Plant penury & perm

Today as I was travelling in the auto - giving up my resolve to walk to the bus stop to make up for missing my morning walks - in the searing Chennai heat, I eyed the plants with their dusty leaves in the road medians, part of the Singara Chennai drive. I wondered when the next rain would come to rescusitate the poor plants, which didnt look they were being watered regularly - save for the ones maintained by some institutions like at major junctions. The others were left to the mercy of the Corporation workers in charge and the weather gods.

In a rainfall-deficient city like this, the Corporation should think of planting cacti. Even the savam-naari (corpse-stinker?) that supposedly beautify cemetries in Kerala and grows in the wild looks so forlorn and unhappy here in the 'median' gardens.

So any guess who was the happiest when a sudden shower in the afternoon cooled down temperatures?

Mount Road received only modest rainfall but V called to say our area was waterlogged and he was late getting Ash from school. Mira didnt go today as her cough has been pretty bad. She went through a few tests and Xray at the hosp yesterday, and the results should be ready by evening today.

And she is getting friendlier with people - while we carried on our business in the adult world, first at the hospital and then at Viveks in our quest for a new AC, she struck silent conversations with a smile or a gesture with adults who were free to befriend/play with a child. She also got a summer haircut at a beauty parlour we sighted at the car parking area - only it makes her look sicker than ever.

We are thinking of a tonsure soon - the beautician tells me that it could even help Mira get soft, straight hair like V's as opposed to the thick, wavy hair she has inherited from me. I will be the happiest if that is possible, living as we do in times when straight silky hair is fashionable.

In my childhood, curly hair was the rage in Kerala. I mean people thought that those who had straight hair were unlucky to have them. My mom, who has straight hair, still thinks that curly hair is a gift from God!