Outpressions

  The minute you read this title, you may ask why "Varalakshmi Vivaham", why not "Varalakshmi  Marriage" or " Varalakshmi Vibogam" or something? Well! I just wanted the title to sound rhythmic with an alliteration introduced, the first choice failed this prospect while the second one sounded too grand for this story. Would you like to get introduced to Parashuram? If you wonder what he is. I usually don't give heroic introductions to people getting married if you would expect any, because they already have enough attention as soon as they get engaged as if they are the first of their kind in their breed to take this audacious attempt of getting married!  To make it simple he is the   groom. Parasuram was one from the surging population who went on to do MS in US and soon found work settling there after obtaining the prestigious green card and was entitled with a grand title of  honor “The NRI Mapillai”. Parasuram has flown back to India to get m...

  It has now been more than a month at work. I was no newer, but the situation around me dint seem any better. I was still a nobody. I was too dynamic and zestful to find myself trying to fit in between an unfriendly crowd on a slow moving bullock cart with an old lumbering ox trying to lead me to an uncertain destination. The thought of others enjoying their roller-coaster journey had made myself feel diminutive and made me repent on my choices that led to this fate. Though sometimes it made me think, perhaps they were in a bullock cart ride too, though they seemed to enjoy doing nothing and slow phased lethargic life. Maybe with better amiable associates in the voyage seemed to be appreciable from their end. They seemed contented with the luck they were bestowed upon, while for me, my journey seemed too melancholic a disposition to be more than tedious. My luncheons were deserted like nothing before, my lunch mates were moved on to other office building some meters away and those...

 What would you think be your reaction when your college days suddenly came to end and you find yourself in your office seat? Though it was not so easy as it would sound in the previous line, I was destined to move out of my hometown (though it was a major metro city by itself) to another city of an unfamiliar language and go through a brief training period of two and half months. I will later tell you about my induction and training days, if I would begin from the start it would take an eternity for you to read this blog and a lifetime for me to compose it. After our successful training period, we were asked to arrive straight to office hall after our breakfast. We had our customary breakfast in the office canteen. I had made several friends during my training days, they have become my breakfast-lunch companions. After the breakfast, it was now our mission to find our way to hall location to amalgamate with our destiny. We know that expecting a training companion as a team member ...

It has not been a day since we moved to our new house, I noticed him strolling aimlessly around gasping my attention. Though I noticed his presence, I acted as though I didn't care about him a inch. He looked at me surprisingly ,probably noting that I was new there.He came near me took a look , smelled me and carried on without a word. I hoped he would initiate a conversation at least if not a welcome , I expected a "hi, hello" or something like that. Within seconds he vanished after a cold look. I don't know his name, I know I wouldn't get any reply from him either. There were no one around to ask his name either. He wasn't handsome or groomed well. But was charming for his kind. Hence I nicknamed him whitey. Each time from our first direct encounter, he grabbed my attention when I took a casual glance from my balcony veranda. Soon I discovered many in my neighborhood allured him and maintained good relationships with him by providing food. Some feared f...

"It was not Velu's fault to have not told us about his past " told Sindhu aunty to my mother.  " Of course it is not something that he could gloat or brag over" she continued.  My mother stood on our doorstep nodding off her head to emphasize that she paid heed to the slant news brought up by Sindhu aunty this morning. My mother considers it morbid to interfere or encourage gossips of any such kind. She never encouraged any judgemental speculation about anyone especially the ones that have passed many ears and retold many times by many curious creatures.  Though my mother was apathetic about such issues, Sindhu aunty and Vijaya seemed to be resolute about it and went on interminating and chatting incessantly. I too, never was so inquisitive about the gossip, whenever such people occupied the pyrol I went into the bedroom and continued with my business or whenever I dint have one I acted as if I was busily indulging with some household chore. When Vija...

It so happened that once it was Raju's destiny to have lived in a house in a community living  owned by his father Ramamurthy. He had been living under the same room ever since the initial days of his recollection would date back to. Every morning Kamala would wake Raju up, he would refresh himself with a boost or bournvita post which he would be insisted to take a quick bath with the warm water his father has steamed it for him at the temperature suitable to a kid's body. Every after this epic burden of events of his daily chores , Raju would come out of the washroom  with the towel wrapped around his waist  ready to take up the position under the running fan drying his wet body. This was the favourite moment of his life which would make him forget  certain situations like the worst  encounter with his teachers, getting punished for not doing the homework and getting  duck out in cricket   which he considered as the biggest problems and tragedy of h...

When the news about the re-telecast of the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata reached the Ranga's ears, Ranga could not help but recollect the memories of past when the epics were first telecast in Doordarshan as serials. The promotions and marketing of the serial was unimaginably magnificent for the financial sector those days. Big banners and cutouts  were installed near the town theaters for the promotion. No other serial received such a splendid welcome in those days.There was a lot of expectations for the serial to begin.The buzz around Ranga's friends group was nothing less, they too were eagerly awaiting for the serial to begin , deciding on whose house they need to turn up to watch the mega serial.  Those days owning television was a dream come true, not every household could afford it. The story of it was not some thing new, he had heard it numerous times from the discourse when his grand mother(paati) forcefully compelled him to accompany her for Katha Kalakshebams. ...

The other security who played a crucial role in the process of  uninterrupted contemplation was Krishnan the watchman. Although Krinshnan was not a direct acquaintance to me, he was popularly well known figure with in the streets of  Perumal kovil in Madaveethi. Most of the encounters with him have been from the recollections of memories in past by few of my family members. Krisnan unlike the stories of other watchman is the security guard of  Perumal temple in our town.It was the time in mid 1960's that the word of security guard were looked up as an luxury affordable only for people holding higher government positions, like MLA,MPs , ministers etc. Neither was employing a security guard was affordable, nor anyone found it necessarily worthy of employing them as most of them opting to sleep outside the house in varanda. Moreover flat system and apartments were far from reality. Every household owned an independent house or rented one or were staying in an rented ho...

It was a warm Tuesday evening when i could hear old Tamil movie songs been played at a near-end of our apartment balcony which caught my notice suddenly while i finished washing my tumbler after a fine tea. I turned around to look where the music originated from. It was from Kandan's mobile phone. Kandan is a middle aged watchman of  another flat right adjacent to us. I could see him happily watching youtube  with a loud sound.Every morning Kandan would meticulously open the door for the people in that colony and ecstatically bestow his salute to selected portion of people who were either owners, or those who owned big cars.Those who hold positions like president/ treasurer of that colony also received his gleeful salute. He closed  the gates of the tall standing luxurious apartment which he was responsible to guard. Any one, even if he were the president of any country , would be stopped by gate, asked about the whereabouts and where he is leading to, what his intentio...

EVERYDAY ROUTINE: The mornings in Chennai was unusually beautiful. The pleasant and quite atmosphere allowed me to sip my ginger tea with peace in my house varandah. I glanced at my father, to what he was up-to. He had his own way of enjoying his morning routine by nosing inside the newspaper sipping his daily ginger tea which my mother made every day without fail. I had revisited my home after a brief stay in Bangalore because of work. I could see Mrs. Minnal down in the car parking taking her daily walk. She was called Minnal by everyone, after Eshwari Aunty coined her that name due to her lightning speed walk which she took on daily mornings and afternoons. Our building was neither so tall nor too big. It was built on one ground with which 18 families shared car parking and gym.Footpaths were made around the car parking to let everyone walk. While everyone would take 1-2 minutes to complete their one round of walking, Minnal would complete it in 30-40 seconds. While we  we...

Women's day have been a very hyped event in corporate world. The buzz would be mostly because of lesser females among the existing work environment."Sex ratio" as you would term it in social studies is not equal as expected. So there was a buzz about the things that's got to happen on the day of women's day. This is not actually the first corporate outing I was ever invited for. But this was the first I decided to attend. There were a couple of momentary events which required my presence like someone got married and was eagerly throwing a lunch party to celebrate the fate of life. I smartly escaped from couple of those lunch parties that were thrown before. Probably , to be honest, I was mostly unnoticed when I went missing for those occasion, as I was a new joiner, fresher. My team was very self -satisfied team to accept any sudden outside member whole heartedly. I did feel a little bad for not including me or taking notice of me, but gradually adapted with t...