100 shades of white - Preethi Nair

"If you love something, set it free...If it comes back to you, its yours... otherwise it never was".

Not sure where I first came across those lines, but it was at a reckless age when the essence of the same didn't exactly grab my attention.... But as in some cases the lines just found a place at the back of my mind..Those lines best explain this book in a gist.

Ammamma lets go of her daughter (Nalini) to join her husband Raul, in London. As Nalini was struggling to adapt to the new environment with her kids, Raul disappears leaving behind debts and deceit. Just as you chuckle and think this is one of those woman fighting against all odds story, let me tell you its got more than that.

Maya (daughter of Nalini) never realises the worth of what she has in hand. She's often in the pursuit of love and care, and ends up trusting someone just to distract herself from things that hurt her. So how does one deal with the guilt that only surfaces when you can't quite alter the repercussions?

Just as her mother lets her go, Nalini lets Maya move away from her... Bur Nalini was a person with the determination of a rock, and so success embraced her with hard work and matter of time; while Maya's fear of rejection, cowardice, irresolute & unforgiving nature shadows all her activities. So how would Success recognise such a person?

Without sounding preachy the book emphasises the power of truth, forgiveness and belief. The prose is simple, straight and flawless. Though a tad bit predictable, the reader is sure to empathise with the characters. The book is not hard-hitting yet, the message slowly sinks in.

Nalini overcomes her problems (financial and otherwise) by preparing pickles and savouries. So there is frequent reference to the various spices and their benefits towards ailments (both physical and mind-related uncertainties). I couldn't help getting reminded of Mistress of Spices (by CBD) and Serving Crazy with Curry ( by Amulya Malladi).

We may have strived to get something in the grand scheme of life, but that something may have been elusive all along. But when it stares at you at the most inopportune moment, you come to realise that its absence hasn't mattered that much... that its only been a distraction from what you really needed... but how easy has it been, realising this ?

rating : 4/5

The Hero's Walk-Anita Rau Badami

Having read (and enjoyed) Badami's first book Tamarind Woman, I was very eager to read her sophomore novel, though with the apprehension that this one may also be in the same lines of woman trying to erase her past. Thankfully I was proved wrong.

Sripathi, a middle aged copywriter, has always settled down for something less than what he expected. His already ordinary and complaining life, suffers a severe blow when his estranged daughter (Maya) and son-in-law expire in an accident in faraway foreign land. All he's left with is his guilt, repentance for egotism, and a 7-year old grand-daughter who becomes unintentionally mute by the unforeseen tragedy. The rest of the story is how each person in the grief-stricken family fights the loss.

Now, the story-line sounds deceptively average, what with the mundane characters like succumbing-to-the-husband's-ego type wife and acid-tongued-attention-seeking-80 plus granny. But again when it comes to etching the characters in an impeccable manner Badami wins hands down.

Nirmala is the submissive wife of Sripathi. There's Putti the not-so-young sister and Ammayya the grit and greedy mother of Sripathi. So unsympathetic is she that on the death of her grand daughter Maya, she broods petulantly that her daily routine should not be affected in anyway. "Love was an extravagance that Ammayya could ill afford", describes the author of her rigid and tyrannical behaviour. She turns down all marital alliances seeking Putti, for fear of she being left alone.

Arun is the ascetic society conscious son of Sripathi & Nirmala. Yeah, you guessed it right.. his ideolgies are disliked by the family especially the dad. However he's the only solace for 7 year old Nandana, (Maya's daughter) who arrives in India and finds everything quaint and puzzling. Whenever the narration is from the viewpoint of the little girl, the understated melancholy would touch a chord.

The whole story revolves around Toturpuram. (Now this failed to make sense to me. Why would the author create a fictional town?, while all the street names and localities bear obvious semblance to an existing town)

I found the title of the book very interesting. Though Sripathi is the central character and the term "hero" is usually a reference to the male protagonist, there is room for assumption as to who the hero actually is, in this story. (Remember, some people do accept Ravana as the hero in Ramayana!). The way each character decides to move on with life is quite interesting and who the hero actually is, is left for you to read and figure out.

The narration takes the form of high drama (Chetan Bhagatish) towards the end, and this really let me down. I guess it was added for a dosage of humour. Nevertheless, the book promises an interesting read. I would give 3/5.

All good things come to an end!

I am one of those sentiment lot, who wouldn't easily adapt to changes.... and would attach undue importance to even things that one could own only temporarily. Like a rented house.

I stayed for a little over a year in a maisonnette, overlooking a wonderful spread of green grass and cherry blossom trees.



Enjoying the mild sunshine in the porch, I would sit in a cane chair, reading a book that I had borrowed from the library (which was at a 10 min walking distance from my house), glancing at the lappy for an off and on y! chat with few school buddies.



All this with the blissful thought that a bundle of joy is on the way. Not to mention the frequent phone calls from my concerned mom thousands of miles away. I didn't imagine in the wildest of my dreams that I would spend the most important phase of my life all alone (when the husbd was off to work) with absolutely no regrets.




Every morning I would look out of the window for a visual treat of nature at its best. When the spring season arrived, the cherry blossom tree which was withered during winter, went into full bloom (see pic attached). Then came the short British summer season, which meant a 4.30 am sunrise and 8.30 pm sunset. Needless to say that I almost lived the day in the balcony. A friend of mine once joked that the baby would be born with green hair if I don't stop staring at the grass. October arrived (and the baby too). I sneaked out enough time for short walks to see the leaves going red yellow, orange.

Winter arrived, which put a full stop to my nature gazing spree. I do enjoy watching the trees and plants sans leaves, but the damage was caused in the form of seepage in the roof due to condensation, which forced us to vacate the property. Thus, with a heavy heart we decided to move out of the house.



When it was about a month to go before moving out, I started looking for ways to dislike the house. (couldn't find many though!)

All good things must come to an end, afterall.. paving way for better things to happen! Thus I say to console myself!!

Time for some self-introspection

I admit...I would have done this 25 point thing about myself, even if I wasn't tagged by Avdi...When I sat back to think why I was so excited about the topic, I realised that I was craving for some "me time" for long.

Rules:Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1.Despite making chapatis for dinner for nearly 2 years now, I can't make them nice and soft. I guess its hereditary.

2.Carving in chalk pieces was my hobby for a long time. Before my career swallowed all the time that I had.

3.I just need to eat within minutes of feeling hungry, else I lose my temper. I really envy all those who could carry on with their work, skipping meals.

4.I simply love to watch and enjoy the bounties of nature. But still poetry eludes me (I can almost hear you saying "Thank God for that").I refused to move out of my previous house (which had a huge expanse of greenery all around).

5.I'm a storng willed person and this is my greatest asset.

6.I have an authoritative voice and tone. This might give an impression that I'm impolite/harsh to people who do not know me well. I've tried in vain to modulate my voice/tone.

7.Though I enjoy good company and prefer to hang around with people, I don't mind spending time all by myself.

8.I never get bored of shopping. Or window shopping. I could spend 3-4 hours in the same supermarket that I frequent, and come back with just a 2 pint milk can.

9.I have few, but very close friends.

10.I am VERY possessive about my things. And I'm trying hard to forego this habit. ( I don't think I could succeed though)

11.I love cooking... Love more to see happy and contented faces after a good meal cooked by me :D

12.When priorities change, I could forego something which I have loved dearly.eg. career
ps:Its just "something".. not "someone".

Gosh! its getting tough to list more!!
13.I do not believe in any kind of astrology.

14.I love children.

15.There's always been someone to care for me when I most needed.

16.I can talk for hours together over the phone, but would remember a huge deal of things only after I hang up.

17.I can understand people well.(mostly)

18.I'm usually punctual in keeping up schedules. (That surely doesn't mean that I never waste time).

19.I love it when I could only partially remember last night's dream. Its like a half read book.

20.As a child I thought I would grow up to become a nun. This thought lasted for say about a week..

21.I'm lazy in some respects. Like I really want to understand the share market thing and all that, but would not even make an attempt.

22.I was born on the 7th of some month and have many friends who were born on either 7th or some other date which adds up to 7.

23.I repect customs and traditions set forth by elders. But would follow ones that I'm practically able to follow.

24.It takes a long time for me to trust someone. (Not a ridiculously long time though!)

25.I'm not very comfortable watching movies in the cinema hall.. Crowds make me feel dizzy and out of place.

Honestly, after point no.12/13 I had to think hard. Its easier to hear some known person say (nice) things about us rather than we listing it out.

A quick one!

I'm Tagged!

And I'm quickly finishing off this task, else I will run out of options if others overtake me with their witty answers!!

Here goes..
1.If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
I will cite that as a reason to start smoking :p

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
Nothing major. Just a trivial one - that all my wishes should come true.

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
doesn't matter who.. but for sure would do it with sharp spike shoes :D

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
What if someone kidnaps me ? hmm, so I'll abscond first.

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
Nopes.. coz I need (and every1 needs) a best friend and a lover - 2 separate persons..

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
Being loved.

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?
As long as the person deserves.

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
Feel bad for sometime and then say tata

9. If you like to act with someone, who will it be? Your gf/bf or an actress/actor?
Actor.. maybe Madhavan.. but no, I like to just watch him from a distance..

10. What takes you down the fastest?
Anger.

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?
As always.. In the mirror.

12. What’s your fear?
Rocky mountains seen at close proximity.

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Smita - Naughty, Cheerful and Hyper-active.

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married but poor?
Single with many friends... or married to a loving person.. either ways its almost imperative to be rich.

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Try to recollect what I dreamt prev.night.

16. Would you give all in a relationship?
Not always.

17. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
Maybe consult both people involved. If both reject me well and good. lol

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?
No. But I will keep trying to atleast forget.

19. Why am I doing this tag
Had the time and mindset.

20. List 6 people to tag:
The few that I know in blogosphere are already tagged!

Ah! Those Lovely Days!!

WIAN lovingly asked me and few others to dream, and that too about the time of life for which one would do anything to get back - CHILDHOOD. While at school, one of my close friends used to envy all parents. "They have no History or Geography to put up with" she used to say. Little did we realise that with age comes responsibilities and reading about Indus Valley Civilisation and Latitudes, Longitudes are MUCH easier! Atleast we used to have choice to omit some questions during the Social Science exams :D.

Without further ado, here goes my Super Seven childhood memories :)
1) Childhood times immediately reminds me of the much anticipated summer vacation! In most of the schools using the red ink was not allowed (for the students ofcourse). Now, aren't forbidden colours very attractive!I used to wait for the summer vacation, to pull out all my noteboks, circle here and there for typos, mark a huge tick and do something which gave me utmost satisfaction - signed my name!!

2) I was in std.VII and almost all my friends used to cycle their way to school. Daddy dear either didn't trust ME with the cycle, or maybe he didn't trust the OTHER speeding motorists.. so he used to drop me at school daily. That was the time when the Ladybird BSA cycle was SO famous. But learning to balance myself in the cycle was such an uphill task for me :( My friends were fed up training me and almost gave up. I turned to my Big Bro for help. He very affectionately took me and the cycle to the nearby play ground, made me sit in the middle of the ground, and cycled around about 10 times and said "my lovely sis, this is how one should cycle!". I did settle scores by splashing ink on all his white uniforms. :D.. Alas! Cycling & two wheeler-ing are still unfulfilled dreams!

3) I always look forward to celebrating festivals with all pomp and splendour.. As a child, purchasing for Diwali was in itself a kind of celebration! One full day used to be allocated for the purchase. And it also meant holiday for mom's kitchen! And ofcourse we (mom and me) greedily allocated more time to choose clothes for ourselves. There have been times when I've worn matching bangles, chain, hair clips and earrings during most festivals, thinking that was SO cute! eeeeks!!

4) TV times : There have been times when I used to watch ONLY the advertisements aired. My top favourites were Le Sancy bath soap (which kept us wondering what the product was, and then was swept away from the market days after its lauch), Rasna, Rin soap and Robin liquid bleach :)Other than adverts I used to be super fascinated by Ramayana and Mahabharata! So much that I used to ask my grandma, would I have been a part of either epics in my previous births.. Too much that was, I know!!

5) Play Times : When in std VIII, PT period was the last hour on Fridays. We used to quietly sneak out of the school premises if there was no PT teacher around, and this gave us a HUGE thrill, a kind of college class bunking feel!

6) Worshipping Times : There was a Chapel in my school, and I used to frequent the place, though I'm a Hindu. The differences in praying to God in both forms of religions have perplexed and amazed me to no end. I used to pose 'n' number of questions to elders at home, and they had a tough time explaining. I have inadvertently stepped into the Temple without removing my slippers, just as how I used to visit the Chapel with my shoes on.

7) Home-made icecreams : Well, I am referring to the Bournvita and Ragi-malt kept in the freezer and nothing complicated! But I was SO crazy about relishing this Bournvita ice cream. Every Sunday afternoon, I used to allow the hot cup of Bournvita to cool down to room temperature and freeze it and have it as I used to read books. This used to give me the satisfaction that not even a feast that I cook these days give me!!

I am glad that I was tagged for this. Reminiscing childhood days gives immense pleasure and growing up was indeed fun!!

Kuselan Konfused everyone

I admit. I should not have even attempted to see "Kuselan" AFTER watching the Malayalam version of the same ("Katha Parayumbol")....

Before the movie was released, Rajni had mentioned in some interviews that Pasupathy would be the first hero, Vadivelu the second and he would just be appearing in a guest role (just as how Mamooty appeared in the Mallu version). Now I just couldn't stop myself from wondering about :-
=> Why was he featuring in 3 songs (all of them inappropriately placed)?? Heck! There were just 2 songs in the Mallu version... But then its Rajni here, and his fans are to be satisfied... or were they??
=> There was this person asking (actually mocking at) rajini why he's SO indecisive about entering politics, and why he hoodwinks his fans time and again about what he intends to do? His reply was almost like a SLAP on the face! He says MYOB (in a seemingly polite manner).. Hullo??!! Then why don't you keep your nose out of politics and stop passing suggestive remarks!!
=> "I am not responsible for misleading dialogues in my movie about me entering politics or favouring anyone there" says the superstar in the movie! Like as if someone's gonna refuse if you would want some alterations in the script! Oh but that would make you infamous like Kamal who is often criticised for not following what the director says!!
=> What was the scantily clad Nayanthara doing in the movie? Oh well! I've just said it! she's for glamour!
=> Rajni entertains. His movies though mostly are a complete masala package, do manage to entertain. And that is one reason (among many others like his style) why he sells. But his previous movie ("Sivaji" and that was a blockbuster) did bring down the star's credibility to a certain extent. If one gives a careful ear to some of the dialogues, there were instances which defames his image.
=> Pasupathy (though sans all the hep looks of a typical hero) IS a great actor. But sadly, you need enough scenes to prove your acting ability... which P.Vasu (the director) felt unnecessary, (though he felt the necessity of Vadivelu's comedy scenes which would make one puke).
=> The epic character of Kuselan is of one who suffers from poverty. All through the movie, one is made to guess that Pasupathy is "Kuselan" being the poor friend of the rich superstar (Rajni). But even THAT credit is shamelessly stolen from him.

All said, I'm sure Rajni's next venture (if it has all the usual glamour, songs, fight, style and punch dialogues) would certainly click. People are forgiving atleast when it comes to filmdom.