Cycling in Chennai

 Rode a cycle after almost 13 years. The one before 13 years was also a just few 100 meters. There was a cycle which was collecting dust and I gave it to service and he charged me a bumper. It was almost like servicing a two wheeler. He had changed two tires and tubes. The service charge alone was 700 Rs.

I was actually worried about cycling back home as there is a subway and some years back I was not able cycle the uphill part of the subway. The other scary part was people constantly honking behind us. I was looking for a rear view mirror habitually and there was none.

Whenever I had to turn I was looking for the indicator switch and few times I tried to accelerate by throttling the right handle.

So it took me sometime to adjust to basic cycle.

The good part is I was able to do the slope easily than I had feared. So its a little comfort that there is some fitness left in me.

But riding cycle in Chennai roads would not be a pleasant experience.

Vividh Bharati

I heard today (13 Feb) was Radio day and thought of posting some of my memories with Radio. When I was young we used to have a Murphy Radio which used to look almost like the the one below (credits:www.radiomuseum.org).

My grandfather used to have a Philips radio. I later learned my dad and grandfather exchanged their radios and Philips was the one which used to belong to us. My grandfather used to have a transistor as well. Whenever I visited him I used to carry the transistor everywhere.

The morning times Vivish Bharatiyin Varathaga Oliparapu was very famous. When we were getting ready to school or on the way to school we used to hear the jingle, songs and advertisements.

When we moved to a two in one I remember recording songs from radio into an audio cassette.

At nights around 900 PM or so they used to telecast a drama which used to be followed by Vilambaratharar valangum nigalchi which was nothing but advertisements for tamil movies. They used to telecast dialogues and songs from new movies. I remember listening to Agni Natchathiram, Roja movie advertisements and dialogues. The last one I remember is Roja. The songs by AR Rahman sounded very different.

Sunday 4 PM they used to telecast movie songs in Chennai station 1 and I think there used to be a drama as well. Listening to radio dramas used to be very interesting. Sometimes they used to telecast Olichithiram which is nothing but a complete tamil movie slightly edited.

Now we can listen to any song any time we want but the magic delivered by the Radio is missing.

VCP and VCR

 When I was young owing a VCP was considered as the ultimate luxury. People who owned VCRs were considered even more richer. For me VCR was totally out of picture and VCP was considered as something which we could aim for.

In those days busying second hand items was a thing and since owning a new VCP was out of our reach my Dad used to hunt for second hand VCPs. Even that will happen once or twice in a year. Every time someone will bring the system to our home or we used to go to the shop but we didn't buy because we couldn't afford the cost quoted by the seller. This happened even for tape recorders but that is for another blog.

I vividly remember my Dad taking me and my brother to a shop in Nungambakkam for checking out a second hand VCP. We got down at Nungambakkam station and walked for few minutes and reached the shop. The guy in the shop showed us a VCP. All the while my heart was beating faster as I felt that was it. We were going to own a VCP. I was already planning on the videos I should rent. But to my dismay the discussions didn't work out and we came back without buying. My Dad bought us a chocolate ice cream on the way back which was considered another luxury.

I also remember visiting some shops like VGP for buying new VCPs and coming empty handed because of the price.

Some if the famous brands around that time were Akai and Funai. The latter was considered as cheaper option. There used to be a brand called National which was a costlier option.

Our neighbor bought a Akai VCP. They used to put a yellow cloth on top of it for protection from dust. They used to rent lot of movies and we could hear when a new movie was playing. When we know they are playing a movie I and my brother used to sneak in and sit there.

I remember watching Manathil Uruthi Vendum, Armour of God, Blood Sport, Oruvar Vazhum Alayam, Vaai Kozhupu and few Ramarajan movies at their home. They never sent us away. They always welcomed us. Some of the movies were beyond my understanding at that age and my back would start to hurt as we had to sit for 2 hours. Still we used to watch.

My Periyappa bought new Funai VCP and left it in our home for few months. Those were golden days and I watched Kodi Parakuthu, Un Kannil Neer Vazhindhal and Sindhu Bhairavi innumerable times as the video cassettes were with us for few weeks.

The other option to satisfy our  VCP urge was renting out a VCP and the weekends when we used to rent one were always exciting. Sometimes the VCPs will not be available for rent leading to disappointment.

Some of the famous video rentals available in Nanganallur during that time were Utham Video, Gopinath Video, Sundar and J K Electronics. Going to these shops and looking through the catalogue were some of the best feelings of my childhood.

I also remember one of my friend who owned a VCR recording Marugo Marugo song from Vetri Vizha when it was played in Oliyum Oliyum.

By the time I owned my own VCR I was around 25 and was working. I bought it in Germany even though DVDs had just been launched. I somehow wanted to own my own VCR and I bought a top end model. It was a Sony. But I didn't use it extensively as VCDs had taken over India and video cassettes became rare. I still owned few movies like Saving Private Ryan, Who am I, Lake Placid in vide cassettes. I used to buy from Landmark.

I still have the VCR and it carries so many memories.

Doordarshan Old Serials

 

Though during the old DD days we longed for more channels now when we think about those days it brings out a smile. The way we longed to watch one drama, one song, one movie, Ethiroli made it more interesting.

Nowadays though they stream songs continuously, movies available at single touch we don't have that much interest in them.

I just thought of listing some of the old tamil serials I can think of. I tried to search on some of them but many doesn't provide any results.

Dinesh Ganesh - Delhi Ganesh and Kathadi Ramamurthy featured in this. They travel to ooty and there used to be a spooky bungalow. This used to be telecasted on Mondays if I am right.

Amloo - Baby Shalini featured in this along with a Robot and I remember the Robot dying after biting into a gas cylinder

Oru Manidhanin Kadhai - A depressing serial from Raghuvaran made a huge impact. His dad was terror in this serial and I think it was produced by AVM. This used to be telecasted on Wednesdays if I am right.

Adade Manohar - "Kuranga pidika poi Pillayar aana pinne ellarum pugalndhanga" title song. A comedy of error serial.

Ellam Inbamayam - This used to be telecasted on Thursdays. Again a comedy serial by Kathadi Ramamurthy.

Nam Kudumbam, Vanna Kolangal by S Ve Shekar. I think Vanna Kolangal was telecasted on Sundays and Nam Kudumbam on Thursdays.

There was a serious drama by Y Gee Mahendran where he used to do double role.

Mouli serial in a flight -  I think this is available in youtube

KBs Irayil sneham - I never watched this. I think this feaured Nizhalgal Ravi

Tuesday Dramas were of different league and deserves a dedicated post.

Tryst with BSNL

Telephones have always fascinated me. Especially the one with older model dial pad. I used to love even the dial tone. We had our own landline very late compared to my friends and neighbors. Whenever I got a chance to be alone with a telephone I used to play with the dial pad. I used to dial random numbers and cut them without answering. I used to get such opportunities whenever I visited my Dad's office during Saturdays or when I visited some of my rich friends.

Those days the telephones used to smell differently. There used to be a scent which was used over the telephones which gave that scent. Sometimes I remember it was even used as an alternate to body perfume.

Before we received our own we used to receive calls at our neighbors and they will give us a shout that we have a call. We will feel sorry that we are causing trouble to them but we had no other choice. Also we should be conscious of the time we speak.

When my parents applied for one I was elated. The process was to apply with the telephones department by paying a deposit and you had to wait till they provide you with one. We received it in 1999 and I was already an year out of college. 

By the time we received ours the dial pad had changed to modern button based one. But still I loved it. We had our own landline and was happy that I can fill the telephone column in all application forms.

Over the period Chennai Telephones had undergone so many changes. I used BSNL for my internet connection as well. The service level continued to deteriorate and sometimes can frustrate you beyond what you can take.

Today I surrendered my almost 22 year number. I didn't want to do that but the phone was out of order for 2 months and they didn't care to fix it. I was left with no other choice other than to close it. The process was pretty simple than expected. They didn't ask me anything. It was as if they were just waiting for me to come with closure request.

The memories of BSNL and our number will always remain with me.

Summer Holidays 4 - Palayamkottai

 Read Part 3 here 

There used to be a vast agriculture land near my grandfathers house. Usually during summer holidays in the month of May, the field will be empty. In fact I have never seen it green. It will always be dry with the left overs of the harvest. During evenings our favorite thing to do is go there and spend as much time as possible there. It is a great spot for flying kites. Far away we used to see passing trains. In between us and the train it is just the harvested paddy fields. Many times we used to attempt to walk till that railway line but never made it. 

We includes me and my holiday friends. These are friends I meet only during the summer holidays but we never felt that we had a years gap between our meeting. We will continue from where we left. It will be almost like nothing has changed. Those few days I spend with them has always felt like forever. Those days are so fresh in my memory. They have now have moved on to different parts and I was able to meet only one person few years back. 

The field used to contain purple flowers which used to smell like lemon. Another favorite activity is to fly kites from these fields. In city where the skyline is overflowing with cables and the fields used to provide unobstructed skies where many people can fly kites.

There used to be a small temple and a small shop near the temple. Small pocket pickles used to be favorite snack which we used to buy from the shop.  

There used to be many tamarind trees around and you will find lot of tamarinds in the ground. You will find ripe tamarinds, not so ripe, just right ripe etc. Each will taste unique.

The canal nearby used to be full of running water and I remember my Dad taking me for a swim. I used to be scared of the water and at the same time excited. But over a period it became dry and we used to cross the canal and go to the other side where we used to have huge trees. Now I can find only sewage water in the canal and there is a huge wall constructed on the other side so you cannot cross and go other side.

Playing with cycle tires used to be another favorite activity. Everyone will have a tire and a small stick to drive it. I remember the day when a protruding cable from the tire punctured my palm deep. I still have that mark in my palm.

I will leave the rest for part 5.

Summer Holidays - 3 - Palayamkottai

 Read Part 2

From Tirunelveli to Palayamkottai where my Grandfathers home is used to be another interesting part of the journey. Since he was a car driver by profession for Thalayuthu cement company owners sometimes he used to bring his Jeep to take us from the station to home. Othertimes it will be some Ambassador car and sometimes it will be a black Amabassadaor taxi. That's the only time we get to travel in a car in that year. It will feel so good to just touch the car. The car's those days used to have a distinct leather scent. It used to have a small table fan placed in the front. After loading all the luggage, the car will travel towards Palayamkottai. The way the steering wheel rotates inside the drivers hands used to be a treat to watch.

The first landmark would be the famous double decker bridge, once we cross that the Thamirabarani bridge. We will lean out to see if the river had water and always it used to have but sometimes it will be in trickles. Then we cross TVS and then the famous "Oosi Gobiram" church and then Vannarapettai and  then the play ground and finally we have to take a turn towards right opposite the Palayamkottai bus stand. It is a road which will branch from the main road and it used to have a vast open space on the right where you will notice small temple like structures. You will also notice lot of goats around that area. As we travel further inside there will be a small provision store and then famous Daily Thanthi Adhithanar house and then a small bridge across a canal. Our grandfathers house was right at the bank of the canal.

When we were young the canal will always be having abundant water and it reduced as we grew and now sadly it has become a sewage. As we get into the house I will try to absorb in as much scenery as possible and look out for my summer holidays buddies.

The entire place used to have an unique scent which is a mix of the scent of dried palm leaves used for roofs, the scent palm fruit, the scent of just harvested paddy field, the scent  of huge tamarind trees, scent of the cow dung used to layer the floors , the unique scent from the canal water, the scent of hen house etc. It used to feel like heaven and we have just arrived there.

My Grandfather's house was constructed well above the ground level and we have to climb few steps to get inside and both sides of the steps we had the platform to sit and talk. The kitchen used to be separate from the main house. The kitchen was very small and it had thatched roof and to get inside you have to bend and get inside. At most the kitchen can accommodate 3 people. Earlier they had stoves which used wood as fuel and later they upgraded to kerosene based stoves. Since it was always summer when we were there the kitchen will be very hot but still we used to love that place.

On the right side of the house there used to be a huge tree which used to have small black seeds. Behind the tree there used to be the bathroom. We cannot call it a bathroom because it's an open space with a huge cement basin to hold water and an hand pump. You have to first pour some water into the hand pump for it to extract water. The water used to have a distinct scent and taste. As soon as we had landed we head to this space to take a bath. No hot waters just pure cold water. While my grandfather fills the cement basin we used to take bath till our hearts content. We used to use Chandrika soap which was my grand fathers favorite. 

In those days to finish your number 2 you have to sit behind house in open and cover the dump with ashes. I remember sitting there in the open ground in harsh sun and having a good dump.

to be continued..

A brief history of Palavanthangal Gate

 I was searching for some old snaps of Palavanthangal (Pazhavanthangal) before the subway was built. But google didn't share any results. I myself do not remember taking any photographs of the old Palavanthangal. So all I have now is whatever image of the railway gate (which was there before the subway was built)  is etched in my mind.

I am someone who like to time travel to the past using my mind to reminisce the old days. Today my thoughts went back the days before the subway was built and the days when it was being built.

We settled very close to the station around 1984 and our residence was on the GST road side and not on the Nanganallur side. So technically our area was called Meenambakkam while the landmark near by to our house is always mentioned as Palavanthangal subway. Obviously I cannot write anything about how this place was before 1984. I wanted to capture as much as I can remember about the time between the railway gate got converted into a subway.

As my school was in Kodambakkam there was not a single day during my childhood that I did not see the railway gate junction. Everyday morning we used to hurry to Palavanthangal station and take the then meter gauge train to Kodambakkam.   

We were living near Saidapet railways station and it was a very busy place even in those times. Our house in Palavanthangal was getting constructed and my mother used to take me along with her to visit the construction during some evenings. For someone coming from a concrete jungle Saidapet Palavanthangal had the charm of a rural area. It had newly constructed houses lot of greeneries. Even the well in Palavanthangal looked different from the well we had in Saidapet. It looked almost untouched by human invaders. After visiting the construction when we return my mother used to take to a Hotel which was very close to the railway station. The hotel was called "Hotel Asoka" and it was situated on the left hand side when you walk towards Vembuliyamman Koil. Remember there was no subway it was just a normal street. My favorite used to be Bonda and Rosemilk. 

Since this railway gate was the only connection between GST Road and Nanganallur (Thillai Ganga Nagar Subway didn't exist then) there used to be huge traffic near the gate. Whenever the gates were closed traffic used to pile up. Also the gate was very close to the track of the train towards beach and it will be difficult to see if a train is indeed coming. So many times have crossed the closed gate by pushing the cycle through it.

Dr. Saravanan had his clinic where the ICICI ATM (close to Umar Biryani) is currently situated. Amudha Medicals was right next to his clinic and Anandhi medicals (Current Bakery Garden group) used to be on the opposite side of the road. Both these medical shops exists today at near by locations. Dr. Saravanan still practices as Jai Scans. Visited the doctos clinic so many times. Then he moved his clinic little further where current Amudha Medicals exists. Near by the Amudha medicals we used to have Bata showroom from where we used to buy all our school shoes and near to that there was a fancy items shop.

Anandhi store, Kali store they continue to exist from those days carrying forward the legacy. Kali store has moved little further while Anandhi store was there at the same place if my memory is right.

Near Anandhi medicals there was a bakery called "Jacintha Bakery". My dad used to take us there and we used to buy all our snacks there. Many types of biscuits, chips, bread, bun butter jam used to be available there. Close to that we used to have a newspaper shop and Soda shop. Drinking Paneer Soda in this shop in a steel tumbler during summer used to be like the best drink.

There used to be a Video cassette lending library very close the gate.

Selvam sweet shop, the tea shop, ground nut shop near by the station still exist. 

On the road which runs parallel to the track we used to have a rental cycle shop and thats were we used to rent the small cycles for an hour. Even though the cycles will be in bad shape that was the only way for us to ride a cycle and we used to love it.

The Sakthi Fast Food, Umar Biryani, Bakery Garden, ATMs never used to be there.

The place has been transformed into a totally different place once we had the subway. 

Since we used to live on the GST road side we had our own Nathan store for our provision needs. 

As and when I remember more details I will keep updating this post.

Summer Holidays - 2

Read Part 1 

Tirunelveli was always our summer holiday destination. There was one time we went to Bombay but after that it was always Tirunelveli. This was so till I went onsite as part of my job and discovered world outside Chennai and Tirunelveli. As part of college tour I had the opportunity to visit Delhi, Agra and Shimla. As part of job searching I visited Hyderabad twice and Bhopal for Short Service Commission. The job search travels were my first travels alone. I went ahead with those travels because the organisations agreed to bear the travel expense.

Coming to back to summer holidays, every day and every minute I spent in Tirunelveli are etched so clearly in my memory. Every day before I sleep I live through those memories once again in my mind. Sometimes which I drive these are the memories that keep me company. This part explains the excitement we went through as children right until the moment we board the train. and this blog explains what follows inside the train.

As I grew the expectations changed as well. While we were kids the only longing was for a window seat but as I grew I became interested in a Tamil crime novel which I can read through the journey. When I moved from Tamil novels to English the expectations changed to studying who will be my neighbor I will be sharing my seat with. But the excitement was always the same it cannot be compared to anything else. Even now whenever I hop on a long distance train either for travel or to drop someone the station and train are always magical.

Once we hop into the train the next interesting stage is to look forward to the time when the train crosses our home. Since our house is located near by the railway track whether you are at home and someone close is in train or vice versa waving to each other is an important milestone. During early days since my dad wouldn't have reached home after dropping us we will just look at our home pass by. 

The next milestone is to look forward to Chengalpattu. It always carries a charm because that the first halt for the train after Egmore. The lake before Chengalpattu will signal that the station is approaching. Those days trains to south expecially to Tirunelveli used to start between 1700 and 1730 hrs. So by the time we reach Chengalpattu it will be 1830 to 1845 hrs. It will be not be dark but the sun light won't be there either. 

The sound of tea and coffee vendors will hit your ears but it will only be a quick stop and the train will start with a light jerk. While we were kids we never got down from the train in intermediate stations. So we were waiting for the time when we can hop off into those stations. As we grew we used to get down and get back on the train as it leaves.

The next milestone will be Tindivanam and it will be even a shorter stop compared to Chengalpattu.

The next milestone is Villupuram. Those days Chennai to Villupuram will be electrified engine and post that it will be diesel Engine. We always felt diesel engines were faster. They change the engines in Villupuram so we always look forward to that station and that event. Also since the engine is changed there usually it will be a long stop there. It used to reach Villupram sometime around 2100 hours and you can hear lot of vendors selling Tea, Coffee and Dinner. Mostly we have our packed dinner in Villupuram. Usually it will be Puli satham or Idli. While we keep having dinner we keep awaiting those engine changing jerks which can be felt. Sometimes we will miss that. We keep observing the trains in other platforms and try to read their signboards.

After a long stop we can hear the sound of the diesel engine horn and the train departs from Villupuram. It is quite dark outside and you can see may parts of the station is dark as the train leaves the platform. We see the last huge signboard saying Villupuram Junction in English, Tamil and Hindi. As we leave the station we can see the city outside for couple of minutes and then darkness surrounds the train.  

At this point most of the people get ready to sleep. Middle berths are brought up, people climb over to the upper berths. I try to hold on to the window seat. With sun set now and the summer heat reduced considerably it is a pleasure to feel the air on your face. Once everyone has settled and lights switched off my mother will ask me to close the window and sleep. But how can I let of this once in a year experience. "I will sleep little later you go to sleep" will be my standard answer. 

With my face pressed to the window I can always see the reflection on the trains light rolling along with the train outside. Its total darkness outside and the only company is the sound of the train and the sound crickets outside. You can see occasional light far in the dark which will kick start imaginations on what the people in that house might be doing in such a lonely place. With strong winds on your face one can get tired easily but the adrenaline doesn't let you to sleep. You keep checking for the next light in the dark. Those days it's the yellow light which had its own charm.

Some trains stops at Vridhachalam and some doesn't. Once we cross that it is Trichirappalli. The train usually reaches Trichy by midnight. There will be limited activity in the station but still vendors will be selling Tea/Coffee/Milk. You can see the empty station with some people sleeping on the concrete seats covering themselves with lungi. It used to be a great feeling to see the "திருச்சிராப்பள்ளி  சந்திப்பு". We see the last huge board in the station as the train leaves Trichy. Within few minutes the train used to stop at "பொன்மலை " or "Golden Rock". This station will look deserted than Trichy and you see silhouettes of a hill and some lights on top of the hill. After a very brief stop the train will pick off from there. The next station will be Dindugul but most of the time I fall asleep here.

Sometimes when I wake up I can listen to the rhythm of the train sound and sometimes I can feel the train had stopped somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Mostly I will miss Dindigul but there were times I have seen the station as the train was just leaving the station.

Kodai Road Junction will be the next stop which will be usually busy. I never wanted to visit Kodai those days. I was only looking forward to Tirunelveli. After Kodai Road it is Madurai. The train usually reaches Madurai between 0430 and 0530. By the time it reaches Madurai people inside the train and the station will be active. It also means another 3 to 330 hrs to Tirunelveli.

We can hear lot of announcements in the busy Madurai station and this will be slightly a longer stop compared to other stations. Atlast you get a glimpse of the last board "மதுரை சந்திப்பு " as the train leaves the station. The air now feels different, it has more chill and more energy. 

The next stop is "விருதுநகர் ". By the time we reach Viruthunagar people become active in the compartment. While some remain sleeping we can see people walking back and forth to the restrooms. While Indian train restrooms can be nasty sometimes it is manageable most of the time. The restrooms themselves have their own scent which adds to the atmosphere. Post Viruthunagar depending on the side you are sitting in the train the sun rays may can fall directly onto your face. The scenery outside becomes more green and among the paddy fields, coconut trees, palm trees you will notice huge wells and pump sets. 

When the train reaches Kovilpatti and Sattur you will see lot of local vendors with local sweets and savories. By this time we would have brushed our teeth and my mother would have bought Methu vada and coffee. Though people complain about the quality of the coffee it is an experience. Unless we drink the experience is not complete. Near Kadambur you will see Poli sellers getting into the compartment. When the train reaches Maniyachi we can see peacocks outside. By this time advertisements about RMKV and Pothys start to appear on the walls of buildings. We start notice advertisements of Sunlight detergents.

Its just few minutes before we enter Tirunelveli. There is a station called Nanguneri which announces we are almost there. Then comes "தாழையூத்து" and its famous cement factory. My grandfather was an employee there. We used to watch the factory with an awe and I still do that. If we are sitting in the wrong side we strain our neck to make sure we see the factory. Now it is just minutes to Tirunelveli.

Finally the train enters "திருநெல்வேலி  சந்திப்பு" we can clearly see the board with the words written in English, Tamil and Hindi. While in Tirunelveli the word Junction takes a new meaning as everything will be referenced by how far it is from Junction. By this time we had already pulled the luggage from under the seat. We press our face against the window to see which side the platform will be. Once the train enters the platform your heart starts to beat faster. We press our face even harder searching among the crowd the face of our grandfather and grandmother. And then "Oh ! there they are". A huge wave to them and now they notice us and starts running along with the train. We can see the porters hopping into the compartment. The train now comes to a complete halt. Our grandparents come and touch us and talk to us through the window while the passengers alight the train.

We wait for the crowd to clear and take out luggage and walk towards the door. We look at the seat once with love before we move towards the door. We get down and our grandparents hug us with all the love. They share with us the coffee they had brought with them in a flask. From here everything will smell and taste differently in a good way. Finally we gather all the luggage and walk towards the exit. While I walk I look at the train which had carried us this far. There was an unspoken relationship that was developed with the train. I feel that the train can now take rest after such a long journey. It will almost look like a living being with all feelings. With heavy heart I say a good bye in my mind to the train and step out of the station looking forward to what Tirunelveli had to offer me for that summer.

I write these as these thoughts have been in my mind for so long. I do not want those good thoughts to get lost. My grandparents are not there anymore. I have been to Tirunelveli so many times sometimes by bus and even by car but none of them equal these memories I have. I do not have my grandparents to welcome me like they used to. But still the station is there, the yellow board is there, the junction is there. Everytime I look at them I will bring back all those people and memories alive. Thanks to GOD for giving our mind that ability.

Summer Holidays

The counting starts even before the holidays start. When annual exam dates are announced the countdown to the summer travel starts. Its not to a different fancy place we travel every year. It's the same place every year but the excitement was always the same. Infact the excitement is still the same. 

Then tells Dad that the ticket has been booked. It's always Mom, I and my Bro. Dad always stays back. Those were the days before online booking and tickets were made of thick brown card boards in small rectangular shape. The first question on our mind is will we get window seat. Since it used to be me and my brother I used to greedily long for two window seats. But usually it will be one or none. As I grew I also wished there will be a girl in the near by seats. It even came true once but nothing much happened.

The next question that follows is which train it is? As each train has a different route. Is it Nellai/ Sethu/ Quilon? While Nellai goes through Madurai Sethu goes through Manamadurai. It was always Egmore and Central was a whole different world until we made a trip to Bombay.

We pluck the ticket from Dad's hand and look at it lovingly. The images all that's waiting flashes through. Sometimes the message is it is waitlisted or not available? These were always consumed with lot of pain but always we used to get the ticket somehow.

Now we get lost in the tentacles of the exam and each day is painfuly longer. Tamil, English, Maths, Science gets over and the last exam is History and Geography. While go through the dark corners of history and travel around geography of the earth using Ganga guide our mind always wanders to the date of travel. The day before the last exam is always longer than the other long days. 

When we return after writing the last exam we are excited with two feelings. The first feeling is about enjoying the days till we travel and the second about the travel itself.

While we enjoy the week or so before the travel with the afternoon sun on our head and kuchi ice creams from the guy who brings the ice cream cart, we also count the days before we travel.

Then the packing starts by taking the suitcase which has been on rest and gathering dust since the last travel. This happens over a period of three days and we start wondering about what to pack for dinner during travel.

The day of travel arrives and its usually a Saturday and Dad has half day that day and the train timing is usually between 1600 to 1730 depending on the train. Dad is expected by 1300 but we do not see him till 1330 and those were the days we neither had mobile nor landline. We start waiting for him discussing anxiously what's delaying him. At last he arrives and atmosphere is electrified. You can almost touch the happiness and energy in the air. Fight between me and my brother on who will take the window seat starts.

All packed and set the journey to Egmore starts. We need to walk to Palavanthangal station to take the suburban train to Egmore. I don't remember the walk to Palavanthangal station but as the train nears Nungambakkam and we start seeing glimpses of long distance trains parked the excitement increases. As we near Egmore we can smell it in the air. There is always a pleasant smell associated with Egmore it hits you in a pleasant way.

We get down from the suburban train and wait till the crowd thins and take the steps to the long distance train station. The sound of announcements about the arrival and departure of trains hits your ears and we search for our platform and it is always the farthest. Sometimes we cross the tracks instead of taking the steps. Those days I don't remember the station being as crowded as it is nowadays. 

One of the main differences between Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore in those days was the trains running from Egmore were meter gauge while the other was broad gauge. The meter gauge trains will not have that additional seat on the other side.

We reach our platform and the train is not in yet. In few minutes you can see the train being pushed into the station and you can see the last wagon with the X mark. It will always come in the reverse direction as this end is always dead end. It is a fantastic feeling to watch the train slowly coming to a halt. We wait for the coach numbers to be pasted into the coaches and in the mean time crowd thickens. While we walk towards our coach we look at the AC coach and the first class coach with envy.

Once we identify our coach we climb into the coach and search for our seats. The act of taking the steps by holding the two bars on the side is a memorable one. Once we identify our seats mostly disappointment will await us as we will not have a single window seat but when we do have one we will grin ear to ear. The suitecases are pushed beneath the seats and Dad slights the train the walks over to the window. We press our face against the window bar and try to take as much as possible of the station scene as we can experience this only after an year.

Those days the vendors will be pushing carts loaded with cool drinks, snacks and magazines. While  they push the carts they will be shouting "cooooool drinksss" and make a "Trrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiing" noise by rubbing the bottle opener over the cool drink bottles.

Dad will buy one drink for us and usually it is Fruitnik mango flavored drink. We can also see ice creams, coffee , tea being sold. The sound of "Coffee/tea" will be so enchanting to the ears. 

While we wait we can see a train in the other platform start.

We keep checking the watch to see how many more minutes pending for our train to start. There is usually a jerk when they connect an engine and that is a sign the starting time is near. Dad looks to the engine end and confirms "Signal potutan". We hear the whistle sound from the guard. 

The train starts with a jerk. What a feeling it is. Dad walks along and we feel sad to see him not joining us in the journey. At some point he stops and we say "Ta ta" by waving our hands. He slowly disappears from the view point and we settle down comfortably to enjoy to the fullest what awaits for us in the summer of that year.

Apocalypse now - Redux

After little more than a decade I watched Apocalypse Now again. I had totally forgotten everything including the plot about the movie. It is scary that I had forgotten so much while I felt the exact same things that I had felt one year ago. As I came to write my feelings here I just searched if I had written a piece earlier about this movie and found that I had indeed. Only after reading that I found that I had had the same feelings 10 years ago and every single feeling has been erased from the memory.

Just proves how volatile our memory is.

Here is my earlier view about the movie.

I feel it is still a great movie but you need lot of patience to sit through it.

Some Experiences

Some experiences in life stays with you forever. You will be able to relive those memories again and again in your mind. Even if we get another chance to experience it, it will never be the same as the first time. And when we look back and realize that the first time is the only time and we will not get another chance it mind of incites a feeling within which I am unable to explain. Those experiences and memories are so unique that no one else however close they may be will be able to experience it as we did.

Wes Craven

When I was young and we rent a VCR for a weekend movie marathon one movie which will always be considered for viewing is "A nightmare on elm street".

When I grew up the voice "Hello Cindy" sent goosebumps.

Wes Craven is no more.

Memories

ஞாபகங்கள் சந்தோஷமானதோ துக்கமானதோ கண்களில் கண்ணீர் நிச்சயம்.

Memories, good or bad always brings tears.

His Masters Voice

I heard through my friend and today read it in papers that HMV is planning to close its operations. HMV has always been synonymous with DVDs for me. When I was there in UK not a weekend passes without me visiting this beautiful store.

HMV along with Virgin Megastore used to be my two favorite shops. Virgin actually scored above HMV as it beat HMV in price but HMV always remained a symbol of music and movies.

Sometime back I heard Virgin Megastore closed its doors in UK and now HMV is following the same footsteps. Yes this was something expected as the online market is gaining popularity when compared to the traditional shops. But online shopping can never replace the pleasure of browsing through 1000s of physical discs and finally selecting something which you have been wishing for a long time. Now with HMV closing its doors thats the last nail on such a feeling. The future generation will never get to experience the feeling. When we realize HMVs famous logo, especially the faithful dog will soon be going into oblivion it is really painful.

Video Cassette

During the late 80s and early 90s renting VCRs, VCPs and Video cassettes will be among the top favorite moments of mine.

There used to be 4 shops which used to rent players and cassettes. When a decision is taken at home to rent a player the excitement will start. We used to run from one shop to the other each shop will have players in different sizes. The players most of the time will be put inside a leather bag.

After securing the player the next important job is to select the movie. Some shops will have a catalogue (loosely joined papers) in which the newly released movies will be hand written. We can see some cassettes lying here and there and my eyes will wander over all the cassettes. Some shops will not have any cassettes in display. Whatever we ask he will go inside a room and bring the cassette. My heart will be jumping to know what is inside that magic room.

The discussion with the rental guy on which movie is available and when it should be returned is another wonderful moment. Sometimes the movie we want would have just gone out or would just come in.

During those times I considered that having a video rental job is the dream job. But now after so many years none of those 4 shops survived. I used to think that business will run forever but I have been proved wrong. I wonder what those people are doing now. I still go past the two of the shops where I had had some of my best moments they now remain closed. No new shops have come there, they just remain closed.

Sivaji 100 Days

This saturday I watched Sivaji for the third time and the day was exactly the 100th day. I watched it in a local theater near my house. I was visiting the theater after many years. The show which was supposed to start at 11.15 started at 12 as there was a pooja because this was the first movie to reach the 100th day in that theater.

They fired crackers, distributed sweets and gave Sivaji stickers. The crowd was less may be 40 to 50% full. But the theater was hopeless and the audiencer were also hopeless. But the activity reminded me of watching movies as child.

Most of the people in the theater were families who had come with kids. Kids climbing on seats as they couldnt see the screen, ladies walking in and out of theater when the movie is running. Sunlight beaming in through the open doors of that Noon show, Dads buying samosa and cone ice during intermission, screen alternating between dim, dimmer and bright, power going off inbetween and people whistling. Though I couldnt enjoy the movie as I wanted to it was pretty nostalgic.

All the three times I missed the new title card Super Star.

ரோட்சைட் ரெமோ

அந்நியன் படம் பார்த்தவர்களுக்கு நான் சொல்வது புரியும். அந்த படத்தில் ரெமோ வாக வரும் விக்ரம் ரோடை பார்க்காமலே ரோடை கடப்பார். அது போன்ற ரெமோக்கள் மிகவும் மலிந்து கிடக்கிறார்கள் நம் ஊரில்.

விவித்பாரதியில் விளம்பரதாரர் நிகழ்ச்சிகளை கேட்ட நாட்கள் பசுமையாக மனதில் தங்கி உள்ளது. இருந்த குறைவான பொழுதுபோக்குகளில் அது பெரிய இடம் பிடித்து இருந்தது. அதில் வந்த பாடல்களை டேப் ரெக்கார்டரில் பதிவு செய்வது மிகவும் பிடித்தமான காரியம். எங்கள் வீட்டில் டேப் ரெக்கார்டர் மிகவும் தாமதமாக தான் வந்தது. அதனால் அதன் மீது ஒரு அலாதி மோகம்.

Shoe

Shoe's nowadays plays an important role in many of our lives. The art of buying shoe's indeed an art. I remember the days when my parents used to take me to Bata showrooms to buy black shoes and then canvas shoes. Finding out the size of our legs always remained an interesting part in the whole exercise. The shopkeeper will pick a pair tie the lace with his own knack and will wear it in our feet.

Now my parents will ask me the most dreaded question. "Is it fitting correctly?".

It will be difficult to tell as the shoe will feel tight and loose at the same time. I will show a confused face and I will be asked to take few steps and see. I will try to walk but still I will be lost.

If I said the shoe was little loose the immediate answer from the shopkeeper would be that when I wear the socks it should be fine. If I say it is tight my parents will try to press the front of the shoe to see if they can find any empty space.

This is the same case after I have started buying the shoes myself. I can never judge if the shoes fit in perfectly easily.
**

There have been times when I had worn shoes which were smaller in size. The pain it gives cannot be explained in words.

On the otherhand currently I have a shoe which is little on the bigger side which comes with its own problems. As long as the lace holds tight I can manage to walk but once the lace loosens a little this shoe irritates to the core.

This irritation will be coupled by the fact of tieing the lace using fingers which are made numb by cold. Try that, you would prefer to swim with sharks than experiencing a loose shoe with numb fingers.

Old Serials

Andha gaalathula DDla vandha sila serials a inge ninaivu koorugiren (Remembering some serials of 1980's and 1990's in DD). All these were telecasted before DD - 2 was born

Vanna Kolangal & Nam Kudumbam - SVe Shekar
Dinesh Ganesh - Delhi Ganesh and Kathadi Ramamurthy - Mondays
Ellam Inbamayam - Kathadi Ramamurthy - Thursdays
Oru Manithanin Kathai - Raghuvaran - Wednesdays (not sure) (the song ithu oru manithanin kathai was a hit. this was produced by AVM)
Amlu - Baby Shalini - Mondays
Adade Manohar - Manohar - (kuranga pedika poi pilayara aana pine nalapadi pugalnthanga) - Monday or Thursday
Giant Robot - Saturdays before Hindi movie
Spider man, He-man - Sundays
Barbapapa - this was a very old cartoon show - Sundays
Disneys Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck - Sundays
Irayil Sneham - Nizhalgal Ravi - This was not my favorite - Wednesdays or Thursdays
Anbulla Amma - Manorama & Meena (meena was introduced in this) - Sundays nenaikiren

Ungalku vera ethavathu nyabagam iruka?

Piragu Sandhipom