Pallakkad to Cochin

It was late afternoon when we were getting ready to head out to Cochi - my achi veedu. It was like a four drive from Pallakkad to Cochi all the way in NH-47. I was sure that the four hour drive would be really long and tiring especially since it was the day of my wedding. After our wedding at Guruvayur early morning we went to my house at Pallakkad as per our custom and then from Pallakkad back to the girls house for first-night, that too as per custom. If things were at my hand, I would have skipped all the travel and stayed in Guruvayur itself, but customs…..

We were accompanied by my brother and his wife and then my wife's aunt. It was my brother's wedding the previous day. We had rented a Toyota Qualis, a minivan. The driver was given special instructions to turn off the AC when the bride or the groom were not present and turn it on only when they were there and in our presence he turned it on full blast and I was sort of shivering.

They wanted us to sit together and so we occupied the seat next to the driver and her aunt-uncle occupied the second row seats and my brother and sister-in-law sat at the last row. They were not considered as newly-wed (atleast by me) not only since they got married earlier to me but also since they were engaged for like 6 months. We did not have an engagement or a formal 'penu-kannal'. All we did before marriage was chat and occasional phone calls and that too lasted only for couple of months. The seat next to the driver was really congested and only one more person other than the driver could sit comfortably. We were sandwiched between the driver and door. My new wife complained (yes! Already, within hours!!) that she was sitting too close to the driver and suggested that I scoot a bit....but I had no where to go... so I held out my arms around her shoulder and pulled her towards me..... that was the first intentional physical contact I had with her. Every pot-hole and whenever the driver applied the brakes, was an opportunity for me to hold her close to my heart and whenever that happened our emotions would rise and fall like the waves in the ocean. She would occasionally look at me as if looking out the window and I too did the same. I had to look over my shoulder to see if her cheriamma (aunt) or my brother were looking or noticing anything odd. They were immersed in their conversation, at least I thought so. After around a couple of hours drive, her cheriamma noticed my occasional 'over-the-shoulder' looks and enquired if we wanted to comeback and if it was tight there. I was feeling uncomfortable that I had to hold my wife like this.... So, I told my wife that if she felt tired, she could keep her head over my shoulder and sleep and as I wanted to hear, she asked me what if she fell on the driver, and I told her that I would hold her to make sure she does not fall. That settled my embarrassment.... now I could hold her tight to my chest. But how long could I just hold her, I too decided to sleep and I acted as if I was disinterested and started looking outside and slowly closed my eyes and then I laid my chin to her head, like the proverbial cat that drank the milk closing it eyes hoping nobody notices. I do not know how or when we reached Cochin or anything..... all I was doing was holding her soft hands and occasionally pressing her fingers and she too did the same.... she would act disturbed and snuggle and come closer.

When we reached her house, we opened our eyes to the bright lights and a night sky decorated with stars hanging like jasmine flowers. The river filled with our emotions and boat filled with stories of our love stopped flowing. A journey I did not want, ended up with wishing for more. Do I have to wait for a life time to take this journey again?

Does Vegetarian food make you lazy?

I do not think eating non-vegetarian food will make you fat and obese and bring all the disease that the doctors tell. In fact, I think, eating non-vegetarian food will make you active, attractive and also add to your personality.

Look at the carnivores animals, they are so active and energetic and sharp. If a human is very sharp, they are compared to with eagles, if a human is fast, he is compared to a tiger or lion or cheetah. Now, look at the herbivores, like Elephant, Cow etc… they are huge and lazy. They do not even move until they are in danger. When a human is lazy, they are often compared to buffaloes. None of the good qualities are ever attributed to Vegetarian animals.

According to the books, what we eat decides our physical well being as well as our mental makeup. So, my theory is that eating vegetarian food is detrimental to ones health. It may make you lazy. Where as eating non-vegetarian food will make you active, smart, respected etc.

On second thoughts, the Vegetarian animals are huge and lazy because, they do not have to hunt for their food; what they eat rarely moves. They just have to stand and eat. When they are full they sit in some corner digest it and when hungry get up again and do the same thing. But, for the Carnivores animals, they have to hunt and fight for their food, they have to be always looking…. that might be what makes them active, sharp etc….

So, does food really determine the nature of a person? Or is it the nature of work that you to do determine the nature of the person? Is it really necessary to divide food into Vegetarian and non-vegetarian since there is no purpose or effect on humans other than the source of it? It makes more sense to me (as per the Hindu books) where the food is divided into three types: (1) Sattvic (pure) food: one which increases longevity, purity, strength, health, happiness and taste and which is juicy, oily, and durable in nature. (2) Rajasic (hot) food: one which is bitter, sour, salty, hot and spicy, burning and which gives unhappiness, sorrow and disease and (3) Tamasic (intoxicating) food: one which is stored and devoid of any juices, dried, foul smelling, decomposed, left over and indigestible.

Do Animals believe in God?

Recently I have been reading books on Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and other great philosophers who have written based on their knowledge of Vedas. Swami Vivekananda says that if you have to understand the world, you need to generalize. That is true. If you look into how a living body is made, we all have the same structure. We have a wrist, so do dogs, cows, cats, elephants, lions and reptiles and birds. Then we have the elbow, same is true for the above animals, then the shoulder…. Same for the animals mentioned. Of course, we do not have tails… but understand I am just generalizing. Two eyes, two legs, similar nose, ears etc. etc.

There are differences too… those differences are only on the shape, design, degree of use etc… but not concept. Conceptually, animals and humans are same, except that it does not deceive or cheat or lie.

Now, to my main concern, do the animals too believe in God? Do they pray? When not reading on Swami Vivekananda or Gandhi, I watch Animal Planet. According to studies, animals have feelings, affection and almost all emotions that we people have. I was shocked when I saw the movie – ‘March of the Penguins’ (I know, they did not show this on Animal Planet). But, if they have similar emotions, do they also believe in God? Most of us pray (generalization) for some selfish purpose be it loving spouse, healthy child, safe living, comforts etc. I am sure animals too want them. Animals too protect their children, expect safe living etc. and so won’t they have to ask that from somebody? As I child, I used to throw stones at dogs and they would run to the house where they feel safe and hide until the danger (me and my friends) walks away. So, when the dog hides, will it not pray so that we do not find it or hurt it? Do they understand the concept of God? Do they not understand the concept of God? It seems animals can see more than what humans can see. Do you think they would have already seen God? Is it true that the dog howls when it sees ‘Yama dharma raja’? Can it see them? Or does it know that there is no God and that is the reason it does not pray?

Confusion

I am confused.....I do not know the equivalent word for 'Confusion' in Hindi? Nor do I know the equivalent word for it in Malayalam or Tamil. Called my dad and asked he too could not think of any word exactly equivalent... then asked my Telgu friends if they knew the telgu word... they too did not know... asked some tamil friends, they too did not know.

Recollected those Hindi dialogues where Amitabh says 'Mere dictionary mein nahin hein' . My mentality says that if I do not know/understand something thing, then it does not exist. So, may be there is not word called 'confusion' in any Indian language at all.... or is it that people are slowly forgetting their mother-tongue??? I was talking to my friend earlier on how we no longer say 'I Love you' in our mother-tongue. Same with 'I hate you'. Using such lines in our mother-tongue will make us feel out of place - 'Where are you from? What language are you talking? Is that pure Malayalam? Are you being poetic? '

I am really confused!!!

What should Google do next?

My list of things that Google should do:

1) Google should start a 'Tax preparation software' to compete with H&R Block and the likes.
Features: Should be able to tell what others are doing to save on their taxes.
2) Google Credit Card - should be able to pay bills too.
Features: Should report the amount paid as Sales Tax and help in computing deductible while filing taxes. Should display the store where the same product is being sold at a lesser rate thereby enabling shopper to do a price match immediately.
3) Google Browser - kill IE and Mozilla.
Features: Can think of anything that IE and Mozilla do not have.
4) Google Gas station - kill Exxon
Features: Lowest rate.
5) Google Mart - kill Walmart
Features: Can't think of any right now
6) Google Car - Kill Honda and Toyota
Features: I shall come up with the list when I have some more time.

Headline opinions!!!

I was late to work today …. I stayed back to listen to the Headline news. Then, I got into an argument with my colleague on some trivial issue. We were discussing about something we read on the Newspaper. We discussed and argued and spent a good amount of time over the topic. We do this very often. It is sometimes on ‘How the Tamil Nadu government can allow non-brahmins to perform pujas in temples’, sometimes it is the war in Iraq, sometimes it is the dropping of Ganguly from the team… reservation issue, poverty in India, religion, on how to bring-up children, on how doctors publish contradictory reports etc… the list is not small and we always have something to discuss.

It is good to have some meaningful discussions especially politics, the things we can not discuss with our spouse at home. The wrong thing here is that most of the discussions are based upon the headline news that we read and listen half-heartedly.

I wonder how many of the discussions we have are based on thorough research and not just reading some ‘masala’ website. I remember discussing with my friend on an incident that happened few years back, when a SC/ST girl from Kerala committed suicide for not being able to continue her studies. There was a mini-bandh in Kerala and the buses and other properties were destroyed. I too was upset on the girl’s death and we argued on how wrong things are. My opinion was based on after reading one newspaper. When I read different newspapers, I got more details and a different version of the event. Now, whom do I trust? I read few more newspapers and after spent some time every day to read the story about this subject and finally I came to the conclusion that the whole incident was unwarranted. The girl died for completely different reason than as first reported. How many people would have resorted to violence by reading/hearing the first report? Who is to blame? Is it not our fault to jump to conclusions based on reading just the headline and not reading the whole story?

What would be a society where people’s opinions, views, thoughts and actions are based upon headline news that changes from time to time and from source to source, a society where people do not have enough time to think thoroughly about anything?

Where are those wrist watches

I no longer wear a wrist-watch. I also noticed that many men now-a-days do not wear one. Guess it’s the PDA and cell phones that have taken the place of the wrist watch.

I remember, my dad never forgetting to wear one. He would come back home to pick it up in case he forgot. He does the same now too. I guess he felt the way I feel when I forget my cell-phone – naked!

I do not even recollect when I bought a watch for myself. The last one I had was as a gift from my in-laws. This one had a silver strap and a golden dial – Titan. Real expensive! The one before that was ‘buy a perfume and get a watch free’ thing. The last time I bought one for somebody was one for my wife - Fossil – a pinkish brown with a pink tanned strap. She wore it for few days and finally got bored, I guess. I have not seen her wearing one for a long time… nor have I bothered to ask her.

I have not been following the features of the recent watches... but as I a child, I still remember the change from dial to electronic, from the winding ones to battery to solar, then there was the one with alarm beeps, then ones with radiums to see in the dark, then ones that are water-proof, then ones with shock absorbers, then the talking ones, the ones that measure your BP, heartbeat etc., and now that plays mp3.

I always wanted to buy a ‘Rolex’ for my dad, but now I feel a watch is not really worth. It does not have Internet, it does not have a camera, no ring-tones, it is not IPOD ready, no calendar, no weather information is available, no traffic reports, no compass or GPS …… would it be just not cool to have a watch with all the features… or do they call one with all the above features a ‘Cell phone’?

Designer Upma

I like to see my wife and baby sleep on a lazy weekend morning. She refuses to open her eyes. One of things I like to do on such a day is prepare some hot coffee and then keep the breakfast ready before they wakeup. I made this upma for her just to see the smile.

Though Upma is considered like a 'adopted child' of breakfast.... see her all dressed up like a dulhan .....

I like the spiced up Upma to any other breakfast esp. because it is easy to make... the preparation steps are easy and no leaving the flour overnight, no side-dishes required.... just put in your favourite vegetables.... though considered as 'beginner's receipe' or 'bachelor's menu'.... does not take the taste out of it.

Heart ful Fish keema

We had invited my wife's 'balyakala sakhi' for lunch the other day and she cooked some excellent food, something she had never done for me.

I had to do my bit.... though content is king, presentation is essential, so I added some design to the already tasty and delightful food. Made two hearts of the Fish Keema - one my wife and the other her firend and then put a smile to the bottom - my happiness.

Ghosts and music

Read the news that one of the Hindi song - Jhalak Diklaja is attracting ghosts and whoever sings it gets 'possessed'. Strange!!!!
I am getting tempted to listen to the songs and have so far consciously avoided it. I might listen to it later on in the day. Not sure if what is true in Gujrath is true here in US. Wondering if something happens to me.... where do I go? It also reminds me of the various movies made with such a concept - a lady in a white sari, long black untied hair... walking in a cloud of smoke and singing that haunted song.... and then a dog howling in the background and gush of wind slamming the window but the curtains slowing floating ......

Interesting news... that needs to be followed.... ;-)

More later.