Of Guardian Angels & GodMothers!

The Obamas had left and the festivities had come to an end.Maharashtra had a new CM,a new Dy CM and an Adarshwadi cabinet of ministers.The CAG report was out, Nanos were on fire and so was Nayaki. Her maid had tendered her resignation and Nayaki had accepted it graciously.The present incumbent had vacated office at a short notice and an indomitable Nayaki had stepped into her shoes in Bai ishtyle.With the saree tucked in place and a broom in hand the queen meant serious business. The gleaming floors,sparkling walls,tweaking vessels and the fragrant clothes had said it all. Delighted with the work Nayaki patted herself...." You are rocking Maam"she said to herself. Yes indeed! the tired limbs trembled and shivered and her body rocked. Smilingly she consoled herself"Wow ! I have saved a whopping 100 bucks today." I feel like a Super Woman." she murmured.The Home Department was making strategic moves and talks were on to make a suitable choice of the next incumbent to the post of HouseMaid in the Iyer home.Nayaki in the meantime was gliding back to her glorious past and the eastern connections.

Krishnamurthy was a simpleton.The flute god namesake had a Sudama for company.He introduced the new friend to his demure wife Kannamani."Meet my dear friend Sudama Kamkar." The naive Kannamani blurted out "Who?"Kurima?????& why is he here I pray???Sudama was the new member in the Krishnamurthy family and Kannamani had baptised him as Kurima....

Krishnamurthy had spotted this little boy at a wheat mill on Purna Das road.The Bihari owner RadhaMohan was a friend and supplied fresh wheat flour to the Krishnamoorthy family.The little boy had come all the way from Bihar in search of work and ended up becoming a valued member of the Iyer family.

The hard working Bihari lad brought great joy and happiness into the military environment.He sang.he danced,and he served.He was like a dream come true....a samaritan with the strength of a genie & the TAMBONGS couldn't have asked for more.The working wonder was God's own Angel and the loyal Kurima served three generations of the Krishnamurthy family.

"Why can't I find someone like him today?" mumbles Nayaki."Why do I have to place an ad every six months?" she moaned.......As home front beckoned her for another working ritual Nayaki had made up her mind..... "I have to make it & YES I CAN".......A trip to Siwan village in  Chapra district of Bihar in search of Kurima's descendants ........

A DATE WITH THE OBAMAS!

Its party time at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Nayaki is Obamanised.Admired for his eloquent speeches ,the US President has made it into the hearts of many an Indian.Having acknowledged his meteoric rise and the post of the President of the USA to the values imparted by the teachings of the Mahatma,Barrack had appealed to all and Indians in particular.A fine diplomat...his speeches could have been scripted but cleverly held the essence of recognising our country as a power that had already emerged.

The three Krishnamurthy siblings were keen observers and had a wide range of interests from politics to current affairs.Nayaki was also a chip of the old block and enjoyed watching NDTV 24X7.The past two days had her glued to the Idiot box.As the First Couple emerged out of the AirForce One Boeing 747 ,45 year old Nayaki was elated and yes...she was to meet her schoolmate after nearly 3 decades...a schoolmate reunited in the virtual world and here she was all set to meet her bosom mate in the real world as well.The world wide web had brought childhood pals together.Social networking meant interaction with the real friends....friends with whom she had spent some of the most precious moments of her life.They chatted and laughed their worries away.The status messages were crazy but therapeutic enough to bring a smile on the reader's lips.

It was in 2010 that Nayaki was reconnected with all her long lost friends and the journey to meet each one of them had just begun.Mutual efforts were working out and things were falling in place.Just back from Bangalore and Mumbai after meeting two friends the Nayaki was in the capital city to meet another one....a friend with whom she had shared space in the classroom,in the buses and in the trams of Calcutta...a friend who giggled with her and helped her with the notes...a friend who cared for her and was there to lift up her spirits.The journey right from kindergarten to Middle school and then upto High school was fulfilling and satisfying for the two girls.As all good things have to come to an end so did this one. The friends seperated and were set to pursue their goals in life.Nayaki went on to graduate from the St Xaviers College Calcutta and her distinguished friend was a Harvard Law School Laureate.

A well settled Nayaki was amongst the 173 high profile distinguished guests invited for the ceremonial dinner hosted in honour of the first couple.A radiant Nayaki was dressed to befit the glittering banquet.at the expansive Mughal gardens.....in a cream coloured Kanjivaram saree with pearls to complement.The guests had arrived and the President of India presented a picture of a perfect host.She warmly welcomed the first couple.The glamorous first lady of the US was graceful with pleasing manners and interacted at ease with the other guests.She had yet again stolen the spotlight from her husband.Nayaki watched her admiringly from a distance....her heart pounding and her pulse racing. As Michelle was approaching her with a warm smile.......a bell rang."Must be a ceremonial ring before the dinner" mused Nayaki.She had never been to a state hosted banquet before and was absolutely clueless.Dismissing it off lightly, she waited with bated breath...for a reunite with a childhood chum.........and "hey there goes the bell again" she quipped to a stranger beside her..."was he the the SBI chairman O. P. Bhatt "she wondered!."Sonia Gandhi,Rahul Gandhi,Ratan Tata,Mukesh Ambani,Chanda Kocchar,Kumaramangalam Birla...they are my friends and most of the other Indian guests are familiar too"she whispered to herself..She was a little puzzled"Why don't I remember this familiar face?"she blurted out unconsciously.......to which a friendly face replied ...Yes, you do ,my dear! he is our faithful milkman and it is 5AM now.....& remember u have an appointment with an ophthalmologist throughout the day.

 .The Iyer family was getting up from bed.The DEV was puzzled and the DEVI DREAMFACED.....

Its party time at The rashtrapathi Bhavan

Exiled & Apprenticed!

Chandru was a stern taskmaster and a strict disciplinarian.He was like a coconut... hard from the exterior and tender inside.....like a jackfruit with a jagged cover and a heart of gold filled with the fruits of love and compassion. Each member had an assigned task which they perforned with due diligence.Little Nayaki was a victim too and dreading the third eye learnt to perform her duties with clockwork precision.The Krishnamurthys were also endowed with speed in their genes.The mind and hands worked in tandem in this Home Making Factory.

Baby Nayaki was the darling of the house and yet had to work hard to earn the affection.A day never ended without the little girl howling and screaming for help as the other family members watched helplessly.The homework done and the lessons learnt the little girl would emerge unscathed out of a locked room with a bar of cadbury's milk chocolate in one hand, and tears in her eyes.....only to wipe them off and spend an evening out with the same uncle and his friends.She had earned the gift  for the day and the tutor cum uncle Chandru was pleased with her near perfect rendition of numbers backwards from 1000 to 1.

Weekends meant longer hours of hard work for the Uncle Niece duo.which included mental maths,practising the art of handwriting ,story telling sessions ,impromptu speeches and lessons on Creative English.Chandru was a mobile Thesaurus and the two would pick up new words everyday.A yawn and a sheepish teary grin was all that she could mange to emote to the  curious onlookers.A fatigued kid prayed for freedom but the grim master craved for perfection...and the last assignment every day would be to read a passage from the newspaper and answer the volley of questions.A correct reply would be passed of with an emotionless OK and a wrong one meant redoing another passage all over again.

Greater work however meant more merriment as well.A trip to the Lily Pool ,a drive down the lakes with Puchkas & Aloor dum was her reward and Nayaki loved every single moment of the pampered indulgence.She was smart enough to read his mind and did not mind the rigorous training schedules.Afterall they came in with so many freebies and he was a clever child psychologist.Lucky would also join in the daily celebrations and the threesome would have spent some of the best times of their lives together.The mode of transport was Chandru's Lamby and the dreamy eyed Nayaki still drives a Scooty today to keep the memories alive. ....

The Starry Connection!

The Krishnamurthy siblings had a passion for friends and were more Bengali than Thamizh..They spoke the language with ease...fluently, with the correct diction and pronunciation.Even at this age their language skills would put any Bengali to shame.The young men were live wires...they made friends instantly and were much sought after for their company.They shared a common flair for humour & wit.A day in the Krishnamurthy family was never complete without an ADDA & a Bridge Round Table.The brothers were masters of the game and years later Chandru was to participate in national and international tournaments as well .The kitchen was always buzzing with Dosactivity & the Bong friends had made it their second home.Friends jumped in uninvited with potfuls of Rasogollas and yummy singadas(samosas).The vigilant Kannamani also ensured a constant supply of the Idli/dosa batter.The young multi linguistic sports fanatic Bahu was also an instant hit and Bhabhi Ma endeared to all.Bhoudi to some,Mashima to others the jovial Subbu Vijaya couple was soon to become the Universal Anna Manni to the entire Tambong fraternity as well.

Subbu was serving in the IRS and frequent postings in various positions proved to be a boon.The young man in service was lucky to have interacted with people from all streams and walks of life.....and maintains some of the contacts even today.Given the social networking today.where a constant interaction could perhaps be practically feasible with only a very few, inspite of a long  list of friends...Subbu had a real live active circle of vibrant pals,who came along with happy families....and they celebrated festivals,wedding anniversaries & birthdays together.

A birthday party was a gala celebration. Lil Nayaki & her brother were pampered with the luxury of a bash no ordinary child could dream of these days.The guest list included some of the Bengali film & theatre stars some of whom would seek an appointment with the assessing income Tax Officer during the day & barge in for a tete-a-tete into the Iyer home in the evenings.Subbu's stint as the assessing officer in the Film Circle was a dream come true for Lil Nayaki & her kid brother .The weekends would be reserved for exclusive first shows & premieres...& the kid siblings would share space with some of the greats of the Bengali Film industry....Then there were the special invites for the film shoots as well.It was during these years that Subbu's family had the privilige of meeting the stars.A star struck nayaki watched the stars with admiration & alas !Subbu's network does not include them now.Its been nearly 3 decades since the family migrated to a city on the shores of the bay of bengal....and as Nayaki strolls down the Marina ,the typical piscean that she is....is lost yet again in fantasy land.The dreamy middle aged mother of two twenty year old girls would rather befriend a Ranbir Kapoor or a Surya today.....

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SANDS OF TIME!

Chokkanayaki had barely managed to reach the airport on time.The flight was scheduled to leave at 8.20PM and she was stuck in the highway traffic on the way to SantaCruz airport.The couple had left home at 4.30 PM and the long drive from Chembur was nervewracking.Vehicles moved in snail like precision inch by inch and the slow movement was getting a little unbearable.She wondered "Was it the sheer grit and determination of its residents that made Mumbai move?"Just back from Shirdi ,the constant utterance of Sai Nama was the  only solace.A bag holding the sacred udi and the samadhi flowers served as the life jacket and Nayaki was still very much grounded.She gasped for the gas of life and her hands unconsciously reached out for the non existent oxygen pump.A constantly honking ambulance added to the traffic woes and  it had no clue as to where it headed. The Nayaki's chaffeur was a staunch Marthi manus with a brave heart and he waded through the procession unfazed by the string of bottlenecks.

With a restless consort by her side the Nayaki was flying.......& was slowly slipping back to her oriental days.A trip to the railway station at Howrah was equally painful in the seventies and eightys.Subbu was a meticulous planner and had a great eye for detail.Time flies and if past experiences are anything to go by......the training taken to reach the station on time was now proving to be useful for the Nayaki.Subbu had prepared her for this day ,instilled confidence and the will to think positive .Holidays were a pleasure and the Subbu family  would reach the station much ahead of the departure time and wait for hours...rather than miss the train.

The drive on the Rajiv Gandhi sea link is a delight and the beauty of the Rabindra Sethu bridge over the Hooghly is unparalleled.With thoughts meandering and alternating between time zones...Nayaki was plain lucky and Sai was her saviour.Her spirits were set to soar as the TamBong watched the  magnificent Arabian Sea turn into the great Bay Of Bengal......

The summer months were vacation time down South & in winters the Subbu family headed north.Planned meticulously th