Divine Rendezvous !

I was taking a walk down Fantasy Street and guess who I bumped into? No, not Johnny Depp ( though I really would not mind if it were him ) Ok, I will tell you. But before you hear the answer, read the points below

1) If you are standing, please sit down.

2) If you are sitting, please hold on to something.

3) If you are sitting and holding on to something, just make sure that “something” is not a hot iron.

4) If “something” is not a hot iron, then it must be a live snake.Check, check!

5) Are you sure? Ok, Lets cut the crap..

     Hear it out people! I bumped into GOD himself. When i first noticed the halo around his head, I just walked past to check behind his head and make sure it was not a bulb burning from a portable socket. Of course it was not!

“Oh damn! It’s actually YOU?! Wow! Wait, I am not dead yet right?”

“Wishful thinking kid..You think you will see ME when you die? That’s for people like Mother Theresa”.

“ There! What a spoiler! I would have atleast fantasized for the rest of my life that some day i would end up in a happy heaven..Not anymore! Thank you very much.Huhh!”

“Woah, Woah..Poeple usually fall at my feet and lose consciousness when they see me. And you have the cheek to do a “huhh” on me? Behave kid!What happened to your manners?”

“ YOU tell me creator. You definitely must be knowing what happened to my manners”.

“ I am not going to reveal any secrets, if that is what you are looking for”.

“ Come on! Maybe one or two? Please!! What would I tell people when I go from here?”

“ Arrrggh..Ok, I’ ll think about it. For now, tell me this, how are you liking it here?”

“ Wait a minute. This sounds like one of those employee satisfaction surveys. Why do you ask? If I don’t like it here, will you make it any better? Eh?”

“ Seriously, the day I gave you that mouth, somewhere in 1985,I was in a particularly bad mood. Forgot to put in the nerve that urges you to shut up once in a while!”

“ Thanks to your mood swings, now I have to hear “Will you please shut up?” from mom almost everyday.”

“ I agree. Listen, I can make up for it. I really want to. What can I do for you ?”

“ No wonder you are GOD! Such a sweetheart ! Listen, I need to put up a real kick-ass interview on my blog. Can we begin?”

“ Sure. MORON. “

“ Ok whatever, can we start?”

“ Sure!”

     Here we go! Ladies and Gentlemen...Put your hands together, for the very bright ( because of the halo), the very charming ( the guy has a great sense of humour) and the most sought after (the pooja, bhajan etc.remember?) GOD himself!

    For convenience’s sake Pavithra will be Pavs and God will be..err..God.

Pavs : Welcome to my blog Sir. What’s new?

God : Hey Pavs, nice layout. Nothing much! Really! I have been busy of late.

Pavs : Doing what?

God : Seriously! Who says that to me?! I run the world remember?

Pavs : Duhh..You do that anyway. But you said “of late”!

God : Aah, well...You know how it is..There are not many people walking into heaven these days..So I kinda had some time for myself. So I am doing a lot of writing these days..A lot more than before.

Pavs: You write? Super! What’s your book called?

God : Not book child. Destiny. That’s what we write in Heaven.

Pavs : Oh yeah, of course! Stupid of me to expect you to write a book. I would not write a book, if I were God.

God : Exactly! Moving on...What else do you wanna know?

Pavs: Oh, I want to know a lot many things! But right now, tell me this. Remember that thing I keep praying for ? ( Cant put up the details on my blog...hush hush) Tell me, when is it coming?

God : Ha ha ha..Yeah, of course I remember! You remind me atleast thrice everyday..How can i forget. You will get it is all I can say right now.

Pavs : (grinning) There’s a reason why they call you benevolent...How nice of you!

God : Next!

Pavs : Ok, what do you think of the world right now? Its chaos, aint it?

God : Oh yeah! Dont even ask. It’s driving me crazy.

Pavs : Driving YOU crazy?! Are’nt you like all powerful?

God : Ever tried chasing a rat around the house? You are definitely stronger than the rat..But it still drives you crazy..Does’nt it?

Pavs : LOL...Being God and all that, I would expect you to come up with better analogies. Seriously! Ok, anyway, the rat chase reminds me of Tom and Jerry. Do you like Tom and Jerry as much as I do? Whom do you like better? Tom or Jerry?

God : Listen Pavs...As much as I want to sit here on your blog and talk cartoons, seriously, as much as I want to, I cant! I must get going in a minute or two.

Pavs : What?! You just came in. Where do you have to go?

God : I have to make an appearance in an old lady’s dream in exactly 5 minutes from now.

Pavs : And they call you omnipresent! Cant you sit here and talk to me and be there in the old lady’s dream at the same time?

God : Sorry, I cant reveal all that! You ask too many questions kid.

Pavs : That’s because you gave me a human brain that does not really know much!

God : I gave you all the same brain. See how Einstein’s worked? It’s just that you don’t use it well enough.

Pavs : Err...I dunno. But I think I somehow got a raw deal. I have neither the brains nor the riches! How do you expect me to prosper on planet Earth? A dumb chick like Paris Hilton has all that money and an innocent engineer like me gets nothing! Not fair!

God : Ok, listen, I can give you one of those. What do you want? Riches or brains?

Pavs : The brains that can bring in the riches.

God : You are greedy!

Pavs : No I am not. I am just making hay while the sun shines.

God : Damn. That reminds me..It’s almost morning in this side of the world. And, oh no, the old lady is already stirring in her sleep!

Pavs : Cant you make her sleep longer?

God : Ok, seriously, no more questions! I have to go now!

Pavs : No wait, wait. When can I see you again?

God : In exactly 30 years from now.

Pavs : What! How?

God : Heart Attack I think.

Pavs : NO!! NO!! Pleeeaassee!! Wait..Does that mean I will end up in heaven? God? Still there? Hullo?

        As God disappears from there, I hear a loud THUD and suddenly my head hurts like crazy.There is a ringing noise in my ear I hear someone shouting in the background.

“ Get up you buffalo! When will you grow up? You better sleep on the floor from now on! Falling off the bed at 25 years of age. Shameless!”

       Another blog post ends here.

       Happy weekend!

That day in the rain...

    This is yet another work of fiction from the time when i dabbled in storywriting :) Read on..
    I was just planning to get out of the house, when it started raining heavy..The tiny blue umbrella in my hand looked like an unworthy combat for the rain outside.Normally,on any other day,I would have loved the rains.Nothing could beat the bliss that I felt as I sat by the window,sometimes with a cup of coffee and a book,sometimes with tears in my eyes and sometimes with wet hair having just got out of the shower,but always,with a smile on my face, watching the rain hit the window panes.I would sit there for hours,watching the new drops of rain that hit the glass, making a game out of guessing which drop would flow down first and merge with another drop on it's way, making a tiny stream of it's own and then gathering up at the bottom of the window into a tiny pool and then trickling down the wall and into the garden mud,sending out a strange,alluring fragrance that merged into my being as I drew a deep breath to draw it all in.The scent of the first rains!

     But today was different.Today was so special all by itself, that it did not need the rains to add any further beauty to it.Today,was the day that I had spent sleepless nights over,thinking and re-thinking how I could make it more perfect.."More perfect" is an oxymoron..But for me, it was a possibility.For a day that had been so eagerly awaited, no happiness could be impossible.As I stood in the verandah waiting for the rain to stop,I realised that,even if the rain stopped,I could not save my sari from getting ruined.The moment I step my foot down,the muddy waters would splash all over my sari ruining the hems and staining the sari.The drizzle would dampen my hair and make it stick to my scalp.I could not even try to imagine what I would do with my new pair of matching footwear!And to think that I spent an entire day shopping for all this, so that I could look my best on this special day...With a long face, I settled down into the bamboo chair in the verandah and closed my eyes.The moment I did that,a tiny stream of tears ran down from the sides of my eyes and trickled down my cheeks,one stream drying half way through and the other trickling further down onto my neck..I was ashamed of myself.I was the same woman, who, when life threw the toughest of challenges, took it upon myself to face them all alone without a tear.But here I was,disappointed that it rained at a time when I wanted to walk straight in the sunshine and enjoy what I had strived so hard for...Anyway,I just decided,as I shamefully wiped the last tear out of my face, that I would not cry anymore.Nor would I got out in the rain and let two hours of dressing up go down the drain.Shopping for clothes and accessories is hard work.Especially for someone like me whose sense of fashion is not really great.I would not let all that go waste.I decided to stay put where I was and wait until the rain stopped.
     Closing my eyes shuts me off from the real world.Not always.But sometimes.At times when I am very happy,the best way of handling it,the way that works for me,is by closing my eyes.So I closed my eyes,and thought of the day when the strife that was about to end today,began.I remember how I fought with the entire household for him.I refused to eat and drink until the entire family agreed to what I had to say.After all, I could not afford to let him down.The day I decided to fight for him,I knew I had a tough path ahead.As a member of a joint family,it was important for me to convince all the members of the family.It was no easy job.And I could not be sure what our future would be like.I had no idea myself.Infact,getting myself to talk to the family itself demanded a lot of thought and introspection from my side.Only when I was convinced that I was ready for the end results,did I garner enough courage to open up.I still remember,as if it was yesterday,how the elders of the family called me a fool and asked me to revisit my decisions a million times.I was adamant. I expressed my firm decision that I was not ready to go back on my word.There was silence in the house.The only noise that could be heard was that of the great swing in the hall creaking under the weight of the people who sad grim-faced on it.The grandfather clock in the house went clicking by.No one said a word.The silence was killing me.That night I refused to eat.No one bothered.The next morning,with a broken heart, I saw him board the first train at dawn.I was alone at the railway station.I was weak,I needed support,I needed someone to hold me and tell me that everything would be alright soon.But there was no one.I was left all alone.

     I woke up with a start as the first rays of the evening sun hit my face.The rain had stopped.Half an hour had passed since I fell into this reverie.I looked at my wrist watch.I still had an hour.In my excitement to meet him,I had gotten ready two hours in advance..Standing up and straightening the creases on my well starched sari, I got of the gate and walked to the auto stand.I got into the auto and began the countdown.My heartbeat was racing up,I could not help smiling,I kept staring out of the window.Everything I saw made me happy.So lost was I, in my happiness,that until the autowallah shouted "Madam,Station!" I did not realise that we had reached. I paid him in a hurry and got out.

      I could only imagine how happy he would be to see me in this sari.This was his gift.I wanted to look my best.I wanted to see him happy.I just wanted to hug him and forget the world and it's pains.As I walked down the footbridge,I saw him in the distance.I had grown so used to him,that I could recognise him from behind even from a distance.He was a part of my instincts! I smiled and quickened my pace.He turned back and saw me too.He picked up his bag and started running towards me..All the way,grinning from ear to ear and watching me without batting an eyelid.At last the moment was here...He threw himself into my arms,hugged me tight and said "I have missed you so much amma"...

       I again went back to that day at the same station when he had hugged me just the same way and said almost the same words "I will miss you amma".I had cried then.I cried now too.But they were tears of happiness.The happiness of seeing a son walking back alive into my arms from the enemy line.The happiness of having had the courage to fight against my family for letting my son follow his dreams.The happiness of having the will power to send my son back to a place where I had lost my husband.The happiness of being alive to watch this day.It was all about happiness.And as I drowned myself in his warm hug, I wished with all my heart,that this moment would last forever....Forever...

Fiction - From life's lost pages

 Somewhere in between last year and the year before that, going through a period of creative urge, i dabbled in story writing for a few days. Stories are not my forte. The stuff i write about is more of an observation that anything else. But during this phase i just spoke about, somehow, I got into this crazy mood and churned out a series of fictional work. This blog is one from that series. My readers on Infyblogs were happy and sent out encouraging reviews. But I have to admit, the story business is quite a tricky one for me.Well, a brake on the yada-yada, read and find out for yourself. Here we go!

The Story 

    I got into the car and gathered the pleats of my saree as I settled into the seat.Venkat, my driver, looked into the mirror and smiled at me. Nice young man, I thought to myself, as I smiled back at him.“Can we leave madam?We can take the Museum Road instead of this one” he asked, as he misted the mirror with his breath and cleaned it with the tiny yellow towel.“Let us wait until they lift the branches off the road Venkat” I replied.

   He nodded his reply and got out of the car and joined the crowd that had gathered on the pavement.

    It was raining heavy this afternoon. The Kitty party at our ladies club was supposed to end at 4 in the evening.It was 6 now.And more than half the ladies were still inside the Ladies’ club,chatting,laughing and having a good time..The rain was a blessing in disguise for us.It gave us more time at the club.

   I would have loved to stay longer. But my grand daughter would be back from school now. I wanted to spend some time with her before I headed back home.The poor child always felt lonely in the evenings, waiting for her parents to return home. She was not very fond of the maid and her antics.The minute she came back home, she locked herself up in the room and refused to come out until I knocked at the door.She looked forward to our little meet-up every evening, as much as I did.

    The tree was an ancient one.It was almost like a landmark on this road. This afternoon, the strong winds brought a huge branch crashing down to the street,blocking traffic for more than an hour.I could have chosen to take the Museum Road instead. But that added 5 more kilometer and more than 6 traffic signals to my already long drive home.So I chose to wait instead.

     The ladies were pouring out of the club,one by one. Thanks to being a member of the club for 8 long years, I knew almost every lady in the club now.I rolled my window down and waved back at them as they passed my car.

    Saraswathi, the loudest lady in the gang, came hopping down the steps,giggling and waving her hands .

I wondered where she got all that energy from.She was as old as me.And twice as larger.While most of us had got our knee caps replaced by now, Saraswathi was happily breezing through old age! It was probably her cheerful heart that kept her in the pink of health!

She caught sight of me as she descended the last step.

“Lakshmi, you are still here! Is it the traffic? Oh my! It’s been more than half an hour since you got out..Cha! “ she exclaimed, as she walked towards my car.

“The road is blocked Saru, I decided to wait until they clear up” I replied.

“Aaah…Ok! But I guess I will leave now Lakshmi, Shreyas will be here any minute now.We will take the Museum road” she said.

I smiled and nodded.

“What a day it has been Lakshmi! Abba!Such fun…Ha ha ha…Poor Vanaja is still rolling with laughter at my jokes” she gestured with her hands hysterically as she spoke..

“Oh yes Saru, I had a great time too.Stock up some more jokes for next week “ I teased her.

And she walked away, nodding her yes and shaking like a jelly blob as she giggled aloud.

    The road was clear now and Venkat came back to the car.We started off down the road.I would need atleast 20 minutes to reach my daughter’s place.As we drove past the market lane, the vegetable vendors were winding up their business for the day.The rains had ruined any chance of good sales in the evening.Vendors who had very little left, shouted out to the passers –by to buy the last stock for much cheaper rates. The market was buzzing with activity, with commotion all around. I loved this part of the road. It always brought back fond memories.The sight of the vegetable market took me back to those days, nearly 3 decades back, when I was new to the city.

   Today, I have more than a hundred acquaintances in the city.But back then, I knew no one.

Soon after my marriage, I left my cozy little town and came to the city to set up my new home with my husband. My husband held a post in the Central Government that required him to work late into the evenings. I spent the first few months of my life at the city,setting up our place and shopping for essentials. But soon, I was bored.Our’s was a big bungalow with a huge compound. Ladies from the neighboring colony,gathered up in their front porches in the afternoon and chatted away until the kids came back from school. But they rarely ever came into our compound.The big bungalow intimidated them. When I tried to speak to them as I stood at the gate in the afternoons, they spoke in a hurry and scurried off to their impromptu conferences in the opposite compound.The maid who came in to help me in the mornings, once told me, how the ladies in the neighbourhood thought that I was a rich and arrogant wife of a Government Officer. I was hurt. I missed my town more than ever. So desperate was I , for some interesting company, that I sometimes wished that I had married a simple man who did not have to live in big bungalows. I had no friends in the city. And I had almost decided that I would never make one, until, one morning, as I sat in the front yard reading the newspaper, a vegetable vendor tapped at my gate and asked me she could come in.

“Come in” I said in a stern voice. I was only putting it up. Deep inside, I was happy that someone finally walked through the gate and into my yard!

“Fresh amma,straight from the farms.Came in this morning.I don’t sell stale ones ma.I come here everyday.You can pay once a month.” She started off, even before she could put her basket down and sit down.

“Show me what you have.How much do you charge for a kilo of brinjals?” I asked.

Instead of replying to my query, she stared wide-eyed at the yellow turmeric smeared thread on my neck.

“Amma, you are newly married?” she asked, giggling happily.

“Yes” I replied, smiling.

“All the more better! I will give you the best of vegetables for lunch and dinner.No better way to keep your man in the house than cooking up something tasty for him” she giggled again.

“I still do not know how much you charge of a kilo of brinjals” I said, trying to get her back on track.

“Don’t you worry ma..I don’t take an extra penny..You will see!” she replied as she placed her right hand over chest to emphasize her promise of fair business.

    I bought vegetables from her that day and asked her to come back every day. She assured me that she would.For the next 7 years, she came every day.Rain or shine, wind or storm, she would tap at my gate every single day at nine in the morning. She became my first friend in the city. Everyday, as she settled down with her basket, she narrated stories of the latest happenings in the city.The juiciest gossip from the colony reached my ears through her. She left after 20 minutes, with a promise to come back in the afternoon when all her sales would be done.

    And every afternoon, she came back. I would sit in the frontyard and she would gather the jasmine from my garden and string them together into a bun. As I adorned my hair with the jasmine bun, she would share with me, some of the choicest of her recipes and suggest what I should cook for dinner. Sometimes I gave her a bite of whatever I had cooked for lunch and she would tell me exactly how it tasted.

“Some more tamarind ma..That will balance the salt”.

“This is better than what I make amma!”

“Did anna like it?” she would enquire the next morning, waiting eagerly to know what my husband thought of her recipes and my cooking.

She saw me through my first pregnancy.And when I went home for the child-birth, she came home every evening to cook dinner for my husband.

The day I came back with my child, she walked into the compound with a toy for my first-born and a dozen bangles for me.

“She looks just like you amma.Just as pretty” she would coo, as she petted my daughter.

For 7 long years, she came. And brought me back the little town that I missed so much. By then, I had managed to make friends in the city, but she remained to be my best ever friend.

    My husband’s transfer took us to another city for 4 years.By the time I came back,she was gone.She was 74 when she died. I could not believe it! Her energy and her enthusiasm fooled me into thinking that she would live forever…And she looked much younger than her 74 years.I said a silent prayer for her that day .And missed her every single day that I lived in the bungalow.We then moved on to a bigger place.But her memories remained.And each time I passed the vegetable market, pictures of the happy Janakamma came rushing back into my mind.

I smiled as Venkat pulled into the compound of my daughter’s place.

I now knew why I liked Saraswathi so much…She reminded me of Janakamma.

But of course, the entire Ladies’ Club put together could never give me the joy of Janakamma’s company!

My grand daughter rushed into my arms..”Ajji, come on! Tell me a story!”

I knew what story I would tell her today! :)

    The story of Janakamma, the vegetable vendor who gave me more than just vegetables!