sankaranti in vijayawada

had a wonderful day yesterday when ravi and i decided to drive down to vijayawada on bhogi (pre-sankaranti) day to the big bazaar to check out a rice cooker for martha. we walked in to unimagined pandemonium. there were 3 nadaswaram players seated at the entrance who were in some kind of frenzy and i could just about make out the song they were playing amidst all the wailing. we walked into the crowded store and found 2 very colourfully dressed people (more on the dress in a few minutes) who, i later found out, were haridasus. we commented to each other on the traditionally dressed people who had come shopping and commenced to stack up our trolley with sauce, soups etc. suddenly there was a loud shout and we noticed that the 2 had been joined by a third person and they had started ..... well, i'll call it singing for want of any other word (cacofonix would have been bound up and stowed away for less!!). there was a lot of dialogue in the singing - or at least two of them took turns saying something to each other (could have been question/answer sessions but i could not identify a single word, and i do have some grasp of telugu by now). the third guy only yelled out something once in a while, and joined the chorus. the main singer was dressed in a bright orange turban and tunic and black pants over which a set of ghungroos had been tied. the quiet singer was dressed in ordinary drab clothes but the third one was the best - he wore a pretty transparent tunic that looked like a kathak dancer's costume., a pair of very faded blue jeans and to top it all - a santa claus cap. i seriously couldn't stop smiling! like a proper tourist, i managed to get a couple of pics of them on ravi's phone camera so the quality may not be great. the nicest touch was when i finally understood something they were singing about - they kept mentioning shopping and big bazaar so... that was easy.

the nicest thing was that no one could watch the performance with a straight face and within minutes we had strangers smiling at each other - with the eyes too, not only the mouth. it was wonderful and by the end of it, when they took the escalator to the next floor, people turned to continue their shopping with a smile on their face. i was hysterical by then because in the midst of this noise, through the window, we could see another performer outside who was dancing to his own beat and singing away, oblivious to the pandemonium inside. fortunately we could not hear him till we stepped out. here too, he was not alone. there was a nadaswaram (or something similar) player (he's apparently called gangireddulavadu) standing close by who just kept playing this one long note, coming up for breath occasionally - definitely no tune. facing him was a beautifully decorated ox (gangireddu) quietly nodding to the music.

it was all so unexpected and such a treat that this must be the first time i enjoyed a visit to the big bazaar which i normally avoid totally. i just loved the whole thing. if this is not incredible india, what is :-)

after a long while again

had not visited this blog since july 2009. considering that i plan to write regularly, and not only as a pastime, i really should be writing in this blog more often. i've realised that the problem is that i haven't decided who my target reader is - am now planning to write to someone exactly like me - surely what i have to say will be interesting to me at least :-)

once in a while

once in a while, i remember this blog i have. just spoke to a friend who's dying - such grace and dignity she had. spent the afternoon remembering the many ways she had touched my life over the years. have not seen her in years, but still am missing her already. hopefully she knows how much i valued her.

keeps reaffirming the fact that one should let people know they are appreciated and loved and valued, before it's too late.. for us.

quotable quotes

i've decided to use this blog for recording some wonderful quotes that move me:

LIFE IS NOT A JOURNEY TO THE GRAVE WITH THE

INTENTION OF ARRIVING SAFELY IN A PRETTY AND

WELL PRESERVED BODY, BUT RATHER TO SKID IN

SIDEWAYS, THOROUGHLY USED, TOTALLY WORN OUT

AND LOUDLY PROCLAIMING

"WOW WHAT A RIDE"

Back again..

am again back after a loooong hiatus. still enjoying the work i am doing with this wonderful organisation working with deaf children and their families. expecting a lot of changes in my life so will continue blogging to pour out my thoughts, maybe.

today was such a perfect day - just sitting in the balcony watching the rain, and the sparrows which kept hopping around for the grain that i've kept for them in a tiny bowl. everyone i know healthy and fine, making decisions that they are happy with...... what else can one ask for? not much i think :-)

After a year..

I've realised that I haven't written to this blog for the past year. It's been such an eventful year. I started working at something that I'm enjoying thoroughly. Like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle coming together, I found a job where all my knowledge (a little bit of accounts, a little bit of database systems, a lot of MS Office and all my fiddling around on the Net) is very useful to a wonderful group of people. Not too many lucky people find something almost tailor-made for them, and I can only thank the powers that be for making me so happy.

Here's wishing everyone who reads this blog similar happiness and luck and

the loss of a friend

today a very good friend died. she was in terrible pain towards the end, and i know she's better off gone but she's left a big hole in my heart. never knew a hole could hurt so much too... i did manage to spend some time with her. even though one never discussed such things, i think she knew exactly how i felt about her, and how much she meant to me.

how does one go about deleting her name from my mobile phone, from my contacts details in all my address books? she was the first one i would think of when i got some typical 'womanly' or kooky forwards; could almost hear her laugh while reading it. did she know how much she meant to me? how precious she was to me? i think she did. maybe i'll feel better knowing that she did. go in peace, sita. know you were loved; you'll be missed, but you'll always be there in that special place in my heart. now when i pray to the powers that be, i'll pray not for you, but to you.