Its been more than 3 weeks since I last wrote a complete blog, there are only few scribbles from every day. Well, to put it the best way, a lot happened and I was happy living it. I took a lot of photographs though, with my new friend – a Oneplus 10R – I am told by Ammu that it has a 50MP Main Camera and 2 more cameras. Its nice, isn’t it when your kids envy your mobile.
Last month, we visited the Yediyur Lake Park in Jayanagar, a recommendation by Dr Maithri – and the Sankey Tank Park in Namma Malleswaram, followed by MTR and CTR respectively. Its become a ritual, a morning walk followed by a good breakfast every Sunday, preferably a new park and a new eatery. One would think that the Masala Dose & coffee would taste the same in all these places, but actually it doesn’t, like the rasam in every house.
Yediyur Lake park exceeded my expectations, aesthetically one of the most beautiful parks that I have visited – even the walking path has lovely tiled patterns and stone benches have small carvings. What caught my eye were a few young boys jumping from a platform into the lake, then to realise that it was a sculpture. There was another with a real tree growing out of a sculptured human palm – a strong message using art. There were a few cages with birds, swings and slides and boating too – ideal for a picnic.
I see many grandparents near the play area minding the young children, while catching up with their friends. As I stop to tie my shoe laces properly, I hear this serious discussion about someone marrying the wrong person in the serial episode last evening. People are visibly upset – after blasting the scriptwriter, they offer new ideas on how the storyline can still be salvaged. Haven’t you too wanted to end a book or a movie differently? Also, isn’t it amazing how these characters start growing on us, they become conversation starters not just with family or friends but with strangers as well. And this is not just about Kannada or Tamil or Hindi serials, I have heard many a youngsters worried about Rachel & Ross, relating to Chandler or Joey, following the lives of Raj, Howard and Amy. I have always looked forward to the Cigar conversations of Denny Crane & Alan Shore in Boston Legal, enjoyed the sarcasm of Dr House, waited and then binge watched the new season of Bridgerton and had a crush on Nakuul Mehta in Bade ache Lagte Hain. I am now looking forward to the second season of Panchayat – have you watched it?
These days, aren’t we spoilt for choice – a long, long way from the days of Hum Log & Buniyaad, but the sitcoms then, seemed more relatable – many these days have exaggerated emotions and leave one with a troubled after taste. Are they really a reflection of the society today? It was not that, no ills plagued the society then, they ofcourse did and maybe many topics were needlessly taboo. But don’t today’s sitcoms not normalise, if not glamorise substance abuse, drinking, violence and sex. Or maybe I am a parent now and more sensitive to the content.
Though Sankey Tank is very close to home, I donot ever remember walking around it – I can see that it has been developed a lot recently and some construction is still on. A very popular walking venue for residents of Malleswaram, Vyalikaval and Sadashivanagar, you see an odd mix here – a representation of the local demography maybe. I see an old couple in traditional Iyengar attire – Maami in 9 yards saree and Maama in Panche, with Maama walking a few feet ahead of Maami, two young priests with the Naamam, young couples jogging together in immaculate branded tracks & shoes, kids racing much to their parent’s irritation and ofcourse the selfie lovers. I see three friends attempt a boomerang atleast 5 times, until they are pleased with the results. There is a professional photographer with his camera aimed towards the birds on a small island in the tank. Isn’t it amazing the amount of patience Nature photographers have – he is in the same position when I returned in the next lap.
I remember coming with Rukku, my aunt and Vidya, my cousin to the swimming pool near Sankey tank – Vidya used to take swimming lessons there, Also remember accompanying Rukku to Vidya and Raju’s school – Poorna Prajna, to drop their lunch. As the summer school holidays in Delhi & Bangalore didn’t sync, for a few weeks, I had to spend my days with my aunts till my cousins returned from school. It was actually fun, all my aunts were and are great cooks – so, I would be the lucky taster, I regaled them with my stories while they completed their chores. Rukku was one of the most fun loving, liberal, confident, enterprising, unconventional women I have known. She was the kind who would light up a place just by her presence.
Aditi & I decide to walk to Veena Stores for breakfast. Seeing the queue there and no sitting facility, Aditi insists on walking to CTR. We reach CTR, to find a four times bigger queue, but the Masala Dose, Rava idli & Coffee more than compensate for the additional walk and wait. Waiting in queues can be interesting too – we had a NRI family from US behind us, with the grandparents entertaining the young boys with stories of Hanuman, a group of IT programmers (all coding jargon on their T-shirts) from either UP/Bihar (from their Hindi) in front of us discussing Google ratings of different eateries, some PUC students after what must have been an extra class and surprisingly, a lady with a suitcase – was she planning to fly directly after her breakfast?
With Aditi going back to office for a week, I was given the responsibility of taking care of Kaaju, with over a hundred plus instructions. So I called Sesh, hoping that between the two of us, having brought up two headstrong girls and Max, Kaaju would be a cakewalk. But Kaaju, enjoying the new found freedom, decided that my morning walk and Sesh’s non-existent exercise regime, needed serious upgrading, and for more than 20 minutes, he ran around, true to his name, retrieving or bringing stuff from all around the room – Appu from my bed, Tissue roll from the toilet, a washcloth from the kitchen, a sock from the study room (Well, Kasturi keeps all washed clothes neatly folded in the study room, which I am supposed to keep inside the respective cupboards, which I invariably forget) and a remote from the living room. He brought them with a lot of pride and achievement, running with them around me & Sesh and wanting to play tag. After 3 items, I give up chasing him, sit down, watching the circus – like any performer, he needs an audience and soon stops and looks at me disgusted accusing me of being a spoilsport. Sesh who has been bribing him with biscuits and saving all the items, is huffing & puffing by now and sternly tells Kaaju about what a good boy Max was and how he should be like him. Finally, I race Kaaju to the balcony and leave him there, chewing a carrot.
One look at Sesh and I know that more than me, he needs a strong cuppa coffee, he even accepts the soya milk coffee without a grumble. Good for me, he is certainly too tired, otherwise I am sure, I would get a talk about how I spoil all the children. Well, maybe, maybe, I do, a little, ok, a little more than little….
Funny you mentioned getting addicted to TV serials. Frankly I am a big fan of Pakistani serials. Great acting, excellent Urdu and generally very good gripping stories. And most get over within 25-30 episodes. Short and sweet.