
The rain drops grace the earth
The meadows roll out their carpet
And the rainbow provides the shelter

maNiyin oasai kaettu mana kadhavu thiRakkudhey
puthiya thaaLam poattu udal kaatril midhakkudhey

The doors of thy heart open to the tintinnabulation
Buoyed by new notes, the body floats away, in adulation

(eLangaathu veesudhey...)

pinni pinni chinna eLaiyoadum
nenjai aLLum vaNNa thuNi poala
oNNukkoNNu dhaan iNanchi irukku
uRavu yellaam amanchi irukku

Like the multitude of weaves that grace
this Colorful fabric and which elates your soul,
these ties are inter-twined so strong
And the bonds it creates are to last long

aLLi aLLi thandhu uRavaadum
annamadi indha nilam poala
silarukku dhaan manasu irukku
ulagam adhil nilaichu irukku

Like the earth that feeds bountiful
to all, as if it dons a role, filial
Such generosity is only a rarity
Due to which the whole world stays fertile

naethu thanimaiyila poachu, yaarum thuNai illai
yaaro vazhi thuNaikku vandhaal yaedhum iNai illai
ulagathil edhuvum thanichu illaiyae
kuzhalil raagam malaril vaasam saerndhadhu poala

The past mired by loneliness, not a living soul around
Even eager wayfarers, happy to be mere strangers
But, nothing remains alone in this world
Like music accompanies the flute and fragrance, the flower

(eLangaathu veesudhey...)

manasula enna aagaayam
dhinam dhinam adhu pudhir poadum
ragasiyathai yaaru aRincha? adhisayathai yaaru purincha?

Does this heart house a sky?
That teases you with a puzzle everyday
Who knows the secret? Who created the marvel?

vidhai vidhaikkiRa kai dhaanae
malar paRikkudhu dhinam dhoaRum
malar thodukka naaRai eduthu
yaar thodutha maalaiyaachu?

Only the hand that sows the seeds
Enjoys the flowers all day
Who cared to bring the string
To interlace those into a garland?

aalam vizhudhilae oonjal aadum kiLi yellaam
moodum siRagilae mella paesum kadhaiyellaam
thaalaattu kaettidaamalae, thaayin madiya thaedi oadum
malai nari poalae.......

All the parrots dangling by the banyan shoots
Whisper tales, wrapped under their wings
Like the Mountain fox that seeks its Mother's bosom
Sans a lullaby...

(karum paaRai manasula...)

How I happened to witness Healthcare in the US

Poor Hand-Leg coordination, I'd say. Sent my leg crashing into the bedroom door, which was not completely open! as I started rushing toward the kitchen to check on my debut recipe (which again turned out to be as bad as the way my toe hurt).

"Broken toe," declared my physician as soon as he saw the X-Ray. "No dislocation so you won't need surgery". Did he hear me say "Thank God!!!!!"? I was so relieved. But they had to put a bandage to hold the toe firm, from moving. And some pain-killers. Phew!!!

As I post this blog, all I'd like to say is "Watch Ur step" :)

The Whole 500 Yards

This is an excerpt from a small chat my clients were having before a meeting:

Client #1 (To me): He was looking at a girl today
Client #2: Yeah. I was around 500 yards away & appeared to me she was pretty
Client #1: So, how was she when U got closer?
Client #2: I wished I were 500 yards away!!! :)

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder, with all the Geographical factors thrown in.

What's in a Name?

33 Characters with a lot of 'A's and 'N's thrown in, if it is my name that is being talked about!!! Try spelling out 'SETHURAMAKRISHNAN SANKARANARAYANAN' (Susan, Andy, Nancy....) to anybody and you already know most of what is to follow...

(Pe)rson at ABC Co: Sir, please spell your Last Name
Me: (Oh God! Spelling Bee Qualifier again??!!) Susan-Eddy-Tom-.....-Nancy
Pe (After 30 minutes): Are you done? Your First Name, please

Think she decided to cut the conversation short by 3 letters - she left the 'Sir' out :(

Me: Susan-Alpha-Nancy-.....-Alpha-Nancy
Pe: Um..Hmm
Me: Aplha-Nancy
Pe: But U told that already
Me: No, No. Repeat
Pe: Ok. So U R the ANAN Guy (Giggles)
Me (Thinking to myself): That may be funny for you but itz my name you are playing with!

This isn't the end. Itz the beginning... of a sordid truth that would show its ugly face every time I have to use my name in the Land of Opportunities - US!

Account Opening episode @ Fifth Third (53) Bank:
53: Your Last Name?
Me: (Plz refer above conversation)
53: Your First Name?
Me: Same as my response above
53: Oh!
Me: What happened?
53: I may not be able to store that as it can hold only 15 characters. Let me go ahead and put a 'S' & the expansion in the comments field!!! (You should have looked at my face then)

The impact of the 53 Manager's actions were apparent when I went to the Teller for depositing a check.
Teller: Is that your name? I got something in the Comments as well.
(Looks at her colleagues, calls them over and spells out my entire name, including the comments :( ) I feel like somebody put me on the Curator's table.

To conclude, let me just say this... "My name is a long story I'm trying hard, in vain, to cut short" :)

Bang - Traffic - Galore !!!

"For a day's visit, you seem to be travelling pretty light," were the words of Lalith as I got ready to head for the Majestic Bus Terminus for the return journey to Chennai. My visit to Bangalore was a very short one & I was hard-pressed for time. The sad thing was I restrained from planning to meet most of my college mates (primarily, wingies) coz I was sure it wudn't be possible and, voila!!!, Bangalore traffic proved me right. It began the minute the bus (from Chennai) entered K.R.Puram. Traffic snarls prolonged the travel by another hour.

[More to come up. Watch out for this space!!!]

Visit to The Forum:

A car parking fee of 20 bucks for 3 hrs, half an hour of hunting for a free slot, extremely crowded atriums & CCD's serving time that seemed like eternity. Is Bangalore screaming ForUm... SPACE???!!!