Kathakali ... Kathakali

Kerala was an awesome experience ... an experience enriched all the more by having like minded friends travelling with you .. More on Kerala coming up , but I wanted to document our Kathakali experience before my mind slowly erases the details in its cycles.... memory retention gyan ... for the ill informed :-)

Whilst we were in Munnar ,after a refreshingly awesome Ayurvedic Massage , we were booked for a Kathakali show in the evening .. I mean come on , we' d been to God's Own Country and no SUPER KADHAKALI .. our driver Unni would have never forgiven us.

We set off in the twilight which faded away into the night and mist of Munnar ...breathtaking ! Six of us silently praying for our lives ... well with our soo...per Unni navigating us through the winding roads of the Munnar Valley ,with zero visibility and no fog lights .. you would be in a moment of redemption too ..

He took us then to this ramshackle barn and spoke in the unique concoction of Malayalam and English , said "Kadakali Performance here" .. The looks on Ravi,Mandy and Vijay's Faces were worth the trip. Once the performance started , we were hooked completely ..

Kathakali is a spectacular art of story telling with elaborate and colorful costumes ,delicate nuances and gestures and deft,crisp movements in tune to the percussion beats and playback music of the Sutradhar (anchor). The story being narrated that day was Narakasuravadhnam .. the slaying of the Demon King Narakasura by Satyabhama , the wife of Lord Krishna . The narration was in Manipravalam ( a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam). Well to be truthful ,it was all Greek and Latin and the music did not match my preconceived notions or knowledge of Narkasuravadhanam .And the female protagonist would turn into some witch and leap on the spectators in the front row .. I am sure a few people skipped some heart beats ... But nonetheless, it was a splendid experience.

Posting a few pics , do catch it the next time you are in Kerala , but would strongly recommend a translated copy of the story being enacted, else you will come away as confused as us .. Appreciative of the visual treat but feeling cheated of the essence .

Keep smiling ,

Recession wali Party !

We ve just had a major restructuring at office and two beloved bosses has been transferred to another department . These lovable 'bawa' and  intelligent "tambhram' are two golden bosses and have  golden hearts too. 

So we all want to throw them a 'rocking', 'smashing','memorable' farewell party..... and on any given day , people would have chipped in a cool thousand bucks ...... this year should have been no different .. if only it wasn't Recession !

Well with no bonuses, and no salary hikes, no promotions and job security being ZERO ,, ZILCH ,, we decided to throw our 'papa' a Recession wali party ... The usual Three Star Hotel  Hall is being replaced by a fantastic bungalow in the hills of a suburb....( not to mention , its one tenth the price ) .. The drinks are not a la carte',but each one is bringing something to the bar ... one guy  gets some whiskey , other guy some beer , all emptied from their cellars . 

We've chipped in a good , raring- to- prove- himself caterer who give a tooth and nail to cater to the largest pvt. bank in the country...

All this at half the price :-) .... Everyone's happy and believe me most people came up with amazing ideas when we brainstormed as to how to have this Recession wali Party!.. Everyone seems happy .... only we are still to finalize on a gift for papa...and appa:-)

Cheers to the most golden hearted boss ,and the most intelligent and sharp I ve ever had .... We ll miss you and We love you. 

Love,

Sravanthi

Babloo !

I have always been fond of reading .... sorry for the understatement , i have an insatiable apetite for books .
For ages, i ve devoured books bought cheaply off the streets ... believe me I am no proponent of piracy , but buying a good book these days off the shelf will burn a hole in anyone's pocket.
A walk down the lane at Fort area in Mumbai is paradise for any book lover and besides the famous travel agency office sits Babloo!!!

Well he is barely educated, makes a living selling books off the street, has his family back in Kolkata. He is among the scores of immigrants in this city called Mumbai .... 
But .....

Check out what sets Babloo apart..
* An English Proficiency and Diction which would put any one to shame .
*Amazing knowledge about books , he has an expert opinion about every possible book written in history ( I am not exagerrating !!!!, trust me !) . 
*Customer service par excellence .... he knows just what books you would like , takes care to source them for you and puts in an sms telling you that " i think you should read this book , its apt for the changing times " ,,,,, Wow! We don't get that at Crossword or Oxford, do we.

Its ironic why a talented person like babloo should still struggle to eke out a living , I think maybe like most of us , he has failed to bridge that essential gap between reading and executing !

Here's to you , Babloo,
I ll always remember you!

Sravs

Jai Ho !

Slumdog Millionaire just won " 8 Oscars ".... as I am writing this ... Awesome ! Milestone achievement for us Indians... The Mozart of  Madras is on a roll. 
Who knew that the squelch and squalor of Mumbai's slums would be heralded on the World's Best Cinema Pedestal. :-). Frankly, I was a little aghast at watching the movie. The Dirt,Slums , Urchins , Begging Cartels, Forcible Blinding disgusted me. I knew all of this existed but seeing it played out on screen , was like a punch in the tummy .
We Indians are such a decadent lot .What we take for granted and as a way of life ... sells so well on celluloid.... its something to ponder on . 
The book itself, Q & A , from which this is adapted failed to enrapture me or most people before the movie. Mediocore piece of writing !... But it took one movie to turn around its fortunes.

Learnings from the movie :
* We do have world class talent, only we need to believe in ourselves. 
* The Universal law of Attraction works here. 
* Lots to improve in our country . Just merely watching the movie and making India's condition  - animated teatime discussion will do zilch for the country , or for us .... Act people ,Act! 
* Last but not the least , common sense and street smartness are notches above mere bookish  knowledge . 

Till then ,
Jai Ho!
 

Blogging !

I always thought I was a late bloomer . late to walk, late to talk, late to school ... my friends will vouch I am a late lateef ( Ahem .... No comments guys plzzz on this confession) .... the entire junta was up on orkut , facebook and every concievable social networking site and it took me a whole year to get in there.

Ditto here too.... Blogging . Whats the big deal about blogging ? I mean .... What the heck ... its like having an online diary .....Who would want to read stuff about what I feel .....And even if  they did want to .... why take the effort ... ?

My dear friend got me into this .... ( guys I am a three whole years behind ). And i need to admit it i am quite liking it  and am here to stay

Sravs