If you haven’t already done so, please read my earlier post titled “I Understand – Part 1”. Some of you asked me why I’m talking about such negative issues. Am doing so because I believe that by discussing such problems openly, we can bring about some positive change (however miniscule) in society, compared to just…
Category: Memories
The Economics of Ramnavami
The two festivals that I remember vividly from my stay in Calcutta are Durga Puja and Ramnavami. However surprisingly, have more lucid memories of Ramnavami, though it was celebrated on a much smaller scale than Dussehra. Also got my first economics lesson around then. This festival which usually falls in April is celebrated very differently…
Idlis for Bollywood Aunty
Going back from sixteen to six – when I was in Calcutta. The neighborhood that I stayed in Salt Lake City was surprisingly mostly a neighborhood of Marwadis and North Indians and I was exposed to very little Bengali because most of the neighbors and area kids spoke Hindi. As a result of this, within…
My Experiences with Ghosts
Today’s topic is ghosts! Yes, I’ve selected a ghost poem and written about my experiences with ghosts. The poem is a “Summer Night” by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 -1892), who was Poet Laureate during Queen Victoria’s reign. It’s a very beautiful poem with lovely imagery in which the poet is asking his dead beloved’s ghost…
Bangalore bakeries
“Bangalore Bakeries” My fondest memories of Bangalore are those connected with food. Like everyone else, I believe that my hometown has the best food 🙂 Of course there’s a lot to write about dining in Bangalore, but today I’ll stick to the ubiquitous “Iyengar Bakery” that used to be found in every nook and corner.…
Lakshmi Pinni
Lakshmi Pinni I’d mentioned earlier that my next post will be “Train to Calcutta”, will write soon on that topic, but writing another short related one before that. Back then, Bangalore was a much smaller city compared to Madras and not as well connected, so we almost always had to first take a train to…
Afterword on “Not a Brahmin”
Afterword on “Not a Brahmin” I think it’s necessary to add an afterword to my earlier post “Not a Brahmin”. That was a shocking and painful incident, but also a rare occurrence that I experienced. Most of the relatives on my mother’s side (especially subsequent generations) are now very emancipated and broad-minded, and hardly follow…
Mr. Nair
Mr Nair One of the insights I’ve gathered after all my years is that almost everything in life – situations and people is shades of grey, barring few exceptions that are downright black and white. However, we start in life foolishly by expecting everything to be black or white, become judgmental and keep getting disillusioned…
Not a Brahmin
Not a Brahmin Writing about an incident that happened in my native place Vijayawada when I was only around five or six years old. This was much before I got interested in roses and gardening. Both my parents hail from there and we used to visit relatives on both sides during the summer holidays. However,…
Shakuntala
My garden was progressing pretty well and I was continuously learning on the job, with advice from Mrs. Iyengar and other neighbours. The trees had been planted and I acquired quite a few pots and planted them with various ferns, cacti, rubber plants and other leafy ornamentals whose names I used to know but have…
My Papaya Tree
Time spent in Lalbagh Botanical Gardens constitutes some of my best memories of Bangalore. When we were kids, we regularly went on a weekly picnic to Lalbagh with our neighbors and spent a fun-filled day there, never wanting to return home. The most pleasurable activity we looked forward to was “tree climbing”. Lalbagh had the…
Shyamala Aunty
Sometimes, when we’re in a thoughtful mood and look back into the past, we end up regretting a few things. Especially the fact that we came across some interesting and wonderful people, with whom we could have developed and maintained friendships, but did not do so due to various reasons – being busy, lazy or…
The Principal’s Office
I’m rewinding back to those days when I used to still visit Sarah’s rose garden (Std 4 & 5). While she was my lunch-break best friend, my in-class best friends were Anand and Ganesh. The three of us used to sit on the last bench and get along like a house on fire. Since we…
Mrs. Iyengar
Had mentioned in my previous post that I got the chance to start a garden of my own. Yes, I was about nine or ten years old and very excited about it, however, I’d no idea of how to go about it. I happened to be the only one in my family who was interested…
Sarah
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. ― Pablo Picasso Recently came across this beautiful photograph of a rain covered green Sampangi (Magnolia champaca/ Champa in Hindi) flower posted by my aunt, and looking at it brought back many memories of my childhood in Bangalore and…