A wonderful experience!

My flight took off an hour late from Delhi and reached Hyderabad by 1230h, an hour behind schedule. What amused me greatly was a horde of 'Ayyappa' devotees emplaining from there for their onward pilgrimage. They're in the traditional blacks and barefooted, much to the amusement of some of their copassengers and to an honest doubt raised by one amongst them, as to whether these pilgrims were doing the right thing by jetting down to their destination, I'd to explain to them that the good God, Lord Ayyappa, expected his devotees to trek the last five kms from the River Pamba to his sanctum sanctorum, perched upon the hill and they're free to use whatever conveyance they garnered to reach the base, at the River Pamba and hence, they're very much in the right to do so!

I also had the opportunity to see my new perch . Well, it's a nice place and I'd the privilege of meeting almost all the members of the team. My first impression about them was that the guys were capable and eager to pull along with me, as a new team.

Was finally at my cousin, chellakkili's house before sundown. It's always great to be here and to meet my two aunts - Ramakrishnan's mom(she's 96 years old) and chellakkili's mom(and she's 76) and our other friends. The gentleman who'd spoken about his daughter's incompatible marriage found time to drop in and it was heart rending to hear his story, first hand.

Tailpiece.

I was amazed by the story that the guy connected with the fraud SEBI letter and the whacking of about Rs. 300 cr of the investors'(the fact that none of them has made it a point to lodge a complaint against him show that, perhaps, their own wealth is suspect!)who're banking on him. What, saddened me, however, was that his grandparents and parents seemed to have been aware of his actions and they're his silent partners in crime.

And I thought that one's grandparents and parents were the harbingers of truth, always and everytime. I feel sorry for you Mr. Puri, for having such lousy grandparents/ parents! They're the people who need to be taken to task much before you!

On a short trip.

It's time for a short trip and a break from the biting cold of Delhi, albeit for a very short while. The theme will be to meet as many people as possible, renew ties that bind and also get to know first hand about my new perch.

Getting into the travelling frequency from an inertia, that had set in, was a bit difficult but was accomplished with the minimum of fuss! It's always the case that something, that cannot wait and needs to be accomplished forthwith, has a way of cropping up at the last moment. It was no different this time too but things have been put on track and anyways, the weekend is a great show stopper!

Hope the fog doesn't play spoil sport and the journey is gonna be uneventful. And yes, must finish Bryson's 'A Short History About Everything' over this journey!!

Recapitulating........

For a person like Rupam Pathak of Purnea to take the law into her hands, one must understand the extent of revulsion that she must have accumulated, over a period, for the deceased beast. It is also a sad reflection of the complete loss of faith in governmental agencies and the law, in general, amongst the common man.

* * *

By dodging the public eye(how long can he go on like this?), the former CJI is lending credence to all the allegations heaped against him. I can understand the anguish in Justice Krishna Iyer's outburst on the entire episode! In fact, his crisp statement, "when speech is a necessity, silence is a crime", sums up as to what Mr. Balakrishnan must do forthwith!

* * *

Has the government been seized with a hopeless state of inaction, as Arnab Goswami of Times Now asks?Why isn't it taking action on throwing out Thomas - the CVC, Balakrishnan - the NHRC head and alongwith them haul Raja, Kalmadi and the perpetrators of the Adarsh housing scam for their misdeeds and bring them to book forthwith?

* * *

And why isn't Mayawati's MLA, who'd raped a minor, still walking free? Where's the opposition, where are the NGOs and above all, where's the public anguish over something that's blatantly not correct? Are we so insensitive or is it that the girl is not worth fighting for, as she comes from the weakest section of society?

* * *

Aparna(my buddy from the airport) and Rajiv are a twosome. They'd spent some time with me this afternoon to confirm their togetherness! My good wishes for them!!

* * *

My father-in-law's surgery went off as per schedule this afternoon. On a reassessment by the medical team, the amputation has been restricted to about three inches upwards, from the ankle. Almost the entire family was there beside him and that reduced his anguish, I'm sure, from what I'd heard from the people at the scene and of course, from Lekha. He did cry a lot, it seems, but's slowly coming to grips with the situation!

* * *

The cold in Delhi continues to get intense on a relentless note and the fog continues to play its game of hide and seek!

I can be nasty if you please!

This evening, soon after work there was a birthday party of a little child that I'd to attend. It was a wonderful get together that had quite a few faces that I was familiar with and I was enjoying the interaction. Soon, topics were covered with an amazing frequency that covered a wide canvas, beginning with the weather that has been really harsh of late! Such meetings help in doing unfinished work, clears doubts that perk up and end up with promises of interacting further. All in all, quite a lot of ground is covered without having to waste time, otherwise.

It was then that I bumped into a long lost friend with whom I've had a wonderful relationship earlier as we started through the paces of our career. However, somewhere down the line, I felt that he and his family did not have much time for me probably, because the priorities of life must have dictated a change. But frankly, I was a bit puzzled at that point of time because almost all my relationships that I've formed, over the years, have a strong foundation and I'd like to believe that they can never wilt or wither away! I must say that I was disheartened over the cooling off and had come to the conclusion that it was the way it was destined to be.

So, when I came across the couple, I was surprised that I no more had the thrill of meeting them though they showed great happiness. As we exchanged pleasantries, I found that I was unable to go beyond the superficiality and wanted to get away. I think it was then that I was invited to their place over the weekend and I couldn't find any worthwhile answer to cobble up.

To a query as to whether I was busy, the answer that I gave dazed me, ' I've the time but no more the inclination' and walked away as I found that I'd begun hurting! Yes, I can be nasty, real nasty!!

My father-in-law's difficult times.

The man with the strange initials - VO Nair (Vazhuvelil Oonnikrishnan Nair) - that was my first observation about my would be father-in-law in the run up to my marriage! He's passing through difficult times.

Lekha had called me up this evening to tell me about her father's impending surgery. His right leg is going to be amputated from a bit above the knee. A wound that he'd on one of his toes had festered over a period of time(he's badly diabetic), giving the doctors no other option but to remove the gangrenous portions without much ado. I believe he'd wept after hearing his doctor at the Kovai Medical Centre.

My father-in-law is a very strange person. He exhibits a tough exterior but has a soft interior. Since my marriage to his second daughter(he's three daughters and a son. Lekha's his favourite) in May 1991, I've had a love-hate relationship with him. He keeps himself aloof and this particular quality has been reinforced by his own family(he's a bother and sister elder to him and four brothers younger to him) in that, he was treated with a lot of respect, at home, as he'd joined the customs on his merit. They treated him like the customs officer that he was even while he was at home on annual leave!

Vendattu Velu Pillai was a firebrand criminal lawyer of his time and he'd become the cynosure of the eyes of the judiciary with his fiery arguments and ability to overturn the most difficult of cases in his favour. The then Kollam Sub Divisional Magistrate, Mr. Unnithan was so enamoured that he was keen to have one of his daughters - Ammini Amma- married into this lawyer's family and my father-in-law, Unnikrishnan Nair, the lawyer's second son was chosen for the match much against his wishes. Eventhough the marriage took place with a lot of pomp and show, the relationship between the couple was anything but smooth. They'd sired four children but the marriage broke down in the mid-eighties, while Lekha'd had just finished her class X. From what I've surmised from the narrations of the family, my father-in-law was a guy who'd always set the example for his younger siblings all through his life. He's had a clean life on the professional front, but in his personal life there were signs of rebellion. He'd chucked his first wife(Lekha's biological mother) out of his life and married a second time who, incidentally, was her 'mother' that I'd seen at the time of my marriage. I'd then promised myself to get Lekha's biological mother into our fold, in an amicable manner, sensing her agony. I believe her mother was among the hundreds of people who'd come to attend our wedding, that afternoon, without an invite!

Eventually, I did make my peace with Lekha's mother who used to, thereafter, visit us frequently, till she expired in Jan 1997. And Radhamani amma, Lekha's stepmother, died a couple of years ago. Both had endeared themselves to me by their differing temperaments and the love that they'd showered upon me during their lifetime!

My father-in-law has been leading a lonely existence at Palakkad, ever since. We visit him every year during our leave and it's Lekha's younger sister, who stays pretty close to him, who monitors his requirements closely and provides the needful. It's my fond hope that he's able to get over the psychological enormity of the present crisis and 05 Jan is his day of reckoning.

Being the simple guy that he actually is, I'm sure he'd be able to tide over this difficult situation too!!

On unwittingly coming into the limelight!

I'd been invited for an evening do and was promptly at the hosts' door, by a quarter to eight, like a good guest only to find that I was very, very early by Delhi's standards! But the positive outcome was that I'd enough time to bond with the hosts and willingly offered to help them in their last minute efforts!

It was a lovely musical evening where a couple of guests, who're good singers, gave a fine rendition of some of the favourite numbers now in circulation. As I warmed to the music, a suicidal bravado overtook me and I offered to sing the first two lines of a popular Hindi film song if somebody took on from me thereafter. There was widespread acceptance from the small crowd and I started on my favourite from a Sunil Dutt - Nanda starrer of yesteryears(I'd heard it on 'Rangoli' this morning),
"Yeh waadiyaan, yeh fizaayein bula rahi hai tumhe
Khamoshion ki sazaayein bula rahi hai tumhe"

The song was taken on from there by another guest who sang it beautifully to its logical conclusion and the applause lasted quite a while. Popular demand made me start up two gazals, thereafter, that are my favourites:-

"Baat karni mujhe mushkil kabhi aise tho na thi
Jaise ab hai teri mehfil kabhi aise tho na thi......." (sung by Mehdi Hassan)

and

"Der lagi hai aane mein tumko
Shukr hai phir bhi aaye tho
Aas ne dil ka saath na chhoda........." (sung by Jagjit Singh).

Well, the response was superb and my hosts were pleasantly surprised that they had found a prime mover to shake the other singers to action, in yours truly. And the upshot of the whole affair is that I've already got an invite for a get together this Wednesday, when all I wanted was to stay indoors in the comfortable environs of my cosy home in these harsh winter evenings.

I seem to have cooked my chips!

I want to have this cake and eat it too!

This morning I'd gone to the market for the weekly purchases. In the course of my buying spree, I'd also visited the 'malayalikkada' basically to spend some time with the old lady, who'd lost her husband on the eve of Diwali, last year. As I parked my vehicle, I was really glad to see her shop open, with her sitting at the counter, intently poring over a magazine. And I was glad to notice that she seemed to have gotten over her grief over her bereavement!

The moment she saw me, I could see her face light up with a million volt smile and had the look that seemed to say that she was expecting me. She wanted to know as to how Lekha was and where she was, at this point of time. And then giving me a thorough look, she lamented as to how weak I looked, having shed a few kilos and was pretty sure that my servant maid was not giving me the right food. In fact, she wanted me to go on a break at the earliest! However much I tried to convince her that I needed to shed some weight, she simply refused to accept my argument.

After having bought the requisite items, we talked for a while and she did express genuine surprise that I'd picked up the extremely popular woman's magazine 'Vanitha' to read. She then, took out a plum cake, neatly wrapped it up and handed it over to me saying that she'd wanted to give it to me but had been wondering as to how she could hand it over. I'd a lump in my throat because she'd humbled me with her kindness and this first gift of the year is truly priceless!

I guess I shall ever remain indebted to her for the genuine concern and love that she has for me.

O, God here's wishing that you'd be with her always and everytime!!