Kanji Files!

As a downed a glass of warm Kanji this morning, a black and white wheel started whirling in my mind. I was transported to the days of my attending early morning classes.

I would be woken up by my human alarm, my Mom and would quickly proceed to get ready. The classes would start early by 6:15 am and I would have to leave home by 5:50 latest. There was no excuse for dragging my feet as I had paid hefty fees and it was the only means to show my commitment to the course I had taken up.

I would invariably be late and sneak in to the empty chairs in the last rows, mostly amongst the boys. I didn't make any friends then, it was only me spending a sleepy morning and then whizzing off to work. I had my apprenticeship to be at, so had very little time to stay back for chit chat. Every morning, Mom would make fresh Kanji (porridge) for me to drink after classes. As I gulped down a glass today, I found myself time travelling.

The best part was however the brisk walks in the crisp morning air, rushing from home to the bus stop and more hurried walking from the stop to classes. After the classes I would again set off by foot to my workplace, which was a kilometre and a half away.

Today, as I am getting ready for a visit to my child's paediatrician, I shall also ride down the memory lane. The coaching centre and the doctor's clinic are just two streets away.

Porridge is a Dish, Kanji is an Emotion.

An Homage to my Aunt

When the earth shook and rattled the people of Nepal, my Aunt had already bade good-bye to her mortal remains. It all happened very fast. A living breathing and talking person was no more. A very set of sombre days followed.

The whole family mourned her and by recollecting fond memories, celebrated her life. With technology to our aid, we shared and shared various anecdotes and paid homage to the Dear Departed.

A natural teacher that she was, her teaching me in my primary years play itself on my mind. It was in her company that I had begun reading books and it was to her that I would write letters. Simple books and really simple letters, when I was in Class 1. At that age of 5, when I began forming sentences, her guidance led me to develop great interest in reading and writing. Whatever language I can boast of today, she honed the skills

Though over the years life casued some drifting apart, I will forever remember reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

She would constantly remind me that "One Word Answers" are most important, "they will fetch you marks". She led the way to learning in an organised manner and tutored me on various good manners. We were polite children but her lessons in being well mannered made us even better.

I do feel some regret for the oppurtunities lost, but console myself that I was able to meet her before she said her goodbyes.

A void left by her, felt greatly by everyone close to her. She will forever be missed. A great lady, who led a very simple life and whose kind heart has bestowed blessings on all and sundry
It deeply saddens me to think of her, I can still hear her calling my name and the joy on her face when she finds me at her doorstep. Saddens me for the young and innocent days I spent in her company and now there seems no way of remembering them without realising that they are lost forever

She did a lot of charity and was a very selfless woman. She loved her family and very loyal in her friendships. Her inner-strength is an inspiration to all.

Her final ceremonies were conducted peacefully and we all felt a sense of satisfaction. The sense of well being that is normally a sign of great positivity. She was always full of it. A very positive person. It felt like she had decided to turn a Guardian Angel and watch upon us. Her love was so selfless and unexpecting.

A true ROLE MODEL. Athi as we all called her, she surely showed how to live life and how to live on people's hearts.

45 days to account

Promises are made to be broken and as I sheepishly type this, I do wish to state that I have my reasons for not making the promised post after the end of each month.

March got over with a bit of suspense and April dawned with a pleasant surprise. The reason was one and the same. I am an Aunt now to a beautiful little baby boy.

The days and months leading to it had moved at a very slow pace but things moved quickly once the little one was ready to see the world. And being the loving aunt that I was, I turned busy watching over the little one, whether he was dosing off to sleep or staring at nothing in particular. With all the coochy-cooing, a blog post was no where in the thoughts that possessed my mind.

March was a bit slow but not too bad. I had to visit bangalore and after four long months, the place felt different, the very same strangeness I had felt when I had moved in to a new home. I carressed the walls and re-lived the memories associated with them.All this emotion in just these few months of separation.

Life once back home was more towards getting back in the groove after almost a week long break. There had been feeble attempts to set a healthier routine. An attempt to wake early and go for a walk and then go for a swim. However my plans went to the drain when sleep turned cosier under the soothing chill air from the AC. My lazy bones just needed a little encouragement to pull up the bedsheet closer and dose off for a few more minutes. As for the swimming, it was easy to call the water dirty and stay away and it was truly dirty cause of all the summer revellers soaking in it. A relook at the price tag on my swimming dress would promt me to done it and dunk in. Money is powerful that way.

There was a better chance at making more money this march as I had a little extra work to do and got rewarded duly. Housework definetly yields no financial rewards. You put in more efforts than a maid but get no remuneration. Whatever money comes in to your hands are towards household expenses. But the satifaction I get while walking on the freshly cleaned floors or while putting away clean vessels or stacking freshly washed clothes, is as good as seeing money coming in to my account. Ultimately, doing things that satisfy you and make you happy is more important. Probably my comfortable position in life allows me these luxurious statements and maybe I would be rushing to work otherwise. For now, I shall stick to satisfaction as the ultimate reward

Should say March was not really eventful and the only thing I did additionally was to start reading again. Slow progress is happening on the classic "Gone With the Wind".

April with the baby has been very amusing. Watching the little one has been a great source of entertainment. The rains that came added to the refreshment. The remaining days of April or even the months to come will mostly be spent in company of the little friend who would progress from plain staring, to laughing, kicking and crawling.

Lots of things to look forward to and hopefully lots of things to do. One thing though, I have left behind the habit of lazy sulking, which has greatly improved my days and quality of life.

Once again, a promise to write more often escapes from within and a prayers accompanies that I should be able to maintain it this time at least. The 45 days so far have been good and will come back with more about the days to come.

The February Roundup!!

February had just 28 days and thank God for that. Which only means the coffers will get re-filled earlier than usual

This was a month of celebrations and hence the depletion of resources. Yes! Celebrations.

Kicking off the events was Parents' Wedding Anniversary!! Did nothing earth shattering but went for a surprise visit. Then felt guilty for not doing much about it and therefore followed it up with a compensatory visit the following week. This trip was to mainly take my mother on a shopping spree and also get something for dad.

Mid-Feb was the World Famous valentine's day and in other news, 15th Feb was my wedding day. Yes, it was indeed. However with husband away and me at parents', it was an odd day. We couldn't even speak on the phone. Then come evening 6, surprise surprise there he is at the door! It turned to be a very pleasant evening and a very quiet and simple 6th Anniversary spent together.

The celebrations continued with Dad's birthday. We had a simple visit to the temple early morning and spent the day together with breakfast, lunch and dinner at home. Of course the new clothes were worn and lots of pictures were taken. Dad finally took his first digi-cam selfie and I was at my 689th.

Also in other news, visited bangalore after almost 2.5 months. Strangely it felt as if nothing had changed, that we had not moved out at all. But the visit was very short and was soon on the way back.

The last part of Feb was where I was exhausting reserves. I wound up with a low cash balance, low bank balance, low call balance and a low battery all on the same evening. It was a strange feeling to be stuck like that. Ofcourse on reaching home everything was back to normal.

The one thing lagging though is my Time Management. My reading and hobbies have taken a back seat and I just wonder when will I get back to them. It was only with great determination that I managed to pen this roundup.

Just praying that I find my RHYTHM by end of March!

31 days of Jan

With inspired writing not flowing, I decided to make a log. Here it goes about Jan

Apart from the routine cleaning and cooking and cleaning there was a lot of lazing and procrastination. There was guilt and there was laziness. There was dust everywhere and work left pending and I'd make excuses to myself for doing it later. I guess it was my relocation blues working extra hours that made me while away my time in a mild stupor.

With this knowledge, ever since I have been trying to be more hands on and less postponing. The progress is there. Lots better than before. I still sit lazy but at least work gets done.

There was also my surrendering my long held library membership. After having voracoiusly read book after book for almost a year and a half, I finally realised that a break is needed. With the subscription going up, it was easier to decide. I hope to get back to active reading once again. However have to wait till I start to miss them books badly.

Jan was filled with cakes and pasteries and the realisation that I had gained a lot of weight. The weight and cakes were not related but then the cakes didn't help much either. My love for cakes and chocolates is an age old one. Something that I get easily tempted by.

Many other non-consequential things happened and still happen. But I can say that after almost 2 months I've finally settled down. A routine is in place, something that I can rely on and start planning based on. Uncertainity is something that I can hardly put up with. With home base reasonably set, I do feel a lot relaxed and whole lot in control.

That was basically Jan. A week of Feb has already flown by but the musings on that will be for later.

I also Vow to keep the writing alive.

Belated HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Finally the long overdue post for the new year is here. I had a lot to round up on the year past and really no idea of what to say about the year born.

2014 was a year of zillion earth shattering changes in my life. Changes for the better. There is no other way to sum up them all. Life before and after each of the events has been different. There has a learning, a lesson for life.

The year began with the biggest event and the most looked forward one. My sister's wedding. Although it did make me feel a bit mature and extremely responsible, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of being at the center of all the action and managing to do all what we had planned. Little stressful, hey but it's once in a lifetime!

Learnt to ride a bike and I can call the best thing to happen to me. My bike and I have begun a long term relationship and going steady. It was a wonderful experience from self doubt to struggling for balance till finally getting my license. Have a lucky penny in my keychain and just like that I am happy !

The third biggest change was of course was saved for the last part of the year. Dec'14 I officially moved back to Chennai. With mixed feelings I left the foster city and moved back to home ground. Having fun exploring the city with a different perspective than before.


If there is something about 2014 I can say, then probably that it revealed my inner strength. I can always look back to it at any hour for guidance. A power and punch packed year it was.

And then 2015 was born.

Well have to wait for 12 months to have something to say. No speculations!

Change and Hope!

I woke one morning with just the usual thoughts; a plan for a warm shower, a plan to finish a book and a plan for a nice nap. But it was not to be. A phone call later I was getting ready for Work.

I have a strange relationship with Work; we meet only once in a while and mostly because a zero bank balance sets us up on a date.

A tale of two wheels and a CAST!

I knew this day was coming but I did not know that it would be so close on the heels of triumph. Within a month managed to get my Driving license, drive 30 kms a day and crash land from the bike. Yes, Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall.

So Dear Me was getting to work. As always  I focussed on looking the part and being a big day et al, spent an extra few minutes on the looks department. Eyes lined with khol, hair fragrant from shampoo, lips shimmering with gloss, cheeks powdered up and a trail of my perfume following me.

A Tale of Two Wheels!

I was always being followed. ALWAYS. But never once did the Moon catch me when I was riding in my Dad's Bike.

A Blue TVS Suzuki AX 100 R. That's where my joyride began. For many years I rode in the pillion, on the tank, in the pillion on mom's lap, in the pillion drenched in rain, on the tank leaning to one side cause I was growing tall.

Then came turn for me to ride on friend's bikes.

A Train Ride..

Yesterday was a day filled with nostalgia. The morning was busy with not a minute to rest. I had an incessant cough and plenty of chores to complete before catching my mid-day ride.

I was on board the train, drugged, drowsy and tired, fast asleep even before the TT could confirm who I was. After over an hour of being under a Coma, I woke up.

This is not how I usually travel. I bury my head in a book or drown myself in music. I was too weary to indulge in any of them and just decided to look out.

Voila!

The year that was!

So the year is drawing to a close. It calls for a commemorative post. Only when December is born, does the reality of 12 months flying past hit home.

The New Year began with an alarm  and not with resolutions. In fact at the stroke of midnight, I was in deep sleep. Nothing eventful of the day per say but the birth of the New Year always gives a sense of hope for starting new things and probably a sense that a miracle is around the corner.

I had expected this year to be special with many things coming my way.

Introspection!

Now let me talk about my merits

Oh my! Nothing much to say.

And looking at my list of de-merits

It just puts me to shame

What about my many achievements?

Sorry, none really worth the while

At least my talents

Oh Please! Just dabbling here and there

Everything Happens for a Reason!

When something is HAPPENING you undergo various emotions and notions on what is going on and what is to come. Till such event completely unfolds, you are only left with two choices viz., be anxious or be calm.

ANXIOUS:

It was an usual working day's start. I had just laid out my laptop and was wondering what I had to do today. As my attention turned to my yet to start computer, an error blinked at me. My initial blank reaction soon turned frantic as I kept trying hopelessly for some magic to work by a mere restart.

The laptop was Dead.

This Place Called - SHIVAJINAGAR

I have been visiting this place for almost 2 years now. My office is located here. Here, this place, where I get a glimpse to a City that was very new to me just a few years back. Today, I feel I know it a little more than what I had expected, in such a short time.

The Audi zipped past me one evening and some days later there was a Jaguar. BMWs are so common here. Latest to this list of exquisite beauties, a Porsche ( say POR-Sha).  Every evening I am treated to the buzz of traffic, smell of dung and garbage which is soon followed by strong musky perfumes.

Here you get to see men clad in White and come September everything turns Peachy-Pink. You hear the Maulvi every day and the Church Priest’s Sermons on special days. Not left far behind is the temple nearby, where in August the festivals are celebrated with some fire.

If I fancy some tea, I can get it, along with some delicious Mutton Biryani. But since I am a vegetarian, I can settle for some tender coconut or some Fruit Salad or spiced nuts or even some sweet corn.

I get to hear a lot of Urdu and also a generous dose of Tamil. There are lot of Malayalam speaking people here too. But the street where I tread daily, Urdu it is.

Supermarkets are normally set in multi-storey buildings and carry central Air Conditioning. Over here, the supermarket spreads across the many roads and shopping is done under the skies unmindful of whether it is daylight or dusk.

When it rains you have to be wary as the roads turn slushy. It is common in any market place and this place is no exception. However I got lucky cause I had gotten a Jinxed Umbrella. Ever since I bought it, there were no rains.

In short, my experience here has been an Eye Opener (and a nose closer). 

And I LOVE YOU 13B (the old faithful that takes me home every evening)

Black Mark!

The first thing I do when I am alone at home, is to SNEEZE as loud and free as possible. Yes it is true.

Why? Well the reason is that my in-laws are a bit superstitious about SNEEZES and scrunch up their face when they hear one. Given that and my Chronic Sneezing problem, I try to suppress it and make it as less loud as possible.

Finally when left alone, I take the chance of Letting Go with great gusto.

Small Pleasures of Life.

But really how and when and why did Sneezes become a bad omen? God Only Knows.

I used to be very superstitious. During my school years I had a routine and stuck to it. If I faltered, I feared that I would be quizzed in class, my incomplete work discovered or anything random which I failed to do exposed.

Nobody likes surprise tests and I surely didn't want to bring it on by just waking on the wrong side of bed.

Later on I discovered Murphy's Law and realised that all my routine was in VAIN.

I do wonder whether they are really as potent as people fear. I just have one real and recollectable experience with a Sneeze Jinx. A shopping expedition where I ended up returning with EMPTY BAGS!

Talking about famous / common superstitions, who can give the CAT a miss? A cat on the way means a quick U-Turn, whatever be the time, urgency or errand. Our neighbourhood was teeming with cats at some point. Many families must have been relieved to see them go away (DIE even).

Seriously. But I found the stray cats a menace rather than Walking-Meowing evil-omens. Oh! That howling Dog too. Wonder how people restrained from Stoning it to Death. Shit scared they are about such stuff.

I had a Sign-of-Bad-Luck. I nicknamed this unknown man on my street "Unlucky Iyengar". He was unlucky not cos of his beliefs but just unlucky as I had an inexplicable dislike for him and believed that seeing him ruined my work / day. True to that, I did have some lousy days.

Then one fine day I had a revelation and he ceased to affect my day.

I still call him that though and I continue to dislike him.

So what has all this got to do with a Black Mark? No it is not about Lucky Moles (Molosophy on another day). It is about this little aberration. It is not a mole, mind you, but black mark for putting my finger between a Rock and a Hard place.

The Black Mark

The OMEN factor? This one is not evil. Based on my past experience, I have realised that getting my hand stained foretold Good Fortune. Every single time my clean hands got stained, I walked out successful and happy from whatever I set out to do. No kidding.

That gave me great happiness when I saw this one forming after that crushing experience. True to it's nature, I had a wonderful time with Loved Ones and even managed to get tickets to buses and cinemas in the last minute. That too on a weekend. Beat That!

Unfortunately nothing lasts forever and that applied to this little sweet dark darling of a black mark. It is long gone now and I do miss it's company. The pride it gave me to display such an anomaly that I even clicked it's picture to record it for eternity. Sometimes I just wonder whether I should just drop that Rock on my finger again. What say? Shall I?

Oops! Someone Sneezed. Crushing by Rock on some other day.

Sweet Memories Part 1

Someone has been egging me to write about something close to the family. That lead me thinking and brought me to one thing that connected us all.

Our childhood home.

My first memory rolls back to the time a tiny,little kitten sat outside the kitchen while my mom and grandma coaxed me to have a glass of milk.

Surrounded by trees that offered fruits and shade, a garden around the house with colourful flowers, a two storey structure with a gate and a pathway leading to the main door, the house was huge. There was a swing in the backyard and a tub of a cement block, which I don't remember using and a WELL.

Life was laid back. I would be playing at home, playing at the neighbors'. Playing up till it's 6 o'clock until my mom called my name. I'd be really scared to be late and rush home as fast as I could. She has never hit me but still I feared her.

The older girls in the neighborhood had a good time dressing me up. I wasn't a doll but I just loved lipstick. Though I'd later struggle to keep my lips apart. Those lipsticks were very sticky and my parted lips made me drool which I had to suck in every few seconds which in turn provided entertainment to the whole family.

I remember once when a beggar had come for alms and I had followed my mother only to get a thorn up in my foot. My tender baby feet bled a lot. I still remember seeing a long red streak, or probably just my strong imagination.

I was very young compared to my cousins. At least 20 years younger. One cousin would take me on his bike to get me some GEMS. I'd be very scared when he'd ride fast. I would cling on like a lizard. Yup! That scared.

The thunderstorms were scary. I remember one night, my sister was just a baby. She was on my mother's lap, I was sitting close by, dad and grandma were there too. Yet the thunder startled and scared me. I would shut my ears to keep the fear away.  I still do not understand why I shuddered so. It was not about the surprise element, something more.

For the naughty kid who failed to sleep, my dad always had the perfect medicine  First he would start off with stories. I would always listen to ONE (really just one) before dozing off. Most nights it would mix up with the things he did at work, sleepy ramblings. Second, he would gently mention the GOBLINS that would come out if the kids are too noisy and awake at night. Eyes and ears will both be shut tight even before he finishes his narration. Our bedtime would coincide with the Parliament News at 9 and on Sundays with The World This Week.

I remember many small incidents, simple ones. Once my sister and I were dressed in identical PAVADAIs and playing down in the pathway. My dad wanted to click some pictures. Happily my sister came and hugged me from behind, circling my shoulders with her tiny hands. It was so sudden that I ended up accidentally swallowing an entire LEMON RAVALGON whose lemony taste I was relishing till that moment. Photo clicked!

Too many thoughts flash in front of my eyes. For a 5 year old, seems like I had a good memory. Or it is purely because the impact was such. A beautiful memory of a life so innocent.

The Recipe I Promised!!

Yes finally it is here.

Warning: The following contains nothing related to food. Cooking enthusiasts may look for greener pastures. No people were harmed in the making of the following (expect Moi – La Chef)

Today we are going to make a simple Lemon Rice and a little Channa Dhal. Please take a pen and paper for notes, which you may later fold in to paper planes. Whatever being said below are really important stuff. Pay attention.

Pour Lemon Rice:

Lemons and Rice. Duh!!

Also some salt, green chilies, ginger etc etc. (please google it up from some real cooking blog).

So I will just give some useful tips.

1. We need good lemon juice from nice juicy lemons, not the blood from your fingers. Lemons are tricky little round running objects. Since this is not some Bloody offering to the Devil, forget the black magic rituals and concentrate on the lemon between your fingers.

2. We need some salt and if there is less of it, well the food tastes incomplete and if excess, then we need buckets of water to rinse and cleanse the sediments from our tongue. 

At some time I had proudly declared that the Salt Spoke to ME. Guess what? It LIED.

3. Green Chillies are needed for the right flavour. A real cook would tear the chillies with her bare hands and then use it to season her lemon rice. A real cook would then not proceed to rub her eyes with the same hand.

4. We need a small 3 inch piece of juicy Ginger cut in tiny pieces. Beware; just like the one above, it is also a Stinger.

Important Tip: Have an experienced chef around to bail you out of sticky situations.

Pour Channa Dhal:

They are stubborn a*******s and require a good soak before they oblige to cook, tough cookies.

The recipe below is to make Perfect Channa Dhal - Burnt Style

1. Put un-soaked channa in to a cooker - first important poor decision

2. Pour water until the dhal drowns - dead and floating

3. Pressure cook for as long as your cooker takes to cook rice - hope you are smart enough like me to light the stove

4. Check and find uncooked and hard channa - no soaking = no cooking.

5. Pressure cook again adding little water- note water required disproportionate to cooking time.

6. Tadaa!! - Burnt Channa Dhal!

Important Tip: Know your dhals, there are many out to get you.

Jokes and a cut finger and wasted proteins apart, remember that the most important ingredient to make anything awesome is a good dose of LOVE.

B@$#%*&T.

It just doesn't work. Your husband cannot eat love and survive and neither can you. Please have a good restaurant's number on Speed Dial. This is the only decent tip I can give you.

Some people love cooking but it only puts me in a bad mood

A Delayed Women's Day Message...

Don't Be Born Girls!!! 

Ya it sounds a bit extreme, but that's how things are.

Why do women get targeted?

1. The gold we wear

2. The makeup we wear

3. The clothes we wear (won't save us any better even if we don't bother to wear)

4. The colour of our skin (fair to be conquered and dark to be conquered)

5. The innocence we have (so easy to exploit and hush too)

6. The courage we have (remember any woman who hasn't been abused in any simple manner?)

Who will protect us?

1. Our family (hmmm, they are not physically or financially that powerful to protect us forever)

2. Husbands (leaving the ones who thrash or two-time their wives, the remaining are not Dhara Singh to wrestle the enemy)

3. Brothers (what about half the population that do not have them?)

4. Police (good joke)

What do we do?

Sometimes there is no straight answer. We need to grow extra pairs of hands and heads like Maa Kali and watch out for danger. Then with that many hands and brains working for you, it would be easy to get over any situation. One slash here and one kick there. Job Done.

Oh yeah! Respecting women starts at home. So we can be the stronger woman and teach our Sons and Brothers. A gift for the coming generations.

And till then, we can carry a pepper spray, pocket knife and go for that karate / kung fu or just a REALLY REALLY HEAVY HANDBAG (works wonders, I have tried it.)

Everyday!!

I wake up in the morning, it is 6 o'clock

I brush; I bath, put up the coffee pot

 “Wake up dear, coffee is here”

I smile, I serve and move on

The kitchen is on the golden run

The cooker steams, water boils

I run hither, vegetables to dice.

A dash of spice and a pinch of salt

A spoonful to taste, “aah, Well done!”

Square boxes lined up

Lunches to pack

“Where did he put his bag?”

“My coffee is cold, Oh Smack!!”

The clock says nine, my Cinderella time.

A quick change,

Make up’s done

“Just a sec, I’ll join you Hon!”

Its 7:30 now, just back from work

Dinner time, rats in my gut.

More steam, more salt

Food to the table is brought.

No waiting I pray,

Hope he is early today.

It was, it wasn’t, just the usual

The day is done and so are the dishes.

I head back to my bed,

Groggy eyes, sleepy tread

I lie down and soon I am as good as dead.

And I wake up in the morning, it is 6 o'clock.

Traffic Signal...

It was a lazy morning with no real task to accomplish. So after a quick shower, dress up and dabbing of some cream-powder-perfume and gulps of a so called breakfast, I was ready.

Faced with the option of a Rs.100 auto ride and a Rs.14 bus ride and given the time available on hand, I decided to do the 700 m dash to the nearest bus stand. There it was, ready and roaring, the bus to my destination, well at least it would be taking much closer to my destination. Window seat and all, I was set. About 45 minutes later, I was on board an auto heading to The Office.

The Auto. It always amuses about how much of my surroundings I am able to take in while in an Auto as compared to the times when I am in a Car. Probably it is cause of the need to stay alert when being driven around by a stranger or the fact that there are no doors and raised glass windows to cocoon you in to a very personal space. In an auto, you are bound to have lots of things coming in and going out.

As the three wheeler kept rumbling and rolling down the road, it came to a stop at a signal. Slowly other vehicles too followed suit. A couple of bikes rolled up in to the front line. Typical.

Typical. It is typical for the auto guys to make abrupt turns and screeching halts. Typical for bikers to criss-cross other vehicles and get in to the tiniest gaps available. It is typical for the car fellas to block the way and take tedious U-turns and park haphazardly. And all the more typical for all of them to blame each of the others for the chaos.

At the signal now, as the vehicles roll to a stop, I take the time to observe my surroundings. Two guys in their courier company's Red - tees, looking anxiously at the signal. A matching red bag slung across their shoulders, unclear whether full or empty. A techie ahead of my auto, with a backpack that says "SAP" with a tiny water bottle tucked to the side, waiting for the signal. On a similar wait I also find two middle aged men, bike-pooling and wearing identical stripped shirts. Then there is a guy sandwiched between two big black bags and one of them read "SONY". Not difficult to guess that it was a Video Camera and his tripod accompanying him.

Just before the signal could turn green, I noticed one other biker with a bag hanging from the side. It was odd. It was a bag that I have seen the milk man carry around in the mornings. It felt out of place with a guy dressed in full formals complete with shoes and socks to match. Still trying to figure that out, I watched as the vehicles now came to life again, well some never really went to sleep.

The cameraman, veered to the lane on the right and vanished from eye-sight. The SAP guy went straight and the colour coded bike poolers rode along. The courier guys, I didn't have extra pair of eyes to follow, never realised where they had gone.

The chaos of further more workind day morning traffic continued and slowly I turned my head down towards the book that I had been reading,  wanting to finish a few more pages before I had to get off. After a stop at two other signals and then a final left turn, finally as my auto ground to a halt, I paid my fare and hopped off, all the while listening to "CHANDRALEKA" on high volume and praying for a place where I could just DANCE.

PS. Did I mention that sudden "SLOCH" sound I heard? Well it was birdie-poo landing splat on the road. Lucky fellows, it missed its mark.