Hey......Guntur!!

I don't know whether it was nostalgia or the togetherness felt or the opportunity to stay in my childhood surroundings or the crazy talk and fun or the off-the-routine setting or the madness of being 'lazy' and doing things 'just like that' or the excitement of celebrating the 60th birthday of my uncle or connecting with 'me, my people and my place'......It might also be the combined impact of all these.... Had a wonderful and memorable looooong weekend!! Communication was manual and one-to-one (should I say one-to-many). Mobile phones, tabs, laptops and televisions meant nothing but the devices to capture the moments and record and replay the group Dubsmashes.....!! The trip was the mother of all Stress-busters!! Three cheers to the 40 and odd group that gathered during the 2-day event!!

Bhale Bhale.....

All the Rain Gods, traffic jams, queues at the counters;
Couldn't stop the laughter riots at the packed BBM theatres!!
Chubby, chubby Naani coping wonderfully with his memory loss,
Taking a dig at the infamous acts of all the other actors!!
Yet the undercurrent of message prevails...
'While an inborne defect could be anyone's weakness,
The worst of all these is the mind with foul ideas!!'
#bhalebhalemagadivoy

Pay Yourself

Kaka strikes again!!! After the exhaustive weekend jogging session, the brothers come back with their father, holding a pack of their favorite breakfast from the nearby eatery. Naanna(father) takes out the 500 rupee bills freshly withdrawn from the ATM and starts giving them to amma(mother) counting the dues to be paid for the month, under each head....'x rupees for the milkman, y for the maid, z for the newspaper....', the list continues until all the amount lands into amma's hands. While the parents are busy planning their finances for the month, the kids unpack the tiffin into their respective plates. Kaka, the 8-year old, whom the parents thought was enjoying his mysore bajji, has also been closely observing the transaction. He takes a bite of the bajji, turns towards naanna and says, 'this is the money that you have earned for yourself. So, don't give away all of it. Pay a part of it back to you too... for whatever you did and everything you had to go through the last month'...and then, 'pay something to amma who does everything for us and retain another part as savings....Please don't use all of it!!!' The parents are pleasantly surprised, thoroughly amused and tenderly touched!! An eye-opener that left amma and naanna blankly staring at each other as to how on earth did they consider this mature advice-giver, their baby boy all these days??!!

Blind Side of Blood Relations

When it comes to blood relatives, we tend to forget that they are humans by nature, as any other being. We are hurt when someone points out their misdeeds, finds fault with them and cannot even imagine sitting through anyone speaking ill of them; though logic clearly understands the real side. We argue for them and grab every chance to clarify on their behalf......My mother will never do that....my son is the best......you did not understand my sister's view........My brother is the only person you can trust in this world......I think, this is the way we invest in and nurture our relationships. This short-sightedness continues only until we get to face the truth and we are on the receiving end of their human side..... believe me, it hits hard......the 'all is well' honeymoon ends too.... However, we can't speak out because we have already vouched for their correctness nor can we expose our own people. At the same time, neither can we hold it back until we vent it out, because we are not the heavenly beings either.... My mantra is to stay calm and let the time heal the wound...crying it out would help. The world is spherical, everything will fall in its own place and it's just a matter of time. We are not waiting to see our loved ones in trouble, but just watch them gulp down their own lump. No, we are not being sadistic. It is just that we let them know that their mistake. Reaching a balance at this juncture is difficult, as they are our world and by any means, are the only assets showered on us by the God. They are the only people we can go back to and seek support in times of need. So, yes!! relationships are complicated, convoluted and confusing; but accept it, they are enriching in more than one way!!