I think almost all food tastes better if had with the right book in hand. Of course the right company makes it very, if not more, enjoyable, but now I think about it, the taste buds get a raw deal. You re too busy composing the next answer or listening to soak in the food (assuming its worth soaking in of course- all beetroot and papaya related things excluded right now). But books are more passive, you can read, put them down, chew,savour, think and pick them up again. If you like some section you can saunter down that part, guess what comes next, and then do it all over again. As a side angle, eating with a book also draws far more attention than eating with any live person does. I dont know whether out of sympathy (paapa she doesn't have any friends) or curiosity, but everyone wants to know more about you the moment you re caught eating with a book in hand. In short, although vetoed as a bad food practice, I think theres something to be said in favour of book- eating too :)
So what are your favourite food books? Here is my list:
THE BEST: Wodehouse: I think the easygoing and mad happenings of Wodehouses stimulate gastric juices or something, I always eat more and feel happier with them!
Agatha Christie: Non gory, very gossipy and such a skilled character sketcher! great with food
Enid Blytons: Fabulous!Her food descriptions alone were enough to sustain a meal (fresh farm tomatoes, hot bread from the oven, and hot many other things I didn't even know the meaning of, but it didn't matter)
Harry Potter: The coolest,ALL Of them :)
Gerald Durrell: Feel good independently and with food, always
Also William, Rex Stout, Tintin but not Asterix (dont know why), Edith Nesbit. Don Camillo. Roald dahl- the non scary ones ONLY. Triveni (not the sad ones, again)
specific books : All Mma Ramotswe stories, Raga n josh, The microbe hunters. City of djinns.
THE WORST- P.D. James (the goriest murders ever, and you ll just sink into a dark mood)
the so so ones-
Ngaio marsh, Calvin (too restless I think?), actually comics in general are not great, except Tintin somehow..Frank o connor, Somerset maugham, Kuvempu (I think guilt. he s so scholarly and polished that you feel it cant be taken so lightly..feels like sacrilege).
Palace walk (too much detail to absorb) and The Kiterunner (too sad).
The WORST ever- Analytical chemistry- the Bangalore university prescribed one. I tried it once,obviously when in dire straits, and it put me off lunch AND dinner. It just gave me a hopeless feeling. Even the cover is especially unappealing, and am sure also unappetising, for poor foraging paper mites :(
Of course you cant insult the best books by reading them with sidey food..that wont give you any sort of good feeling. It needs quite a mix and match perrsonallized standardization..good luck :)
Angkor wat
Monday, April 18, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
food for the soul and stomach :)
1) The most spirited rendering of the old favourite 'bhagyada lakshmi baramma' that I have heard. I re-heard it after years and cant stop..WHAT a voice, and what a simple powerful rendition of this simple classic!! I really felt like anyone would feel like granting wishes or coming instantly (lakshmi baramma!)hearing this !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tdYY6lUw9g
2) A guaranteed feel good full meal combination recipe
Cheese chapati with pickle, and cauliflower something rice (i havent decided what to christen it :)
Simplest way to make a cheese chapati-
Make two chapatis, grate cheese, sprinkle (liberally) on one, add the other on top, pat gently and put on the tava. don't try rolling it again though, if it doesn't break, it ll definitely push the cheese somewhere in the dough and the taste is quite different. Eat hot, and with lemon pickle for best mood lifting :)
The cauliflower something rice:
Cut cauliflower florets, keep soaked in salt water for half hour. Cook them with minimal oil, add just a pinch of asofateida ('ingu'- i can never spell the asof-..) and karben soppu/ kadi patta for taste (remove it later) also add haldi liberally, keep it covered and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile saute finely chopped onions on the pan in minimal oil. Cut tomatoes in quarters and cut away the pulp so that only the dry seedless part remains.Take near-fully cooked rice (i used the regular, but basmati will be great), add a little oil in pan and toss around the rice till it browns. keep aside. mix the rice, cauli-tomatoes and onions, keep in pan and cook for maybe 5 minutes. if you like herbs, sprinkle basil on top (namdharis!) . i actually ate it with kadi patta chutney pudi..i dont want to boast but oh god it was delicious!! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tdYY6lUw9g
2) A guaranteed feel good full meal combination recipe
Cheese chapati with pickle, and cauliflower something rice (i havent decided what to christen it :)
Simplest way to make a cheese chapati-
Make two chapatis, grate cheese, sprinkle (liberally) on one, add the other on top, pat gently and put on the tava. don't try rolling it again though, if it doesn't break, it ll definitely push the cheese somewhere in the dough and the taste is quite different. Eat hot, and with lemon pickle for best mood lifting :)
The cauliflower something rice:
Cut cauliflower florets, keep soaked in salt water for half hour. Cook them with minimal oil, add just a pinch of asofateida ('ingu'- i can never spell the asof-..) and karben soppu/ kadi patta for taste (remove it later) also add haldi liberally, keep it covered and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile saute finely chopped onions on the pan in minimal oil. Cut tomatoes in quarters and cut away the pulp so that only the dry seedless part remains.Take near-fully cooked rice (i used the regular, but basmati will be great), add a little oil in pan and toss around the rice till it browns. keep aside. mix the rice, cauli-tomatoes and onions, keep in pan and cook for maybe 5 minutes. if you like herbs, sprinkle basil on top (namdharis!) . i actually ate it with kadi patta chutney pudi..i dont want to boast but oh god it was delicious!! :)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
the new year new age questionnaire :)
1) What do you have a natural gift for? (not a talent, just a character trait)
i) Guilting myself:
:) i was damn good at this even at the age of 8, when an (evil! grr..) cousin convinced me that my grandfather was going to be arrested because i had laughed so loudly..although way better now, i can still spend completely unnecessary guilted times, provided the guilter does a good logical job :)
ii)Seeing the lighter side of things:
this is a plus for me, but am sure can be dampening for others at times! it also means very little scope for reverence or belief about things without tangible proof of them. come to think of it, that can be damn irritating if stretched to its maximum. like my mother often says as a favourite exasperated statement 'for you everyone else is right' :) just the irritating habit of seeing all points of view leading to the conclusion that nobody is wrong..but luckily i take sides nonetheless, on principle :) also luckily, things like seas, books, mountains, children,music and rainbows exist, and can generate quite enough reverence to keep me in touch with the sentiment! :)
iii) Paranoia:
i still look under the bed every night..if i m not allowed i would sit up with a torch and get bleary eyed.
and any smart would be murderer would just have to lock me in a room alone with 'the ring' or its equivalent on autoplay...
iv) sensing emotion
I dont know how to describe this!:) but i could always tell even in school if the teacher'd had a fight at home in the first 10 minutes..and it always bothered me that nobody cared to be gentler with her that day :(
2) Do you like self help and 'designed to inspire' kind of books?
No. as to why..I think because I don't learn anything from them, and they don't evoke any feeling from me! like someone said, touches neither mind nor heart :) atleast the few i ve read i ve found either pretentious (meaning fairly obvious truths cloaked in fancy terms) or just plain uninteresting :(..i cant say a thing to anyone raving about the book 'jonathan livingstone seagull', for example! (though what a lovely name :) But i believe the category has expanded so i may be generalizing unintentionally. there are apparently more concrete ones written now, for instance with people's life stories..i havent tried them but atleast i can see that they must have some content, so should try..
3) What do you respect in people around you?
well of course thats a long list! But I think it d boil down to strength of character and a sort of tenacity. Strength of character sounds like a conveniently loose term :) but I mean it as some mix of sincerity, passion,interest,conviction and hard work. I think its a poor way to spend a life if done with a half hearted interest in what you do and in people and things around you. I m also among those who can unfortunately admire some facets of people, even if i dont like them (damn :) :)
4) What bothers you in people?
Lack of tolerance bothers me very much. Both at the personal and at the larger..for instance in evidence right now, country level. Maybe it partly stems of working in a field where variety is admired and is the basis for everything else.. I find it incredible that one cAN object to people doing things differently, instead of being happy to learn that there is one more way of doing it!
so does lack of sensitivity.
so does a sense of extra bhaav ( i prefer it to 'ego' :)..even the merited kind can be hard to take, the unmerited generates sand-pit ducking impulses in me!!
5) What are you bad at?
i) drawing
ii) accepting a compliment
iii) pretending
iv) Going to a bank or office and not fighting with a lady
v) Convincing the IISc security that i m a legitimate student here..
i would have added waiting in a queue but thats not true anymore! yay i ve learnt tons of patience :)
6) What are you bad at understanding?
i) An inability to laugh at oneself:
Somehow I think the rigidity born of this attitude diminishes anyone's personality :(
ii) Politicians and businessmen donating to temples in crores while letting schools and hospitals languish:
I have nothing against it being both, but in a country like ours I find it really sad that people with money to give often choose to soothe their own consciences apparently to wash away sin, while someone's life can be changed drastically with it. Thankfully I believe many places run associated charities, i hope they expand.
iii) Imposing your views or preferences on others:
Not happening!though a healthy argument is very much happening :)
iv) Many society driven 'ushoo's :) :
must be plenty such taboos, and some that i agree with by virtue of my own personality or upbringing or inhibitions, but a taboo that has no basis other than that someone has decided its 'bad' or immoral or whatever, carries no conviction with me..unless of course its proven harmful
8) What do you think is essential to growth (as a person)?
i) Travel! :)
ii) Interacting with people (like R.K.Narayan and Miss Marple have pointed out in two v different cultures, a village can provide as much scope as the world if rightly tapped :)
iii) A general willingness and effort to explore and accept
9) Are you good at forgiving people and yourself?
Yes! :) and no :(
10) Do you get enough exercise?
No.But am getting better in small doses!
11) Would you enjoy working in industry?
I doubt it v much..but I might like it for a short time, just for the experience. On the whole I m all for academics or any private freelancey thing for a sane balance of things in life :) not to say you cant get madly involved and slavedriving academics, of course you do! but if you re calling the shots you can arrange it your way in a quiet non madly competitive place, and have time to call your own :)
well thats a longish list..happy new year everyone! :)
i) Guilting myself:
:) i was damn good at this even at the age of 8, when an (evil! grr..) cousin convinced me that my grandfather was going to be arrested because i had laughed so loudly..although way better now, i can still spend completely unnecessary guilted times, provided the guilter does a good logical job :)
ii)Seeing the lighter side of things:
this is a plus for me, but am sure can be dampening for others at times! it also means very little scope for reverence or belief about things without tangible proof of them. come to think of it, that can be damn irritating if stretched to its maximum. like my mother often says as a favourite exasperated statement 'for you everyone else is right' :) just the irritating habit of seeing all points of view leading to the conclusion that nobody is wrong..but luckily i take sides nonetheless, on principle :) also luckily, things like seas, books, mountains, children,music and rainbows exist, and can generate quite enough reverence to keep me in touch with the sentiment! :)
iii) Paranoia:
i still look under the bed every night..if i m not allowed i would sit up with a torch and get bleary eyed.
and any smart would be murderer would just have to lock me in a room alone with 'the ring' or its equivalent on autoplay...
iv) sensing emotion
I dont know how to describe this!:) but i could always tell even in school if the teacher'd had a fight at home in the first 10 minutes..and it always bothered me that nobody cared to be gentler with her that day :(
2) Do you like self help and 'designed to inspire' kind of books?
No. as to why..I think because I don't learn anything from them, and they don't evoke any feeling from me! like someone said, touches neither mind nor heart :) atleast the few i ve read i ve found either pretentious (meaning fairly obvious truths cloaked in fancy terms) or just plain uninteresting :(..i cant say a thing to anyone raving about the book 'jonathan livingstone seagull', for example! (though what a lovely name :) But i believe the category has expanded so i may be generalizing unintentionally. there are apparently more concrete ones written now, for instance with people's life stories..i havent tried them but atleast i can see that they must have some content, so should try..
3) What do you respect in people around you?
well of course thats a long list! But I think it d boil down to strength of character and a sort of tenacity. Strength of character sounds like a conveniently loose term :) but I mean it as some mix of sincerity, passion,interest,conviction and hard work. I think its a poor way to spend a life if done with a half hearted interest in what you do and in people and things around you. I m also among those who can unfortunately admire some facets of people, even if i dont like them (damn :) :)
4) What bothers you in people?
Lack of tolerance bothers me very much. Both at the personal and at the larger..for instance in evidence right now, country level. Maybe it partly stems of working in a field where variety is admired and is the basis for everything else.. I find it incredible that one cAN object to people doing things differently, instead of being happy to learn that there is one more way of doing it!
so does lack of sensitivity.
so does a sense of extra bhaav ( i prefer it to 'ego' :)..even the merited kind can be hard to take, the unmerited generates sand-pit ducking impulses in me!!
5) What are you bad at?
i) drawing
ii) accepting a compliment
iii) pretending
iv) Going to a bank or office and not fighting with a lady
v) Convincing the IISc security that i m a legitimate student here..
i would have added waiting in a queue but thats not true anymore! yay i ve learnt tons of patience :)
6) What are you bad at understanding?
i) An inability to laugh at oneself:
Somehow I think the rigidity born of this attitude diminishes anyone's personality :(
ii) Politicians and businessmen donating to temples in crores while letting schools and hospitals languish:
I have nothing against it being both, but in a country like ours I find it really sad that people with money to give often choose to soothe their own consciences apparently to wash away sin, while someone's life can be changed drastically with it. Thankfully I believe many places run associated charities, i hope they expand.
iii) Imposing your views or preferences on others:
Not happening!though a healthy argument is very much happening :)
iv) Many society driven 'ushoo's :) :
must be plenty such taboos, and some that i agree with by virtue of my own personality or upbringing or inhibitions, but a taboo that has no basis other than that someone has decided its 'bad' or immoral or whatever, carries no conviction with me..unless of course its proven harmful
8) What do you think is essential to growth (as a person)?
i) Travel! :)
ii) Interacting with people (like R.K.Narayan and Miss Marple have pointed out in two v different cultures, a village can provide as much scope as the world if rightly tapped :)
iii) A general willingness and effort to explore and accept
9) Are you good at forgiving people and yourself?
Yes! :) and no :(
10) Do you get enough exercise?
No.But am getting better in small doses!
11) Would you enjoy working in industry?
I doubt it v much..but I might like it for a short time, just for the experience. On the whole I m all for academics or any private freelancey thing for a sane balance of things in life :) not to say you cant get madly involved and slavedriving academics, of course you do! but if you re calling the shots you can arrange it your way in a quiet non madly competitive place, and have time to call your own :)
well thats a longish list..happy new year everyone! :)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Felix felicis :)
Felix felicis or 'liquid luck' is a potion that brings luck, and for the non Harry Potter people, it makes its appearance in the sixth book and gives the drinker a nice heady feeling with success in everything for some time period. It sounded a highly desirable potion (takes six months to brew) to me,it just made even stronger the case to not be born a muggle..But then I though about it, we don't do that badly in the non magic world either :)Here are my inevitable comfort and peace and happiness givers,and not all that hard to get, either! how different are yours?
1)Having a good hearty laugh about something ridiculously trivial
2)Meeting old friends
3) Dark chocolate. preferably hot! and particularly in sauce form with vanilla icecream and a brownie, or even just the smell will do (I can get high on cocoa)
4) Good food in general..particularly if associated with cauliflower, bhindi or cheese, and garnished with good company :)also good books in general
5) Good food with a good solid mystery or a good 'food book' in hand! Some books just go well with food, some, like Japanese thrillers, totally dont. Dont know why, probably just the styles..clinically precise and logical books are bad with food i ve figured, the best are slow paced or humorous (wodehouse, roald dahl and gerald durrell are all fantastic food books! )or should periodically talk a lot about food..like the enid blytons. It has to add to your enjoyment of cauliflower and tomatoes if you re reading about 'freshly picked tomatoes glistening with dew' :)
6) Looking at masses of Flowers- particularly tiger lilies, zerberas and the little purple ones..
7) Sleeping insanely late on saturday nights and getting up insanely late to the smell of chai on sunday morning..also an unexpected afternoon nap when reely reely exhausted but virtuous :) (like if you ve wrapped up some work or feel satisfied with something)..i ve read that people feel cheered up waking up with the sun..would be nice, say twice a year :))
8)A good movie in a relaxed environment..best with company, but could be fine alone too, depends on the movie also :) (I wouldnt dare watch something like 'the ring' by myself)
9) Shopping for books and clothes :) books anytime, rest has to be after some months of respite, then works like a charm. it also helps if you re looking for something for someone else and find the perfect thing
10) Hearing or telling stories..this should have come higher up
11) Watching rain..nothing like a thorough downpour to wash out all low feeling :)
12) Clinching an argument with that ace that nobody had thought of :) this is a total cheap thrill but rare enough to be looked fwd to!! :)
13) Playing with children young enough to be fond of things like hide and seek and ignorant of dvds and facebook..that is if they still exist :)
14) Unwrapping a gift
15) getting a compliment. actually getting a compliment secondhand. that way you get the pleasure minus the embarrassment :)
16) Listening to the kind of music that always gives me goosebumps or tears or a high, depending which.. in general for upliftment i d pick mozart, kishori amonkar, paluskar's bhajans, some by the beatles,violin by M.S. Gopalakrishnan and flute by N. Ramani.but definitely also the sound of rain, chimes and laughter :)
must be plenty more, but these atleast should give felix a run for his money!
1)Having a good hearty laugh about something ridiculously trivial
2)Meeting old friends
3) Dark chocolate. preferably hot! and particularly in sauce form with vanilla icecream and a brownie, or even just the smell will do (I can get high on cocoa)
4) Good food in general..particularly if associated with cauliflower, bhindi or cheese, and garnished with good company :)also good books in general
5) Good food with a good solid mystery or a good 'food book' in hand! Some books just go well with food, some, like Japanese thrillers, totally dont. Dont know why, probably just the styles..clinically precise and logical books are bad with food i ve figured, the best are slow paced or humorous (wodehouse, roald dahl and gerald durrell are all fantastic food books! )or should periodically talk a lot about food..like the enid blytons. It has to add to your enjoyment of cauliflower and tomatoes if you re reading about 'freshly picked tomatoes glistening with dew' :)
6) Looking at masses of Flowers- particularly tiger lilies, zerberas and the little purple ones..
7) Sleeping insanely late on saturday nights and getting up insanely late to the smell of chai on sunday morning..also an unexpected afternoon nap when reely reely exhausted but virtuous :) (like if you ve wrapped up some work or feel satisfied with something)..i ve read that people feel cheered up waking up with the sun..would be nice, say twice a year :))
8)A good movie in a relaxed environment..best with company, but could be fine alone too, depends on the movie also :) (I wouldnt dare watch something like 'the ring' by myself)
9) Shopping for books and clothes :) books anytime, rest has to be after some months of respite, then works like a charm. it also helps if you re looking for something for someone else and find the perfect thing
10) Hearing or telling stories..this should have come higher up
11) Watching rain..nothing like a thorough downpour to wash out all low feeling :)
12) Clinching an argument with that ace that nobody had thought of :) this is a total cheap thrill but rare enough to be looked fwd to!! :)
13) Playing with children young enough to be fond of things like hide and seek and ignorant of dvds and facebook..that is if they still exist :)
14) Unwrapping a gift
15) getting a compliment. actually getting a compliment secondhand. that way you get the pleasure minus the embarrassment :)
16) Listening to the kind of music that always gives me goosebumps or tears or a high, depending which.. in general for upliftment i d pick mozart, kishori amonkar, paluskar's bhajans, some by the beatles,violin by M.S. Gopalakrishnan and flute by N. Ramani.but definitely also the sound of rain, chimes and laughter :)
must be plenty more, but these atleast should give felix a run for his money!
Monday, November 8, 2010
The tale of the ricksy auto
'Give me a Bangalorean and I ll give you someone frustrated with autorickshaws' ,Archimedes could have, but didn't, say. Which of course, is only because he was never caught in the rain haggling for 10 rupees 'over the meter' with an auto driver who wasn't 'going in his direction'.
Autorickshaw drivers are said to be ruder in Chennai, ignorant of the meter in Delhi, and almost non existent in Mumbai. But I defy any other city to produce the range of entertainment and eccentricity that Bangalore does. Bangalore, like the rest of 'old Mysore state' infact, long had a reputation for being easygoing. Shops opened late, siestas were common until recently, and all in all you didn't find the average Bangalorean volunteering for any strenuous activity, much preferring a dignified afternoon alu bonda with steaming coffee, watching the world go by from the window. Having grown up in faster paced times, I hadn't really observed this dying out tendency, until I became a frequent auto commuter.
I wanted to go to Residency road, and naively got into the first empty rickshaw saying where I wanted to go (something I wouldnt dream of doing now!). The driver looked highly disinterested and said he had to go home for dinner. I was taken aback, dinner at 6. 30?? Yes, he said firmly, his wife would be waiting. So i had to get down, unsure whether to laugh or protest. In the next half hour, I started to get exasperated as more and more excuses turned up. One,businesslike- 'Twenty rupees extra'. 'Why?' i demanded, outraged. 'Isnt there a meter'?? 'Meter doesnt work','then extra over what'?? 'I know how much it is, you give twenty extra'.
Another, languidly- 'My house is in Indranagar. If you want I can drop you there'. By now i was beginning to feel i was asking for a favour and maybe i should just go to Indranagar..By the time I got one I could have paid twenty rupees extra from sheer gratitude! These are routine, though.
There was one very nice man who was deeply concerned as to why I was keeping a handkerchief on my nose. 'Allergy'? he asked. I nodded, surprised. 'This allergy will eat your life, you have to do yoga', he announced. and then, confidentially, 'once i was also like you. everytime i sneezed my mother would ask 'who will marry this boy'?' then i started yoga, got married at 40, and one day also don't miss now'. I was v impressed, not having met a health conscious auto driver before. 'Dont eat fried food'!he added, glaring. I promised I wouldn't, trying not to think of the happalas I d just devoured, and the rest of the journey was friendly.
The overriding characteristic (other than inducing frustration!) of course is curiosity. This is an old Bangalore tendency that still prevails. Some years ago I was collecting samples of cowdung from the road to look for certain kinds of E. coli bacteria for my work. Having put them in sterile containers, much to the amusement of onlookers ,I nearly bumped into an autodriver who was leaning over so much that in two seconds he d have landed in the dung himself. 'College'? he asked with full confidence. I said no, I had to go to Tata Institute. 'Come, come', he was extra welcoming, an otherwise extinct trait among autodrivers..'What are you doing with this'? I explained as best as I could that I was looking for small germs, the best I could do in Kannada. He looked superior 'Oh, micro organisms?' I didn't know where to look, but hastily agreed. For the rest of the journey I was quizzed on why I was using them, what PCR was, and what I worked on. We finally parted on the best of terms and with much respect on my side.
The ultimate though, was being told off by one, when a friend and I got in a Brigade road, in a rather extra cheerful mode immediately after the toughest exam we had. We were laughing about something and it stretched on a bit, to be interrupted by the driver- 'your parents send you to good colleges and you come here to get drunk and take drugs'? he thundered. We were stunned. For some reason it didn't strike either of us to deny it, infact he was so sure i almost felt it must be true. We got a withering look and much mutterings of 'wasting money' and 'modern girls' and went all the way in the kind of pindrop silence teachers ask for in vain.
But of course, the largest population by far lounges at street corners and refuses to come anywhere. If anyone can explain the mystery of how they earn a living please tell me. I m convinced they all have alternative sources of income, or just black money from some source, and they have to pretend to work! Thank God there are still the odd entertaining and genuinely nice people, otherwise the burden of 'twenty extra' and 'khaali barbeku' would be just too much to bear!!
I liked the one I met last week. Leaving a friend at the gate, I said something to her ending with 'We ll take a rick'. 'Mount Carmel college maydam'? asked the lounging one. 'Yes' we chorused automatically, without stopping to think why he should want to know. Having (miraculously) agreed to kindly drop us where we were headed, my friend asked what he d meant by the college.' Usually no, people say auto', he announced. 'Only like Carmel college saying rick'. And only someone also belonging to a local girl's college of apparently 'fashionable' (read 'notorious') reputation can understand what that smirk did to us..Of course the fact that he no doubt had it dead right made it worse :)
Ricks or autos, I m willing to pledge undying gratitude to a being who agrees to come by the meter, and anywhere you humbly choose to go, however against his critical taste. I know its a laughable wish. Sigh.
Autorickshaw drivers are said to be ruder in Chennai, ignorant of the meter in Delhi, and almost non existent in Mumbai. But I defy any other city to produce the range of entertainment and eccentricity that Bangalore does. Bangalore, like the rest of 'old Mysore state' infact, long had a reputation for being easygoing. Shops opened late, siestas were common until recently, and all in all you didn't find the average Bangalorean volunteering for any strenuous activity, much preferring a dignified afternoon alu bonda with steaming coffee, watching the world go by from the window. Having grown up in faster paced times, I hadn't really observed this dying out tendency, until I became a frequent auto commuter.
I wanted to go to Residency road, and naively got into the first empty rickshaw saying where I wanted to go (something I wouldnt dream of doing now!). The driver looked highly disinterested and said he had to go home for dinner. I was taken aback, dinner at 6. 30?? Yes, he said firmly, his wife would be waiting. So i had to get down, unsure whether to laugh or protest. In the next half hour, I started to get exasperated as more and more excuses turned up. One,businesslike- 'Twenty rupees extra'. 'Why?' i demanded, outraged. 'Isnt there a meter'?? 'Meter doesnt work','then extra over what'?? 'I know how much it is, you give twenty extra'.
Another, languidly- 'My house is in Indranagar. If you want I can drop you there'. By now i was beginning to feel i was asking for a favour and maybe i should just go to Indranagar..By the time I got one I could have paid twenty rupees extra from sheer gratitude! These are routine, though.
There was one very nice man who was deeply concerned as to why I was keeping a handkerchief on my nose. 'Allergy'? he asked. I nodded, surprised. 'This allergy will eat your life, you have to do yoga', he announced. and then, confidentially, 'once i was also like you. everytime i sneezed my mother would ask 'who will marry this boy'?' then i started yoga, got married at 40, and one day also don't miss now'. I was v impressed, not having met a health conscious auto driver before. 'Dont eat fried food'!he added, glaring. I promised I wouldn't, trying not to think of the happalas I d just devoured, and the rest of the journey was friendly.
The overriding characteristic (other than inducing frustration!) of course is curiosity. This is an old Bangalore tendency that still prevails. Some years ago I was collecting samples of cowdung from the road to look for certain kinds of E. coli bacteria for my work. Having put them in sterile containers, much to the amusement of onlookers ,I nearly bumped into an autodriver who was leaning over so much that in two seconds he d have landed in the dung himself. 'College'? he asked with full confidence. I said no, I had to go to Tata Institute. 'Come, come', he was extra welcoming, an otherwise extinct trait among autodrivers..'What are you doing with this'? I explained as best as I could that I was looking for small germs, the best I could do in Kannada. He looked superior 'Oh, micro organisms?' I didn't know where to look, but hastily agreed. For the rest of the journey I was quizzed on why I was using them, what PCR was, and what I worked on. We finally parted on the best of terms and with much respect on my side.
The ultimate though, was being told off by one, when a friend and I got in a Brigade road, in a rather extra cheerful mode immediately after the toughest exam we had. We were laughing about something and it stretched on a bit, to be interrupted by the driver- 'your parents send you to good colleges and you come here to get drunk and take drugs'? he thundered. We were stunned. For some reason it didn't strike either of us to deny it, infact he was so sure i almost felt it must be true. We got a withering look and much mutterings of 'wasting money' and 'modern girls' and went all the way in the kind of pindrop silence teachers ask for in vain.
But of course, the largest population by far lounges at street corners and refuses to come anywhere. If anyone can explain the mystery of how they earn a living please tell me. I m convinced they all have alternative sources of income, or just black money from some source, and they have to pretend to work! Thank God there are still the odd entertaining and genuinely nice people, otherwise the burden of 'twenty extra' and 'khaali barbeku' would be just too much to bear!!
I liked the one I met last week. Leaving a friend at the gate, I said something to her ending with 'We ll take a rick'. 'Mount Carmel college maydam'? asked the lounging one. 'Yes' we chorused automatically, without stopping to think why he should want to know. Having (miraculously) agreed to kindly drop us where we were headed, my friend asked what he d meant by the college.' Usually no, people say auto', he announced. 'Only like Carmel college saying rick'. And only someone also belonging to a local girl's college of apparently 'fashionable' (read 'notorious') reputation can understand what that smirk did to us..Of course the fact that he no doubt had it dead right made it worse :)
Ricks or autos, I m willing to pledge undying gratitude to a being who agrees to come by the meter, and anywhere you humbly choose to go, however against his critical taste. I know its a laughable wish. Sigh.
Friday, November 5, 2010
The science of writing
'Writing is an art' said someone airily, and bought fame easy. Now if they d said 'Science writing is an art' I'm sure a larger (and haggard and glassy eyed) audience would have agreed wholeheartedly. After all, nobody HAS to write (certainly not in these days of outsourcing)..well except people who earn a living by it, like writers and journalists.And they like it anyway. For the rest, the literature haters can and do gleefully throw away textbooks the moment that exam is over, having anyway spent 10 years passing chits in the language classes and wondering moodily if the neighbour has solved more CET question papers in his tuitions.
Scientists on the other hand, attempt to work with some exercise of creativity, but HAVE to sell it by writing! Take some other creative pursuit, say painting. Imagine da Vinci being asked to submit a 10 page description of the Mona Lisa, before it could be publicly displayed!(Please give a short abstract and we feel the smile is too enigmatic, change it).
By common consensus or because knowledge is free and eagerly gobbled, publishing in peer reviewed journals is not just the accepted way of publicizing your scientific work today, its pretty much the only way. While Leeuwenhoek (the 'discoverer' of microbes ),got away with his rough notes of 'little animalcules' and made it big, the average scientist today attempting something similar would be laughed straight out of a job. Unfortunately, there is no apparent correlation between good scientists and good writers. While in many professions this may not matter much, in a setup where communication is critical to progress, it creates quite a problem. People do point out that science has the advantage that even in the most hideously constructed papers, the 'results' section can be decoded from the graphs and tables, and so, that the knowledge is not really lost. True, but every such writer must be earning enough curse points from PhD students looking for a 'can prepare in two hours' paper to land up in Slytherin without a password.
Personally, I was taught this in the best possible way by receiving a rude shock soon after entering research. Like many others, I came in bursting with ideas of varying impracticality. Also like others, I soon learnt that its nicer to hold on to enthusiasm than to results, partly because there isnt much of the second. Alright, I told myself. I may not be able to persuade the enzyme to 'adjust madi' with different grades of water, but what I can do is write a dazzling report. And I spent nights composing it too, and was quite proud of the final product. So that it came as a double shock to have it turned down with a thud and with the stern admonition that it showed a lack of seriousness, and to 'spend some time' on it. It took me some time after this to realise that science writing is very different from regular creative writing. In some ways its even opposite. Fewer adjectives, shorter prose, nobody cares for beautiful sentence constructions,nobody cares about your hypotheses unless backed up by some clear data, and most of all, the results have to be to the point and worded so that they convey the message and dont assume too much. In short, quite a task. It may come naturally to some people (lucky things), but it took me quite some time to get halfway decent.
It was the Royal Society which first systematized the collection, discussion and publishing of all scientific data. Apparently Robert Hooke, as its President, was asked to demonstrate 'one new law' every month or so!! Even for a genius, and even if 'law' is read as some new phenomenon, it seems quite a call. I looked for a picture of his before remembering that Isaac Newton had ordered every known portrait of his destroyed, in a vindictive burst.
If eccentricity is a necessity to be described as 'creative' science seems to be right at the top.Though I do feel it must have been more exciting to be doing science in the days when it was a more leisurely pursuit, and there was less of the 'publish or perish' spirit clouding true innovation, there's no doubt having access to all work in your area is a huge gift, too! I suppose nothing will convince the scientific community that not starting a paper with 'The transesterification of 2',3 hydroxy- something' or 'Dopamine induced aggregation of gangliar neurons..' may encourage not only the public, but also fellow scientists, to actually read the papers even when in a different field. I cant do better than to quote a master scientist cum science writer, Francis Crick, 'There is no form of prose more difficult to understand and more tedious to read than the average scientific paper'.
Somebody suggested that with the advent of the sms era, science writing (like other writing) will only get worse. Well, I hope not. But even if it does, the plus is that it would have to get shorter (dis nzym dsnt wk). And even if it does, there's always the library and the internet to read masterpieces of prose like The Microbe Hunters (which I just re-read and would strongly recommend to everyone!).
Scientists on the other hand, attempt to work with some exercise of creativity, but HAVE to sell it by writing! Take some other creative pursuit, say painting. Imagine da Vinci being asked to submit a 10 page description of the Mona Lisa, before it could be publicly displayed!(Please give a short abstract and we feel the smile is too enigmatic, change it).
By common consensus or because knowledge is free and eagerly gobbled, publishing in peer reviewed journals is not just the accepted way of publicizing your scientific work today, its pretty much the only way. While Leeuwenhoek (the 'discoverer' of microbes ),got away with his rough notes of 'little animalcules' and made it big, the average scientist today attempting something similar would be laughed straight out of a job. Unfortunately, there is no apparent correlation between good scientists and good writers. While in many professions this may not matter much, in a setup where communication is critical to progress, it creates quite a problem. People do point out that science has the advantage that even in the most hideously constructed papers, the 'results' section can be decoded from the graphs and tables, and so, that the knowledge is not really lost. True, but every such writer must be earning enough curse points from PhD students looking for a 'can prepare in two hours' paper to land up in Slytherin without a password.
Personally, I was taught this in the best possible way by receiving a rude shock soon after entering research. Like many others, I came in bursting with ideas of varying impracticality. Also like others, I soon learnt that its nicer to hold on to enthusiasm than to results, partly because there isnt much of the second. Alright, I told myself. I may not be able to persuade the enzyme to 'adjust madi' with different grades of water, but what I can do is write a dazzling report. And I spent nights composing it too, and was quite proud of the final product. So that it came as a double shock to have it turned down with a thud and with the stern admonition that it showed a lack of seriousness, and to 'spend some time' on it. It took me some time after this to realise that science writing is very different from regular creative writing. In some ways its even opposite. Fewer adjectives, shorter prose, nobody cares for beautiful sentence constructions,nobody cares about your hypotheses unless backed up by some clear data, and most of all, the results have to be to the point and worded so that they convey the message and dont assume too much. In short, quite a task. It may come naturally to some people (lucky things), but it took me quite some time to get halfway decent.
It was the Royal Society which first systematized the collection, discussion and publishing of all scientific data. Apparently Robert Hooke, as its President, was asked to demonstrate 'one new law' every month or so!! Even for a genius, and even if 'law' is read as some new phenomenon, it seems quite a call. I looked for a picture of his before remembering that Isaac Newton had ordered every known portrait of his destroyed, in a vindictive burst.
If eccentricity is a necessity to be described as 'creative' science seems to be right at the top.Though I do feel it must have been more exciting to be doing science in the days when it was a more leisurely pursuit, and there was less of the 'publish or perish' spirit clouding true innovation, there's no doubt having access to all work in your area is a huge gift, too! I suppose nothing will convince the scientific community that not starting a paper with 'The transesterification of 2',3 hydroxy- something' or 'Dopamine induced aggregation of gangliar neurons..' may encourage not only the public, but also fellow scientists, to actually read the papers even when in a different field. I cant do better than to quote a master scientist cum science writer, Francis Crick, 'There is no form of prose more difficult to understand and more tedious to read than the average scientific paper'.
Somebody suggested that with the advent of the sms era, science writing (like other writing) will only get worse. Well, I hope not. But even if it does, the plus is that it would have to get shorter (dis nzym dsnt wk). And even if it does, there's always the library and the internet to read masterpieces of prose like The Microbe Hunters (which I just re-read and would strongly recommend to everyone!).
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Two cultures
The Background
Years ago, C.P.Snow delivered a lecture (later a book) called 'The Two Cultures'. He was speaking of the Sciences and the Humanities, and how separate academic members of these two units are, or insist on being. It struck me that in a social context too, there are two contexts one can speak of, the orthodox or traditional and the modern or liberal. As long as they lead their separate lives, of course, there is no clash or need for compromise, they re happy to live in mutual lack of comprehension and maybe even mistrust. After all, like with the scientist versus history professor, they occupy different niches. Happily, the modern world with its similar education for all and travel made easy and whatnot has led to a good deal of mingling, and so here is an attempt at a story using two different social cultures :)
The Story
Abhay leaned over the edge and then slowly rocked back to see the reflection shimmer in and out. The Ganga was at its best in the evening, and the winter solstice sunset among the best. You could wish for anything on that one day (the longest night and shortest day)and all the saints who d ever done penance on these banks would conspire to make it come true. Or so he was told. Right then, however, he was just soaking in the unusual peace on its banks afforded by the big puja being on the other side. The boat-cum-ship was tethered, and its railings were an ideal place to look at the water from. Basking in the twilight, a rare feeling of complete peace enveloped him and he shut his eyes.
In two seconds, a muffled 'damn!' rang out. Abhay turned around, peevish at this intrusion. Had to be one of the eternal tourists impossible to avoid in Varanasi.
A girl stood up and dusted herself. 'Sorry' she said in a low voice, 'Go on staring, I just dropped my earring'.
Ok, not a western tourist, but might as well be from her appearance,thought Abhay, a tad jaundiced still from the breaking of his moment. The jeans and kurti clad girl certainly didnt look a localite, though she could easily be at the BHU. And what a weird way to talk to a stranger! 'go on staring'? well he wasnt going to be put down by a big city type either.
'I was just looking at the reflections..it was very peaceful' he added pointedly. 'theres nobody else here' he added. why else would she be on a boat in the near-dark? in any case Abhay had rather fixed views about the 'fashionable type' of girl and thought of 'them' as permanently between boyfriends and so likely to be in shady places for one reason only.
'I wasnt looking for anyone' said the girl, 'I came to look at the sunset too'.
'oh' said Abhay, taken aback. Then, realising it would be rude to turn away, 'Did you find the earring'?
'Yes thanks' smiled the girl. 'I'm Naina, by the way. I ve been here a week and am leaving tomorrow, and its the first day this place has been so peaceful so I wandered in'.
Abhay explained about the puja and introduced himself.
'Yes I heard', said the girl. 'Does everyone participate'?
That was what Abhay put down mentally as a 'typical foreigner question'. 'No, its conducted by the main temple priests', he said..'but of course anyone can watch, if thats what you mean'.
The girl nodded, and was silent for a bit. 'Its a beautiful river isnt it'? she asked after a while. 'I couldnt bear to look in the light, but now I can see how it must have been'.
Abhay agreed, thawing a bit. 'It is very dirty of course' he admitted, something he wouldnt normally have said to an out of sympathy outsider. 'but it has a feel and power..you should see it further down'
'Do you live here?' asked Naina.
'Yes', said Abhay, and suspecting a touch of big cityness, said 'Its very nice, a lot nicer in many ways than Delhi, where I study'
Naina sensed the defensiveness and said quickly that she was sure it must be.
Lulled, Abhay added in a burst of confidentiality, 'I dont usually tell people that it is dirty, I love this place'
Naina was surprised. 'Do you have to tell? Its quite, well, obvious!'
'Yes', said Abhay, 'but it usually sounds very superior and I'm forced to contradict it and I dont like lying'!
'oh like Yudhishthira or someone' said Naina lightly, smiling.
Abhay frowned.
'What'?
'I dont think its amusing to speak like that of gods ..'
'Yudhishthira isnt a god!'
..'Gods and holy texts and people in them..you didnt let me finish'.
Naina was up in arms now. 'oh really? well,
a) The Mahabharatha isnt a holy text..not counting Krishna, and he was openly manipulative and proud of it,
and b)I bet I know more characters out of the Mahabharatha than you do!'
This last was childish, she knew, but she was mad enough not to care. and upset. If every innocent statement was going to be objected to, how on earth was one to talk?! and much he knew about giving living people respect at this rate, let alone mythological ones.
It was advantage Abhay clearly though, and he smiled. 'Thats not the point. You may well know more names, its nothing to do with how you feel about it'.
Naina was calmer now. 'I find it one of the most fascinating texts ever written', she said. 'Its deep, beautiful and probably of far more practical value through all the cause and effect relationships it shows up, than many a management text..I have the deepest respect for all the people who must ve helped add to it, but if you re asking me to view either that or anything else as unquestionable or the absolute truth and not to be criticized, then that doesnt make sense to me. It seems like stifling all inquisitiveness and even for that matter creativity. Do you tell children to not ask questions??' she was getting worked up again.
Abhay reflected a bit..'Maybe i over reacted. i agree, nobody should be barred from asking questions, its just that random flippancy annoys me'
'Random flippancy can be both amusing and intelligent' said Naina a tad defiantly. ' and cruel, ok true..'
'why cruel'? asked Abhay, curious at this change of heart
'Well..its cruel to destroy belief isnt it? and i guess the deeper the belief the more cruel the forced awakening'
'Exactly'! Abhay was triumphant
'Yes, but i wasn't talking to an ardent Yudhishthira believer' said Naina smiling. 'atleast not that i knew of. and its very constraining to not be able to make the parallels you want..we learn from comparisons dont you think? after all somewhere someone before you must have had similar experiences..most often' .
Abhay nodded.'So long as you dont bother others'
'Yes but how far do you think that out?? People are bothered by the most trivial things! Ultimately you have to be able to call your soul your own and be guided by what you think is right!' Naina was passionate about it.
'Sounds like Voltaire' said Abhay
'Oh you like his things'? Naina was clearly surprised. Equally clearly she'd substituted 'like' for something else, likely 'know', last minute.
'We are taught English even here' said Abhay drily. 'And I study literature'
'I m sorry' smiled Naina penitently, then frankly, 'It didnt seem like someone so protective of holiness would mix with Voltaire, if you know what I mean'.
'You ve led a protected life' announced Abhay who knew just what she meant but wasnt going to admit it..and being more comfortable now, was able to say 'with a lot of comfort and convenience and probably not enough hardship'
Naina reflected..'Comfort and convenience definitely..but i'd think that applies to anyone of us well off in this country today..why, what have you suffered?' her lopsided grin popped out.
'Nothing major..' he admitted, and was forced to smile.
'Can you cook?' asked Naina abruptly
'Huh?..umm..not really..no.Can you'? It was clear the idea seemed laughable to him.
'Of course. I m just back from cooking for myself for two years'.
'Were you abroad'?? Abhay was beginning to wonder whether to attribute his companion's general behaviour to 'foreign influence'. It would be a happy solution, he was beginning to quite like her otherwise. Nothing like the West to be cast in the villain's role.
'I was in Dehradun for two years, i just got my masters in history..of course we had a mess.But you know how you yearn for different food..'she added confidentially
'Oh' said Abhay, who would have eaten puris and alu ki subzi without comment thrice a day.He was slightly abashed though.Clearly the generalization was at fault, she could do some things. Fair minded by nature, he was about to make up by asking what she could cook, when she got in first.
'Whats your favourite dish'?
Abhay, not having spent thousands of words already in talking of it to various people, had to pause for thought.'Probably dum aloo'
'With makki ki roti or alu paratha'?
This needed further thought. 'Makki ki roti' he said finally.
'Good' declared Naina, apparently satisfied.'alu paratha with alu would have been too obvious'.
Abhay was about to challenge this by saying there was nothing wrong with being obvious when it struck him that courtesy demanded the return question. And one never knew with girls, she probably wanted that discussed in the first place.
'Whats yours?'
'Between bhindi bhaji and fish curry'. The slight distaste emanating from Abhay was obvious. 'You must be very vegetarian' added Naina instantly.
'Yes', said Abhay, and forestalling the next remark, 'and i dont think i m missing anything'
Naina was surprised, 'I dont think so either!' and added, 'You know you should be a little less suspicious. i dont know who has, but everyone doesn't want to jump down your throat. Food is probably the last thing I 'd argue about..' here Abhay had his doubts, he d already argued more than he had in the last six months in one hour flat.
'one man's food another's poison etc..like i wouldnt dream of eating cabbage. its the one vegetable i cant stand' she announced.
'Atleast cabbages dont bleed' said Abhay caustically.
Naina looked repulsed. 'Thats gross! Nobody eats bleeding things, please!!'
'Are you under the impression that you eat meat without shedding blood? all you mean is you dont want to see it but you want the advantage of the end product' said Abhay dismissively.
'Now you re being nasty' said Naina clearly bothered by the declaration.
Abhay knew it but was too firm on his stand to be kinder.
There was a pause. 'Would you rather let tigers starve than let deer be killed'?
'No' agreed Abhay, 'but I dont think tigers have an option do they? And humans arent part of the natural balance'.
That was something Naina could jump on. 'They are', she said triumphantly..'but I know what you mean, its true we handle animals horribly..i guess when human rights are decided by money, you cant expect Animals to get a look in..'
Abhay said nothing.
'You know, in labs', continued Naina, 'even for experimental animals that are routinely 'sacrificed' to make antibodies for you and me ultimately, they have very strict handling protocols. You have to break the animal's neck cleanly in one stroke. Any playing around or longer times for it and you ll be in deep trouble..the point is that nobody has the right to inflict suffering'
'Well atleast thats good' said Abhay, in truce.
There was a pause.
'Would you know if there are any not too expensive Benarasi saree shops near here'? asked Naina, changing the topic. 'I want to get one for my mother'.
Abhay looked doubtful. 'I dont think cheap and Benarasi silk go together' he said.' The small lanes are your best bet, they have looms at home, so its genuine also'
Naina nodded.
'If you walk right down and turn left there is a big place you can get clothes from', he was being helpful
'Like what'?
'Oh, scarves and things like that', said Abhay vaguely.'Its next to a ladies cycle showroom'
'Oh can you rent?' this seemd an unexpected plus
'You can' said Abhay pointedly.
'You mean you havent tried?' cried Naina. These little lanes look lovely for cycing.
'Like I said, they only have girls cycles' repeated Abhay.
They stared at each other from a much farther distance. 'Are you telling me, that you haven't tried cycling here simply because you find it below your dignity to use a girls cycle' demanded Naina.
'Not below my dignity' protested Abhay. 'but yes, I wouldnt want to'.
Naina didnt know what to say. 'My brother uses mine all the time' she said finally.
'Thats different' said Abhay
'Ok, upto you of course' said Naina finally, searching for a non violent remark.' You know, you re nice, but you re very self..contained' she continued..'or maybe you just dont talk enough to girls'
Abhay didnt think so, but he kept peace with a 'maybe'.
'It sounds like you make your own rules and they cant be moved around'.
Abhay was stung at this..'Not at all, I m willing to be convinced otherwise'
'Yes, but only where it doesnt matter much anyway' said Naina with some penetration.
'Thats true for everyone' said Abhay
'Anyway i ve learnt quite a few things' she smiled. Then, clearing her throat, 'I think I should be leaving, its quite dark'. 'Nice meeting you' she added formally. It sounded forced to both of them and both laughed, spontaneously, breaking the strain.
Abhay looked around,'Who are you going with'?
Naina was surprised. 'I'm walking back, its hardly a couple of kilometres! Why, are there too many dogs?'
Abhay was speechless at this obviously innocent remark. Nobody, he was about to say, who has stayed in this city a week, could ask that question. In the first place, women didnt wander alone. And they most certainly weren't dressed in jeans. Not to mention that a sort of inbreeding had rendered this area particularly cut off from progress elsewhere. While this had its pluses, it certainly limited its view of the average confident city working woman.
'Not dogs, its not safe' he said.
'Why'? asked Naina, curious in turn. 'Oh you mean there are weird people'?
'Yes', said Abhay happy to put it that way. 'They dont expect nice people to be around alone at this time..'
'You mean nice girls' said Naina shrewdly, and then caught sight of a set of people on the bank and waved.
'Well thats ok, i ve found people'
'Do you have an email address'? asked Abhay. It turned out both did.
Ten minutes later, Abhay was still leaning on the rails. He had the curious breathless sensation of having lived at a hectic pace. Not an unpleasant sensation, though his preferred pace of life was rather calmer. He wondered if they d meet again.
Naina was rather quieter than usual on the walk back. She d had a very pleasant time and was wondering the same thing.
The moon had come up bright enough to light the road till its curving end. The boat with Abhay on it made a nice silhouette. Naina couldn't hide a self smile, thinking this was the time for the background music to begin. They walked on.
Years ago, C.P.Snow delivered a lecture (later a book) called 'The Two Cultures'. He was speaking of the Sciences and the Humanities, and how separate academic members of these two units are, or insist on being. It struck me that in a social context too, there are two contexts one can speak of, the orthodox or traditional and the modern or liberal. As long as they lead their separate lives, of course, there is no clash or need for compromise, they re happy to live in mutual lack of comprehension and maybe even mistrust. After all, like with the scientist versus history professor, they occupy different niches. Happily, the modern world with its similar education for all and travel made easy and whatnot has led to a good deal of mingling, and so here is an attempt at a story using two different social cultures :)
The Story
Abhay leaned over the edge and then slowly rocked back to see the reflection shimmer in and out. The Ganga was at its best in the evening, and the winter solstice sunset among the best. You could wish for anything on that one day (the longest night and shortest day)and all the saints who d ever done penance on these banks would conspire to make it come true. Or so he was told. Right then, however, he was just soaking in the unusual peace on its banks afforded by the big puja being on the other side. The boat-cum-ship was tethered, and its railings were an ideal place to look at the water from. Basking in the twilight, a rare feeling of complete peace enveloped him and he shut his eyes.
In two seconds, a muffled 'damn!' rang out. Abhay turned around, peevish at this intrusion. Had to be one of the eternal tourists impossible to avoid in Varanasi.
A girl stood up and dusted herself. 'Sorry' she said in a low voice, 'Go on staring, I just dropped my earring'.
Ok, not a western tourist, but might as well be from her appearance,thought Abhay, a tad jaundiced still from the breaking of his moment. The jeans and kurti clad girl certainly didnt look a localite, though she could easily be at the BHU. And what a weird way to talk to a stranger! 'go on staring'? well he wasnt going to be put down by a big city type either.
'I was just looking at the reflections..it was very peaceful' he added pointedly. 'theres nobody else here' he added. why else would she be on a boat in the near-dark? in any case Abhay had rather fixed views about the 'fashionable type' of girl and thought of 'them' as permanently between boyfriends and so likely to be in shady places for one reason only.
'I wasnt looking for anyone' said the girl, 'I came to look at the sunset too'.
'oh' said Abhay, taken aback. Then, realising it would be rude to turn away, 'Did you find the earring'?
'Yes thanks' smiled the girl. 'I'm Naina, by the way. I ve been here a week and am leaving tomorrow, and its the first day this place has been so peaceful so I wandered in'.
Abhay explained about the puja and introduced himself.
'Yes I heard', said the girl. 'Does everyone participate'?
That was what Abhay put down mentally as a 'typical foreigner question'. 'No, its conducted by the main temple priests', he said..'but of course anyone can watch, if thats what you mean'.
The girl nodded, and was silent for a bit. 'Its a beautiful river isnt it'? she asked after a while. 'I couldnt bear to look in the light, but now I can see how it must have been'.
Abhay agreed, thawing a bit. 'It is very dirty of course' he admitted, something he wouldnt normally have said to an out of sympathy outsider. 'but it has a feel and power..you should see it further down'
'Do you live here?' asked Naina.
'Yes', said Abhay, and suspecting a touch of big cityness, said 'Its very nice, a lot nicer in many ways than Delhi, where I study'
Naina sensed the defensiveness and said quickly that she was sure it must be.
Lulled, Abhay added in a burst of confidentiality, 'I dont usually tell people that it is dirty, I love this place'
Naina was surprised. 'Do you have to tell? Its quite, well, obvious!'
'Yes', said Abhay, 'but it usually sounds very superior and I'm forced to contradict it and I dont like lying'!
'oh like Yudhishthira or someone' said Naina lightly, smiling.
Abhay frowned.
'What'?
'I dont think its amusing to speak like that of gods ..'
'Yudhishthira isnt a god!'
..'Gods and holy texts and people in them..you didnt let me finish'.
Naina was up in arms now. 'oh really? well,
a) The Mahabharatha isnt a holy text..not counting Krishna, and he was openly manipulative and proud of it,
and b)I bet I know more characters out of the Mahabharatha than you do!'
This last was childish, she knew, but she was mad enough not to care. and upset. If every innocent statement was going to be objected to, how on earth was one to talk?! and much he knew about giving living people respect at this rate, let alone mythological ones.
It was advantage Abhay clearly though, and he smiled. 'Thats not the point. You may well know more names, its nothing to do with how you feel about it'.
Naina was calmer now. 'I find it one of the most fascinating texts ever written', she said. 'Its deep, beautiful and probably of far more practical value through all the cause and effect relationships it shows up, than many a management text..I have the deepest respect for all the people who must ve helped add to it, but if you re asking me to view either that or anything else as unquestionable or the absolute truth and not to be criticized, then that doesnt make sense to me. It seems like stifling all inquisitiveness and even for that matter creativity. Do you tell children to not ask questions??' she was getting worked up again.
Abhay reflected a bit..'Maybe i over reacted. i agree, nobody should be barred from asking questions, its just that random flippancy annoys me'
'Random flippancy can be both amusing and intelligent' said Naina a tad defiantly. ' and cruel, ok true..'
'why cruel'? asked Abhay, curious at this change of heart
'Well..its cruel to destroy belief isnt it? and i guess the deeper the belief the more cruel the forced awakening'
'Exactly'! Abhay was triumphant
'Yes, but i wasn't talking to an ardent Yudhishthira believer' said Naina smiling. 'atleast not that i knew of. and its very constraining to not be able to make the parallels you want..we learn from comparisons dont you think? after all somewhere someone before you must have had similar experiences..most often' .
Abhay nodded.'So long as you dont bother others'
'Yes but how far do you think that out?? People are bothered by the most trivial things! Ultimately you have to be able to call your soul your own and be guided by what you think is right!' Naina was passionate about it.
'Sounds like Voltaire' said Abhay
'Oh you like his things'? Naina was clearly surprised. Equally clearly she'd substituted 'like' for something else, likely 'know', last minute.
'We are taught English even here' said Abhay drily. 'And I study literature'
'I m sorry' smiled Naina penitently, then frankly, 'It didnt seem like someone so protective of holiness would mix with Voltaire, if you know what I mean'.
'You ve led a protected life' announced Abhay who knew just what she meant but wasnt going to admit it..and being more comfortable now, was able to say 'with a lot of comfort and convenience and probably not enough hardship'
Naina reflected..'Comfort and convenience definitely..but i'd think that applies to anyone of us well off in this country today..why, what have you suffered?' her lopsided grin popped out.
'Nothing major..' he admitted, and was forced to smile.
'Can you cook?' asked Naina abruptly
'Huh?..umm..not really..no.Can you'? It was clear the idea seemed laughable to him.
'Of course. I m just back from cooking for myself for two years'.
'Were you abroad'?? Abhay was beginning to wonder whether to attribute his companion's general behaviour to 'foreign influence'. It would be a happy solution, he was beginning to quite like her otherwise. Nothing like the West to be cast in the villain's role.
'I was in Dehradun for two years, i just got my masters in history..of course we had a mess.But you know how you yearn for different food..'she added confidentially
'Oh' said Abhay, who would have eaten puris and alu ki subzi without comment thrice a day.He was slightly abashed though.Clearly the generalization was at fault, she could do some things. Fair minded by nature, he was about to make up by asking what she could cook, when she got in first.
'Whats your favourite dish'?
Abhay, not having spent thousands of words already in talking of it to various people, had to pause for thought.'Probably dum aloo'
'With makki ki roti or alu paratha'?
This needed further thought. 'Makki ki roti' he said finally.
'Good' declared Naina, apparently satisfied.'alu paratha with alu would have been too obvious'.
Abhay was about to challenge this by saying there was nothing wrong with being obvious when it struck him that courtesy demanded the return question. And one never knew with girls, she probably wanted that discussed in the first place.
'Whats yours?'
'Between bhindi bhaji and fish curry'. The slight distaste emanating from Abhay was obvious. 'You must be very vegetarian' added Naina instantly.
'Yes', said Abhay, and forestalling the next remark, 'and i dont think i m missing anything'
Naina was surprised, 'I dont think so either!' and added, 'You know you should be a little less suspicious. i dont know who has, but everyone doesn't want to jump down your throat. Food is probably the last thing I 'd argue about..' here Abhay had his doubts, he d already argued more than he had in the last six months in one hour flat.
'one man's food another's poison etc..like i wouldnt dream of eating cabbage. its the one vegetable i cant stand' she announced.
'Atleast cabbages dont bleed' said Abhay caustically.
Naina looked repulsed. 'Thats gross! Nobody eats bleeding things, please!!'
'Are you under the impression that you eat meat without shedding blood? all you mean is you dont want to see it but you want the advantage of the end product' said Abhay dismissively.
'Now you re being nasty' said Naina clearly bothered by the declaration.
Abhay knew it but was too firm on his stand to be kinder.
There was a pause. 'Would you rather let tigers starve than let deer be killed'?
'No' agreed Abhay, 'but I dont think tigers have an option do they? And humans arent part of the natural balance'.
That was something Naina could jump on. 'They are', she said triumphantly..'but I know what you mean, its true we handle animals horribly..i guess when human rights are decided by money, you cant expect Animals to get a look in..'
Abhay said nothing.
'You know, in labs', continued Naina, 'even for experimental animals that are routinely 'sacrificed' to make antibodies for you and me ultimately, they have very strict handling protocols. You have to break the animal's neck cleanly in one stroke. Any playing around or longer times for it and you ll be in deep trouble..the point is that nobody has the right to inflict suffering'
'Well atleast thats good' said Abhay, in truce.
There was a pause.
'Would you know if there are any not too expensive Benarasi saree shops near here'? asked Naina, changing the topic. 'I want to get one for my mother'.
Abhay looked doubtful. 'I dont think cheap and Benarasi silk go together' he said.' The small lanes are your best bet, they have looms at home, so its genuine also'
Naina nodded.
'If you walk right down and turn left there is a big place you can get clothes from', he was being helpful
'Like what'?
'Oh, scarves and things like that', said Abhay vaguely.'Its next to a ladies cycle showroom'
'Oh can you rent?' this seemd an unexpected plus
'You can' said Abhay pointedly.
'You mean you havent tried?' cried Naina. These little lanes look lovely for cycing.
'Like I said, they only have girls cycles' repeated Abhay.
They stared at each other from a much farther distance. 'Are you telling me, that you haven't tried cycling here simply because you find it below your dignity to use a girls cycle' demanded Naina.
'Not below my dignity' protested Abhay. 'but yes, I wouldnt want to'.
Naina didnt know what to say. 'My brother uses mine all the time' she said finally.
'Thats different' said Abhay
'Ok, upto you of course' said Naina finally, searching for a non violent remark.' You know, you re nice, but you re very self..contained' she continued..'or maybe you just dont talk enough to girls'
Abhay didnt think so, but he kept peace with a 'maybe'.
'It sounds like you make your own rules and they cant be moved around'.
Abhay was stung at this..'Not at all, I m willing to be convinced otherwise'
'Yes, but only where it doesnt matter much anyway' said Naina with some penetration.
'Thats true for everyone' said Abhay
'Anyway i ve learnt quite a few things' she smiled. Then, clearing her throat, 'I think I should be leaving, its quite dark'. 'Nice meeting you' she added formally. It sounded forced to both of them and both laughed, spontaneously, breaking the strain.
Abhay looked around,'Who are you going with'?
Naina was surprised. 'I'm walking back, its hardly a couple of kilometres! Why, are there too many dogs?'
Abhay was speechless at this obviously innocent remark. Nobody, he was about to say, who has stayed in this city a week, could ask that question. In the first place, women didnt wander alone. And they most certainly weren't dressed in jeans. Not to mention that a sort of inbreeding had rendered this area particularly cut off from progress elsewhere. While this had its pluses, it certainly limited its view of the average confident city working woman.
'Not dogs, its not safe' he said.
'Why'? asked Naina, curious in turn. 'Oh you mean there are weird people'?
'Yes', said Abhay happy to put it that way. 'They dont expect nice people to be around alone at this time..'
'You mean nice girls' said Naina shrewdly, and then caught sight of a set of people on the bank and waved.
'Well thats ok, i ve found people'
'Do you have an email address'? asked Abhay. It turned out both did.
Ten minutes later, Abhay was still leaning on the rails. He had the curious breathless sensation of having lived at a hectic pace. Not an unpleasant sensation, though his preferred pace of life was rather calmer. He wondered if they d meet again.
Naina was rather quieter than usual on the walk back. She d had a very pleasant time and was wondering the same thing.
The moon had come up bright enough to light the road till its curving end. The boat with Abhay on it made a nice silhouette. Naina couldn't hide a self smile, thinking this was the time for the background music to begin. They walked on.
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