From & To Sathish #5 - Page 82

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqQRZ2LAmiA

Avan, Aval Adhu 266

“Dusk is just an illusion because the sun is either above the horizon or below it. And that means that day and night are linked in a way that few things are there cannot be one without the other yet they cannot exist at the same time. How would it feel I remember wondering to be always together yet forever apart. - Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

Everything had happened so fast and was still happening right now. So many words had been said in anger and so much of that had also been out of sheer hate.

Daksha looked at Gayatri who still stared out into the darkness of the fog that hung around like an evil presence and had turned the surroundings to resemble a horror movie set in Hollywood.

' Selfish, psycho? who, Ravi?' Daksha enquired politely and then spoke her mind calmly as Ravi had done before leaving them.

' Maybe mirrors and the people that you have been living with all these years have lied to you and have not told you who you really are.'

Gayatri looked at Daksha who shook her head and said in a sad voice, ' It is you not him. Not our Ravi. It is you who is selfish and a psycho and like you said correctly, maybe Meenakshi and Ravi would have indeed been better off together. For even though she is mad and evil, she loves him and will die before letting any harm come to him. But, you are the exact opposite. You say you love him but your love is selfish and you are the needy and greedy one. Not Meenakshi. Think about that while we wait and see what is going to happen out there.'

Partha gently took Daksha's hand in his and said, ' Let it be, baby. Just let her be. It is their life and they can do what they want to do with it.'

' Sorry, Partha. But I disagree that you are wrong in saying that. It is not their life but her life. Don't club Ravi and her together. She can do what she wants with her life but when it comes to our Ravi ' Daksha stopped and took a deep breath, ' Ravi is family. Ravi needs protection from people like her and I will protect him.'

Partha looked at Gayatri, ' Why, why say all those horrible things to him? Why curse him when you love him so much?'

' Please, Parth. Don't use the word Love with her for she is obviously not capable of that and her kind of love is but an obsession, a need and nothing more. It is a thing that is more evil than what Meenakshi has for Ravi.'

Reaching into her jacket, she took out her handgun, the Glock 19 model specifically made for women and released the safety button and started to walk out of Cottage No.7 when Partha grabbed her and spoke angrily but softly and in a hushed voice.

' What's wrong with you? What's gotten into you women, today? Ducks, baby, didn't you see all those men out there? Didn't you hear what Ravi told you to do, told us to do?'

Daksha glared at him angrily and using her gun pointed at the creepy and foggy blackness and hissed like a serpent, ' he is out there and all on his own and totally unarmed. How will he be able to cope on his own and do all that while we stand here doing nothing?'

Partha's voice changed tone and deepened in its intensity, ' Daksha, It is Ravi out there and you know him as well as I do. He will be all right. If there is a person who can take care of himself even confronting so many odds and obstacles, then it is Ravi.'

He looked at her for a second and then softly planted a kiss on her lips and said, ' I am not worried about Ravi for he can take care of himself. My only worry and fear are what he is going to do to them. To that man. That last man who supposedly kept looking in our direction.'

Gayatri watched with eyes full of grief as Daksha wiped her own tears and smiled at her husband and said, ' You are right Partha. Those poor creatures have no idea what is coming towards them. Idiots, they have opened the gates to hell with their own hands.'

She looked at him and asked, ' Baby, what do you think he will do to them?'

Partha sighed, ' My only hope now is that he leaves them alive. Sadly, I wish I could say that with confidence but no for I saw something in Ravi that I myself was seeing for the first time and that is what scares me to death.'

Krodhmulo manstaap krodh sansarsaadhnam,

Dharmkshyakar krodh tasmaat tam parivarjayet.

Anger is at the root of mental torture, it is the cause of the destruction of the world, and it leads to the loss of dharma, one should, therefore, keep away from it.

Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned is but there is a fury, a force that is even greater than that. It is called Righteous and Moral anger. It is almighty in power and in execution, for it, stems and flows from a pure and good source.

I received a marriage invitation.

At the end was printed...

*" Your presence itself is a gift. We don't want any gifts at the marriage..."*

I read it again and again and again...

I was getting confused...

Finally I came to the conclusion...

That I am not invited...

And I decided not to attend...

😂😂😂

English is a language which must be carefully handled...

Otherwise... it can lead to a wrong and opposite meaning...

*🎩...Dedicated to All English Pundits...🎩*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvfoaX8Pu70

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M14NTSIwn9g

Avan, Aval Adhu 267

To be in flow means to be totally absorbed in whatever one is doing at the moment. It occurs when one is fully present and completely focused on the task at hand...Flow can occur during any human activity, whether at work or at play. Dalai Lama

Ravi Kumar was very good at the game of chess and he had learnt a lot from it. But one thing that stood out from all those learnings was that it never ever paid off to think about too many things at the same time. He had people talk a lot about how they multitask and how they do several jobs at the same moment.

He had remained silent in all those moments knowing fully well that multitasking never ever worked out and in fact, only reduced productivity.

Human brains have a restricted capacity for devoting attention. When one multitasks, they are not training themselves to manage more activities, but in fact, are simply instructing their brain to take on more, with limited individual attention. It isn’t an act of increased productivity. It is distributing their focus over multiple activities simultaneously and one is more apt to forget, lose, or miss important details. They may think they can function at full throttle with a hoard of tasks, but it comes at a great loss. It is called mental overload and overload means breakdown.

The moment Ravi stepped out of Cottage No.7 and out into the thick fog, all his senses became acute and his mind began to tick and throb in anticipation of what would come it's way. The moment Ravi stepped out of the cottage leaving behind Gayatri, Partha and Daksha, his mind blanked all thoughts of them and instead shifted all its power on the mysterious stranger who had come for them along with five other strangers. It was not as if he was forgetting them or forsaking them but rather executing the plan that he had made in his head.

From the moment he had met Devathoothan and heard his warning about danger and that it was coming in the form of Meenakshi, Ravi had mentally prepared himself for he knew that a confrontation with his cousin was coming. But, Ravi's senses had gone on full alert from the moment of that day when he had stopped his tractor to help change the flat tyre on Meenakshi's Toyota Fortuner.

Ravi had gone over that moment with a fine comb berating himself for having stopped to help Meenakshi for it was because of that the paths and lives of Gayatri and Meenakshi had crossed each other and had led to the present crisis.

Ravi stopped and stared at the creeper and then tenderly caressed it and whispered, ' Madhu. Madhumalti ' and thought he heard the tender vine whisper back in a familiar voice.

His head was on her lap and she was looking down at him and running her fingers through his thick wavy hair when Ravi had asked her if it was by chance that they had both met and had fallen in love with each other.

She had smiled and whispered something in Bengali and even though he had not understood what it meant, he felt it in his soul and he had pulled her head down and kissed her soft sweet lips and whispered, ' Once more, please. Sing it and explain what it means.'

Tobu mone rekho

Tobu mone rekho

Tobu mone rekho jadi dure jai chale

Tobu mone rekho

Jadi puraton prema dhaka pare jai nabopremajale

Tobu mone rekho

Tobu mone rekho

Jadi thaki kachakachi,

Dakhite na pao chhayara matan aachi na aachi -

Tobu mone rekho

Tobu mone rekho

Jadi jala ase aankhipaate,

Ekdina jadi khela theme jai madhurate,

Tobu mone rekho

Eka dina jadi badha pare kaje sharada prate

Mone rekho

Jodi pariya mone

Chalo-chalo jala nai dekha daya nayankone -

Tobu mone rekho

Tobu mone rekho.

Remember Me Still

Remember me still, even if I go far away.

If old love gets buried under a newer ardour.

If I'm living nearby

You see me not, I'm like the shadows,

Remember me still

If tears come to your eyes,

If play comes to an end on a dreamy night,

Remember me still.

If work is stopped on an autumn morning.

Remember me still

If you think of me but there are no tears in your eyes.

Remember me still.

https://youtu.be/X5aMrZoOV04

Bangalore’s Shivaji Nagar And its secret hues

By Shoba Narayan, Hindustan Times, November 23, 2022

Black Palli, Shivaji Nagar, the many names and hues of this central Bangalore neighbourhood

Much like any other global city, Bangalore is composed of neighbourhoods, each with its own unique charm.

We each have our post-Covid resolutions. One of mine is to walk, not on a treadmill or inside a gated community but out on the streets. To be able to walk in and through crowded thoroughfares is a gift, and that too, without a mask.

Much like any other global city, Bengaluru is also composed of neighbourhoods, each with its own unique charm. I live in the Shivaji Nagar area, one that was called “Black-Palli” before. There are many reasons for this. Some say it was named by the British because “black” Indian folks used to worship at a “palli” or church here. The church in question is the St. Mary’s Basilica in the centre of Shivaji Nagar. Historian SK Aruni says that the area may have been named after John Blakiston, who designed the Bangalore Cantonment. Another story is more fanciful. It says that the name came from “bili akki palli” which means “white rice area.” The packed streets in Shivaji Nagar make it hard to imagine rice fields being here. An Urdu-medium school called GUHPS Black Palli bears witness to this Colonial past.

Mornings are quiet in Shivaji Nagar and you can walk through the streets, picking up fresh vegetables, fish, meat or whatever it is you fancy. Here is my incomplete and individual list of offerings from this neighbourhood.

1. Have a vada curry or a pulao with onion raita at BN Sambaiah Setty Tiffin Room, a tiny hotel packed with morning regulars who come here for breakfast.

2. Take a walk to the Shiva temple at the end of Dharmaraja Koil Street, buying fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables along the way. The best time is 7:30 am when there are no crowds.

3. Walk further down to Russell Market. Duck in to watch fragrant tuberose being strung into garlands, meat being butchered, and vegetables being unpacked for the day’s business.

4. Have a cutting chai and rusk at New Bilal Tea Centre or at any of the tiny tea stalls around Russell Market.

5. As the sun comes up, walk into any of the textile stores on Seppings Road for fabrics that you can tailor as you please. Dhanalakshmi Stores is an old favourite as are Balu, Varalakshmi and Sri Ganesh.

6. If glitzy sequined fabric is what you are after, step into the crowded Evening Bazaar, Femina Bridal Collection or Pakeeza, also on Seppings Road.

7. Visit any of the temples that pay homage to the fierce tribal goddesses who rule this area. Ask for the nearest Om Shakti temple. Other names are Muthyalamma, Angala Parameshwari, Amman, or Nagamma. If you are lucky, there will be a “pallaki” or chariot festival, called “Car Festival” in this area, where the goddess is taken out in a procession with drum beats, dancing and donations. This only happens in the evenings though.

8. In the evening, drop in at Santhanam Sweets & Savouries for

South Indian snacks such as kolbade, chakli, adirasam, and

mixture– similar to what Gujaratis call farsan.

9. Round the corner from Santhanam, on Veera Pillai street are two local favourites: Naveen Butter Dosa Camp and Shree Idly

Corner, both excellent. End your meal with a milk-khova from Priya Milk Kova Dairy.

10. Ask for the Ramulu temple on Ramulu Sannidhi street. Across the temple, just outside what looks like a home, is a man selling “kuzhi-paniyaram” a Tamil tiffin dish made piping hot. Only available in the evenings and around 8:30 am in the morning.

11. At the corner of Ibrahim Sahib Street and Jewellers Street, beside LMR jewellers is Raju, where generations of college girls go to have their ears, nose, belly button and other organs of the body pierced. Both my daughters have been going to Raju for years. He scolds them about ear-piercings even though that is his business.

12. Walk down Ibrahim Sahib street to Silver Palace. In the lane beside Silver Palace is where an old-fashioned “achari” or jeweller sits. He can repair your broken gold ornaments and fashion new ones, all out of a tiny shop. Go further down this lane to the end and you will find a catering business run by two women. They sell lemon sevai– ₹250 for one kilo but you have to come with a vessel and pick it up.

13. Visit Marudhar Papers on Lubbay Masjid Street if you love stationary. There are several paper agencies in the area such as Padam, Varsha, and Fine Paper World. Here, I once chose thick Italian paper, perfect for my fountain pen. I had them cut down to a custom-size that would fit into the orange Hermes pocket diary that I carry in my handbag. Talk about mixing the extreme local with the global.

14. Also in Lubbay Masjid Street in Puttur House is a place I have wanted to visit, but haven’t. These are traditional bonesetters who will massage a broken bone and set it in the right place. On nearby Jumma Masjid street, you can find sequined Indian juti-shoes, chikankari material, and attars. Go here only if you can stand crowds. Beside Russell market on MF Noronha Street is J Siddiqi Corner Shop where I have been going to buy flasks, copper jugs and stainless steel vessels for years. This is where I bought my cast-iron tawa for ₹1100 recently. Behind J Siddiqi are the bamboo basket sellers. Go to Cane Centre on Meenakshi Kovil street to find bamboo planters, baskets, lamps and even bamboo blinds.

15. Walk around and read the street names. They are Hindu, Muslim and Christian referencing a syncretic India where Hindus go and pray to St. Mary during the annual St. Mary’s feast that happens in September, Christians buy puja products and Muslim flower vendors keep track of Hindu holidays.

This is India.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YeZrv1aWk4

Many a time we feel lost and lonely in this highway called life. Like when driving on todays highways without a hotel or even a tea kadai in sight or a long way out of our path, people too appear distant from us and u reachable. Like on the highways, when we stop under a huge tree with a small gurgling stream running nearby and dip our feet into its cool waters, it makes sense to look for own tree that is growing inside us and with a soul stream gurgling to be heard. Religion and symbols of God are outside the body. Spirituality and the real spirit is inside us and within our own spirit. Only inside, in our hearts can one feel God, love and understanding. Also add to that hate and Misunderstanding. Good dog, bad and mad dog. Well, it is upto us which kennel we open. Nimmadhi ungal choice. That is the beauty of this life. The choice is ours and has always been ours. https://youtu.be/60ItHLz5WEA

My little Mony and me

“As life moves forward, it opens my eyes even more and more to things I feared at a young age. It reminds me that maybe life as a child was truly the best part of life. When one is young, our hearts and mind just don't comprehend the horrible things that happen in life. So these moments of tragedy remind me to appreciate the short time I have in this world. Which draws me closer to my family and friends. It also reminds me that money isn't everything. And lastly, it reminds me to smile, be happy, and give it my all every single day because, in an instant, our life truly does disappear.” Julian Aguilar

" I wish I could be a child again and enjoy that part of life just once. " Sounds achingly familiar, doesn't it?

Back then, when I was a kid, I could not wait to grow up. I wished, hoped and prayed secretly to God to help me grow a lot more quickly than I was doing for, funnily enough, I was a small thing and my growth was at a snail's pace. Sorry snail.

Skinny, thin, skeleton but always full of josh and zest for life. I ate poorly but read a lot. I was hyperactive to an extent that Hyper ran away with the piper. But, I slept poorly and slept at odd hours and many a time I skipped dinner for sleep took precedence over the one or two rotis that I used to push into my gob.

There were times when I was the laughingstock of the adults of my tribe and the butt of many jokes about my skinny and nonexistent butt. But, that is where those butts stopped for it was always widely acknowledged that I was quick on my feet with my anger and a handy tool to have around.

See, thin does not mean weak and small does not mean sad for the tiny, tinny me was always strong and strong beyond my age and weight. I could climb the tallest tree with the speed that would make a monkey blush and run away and I took part in almost all the games that were played on the ground and on boards.

One time during my 8th std, I was in the front seat of the ambassador with my aunt at the wheel and also at the helm of all our affairs. The ambassador stopped suddenly and right near the Geminin flyover. The bunny energizer jumped out and well, I pushed the Amby and got it going and we chugged along.

She, Hitler reborn as a female looked at me and said, ' Good boy ( Read good dog).

One day somebody put the idea in my aunt's head that beer would do the trick and help me and the other skinny orphans to gain weight. No offence, aunts and uncles but didn't you know better than making a 12 or 13-year-old kid drink a mug of beer? ( Miracle that I never became an alcoholic).

Complan, Horlicks, Maltova, Beer and other assorted stuff were shoved down in the name of health.

Lest I forget, my grandma secretly took me to a doc for a six-week course of injections and I have no clue as to what they were to this date. But, nada.

I eventually grew up during my 9th std and kept growing till the latter part of my 10th std.

I have to confess here about another growth which concerns my soul and my spirit and that has not abated because of a few souls who are still around me from my 9th std. My physical growth stopped a long time ago but my spirit's growth will continue on and it is thanks to the spirits who surround me and around whom my world spins around and around until...................

I too sometimes wish I was a kid and they might be reasons that you might understand or might not.

I wish I could go back to that moment when I first picked up a book and began to read and understand that there was a world, a hidden and glorious world beyond this physical hell of the real world.

I wish I could go back to that first moment when Mony, my first pet came home and I looked at him with love and he looked at me and growled. Yes, mony was a terror and it also makes me wonder sometimes when my pondatti calls me " Mony. Bad Mony." ( I think apart from the several hot and spicy Andhra recipes that she learnt from my cousin akkas, she also learnt a lot of my childhood and our pets Mony. Chee. Just can't put one over women. Just too smart for me. Aiyo. Aiyo.

Yes, I do wish I was a kid once again of about six or seven years old and rediscovered all the joys of life from puppies to books and movies. That first moment when they brought a Dyanora Tv set that looked more like a coffin or a cupboard. I wish I could relive the first wonder balloon, kanmani poonga and ozhiyum oliyum moment.

But more than anything else, I wish, I really wish I could become a kid again and learn to live life in a better way. I wish I could see with my heart and not with my eyes and I wish I could feel with my soul and not just with words and touch.

I always kept questioning God about the choices it had made for me and constantly complained and abused it.

But, nowadays, all I wish for is more light in my eyes and in my smile. I wish for more patience and more clarity and no, I don't wish to be a child once again. I did and the reason for that was to have a chance to say a proper bye and apologize properly to those who have gone on.

No worries, for every night, when I close my eyes, my favourite souls emerge out of my soul and the partying begins.

You see nothing in life dies and vanishes away for they linger on in some form of memory in our heads and hearts.