Meeting people

The policemen outside the Valluvarkottam gate eye the 'Press' sticker on the vehicle and let us in without questions. They probably think that we have come to report the political meeting going on inside. From the posters, I assume it is a DMK meeting but I am not prepared for the VIP I am about to see.
We had come only to check out the Onam Shopping Festival that is going on at the other half of the memorial. We decide to peek in at the political meeting. A young boy is performing what looks like a kathaprasangam (a form of storytelling interspersing prose and poetry) to me. The VIP at the podium, who is none other than Chief Minister Karunanidhi's son and Local Admn Minister MK Stalin, is thoroughly enjoying the bold performance as is the rest of the not-so-large audience. It seems to be small, family event - celebrating a birthday in the family - but the security is daunting enough. But the security staffers dont daunt us and let us vent our curiosity, even to the extent of ogling at his black Lexus SUV. Stalin looks amazingly young for someone in his 50s with grandchildren of his own. He can easily pass off for a man in his late 30s or early 40s.
The Onam special stalls, where I had hoped to find stuff to cook up traditional meals, give a rude shock. The first section is full of stalls advertising flats and villas - at unearthly prices - in Thrissur and Guruvayoor. The men (another couple had joined us on our Seeking the Roots jaunt) linger out of curiosity and habit. We proceed to the stalls selling Double Horse silky sortex rice of the Palakkadan matta variety, the Eastern curry powder stalls and the banana chips stalls. The former two offer a 10% discount. But the chips "specially fried in coconut oil for the Malayali" comes at a premium price of Rs.150 a kg - it might have been exported from the nether world by King Mahabali himself, going by the prices.
We try the ada pradhaman and the paalada but forgo the kappa beef biryani (at Rs.30) and the other non-veg delicacies at the Paalakaaran's ( the new Kerala restaurant in town) stall since we are on a 7-day non-veg-free diet since September 1. A mini-Lent for St. Mary. The restaurant stalls take orders for a full-fledged Onam meal to be delivered at your door step for Rs.110 or so. One neednt sweat it out in the kitchen these days, just sit back and enjoy the new movies telecast on TV and the food reaches your table at lunch time courtesy the caterers. How easy/mechanical life has become.

And yesterday I meet the second VIP. I am at the dentist's to refill a cavity whose filling came off when I was having a parippuvada. I spread out a copy of Ian McEwan's Black Dogs as I wait. I almost feel the earth shake when 3-4 people walk in around the same time and there is a commotion at the reception as they give their names. One of them is a tall bespectacled elderly man who looks like a force to reckon with. The lady on his side, probably his wife, is smallish and has an evangelical streak about her make-up. I assume he is a doctor but he goes to a chair on the other side.
As I go to fill in a 'confidential' form at the reception - about all the ailments and allergies that I may have - I see his name in the ledger. I go back to my chair and eye him with interest. Tall men interest me, and handsome tall men interest me more :) Could this be the principal of my old college? He was the Chemistry HOD when I joined and I had met him once about something.
I wasnt sure, so I just glanced occasionally at the figure reading a magazine.
We were both summoned in at around the same time. My dentist told me extraction was the best option; she would see about filling after cleaning the teeth on Thursday.
Prof. Philip's dentist, in the next half cabin, hadnt probably yet started examining his teeth. I heard him ask someone over phone about Internet connectivity at the college guest house etc. etc. I knew for sure who he was but by then it was time for me to make my way out.