What's the hurry?????

Christmas has got to be the busiest and most irritating time of the year, the first step of course is getting home in one piece, and anyone who's traveled by the Mangalore-Udupi express buses will know it's no mean feat. The bus rides are definitely not for the faint-hearted. Besides, it is advisable not to eat anything for at least 2 hours before getting into these buses. And unless you're a death race enthusiast, never sit right next to the driver even if it’s the last seat on the bus.
So after two torturous hours of muttering prayers for making it alive this Christmas, I land at my uncle's place only to have my darling cousin, Aaron, dump a two inch thick pile of invitations on me. "Wow, that's a pretty thin pile isn't it", I mutter to no one in particular. "Ah, don't worry Yuls", Aaron chirps, a little too sweetly, "Those are just the ones addressed personally to your dad, there's another pile of invites addressed to the whole family, and you've got to attend those as well"
After a lot of excuses of I-got-lots-of-assignments and need-to-get-to-Mangalore-ASAP, us four cousins decide to go for a 'distant' relative's roce so that we could meet a lot of 'close' relatives who thankfully end up at all possible functions. Saves us the headache of visiting each one in turn. Now a roce is a weird mangie wedding tradition quite similar to a Hindu haldi ceremony. It normally takes place a day or so before the wedding and involves dunking a whole lot of coconut milk on the bride or groom, depending on who's side of the family you're from.
Recent additions by the mean, wicked, scheming band of siblings and cousins would be tomato juice (stinks real bad), eggs (this part is fun!!) and beer (considered a waste by the uncles and encouraged by the aunties, "oh, its much better, at least it reduces the booze") Oh yes, it's a lot of fun alright, except for the poor souls at the receiving end- the bride, groom, best man and bridesmaid. Why am I sympathizing with them? Well, I was the bridesmaid at my cousins wedding a year ago so I should know.
Right so there I was all geared up to meet "The Shet Khandan" of which I am a part. Yes, I know my surname's D'Souza so what’s with the Shet part? Well, D'Souza has got to be the most common catholic surname in Mangalore and all the D'Souzas, yes all of them, unfortunately are very proud people who like to think they are unique. Hence the Shet (pronounced shay-t) factor. And yes there is some long story as to why we got that name which I don't quite know properly because I never listened to all those uncles droning on and on in their boring talks. And the khandan part, well trust me the family's huge, real huge. Heck even I don't know all of them but I can be excused, I’ve only been in the country fulltime for the last two years and most of it has been spent in hostels and PGs.
Once I got through the round of meeting all the uncles and aunts and of course seeking their blessings (you'll be cursed if you forget to do that, apparently) I thought I'd sit down for a while and sort out who’s who (yes, I’m still confused, give me a break guys, when it comes to names I’m an amnesiac and this is one huge family) That's when I bumped into Ally. Ally's the one who got married last year, I was her bridesmaid. We had a lot of catching up to do. Problem was, no one warned me that marriage changes a girl drastically, Ally, who was a really fun person up until last year has turned into a different creature who eerily reminds me of my mum. You know, the sit-straight-legs-down-behave-like-a-girl lectures that mothers love to give, suddenly that’s what she's become.
"Cut it out Al, you're beginning to sound a lot like Mum"
"Yea, well I might as well start practicing. Two years back, the only question I was asked was when are you getting married. Now that I'm married, they're ready with the next question, when are you giving us some good news?"
I didn't want to be mean but I couldn't help laughing, and boy did Ally look like she wanted to strangle me for that.
That's when Ally turns into the villain of my oh-so-happy life story, "So how old are you now?"
"Uh...19"
"Ah, good so you've got about 6 more years."
"Huh??!! No, I've got only 2 more years in college. How 6?"
"Oh, no, I meant 6 more years until you get married"
"WHAT???!!!"
OK, I have no idea where that came out from. For heavens sake, I'm still in college, getting married hasn't even crossed my mind, but apparently everyone else has been making plans. As Ally explained later, since I'm the eldest girl, all my dear relatives will start giving me lectures just as I reach 23.
Freaky, yes. Scary, definitely.
What’s the hurry people?
But there's no way I was going to give Ally the satisfaction of having scared me.
"Come on Ally, you know me, there's no way I'm getting married so darn soon." that was a last ditch attempt at bravado.
"And why not???", demands an aunt who decides this is the perfect time to make a grand entry(read 'butt her nose') into a conversation that doesn't concern her at all according to me. The Manglorean aunt is a very rare species who believes it is her birthright to eavesdrop on her nephews and nieces, and their kids as well. They go about forever dispelling advice and demand your complete attention no matter what. If your aunt decides she wants to talk to you, you're expected to drop everything you do and pay rapt attention to every 'priceless' word she utters. Disobedience could cost you dearly; you'll be getting lectures from your parents about respecting your aunts, in addition to the lecture from your aunt which she's determined to give at all costs.
Getting back to aunty dear's question, and trying to ignore that evil smirk on Ally's face,
"Why not?? As of right now aunty, I can give you two simple but effective reasons, I'll think up of more later. One, I'm just 19, I'm still in college, it's my time to enjoy myself not think about marriage. Two, I'll be 21 by the time I graduate, add another two years for post graduation and I’m gonna be 23 or 24 by the time I'm through with studying. There's absolutely no way I'm getting married so soon after that so please cut me some slack (FYI, the conversation with my aunt was carried out in Konkani and I'm trying my best to give a decent translation)
"Humph!!", retorts the aunt," The problem with you girls these days is that you're too involved in your careers. Back when I was your age, girls would get married right after they finished school. Sometimes I feel education is ruining your future"
"Of course Aunty, but times are different now right?"
"You kids are too stubborn for your own good"
Thankfully Aunty dearest was called away to help in something right then and I was spared the ordeal of fighting a losing battle with her.
Ally seemed to enjoy watching me suffer.
"So Ally. had fun watching me getting the third degree?"
"Oh stop cribbing, you might as well get used to it. Been there done that, there's no escaping it. I got through my share. It's your turn now.", and she flashes that devilish grin again.

Hey Senor Santa Claus!!!!

Dear Santa
It's been almost ten years since I last wrote to you. A long time, I know. So how have you been keeping. Yes, I know it's your busy time of the year and as usual you'll reply only after Christmas but don't worry, I'll wait for your reply. Now you must be wondering why I suddenly decided to write to you after such a long time, but the reason's quite obvious isn't it? I want some presents this year. Now don't you dare say I'm being selfish, I haven't asked you for a thing the last ten years. And hey, you didn't answer my question last time around. How come your handwriting's almost like dad's? Now don't say it's not. Dad's handwriting is really distinct. Very few people can manage to decipher that scrawl.
Right so what do I want this year? I can think up of a lot of things, but I'm not going to bother you with that. A little hard work on my part and I can get the stuff I want. What I want is not something I can buy off the street. I could use a little divine intervention here. That's where you come in St. Nick(why don't people just call you St. Nick?It sounds way cuter than Santa).
I could do with two little things, and they both involve time.
First, could you like, add a few extra hours in a day? I could really use them. 20 hours don't seem enough(hey i need a minimum of 4 hours of shut eye don't I?). I'm not kidding. Not like I don't know how to manage time. I can do that pretty well(I think). But I could use a couple of extra hours of sleep.
Second,(and this is more important) is there any way to stop time for a while and go on rewind? Especially when i feel time's running too fast? Maybe you could get me a Time-turner. Because I'd really like to do a rewind and replay some of the best scenes of my life, but as a viewer, mind you. I don't want to grow younger, I just want to see a few things again. Like those times....
-when bedtime meant a story from Dad. Yes, I know most of the stories never made sense but they were fun anyway.
-the times my brother and I would irritate Mum to the core. I still remember that one huge bowl of cornflakes that she'd force into us every morning. And that's one bowl for the two of us, how else could she manage to feed two hyperactive kids? She seriously deserves an award for all the running around she did to prevent potential disasters from occurring all over the house.
-the time I won all those prizes in school, back then, getting a prize was something special.
- climbing on to Dad's shoulders and feeling like I was on top of the world.
- those long drives on the mountains that Dad would take us on in the rains and the breathtaking views out of the windows.
- swimming on the beach and building sand castles just to watch them being washed away by the tide.
-learning to swim on the beach and trying to avoid all the "goan sausages" as my cousin would call them.
-camping out with friends and going trekking.
-Mum's futile attempts to teach me crochet work and embroidery during school vacations(that does not mean that I can't manage a needle and thread).
-racing on my cycle and feeling the breeze through my hair (I never found out who stole it, and it was my favorite cycle)
-seeing my baby brother for the first time.
-all those lectures from mum and dad about how they never had things as easy as we did. I actually miss those lectures now, who would have thought;-)
-playing bluff with the whole band of cousins. Last time around it was 16 of us and we needed three packs of cards.

Well I wouldn't want to bore you with all of this. I know you are a busy guy. But you know what, I'm beginning to have second thoughts. Somehow I seem to be having more fun remembering all of this. I don't think I need a time turner. And I could do without all those dirty footprints that you tend to leave all over the place. But hey, it was nice writing to you again. And hope to hear from you soon.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Have a Heart?

The recent spate of violence all over the country has upset a vast majority of us, even those who weren't directly involved. The most recent of course is the terrorist attack in Mumbai. The fact that the terrorists gained such easy access to such prominent hotels is enough to scare the living daylights out of anyone. The loss of so many innocent lives is very disheartening, and yet another thing that gnaws at my mind is the statement that we Indians are a resilient lot, we manage to bounce back to normal routine soon.
Granted the fact that none of us likes to dwell on such issues for long, we try getting into our normal routine to get over our grief. But is this becoming a habit? Have we started accepting such brutal violence as a part of our lives?
I've lost count of the number of bombings and attacks both communal and terrorist that have taken place in India in the last two years itself. It seems to be the same story everytime. Sure the day the bombings take place, all the local people are united, they help each other out. That's good, but what after that? The government announces a paltry sum to the victims as compensation and most of the time even that rarely reaches the right hands. After that starts the blame game by the netas, all their empty promises, the speeches of 'if we were in power we would have done so and so'. Who's concerned about the grieving families? And in a couple of weeks its all forgotten about, the news channels get something new.
We've grown so used to all the violence that we seem to be practically immune to it now. I recall an incident that took place a few years ago that clearly drove that point home. On my way back home i'd come across an accident between a truck and a car. The car was a mangled wreck and quite obviously, the driver didn't survive. And yes there was a lot of blood over the place.The traffic was moving pretty slowly as they had to manoeuvre around the crash. A school bus was passing by and i doubt those kids were any more than about 12 years of age. I expected them to be upset by the sight, i knew i was, yet the only exclamation i heard from them when they saw the wreck was 'cool!!' That was not a reaction i ever thought i'd hear for an accident. But i guess that's the kind of world we live in now. We see so much of fighting, bloodshed all around us that we just kind of switch off the emotions that come up. Its just that initial; reaction, after that, time to get on with it.
I not sure if what i've just said is true. I sincerely hope its not, because if it was, if we didn't have a heart, we'd cease to be human right? But even with all this, we still come across people who are willing to reach out, who feel the pain that others do. Sure we all feel it, it's just that it takes that extra ounce of courage to reach out. So inspite of it all, there's always hope....... And lets not forget all those bravehearts who gave their lives, they deserve to be remembered.
ciao ;-)

Stuck in the 18th Centuary

oh well i came to the cyber all set to put up a post, but right now i seem to belong to a place thats about 10 years in the past!!! for heavens sake, i never expected to enter a net cafe which has no usb port. as of right now i'm busy hammering on some sort of ancient keyboard that seems to resemble a typewriter and my fingers are beginning to hurt from punching so hard. i better come up with some ideas soon to convince dad to get me a broadband connection,but considering my miserable performance in the exams, thats not likely to happen. ah well might as well put up the post later, my fingers are beginning to smart, cya ppl.....

Marathi Manoos Ya Marathi Manhoos???

This topic may have cooled down a bit right now what with Obama winning the elections splashed all over the paper[he gets more coverage than our politicians even?], the Malegaon blast investigation....and that gag order on him that finally seems to be working to an extent at least, Mr Raj Thackeray has been one irritating trouble maker for people living in Mumbai. For a person who claims to represent the whole of the Marathi manoos how come he concentrates so much only in Mumbai?
You know what Mr. Thackeray, you are yet to convince me. You say you are a ‘son of the soil’ and yet you still seem to be using the anglicized version of your name, Thackeray doesn’t sound Marathi to me or do you even know what your names supposed to be???? Poor William Thackeray will be turning in his grave just because he shares a name with you, considering the remarks you make... by the way hasn’t your son opted to study German instead of marathi? How come you don’t have an objection to that? Your aim is apparently the welfare and promotion of the cause of all marathis, and yet you love travelling in a Benz and sipping imported scotch....wow talk about blasphemy you hypocrite
Now for those of you who are wondering why this sudden outburst from a girl living miles away in manglore,dont worry I’m not losing it.....just being a little patriotic and showing some loyalty to the place where I was born and love living in...along comes Mr. Thackeray to send me packing to where???? I’m not leaving [technically I can’t I know, I’m not even in there].
But if you want some support then here’s an email I received a week or so ago....if every Indian agrees to it then maybe[and that’s a big MAYBE] I’ll move out.......keep dreaming...

1. Parliament should have only Delhites as it is located in Delhi
2. President, prime minster and all other leaders should be only from delhi
3. No hindi movie should be made in Mumbai, only marathi[like thats ever gonna happen]
4. At every state border, buses, trains, flights should be stopped and the staff changed to locals.
5. All Maharashtrians working abroad or in other states should be sent back as they are SNATCHING jobs from locals.[very important]
6. Visits to the taj mahal should be restricted to people from UP only[lets see that happen]
7. Relief for farmers in Maharashtra should NOT come from the centre coz that money is collected as tax from the whole of india, so why give it to someone in Maharashtra??
8. Lets support kashmiri militants because they are also killing and injuring innocent people for the benefit of their state and community after all.
9. Let’s throw all MNCs out of Maharashtra. They should open their own Maharashtra Microsoft, MH Pepsi and MH marutis.
10. Stop using cell phones, emails, TV, foreign movies and dramas. James Bond should speak in Marathi.
11. Maharashtrians should be ready to die hungry or buy food at 10 times higher price but should not accept food imports from other states.
12. No industry should be set up in Maharashtra if the machinery comes from outside the state.
13. Stop using trains in Maharashtra. Trains are not manufactured by Marathi manoos and the railway minister is BIHARI!!
14. Ensure that children born in Maharashtra should grow, live and die without stepping out of Maharashtra, then they will become true marathis.
So you see Mr. Thackeray, for all the things you claim to be doing for the Marathi manoos, most people have begun to consider you ‘manhoos’. Most of your supporters look like paid hoodlums who just wait for your instructions to then go smashing public property and banging up innocent people. With politicians like you whose only aim seems to be to balkanize the nations, who the heck needs external enemies????
Try as you might, i doubt you can succeed in what you’re doing. Mumbai’s a metropolis, you try sending people out you’ll not only be stealing her identity but also sending back into the middle ages. Not to mention, the whole of Mumbai will be out to skin you.
That’s about it for now, and hopefully he isn’t going to try something new.
P.S: wils I’m so sure you’d love to blast the guy even more than me;-]

Someone to Watch Over Me

SOME BHAK-BHAK: i really wonder who on earth thought up of the semester system...if the guy thought he'd started a new system of education he needs a reality check,what he created was a new system that's now known as "forgetting in installments". i'm serious, you spend four or five months cramming up info which isn't given enough time to settle in, and just as it all starts to make sense you have to forget all of that and get on with the next sem.Great!!! Now for those of you who have the patience to check my blog once in a while or so, i have to tell you i may not be coming online much till nov end...gotta cram up for the sems;-) I'll try popping in next week if i come up with anything...
as for the following poem,well i'm not much of a poet and normally stick to prose but every once in a while words pop up in my head which have to be put down as they appear,they refuse to be arranged in any other way. I cant explain it in any other way so i hope you get it. If not then just enjoy the poem. This one's kind of special because it's dedicated to someone Special:-)
***************************************
As a child I recall Mum telling me
That each one of us has an Angel
To watch over us.
Most of us never get to see them
We just know they are there
But I guess, I’m one of those lucky few
‘Cause I know You
Since the first time we met
You’ve brought a smile to my face everyday
Even right now, just thinking about you makes me smile
Every moment we spent together
Is special, priceless infact,
And mum was right,
You always did watch over me
Though I reckon she never thought
That you’d be
Such an adorable lil rascal

No matter how low I felt
You’d just come, sit next to me
And inevitably cheer me up
In ways that only you could think of
And that cute smile of yours,
Always made me
Feel like nothing else matters
Everything will be just fine
Life’s never dull when you’re around
You seem to make everything around you lively

I know we’re miles apart now
But somehow the distance doesn’t matter at all
‘Cause I know you’re still with me
People seem surprised when I tell them
I don’t miss you
They think I’m in denial, but I’m not
You can’t miss someone who’s with you all the time can you?
And as long as you’re watching over me,
I know I’ll be alright.

In Pursuit of Oblivion

well here it is,my first blog. I'd planned on writing another article but never got around to it.So i decided to put up this short story i'd wriiten a couple pf weeks ago. Feel free to leave your comments or criticisms.
NOTE: This is an amateur attempt of mine at writing stories and does not in any way reflect on my life or any incident as such. It's just a figment of my imagination.Have fun reading it:-)

She stood there in front of the rubble. It had been a full two years. Nothing remained there anymore. Not a thing to remind her of what once was, but remember she did. The past haunted her as always. Those voices, those faces, all refusing to let her be.
Did she really want to forget? No, forgetting would mean letting go. She wanted to have them, those nightmares. She willed them to stay with her. Only they could keep her sane. She’d lost touch with reality, living in the past.
She cursed that fateful night. Despised those responsible for it. But then, didn’t she deserve the blame too? She’d let it happen. She could have stopped it but she didn’t. Why? Had she been so blind? So naïve to trust Him? She’d believed Him, trusted Him. And He’d let her down. They said He always did things for the best. But He of all people had ripped her heart out, took the one person she valued above all. The one most precious to her. She could still feel those tiny fingers curled around hers. She remembered holding him up as he took his first tiny steps. Oh!! The joy, the pride she felt. She could fight the whole world, if only he was with her. If only she hadn’t faltered, if only she hadn’t left…….
Tears crowded her vision, they refused to stop. What right did she have to live? She couldn’t bear the guilt anymore. It was like a cross around her neck dragging her down to the crypt, down an endless abyss. She couldn’t stand it anymore, the guilt, the pain. She ran towards the cliff.
The rain lashed down hard. A thick mist hung in the air. At the bottom of the cliff she could see the waves crashing furiously against the rock.
Just a few more steps, she thought, a few more steps and she’d be free. Free from the guilt, oblivious to the pain. She took a few steps forward……..and stopped.
She could see him walking towards her through the mist. That cute, impish smile on his face, that familiar twinkle in his eye. There was something he wanted to tell her. She could hear him now. “Don’t go”, he said. “Stay, you’re needed here.”
She stepped forward to reach out to him, he was just out of reach. The look in his eyes willing her to live, those tiny hands reaching out to her. “You’ll learn to live again”, he said,” I’ll teach you. It’s not your time yet.”
She stopped just short of the edge, unsure. One small step and it would all end. Yet, should she go or stay? The wind howled all around her, edging her forward, but his smile held her transfixed. He wanted her to stay.
One step and she would be free. There would be no one to shed tears for her. They wouldn’t even know she was gone.
She made up her mind then. She’d die today to live tomorrow. Kill her old life and start anew. She turned around to a new start.
But fate had something else in store for her. It played its last card. A gust of wind blew by and knocked her off. She slipped and fell over the cliff.
No one heard her cry out as she fell through the mist into oblivion….....