Pages

June 25, 2005

A whole lot of nothing.


You know what makes living in India special?
Not living in India.

That's the easy answer. Am still thinking of the right answer...


About five years back, when I was still a FOB (Fresh-off-the-board as my cousin called me, quite unflatteringly), I used to wonder what the big deal was about Fridays. TGIF? I mean come on! There are many other things to thank God for than Fridays :) Now, every Thursday, I wake up with a little more hope, I walk with a little spring in my step, I smile a lot more because I know Friday is just a day away! The monotony of the week somehow gets to me, every week! And then I come home bubbling with good will and enthusiasm because it's the much hyped about Friday night and sometimes it just turns out to be a damp squib. A friend who recently started working, shook his head in despair and claimed, "Ramya, inga weekend naale kadi...thaan" (Weekends are a bore here).

And that got me thinking. I don't recall feeling listless and bored on weekends back home...when I was at Bits, weekends meant visits to Annapurna restaurant, Pappu's milk shakes, conversations with boys about their girls, with girl friends about boys, about life and philosophy, about books and romance, assignments and movies...I don't recall asking myself, "OK, what shall I do today?" I just did not have the time for that question. In Madras, it was a similar story, waking up late, bed coffee, long phone calls, Ranganathan street visits in the sweltering heat, Nilgiris icecream and chitchat, fighting and laughing with mom and dad and L, listening to stories from Thatha...time, as they say, just flew.

Don't get me wrong, am not complaining - I have travelled a lot more in the US, gone on wild amusement park rides - if that counts!, experimented with skiing, ice-skating, painting, interior design, tubing, canoeing, rafting, dancing and driving! But sometimes none of these can stop the small voice within me that makes demands that I cannot fulfil...



OK, that's a whole lot of rambling about a whole lot of nothings -

Of sun-kissed earth and capricious rains, samosas and chai shared with mirth and chatter; Of the aroma of hot filter-coffee and pungent spices; Of sacred kumkum and colorful sarees; Of strangers who don't smile and a land of no strangers; Of the bliss of familiarity and the melody of ringing temple bells; Of curious enquiries and unsubtle questions; Of the comfort of family and the hum of old ceiling fans; Of home and love.

Note: I clicked none of these pics, thanks to whoever did!

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm Aasai-ya Kaati Mosam Panraango!

-Vasu

expertdabbler said...

RS's blog is getting livelier and much more .. er.. unpredictable:-))

nostalgic eh? what wud you ask god if he were to give u one good varam?

i bet its gonna be something like "chennai every weekend and back to lexington on monday morning" :-D.

expertdabbler said...

flight journey - 1 hr max

Anonymous said...

I just started reading your blog. You know what I dont like giving away my prejudices that easily. But I should definitely say you right well and your place is interesting...

Thats it..

Krish said...

OT: RS, I blogrolled you :-)

Random Access said...

ammmmmmaaaaaa...i want all those in the pic... a pic speaks a thousand words, and now u have tempted me with 3278! Life is so totally unfair!

Random Access
The search has just begun !!!

Kaps said...

I'm feeling homesick after reading your post & after seeing the filter coffee.

Anonymous said...

U r again playing violin with my emotional strings...next time I see u, u owe me hot samosas, pasta and coffee...:).

I couldn't agree more with the weekends and the Friday thingy...

KP.

Anonymous said...

life is best enjoyed in nothingness and small stuff
chennai is wonderful... what makes it special is that those days will never be relived
looking fwd to more stuff fr you...
g

Agnibarathi said...

India indeed :-). Hey, I have a set of realy interesting and well shot pictures under the theme India. Let me know if you want them forwarded (agnibarathi@gmail.com).

IBH said...

Oh RS, u have made me long for all that are pictured here...filter kaapi!I am coming over there to kentucky and u better serve me a cup , will ya?;)
same here! Have been out in US doing hella lot of things starting from snorkelling,sky diving,canoeing,rafting,extreme bowling,skiing everything that I never imagined I could do...in India..but not in one millionth second have I ever wondered what to do ,back home.It was always a different yet enjoyable days back in India.
"Of sacred kumkum and colorful sarees;" and some buds of malli and jathi :( konjam miss pannuren adha inga :)

RS said...

To Mythili: Thanks! Your coffee post kind of inspired this one!

To Vasu, Random Access, KP, Kaps: Sorry if I made you all feel homesick, but hey, I felt homesick myself when I wrote this blog :)

To g and anonymous: Thanks!

To Thennavan: same here :)

To agnibarathi: sure, will get in touch, meanwhile, how about also posting them on your blog?

To prabhu karthik: You read my mind :)

To ibh: Sure thing! Malli poo...mmm, don't get me started again :)

dinesh said...

RS,

"Of strangers who don't smile and a land of no strangers;"

Ha..just what I felt about our land...aptly summarized !

One question - why do you have driving along with tubing, canoeing and rafting ? :) adhuvum adventure activity o oru velai ? K a ketta theriyum ! ;)

RS said...

Dinesh, driving is there because it's something I learnt after coming to US and not because it's an adventure, I'll try to get to K before you ask him! :)

Zeppelin said...

கடவுளே, கடவுளே !! ரொம்ப படுதரியே.... :) awesome blog rs...

on every rainy day, i miss amma's bajji and masala tea...

filter coffee...hmmm...என்னத்த சொல்ல...

fortunately have a friend at work, who shares the same tastes..in fact, we even went to the nearby indian store from work whenever it rained, to get some samosa... :)

என்னுள் இருந்த புலிய தட்டி எழுப்பிட்ட.... பயங்கரமா பசிக்கரது... :)

RS said...

phil, thanks :)

Actually the day I wrote this post, we went to the nearby Indian store, straight from work, to buy samosas!

Agnibarathi said...

I'll post one perhaps...there are too many pics to be posted on my BLOG! Check http://offnoimportance.com

kamal said...

"You know what makes living in India special?
Not living in India."


This is so true, grass is greener on the other side, I was mad about coming to the US to study before I got here. Now, I want the luxuries of India in Lex :)

"Of strangers who don't smile and a land of no strangers"
If you keep writing like this, I will have to become the writer's agent :)

Anonymous said...

Ramya..
Look at my first post and then time permitting the rest of them too..

nothingfancy.rediffblogs.com

Ramji

Anonymous said...

Ignore my previous coment..got some problems with my place on the internet..

Adios!!
Ramji

sb said...

RS,
over attagasam!!!! One of the best write-ups I have read in the recent times. awesome!!

RS said...

To cinnamon: Thanks, will do :)

To baby k: writer's agent? talk about wishful thinking!

To Ramji: let me know when your website is ready to go!

To sb: thanks :)

© Ramya Sethuraman, All Rights Reserved.