Jai Sri Ram...

I was reading through my friend’s blogpost the other day and felt I should also write about it. Was held up with a little work and the words just wouldn’t take shape in the mind. But now….

 Firstly as an answer to what The Mad Hatter (I actually have no idea why he chose that pseudo name, but I am assuming it is because he is someone who wears all the de Bono Hats, and wears them quite intelligently) says, Sri Ram would have approved. Now before people get me wrong, I have some things to add.

n      Sri Ram’s army (Sene, Sena whatever) was that of monkeys (no disrespect intended).

n      Sri Ram was the person who asked Mata Sita to give agni pariksha.

 So IMAO, the Sri Rama Sene would do nothing but whatever monkeys do best, and also it has to be the women folk who disrespect INDIAN CULTURE by pubbing.

 There is a lot of talk about western culture influencing young people, pubbing culture being rampant etc. etc. by many so called protectors of the Indian culture. I have but a simple question to these people, what do you mean by culture? These people have no respect for anything and they call themselves protectors! J Anyways, as the hatter puts it, it is probably the Fatwa envy that has been the cause of all these recent bad and petty quarrels.

 Why is it that everyone wants to tell us what we should and should not?

n      There are these religious fanatics who will define the ways we pray.

n      There is this minister who tells us what to eat and what to drink.

n      There are censor board people who will decide what should go into a movie and what is not appropriate.

n      There are these so called moral police who will decide what we should wear.

n      Then there are some commentators who have not played a single test and commenting on a Sachin, Ganguly and Dravid’s batting.

There are lot many more than I could care to write. Is it that all of us are retarded (I guess that is the correct word), that we always need someone to think for us.

This is to all of us…..

PS: All the opinions are my own and I think I am entitled to it as is anyone else to theirs. Just for the record I am not a Hindu basher or a leftist or a right winger or a pseudo secularist and my political inclining and my religion is my own choice and I need not make a public statement on it!! J

Kanua???

Well, what does Kanua mean?? I frankly had no idea, till I went to this restaurant.

This one is a concept restaurant situated in Kaikondrahalli, Sarjapur Road. It is the perfect place you want to go, with your parents, spouse, friends or alone... :)

I was taken there first by my friend Mr. "D " and have gone there umpteen number of times afterwards. I have really fallen in love with the place.

After the mad traffic into Sarjapur road, taking the first right after Fabmall and driving through a dirt track you come to this place on the right side of the road, a three storied building near an industrial warehouse. If you go there after sunset, this place has a eerie look to it. The restaurant is located on the second floor and you have to climb through a wooden staircase.

The first thing you notice when you start to climb the stairs is a board which says something like " Dear Patrons, children below 12 years will not be allowed after 6pm Thursday onwards...." (I must say I have seen a lot of kids coming to this place though, along with their parents).

The walls are only half height and if you get to sit at the side (which is most of them, except for the huge tables in the centre), you’ll have a cool breeze to keep you company. The lighting is muted and there are candles on every table. The music is soft and not too loud. Pleasant and soothing! I never had that kind of feeling before in a restaurant, the eating area is without walls and the décor is definitely what I remember from my childhood in my village. The doors open into two, there is woodwork everywhere and the tables and chairs too are from age old days (I mean only look-wise).

The menu card will definitely amuse you; it is like an old book with stamps in every page. Do not mistake them for stamps as they are the specials!! The menu describes to you what the various highly confusing and tongue-twisting names are so that you are not lost. Also the waiting staffs are very cordial and very helpful.

Alcohol is not served in this place, though regulars like us take a small bottle with us and give it to be served. Also it does not have aerated drinks there. There are quite a few beverages that will blow you off. There is sugarcane juice, lemon with mint iced tea so on and so forth, but trust me they all taste pleasantly different.

There is a wide range of starters in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. I would recommendpodhies, try both the flavors, podhale podhies, made of snake gourd and normal podhies made of sweet potato and/or yam. Then there is Soorna Kachri (sliced yam fries, with tangy tamarind chutney dip). If you are a non-vegetarian, try the fish and the chicken all of them are too good. Sasve chicken and ghee roast deserve a special mention.

For main course I recommend Zalke Randhei (excellent seer fish in semi thick gravy) and Soorna Paachi. With the gravy you can select from rice, panpole or tava roti. Kanua serves two varieties of rice - the standard Basmati type and boiled. I personally love the neer-dosas there. It is simply mind blowing.

Almost all the portions are large and many a times I have ended up parceling the curries back home. The parcel is done in plastic containers, but the carry bag is not plastic, it is made of old newspapers. J

The best part is that there are no artificial colors or chemicals used in any of the preparations. All the things that I have eaten there (which by now is the entire menu card), I have enjoyed and it is good on the palette too. Now coming to the wallet part, it is not a place where only filthy rich can go. Compared to the other sea-food places in MG or Koramangala, this one is pretty decent. An above average meal with five to six starters and main course for three with four to five coolers should cost around Rs.2000/-.

If you drop in the evening and stay on till 9pm you might even bump into Mr. Rajesh, who actually is the owner and he’ll enthrall you with his stories as to what he does and how he came upon the idea of Kanua. A very nice and charming person!!

He mentioned that he has started another restaurant “EGG FACTORY” at White House, St. Marks road. That again is a concept place and has lots of dishes with eggs, right from breakfast to dinner. I forgot to mention that at Kanua you do not get breakfast and it is closed on Mondays.

Now what exactly is Kanua, I believe it means par-boiled brown rice, kind of a lost flavor of rice from south canara….

Near death.....

On Sunday (28^th December, 08) on my way back from Chennai in a car along with my friends we met with an accident. Our car hit a road divider and flew for around 150m in air and then fell on to the road and skidded with a broken right front tyre for another 300m.  All this happened in a span of few seconds, but I felt like I was in the air for and eternity!! There were four of us in the car including the guy who was driving and a brand new guitar that my friend had brought for around seven grand. The best part was none of us including the guitar had any damage! J The car was not so lucky; it had a broken tyre, a bent fender and a bent tyre rod, just to name a few.

 What prompted me to write this was the near death experience, I mean if the car had toppled (it probably would have if we did not have a 220 pound driver), then people would have been writing obituaries for me (high hopes!) rather than me writing this post. I went through a whole gamut of emotions during those few seconds and was wondering if I was the only one who went through it. So as soon as I was out of the shock (which I must say took more than 24 hours), I started to search the internet to find out more about it.

I must say, I was surprised and amused by the results that I found. I got to know that they even have a research foundation named NDERF (Near Death Experience Research Foundation), wherein people share their experiences and they do a lot of research on that. Why?? I have no clue..

Also there is a page in wikipedia (there is a page for almost everything in Wikipedia), where the NDE is described in real detail along with characteristics and what not. Boy.. wasn’t I surprised?

It really is a small world…… full of weird people...

My Marriage.....

Well, this post certainly is not an invitation to attend my marriage!!! As and when it gets decided, I'll let you people know personally!! The inspiration to write this post is my MOM!!

I have come to Chennai, (a city which I hate for its weather) and it is not even 24 hours when my Mom decides to assault me with pictures of eligible brides. Fair and beautiful all of them. I am actually spoilt for choices.

What is the right time to get married? I have been grappling with this question for sometime to find an answer. I am a kind of person who will not interfere into another's life unless and until I am specifically asked to. Because, I believe that we are all grown ups and know how to handle things. Whenever I stumble, I learn, whenever I need help, I ask!! Life has been that simple for me and I do not try to make it any more complicated.

So now coming back to the question, when and whom should I get married to?? Well for me some things are very important:

-- Both of us must have love for each other and know each other very well.

-- Trust for each other.

-- Both of us should know to handle and should handle responsibilities.

-- We should be with each other through thick and thin.

-- Both should have the same value systems.

I don't ask for much but I think these are quite an important requisite.

What kinda freaks me out is the fact that this decision that is going to effect my entire life, no wait my, my parents their parents, my children's and possible their children's lives is to be taken in 2 or 3 meetings!!!!!Man this is seems like it is straight out of a Spielberg movie!!!

Hats off to all you happily married couples out there!!!!

Till I find the answers to these questions or find someone I think marriage can wait... 

Maybe in this life or the next I'll find.....

PLEASE ACCEPT ME THE WAY I AM ......

I May Not Always Say The Things You Want Me To Say
I May Not Always Do The Things You Want Me To Do
I May Not Always Be The Person You Want Me To Be
But I Am Someone Who Cares About You...
And Its Important To Me To know That You Care About Me

I Want To Please You...
I Want To Make You Happy...
But I Also Want To Be Me...

I Am Who I Am...
I Am What I Want To Be...
I Am Pleased With Myself...

SO PLEASE ACCEPT ME THE WAY I AM ......

PEG AFTER PEG

Read this a really long time ago someplace, hopefully have been able to recall it properly..

 I never take risk while drinking

When I come from office in the evening, wife is cooking
I can hear the noise of utensils in the kitchen
I stealthily enter the house
Take out the bottle from my black cupboard 
Shivaji Maharaj is looking at me from the photo frame
But still no one is aware of it
Becoz I never take a risk

 I take out the glass from the rack above the old sink
Quickly enjoy one peg
Wash the glass and again keep it on the rack 
Of course I also keep the bottle inside my cupboard
Shivaji Maharaj is giving a smile

 I peep into the kitchen
Wife is cutting potatoes
No one is aware of what I did
Becoz I never take a risk

 I: Any news on Iyer's daughter's marriage
Wife: Nope, she doesn't seem to be that lucky. Still they are looking out for 
her

I again come out; there is a small noise of the black cupboard
But I don't make any sound while taking out the bottle 
I take out the glass from the old rack above sink
Quickly enjoy one peg

 Wash the bottle and keep it in the sink
Also keep the Black Glass in the cupboard
But still no one is aware of what I did
Becoz I never take a risk 

I: But still I think Iyer's daughter's age is not that much
Wife: What are you saying? She is 28 yrs old... like an aged horse
I: (I forgot her age is 28) Oh Oh...

 I again take out potatoes out from my black cupboard 
But the cupboard's place has automatically changed
I take out the bottle from the rack and quickly enjoy one peg in the sink

 Shivaji Maharaj laughs loudly
I keep the rack in the potatoes & wash Shivaji Maharaj's photo & keep it in 
the black cupboard

 Wife is keeping the sink on the stove
But still no one is aware of what I did
Becoz I never take a risk

 I: (getting angry) you call Mr. Iyer a horse? If you say that again, I will 
cut your tongue...!
Wife: Don't just blabber something, go out and sit quietly...

I take out the bottle from the potatoes
Go in the black cupboard and enjoy a peg
Wash the sink and keep it over the rack 
Wife is giving a smile

 Shivaji Maharaj is still cooking
But still no one is aware of what I did
Becoz I never take a risk

 I: (laughing) So Iyer is marrying a horse!!
Wife: Hey go and sprinkle some water on your face... 

 I again go to the kitchen, and quietly sit on the rack
Stove is also on the rack
There is a small noise of bottles from the room outside

I peep and see that wife is enjoying a peg in the sink
But none of the horses are aware of what I did 
Becoz Shivaji Maharaj never takes a risk

 Iyer is still cooking
And I am looking at my wife from the photo and laughing
Becoz I never take what???

What is a Kiss . .

Can you taste the essence that simple delight..?

When you close your eyes and the moment is right

 

When the world we belong to is forgotten so fast 
As time moves so slow as the present becomes the past

 

My lips upon yours that emotional embrace 
My minds in a tumble, my hearts in a race

 

My face in your hands, as the energies arise
A moment so lustful, a kiss mesmerized

 

My eyes are closed yet I see your soul 
As it enters my body and makes me whole

 

I taste your life I taste you slow 
I taste forever in a kiss I know

 

A feeling so familiar yet somehow always new
That feeling of attraction that bonding for two

 

A kiss, what is it..? What greatness it holds
A sacred secret, as destiny unfolds

 

The passion, the pleasure, that simple delight
Yet a kiss is a kiss when the moment is right . . .