Nothing succeeds like success. Glad to inform you all that with blessings of elders and good wishes from friends like you, I have achieved the target of #50000 words for my #July2022 #Nanowrimo project " (National Novel Writing month for the uninitiated): Novel name being #TapaswiniKantha" ( the 2nd in the row this year after April 2022 project titled "#C
They say 1) #Charity begins at home - if I don't praise my son Rajiv RJ who will? 2) #Time is the greatest healer- I realize how much he has changed for the better. 3) Anything you #persevere with, becomes a habit - Rajiv RJ joined me for morning walk on 25th June'22. Now he pushes/drives me to go for morning walk. Such is the #powerofpositivity and it is #infectious. He has started studying his subject of work area with all sincerity in the morning time. What a better way of starting August 2022 than #thankingGod for all these #tinytinypleasures? ( My son is in the forefront in this picture, I am behind him and the 3rd is our neighbor Mohan Reddy).
The same TJ (tour or travel jockey) wanted me to write a #1000wordstory about my #Mumbaiexperience. I share below the same. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as enjoyed writing the same.
My Mumbai Experience
A city which
I never wanted to live in, or come and settle down, though I must have passed
through it umpteen times – Mumbai. My Marathi friend asked me as to why this
contempt for Mumbai? I replied that I hated a busy life with no room for
enjoyment, where to live a decent life, one had to take up two jobs. The city
never sleeps. The electric train is stopped only for two hours, between 2 a.m.
and 4 a.m. And if it rains, you are doomed. You cannot even travel to your
office and back home. “What else to say?” quipped I. My Marathi friend replied
“But here is where I made a fortune. I came as nobody and Goddess Mahalakshmi
ensured I became somebody. My needs are met. I am never short or out of
money”.
I still
fondly recall my tour to Karnataka through Mumbai from Ahmedabad in between
1993 and 1995. I was marketing manager for a submersible pump company based in
Ahmedabad and was supposed to tour at least 15 days a month. I used to come to
Mumbai Central from Ahmedabad by Karnavathi express which started at 5 a.m.
from Ahmedabad and dumped me at Mumbai around 12.30 p.m. The Kurla-Bangalore express used to be around
3.30 p.m. the same day and reached Bangalore the next day evening around 3.30
p.m. or so. I was supposed to first go to Bangalore, our branch office and from
there travel north of Karnataka to Belgaum and Bijapur districts. I used to
visit interior taluqs in each of these districts and appoint pump rewinders as
our franchisees/ dealers. I ensured sales jump up from 600 pumps in 1993 to
1000 pumps in 1994. One of the main reasons was a jolly Goa trip that we
arranged for all these dealers.
Coming back
to my memories of Kurla, I used to buy Mongini’s slice cakes there for Rs.5/- a
packet and enjoy eating them. I once got caught by a RPF policeman for wrongly
entering “Ladies Toilet” at Kurla Station mistaking it for a “Gents Toilet”,
though my act was not intentional. I had to pay up the fine of Rs.100/- from
the meagre tour advance of Rs.3000/- taken for a 20 days tour. Those were not
days of Google Pay or Phonepe or NEFT. Even if somebody deposited money in my
bank account at Ahmedabad, the Bijapur branch of the same bank would not give
money upon production of my signed cheque by myself. He would ask for identity
proof. Those were days of no mobile. We had to book a trunk call in our hotel
and wait. The receptionist used to call us once the line got connected to our
Head Office at Ahmedabad or Branch Office at Bangalore.
I still used
to love eating “ vada pav” at Mumbai stations. I used to eat the “meeta paan”
in front of Mumbai Central which was a delicacy by itself meant to be tasted.
It would be prepared on a block of ice with generous doses of cherry and guess
what – date fruits. It used to be chill and melt in the mouth. I had never
tasted heaven like that.
I used to
write inland letters to my darling who was pregnant with my 1st and
only son then and struggling all alone in Ahmedabad. I used to wait for her
reply inland letters to my lodge in Bijapur. Out of the 15 days, I used to stay
for 6-7 days each at Belgaum and Bijapur. My letter written from Belgaum had to
wait for her reply to reach to Bijapur lodge. There were so many logistic
difficulties. I hope you can understand. It was long distance love even in
those days. The joke doing the rounds after he was born was that she had to
introduce me as his father, every time I returned from my tour. This was
because I used to be away for 20 days in a month. Barring the 3 months of July,
August & September when it rained in Karnataka, I was on tour for the
remaining 9 months in a year.
My other
experience of Mumbai was with my first job in 1987. I worked for an air
conditioning company of repute. It was an Indian MNC, you can say. I joined as
a management trainee at Chennai branch of the company and was frisked away
immediately upon joining for an induction programme of 20 days to Mumbai. I was
reluctant to go. I got down, half way and went to Bangalore where my dad was
staying. My mom was with my younger sister at Hyderabad. My father somehow
convinced me and like an idiot, I took a bus from Bangalore to Mumbai,
travelling through Pune for 2 stretches of 18 hours each. Ultimately, I reached
the induction programme even if it was a day late. I stayed with another
trainee in a hotel room. It was an experience for the first time. I used to wash
my inner wear and dry it in the bathroom. Then we used to attend the training
in our office at Chinchpokli. We also visited our Thane factory for about a
week to see the way air conditioners were manufactured. For both these places,
we used to travel by the local train in 1st class. We could not
imagine travelling in the local train in any other class. Our company provided
us with a season ticket or pass for 1 month. We could at least comfortably
stand and go, if not sit. If we were lucky, we could return sleeping in the 1st
class. We were more concerned about the change of trains at Dadar and the fear
of being able to get down at the right station for such changes from Western
Railway to Central Railway and vice-versa. We had our fun times too. We visited Juhu
beach, Chowpatty and enjoyed Chaat items for the first time in life.
I was recently asked to write about Mumbai in 180 words. I had applied to become a comedy writer with a leading TJ (Tourist Jockey). The write up was on Rains in Mumbai and is given below. Hope you enjoy reading it in as much as I enjoyed writing it :
What could motivate this Old man to run such a wonderful book store? I wish I retire in life this way. Books, books and books everywhere and not a single one to choose OR to let go loose. Sorry for the blurred photos. This is at Lakdikapool, Hyderabad.
Wish me good luck as I attempt to write yet another novel of 50,000 words in July'22 as a part of NanoWrimo project.
இறுதி ஊர்வலம்
அந்த கடைசி அறையில் இன்று அமைதியான இறுதி ஊர்வலம்,
அங்கு பூரானை எறும்புகள் தூக்கி சென்றன நகர்வலம்.
இன்று ராகு காலத்தில் அதற்கு என் கையில் சாவு,
இல்லை என்றால் என்னை குடுக்க வேண்டி இருக்கும் காவு.
கழிவறையில் மழைக்காக ஒதுங்கி இருக்கும் போல,
கழிசடை என திட்டினேன் , நிம்மதியாக கழிக்க முடியாததால.
மோரிக்குள்ளே இருந்து எட்டி பார்த்ததின் பலன்,
மோக்ஷம் கிடைக்கும் என இருந்ததோ இன்று அதன் ராசி பலன்.
புதைப்பேளா? எரிப்பேளா? எனக் கேட்க தோன்றியது எறும்புகளை,
பிழைத்து போகட்டும் என விட்டிருக்க வேண்டியது தானே அவளை.
ஒதுக்கவும் முடியலை, ஒதுங்கி போகவும் முடியலை என்றேன்.
ஒர வஞ்சனை செய்து ஒரு நமுட்டு சிரிப்பு வேற மூஞ்சிக்கு என்ன செய்வேன் ?
Why should everyone purchase a life insurance policy(LIP)?
They say that the cost of purchasing a LIP is much more than the cost of not purchasing one.
Meaning to say, that it is better to invest a small sum called as " premium " ( either monthly/ quarterly/
half-yearly/ annual) and get covered under insurance for risk (called Term Policy) OR for endowment
policy where it is payable as sum assured + bonus. However, if you believe that a LIP is a waste\
investment, then when fatality or serious accident strikes the person, he would repent spending money,
but being unable to get back the lost life or get back the financial implications of such a loss. Many a
times, we would not even be knowing that we have been paying a regular premium without even our
knowledge. Hence everyone should necessarily purchase a LIP, which is at least 10-15% of their total
CTC. We realize its value only when emergency needs arise like hospitalization in the family/ death,
loss of job, daughter's marriage, son's higher education etc.
13/06/2022
Sandhyavanadanam
This Indian Brahmnic ritual,
That I have been more or less following
since time immemorial.
Chanting Gayathri Mantra,
Can anything else be a better draw?
My eyesight is intact even at 58,
Mind you only this ritual made it bright.
With Surya Namaskar being a part of it,
Why wouldn’t my body and mind stay
healthy and fit?
It hardly takes me 10 minutes,
Isn’t it a pity that many who avoid it,
get into “pieces and bits”?
Make this a daily routine,
Mesmerizing effect it will have, glow
will you with sheen.
10/06/2022
Puppy
That wonder dog called “Puppy”,
To whom I always wanted to give “jadoo ki
jhuppy”.
The change of the tenant made no
difference,
That in us it did not see any love variance.
Milk in the morning, biscuits in the
evening and curd rice for dinner,
May be with growing age it started
looking thinner.
With blood oozing out of its skin due to
dog bite,
Well, it did not seem to have lost in any
street fight.
We were concerned with its skin rashes,
We knew one day it will get reduced to
ashes.
I drove it away one night for its prolonged
bark,
I lost my sleep, trying to hit it, fell
down in the dark.
09/06/2022
The Squeaky Invader
He looked so cute,
I did not feel like making him mute.
He was the new invader who was squeaky,
I could probably name him "Tweaky",
He slid into house from neighborhood with
elan,
He appeared innocent, but came with a
perfect plan.
Call him nocturnal,
Call him our new mural.
Caused us untold damage,
Cos’ he went on a perennial rampage.
He played the perfect truant,
He would jump, escape, rave and rant.
08/06/2022
My Birthday
Birthdays are special,
Because they take you to heaven from
hell.
Birthdays are reminders,
Birthdays are friends and relative
binders.
Birthdays remind you of responsibility,
Because there is beauty only in doing one’s
own duty.
Birthdays make you dwell upon,
Beliefs, thoughts and follow-up action.
Birthdays are occasion for cakes,
But also, they are for celebrating higher
stakes.
Birthdays and age are just a number,
Believe me, you only can wake you up from
a deep slumber.
Tribute to KK- King of Kings.
You poured so much of “jaan” into your songs,
Is it why God took away your “jaan” with
a pair of tongs?
You never wanted an award and about it were
dead honest,
What such blunder did you do that you
punished yourself, got looted and gave us the best.
If you feel pain, you are alive is the
saying.
If you feel other’s pain, you are a human
being.
Who can forget the Tamil rage “Appadi
Podu”?
Which even today in Mumbai parties does “Sakkai
Podu”.
Your mind tells you something else,
You followed your heart and read all our
pulse.
You believed it is unnecessary to strike
on things when it is hot,
You had your own space, where you shall
live forever and without a blot.
LOST ACQUAINTANCE
Meeting on my morning walk an old
acquaintance,
May be this is what is coincidence by
chance.
I used to be enamored by his dialogues in a
mythological drama,
It used to wake up even those who went
into a coma.
As I breathed in and out deeply during my
morning walk,
And started suspiciously viewing behind my back.
I found him to be stalking me,
I was in for sheer ecstasy.
He had a doubt if I were to be his friend’s
son,
His happiness knew no bounds when I
answered in unison.
He fondly recalled the coffee offered by
my mother,
He used to find her in the easy chair,
with none to bother.
Of late, I am in a very happy phase of life. I am doing all that I enjoy doing - like writing poetry, going on my daily morning walk , my morning Sandhyavandanam and most important cooking food for my family. Today I cooked small onion araichu vitta sambhar, garlic rasam and yam curry after a gap of 1 week.
LAST LAUGH
And as all of them wrote me off,
Amazingly I had the last laugh.
They said you cannot catch up with age,
That made me tell that we both are not on
the same page.
Catch a few of them young,
Catch them while on the lower rung.
I am a late bloomer,
I shall still not be a blooper.
I may lose everything in life, but not
hope.
Indeed, God has given me a long rope.
Time and I again I rose like a phoenix from the ashes,
To only prove to my naysayers till they got adequate lashes.
