Distant Cousins

I wonder how Kashmiris coped up with so many days of curfew...

Burning Issues

Bangalore was bad yesterday.  It looked as if some old personal grudges came into the fore and even hampered the proper functioning of law and order machinery. We had partners from Japan who'd come over for a discussion and it was a relief that they reached their hotel safely. Today's discussion happened over the phone. Bad indeed. We just dilute the whole thing by resorting to some petty crimes. But the increasing number of such jobless people being so easily available, also known as the 'mob', is scary. It looks like in our country the mob can do anything. There is no stopping them.

So much of the time in a day goes in making and remaking scopes for a release and so much more in discussing them with other victims over the phone. Please!

Anu, frustrated that Rishi and I were chattering and disturbing her attempts to sleep - "I thought elders were better than me and I had to learn from them. Now I think they should learn from me!". Point taken!

Being Responsible

Any amount of power shortage will not dissuade our people from celebrating Ganesh Jayanti with full-day loudspeakers. Same guys would be at the forefront of breaking others' glasses when there is a bandh.

Was reading about Shivarama Karanta today and just remembered my prejudice against him in growing up days. I don't know why, it was Kuvempu who was my favourite and any praises of Karanta used to be a big irritant to me. It was only after reading Mookajjiya KanasugaLu(having reluctantly picked it up after having exhausted all other books at home), that I admired him. I have continued to be an admirer.

TriveNi Sangama

Long Weekends

Yet another on the cards with Kaveri heating up once more. We went to Somanathapura last weekend and one could easily see that all is not well with so much of uncultivated land all around. It's easy even for someone like me to ask why we should release water at all. But yeah, I know no other side of the story.

We went to SrirangapattaNa also and kids were aghast when we went to Dariya Daulat. Mysore palace sure spoils one!

Work continues unabated. Season of Olympiads starts too!

Here are some pictures from the weekend trip -

Roots

I finished Roots in one go(disappointing K who had recommended other books). But a little disappointed that it may not be an entirely true account. Do we have a firsthand account of slave owners also?

RR left finally and it was an emotional farewell - he tried speaking and thanking people multiple times but broke down each time and his friends tried unsuccessfully. I don't understand the bond between us - I came to know him only two years ago but then since last year, I think there wasn't a week in which he didn't come and sit and talk for at least half an hour. We talked only about workplace and never about our personal lives and when he resigned, he said I was the first person in the office to know about it. As I said, it hasn't sunk in yet that he's not going to be around.

Work is all-pervading. All days are Sundays now.

The Living and the Dying

While on our return journey, one whole bunch of elderly people boarded at Udupi. Two of them, a couple and the oldest of the lot were in our compartment and the others in the next. While initially helping out with 'our' couple with their luggage and stuff, people in the other compartment hardly even came to look at them otherwise, busying themselves eating stuff and talking all the time. Our couple seemed reserved and we minded our business as well, except for helping them out with their berths, bedsheets and a goodnight.

Morning is when we conversed and while the lady was cheerful enough, the old man almost cried. They are in their eighties and while they have almost perfect health, so many in their next generations were suffering from ill-health and some had even passed away. Nothing that we said could make the old man happy about living a long life. I almost said that it was my dream to live like him till eighty but kept quiet.

RR has put down the papers and while I should be happy for him, it'll be a big loss for me. We are birds of same feather and I won't know who to talk certain things to if he'll not be there. Just the other day I was thinking about people I care about in the office and he is one of them and I hope some negotiations work out and he stays. But I also know he's been unhappy for quite some time now and it's unfair to be going on like that.

Being Normal

Me : Anu, what do you want to become when you grow up?
Anu : Nothing special, Aayi. I want to become a normal woman. I just want to become a mother like you.
Baba : But Ani, you wanted to become a teacher, no?
Anu : (Animated) Yes, I want to become the strictest teacher in the world!