Monday, November 22, 2010

Jenny's Top Ten

Though it might not be the ideal location, we have kept our PC in our dining room.  The reason for us doing so are plenty, most important one of which is that we hardly have space for it anywhere else in the house.  But there is another equally important factor.  Getting Jenny to sit still during the course of an entire meal is almost impossible.  We might distract her to sit quietly initially by giving her something to eat or pick on but that will not last one.  So, we put music videos on the computer and she will watch those.  And if one would think that it could be any music, think again!  Unless it is a song she finds interesting, she will create a scene until we change the song!  She is a girl who knows what she wants.  It might be a silly topic for a blog, but I thought I should share her favourite songs (Reader Beware: the choice of songs does not necessarily mean I like them!)

Presenting, Jenny's top ten music video choices (I have provided the YouTube links to the videos)
  1. K'naan - Wavin' Flag  - She absolutely adores this song.  It can be version featuring David Bisbad or Nancy Ajram or Will.i.am or the solo version; she couldn't care less.  This is one song that will stop her in her tracks
  2. Shakira - Waka Waka -  I don't know what she sees in this song, but she likes it
  3. Sean Kingston - Eenie Meenie (ft. Justin Bieber) - Here I agree with her.  The song really sounds nice
  4. Smile.dk - Butterfly - The less said about this song, the better.  I mean, how many times can one listen to this song and not feel like smashing the computer!
  5. David Guetta - Memories (ft. Kid Cudi) - Maybe not the perfect video for a kid, but as long as she just enjoys the music, I guess it should be fine
  6. Yolanda Be Cool vrs DCup - We no speak Americano - Very funny Charlie-Chaplin-styled music video
  7. Celine Dion - I'm Alive - Very nice song....very interesting to listen to...and the video is perfect for kids
  8. Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Wonderful music....everybody should listen to it
  9. Celtic Violins - Again, very nice to listen to
  10. Ke$ha - Tik Tok - Hate the girl, dislike her to the core, but catchy music (My favourite is the Simsons version of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Bx2phCINw )
We cannot even think of going somewhere without these songs of hers...even when we plan a trip to Kerala, these videos will be copied and taken along.  After all, the girl is too young for her own i-Pod and we parents need to take care of her needs! :)

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

The big day: Jenny's First Birthday

Have you ever seen kids on weekends?  5 days a week, a stampede couldn't get them out of bed.  However on weekends, they miraculously awake before everybody else.  Ditto here.  I mean Anuja and I were already excited enough but on that day, Jenny was up and awake by quarter past 5!  And that, too, wide-awake!  We wished her, fed her and then took her to Church.  We attended mass and the celebrant blessed her.  That took care of the formal part of the birthday. 
A taxi had been arranged to pick up my mother and Anuja's parents.  They arrived 90 minutes late, but by then, we had breakfast hot and ready for them!  In the previous blog, I had mentioned an artistic friend of mine.  He came over and the two of us inflated around 3 dozen balloons in one hour!  His wife (also an artist) prepared some pencil drawings (which she coloured with crayons) based on the theme we had used for the cards.

By half past 4, my brother-in-law, my friend and I transported the balloons to the venue and spent more than an hour decorating the central area.  Hotel people were kind enough to help out.  By the time we were done, it was already past six and my wife informed me that people were already en route to the venue.

Guests: I wish to thank all my friends and relatives who attended the function.  Apart from a handful of people, everybody else was almost precisely on time!  And I especially wish to thank Nitesh, who came all the way from Mangalore for the function.  It felt so nice to be in the presence of friends and loved ones.

We had the cake cutting (during which one friend scared the group by bursting a 'Party Popper').  Cake was very good; very light and chocolaty like a cake should be.  Then the food.  I think I can safely declare that everybody liked the food...I myself found it very tasty.  And there was plenty to go around (we even had enough to take some home, which was enough for the rest of the weekend).  By 9 o'clock, the last guests left (it was a children's party, so no party after bedtime!!!) and I settled the bill and went home satisfied.

This was the gist of the party.  But how did the birthday girl like everything?  She loved it.  She wasn't cranky and she did not cry once (as long as people were not trying to carry her!).  She enjoyed the lights, the balloons, the cake and everything altogether.  In fact, when my friend Sandeep came, Jenny started giggling and laughing, as if his coming was the highlight of the entire evening!  Even after we came home, Jenny kept talking and talking (in her own language) about the events of the day and how she enjoyed the party.  By 11, we forced her to go to sleep.

One year...it's been one year since Jennifer has come into our lives.  I just cannot believe it how time has gone by.    I cannot even imagine a life before Jenny.  I know from the times she has been in Kerala how I cannot bear not having her at home.  I cannot express the joy I get by just holding her...by looking at her toothless smile...by hearing her babbled words...by getting intoxicated by her innocence.  I have enjoyed being a father all this year...and I can only look with wonder and anticipation on what all to look forward to with Jennifer in my life.


(Photos of the party can be seen @ http://tilput.jalbum.net/Jennifer's-1st-Birthday/ )

1st Birthday Series: Final Preparations

The final week before the birthday went by in a blur.  There were things to be done and on the other hand, there was nothing much remaining to be finished.  It's a paradox.  I took a friend along to the birthday venue (a friend who is much better at 'art' than I will ever be!).  We inspected the hall and decided how to decorate it.  The next day, another friend and I (yes, I do have more than one friend!) we went to Sahib Ibrahim Street (parallel to Commercial Street) and got ourselves all the decorative "this 'n that" one could want for a party.  The shop keeper also used the opportunity to educate us both that 'Birthdays are all about celebrations and fun'....maybe because we weren't buying enough!

After that, the cake had to be ordered.  I knew from the very outset itself which cake we wanted.  I had tasted it before at yet another friend's birthday and knew that this cake was 'the one'!  Wife and I decided that the cake should not be round (as cutting and sharing a round cake among 50 guests might turn ugly) and placed an order for a 3 kg Dutch Truffle cake from Daily Bread.  

The next couple of days were relatively calm.  We just had to sit back and make ourselves go crazy with paranoia that we left things out or that we planned things poorly or that the venue was insufficient or that the cook might mess up and so on and so forth.  My sister-in-law arrived two days in advance which was a huge help.  She shared the responsibility of taking care of the kid, which gave Anuja and myself more space and time to dedicate to worrying!

However, the big day was finally at the doorstep.  We were prepared and ready.  There was no turning back now.  It was time... (more in the next blog!) 

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Twisted Rhymes

With Jenny growing older and becoming more verbal, we have started playing nursery rhymes at home.  There are so many versions of the same rhymes...some with better music, some slower, some with better enunciation and so on.  There is no lack of variety.  And they are quite cute...one can keep them playing at home and not be bothered by them.  But if one pays closer attention to these rhymes, they can be quite disturbing.  And I am not kidding.  They are really, really dark.  So dark, that I would actually think twice before explaining their meanings to my child.  In this blog, I intend to showcase some choicest rhymes and their meanings.  Thanks to the internet, I found sources that already dealt with the topic like I did.

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep:  This song apparently has its roots in slave-trade related matters.  It has its origins around the year 1744 and it comes from Britain.  (Source: Wikipedia)

Rock-a-bye Baby:  Another British 1765 rhyme.  One attributed story of origin is that the baby is supposed to be the son of James VII and II, who was widely believed to be someone else's child smuggled into the birthing room in order to provide a Catholic heir for James.  The "wind" may be that political "wind" or force "blowing" or coming from the Netherlands bringing James' nephew and son-in-law, William III of England, a.k.a. William of Orange, who would eventually depose King James II in the revolution. (Source: Wikipedia)

Jack and Jill:  1765 Britain again.  One possible explanation is that Jack and Jill signify the 18th century Louis XVI of France, who was deposed and beheaded (lost his crown), and his Queen, Marie Antoinette (who came tumbling after).  (Source: Wikipedia)

London Bridge Is Falling Down:  1659 Britain.  The theory that the song refers to the burying, perhaps alive, of children in the foundations of the bridge was first advanced by Alice Bertha Gomme (later Lady Gomme) in The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland.  This was based around the idea that 'primitive' cultures believed that a bridge would collapse unless the body of a human sacrifice were buried in its foundations.  (Source: Wikipedia)

  • "Ring around the rosy" - A plague buboe appears on someone's cheek, that make little rings that look like rosé bumps all over the person’s body.
  • "A pocket full of posies" - A popular way of fending off the plague… they thought the foul air caused the plague, so they tried making the air sweet.
  • "Atischoo, atischoo" - Sneezing was an early sign of plague infection
  • (or) "Ashes, ashes" - It’s about the Burial of the Dead ("Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" )
  • (or) "Husha, husha" - "Be quiet, he's about to die."
  • "We all fall down" - We all die
Humpty Dumpty:  1797 Britain.  One theory is that Humpty Dumpty is King Richard III of England, depicted in Tudor histories, and particularly in Shakespeare's play, as humpbacked and who was defeated, despite his armies at Bosworth Field in 1485.  (Source: Wikipedia)

I guess I made my point clear...these are some of the most beloved nursery rhymes...and yet, many fail to understand where they come from.  I am not saying the origins I quoted are accurate or precise.  I just intended to show that there is more to them that meets the eye.

I have found another site (http://www.rhymes.org.uk/nursery-rhyme.htm) which deals with this topic.  I would like to quote one or two points from this site, as they made a lot of sense to me.
  1. A rhyme is often short and easy to remember and this was a critical element when many people were unable to read or write and a rhyme was verbally passed from generation to generation - it was also a vital element when commoners wanted to comment on the events of the day!  It must be remembered that direct criticism or dissent would often have been punishable by death!
  2. The wording of an individual rhyme can often be associated with historical events and the plausible explanations given to many a rhyme can be seen as political satire.  The first really important English rhyme dates back to the fourteenth century!  This little rhyme was passed quickly from one person to another, was easily remembered and led to an English revolution - a call for recognition and class equality!
In short, nursery rhymes do have their values and there is a sense in teaching them to our kids.  But it would be good if parents would just think and understand what they are teaching instead of just blindly singing them to your kid.

Friday, October 22, 2010

I was tagged!

Last Movie You Saw In A Theatre: Inception. It absolutely blew my mind.

What Book Are You Reading: Clive Cussler's Medusa.  Has been lying next to my bed for more than a month now.

Favorite Board Game: Mensch ärgere dich nicht 

Favourite MagazineDigit Magazine

Favourite SmellsThe smell of freshly baked bread

Favourite Sound: Church bells during the early hours of the day

Worst Feeling In The WorldFrustration

What Is The First Thing You Think Of When You Wake?  What day is it today? 

Favourite Fast Food Place: The Only Place

Favourite Child’s NameTILJ! 

Finish This Statement:  If I had a lot of money, I’dstart travelling and see the world."

Do You Drive Fast?  Not at all.

Do You Sleep With A Stuffed Animal?  Next question, please!

Storms-Cool Or Scary?  Very cool

What Was Your First Car?  A hand-me-down Tata Indigo CS 

Favorite Drink:  Chilled plain soda

Finish This Statement:  If I had the time, I'd …work on finding a productive hobby.”

Do You Eat The Stems On Broccoli?  The question should be: Do you eat Broccoli?

If You Could Dye Your Hair Any Colour, What Would Be Your Choice?  What hair?

Name All The Different Cities/Towns You Have Lived In:  Towns and Cities?  I guess only Trivandrum, Bangalore and Mysore.  

Favourite Sports To Watch:  Decathlon

One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You:  She would keep reminding me that she 'tagged' me in this blog!.

What’s Under Your Bed?  Haven't checked in ages to be sure!

Would You Like To Be Born As Yourself Again?  I surely would...but would others like it? 

Morning Person Or Night Owl?  Morning!  The earlier the better

Over Easy or Sunny Side Up?  Among the 2 options: over easy

Favourite Place To Relax:  Bench near a lake

Favourite Pie:  Strawberry

Favourite Ice Cream Flavour:  Chocolate

You pass this tag to:  SandeepFr. DanielSibiLeena

Of All The People You Tagged This To, Who’s Most Likely To Respond First?  I hope I can motivate Sandeep to do so.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

1st Birthday Series: Cards, Theme, Decorations

So far in this series, topics ranging from venue hunting through beautification to the dress have been covered at length.  I guess the next part should obviously cover the 'behind-the-scenes' of the birthday preparations.  I do not know yet if there will be enough material to make this a good blog entry, but let's see how it will develop.

When I was a kid, birthday parties seemed simple.  Invite friends, have balloons and some confetti, prepare some snacks, conduct some games, cut the cake and have a good time.  I really have no idea how much work this meant for our parents, but if I just look at it from my angle, it seems quite direct and uncomplicated.  Times have changed...now is the time of 'event managers'!  I am not quoting any source or am not revealing any names...but one of my acquaintances recently went for a kid party with the theme "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".  Apart from the usual jumping castles and magicians and face painters, they actually got a chocolate fountain and had chocolate bars wrapped up in special 'tickets' as gifts for the kids.  Every kid had to earn a bar cum ticket before being allowed inside (it wasn't as harsh as it sounds).  And in the end, every kid was given a DVD of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".  Being the typical Indian that I am (!), I calculated that if I were to invite 50 kids to a party and have to give 50 DVDs, it would cost already more than my planned party!!!

A quick search on the internet suggests that all the 'good' parties nowadays require event managers.  Since my kid is too young to actually appreciate what we do for her, we decided to do everything ourselves.  My sister is already a veteran at children's first birthday parties (as she conducted two herself and attended couple of others herself).  She advised us to decide on a theme first and then work from there.  The reader may want to Google "First Birthday Party Themes" and will get "38,700,000" results!  After a couple of brain storming sessions (with less brain activities and more of internet searching!), we finally unanimously decided on My little Pony as the theme.  It seemed perfect...suited for a girl...very nice colours...and with options to develop (which means plenty of characters to use for theme related stuff).

My wife and I started 'designing' an invitation card after that, with the help of the theme.  Wife took care of the text and I of the formatting.  After a couple of drafts, we finally seem to have incorporated the theme with our joy of celebrating Jenny's birthday.  

Once the card was ready, we decided to have it printed and we posted it (yes, via snail mail!), we sent it (via email) and we distributed them (via husband) and spread the word.  I was particularly motivated to invite people from afar (since I was 100% sure they wouldn't come but would feel happy they got invited!).  

Finally, the decorations.  With 8 more days to go, I am a little embarrassed to say that we have not reached anywhere concretely yet.  We want a backdrop (theme and baby combined) and I got couple of quotations already.  We visited some 'party shops' and saw what they have to offer.  I consulted a few 'artistic' friends and they are thinking about what to do.  I have approached healthy friends to help with the balloons on that day!  So, let's see how it turns out.  I have learned from experience that 'last minute panic' sometimes works wonders in my case.  I hope the same applies here.

This was the 4th entry in the birthday preparation series.  I intend to write one more on 'final preps'...so I guess I will not be publishing anything on this topic for another week.  But let's see...life is always full of surprises! :)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

1st Birthday Series: The Dress

Have you heard the expression "To poison one's mind"?  I would like to explain this using references from the movie Inception.  Inception is the process of implanting an idea into somebody else's mind in such a manner that the other person never realises that the idea is not his/her own (I think I got it right!).  In other words: the idea belongs to somebody else...but it is implanted in another person's mind.  The same thing happened in this topic.

My sister is blessed with two sons.  She has a very interesting sense of fashion and her boys are always well dressed and very often non-conventionally (I doubt I have seen a baby younger than 6 months wearing a shervani yet!).  Through her friends and colleagues, she heard of a fashion boutique that specialises in designer clothes for kids (daughters!).  The place is called Strawberry.   Ever since Jennifer was born, my sister has been telling us that we just have to get her birthday dress from there.  

I have my reservations concerning designer wear...I find them over-priced and frankly, not that special.  I mean unless one is aware of what is happening in the fashion circles, I doubt people would recognise a certain design as 'one of its kind'.  And unless a design is recognised as unique, what is the point of spending such sums on such attires?  Especially if the person wearing them is only 12 months old and is happiest running around sans clothes!  That's a personal thought.

However, as fate would have it, my wife is a woman, too!!!  Obviously, the thought of her first-born wearing a designer dress for her own party is too overwhelming.  So, being the good husband that I am (Note: I can promote my positive points on my blog!), I agreed a year back that we would get the dress from 'Strawberry' for the birthday.

Months passed.  Birthday approached fast.  Husband got reminded now and then about his 'Strawberry' promise.  Finally, the time came when I had to act upon my word.  Circumstances were kind to us and my sister couldn't come along (he he he!).  Our nuclear family went on foot from MG Road and tried to spot the 'designer store'.  Considering the types of designer stores I have seen in Indiranagar and other places, I had my expectations set.  These said expectations came quickly crashing down!

'Strawberry' turned out to be a small shop (maybe 3x5m dimensions), with hardly any proper lighting, no ventilation (except one fan above the cashier's chair) and hundreds of dresses.  We showed Jennifer to them and asked for birthday gowns.  I don't know what happened, but suddenly my thoughts and those of my wife were in perfect sync.  We unanimously found the colours too loud and the designs not that special.  Readers, kindly don't get me wrong.  The place had some very nice gowns for slightly bigger kids, but we hardly found anything that we thought would suit Jenny.  The whole store-browsing took about quarter hour.

We left the shop without any pangs of sorrow that our kid would not be wearing a designer dress on her birthday.  In fact, I was even happier that the decision was shared by my wife and did not have to come from my mouth.  However, less than half hour later, we found a dress for Jenny in another shop nearby that we liked immediately, which cost almost 1/3rd of the other gown and which was still branded (though not designer wear!).  

As usual, our expedition ended with a good dinner at a place called 'Crazy Kababs and Curries', which I strongly recommend to people favouring Indian cuisine to try.  It was very cosy, nice ambience, very good food and quite reasonably priced.  Thus ended the year long anticipated 'dress shopping'.

Next part of the series ideally should be concerning the theme, decoration, cards and so on...let's hope I can stick to the plan. :)

Friday, October 15, 2010

1st Birthday Series: Beautification

With a party on the horizon and two women at home (wife and daughter of mine!), it is but natural that the personal preparations started as early as all the other preparations for the 'Day'.

It was a matter of discussion ever since Jenny was born about when her ears should be pierced.  Call me a 'softee' but I was totally against the idea of 'piercing my daughters body' (even if it just for an ear ring) and would have preferred to get it done when she was old enough to want it.  However, the experts (on the internet!!!) are of the opinion that the earlier the ears get pierced, the better, as the young kid would hardly realise that anything happened.  

So, I kept postponing this matter and finally agreed telling that when Jenny's grandparents would come, they could all go together (without me) and get it done.  But somehow, all this changed with the advent of the birthday.  How could we invite dozens of guests for Jenny's party and have her not 'dressed up'!  A woman needs to look her best at her own party!

Plans were made...the official family photographer was summoned (my sister!) and we went to the new Joy Alukkas centre on MG Road.  The place is really something else...the area is vast...the treatment is courteous...and the glitter and glimmer is intoxicating.  We told what we were there for, and they took us to a different floor so that it would be calmer when 'the deed needed to be done'.

There is a reason why I don't like going to jewellery stores.  I mean, at the end it is gold...how different does one ring look from another and so on...I like to keep it simple: decide on a budget, decide what to buy and get the first thing that satisfies the said criteria.  As simple as that.  However, when one accompanies women and if it is for an occasion and not just simple shopping (as if buying gold is ever simple!), things reach a whole new level.  Sales people are nicer...selection is bigger...and confusion increases!  They had the cutest studs available, in perfect sizes for Jenny which perfectly fitted out budget.  But things are never this simple.  Turns out, these are studs for noses and are charged per piece!  

Well, finally we found a pair that looked really nice (had to stretch our budget a bit, but what the heck!).  Now came the part where I intended to leave Jenny in the capable hands of her mother and aunt.  Which father can bear the sight of tears on his first born daughter's face?  Again, I was proven wrong.  Apparently, it is better if the father held the daughter as he had the firmer grip.  Yeah, right.  To cut a long story short: ears were marked and pierced (gun shot)...baby cried briefly (very briefly)...and dad ended up drenched in sweat in such a manner that people thought Jenny had relieved herself!!!  The day ended with a very satisfying dinner at Samarkhand.




Step 2 in the beautification process is the hairdo.  Jenny's was easy...wife took her to the beauty parlour and got the hair trimmed.  Regular readers might remember my previous post about how Jenny is cursed to have her father's hair.  So, as of now, nothing much can be done there.  But wife also has been wanting a change in style for sometime.  After hearing the recommendations of my colleague, we got her an appointment at Bounce.  Wife went for haircut...daughter and I bonded, while treading the footpaths in front of UB City and making Jenny play with the fountains.  Wife got her haircut...was not sure if she liked it or not since it was different from the earlier 'Kerala cuts', but I liked it (that's what matters, right?).  Again, the evening ended with a pleasant take out dinner at Plantain Leaf (we like eating out and keep finding excuses to do so!).


That more or less covers the beautification part.  The next part would be about getting Jenny the right dress.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

1st Birthday Series: Venue Hunting

On the 30th of October, our little one is turning one!  Wow!  I cannot believe a year has passed by.  At the risk of sounding cliché, I need to agree with the general opinion that time actually does fly by.  I will write more of my thoughts concerning her turning one at some other time.  Right now, I intend to focus more on the event.  Since there are a lot of factors involved in celebrating her birthday, I intend to write them one-blog-entry-at-a-time in a more or less chronological order, with the culmination being a blog entry about the actual party.

The first thing we did when we started thinking about having a party was the 'where'.  I have heard that halls in Bangalore are always overbooked and constantly in demand.  So we decided it was better if we started well in advance.  My wife and I decided to keep the party small (since all 'wise' baby sites warned us that big birthday parties might scare babies!).  Jenny's birth and baptism happened in Kerala; so most of our Bangalore relatives and acquaintances were unable to attend.  So we made a list of people essential to the party and started to check out halls.  

This was the first time I was planning a party for myself in Bangalore.  Hence, I was quite unaware of the terms and conditions of halls, rates and so on.  I printed out a menu suggestion that we liked and went from restaurant to restaurant within a five km radius.  The scenario in most places is that the hall comes free but that the food has to be taken from that restaurant itself.  This is reasonable enough.  However, when one compares the rates from hotel to hotel, that's where the difference shows.  For the same food prices varied from 150 INR to more than 350 INR.  Which I found was unreasonable, since none of the hotels were of Star Quality or much different from the rest.  

The next option was to rent a hall, independent of a restaurant, and to have the food catered.  This would have been the ideal choice.  But apparently, the party halls that exist in our area are primarily meant for wedding parties and would be too big for our small one.  We finally did find a good one, which belongs to a convent.  It was perfect and we agreed to take it.  The rate was reasonable, too.  However, two days later, I received a call from the Mother Superior of the convent, in which she informed us that since it was a convent and they would be having prayers in the evening, they could not have parties after 6 pm.  Which was inconvenient, since we thought of having our party from 6.30 pm on...I mean, for a birthday party, half the attraction are the lights and decorations, which, I think, lose out their charm in day light.  Nothing like artificial light to bring out colours!

So, this option was out, too.  3rd option was to build a 'tent' on the roof of our house and to have the party there.  Well, I was against this idea from the very outset.  Let's face it...people from the south are not that used to standing dinner parties.  They need to be seated and they like to sit when they eat.  And for a seated dinner party, our roof would surely not suffice.

Finally, we decided to go for a hall cum menu from one of the reasonably priced restaurants, which had a pretty good hall, too.  Calls were made, menu's were discussed, numbers were exchanged: everything was done.  

Apparently not yet!  The week when all this was decided was the last week of September.  That week was important in India as on the 30th of September, the Ayodhya judgement was to be taken.  So, the day after I confirmed the hall, I got a call from the hotel telling me that they would not be able to have the party since it would be the day of the judgement and unrest in the city was expected.  I smiled and told them that our party was on 30th of October, which cleared the matter.  They just got confused since we planned things to far ahead of time.  Well, I would rather be safe than sorry.

So, now we have the hall.  The next step in the 'saga' would come in the next blog entry! :)

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

...ears that can hear the grass grow!

I was never good at biology...but I guess I can safely state that cats seem to have one of the best set of ears in the animal kingdom.  I have seen cats deeply asleep (apparently!) and yet their ears seem to be on constant alert.  It's almost impossible to sneak up on a cat (though obviously there are always exemptions).  I personally hate cats, other than Garfield, but that is another topic.

Jennifer's auditory senses seem to be of a entirely different category altogether.  I have an example to explain.

Bangalore celebrated Ganesha Chaturthi last week.  Visually, it is quite nice to see lots and lots of decorated Ganesha's in the city...but the festival is hard on the ears!  There are drums, crackers, fireworks, people whistling and so on and so forth...most of which takes place from 10 pm onwards!!!  And since it is a religious festival, nobody seems to be in the mood to complain.

Obviously, the very thought of Ganesha and Divali  brings a shudder to a first-time dad.  With the entire foundations of the city quivering under the audio-assault of the celebrating masses, I always worry if my kid will be able to get a decent night's sleep.  I mean for a person who hasn't been on this earth for a year yet, these festivals might be too overwhelming.  

So, Ganesha arrived.  And it was as expected.  The mass of believers would carry out their processions only once lights dimmed in the living rooms.  Drums would start their rhythm once people turned off their TVs.  Crackers start bursting once people cosy up into their blankets.  Typical Ganesha celebration.

Jenny was already asleep by the time the spectacle started.  But here comes the shocker.  We must have had at least 6 processions pass by our window during the last one week.  Jenny hasn't woken up to a single one of them!  She just slept through them.  She didn't even turn or toss in her sleep!

And its not that she is hard of hearing...no, she isn't.  And I have an example for that as well.  The moment I cough or put on my slippers or clear my throat or do anything in these lines while she sleeps, she shows signs of waking up!  I don't know how she does it!  Crackers are fine, but dad coughing?  Or hundreds of people walking/whistling/dancing by our window is acceptable, but dad putting on his slipper?  God forbid while Jenny baby is sleeping!

I am yet to figure out this enigma that is my daughter.  And I doubt I shall ever completely succeed.  

Monday, September 6, 2010

A travelogue of sorts

People who know me and have heard of my travel experiences know that I am mostly beset by a whole range of misfortunes during the progress of the journey.  In fact, I often 'flatter' myself that I have experienced everything there is to experience in a Kerala-Bangalore journey.  Bus Journey!  Let me elaborate by sharing how this time's travel went.

It was Onam 2010.  Onam is the festival of Kerala, that is celebrated by each and everyone.  It is a ten-day celebration, that includes a sumptuous meal (purely vegetarian, for a change!), games, flower arrangements, shopping, tying up of swings and so on and so forth.  Schools and colleges are also closed for 10 days for Onam.  The capital (Trivandrum) gets into the celebration as well by declaring the Onam week and the Tourism Week in Kerala, and the entire city will be full of illuminations (colourful lights decorating the streets and buildings), and with plenty of cultural programs as well as exhibitions and discount sales everywhere.  The week culminates with a procession through the streets with different kinds of displays and decorated vehicles from all over the state, colleges and government departments.  And this is just the scenario in the city.  There are other events happening in Kerala during this season as well, the most famous of all being the 'Snake Boat Race'.  What I intend to highlight here is how festive the atmosphere is in the state once Onam comes along.  

Another detail worth mentioning is how difficult it is to travel comfortably to Kerala.  Trains are constantly overbooked.  If one intends to make a reservation by train to travel to Kerala, one really needs to do so 90 days in advance.  If one gets delayed even by a week, it's the reservation list.  Travel by plane doesn't really make sense unless one lives in Trivandrum or Cochin (where the airports are located); it would take me at least 3 hours by road to get from any of these airports to my home in Kerala.  The other alternative is to go by bus.  Now, the positive aspect about buses is that there are plenty of them.  The major flaw: there are so many of them that they have become so complacent that quality has taken a back-seat.  Bad seats, delays en route, frequent break downs, mediocre restaurants, etc.  These are all things the travellers have to adjust with.  I am not saying all bus companies are like this, but it is still a general trend.  And oh, the booking period for buses is usually 14 days.

Regular reads would know that Anuja and Jennifer had left for Kerala almost a month in advance before I could go. So, I booked my bus ticket on time and made sure everything was ready for the journey from my side.  The day of the journey came.  I reached home from office 2 hours before I needed to report to the travel office.  By bags were packed and I was good to go.  The day was Friday and it was two days before Onam.  Time was approximately 1500 and the reporting time and departure time were 1730 and 1800 respectively.  

I was about to leave office to get home, when literally out of the blue, disaster struck!  My body started heating up and I was shivering.  I got home and it got worse.  Anyways, I refused to take any medication as I feared I would fall asleep and would miss my bus.  I braved the shivers and somehow made it to the travel office.  I called my sister and her husband in between and requested them to help me depart as I felt I was too weak to do things on my own.  God bless them, they came and helped.  I got onto the bus, took my pills and off I went (half an hour late).  

Dinner was on time, which was a good sign.  We seemed to be making good progress.  How wrong we were.  At half past one, we reached the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border called Walayar Checkpost.  Ideally, it should have taken us maybe another 6-7 hours to reach our destination.  But I guess since it was Onam and the checkpost authorities were overworked (I am being sarcastic here!), traffic was not moving till 6 am!  Nothing was moving.  We were standing outside the bus in a mild drizzle till half past six, till things started moving again.  And once the sun rises in Kerala, traffic conditions change.  Roads are narrow in Kerala, but drivers are rash.  I think the reader can visualise the rest.  We moved so slowly.  We finally reached the stop before mine (where we should have reached at 7 am) at exactly 1700!  Since it was already very late, they wanted to call us a taxi to take us to the next destination as the bus immediately had to return to Bangalore with that day's passengers, who were already waiting since 1500!  So, I called my dad and he picked me up and I finally arrived home about 10 hours late!

I reached home with anticipation on how Jenny would react once she sees me.  After all, it's been exactly 3 weeks since she has seen me last.  I got home and there she was outside the door waiting in her mother's arms.  It might have taken her maybe 5 minutes to smile at me properly, but then she immediately got into my arms and things were as they were before!  

A word about Jenny.  She appeared well when I saw her.  She gained some weight and her facial features had gotten more pronounced.  But behaviourally, she had changed a lot.  If she was cuddly before, that particular trait has increased by leaps and bounds!  She would just come and lean against me, or put her head to my chest, or do similar things.  Also, she makes attempts at speaking to us.  She hasn't mastered 'mama' or 'dada' yet, but she is very close!

But I couldn't immediately enjoy all this.  The elongated trip had taken its toll on me, too.  I had to go to the hospital and got a set of medicines, antibiotics and an injection.  Apparently, I had gotten a viral fever that was doing its rounds, told me the doctor who was coughing himself!  So, out of the one week I had at home, I spent 4 days in bed, sustaining myself with pills and fluids and hating all families of viruses for not allowing me to enjoy the food nor the stay at home!

Towards the end of the week, we did a family trip to Trivandrum, visited old hostels, colleges and peers, enjoyed the illumination in  the city, had a nice coffee at the beach and returned the next day.  The trip back to Bangalore was fine, too.  We drove down and took a nice, scenic route that kept us from crowded Kerala roads and got us back to Bangalore in 11 hours!  

Thus Onam 2010 got over.  I am amazed at how much can happen in so little time.  But if I ignore all the hardships of the trip and tell myself that I suffered all this just to get Jenny back to Bangalore, it was all worth it.