Wanted: A Pied Piper

There is a little rat visiting my kitchen in the night, after the lights are off. I think it has been making the rounds for at least a week now but the maid suspected it only yesterday, when she found a few things misplaced/missing. We did some investigations and found that it had dented a hole on the plywood circling the chimney pipe.
And yesterday when I switched on the kitchen light late in the night, I caught it red-handed. The rat got so nervous that it ran up and down and over my feet. That had me jumping up and down myself and shrieking. And that had Ash crying in fear for he saw the little rodent run over my feet and onto the kitchen sill and on to the spices-tea-cofee shelf and then the onion-potato shelf, where it decided to sit still contemplating its next move while watching us through one shiny black eye. It spotted the electric chimney wire and jumped on to it and up the chimney and over to the top of the cupboard and out.
It probably came back again because it seemed to have eaten the Mortein rat cake V had kept near the hole, and left the remnants on the kitchen platform. I hope it is dead and gone, though today's rain makes me circumspect - if rats drink water after taking poison, they are supposed to tide over the effect of the poison.
Anyway we are getting the watchman to make a wiremesh around the chimney pipe. I hope that will be the end of the rat visits. Right now we are enjoying a respite from cockroaches and ants after we subscribed to the Godrej pestcare services.
So I spent the morning disinfecting and cleaning the kitchen platform, the containers and route of the rat as it took flight from under my feet to the chimney pipe.
p.s. We however had trouble getting Ash to sleep after the scare the rat gave him.

Storm Breeze in a teacup

One of the two cups I acquired recently for our early morning tea. V doesnt think much of my selection, which I had done holding Mira in one arm and trying to prevent her accidentally or otherwise pulling down the crockery on sale. He says the so-called arty design looks like milk boiled over!

The maid manages to make a crack/chip in the tea cups I keep for daily/rough use and since I cant stand even the smallest crack on my tea cup, I go for a new one at the earliest opportunity. Of course I dont let her use my best crockery and glassware.

Onam celebration

This year we celebrated with traditional fervour - ethnic-but-contemporary* Kerala attire and a sadya (feast) served on banana leaves on the floor! It has been years since I had a meal squatting on the floor. Our lunch menu had rice with parippu (lentils) curry and a splash of ghee and pappads broken into it to give that special taste, sambar, french beans thoren, avial, ginger curry, banana chips and as dessert, parippu payasam. We skipped making other traditional dishes like olan, kaalan, theeyal for want of time.
The kids were intrigued, but loved it. Though initially they were running through the leaves laid on the floor!
p.s. *contemporary because a churidar-kurta in cream and gold fabric is an innovation that came not more than 10 years back. Until then, the traditional attire meant a Kerala sari in cream and gold border.

The atha poo arrangement is at V's office. They are always looking for an occasion to celebrate and in festival-centric India that is not a difficult proposition.

Happy Onam

My State festival today. A day meant to commemmorate the visit of the legendary king Mahabali, from the underworld, to his people . A king who was sent off to the underworld by the Gods through a trickery for being godlier than them.
Only when Maveli comes, he will find that his dear old Kerala is too rotten to merit a visit. It will make the poor king go back sadder than when he came.
p.s. We are planning a multi-course meal, in banana leaves, for lunch thanks to the maid.

Another birthday

I write this taking a 5-minute break from editing the Lead Story for this issue of our magazine.
The highlights of the day are:

• It is my brother's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Kochumon. May you continue to have a dream run in life.
• I had a glimpse of actress Revathi at the Lifestyle Homecentre showroom while buying window curtains. She looked pretty young for her age (must be at least 40, considering that she was a star performer some 15-20 years back in Malayalam and Tamil films), maybe it was the make-up. V said her cameraman (movie) husband was there too but I didnt see him. She looks nicer than in the movies - she was never great in the looks department but she was great in the histrionics dept. and did some class movies.
• Living in a city believed to be the lifeline of the South Indian - at least Malayalam and Tamil - movie industry, I havent sighted enough reel artistes. Only actresses Hema Malini, Gautami, KPAC Lalita, Sukumari and Meera Jasmine, actor Srinivasan (at a hospital) and Janardhanan, and the great director Adoor Gopalakrishnan. I have seen more TV serial artistes at the railway station when they come to Chennai for shootings than elsewhere in the city.
• My sugar and cholesterol levels are not looking pretty good, going by the reports from last week's tests. The latter especially is cause for concern - I dunno if it is stress-induced or it is my constitution. Guess I need to get up early morning and take a 20-minute walk everyday.
  
  

Holiday mayhem

Ashwin has 4 days' leave beginning today - today is a Tamil Brahmin festival called Varalakshmi nombu and monday is Onam, my State festival! Today morning we packed him to school only to find it closed. (Apparently the watchman had told the maid about the holidays but there is a language barrier that prevents the maid from understanding much of the local language.)
And I had been raving at the school authorities for giving him 6 pages of Homework yesterday. I had,after reaching home at 8.30 p.m. yesterday, sat with him and made him write a page each of A, B,C and 1, 2, 3. It tired us both no end. Now I understand - it was meant to keep him occupied the next 4 days.
So upon returning home, a fully charged Ash littered the house with shoes off the rack and pots and pans from the kitchen. And Mira, who cried sick today, added to the commotion. I just hope the maid didnt have too difficult a time - I am too scared to call and find out the damage.
Ash is now on homeopathy treatment for his eczema and is showing visible improvement. The steroid ointments and syrups the dermatologist prescribed gave him very brief respite, and he gave us sleepless nights too.
p.s. We didnt go out for dinner yesterday as both of us reached late from office and the kids had already had their dinner. Anyway nothing like home-made food for the tummy.

Birthday boy (old)

Today is V's birthday, and I got him a Nokia 2626, which has FM radio and a handsfree speaker. It has a copper body with blue keypad. He doesnt much care for high-end models as he tends to misplace... But when I gave it he said he would have liked a high-end model!! I didnt even find time to get a gift wrapper - not that he cares for such etiquette.

We might eat out at night. The maid made vermicelli payasam in the morning. No cakes. No greetings card. Except for the one from the parish priest, with a small envelope to put bday offerings next Sunday!

After college days, I lost interest in greetings cards. I now find preserving them a pain. Come to think of it, we dont preserve cards as we have an incinerator at home - Ash.

The rhyme troupe

Ash and me have now formed the Singers' club at home. But only rhyme concerts. Since he is not a full-fledged speaker, he kind of hums the tune to me and expects me to sing.
It goes something like this:
Amma, thich oma...
And I sing: This old man, he played one, he played knick knick on my ... this old man came rolling down.
By then, he hums the next tune impatiently.
And I sing: If you are happy and you know it clap your hands...
Next comes Eeeaa eeaa ow. So I sing Old Mcdonald had a farm...
This goes on for at least half an hour before he goes to sleep. It also entertained us on the Sunday ride on the ECR route in the absence of a cassette/CD player in the car.
Mira chipped in with Twinkle twinkle little star...
Ash has a sweet voice and we have a gut feeling he might turn out to be a good singer. Our little stars. Diamonds on earth.

Our dying martial arts

Watch "Vaalpayattu" and Velakali by young artistes from Kannur. You can hear Ash calling his Appa.

An artisans' village

Ash outside a typical Tamil Nadu residential colony at Dakshinachitra.

A basket weaver's tenement recreated at DC.

The Kottayam Achayan outside a typical Syrian Christian house from Kerala.

Vaalpayattu (swordfight) in the evening by artists from Kannur, Kerala.

****

Yesterday after church (we finally managed to make it for the morning mass as a family, and not just the Lord of the House making his weekly attendance), V suggested that we go to Dakshinchitra (http://www.dakshinachitra.org/ is the website address they give on their brochure but it is going up the wrong link) won the Mahabalipuram route. It had been on our 'list of places to see' like Mahabs itself.

After cooling our systems with tender coconut water on the way and promising ourselves that we will get a few plant saplings from the numerous nurseries en route, we went past the Toll Plaza on the East Coast Road with the sea on the left and the many entertainment parks - MGM Dizee World, the veteran VGP Golden Beach, etc - on the right. The sprawling, pristine and tranquil DC was an ideal destination to get away from the bustle of city life. Artisans from Orissa, Rajasthan and of course the South Indian states - the place promotes the culture and crafts of India with emphasis on the four Southern Indian states - displayed their wares at the bazaar inside, which they said were very reasonably priced compared to the shops outside or even the craftshop at the reception area. Being Onam (my state festival) time, the reception and the Kerala houses had pookalams (flower arrangment on the floor).

The Kerala and Tamil Nadu sections were the best. Well, the Karnataka and Andhra sections are not complete and we did not visit them. A quick tour of the first two itself took us over 4 hours.

The Kerala houses brought back memories of my childhood - the granaries, the kitchen & farm implements, the cow shed ... The Syrian Christian house relocated from Trichur was so carefully conceived - right up to the picture of Jesus. The 2-storeyed Hindu house was a novelty for me. I followed Ash as he climbed up the wooden stairs, and surveyed the area through the kilivaathil (= bird's door). Climbing down those narrow steps was more difficult - wonder how people did it on a regular basis in those days. Most of the artefacts on display had a "Dont touch, fragile" warning - they all belonged to the 19th century and early 20th century.

The Tamil Nadu section had a Tirunelveli brahmin colony, a Chettiar house, and houses of a farmer, a potter, a basket maker and a weaver. I even got to see a Kanchuipuram silk sari being weaved. The temple atop a small hill was the perfect culmination for the tour. There were not many visitors on that route and so it had the required peaceful ambience.

V bought 2 paintings for framing, while I got a Ravi Varma print, before settling down on the lawn near the reception to watch Kerala artistes at Vaalpayattu, Kalaripayattu and Velakali. Ash was extremely thrilled by the show and was seen somersaulting once the artistes left the stage. I think he has an artistic streak about him.

We had a late lunch and proceeded to Mahabs to view the Shore Temple and other masterpieces in stone. However, we had to head back as the Temple was closed by 5.30 p.m. The Mahabs wonders come under the Archaeological Survey of India, and govt. operated tourist spots close at 6 p.m. the latest.

IT was dark when we drove back and too late to buy the plants. V promised we will come another day. In fact we had come wanting to see the Cholamandalam artists' village but missed it and went to Dakshin. Anyway, we had no regrets - it was a Sunday well spent and the kids had had a lovely time.

dakshinachitra

At the Welfare Centre

Today was a day dedicated to blood tests for me, V and Ash at the company clinic - blood sugar, thyroid etc. The kids were up at 5.30 am today and had a rudimentary game of cricket (I guess it is an inborn talent in every Indian kid these days)and exercise in the cool early morning breeze - thanks to the sharp shower yesterday night. Leaving a howling Mira behind, we embarked for our destination at 7.30 am on an empty stomach to give the fasting blood sugar. Drawing Ash's blood for testing was an effort and three of us had to pin him down for that. He however got a candy for being brave.
A packed breakfast and vending machine coffee later, we sat on a granite bench on one side of the building while Ash had his fill of running up and down the grass as well as the ramp for the handicapped. He made friends with the other patients and went around showing the handiplast over the vein.
Waiting 1 1/2 hours for the post-prandial sugar test is a pain, and killing time is not easy when shops dont open before 10 am. I took out a book to read...
On the way back, we dropped in at Lifestyle Home centre near the Alwarpet bridge, which had a sale on. I picked up a small African figurine, a set of towels and a tumbler from Thailand for Mira. We vowed to make another leisurely trip for window curtains (a pending project at home) and vases.
Had an early lunch at Prime Roaster - BBQ-ed chicken, rice, burger etc. - before making it to office. Ash was asleep on his seat when I got off.

Happy 60th bday, India

India has now become a senior citizen, according to V. That's from the Independence day celebrations at his office on Tuesday night.
The kids came home on Tuesday afternoon with flags gifted by the school authorities. Mira held her little flag high as maid carried her home. Ash seemed to have had some kind of programme at school as he had powder on his forehead, lipstick on his lips and cheeks and a tiny flag pinned on his t-shirt.
In V's office, they even cut a cake... There were no such celebrations in my office - I guess there was a flag-hoisting as usual on 15th morning which I didnt attend. I decided to forgo the temptation of overwages for working on a holiday and sit at home with V and the kids. In effect, I got my 2-day weekend on 14-15, since I took my off on 14th.
The two leading dailies in Chennai came up with special supplements to celebrate the occasion.

I had a pre-lunch and a post-lunch/nap shopping yesterday. The latter one at Pantaloons in Spencer Plaza went on till 10 p.m. with me taking 2 hrs to try on shirts and trousers, before picking up 2 shirts, a pair of trousers, a vanity bag etc. - all at discounted prices, on the last day of a sale. The shop was packed, and the trial rooms had long queues and I ended up using the staff changing room which was functioning as a temporary trial room minus mirrors (but plus a mannequin watching me silently) - so I had to depend on V's certification as to how the tops looked on me.
The kids had a great time running around and making friends with other bored kids and shoppers (a lady shopper even gifted Ash Kitkats and he dropped the stuff he had picked up in the shop on to the floor to collect it) though towards the end, Ash got a bit troublesome and had to be kept in custody.
And when we trooped out, most shops had closed and even the car park on the roof had been locked. So we decided to have a quick bite at Marrybrown, a chicken burger each, before finding our way to the roof, the car and out.

Big brother is watching

Ashwin now calls himself Achacha (big brother) after what Mira calls him! So he wakes up with: Achacha uvvavu (his special word for ill/sick). And the Big Brother doesnt eat anything unless he gives Lil Sister a share, even though he still bullies her when he gets a chance. The lil sister also feels lost if BB is not around, which was why we had to abandon the idea of taking Ash alone when we went provision-shopping yesterday evening.
Taking two Under-Five brats shopping has been a tough proposition, we had found in our two nanny-less months. We only managed running behind them in the shops or checking if they were upto any trouble for the salesboys - such as pulling the hangers off cloths or pulling brand-new outfits out of their cases or gnawing at all the chocolates over their wrappings - and always finished our shopping in a haste or half-done.
We had woken up too late to attend the morning mass, so I decided to take Mira for a haircut while I got some beauty therapies for myself. Meanwhile, V took Ash along with him spectacles-shopping. The maid watched over Mira while I got a one-hour pampering of my face. The girl who attended to me profusely apologised for breaking my delicate anklet while waxing my legs. I decided not to rake up the issue when they service-taxed me for the services - this is the first time I am coming across a parlour that issues a 10% service tax. I need to find a more casual set-up.
***
Visiting Ash's school today morning, after a long time, I was told by the ladies in attendance (the two teachers hadn't arrived) that Ash was the life of the school and a day without him was dull according to the Miss. And his best friend is a girl! Anna. Do I need to be worried?

Demolition season

Sipping coffee provided by the office[old]boy (I am privileged to get a share of the special coffee he gets from the canteen kitchen for the boss), I watched the old canteen in our office complex being demolished. It is a very sturdy structure and has put up a stiff resistance to the months-long demolition, but now it is almost history.
Where will all this rubble go, I wonder. The city is full of old buildings giving way to new.
And builders have a strange fancy for English place names. So we have apartment complexes called Trafalgar, Victoria, Westminster and so on.
Vestiges of the colonial rule.

Sunday, 1.30 am IST: A long day at work, and I am dead tired now. The kids went off to sleep early, V said. Ash wouldnt have realised I'd be so late or else he'd have kept awake like he does whenever I dont reach before 11 p.m. That's when I know he cares for me - the rest of the time his Appa is all that matters to him.

Complaint Mary strikes again!

I am really beginning to enjoy SMSing complaints about excess fares by autos as well as calling up to make a complaint. I dunno if I am going to make a difference or if the authorities will take any action but I think I am going to make complaining a hobby like blogging.
Well, Ash had this eye infection as a remnant of his viral fever-gastritis of last week and the discharge and swelling were enough to make V take a work break today and drop us off at the eye clinic, after making a trip to the dermatologist about Ash's atopic eczema.
Unlike in the evenings, there were hardly any patients waiting at the derm's clinic and so we got in as soon as we reached. Ash showed the grand old lady prof (retired from the Medical College) his worst areas of affliction the moment he walked in and saw her. She told us that it was genetic and that we avoid too much temperature fluctuations - which probably explained why he itched more after we switched on the AC at night. She gave us a wide range of lotions and creams and syrups and shampoos and stuff to apply on different occasions but did not prescribe primrose oil supplement a blogger friend had once suggested, saying it was too smelly and revulsive. I dont think she should have worried as Ash loves taking syrups and tablets however bitter they are.
The eye hospital however had a longer queue of patients and so we had to wait a full half hour. V went off, leaving me to manage Ash - which I did with a few candies I had in hand, and a few pinches and chiding. The lady opthalmologist however thought he was a smart and "active" kid, since he cooperated with her in examining his eyes. She prescribed eye drops and an ointment to contain the infection, and warned us to be careful and not infect ourselves.
We stepped out to be greeted by the midday sun in all its power. As I stood wondering whether to take a bus or a share-auto for the 2 km stretch home, an autowallah stopped before me.
"Forty rupees," he demanded. "And that is a very just fare". When the minimum fare for the first 3 km is just Rs.14 - every auto flaunts that mandatory message.
"I am sure it wont go past Rs. 20 if you put the meter," I countered, not sure about the distance home (V told me later it was just 2 kms.)
He took up the challenge and switched on the meter. And it read Rs. 15 when it reached my place.
"Now look at this." I pointed out gleefully.
"Oh, that. My meter needs to be repaired."
"I can pay you Rs.20," I offered magnanimously.
40, he said adamantly.
I told him I would make a complaint. He said scornfuly that he could give me the phone no for making the complaint.
I have the number and I make a complaint a day, I said and started dialling it on my mobile. That got him nervous.
"Is this a punishment for bringing you home? I took pity on you seeing this little boy and brought you home," he changed tack, sensing that I meant business.
I didnt give any indication that I was getting a "Busy, try later" response from the other end. I tried to look as serious and strong as I could.
"You can give me Rs. 10 less," he said.
I did that, railing about the notoreity of Chennai's autofares. But in fact, I was not so unhappy. Though I paid double, Rs. 30 was cheap by the city standards for any ride over a kilometre.
I was still in a huff, so I called up the complaint guys and a man answered. I started my harangue and he said, 'madam, do you have the auto's no.?' I gave him that, and he gave me a no. he said was the "central complaint centre's".
"But do you take any action?" to which he said, yes.
So I dialled the new number, only to hear it ringing. I looked at the clock. It was a little over 1 p.m. - cant expect an Indian government servant to be in his/her seat between 1-2 p.m. Lunch time.
But dear readers, I wont bore you with more tales of my complaints against autowallahs in future.

The 22-month-old terror

Babycentre asks me: Does your toddler insist on climbing into her own car seat or pull things out of your hand? She'll fight harder now than ever to explore the world on her own terms. Strong opinions and rigidity are hallmarks of toddlerhood. You can avoid a tug of war by respecting your toddler's preferences and giving in on the little things. Letting her choose which jam to use on toast or which pyjamas to wear to bed will give her the sense of control she craves. The secret is to give her only options that are acceptable to you. That doesn't mean you should become a pushover to prevent tantrums...

Mira's latest addition to her vocabulary is the word po (go= get lost). So a moody Mira often dismisses us with Amma po, Acha po and Rice po. And yesterday morning, as V was trying to get her to repeat the Numbers, she grumpily said, One po.
Toddler trait 2: She hates the bib, and pulls it off and prefers to mess her frocks/tops instead with the food. (Ash never liked bibs too, so they all still look brand new.)
Toddler trait 3: There is an increasing effort to eat on her own though spoonfeeding is still our best bet to get the kids' bellies full. And also less cleaning up after.
Toddler trait 4: She now practises tit for tat - the other day she managed to hold Ash tight and sink her teeth into his tummy for daring to jump over her many a time. Both cant rest until theycan have the last say in any fight. He still manages to kick/bite/pull her hair when no one is looking.
With their nanny back in action, the kids have abandoned us to curry her affection and attention. They are forever vying with each other to climb onto her hip, so she ends up carrying each in either hip.
And their tired parents are once again enjoying a semi-relaxed life, now that there is a nanny to share the household work and baby-rearing. And eating a variety of tasty, full-fledged traditional meals once again. Move over, Maggi noodles and Quakers Oats.

View from above

A procession late at night to a temple, dragging on a pull-cart a deity adorned by massive floral garlands... God know what it was about, but there were a dozen kids dancing/prancing in front of the cart.

Ash loved the drums, but Mira was frightened by the petty crackers that caused much sound though no fury!

Inherent dangers of toddler feeding

V had to have his left eye bandaged yesterday evening after Mira accidentally poked his eye with the sharp edge of a stick she was playing with (dont ask me what sticks are doing in the house) while he was feeding her lunch. The opthalmologist said he could have it removed after 8 hrs by which time it would heal.
It was good he had it bandaged at night, so he didnt fidget too much but went off to sleep. And before he left for the rail station early morning to pick up maid, he had the bandage removed. He is still applying eye drops.
Ash was extremely angry with Mira for what she did to his dad but Mira was cool and didnt seem to realise the gravity of her act.

Two sick babes

Mira took ill too yesterday, so I abandoned plans of coming to work... and blogging :0
Ash seem to have passed on the viral infection to her, and so V and a dishevelled Kala (my partimer) took her to the paed at noon, while I stayed home to take care of a loose-bowelled Ash.
A diapered Ash (he is fully toilet-trained otherwise, but not in a health crisis like this) was sent home from school half an hour before closing time. He had seemed somewhat ok after 4 days at home and I didnt want the teachers saying that he was absenting himself too much, which was why we sent him.
A semi-toilet trained Mira also had to kept diapered to prevent too much mess around the house. As it is, I had a hard time cleaning 2 tiny bottoms at frequent intervals.
The only plus point was that I got to snatch a quick afternoon (if 4 p.m. can be called afternoon) nap before the door bell rang to herald the arrival of a guest. My first worry was: What am I going to conjure up on the dining table the next 2 days while the Boy is here? A guest means you have to have decent menus for each meal and not manage with leftovers or a lil of this and that.
It reminded me of the days I, a half-starved hostelite, would invite myself to friends'/ relatives' (of the latter I hardly had any in Madras) houses for a good lunch (Thanks Usha, for all those lovely lunches your mom gave me). Indian hospitality is such that a guest is equal to God and can drop in anytime and for as many days as he/she wants to without the host even murmuring a protest. Things are slightly different in cities, especially in a household where both husband and wife are working, but I have heard my ex-landlady say how she played the perfect host to countless relatives and acquaintances from Kerala who come to procure a visa at the US Embassy or a college admission etc.
I mention this, because my dad was telling me how in the UK they found that people came visiting after informing the date and time days in advance. They also took a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers for the hosts. Even Indians, and Keralites too, adhere to the rules.
Well, I have managed to make some decent meals, the kids are feeling better today and my live-in nanny is coming tomorrow (though she gave us a scare yesterday when she said she had fever and might have to cancel her journey today) - isn't life wonderful after all?
I have nothing to complain - until I reach home today evening.

A citizen complains!

Today, I registered a complaint against an autodriver who inspite of overcharging me, decided to drop me 50 metres before my destination. He said he had underestimated the distance and had quoted me a fare which he thought was less than what he should have asked. Like the rest of Chennai's autowallahs, he had refused to put the meter and had instead quoted a figure he said was a fair fare.
I have been paying 30-50 % extra every day to reach office by auto (high time I brush up my car-driving skills and use one) but like most of Chennai's passengers, I did not have the time or inclination - after all, what use will it be - to complain to authorities on the phone numbers given in the newspapers when auto fares were revised early this year. But yesterday's fleecing prompted me to hunt for the phone numbers on the net and store them in my mobile. And I put it to use today. The lady I spoke to was pretty courteous for an Indian bureaucrat and said she will take action - I gave the auto's registration no. I even SMSed the complaint to the mobile no. (9841808123) provided. (If any other Chennai citizen wants to lodge a complaint, one of the landline nos. is 044 26215969)
I think if everybody starts reacting, there might be some change in the attitude of Chennai's notorious auto drivers - auto taxi fares in this metro are reportedly the worst among the big cities of India.

The slate

Ash has a slate to write on now. He lost the chalk pencils already.

Reminds me of the days when I wrote on a slate in my nursery school at the local Catholic church. But those days, slates had wooden frames unlike the plastic ones now. There is an influx of plastic products in our life since the mid-1980, I think.

Glory to the pre-plastic days, when polythene carrybags and plastic containers and lunch boxes were unheard of. Kids carried their books in a small aluminium box (like a small suitcase in aluminium) and their lunch in aluminium boxes too (until steel entered the scene) or in banana leaves folded and wrapped in a newspaper leaf (rice and side dishes packed in banana leaves still taste divine to me and I get to have them when my mil packs our dinner for the train journey back to Madras).