Of Katrinas & Goldfishes!

The Krishnanmoorthys had a roof above their head....a roof with gaping holes and cracked walls to complement.The house got a facelift every year.The walls would be whitewashed and the ceilings plastered.Yet a Kal Boisakhi was enough to restore the exteriors and the  interiors to their original glory. For those who may be not familiar with the term......the Kal Boisakhis are severe thunderstorms commonly called as Norwesters which occur in Bengal  during the summer months .Some of them reach tornadic violence and cause considerable damage to life and property.The landmark on Rash Behari Avenue presented a grim look always......a heritage monument ready to fall into pieces.Kannamani was a naive village belle and had made it her home.Decades later the jigsaw puzzle is complete.The abode was Vaasthu compliant and FengShui friendly.  Kannamani was however never aware of it.Three generations of the Krishnamoorthy family had made it their home and flourished....and now I know the secret of their success.A little Fish Aquarium store on the ground floor was the Guardian Angel of the edifice.The house had no taps but boasted of an abundant water tank and a warm buzzing kitchen that catered to the varied tastes of family members and friends 365X24X7.......

A Filmy Reunion:-)

The Chennai Dadar Express was slowly chugging out of Egmore station.Nayaki was seated in a II Tier A/C compartment.Over the years the railway decor had changed to suit the comfort levels of the fast paced 21st century Indian.
 A journey from Calcutta to Secunderabad meant nearly 48 hours of travel in the seventies.There were no direct trains those days.In March 1966 Little Nayaki had celebrated her first birthday with much fanfare.May & June were the vacation months & Bhabhi Ma was given a break every year.It was another much awaited holiday for Bhabhi Ma and the yearly visit to her maternal home at Secunderabad.Trains had to be changed and the journey made comfortable by a ready stock of eatables to last for two full days.
The train left Howrah early in the morning and reached Vijaywada late in the night.Bhabhi Ma and her lil girl had to spend the night in the waiting room.The next connecting train to Secunderabad was scheduled to arrive only the next morning.Leaving lil Nayaki in the care of an elderly couple Bhabhi Ma went in search of hot water.Unawares that the baby girl was following her ,Bhabhi Ma headed straight into the Railway Pantry Room.The elderly couple were also in for a rude shock a few minutes later.Bhabhi Ma returned to find the couple franctically searching for the kid.

The young mother was crestfallen and her world seemed to have come to an end.She panicked and ran helter skelter in search of her precious one.The lil one was nowhere to be seen.A shaken helpless mother was appealing to the Gods.It was an overcast night and to add to the woes rains came pouring down.The eyes searched for a one year old and the drenched mom ran from one platform to another.The few hours of agony were thankfully soon to end as a Good Samaritan in the guise of a Coolie guided the woman to an engine at the far end of a platform.The little Nayaki dressed in Birthday finery....a Kanjeevaram silk skirt & blouse was playing in the rain close to a steam engine.From a distance the mom's heart skipped a beat.Hurriedly she ran and embraced the child close to her heart.This was a moment both mother and daughter were to cherish for the rest of their lives......a moment captured in their memory for ever.....

The Cricket Fans

Subbu passed out of St Lawrence High School and graduated in honours from St Xaviers College Calcuuta.The days were tough and in order to supplement his father's income young Subbu took up employment and his first job was with the Bengal pottery.A proud septuagenarian, he still treasures the farewell mementoes...a set of porcelain dinner plates which are in use even today.Chandru also completed his schooling and went To Sir Ashutosh college.The self made men rose to great heights and served in top positions of the Indian Revenue Service.
Young Lucky was a carefree lad and in the seventh standard when Subbu got married in 1963.The bride was from the land of the Krishna and the Godavari.She was the first woman graduate in the Krishnamurthy family and  was well versed in English,Tamil,Telugu,Kannada,& Hindi.The little Lucky was lucky to have a teacher and she doted on him.The BHABHI MA was a live wire and a MAD HATTER.An avid cricket and football buff,the radio was a constant companion. The 21 yr old was a storehouse of sporting statistics and facts.The sporting ma-in-law had no complaints either.Times have changed but the seventy year old is still charged.Ask her even today and see her face light up explaining how India were all out for 47 even before she could make a couple of Dosas.T20 has pepped up her enthusiasm and this 21st century Grand Mom now proficient in Bengali as well has a large fan following today......

THE COFFEE ADDICTS...

The scene is a shot straight from a war zone.The period is the 21st century and the time a typical morning in a family with school going children.Kids are pulled out off their beds and they go right into the bathtubs.A bath apparently given,off they are bundled into cramped school buses with a load the tender backs can barely bear.
Little Subbu,Chandru, Lucky & the two Kumaris were however a fortunate lot.The eldest son of Kannamani went straight to the Vth std.& brags of the so acquired Penta Fold promotion even today .It was a Walk In admission for the heir apparent and the younger siblings in some of the most prestigious schools of Calcutta and later in the best colleges too.The mother oblivious of the happenings around her was carrying out her daily rituals with steadfast devotion & commitment.
The little boys took turns in getting the daily bottles of milk....and little Nayaki loved the taste of Haringhata milk.The day began with the cup of coffee...and it used to be a COFFEE DAY each day.. All they  needed to do was to roast the coffee beans,grind it to a fine powder in a hand machine ,extract the decoction in a coffee filter &.....Hey presto!!!!!! the cuppa was ready to be served........

The Mouse Trap & Water Woes!

Today's Nayaki muses with a mouse under the palm in the comfort of an airconditioned room in stark contrast to the the young Kannamani  who was settling down with live mice for company.The abode was the second floor of a dilapidated structure on one of the most happening and arterial streets of Calcutta .Each room had a built-in Rat Trap waiting to devour the rodents and little Nayaki had spent her childhood there.The balconies overlooked the busy Rash Behari Avenue.The residents woke up every morning to the call of the Bahri Wallah.The sump never needed to be filled & the motor never existed.For those of you who may be wondering who the Bahri Wallah was...here's the answer.The one I saw all my years was a short dark stocky man who carried water a la Shravan Kumar .Two huge oil tins served as the water carriers.They hung alternatingly on either side of his shoulders and he would painstakingly fill up the tank inside the house on the second floor.The leaking roofs were a blessing and buckets arranged in order also chipped in to help during the rainy season.Little Kannamani was a young woman and was the pillar of the family.Young ,ambitious Krishnamurthy had ventured into lucrative pastures and was serving in Bihar.....

The Bhagirathi Trail

It was the Nineteen thirties.A short statured bespectacled young man had moved into the city of joy along with his newly wed wife Kannamani.The demure lady barely sixteen was draped in nine yards of traditional Kanjeevaram silk with diamonds to complement.A big vermillion dot on the forehead marked the little girl as a woman,The couple were strangers to the land of the Bhagirathi and a migration from a conservative village down south was unheard of in those days.The young man had broken the shackles of convention & had reached the city defying all odds..He was a graduate and a Gold Medallist in Cost Accountancy.The coy bride had never seen the light of school .She spoke only chaste Tamil and he spoke English with a heavy Southie twang.It marked the beginning of a glorious period in the Krishnamurthy family and the evolution of the Tambongs.They had come in search of greener pastures & a home.....a home for generations to follow.........

Dreams 'n' Drapes

The ambience is perfect and the live shoot is on.The location is a saree boutique at T.Nagar in the heart of Chennai.I am absolutely normal....as normal as any other Indian woman and I can spend hours in the midst of a saree pile and experience the sublime.The scene at the outlets go to prove this and more.The six yard is a woman's best friend and I am proud of my national attire.Pretty women invade the counters and the helpless boys are a happy lot.Ever wondered why most shops here have men guarding the saree counters ???Now you know why....& why some even have faithful toothless gaping oldies showing off the colourful drapes.Dressed in  delightful weaves the gorgeous women walk the floor and admire themselves in the huge mirrors adorning the walls.The seller sure knows how to attract the fairer folk and entice them.Inflation never seems to matter here and the DA increase enough to help me shop without major guilt pangs.As I leave for work the next day,I admire my collection and yet i am dissatisfied..My cupboard cries for help as I pull out a crisp cotton and I SIGH!!!! How I wish I were born in a Nalli or Kumaran family!!!!!!

Its a typical morning in an Iyer joint family.The year is 2010 and mankind has made a giant leap in the field of technology.The alarm in her mobile prompts her to get up & she wakes up to the strong smell of camphor, incense & the soothing melody of Rama Nama.Its 5AM... her day has begun and  had started much earlier for the senior citizens of the house who unmindful of the changing scenario will not leave a stone unturned in carrying out the daily rituals with religious fervour.The aroma of the filter coffee is an intoxication & the kick needed to kick off.The courtyard swept and cleaned,the kitchen now awaits her. As she wait for her Fairy Godmother to make her appearance ,she is already halfway ..the vegetables cut and the cooking on under strict guidelines...."Thou shall not cook without bathing,thou shall not taste the food at the time of cooking,thou shall not touch cooked items & milk products at the same time,thou shall not carryover food into the refriegerator,thou shall not waste food ....& thou shall be a strict vegetarian."The food is offered to the Gods & the crow gets the first mouthful.The Iyer Fare is now ready to be served....