song of the road

So many things swim in our heads. Don’t they? It’s such a colorful tapestry. Some sad, some happy.

Yesterday R got sweets to work because he is getting married. I was again upset. And then his fiancée sent a big bouquet of red roses to him at work. She lives in a different city. That kind of did it. : ) I had lied that I had eaten a sweet to bypass that. When all colleagues came to congratulate him, I could move away as my blessed brother called me at the right time. I tried to stop myself from being bothered about the roses and how it was my right and all that but didn’t do well. So I left work early with the excuse of an headache which was there though. A bit unprofessional, I think.

I bought some junk food on the way home. I had to open work from as soon as I reached because there were a few things which couldn’t wait. So I worked and ate and also read a book while I was waiting for clients to respond. Not a very restful evening but at least away from those flowers. : ) After about 10 pm, I decided that clients would have to wait for another day and closed shop. Read some more and went to sleep about 11:30 pm. Feeling better today, thankfully. I have no leave left to squander plus I cannot go off without notice any more. I will if I must, but can’t abuse it too much.

I was reading this book called “The Red Carpet” by another Indian lady writer writing in English. Lavanya Sankaran, I think. It is a nice collection of short stories. One is about this old guy living in a now-prime property are of Bangalore who spent his youth in the just Independent India with his almost demented wife. He is curious about the yuppie young couple living in an apartment opposite to his Bungalow who are quite well-to-do. His son lives in Australia, married to a local lady there and has two kids and never visits his parents. His father thinks he cannot afford to. And this old guy who is so lonely but not so unhappy as you would expect. How he spends his day keeping track of his neighbors and comes suddenly close to that yuppie couple and then something happens. It is such a nice story with all its colors so vivid and the place she describes is rather near to where I work.

There were a few more that I read. One was about a driver and his lady employer. That was awesome too. Somehow this lady has caught the India of people who are well to do, liberal and the India of people who are poor and very conservative yet. That was on over generalization, of course. Then there is this young girl brought up in US who visits India and expects it to be something out of a history book, almost with snake charmers : ) and all but finds again that curious coexistence of very modern and quite conservative and how things are changing and yet remain same in some ways. A young kid is bribed into cultural rituals with the lure of a CD player. I like the way this writer has captured it. It is so very real.

I was watching a Hindi movie a few weeks back. There was a shot where a couple of British guys say that India is a country of snake charmers and elephants. And now of chicken curry and call centers. : ) I know that is unfair but then how much do I know of many countries and I am sure I have preconceived notions too. Anyways then the Indian guy rattles back an impressive number of statistics about our technical progress, army size, number of languages, newspapers, magazine etc. I was impressed and also realized how less I know. So one of my new thing to do in free time is to read up more about my country. How is that for a 34 year old? : ) But still better late than never. I guess I will find myself a bit more in my country and my heritage. Soclose and also Ella made me think about my grandmother and mom and my aunts and what I know first hand about what has gone on to bring me here. There is no way I should be taking my achievements (however small in the grand scheme of things) for granted, much struggle have been gone through to bring me the choices I enjoy.

Well, on that note, let me work a little harder to earn the good luck and good fortune that I have and be a little more worthy of what I already have and rejoice in it. You all help me see things the way I never did and a big thank you from the bottom of my heart. : )