Ahamkaara

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Cricket and Me

Sahana Rao Wednesday, March 30, 2011 11 Comments

I remember fondly and vividly my ‘kirrik’et memories from my childhood;

--I used to collect all sorts of pictures of Indian cricket players, mainly Sachin. I maintained a book which had all cut-outs from various magazines pasted. I remember fighting with a rag picker for a news-paper piece which had Sachin’s Photo!

--The first article I read in news paper was the sports column a day before

India

’s match and a day after

India

match (if

India

had recorded a victory)

-- I visited temples, did urulu seve (rolled over around the temple), burnt camphor on the hand, prayed intensely by doing naama japa (uttering the name of God) several thousand times – Just for India’s win.

-- I believed in a observing a pattern while watching matches together. Like, if someone goes outside and

India

loses a wicket. I dragged that person back and made him sit in the same place till the match ended. (I did not even allow him/her for the loo.. :-D).

-- If someone insulted Sachin, it would be an insult to me. I indulged in physical fights also!

-- There was a time when the matches played by

India

in Bangalore Chinnaswamy Stadium resulted in a victory. So, I thought that Bangalore is lucky to team

India

.

-- I considered people who eulogized cricketers of other countries as ‘traitors’!

Situation now,

--I still cannot stomach

India

’s defeat. If I feel Indian team is going to lose the match, I just shun watching the match, I do not discuss about the match when

India

looses. Maybe because, I take it too personally and not just as a sport.

-- Sachin’s play out there in the field makes me feel proud. Someone praising him will help me keep away from dry-eye syndrome.

-- I read news articles related to cricket only when

India

wins or when it is about Sachin Tendulkar.

-- I do not understand the technical terms used in cricket. Cover-drives, square-cuts, pulls just go over the top. J

I love cricket when India played. I love Sachin Tendulkar for whatever he is. I love to watch cricket only when either of the them are in the game!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Birthday Surprise for my Lovely husband!

Sahana Rao Thursday, March 24, 2011 5 Comments

I wanted to plan a surprise party for my husband on his birthday. I knew that it was extremely hard to do surprise party planning without him finding out about it. As my BH says “Nothing is bigger than human will”

I chalked out a plan.

I drafted a mail, which was like an invite from my school friend. I also added lines to make it look like a forward when I mail him the draft. Here is the snapshot of the mail.

MAP!

I do not know any Sandhya! And the email id does not exist. (I did not check though). Added the map which I got from the Taj-west End site for brownie points.

Post mail conversation:
Me: Did you check your mail?
BH: Yes, Who is Sandhya? You have not spoken about her.
Me: She is my school friend. How can I talk about all of my batch-mates? :-P
BH: How important is this function for you?
Me: It is very important, since she will be going to the US for the marriage and her parents and her would-be’s family have settled there. She is hosting an engagement party for her Indian friends.
BH: Ok. We will go.
Me: Have you been to a 5-Star Hotel before. (with glittering eyes)
BH: No. I am not a fan of those anyway.
Me:Hmmm (with dull eyes). But, it is nice to experience the class once in a while.
BH: <-Silence->

I had brought a cake for him that day. I did not want him to know. I got the cake box wrapped in the shining pink wrapper.

When he saw the cover,
BH: I am not a kid. There was no need for all these things.
Me: <-It is so difficult when your husband is damn intelligent-> Do you think I am mad to get something for you. I have brought a gift for my friend.
BH: So BIG? Was it required? How much did that cost?
Me: Yes. I bought some crockery set. It is very good. There was a discount offer on this.
BH:<-Silence->

Sometimes I feel like peeping into his brain to know which circuit his thoughts are taking!
I had called my in-laws to involve them in the plan. I had booked a cab for them from home to the Taj west end. I knew that he would love to have dinner with his loved-ones.
I booked seats at the Taj-West end at 7.30 PM on 16^th February 2011. I told them that I would be celebrating my husband’s birthday. I would also require a cake. They said that the birthday cake was complimentary.

On D-day

I wished him at 12.00 AM. I felt, if I bring a cake in front of him now, he would say, “I knew about this.” I slept.

Just before leaving to office and before he came down from the room. I had arranged the cake with magic candles.

It was fun seeing him try putting off the candles. They were really adamant. ;)

Anyway, he enjoyed. He had a clue of this plan maybe. But, I felt good.

That evening, we started for the Taj-west end to the supposed engagement party.

I had changed my father-in-law’s name to my friend’s name. I did not want any loop-holes in the plan.

We started at 6.45 PM hoping to reach the place by 7.30 PM. There was ghastly traffic jam due to a muslim festival. The car moved at the snail pace. My in-laws had already reached the place on-time. They kept calling me. And BH handed over my phone to me (which I usually keep over the dash-board) saying that my friend has called. I laughed inside.

Finally, we reached the place at 9 PM. Bunni was awake by then.

BH: Let us ask these security guys for the direction of the party hall.

Me:<-apprehensively-> No, no, let us first go to the lobby. My friends are waiting for me there.

BH: As you say Madam.

We reached the lobby. My father-in-law came out. Hugged his son, wished him.

He rubbernecked at me. I could vividly make out what he was thinking at that point in time. I was sure he felt “I should have guessed this before”

Following events were just very usual.

He also LOVED the food there. He said he would like to visit the place again! ;)

I loved surprising him!

For the unconditional Love he showers on me, I owe him myself.

# BH # birthday

Monday, March 21, 2011

Email Conversation

Sahana Rao Monday, March 21, 2011 0 Comments

Here is an excerpt of the threaded mail conversations between me and BH. (My husband)

I had drafted a mail for my colleague (P.G.) who wanted to invite the team for the team lunch. This lunch was planned on the occasion of a pretty girl’s send-off.

Finally, I have a mail from my friend who read our forwarded conversations.

Mail 1 : From P.G. to team

Dear all,

Let us take seats at “Gramin” for the Last lunch with <name-undisclosed>,

Munch away the delicacies,

with the “roopasi”!! ;)

------------------------------------------------------

(For my blog readers Roopasi means “Apsare”, “Angel”)

Mail 2: From me to BH

Check out the punch ishtyle in the mail

----------------------------------------------

Mail 3: From BH to me

Lunch, Munch and Punch.

The author is you, is my hunch.

--------------------------------------------

Mail 4: From me to M

Rightly guessed my honeybunch J

--------------------------------------------

I had forwarded the mail to my friend, who replied like this.

Mail 5: From my friend to me and BH

Yes, your "hunch" is right...SR’s "honey bunch"!

I faced a vocabulary “crunch” as I needed Google to see what is “hunch”!

Thanks for this dose of “punch” lines, I felt as if I had a tasty dose of “brunch” at 11am.

# BH # LAUGH TRACK

Friday, March 18, 2011

Bunni Update - 13 Months

Sahana Rao Friday, March 18, 2011 2 Comments

Bunni is crying more now. May be she is emotional about people and things.

- She gets angry if she wakes up alone.
- She cries if she does not get what she wants.
- She cries if the she is forced to eat after she thinks she managed to escape the spoon feed. ( Already ego? )
- She cries to prove her point.

She wants to go somewhere she grabs your hand/cloth/finger and leads the way. If you choose not to go, let me remind you that I have not guaranteed on your roof.

She does not like sweets. Even if I put a pinch of sweet in her mouth, I am rest assured of cleaning the mess because of her puke.

She gets excited about slippers, shoes and cow. Birds have lost its charm. (Poor creatures)

She wants to wear shoes all the time, go out on a walk. It is very difficult to remove shoes after coming home. But, there is one advantage. If she is not co-operating and you promise her that we will go out and she will wear shoes, your work will be done with unimaginable ease!

# Bunni # Update

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Almo-nilla

Sahana Rao Tuesday, March 15, 2011 1 Comments

Type of recipe: Juices and Drinks

Ingredients

1) Almonds (Soaked overnight, Peeled) - 12
2) Roasted Almonds - ( Chopped finely) - 12
3) Vanilla Essence - 1.5 tea spoon
4) Milk - 1 litre (Chilled milk)
5) Sugar - 3.5 Tea spoon
6) Crushed ice

Serves: 4

Procedure
1) Grate the soaked almond into paste
2) Add the paste to milk
3) Add vanilla essence
4) Add sugar,crushed ice and run for a few seconds in the blender.
5) Pour the milk-shake into the glasses and garnish well with roasted almond pieces.If you are of the kind who likes milk shake to be thin, you can add water.

PS: There can be many variations of this milk-shake like
-- Use dates instead of almonds
-- Use vanilla ice cream instead of essence
-- Use Butter Scotch flavored ice-cream instead of vanilla

I came up with this recipe when I had to finish the ice-cream at home.
The milk-shake was yummm!

# Drinks # Milk-shake

Missing from a few years: Sparrow.

Sahana Rao Tuesday, March 15, 2011 1 Comments

I remember, during my childhood, I would wake up to the chirping of sparrows.I would love to see the host of sparrows flying. I used to fill rice grains in a bowl and keep it in various places.

Sparrows came into my house, ate the grains kept for them. Their twittering excited me as they flew in and around the house. I used to jump and dance rhythmically to their chirp and wings flap.

There was a day when I saw a baby sparrow on the parapet of our house, which was putting all its might to fly. I wanted to grab hold of it. Amma told that baby sparrow’s mother will not touch the baby sparrow again. Baby sparrow will not have a house to live and it will lose its parents because of me. I got scared and I decided to watch the sparrow from a distance. It flew out successfully within an hour. I was so happy.

Now, I know that 'touching the bird' is a myth. But, I my excitement might have harmed that small bird then.

But now, where are the chmall cutie birds?

I don’t find them in Bangalore. I still keep a bowl of rice grains everyday, expecting sparrows to come. But, the grains in the bowl are eaten away by insects or it gets spoiled.

Where did they go? There are several reasons for their disappearance like,

Ø Modern architecture which neither have holes or ventilators for houses nor do they have tiled roofs. - Sparrows lived there.

Ø Sparrows would eat spilt grains near the provision shops where the grains were packed manually. Plastic packed grains have left no room for spillage

Ø Sparrows would love eat insect and pest infested grains. Do we bother to keep that out for them? We are busy with our own lives

Ø Electro magnetic waves from the cellular phone towers are a peril to the sparrows.

We have come a long way in the paths of modernization. And there is no looking back. But, we have overlooked our small chirpy partners, who were living with us in our homes, who were friendly, who were leading a social life with us.
We never gave a thought about them through our journey towards modern era.

Now, we can’t go back. And they don’t know the way to come where we are.

I feel bad that present generation kids don’t have a chance to watch and enjoy this bird. The day in the future is not far, when the only way to find a sparrow inside your living room will be to frame it up on the wall like Dodo.

But I don’t want these lovable birds to become extinct. We can still see sparrows outside the city. Please come back dearies. We are missing you hell lots.

PS: Photo Source <Internet>

# Bangalore # MY TWO CENTS

Friday, March 11, 2011

Humor -0

Sahana Rao Friday, March 11, 2011 1 Comments

In a buffet lunch today, my veggie friend got skeptical about the salad she had put in her plate. And she asked the waiter to confirm that it was a veg dish.

Friend: What is this? (Holding out a reddish-white piece in her hand)

Waiter: Rabbit madam.

Friend: ??!!**%^#%!! (What questions must have run through her mind)

Waiter: Sorry Madam, it is Raa, Rabb, Radish…

Friend: 'O'

# LAUGH TRACK

Thursday, March 10, 2011

An Unnerving and Poignant Incident

Sahana Rao Thursday, March 10, 2011 2 Comments

A gentle small town girl aged 23 from northern parts of Karnataka set out to Mumbai with dream in her eyes. She wanted to become a nurse. She qualified as a nurse practitioner. She was appointed in King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, as a staff nurse.

She was extremely dedicated and virtuous at work. She gave the rough side of her tongue to subordinates who failed her expectations. Her efficiency was sure to take her up the career ladder.

This beauty with the brain fell in love with a young and energetic doctor of the same hospital. They spoke to their respective parents, convinced them and got the marriage date fixed.

One uneventful late evening, she went to the dog research lab which was used as the dressing room by nurses of that hospital. She was about to close the door behind, she was strangled with a dog chain from behind. She fell unconscious. She was looted physically, mentally and monetarily.

The rapist cum robber left her in the room presuming her death. She laid unattended till the early hours of next morning. She was rushed to the ICU. She had lost her vision due to cortical blindness, lost her neuromuscular functions, her memory! Basically she was brain dead. The asphyxiating had halted oxygen supply to the brain.

Does this story ring a bell? Yes. The story is about the unfortunate Aruna Shanbaug. She was brought to this condition by a ward-boy named Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki. He was her subordinate who was rebuked for his deeds. Indignant Sohanlal took up this course to settle the scores of vengeance.

Now, she lies in the dark room, on the old iron bed of the hospital. She has not seen light for more than three decades. Her colleagues are looking after her at KEM hospital. She has been locked-up in the room where only doctors who treat her and nurses who feed her and bathe her are allowed. This lock-up is after second attack of Sohanlal in the hospital after he served 7 years of jail.

Sohanlal, led a happy life working in another private hospital after serving 7 years of seven concurrent years of sentence for assault and robbery.

The whole incident and aftermaths are very disturbing. If Sohanlal was allowed to walk free in this world after just seven years in jail, doesn't his savaged victim have the right to be set free after 36 years of an internment?

This post is in the light of the judgment of the Supreme Court on passive Euthanasia.

“In a path-breaking judgement, the Supreme Court today allowed "passive euthanasia" of withdrawing life support to patients in permanently vegetative state (PVS) but rejected outright active euthanasia of ending life through administration of lethal substances.”

-------TOI

# euthanasia # MY TWO CENTS

Monday, March 7, 2011

Bunni's babbles

Sahana Rao Monday, March 07, 2011 2 Comments

She is over an year now, here is the list of words she has learnt apart from Amma, Appa, Taata, Aggi (Ajji), Maama,Anna, Akka, Paapa..

English

1) Nen – Pen

2) None(pronounce as known) – Phone

3) Nant – Pant

4) Baab – Ball

5) Laaigt – light

6) Aaan – On

7) Aaap – Off

8) Duckie – Duck

9) Choo - Shoe (Even slippers)

Kannada

1) Abba – Amba (Cow)

2) Bowb bowb – Bow-Bow (Dog)

3) Kaawkb kaawkb – Quack Quack ( It is really funny when she says this, and even more comical to see the movement of lips)

4) Duckie – Duck

5) Aani – Aane (Elephant)

6) Aiiiya - Jeeya (Water)

7) Yaayaa - Laala (Milk)

8) Mom-mom - Mom-mom(Anything which is eatable)

9) Hakki - Hakki ( any bird)

10) kho-kho - Koli (Hen)

# babbles # baby-talk

Ahamkaara

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Cricket and Me

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Birthday Surprise for my Lovely husband!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Email Conversation

Friday, March 18, 2011

Bunni Update - 13 Months

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Almo-nilla

Missing from a few years: Sparrow.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Humor -0

Thursday, March 10, 2011

An Unnerving and Poignant Incident

Monday, March 7, 2011

Bunni's babbles

SAHANA RAO

Social

Popular Posts

Subscribers

Archive

Labels