Aappandi!!!!!!!

One and a half years...... and I was there and back again!

The place which changed me and grew me

The place that tortured  and loved me at the same time

The place that gave me wings and kept me rooted......

I held my breath in delectable exhilaration when the bus passed through the longest flyover in Shamshabad. I could see the whole city from up there. I even thought I caught a glimpse of the fort of Golconda.

Not much had changed.  No lush carpet of greenery or overbearing trees.

Its all the very old rock boulders and skyscrapers. 



Mushroom Rock at the University Campus

Except  most of the  glass edifices had safety nets on it, which pretty much reminded and explained everything about the agitation in the city. Days are close when one would have to say “ I studied at the University of Telangana”

Otherwise everything else was just the same.

The  loathsome chlorinated hard-water said 'welcome home'. And the bumpy share autos took me around that home.

Naam , Namak Aur Nishaan  written at the gates to Sainikpuri... ..never had noticed that before, perhaps new.





Calvin Nambiar on a sunday afternoon



My niece has grown taller. But shes still the giggling bundle of cuteness, who likes to try on my Kajal stick and Livon Hair potion.

Theres a new addition to the Nambiar family – Goofy Nambiar. Calvin and Winnie Nambiar  likes the new company Im sure. It was nice meeting you all.

Radhettan, at the shopcom, who still dint even ask for the order, and with his infectious smile gave us our share of gopi bonda and chai.

An old pic outside Radhettan's shop 

It felt good to be back,character-gazing with my Sattwick friend. There were all sorts.

Met some old faces, and spotted the psuedos, the survivors, the intellectuals, the industrious, the love birds, the leaders........

Miss perfect melancholy has become prettier. Her room still smells of microbe-repellants  and Tao physics . That was the best Qubaani ka Meetha I had with her over a lot of catching up. 

I jumped with joy at the sight of my old ladybird cycle. She is still pink in health and is not missing me much.



The Birthday Circle

Was walking again through the Birthday circle with Mr Jobless and Frivolous Maturity

And we were back to being students again, and got drenched in the nostalgic mizzle.

Crept into the children's park and stole a ride on the swings.

Laughed at each other's jokes, caught up on each other's life.

And sighed with so much relief and gratitude that our good old friends have not changed much.

And worshiped and thanked life again for being so impeccably beautiful.

The morning I reached Bangalore, as I was getting to work, I told the auto-driver “ ikkada  left theeskondi”( Take a left here, please In Telugu).  Telugu??? I forgot  whatever Broken Kannada I knew in  just a weekend??

And that moment laughed at me and said out loud “ Aappandi!!!” ( STOoooooP) .

'Stop for a while and take this in !'

Lost Moments ....!!

I wish I had a camera for a fifth limb. Yeah, an inseparable entity of my body; it can just hang there around my neck and click all those moments which I want to savor for a lifetime.

How I wish I had pictures of some moments which would take me back in time.!!

I had a friend who would always gesture a click whenever he thought a moment was worth capturing, just like Kirsten Dunst in the movie Elizabethtown. Its actually a pretty lame yet cute thing for a guy to be doing , but that was not the point.  The point is : No documentation of my journey whatsoever. What a shame !! and  how pathetic can it get?

I wouldn't have anything to show my kids and brag about.

I would have nothing to share with the media, one day when I get famous! ( Now, why did you smile  when I said that)

Here are a few such moments:

• A picture with my favourite brother, at any of those wonderful places we had been to together( More about him and why he tops the list in another post)

• The first prestigious award I ever received. The All India Radio National singing competition. I received the award from the Carnatic Maestro Dr. Balamuralikrishna.
• My first solo classical concert . I cant remember why no one cared to take a picture :(.All those other concerts I did back home, with Gayathri, either singing or playing the Thanpura.
• From the time I can remember, I was with the All India Radio- first as a child artist, then as a graded artist. Can you all imagine me from the control room, standing and singing in the studio with those huge squarish microphones and headphones. No? Well, dont you think a picture would have helped??
• Then there is that one of a kind documentary I made with my team . A project which has to go to every student film festival without working stills. ( I wanna cry my guts out over here)
• I was compere for the first ever short film & documentary festival of Thrissur ( VIBGYOR). I was also compere for the first ever International Theatre festival of Kerala ( Itfok). And I dunno how to find that Beijing Theatre group now, who were the only ones who bothered to click some pictures with me.
• I won the Kerala State Youth festival for Ashtapadi. But not a single pic of the winner holding that cute Chengila. Not even the next day's newspapers had one. They got a passport size photo of mine from the school to publish. :(
• The All Round Achiever Award which was bestowed on me for being the most crazy person in college. Well, my kid would want to know how it came to me, right?? She/he would want to see all those popular legendary characters I had played from Shaw's Eliza Doolittle, Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge and Swami Chinmayananda, to the drunk landlord, the nagging housewife, the dumb servant and even a convicted rapist! ( I wish I knew how I looked in my final Ms. Doolittle outfit)
• Not a single pic from my college tour to Coorg and Mysore.This time I had my fifth limb, but I lost the whole film at the Tibetan Colony, see? Im telling you it's Murphy's law.

What more to say?? Does anyone feel like buying me a camera ?? Atleast a point and shoot to start with.??

P.S : I have to thank a dear friend of mine here, HRC, for being the spur of this post.