The beautiful voice

Hi! Long time no see. Been writing another post about a college trip for more than a year yet unable to complete because it was having a pessimistic effect on me and it was dragging me down to move any further to write about the other things that happened afterwards. I guess procrastination and Zeigarnik effect is a lethal combination for a blogger. This recent incident I am about to describe was more powerful enough for me that it enabled me to share it after so many months of my dissonance to writing. Glad it happened. Blessed I am posting a new one after months. 

So! I started working for a US based not for profit organisation like a month ago. Work life is fine and routine started to seep in. I take local buses to reach my workplace. The evening time when I take the bus back home, it is usually crowded and you will hope that the journey ends soon. This one time when I took the bus on such occasion, I met a speech impaired women standing beside me. In crowded local buses usually the money is passed between the person next to you to get your tickets. Crowded means in the bus where you gotta grab the metal poles like a kid hanging over a monkey bars, where there is no place even for the exhaled air to move out, where people do acrobatic hanging nearby to the door and sometimes where your money gets lost in all this chaos and people forgot whose ticket they have received or who gave how much money to pass it to the bus conductor.

This person who is speech impaired fascinated me. Even though she wasn't able to do much she did put all her effort on passing on the money and tickets enthusiastically. She communicated more than all of us to help each other to get a bus ticket. The hand gestures, the sportive smile and her firm grip of not tripping over a strong thud the bus does during twists and turns. All of it, mesmerized me. She was contagious. Everyone who had a crinkle on their forehead, tiredness in their eyes, irritated in their minds were affected by her. She brought a delicate smile to all those around her. Everyone were calm, relaxed and observing her telling her thoughts out through her gestures. She was basically complaining about the crowd, people, sweat, and much more. Even though it was about nothing, it felt nice to know about it in an unusual way. 

I have seen her couple of times before but only now I got the courage to speak with her. I was super intrigued by her. At first I didn't knew how to talk to her and what if it is too creepy to approach her as a stranger in a crowded bus. Later she initiated a conversation with me. Half the time I didn't understand what she was talking about. But it looked like listening to an interesting folklore through a puppetry show. It was interesting to know how many body language cues we miss and notice only if we come across people who are impaired to talk, see and hear. She started the conversation by telling about Double Decker buses at her native. How they are so amazing with double the capacity for people to transport. I asked her about where she is from? She said Surat, Gujarat with elaborate mouth movements. Then I asked her can she hear me? using my hand gestures. She says yes by nodding her head.

I said oh that's awesome. Then we had a long pause. Because I wanted to ask her what work or career she in but afraid about what if its a sensitive question and such question might hurt her. But after multiple eager yet anxious mental questioning I braced myself to ask her. I showed her a hand gesture like typing in a computer and writing to indicate work. She tried to say but it sounded feeble gibberish for me to interpret. I gave a confused pause. She mouths back as in audit. So she does auditing as her career. It surprised me to know her impairment didn't define her self esteem to pursue such a career. I then was trying to tell her I am bad at math. She didn't understand. I tried to indicate math by gesturing counting number by fingers but it confused her even more. She jokingly gestures about texting and calling to tell me what happened to my phone, nowadays everyone has one right! 

Oh, Right! I can type a text to know what she means to tell. I make a small smack to my forehead to indicate that I didn't thought about it. Well unusual communication need unusual thinking and in return we get unusual learning. 

I took out my phone from my bag over it's squished self from people around the crowded bus and opened notes widget. I typed "I am bad at math" She gestured to disagreed by swaying her head and indicated, if you practice you will get it. How nice of her! Then, I typed "What is your name?" She typed "Nikita" I was in a daze of thinking to tell her how people misspell the names in Government documents. Before I could tell she said the same thing in gestures. Funny how coincidence works. She also said some call her Nikeeta, and some say Nikhitha, Neeekeeta, etc but rarely the right way of pronouncing her name. No matter what impairment be there, the feeling of getting our names mispronounced is too obvious and interesting to see from her expressions. She asked me by gesturing "What about your name?" I typed "Sunayana" And "Yes. People mispronounce it at most of the times"

We nodded to agreement like a Tanjore doll as a sign of silent chuckles. Then she luckily got seated as a few people started to depart to their destinations. She asked me to give her my bag to hold it for me as she got seated but I was like that's alright and courteous and stuff. But I did ended up giving her my bag because concerns happen and my arm ligaments did started to have a Nocebo effect when she told me isn't your bag heavy to hold and difficult for you to stand for a long time. She asked me where do you get down at? I told her my destination and she gave a smirk and gestured that's where even she has to get off. We were smiling for a while and then started gazing into the outside world through the momentum of the bus and it's dusty glass window panes. When our stop was about to come, she even advised me to be careful with my bag that the crowd are always in a hurry and they might tend to make you fall and all. So much consideration even my own grandparents never showered upon me. 

We got down to our stop, said our goodbyes to each other and parted our ways on the opposite sides.
One good incident has a power to move you and uplift from your past miseries. It's okay to take time to get healed and revive. For me it happened after months, because everyone has problems and issues but the depth of it takes time the further it has ingrained into our minds. Unravel yourself from such clutches as soon as possible and appreciate small things in life. I would have never anticipated to talk with a speech impaired person in a crowded bus but above all the noise we communicated.

Advice corner: If you are curious about something, do try or learn about it. Life is never disappointing, it's our mindset that we choose to live determines a happy or sad life.

And! Huge news! I am not a college student anymore. Officially entered the career world. Thus change in tagline.

Bye-Bye to my college self and hello to Adulting!

Things and their prominence

From my childhood, I was always attached more to inanimate objects than people. I used to play with things, sometimes it gets broken and I try to repair it and eventually get scolded for it. Also I could not get the heart to throw them away as trash which the adults deem it to be useless and broken. At a very young age I thought each thing has a purpose and can be utilized if we put our creativity and imagination into it. I still do. Whenever I visit shops as a kid, I always get tempted to touch every thing decked on the shelves. I get so fascinated and curious to know what each product can do and how. I wish such enthusiastic curiosity was still alive in many of us who moved on from our true innocent self that we possessed when we were kids. We used to be brave enough to explore and exploit everything we saw. Eventually life happened, we leveled up and unlocked new challenges.

For me each thing I own has a great significant meaning behind it and I believe everyone has one special thing with them that is so close to them too. Certain things reminds us of a memory, certain things makes us feel happy, certain things helps us cope with life or even a part of our life and reasons for the things we own can be a long list. For me one of such thing is my laptop. We are inseparable duo. Actually, I like my laptop better when there is good wifi signal. But still I learnt how much it means to me only when it got broken recently. I kept it on the chair and went to college. When I came back home, I took out my laptop out of it's bag, saw a crack on the screen and when I turned it on it gave me a plain blank white light all over the display. The torture of seeing your laptop not working anymore is horrific to know. 

When it happened, I was not in my sane self. My routine got crashed and I could not submit any College assignments properly which is a big deal for me. I consider myself an Introvert and I tend to be scared to ask help from friends. Even a midget amount of help makes me feel like I am taking advantage of that person who is helping me. I could never be satisfied by a work that was not done by me which was related or referred to me. So, I got sick with cold for a while. Whenever something happens to something so much dear to me, I tend to fall sick and depressed. I felt like a warrior at a war whose weapon got broken. My weapon to survive my life was my laptop. So, it took me a long while to sink in the thought that my laptop got broken and I really need to get it repaired. 

After many days and few powerful inputs from my mom I prepared to get it repaired. Usually for any small malfunctions we used to go to the shop which sold us this laptop I own. But they treated us like some nomadic people rather than customers and that place is situated far away from my home. My mom suggested she saw a laptop service center near my home and I was doubtful about her memory. I asked her whether she saw mobile shop or really a shop which services laptops. She was determined and that's how the journey of my laptop began. We walked together. Passed through a heavily crowded temple where the devotees are so dedicated they don't want to enter the temple premises but to block the footpath present in the temple entrance. How devotional and considerate of them. So, we passed through this and arrived at the shop my mom mentioned. I could interpret it was a mobile sales shop but my mom was persistent.

We entered and asked whether they service laptops. Turns out they don't and guess what they do. They sell mobiles. But the shopkeeper mentioned there is a laptop service center in the basement of the building. It turns out to be the shop which I frequently visit to get xerox, print out and spiral binding. So, I gave him my laptop and I was not having the courage or knowledge to describe the exact problem. So, He checks it out and tells us that it can be repaired. We were so happy until he said that would cost us around 4000 rupees. We came back home. Also there is demonetization happening in India which made my case even worse. To get money from banks and ATM there is a huge queue and hell lot of waiting time. My mom saw me suffering without laptop and she did went out to get money from the bank the next day. Mothers are the best and I am so gifted to have her in my life. The next day, we went again and gave the laptop for servicing and left in a rush. I can't bear the thought of leaving my laptop in the hands of anyone other than me. It means a lot to to me.

After that day I was informed that my Laptop got repaired. I dressed up, took cash from mom and rushed as soon as possible. My brother accompanied me this time. I saw my laptop and asked him did he put a new screen and he replied yes ma'am with a judgmental look. It was like as if my laptop has recovered and discharged from it's ICU. We paid him 4300 rupees and I demanded  for a bill. He made us wait to get a bill which he was making from scratch. But it was worth it. It took me a day to use it again. As if it was some sort of fragile piece of art. My laptop is the best thing that happened to my life so far and it remains to be my best buddy till date. Some things are valuable to us and people realize it when they are on the verge of losing it. It's nice to have that something in our life that rejuvenates us to live. 

Independence day!

August 15th 1947, India's independence day! Every Indian kid is saturated with this info from childhood. The most horrifying dialogue for some or hilarious one for me is from our national pledge "All Indians are my brothers and sisters" for some reason it sounds funny for me. 

During my school days, we hope for it to be an holiday but our parents and the school people made us to attend the event relating to the independence celebrations. Irony is there is no freedom to not attend the event which celebrates our freedom. We dress up, pin the tiny tricolour paper flag to our uniform, stand in rows and columns according to the class we belong to under the beautiful scorching sunshine waiting for the chief guest to magically appear soon. During the wait there is this unexplained joy of gossiping with our peers which I guess us millennials crave a lot more than nowadays tech addicted children. 

When the chief guest finally arrives, there is this great faux cheerful vibe and epic long speeches which reminds us it is just same old  lecture in different surroundings. The flag is hoisted by the chief guest, rose petals fall on the ground, crows scream, sunlight still roasting our skins and finally the speech by chief guest ends. We get to sit on the floor to watch cultural events performed by our schoolmates. There will be dance, music, dramas and even karate. Even though teachers shush us we still cheer whenever our besties perform on the stage. That pure innocence of our childhood to cheer for our friends is nothing compared to any philosophical quote I have seen so far. 

Then after all the events gets over, its time for vote of thanks. We need to get up from our sitting cross legged for a long time and blood gushes through the legs as soon as we get up. Some get slight pains, some get up flawlessly, some struggle to get up and I get weird snapping sounds like when fingers are folded and snapped to get a relief and also I get that sensation of standing over million pins underneath my heel. After vote of thanks, the national anthem is played in the speakers. Some listen patiently, some prove their singing skills, and I lip sync to the song with an expression of a professional actress. The most favorite moment of events for a kid like me was the chocolate given after the end of the event. So, that's the routine/drill followed during independence day throughout my school days. 

This year it was different for me. 

I wore a light green kurta paired with blue jeans, orange infused with white coloured earrings and a small palm sized black sling bag. I walked towards the bus stop and if you had read my previous blogs you must be knowing the fate of mine with buses. I was about to cross the road and my precious bus went by crossing far away from me in front of my eyes. The feel of eternal waiting for another bus to come is a pitiable thing to do. Especially for a person (me) who can't sit in one place and do nothing for more than an hour. I waited for a while, bunch of school kids were beside me dressed up in white and playing and giggling with each other. I saw a person taking his dog for a walk, the dog was adorable by the way. But still however I try to distract myself from the idea of waiting for long was not working out. I started fidgeting my fingers as if I am playing some musical instrument. Thank god the wait lasted for 15 minutes and i got into a bus. It was free of crowds, I got seated, the breeze passed inside the bus and felt like a luxury. 

The bus was as slow as possible. I reached late and did this fast walking on the pathway. Suddenly when i have to cross the road, an auto stops in front of me. Inside the auto was my friend, her mom and her sister. She told me to hop on and we went straight to college. Happiness are these small gestures that makes us believe in humanity. We waved our good byes to her mom and sister and did the rhythmic speed walking to the college entrance. Already we are using our hal-sleepy, tired bodies to walk fast and the students who are in charge of the event instructing us to walk even more faster and go inside, its late. The reasonable thing is to give a tired or annoyed look but something about this friendship that made us to laugh till we reached the gate.

We split to stand towards the our respective class queues. The chief  guest arrives and good thing about my college is they make everything short and sweet. I believed that would happen until i discovered that the chief guest is a living Wikipedia in human form. She talked, talked for so long that we started talking with our peers. The speech ended, a few girls sang patriotic songs, a girl orated about independence in Hindi and vote of thanks was done. The best part was that we were also invited for alumni meet on the same day. I met with my classmates, took pictures, went to our UG department faculty, ate the complimentary breakfast and the meet was over. That's it? So, we planned of making our reunion more memorable. 

We walked, discussed where to go and were confused where to go. After a long roaming and brainstorming, we thought of going to semozhi poonga. It is this spacious green park in Chennai. So, we take an auto and reach this park. We take tickets for us and I take pictures of the place. They were walking and i was stopping by to take picture of the flora. I am a big nature admirer. Finally they sat in a place where we talk about our past, present and future plans. It was making me feel old and young at the same time. Then we walked towards the kids play area and each of us sat in swings and talked. Some went to buy something to eat and drink. Some of us thought of making a trip to somewhere outside Chennai as a group. And some were running out of time to reach their homes. I was enjoying the swing. Maybe this is how freedom feels like. It was one memorable Independence day.

Swinging with my besties!

My first marathon!

My college conducted a marathon named "Pennkalvirun" which means Girl education run in Tamil. This initiative was to support and to bring awareness for educating girl child. The event was scheduled at Island grounds, Chennai at 6:00 am. This place is famous for the annual Tamil Nadu government exhibitions/fair to which my family visits from my childhood. My reporting time mentioned by my college faculty was 5:30 am.  It usually takes 1 hour to reach the place from my home. So, I woke up early and prepped myself ready to leave. My dad took photos of me in my marathon attire.

My marathon shirt

I stepped outside the house, It was like being in a horror movie without background music. There was no sight of sun or moon or even stars in the sky. It was pitch black. The streets were quiet but filled with street dogs. Some of the dogs to which my dad used to give biscuits whenever he sees them came near the gate wagging their tails and sticking their tongues outside to greet us I assume. We rode in a bike to reach the destination. The places passed by during the ride were unusual yet familiar. 

We spoke about how free the roads were, was the marathon really happening, should I really sacrifice my precious early morning sleep for a run which I haven't tried before, and many more intriguing things. We reached marina and in few meters we be will reaching the start point of the marathon but no sign to prove that there is a marathon happening. Finally saw a girl wearing the same shirt and entering the entrance gate which assured us that it was not a hoax. My dad parked his vehicle and we slowly walked towards the stage. Only few people came till then, Meanwhile my dad and I took pictures.  

The stage

The stage was set, the place was empty, sky was dark and I was bored. I waited for my friends to arrive, till then my dad was stuck up with me.

The start point 

I took pictures for a while until my friend called me. She came with her dad and our dads greeted each other and left. We spoke and revolved our heads like antenna to spot and welcome the familiar faces from our college. We got calls from our friends to know how to reach the venue? The event started from a greeting by a person with a mike on the stage. Later a group of girls sang some songs and the marathon for 10 KM was started. We stood near the start point and our principal waved the flag to indicate "go!" for the 10 Km Marathon.

At Napier bridge, Look at the sun rise behind me!

We did a mixture of brisk walking and running. I took pictures of whatever fascinated me. My friend got tired as soon as we reached our first lap and she said she will take rest at the venue. We passed through the iconic Napier bridge, then passed some old buildings, Anna Square bus stop and finally World's second largest beach - The marina. The route was to run from Island grounds to lighthouse and again run back to the island grounds. 

I was enjoying stepping forward along with the breeze which felt empowering to the self. Occasionally we halted at the hydration points to re-hydrate ourselves. My friend got muscle pain and wanted to walk instead of running but I felt a bit slow at some point of time. So I told my running pal that I will be leaving her side and  go faster and let's meet at the light house. But by the time I reached the light house I did not had the patience to wait for her so proceeded to take U-Turn as per the route and ran.

I ran and did slow walk whenever necessary. I kept on telling one! two! with each step touching the floor which improved my pace. The challenging part was not the distance but not to dodge anyone while running. I ran to see amazing glistening waters of the beach, to see the spectacular view in front of me, to meet my friend who is waiting for me at the venue, to not quit  in the middle of the marathon, to beat the odds, and for the cause - Educating the girl child. After a long brisk stoll and running I reached the finishing point. I finished 10 km withing 1 hour. Surprisingly I did not felt any muscle pains even though this was my first marathon. 
  

I was suprised that I finished the task. I took the medal for participation and breakfast provided by the event crew. I was given idly, sambar, 200ml flavoured drink, kesari and vada. I was not hungry at all and didn't wanted to waste the food so i gave back the idly and sambhar to them. I first ate this orange coloured sweet kesari which was delicious. Then ate vada and drink. I regained enough energy I needed. The winners were announce and we clapped for them. And that's how the marathon ended.

Me with my medal!
Oh yeah! I ran with my chappal which I found to be very much comfortable. Just because people suggesting us to wear sport shoes or do something for our well being doesn't always mean it will be suitable for us. Do or wear whichever you are comfortable with.

The stuff I got for my 10 km Achievement!

It was nice being a part of something and enjoying ourselves. No matter what happens in life just keep moving forward and be exuberant!

Some views I got to see while I ran:

Kitty Surprise!

Recently I started going to college again for my PG course. Same old bus stop agonies, fresh start vibes, new colleagues, and a bunch of college events. After all this one fine day after college, I came to home with headache due to the hefty amount of thought processing happened in the classes. I rang the bell as usual for my family to unlock the gate. My brother came to the porch in a discreet manner as if their is some sort of monster hiding behind me. I gave him the tiredest look possible in the world. My mind was like "open the damn gate" I asked him why he is acting weird all of a sudden? Then he was like "there was a kitten that came to this place in the morning." Wow! A kitten. Last time when a kitten came to my house my mom said throw it out of this house and my dad hit the floor with a scale to get rid of the cat. The next morning I saw a skull of that cat with a drooling stray dog beside it. Well, Life can be horrifying at times.

So, I made it a pact not to make my parents to know about this kitten whom I have not acquainted with yet. My brother and I searched for a while. We heard meow sounds in irregular intervals. After while I gave up and started watering plants. Suddenly my brother finds the cat in it's hiding place. I saw a cute creature which was literally looking like a replica of fuzzy palm size fur ball. It was scared and was running with it's tiny paws as quick as possible from our sight. After a while we caught it and took pictures. It liked to get finger rubs below it's neck and somehow rolls over with it's tiny paws up. We played with it for a while until my mom saw us. Oh no! We told her everything about the kitten. She told us to take and put the cat far away from the house. But it looked so young, active and adorable - I didn't felt like letting it go and haven't got the permission to keep it. I hate this dilemma.

I let it go on the floor. The kitten meowed for a while and slept off, I kept a small bowl of water beside it. Then I went back to finish whatever work I had to do for the day. The kitten helped me to relieve my tension. Anyways, After a while at the night, I went outside to check the status of the kitten. It was awake and was roaming around the place. I guess it got used to us and came near to us. I sat on the floor with my index finger pointing on it's head and slowly stroking on it's fur. It started rubbing it's head and body against my hand which is suspended above it. I kept my index finger and middle finger on the floor and rest of the finger folded. I kept on moving these two fingers similar to walking. The kitten chased my hand whenever i did that. It also loved to bite my feet occasionally. I was not sure what to do with the kitten in the future. I just wanted it to live a better life.

The weird moment was when a fat white cat was sitting comfortably and watching us instead of taking the kitten with it. I wanted to bring the kitten towards this white cat but it escaped by the time i did it. The next morning my mom informs me my dad took it away from the house. This time he kept it in his shop. But after college ended I heard of the news it went missing. My parents said someone must have taken it to their home as a pet. I hope it is doing fine and having the life it wished for. I love the fact even though animals are less intelligent than humans they know how to calm our nerves. Life is all about the small surprises like this kitten.

The So called "happy ending!"

It's been almost a month I have last blogged. Wow! A mixture of highs and lows happened in such a short period of time for me.

Brief info of the happenings ~ First I presented a poster about my research at a national conference and won best presentation award. Then, we had farewell from the juniors, last ethnic day, last class assignment, last class presentation, last project submission, last college day event, last lab classes, last class lectures and finally my last day at college ended at 14th march 2016. I also attended my first official interview at an eminent college for MBA and hope I get a positive response.

So final year has happily ended but I still have semester exams to finish during last week of March until then I am temporarily freed from my college. I have experienced happiness, sorrow, jealousy, fights, stress, boredom, separation, desperation, headaches, and so many other things of which I saw in fast forward mode during last few days of my college life.

• The conference I attended was at Madras veterinary college which was situated in Vepery, Chennai. My friends were so nice to give me a lift to the place without any hesitation. I was so lucky to see so many pets and it was a heaven for me to see so many cute creatures. They are non-judgmental at the same time each pet has its own characteristic style and behaviour. I admired them. I and my classmates expected the conference was about food but all that was shown, presented, researched, and spoke was only about meat industry. We saw ethical ways to kill meat, different images of meat and some of my vegetarian friends were in disgust seeing those images. Even though the price to attend the conference was above 1000 rupees which is technically too much for a middle class student like me but I think it’s okay for something that can't be bought anywhere i.e. hanging out with besties. By the way I got a bag, pouch, key chain, stationery items, fancy designer green umbrella and a book in which my research abstract was published. When the speaker was saying animals don't feel much pain I made a sly joke that even it has kidney and heart like we do in hushed tone. My besties heard my words and could not hold their laughter and that also made me to laugh out loud but I tried to hold my laughter as much as possible. The Day 1 of the conference I presented my poster and attended the sessions.  Later, the day was becoming night so my friends did not let me go home alone. I visited my friend's place and aunty insisted me to eat. So I eventually gave up and ate a delicious crispy murruku (Indian fried snack) and drank a cup of Brahmin aathu kaapi (the coffee made by Brahmin people). I and other friend were waiting for her mom to pick us up. Then, my friend’s mom and her sister came. She and my Brahmin friend's family discussed a big discussion on the future education of their daughters and I was very tired and desperate to reach home and sleep. I was envy of my friend's sister who was happily skipping and was not involved into such an intense topic by the elders. They finally wrapped up their talks and decided to leave. Out of nowhere my friend suddenly gets reminded of the shawarma promise she made to me long ago and made her mom to stop at an Arabic cuisine restaurant and buy me a shawarma. I waited in the car while aunty went and bought a shawarma for me and their daughters. I was too happy for getting a delicious food that I have been craving for a long time. They left me at my home and said good bye. I went straight into kitchen, took a knife cut the shawarma into 3 pieces for my mom, my brother and one piece for me to devour it's glorious flavour on my taste buds. It wasn't that tasty as I expected because it was too bland and filled with too less veggies and mayonnaise. My personal preference would be spicy, tandoor style chicken pieces with lots of fresh cut veggies, succulent amount of mayonnaise with neatly cooked roti. But still it is a caring gift from a dear friend which made it extra special regardless of its taste. On Day 2 they delayed like anything with elaborate presentations and at last announcement of winners initiated. The names of my best friends were announced and I was overwhelming with joy and clapped till my palm hurt and reddened. Then immediately my name was announced. My mind was like it's definitely a delusion, things like this can never happen to an unpopular, lame person like me or this must be a weird dream they must be some mistake. The people beside me were started staring at me and I felt vibes of jealousy, judgmental look indicating their thoughts like how could a person like me getting an award? But most of them stared plainly which reminded me to get the hell up from my chair and receive my accomplishment. I walked.... nope I ran like a deer jumping over obstacles like chairs, bags, people and finally reached the place to receive my only proud accomplishment in college life. My heart was beating to its full extent like I was experiencing a bungee jump. The prize was a torch light with 3 batteries. But proving certain people wrong and achieving something that people believed in you is the best gift I got that day. 
• Ethnic day was the next big thing in the recent events. It is the day when everyone in the college wears ethnic wear mostly sarees. I wore an orangish red saree with maroon border and gold zari work from my mom's wardrobe. That was the only saree that was proper without any leaching of colour from the floods. I then accessorized it with black beaded magnet necklace, gold coloured bangles and a golden earrings studded with maroon gems. I went on the street in this attire which was an unusual sight for most of the neighbours. I walked till the bus stop and prayed that the bus would be less crowded but fate always get tempted to test my abilities. I ended up taking the extremely crowded bus. I kept one hand to a metal rod and other one into my purse which I was holding with my mouth to get a ticket. I hung near the foot board for while then slowly went into the middle section of the bus in a haphazard manner. I finally got down from the bus and gave a secret pat to myself for surviving such a crowded bus that too in a saree. I reached college and saw everyone were arranging their pleats of the saree, some taking selfies, some were putting make up on their friend's faces and some just admired the moment like me. Then I also joined them to take some pictures in saree and had a beautiful day to remember forever.

• After that came the special gala event for every final year student from their juniors - The farewell! The invite came as a surprise during the class hours. It was a woven basket containing beautiful LED light arrangement along with seashells, decorative flowers, non-alcoholic Pomegranate juice in a fancy corked bottle and a beautiful card with blue ribbon to it. The card had the details of the theme, venue, date and timings for us. The theme was "50 Shades of Blue!" and most of us were only having our wardrobes dominated by shades of pink, black and white. The plans to shop new dress evolved and the hunt for a gorgeous blue dress was on everyone's mind. And for me no new dress because of various reasons. So I ended up going in a kurta and legging. I did pack a black and white striped dress that was gifted to me by my besties during my birthday. I came 15 minutes earlier that the time specified. The juniors were the people who expected us to reach 1 hour late than the specified time. I went to prep up for the occasion in the change room. I asked if they needed any help but they denied the offer, then I roamed the hall, and finally waited for my classmates like a little pup waiting for its owner to come home. Then slowly few people showed up and it became a crowd and filled the hall. They didn't kept the A.C. on which made us to sweat a lot and I was craving for some fresh cool air like a zombie craving for human flesh. We took lots of pictures, played games, ate food which was not as delicious as the reviews of the hotel, saw a video of ourselves and our alma mater which got us emotional about leaving some of our prized possessions - Our friends. We had a group hug and a group photo. The farewell gift was something we all will never forget it was a calendar with our group photo on the cover and a picture and birthday of each classmate on each month. This gift was the best part of the farewell.
• My last class assignment using a PowerPoint presentation went so well that the teacher could not believe her own eyes and enquired me in front of the whole class whether I put my own effort and made it or downloaded it somewhere from the internet. The truth is I was so impatient with the too long wait because my name which starts with the letter “S” and I had a long queue of people i.e. my classmates to be presenting before my turn comes. So, I was adding pictures and extra information into it in the mean time and surprised everyone or I am just that unbelievably talented at presentations.
• We spent last few days of our college life by wearing colour coded days. We wore combinations of red and black, blue and green, orange and yellow and final day was twin dressing. It was very fun to dress up for a purpose.
• The final day of the college arrived and everyone were scribbling on each other’s lab coats for their memories to be remembered forever. Some brought slam books and were immersed into it. So, that’s what happening in the last few days of my life hope to see more such wonderful experiences in future. The end to my college life! Or the beginning to a new journey of my life!

Pongal 2016!

Boghi!!!

The end of marghazhi season and start of celebrations about farmers, agriculture, lives, etc. Living in urban area means less chances of viewing actual Pongal celebrations in my neighbourhood. Usually, the only way of enjoying Pongal for me is through watching Television, celebrations at college (for some their schools or offices), messages to greet the near and dear ones. But this time it was something different.

Boghi is a festival celebrated by throwing old things from the home into the fire set up using fuel/oil and few sticks of wood. On the day of Boghi, I woke up to the kaleidoscopic view of smoke. Which was something new and I have never seen my house filled with so much smoke. For a while I enjoyed the way how the smoke moved. It was like watching the movement of clouds with greater speed. It was astonishing to know that smoke is unpredictable but still makes a move. Even though obstacles like walls, doors, windows, objects were present the smoke somehow manages to move steadily. It felt like a life lesson. Our thoughts, aims, efforts should be like a smoke; it must be spontaneous and constant. Even under difficulties or arrival of obstacles one must never get ceased but to overcome/tackle them.

I had college that day. So quickly, I snapped out of the smoke admiring moment and started to get ready for college. I picked my bag and was walking on the streets of my neighbourhood to reach the bus stop. Every porch of the house had colourful, intricate designs of kolam and rangoli. The view of the street was a mixture of smoke, fog, amber streaks of sunrise, and bonfires at each house. After, a long period of research works at college. I got really tired. I slept like anything.

Pongal – O – Pongal!!

Well, my family are not that much into celebrations. And floods made further damage to their tiny celebration spirit. I for one always love to take part in any activities related to festivals. But today I was too tired. Kids outside my house were cheerfully shouting Pongal-o-Pongal. I greeted back to all who showered me with their creative and happy Pongal wishes. I am glad festivals are a reason to evoke people into greeting and remembering they have human friends other than their gadgets. I took some chalk pieces and drew some amateur patterns on the porch in an attempt to draw a kolam. My brother started nagging that a 3 year old can draw better than me. Well I don’t care if they are imperfect patterns, as long as it makes me happy and hurts none; nothing wrong with doing it imperfectly.

My kolam/ Rangoli/ whatever it is that made me happy!

So, that’s how Pongal 2016 began for me.

Hope it is a prosperous year ahead for you!!!

Wish you a Happy Pongal!

My Last college trip-2015

I am a travel fanatic. I absolutely love travelling and explore places. This could be because my family tours a lot at least once a year. It is kind of a routine till I joined college. So, after college begun my life activities altered so much it felt like my life does not belong to me anymore. One fine day my faculty asked my class to choose any one place for college trip. The options given were Munnar (Kerala), Avalanche (Tamil Nadu) and Masinagudi (Karnataka). All are tourist spots, offers great accommodation, etc. So after a big discussion of comparing the places we all got confused instead of coming to a conclusion. 

Somehow, after a series of events the place chosen was Masinagudi. I had no clue there was a place with such a tongue twisting name existing in South India. I started to think... Why does the name of the place is weird? How come it is not a famous tourist spot in South India? Is the tour operator making us spend piles of money for some deserted place? Maybe there is no such thing as Masinagudi. Thanks to internet all my queries were almost answered. Even though I was a bit sceptical about the place I had no other choice this was my last trip together with my college pals. So, my trip to Masinagudi was confirmed, train was booked and itinerary was provided.

My journey started when I reached the Chennai Central (Train station). The art of finding the right coach where you get to be seated is a talent. Because I and my mom were walking around the station for a while to discover the platform we needed was right before us when we first arrived. My enthusiasm got exhausted until I saw my friends standing with their dear ones. There is something about certain people that can make you smile; like the flame, lit the lamp. We greeted laughed and cherished the moment. 

Until, my classmate who arrived late started to have seizures. 

I didn’t saw but my parents did and got too worried. They described every detail like how blood came from her mouth, how she could not stay stable, how weak she became, etc. My mother instead of telling me take care or be safe or call me; She said never forget to drink water. I understand water or H2O is important for body metabolism but how is that an appropriate thing to tell to a daughter who is going to a college trip. Still, she’s my mother so I had to obey her wish. 

After all the scary stuff happened, we were informed that different kinds of creepy people might enter the train so keep yourself and your belongings safe. After such a statement, who can sleep peacefully or enjoy the train ride. But the thought faded away as soon as we started to play songs, gossips, etc. The morning I woke up to the scenery of fields, crops, ponds, etc. We reached Mysore and had our breakfast in the bus. The breakfast items by kannada people are delicious. It was given in a plastic boxes containing sambhar, chutney, idly, pongal, masala dosa and kesari. Early morning hunger games satisfied. 

Then the bus journey started; the old buildings in Mysore are delight to the eyes. The irony is Masinagudi is a place that is in Tamil Nadu but can only be reached faster from Mysore. The resort was a fantastic place. All the gangs got their room key but we were requested to wait i.e. stranded in the lobby. After a long wait the hope of getting the keys was gone until we saw them. The entrance of the room was cool we all got mesmerised by the view. The room was beside a stream; calm, tranquil, and peaceful. The floor and roof was made with terracotta. The whole place was literally surrounded by bamboo trees. We all freshen up and relaxed for a while. Some of us were in awestruck by the room we got. You know what teen girls do when they see unbelievable stuff happening they scream in joy, that’s exactly what happened. 

The evening we hopped into a jeep and went on a safari. We spot wild bison, Lion tail monkeys, birds, and a beautiful lake. On our return from the safari we took some spooky pictures of ourselves on the way to the resort. The next day we all visited Mudhumalai forest. It had a tiny museum/ info centre where we saw embalmed animals, photos, etc. We waited for a while for the bus which takes us inside the jungle. We spotted herds of deer, elephants and a few peacocks. Later we saw a place where tame elephants were kept, feed and taken care regularly. There were few pigs nearby the elephants which ate the food that was leftover.

Elephants are big creatures with a childlike behaviour. One refused to eat the food, one was eagerly waving its head and one was too sleepy to even chew the food. I could relate myself with them. Later, that night we had campfire partially ruined with number games conducted by the resort fellow. The next day was just relaxation time. We walked around the resort in nomadic manner, took pictures, spotted monkeys, and ate breakfast. another fun activity was to touch the touch-me-not plants. The breakfast was the time I discovered orange marmalade. I have never heard or ate it before. My friend told me that it is delicious and I should try some. I tried it. Trust me orange marmalade is solution to half of the problems. The tangy taste is absolutely divine and you must also try it at least once in your lifetime.

Then we all packed our bags and said our good bye to this place. We then came to Mysore for shopping. My college people were so careful they did not included Mysore palace, Mysore zoo, etc into our tour schedule. Only shopping; which I can do in Chennai itself. We roamed like anything into the streets of Mysore and then hopped into the bus to reach train station. That’s how my last college trip ended. Altogether we all had a good time.

The gift!

The year 2015 is ending soon. Here, I am thinking about the significance of 2015 in my life. "Lost, lose or Stolen" are the only words that can describe my memories of 2015 in my life till now. Losing something can affect in ways that can make a person lose one’s mind, emotions, health and whatever related to Physiological, Psychological and neurological aspects of human. Phone, camera, headphones, bag, pen-drive, money were not the only things that gets looted. (Actually, the above mentioned ones really got stolen in my case) But things like Opportunities, Chances, Self-esteem, Happiness, Satisfaction, Freedom, etc are also looted in the course of life. Nowadays, Criticism and Prejudice are more prominent than Appreciation and Guidance. 

So, in order to participate in something we need a great level of support and courage. After that, we need to overcome the worry, self-doubts about the decision, etc. Too many considerations are required in order to finish a task. For example: To ask a pen from a person, first we analyse whom to ask, when to ask, why should I ask, why not I just borrow it without asking for their permission, etc. When we are ready to ask the person, our brain calculates all sorts of unnecessary case scenarios some of which will be illogical and impossible in reality. That person would have left the place; by the time we finish the mental debate in our heads, whether to ask or not to ask for a pen. Still, there is a need for speed in this “modern world”. 

On the morning of Nov 26th, I was busy getting ready for college. I rarely read newspapers but that day I started reading and noticed an advertisement about Milk Moustache contest by Amul in newspaper. The occasion was National Milk Day and Birthday of Dr. Verghese Kurien who brought white revolution in India. It was about sending a Selfie with a glass of milk and a milk moustache. So, as a human I got curious to participate in the competition at the same time a mental debate of why should I participate? What if I waste time and reach college late because of a Selfie; What if I forget about it if I try to do it later. I realised Why not? Let’s give it a try.

So quickly, I take one fancy glass from kitchen cupboard which my mom inherited from my grandma’s glassware collection. The boiled milk was poured into it. Now arrival of the anxiety in the form of questions takes place: Should the milk be white in colour? (My mom adds maltova - Chocó flavoured malt powder), Should the background be in a peculiar way? Is the lighting good? Why the camera not opening in my dad mobile? (After my mobile and camera got stolen I was ended up with basic mobile. So no camera with me) why did the froth on my upper lip vanished so quickly? What if the glass slips from my hand and breaks? After the Selfie is taken: what if the mobile doesn’t connect with the Wi-Fi? What if my dad deletes the picture accidentally? What if the contest was a hoax? So, finally when all required stuff is finished. Usually I hesitate a lot before participating and also expect a lot. This time I just participated and remained satisfied that I am part of it.

When December begun, I totally forgot about whatever I did before the floods hit my house, stuff and lives. During afternoon of Dec 12, 2015, a courier guy came with a rectangular cardboard box with tapes and handle with care sign. And it seems he spelled my name as sunya and my mom couldn’t recognise anybody with that name. But luckily I did because my whole life people misspelled or mispronounced my name. (How my parents ended up naming me sunayana is another dramatic story) I sign the sheets to receive the mystery package. I saw the address it was sent from Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF). Still, I had no idea what the package contains even though it is wrapped with lots of duct tape and marked handle with care. 

Carefully I began to tear the tape and opened the box. There was CD, bunch of books and a red box. I pulled everything and saw a blue card which states that these goodies are for my participation in the contest which Amul conducted. I was so happy to know I received something for my participation. Even though the contest might be not essential part of life it did elated my happiness and appreciated the active participation. I suppose this is something the world lacks. People always hesitate or avoid appreciating each other. When everyone encourages each other the world becomes a better place to live. Goodies, objects, decorated items and many other materialistic things alone aren’t great gifts. Giving a piece of advice is a gift, making others happy is a gift, showing compassion is a gift, having a meaningful conversation is a gift the list goes on. When there are so many gifts in you, Please don’t hide them just share it. 

Hope everyone share and receive lot more gifts in your life!

Pictures!!

This was the selfie i sent for the contest. (I know, i look hideous)

The stuff inside the Mystery package from Amul

Contents of the package:

The blue card that congratulated me.

The Amar Chitra Katha book about Verghese Kurein. The start of Amul and the efforts associated with it was well described and illustrated in awesome way! A good comic book that can inspire many children in India.

I neither like nor hate old films. But i expected this movie would be good as the cover looked like about empowering women. as the movie was taken during 1976 the concept was too boring to watch even in fast-forward.

This book was amusing. It consisted of how the Girl in Amul's ads aided as a marketing tool. 

Yet to read this book. Its an autobiography about Verghese Kurien.

Last but not the least, the chocolates. I never knew Amul had this many range of chocolates. My personal favourite is dark chocolate.  

Buses & Bus stops

I have been traveling in buses for the past 2 years. By the way my college started; it went well until after that I had to take a bus. Too many holidays, Cold winds, and a distance of 1.5 Km between the college and the bus-stop can make anyone to think twice to take a bus. Even though I was super sleepy and tired, walking is something I always preferred, plus it doesn't cost you any money, just your calories. So, one step at a time with different music tunes from the memory to distract tiredness and reach my destination: The bus-stop. 

Finally!!! I reached the bus-stop. I felt proud of myself whenever I reach the bus-stop and this achievement is something unique and gives me satisfaction even though it is just a walk to reach a bus-stop. So, reaching bus-stop is like Level-1 task; Level-2 is known as waiting and having patience till the correct bus that takes you home arrives. While waiting, we observe a lot of things, the roads, the vehicles, the skies, the birds (mostly crows and pigeons here), etc. This doesn't happens when the travel is by own personal vehicle. So, at first my patience and waiting for the bus was good, until I got bored and weak as the bag I was carrying was heavy.

My thoughts wandered towards questioning the need for urban lifestyle, pollution, no chairs to sit at the bus-stop; what if the bus never arrives? (The Nightmare). I even thought about why humans don't have hibernation period. Also, certain thoughts like what if someone is stalking or staring at me can occur if the wait is too long. An eyesight similar to Binocular vision is extremely important in order to read the signboards on the bus or else suffer missing the correct bus which leads to even more waiting that will test your patience. At last, When the correct bus is coming, my first thought would be Is this a mirage? Is my bus really coming? When it is confirmed a sense of euphoria occurs to me. But reality checks in and shows the bus so crowded which makes me to think twice to get into the bus. Lesson learnt ~ when we get joy, we get haunted by disappointment. 

So, without any further thinking I get into the crowded bus, crammed with people who stare as if I am forbidden from entering a bus. Then, other struggles can be taking out the exact money to get a ticket; holding on to the metal rod which can only prevent from falling and being stable even though the bus is drove on bumps, pits, etc. At this time, I wish and pray teleportation is invented and available to use. When the bus-stop where I need to get down is soon to be reached, I need to reach the open end of the bus to get down so I had to try squirming in such a way I think Yoga is easy to do. Alas, I reach my place safely and the song “we are the champions” by Crazy Frog comes into the mind.

Thanks for reading :)

Festival special: Karthigai deepam

Today, most of the Tamilians celebrate Karthigai deepam i.e. festival of lights. My mom wasn’t that much into religious practices; she says god has to be prayed from within. But she never restricted me to lit a lamp or go to temples. 

When I was a school kid, I used to collect broken chalk pieces on the floor after last class of the day ends. Then carefully I put those tiny chalk pieces into my pencil box. I used to draw beautiful... okay somewhat creative murals on the floor of the porch at my home. These abstract yet wonderful patterns/drawings on floor are called as “Kolam” in Tamil Nadu. I always find tranquility whenever I do kolam. Traditionally, Kolam are made using rice flour so that it also acts as food to birds. And the patterns are also filled with different shades of contrasting colors.

The best part comes when the clay lamps a.k.a Vilaku are lit in the evening. I won’t say to lit a vilaku is an extremely difficult skill to acquire but the way it is lit is somewhat fulfills the soul with satisfaction. We had three lamps at house, i used to clean them properly with a wet cloth then use it. Adequate amount of oil is poured into the lamps and then a small amount of cotton is taken from the First aid box and rolled into wicks. The wicks are dipped into the oil and one end is kept ready to be lit.

I always insist my mom that only I will light the lamps. So, she turns the gas stove on, where the luminous blue flames arise. She lit the candle and gives it to me so that I don’t burn my hands. I keep the fire near the wick until the wick gets lit. Sometimes the November weather is cold so the wick doesn’t gets heated up soon and this used to test my patience but still if there is interest the level of patience increases.

Then we keep these lamps on the porch. I used to break a small piece from the broomstick and use it whenever to adjust the wick and have spare oil to pour over the lamps whenever I feel like the oil is less until i get tired and drowsy. I also enjoy the view of neighbor places filled with tiny specks of lights. So, that’s how I used to celebrate my karthigai deepam. 

Hope today is also awesome and happy karthigai deepam!!