May 13, 2012
Trivandrum Club in the morning for the neighbor's daughter's wedding. Full house. Some rejects from a TV reality show were conducting live orchestra. Mostly songs like "Kolaveri" rather inappropriate for the occasion. They also had the habit of dealing with cheap audience deeply ingrained. Hence repetitive, irritating requests to applaud and cheer them in the middle of the proceedings.
Seated in the balcony, the sight of guests springing up like groundhogs and rushing to the feasting hall as soon as the ceremony was over was entertaining. Having seen the Chief Minister of the state himself visit the bride the day before, I have expected lot of celebrity firepower at the wedding. None at all. A small time actor from television serials got to act as the biggest celebrity around.
I had enjoyed the feast prepared for the engagement couple of months ago. I was glad that they engaged the same catering team for the wedding as well. 15 curries and pickles filled the entire top half of the banana leaf. Excellent aviyal, theeyal and thoran. 4 types of payasam: paal ada (milk & rice), parippu gram), gothambu (wheat) and paal (milk) with boli.
With a contented distended stomach, I took a bus to the VJT hall. The intention was to check out the Discover Japan fest in progress. I have no idea what kind of performance evaluation the editors at Malayala Manorama go through. For the last two days, the newspaper had published items on the fest. Both times it conveniently left out the venue of the fest! Mathrubhumi newspaper saved the day with the mention of VJT Hall.
Wasn't much of a fest. Just a couple of dozen bonsai trees that the 'program of the day' banner outside misspelled as 'bomsai'. Then a few trinklets, colorful and intricate, from Japan arranged on desks bordering the walls of the hall. The main events scheduled for later in the evening were bonsai making classes and origami lessons.
Didn't wait for those, headed out for the weekend pilgrimage to DC books at Statue Junction. The aim was to pick up K.K.Kochu's work on Kerala history and social formation and Thikodiyan's novel set during the Portuguese period of Kerala called 'Chuvanna Kadal" (Red Sea). Unfortunately both the books were unavailable. So took my sweet time to browse the shelves. I presume it is the same pleasure that shopaholics derive from window shopping.
After spending half an hour at the nonfiction, short story and novel sections, when I had moved to the history and poetry area, the store manager, an amicable, bespectacled 40 something man with neatly oiled hair and a prominent Adam's apple, approached me with a slice of fruit cake.
"Njangal oru cake murichu Sir" (We just cut a cake Sir) he said extending the raisin-filled brown piece towards me.
"Birthday celebration aano?" I asked.
"Alla sir, ivide apprentice aayi ninna pillaru three months thikachu" (No Sir, the kids who were apprentice here have completed their three month training).
Ah! I remember the kids. My interaction during the three months with them had been invariable fruitless. They didn't know the location or availability of any of the books I had asked for. But the fruit cake was good.
Picked up three more short, simple Kerala history books by Velayudhan Panikkasseri, a collection of articles by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and a collection of short stories by U.A. Khader. Now that, I have been regularly spending at the store, I asked about discount plans available.
"Rs. 1000 deposit will give you Rs. 300 worth of books free every year, 20% discount on all Malayalam books and 12% on all English books."
"Application Form please"
"Sir, also we have a book fair coming up in VJT Hall from June 1."
"Oh Yes Please!"
Heading back home in a city bus, I instinctively turn back on hearing a loud voice. It is a middle aged man seated in the back seat talking to someone on the cellphone. The conductor, standing beside me to issue the ticket, saw my interest. "Etho oru local Ambani aanu. Kayariyappo muthal phonil alachu vilikkunnu." (He is some local Ambani. He has been loudly discussing business since he got in) I told the conductor about the drunk old man who was dropped off at the police station from the bus couple of Sundays ago. "Njarazhcha ucha thirinja bus muzhuvan paambu kali aanu" (Sunday afternoon buses are full of drunks!) he spoke from experience.
Mindful of the innumerable fatal accidents because of cellphone distracted drivers, I used to be reluctant party to such conversations back in Texas. But in India, it seems it is illegal not to be talking on the phone while driving. If you are on a two wheeler, you must absolutely shove your cellphone by the side of the helmet so that the talking never stops. Nevertheless, it is quite special when you call up a friend and the reply is, "Hey, I am in the cockpit. We're getting ready to pull out of the gate. I will call you back as soon as I land this in Mumbai." Yea! that's one driver I sure don't want to distract.
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