Happy Deepavali

Happy Diwali.
May you enjoy this festival thoroughly.


Please do keep this pledge going.
http://www.pledgebank.com/getachild2read

I will be offline for a while.

Unsung Heroines

I met Dr.Vasantha yday after a couple of weeks. When I saw her last,she'd been suffering from severe pain in her arm for which she'd been recommended total rest.
That day, she had promised she would take some time off and give her arm and body some rest.

Well, obviously from the pain on her face, she hadn't done anything of the kind. She'd spent the day immunizing 150 babies.

Vasantha works for the Municipality. She holds five posts simultaneously (being paid for one) and jokes 'Im responsible for the health of the entire district'. Reason, people haven't been posted to the other 4.

" If I hadn't gone today, those 150 babies would have gone back and their health programme would have been upset. There's no one else to to carry it out" she said.

"What about the new doctor who's been posted here" I asked.
"He's not used to working so hard. He might get frightened and go on leave. I have to ease him gently into him new job," she said.

Vasantha's daughter says " The babies of Ooty can find other doctors to look after them. But my granddaughter has one only one paati. You'd better take some leave and come here and have some rest too."

Dr.Vasantha will get paid if she goes on on leave. Its her sense of duty that is keeping her going.

When we curse our government officers and functionaries, we could remember there are many people like Vasantha who have a huge sense of responsibility and keep doing more than their jobs.

Stripped

"Are you so and so?"
A strange man accosted me at Charing cross this morning. He needed some details from me and said he'd visited home yday and found it locked.
After 24 years of living in a small town and with a husband in active Govt.service, I can't be too surprised if someone knows me and I don't know them.

But its not a pleasant surprise any more.

It gets me wondering who am I? Stripped of so-and-so-'s wife, so-and-so's daughter, would I get any recognition?

I don't work any more so I've lost that identity which acts a good front that people can relate to. And slot me easily.

When I travel, I do find the loss of identity and instant recognition rather disconcerting. Then I can draw comfort from the people I am travelling with; the group feeling which protects one from strangers.

If I take me alone as a person, then its the clothes I wear, the educated tone of my voice that defines how people behave with me, those I know and don't know. People are reacting to the visual image.

Even this can be misleading as I discovered yday. At a family function, a young woman and I were getting on famously. You must come home she said often during our conversation. During lunch, she asked casually, and what about your kids? I said they were quite grown up. She was taken aback visibly, and said "Oh, I didnt realise you were... you don't look that old." And after that, I could see a stepping back. She couldn't see herself relating to a person a decade or more older. The new image of me came in between.

Without money to spend that commands respect in shops, would the shopkeeper give me any ?

Without all these image-making externals, without comforts given by other people, can I survive on my own?
Without all these trappings, if I had to live in a strange place who would I be?

Stepping out of the supermarket I was accosted by a cheerful beggar woman. When I refused to give her alms she engaged me in a discussion of the cost of soap and rising costs. Disarmed by her cheerfulness, I did give her a coin.
But she made me think, 'but for..there go I.." Could I handle life if I were her with such equanimity?

Do these thoughts trouble other women, other people? Or am i just complicating the life given to me?

The other side of the line

Accept it or not openly, we do have lines to demarcate those ‘others' who think and behave and live differently from us .

Recently, I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about how the terrific power cuts in Tamil Nadu are going to bring down Karunanidhi. This is the middle class talking.

Yesterday, in my class I heard echoes of what the ‘poorer class’ is talking through their children. Obviously the children echo what their parents say. This was part of an idea suggested by Swarna to get children to voice their own thoughts.. something they are not encouraged to do. After holidays, we moved on to ‘politics.’

‘Karunanidhi has given 1 kg rice at 1 Re.’
‘Karunanidhi has given us a gas stove.’
‘He has given each family a TV.’
‘The chief minister is doing so much for the people.’

Sops work.

Another 'across the line' experience was this morning, when I met Jaipunissa.
Jaipunissa used to be a cheerful, energetic, never-say-die girl who dressed to kill everyday when she came to work in the small factory I used to run long long ago. We had a batch of Muslim girls who vied with each other in colourful dressing.
She was already nearing 30 when she left, to marry a 70+ man to secure her future. When he died a few years later, he did leave her a little house and some money. His sons took away the house after some litigation.
Now, after leading a life in relative comfort, she can't bear the thought of going back to work and exists on whatever she has.
But the major change was the black-cover-all burkha she was wearing. I could just about see her eyes, dispirited, sad, tired.
But truly, with just two inches of face showing, it is really difficult to connect to a person.

Knots

This is a draft of a conversation I had on the phone with my father..

“Ask Dachu to read the Hindu everyday.. there are so many articles about the financial crisis now everyday.
After her training they may ask her who is Lehman bros..or about the bubble.”

I say testily “ the Hindu is for laypeople like us . She must be reading more in depth articles.”

“But still… ask her to read it.. She must know all these things. when she goes for promotion, they will ask her in the interview..”

And so the conversation went with both of us sticking to our viewpoints.

My father is past 80 and has the deep seated notion that he must instruct and guide and tell, whatever be the reactions on my part.

Im thinking that with my 48th birthday coming up next month, Ive had the same kind of interactions with him over the past 38 years maybe? I should have been past 10 when I had some opinions enough to oppose him.
An as far as I remember, opposition has never worked with him.

But why do I persist in the same grooves is what I have to ask myself and my sisters ask me too.

My sisters would say in this case, “seri pa.” And do exactly what they wish to.
Dachu would say “ Yes, I will read them', that or I ‘m reading them..” She might not reveal that she can’t get the Hindu there in Bombay.

What is this character quirk that refuses to be ironed out?

Library

This is a personal appeal.

We (meaning some friends and me) want to start free library for children here at Ooty, mainly for children from poorer sections who don't have access to books and are too intimidated to enter any library.

We've finally found one room in the middle of the town which serves the immediate purpose at a fairly reasonable rent. Next step is to get it off the ground.

So, a pledge has been created on a site to spread the word. Anyone who finds this idea interesting and worthwhile and wishes to help and can help in any way, please do sign up.

This pledge needs a lot of helping hands and hearts and they have to be found fast.

So have a look please:

http://www.pledgebank.com/getachild2read

Chariots of the Gods

Sindhu and I had a great time today wandering about town and recording the sheer exuberance with which vehicles were decorated for Ayudha Pooja.
While private car owners remained restrained, it was the owners of commercial vehicles who earn a living from their vehicles, who showed the greatest creativity and joy.



Thanks to all other bloggers who inspired us to spend an afternoon this way.

Rock On

Continuing my movie orgy (visiting daughters contribute to the number and choice), two I saw last week were so nostalgic:

Rock On: Rock On is about 4 ageing dudes who come together 10 years after they disbanded their band to play again. Of course the idea of youth revived and friendship and fun revisited is appealing to us ageing types. After the friends find each other and meet together for jamming sessions every evening, there is a sense of life singing through them which is so attractive. And seeing the pulsating band rock on stage is so nostalgic to anyone who grew up in the 70s listening to 'pop music' and watching the few exciting music movies that did come our way.
Otherwise one leaves with an overdose of Farhan Akhtar and a blank faced Arjun Ramphal. The first half is a bit of a drag but the movie perks up later. A feel good-feel while it lasts.

Subramaniapuram. This much talked about movie is good, very realistic and so much true to life.
Set in the 80's in Madurai; the protagonists are again a bunch of 4 young men, with no definite purpose in life and no job either. The shoulder length hair which they keep patting down, fuzz on their faces, bell bottoms, flowered shirts and their habit of cycling round and round strongly brought back my classmates at college to me. :-)
The movie deals with the exploitation of youth by crafty political locals who use them without any scruples. And the gullibility of youth who find an identity with such people. Their path for life is then defined by circumstances from which there is no going back.

The narration is focused and straightforward. Except for the very sweet romance (the song of the year is lauded by Raji) and the humor which pervades the story without being a separate track; the characters are not too fleshed out. So it is a little difficult to identify with the characters. And hence even the gore doesn't touch one too much.
But the effort to make a movie with conviction and no frills is truly commendable.

The NO.1 Ladies Detective Agency

Sometimes one comes across a book which is so charming and delightful that the spirit is so uplifted and life takes on a new zing. I for one tend to spin it out so that it lasts longer. But this time I have to speed read because the book is passing on.
The book happens to be …The NO.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

I did read a review of the book here by Malathi who describes it much better.
But a book set in Africa never appealed. Africa seems associated in my mind with famine and plague and heat and generally a sense of defeatism, I guess due to the documentaries we get to see. So I really didn’t try to look for the book. But now that it has fallen into my lap, I am enthralled with it.

There is nothing heavy about the book although some of it deals with some deeper issues. There is such a calm acceptance of life and the good of all there is and love and deep understanding; it gives you second thoughts when you start cribbing about things in your life -is there anything really to crib about? There is a sensibility with which everyone sees to look at life – a very great acceptance and love of the country
There is charming whimsicality… the idea of a women detective..in Botswana..the only one of course, in the country.
I wish the Booker were given to books like this one .

Please do read it..