Mysorean

Things have been going on in a hazy fashion. I don’t seem to have a grip on what is happening around me and worse, to me also. And this string of thoughts has stretched me quite a bit.

Suddenly, relationships seem shaky. The ones that I thought were unshakeable are now swaying to the winds of miscommunication. And when this happens, people around you seem to be diminishing and you are actually wondering if you made any mistake. And quite aptly I read one status message of one of my friends on GTalk which made me think. It was “Never apologize for expressing your feelings. Nobody apologizes for saying the truth”.

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What better gift can the online world give me than a first page presence on a website like http://www.aol.in

Please click on the picture above to read the full article on the real Superstar.

Thank you all! :)

We were planning a gala get-together within our first and closest circle of friends. It was also meant to be a celebration of a landmark in our relationship – the 10th year of our meeting. Few of us have become husbands and fathers while the rest are looking to enter this stage. The planning was going on with great pace and enthusiasm over emails because each of us is in a different corner of the World. Just then an email came that threw everyone keenly involved in the process into the thinking mode. It was always assumed that we were all still the same. It never occured to us that someone might have changed over these years.

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Now that we have worked out the where to talk business, let us get down to the more important issues.

Irrespective of whether the location is her house or a common place ensure that you get enough privacy to talk to each other. By privacy, I mean, both of you should have the confidence that you will not be overheard. It is going to be the first ever conversation between you and your lifepartner, so ensure that it is just between the both of you. Small goof-ups to major blunders become part of folklore later. So, be 100% careful on that.

This reminds me of the scene in “Roja” where Arvindswamy is speaking to Madhoo’s elder sister where she refuses to marry him because she is in love with someone else. They are talking in the backyard of their house while she is mixing coffee and there is a group of old women sitting a few feet away. This group can see them but cannot hear them. And that is a nice situation too. This also tells us that we need not think of a closed space to talk privately, even a far enough space where we can be seen but not heard is also a possibility.

Once you have found yourself a space to speak safely and privately comes up the question of what to talk.
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I went through an arranged marriage. Thankfully, I didn’t have to go through too many UKs (Uppittu-Kesari Bath, what it means will be explained later in this post or the next!). But I know of my friends who went through 20 or more before ending their search. In order to avoid so many UKs and to handle the whole process better here I present a few things out of my experience and my friends’ experiences. I am writing this to ensure that the shock factor, that is there while going through these UKs, is minimized. I will be glad if it helps someone out.

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My father had decided to change jobs and places as well. We were moving into this new place called Mysore from Hyderabad.

I liked Mysore the minute I saw it. Those gulmohar trees along the road with their big red flowers created a very serene atmosphere. The searing heat in Hyderabad to the cool gulmohar trees was such a welcome change that I liked the place a lot.

The first thing I remember about my house in Yadavagiri 7th main is the park opposite to the house with gulmohar trees all around them. Children of my age were busy playing cricket with a few elders. It was summer holidays and schools did not reopen till two months later. So, plenty of time to play. I don’t remember doing any holiday homework ever!

My immediate target was to find myself an admission in a school nearby. CFTRI was what everyone in the neighbourhood went to and it was considered to be among the best during that time. My father did all the required form-filling (I don’t think there were many at that time) and I was called to take up a test.

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Sriram has been found to have cold – a result of too many people carrying him and holding him, constipation – don’t know why and congested chest – some infection.

They keep this small round black bottu (dot) on the kid to keep bad vibes away – that is also causing some problems on his skin.  

Suddenly, the whole world seems so unimportant.  

Most elders I know cannot be practical for some reason that I cannot understand.

As long as things don’t affect me I am not bothered because those are their beliefs and they are entitled to have them. Like my friend Anand Balaji once said (A Voltairian quote), “I might not agree with what you have to say. But I will die for your right to say it”, I extend the same logic to “beliefs”. “I might not believe in what you believe. But I will die for your right to believe in what you want. Kindly keep those beliefs to yourself and don’t affect lives around you”

Here is a list of popular things I came across that clash with normal sensibility. And before I proceed, I must apologize to my friend Shastri, for once fighting with him on my sensible assumption that “there are a few of these things that actually have scientific basis”.    

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11:27AM | 3.3kgs | 22 inches tall

Both mother and baby are fine. Everyone is busy laying claim to who predicted a boy first!

My mobile phone is on drips now! (Charging!)

I came home to have lunch and also because more than one attendant is not allowed to be in the room. We already have my sister-in-law, mother-in-law and her co-sister (Just came to know this word doesn’t exist, but you get the point right? My F-I-L’s brother’s wife!) in there.