Kanavugal Meipadum..

Disclaimer: I do not take any responsibility if you go huffy after reading this post. This post has no logic whatsoever, its the most senseless post I have ever written but I hope you like reading it.

"I am already late da. The bus will leave sharply at 7 pm and its already 5.45 da. Ride the bike fast dammit"I yelled at A.S.Karthikeyan with a precipitated voice.
"Dei just relax. We are almost there da. Did you take your passport and visa?" answered ASK.
"Yep. I checked that more than a million times"
After 10 minutes, we reached CMBT, Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus. "The check-in time is 6pm. Just hurry up" ASK told me.
"Okay machan. Thanks for the drive. See you in a week. I will miss you. Tata". I replied in a hasty tone and vanished in the crowds.

The security check and the immigration got over in about 40 minutes and I was in my seat 15 mins prior to the departure. I was sitting next to an old lady and we both exchanged smiles. "I am the most happiest person in the world" I told myself. I am all set to go to sydney now and gonna meet Mehru tom morning. What else can I ask for? Having not met her for a year and half I was so enthusiastic to see her. I just closed my eyes and remembered the last time we both met eye to eye. December 8th 2007. The first time I saw my angel after proposing my love to her. I smiled when those moments flashed in my 70mm mindscreen. The long talks we had in the terrace watching the stars leaning on my shoulders, the coffee kisses and many more. 18 months have passed since then and now I am gonna see her again. Only one person in this whole universe knew how much I suffered to get the visa and that's me. I went to almost every travel agency in chennai, roamed from morning to evening for one full week and got what I asked for at the final moment. When I opened my eyes, the bus conductor was glaring at me.

"Boss neenga oruthar thaan innum ticket edukkala"
"Oops sorry thalaiva. Asanthu thoongitaen. Sydney ku oru ticket kodunga. How much?"
"18,495. Sillaraya kodunga boss"
"Oh inthaanga"
"Bus kilamba poguthu. Ellarum seat belt pottukonga" the conductor uttered in a loud voice.
"Conductor, bus ethana manikku sydney poye serum?" A guy sitting in front of me questioned the conductor.
"10 am" replied him.
"Naan kekkarathukulla oru punniyavaan kettutaan. Thoonguda fahad. Kalaila seekiram elunthirikkanum" That was me talking to me. :P

I switched on my new silver ipod nano and shruthi's voice tasted like sugar. The song was 'Unnai kandane muthal murai ennai tholaithene mutrilumaai...' And when I got up it was around 8am the next morning and the bus halted for breakfast in Westminster abbey. You might wonder why on earth the bus went to a place in London while it was supposed to head to sydney. Even I had the same feeling since I didn't know what was happening around me. I dont usually take breakies so I went down to have a cigarette. The bus started again and I got the window seat since the old lady got down at Westminster abbey. When the bus was leaving the bus stand, I saw a girl through the window and she resembled Mehru in every single way. Same beautiful brown eyes, same appealing face that has all the qualities that delight the senses of every single guy, same short but excellent hair as that of Jo's in New york nagaram song. "No. No it can't be her. She will be waiting for me in sydney bus stand. How come she is here? No way. Fahad something is wrong with you" I told myself. I just turned back to confirm if its her and YES. It was my mehru. She was searching for the bus am coming in. "Goddamn. Driver stop the bus. Please hold on" I cried for the bus driver to stop the bus but he never listened. I went to the conductor. "Please stop the bus. I need to get down at this place. Please." I begged him. He replied in a very polite tone. "Cool it young man. You cannot get down here since your destination is only sydney. We will have to answer the immigration authorities if they ask the whereabouts of you. So please take your seat. You will be allowed to get down only at Sydney Mofussil Bus Stand". "F&^k the authorities" I got irritated by his reply. I called mehru on her phone.

"Baby, where are you?" I asked her.
"I am waiting for your bus in westminster abbey bus stand" She answered.
"Holy shit. I just saw you. The bus had moved out of the bus stand and its heading to sydney. Okay. I will get down at sydney and will catch an auto and come here. You just wait for me. okay"
"No problem at all. I had waited for 18 months to see you. Just 4 hours wont harm me. I love you" She replied
"I love you too baby. Sorry. Will see you soon" I dropped the call.

Pannada, porambokku, %^%&%&*#^##$%#%$^#%$6 Its me scolding the bus driver and the conductor. The bus finally reached sydney. "Sydney Mofussil Bus stand ellam erangu. Ithoda vandi guindy stoppingla thaan nikkum" the conductor announced. And then I thought, "Oh Chennaila guindy irukka mathiri sydneylayum oru guindy irukku pola". To my surprise Karthik Vasudevan was waiting to receive me at sydney bus stand.

"Dai Iyeru, nee ennada panra inga?" I asked him.
"Nee thaane da sydney poraennu sonnaen. Athaan unna receive pannalaamnu vanthaen" Its karthik.
"Dai goiyala. You were in manchester right? Eppadi manchester la irunthu sydney vantha?" Its me.
"Share auto la mama. Just one and half hours thaan da travel". That was karthik.
"Seri seekiram kilambu machi. I got to go back to london. Mehru anga enakaaga wait pannittu irukka. Please its urgent"
"Seri vaa nair kadaila oru tea adichittu pogalaam. Sydneyla ithu thaan famous tea kadai machi" Iyer told me.
"Machi enakku tea vendaam. Strong ah oru coffee sollu" I told Iyer.
"I thought you always liked tea. Ippo enna thideernu coffee" Its Iyer.
"Athellam periya kathai machi. Atha unakku aproma explain panraen" I blushed thinking about the coffee kisses ;).

Ada kadavule. Enna suthi enna nadakkuthu. Oru pakkam australiala irukka vendiyava UKla irukka. Innoru pakkam UKla irukkavendiyavan australiala irukaan. Oru elavum puriyalaye. I thought while having coffee aana en manasu poora mehru thaan iruntha. Avala ithana naal kalichi paaka poroomra santhoshathula I got into the auto. Ennidam naan illai. After two hours we were there in Westminster abbey bus stand. I saw my angel waiting for me. I called her mobile, she picked up and answered. I watched her closely, too closely like noone in the entire world would have watched his love closer than I did. Avaloda ovuru asaivayum, avaloda uthattoda asaivu, aval mudiyai sari seyyum azhagu, avaloda chinna chinna asaivugal. 18 maasam eppadi itha ellathayum naan paakkama uyiroda irunthaennu enakku theriyala. She sighted me and came running towards me, just like meera jasmin comes running to see bharath in the movie nepali. Avala odi poye katti pidikka ponaen, someone patted my back.

"DAI MAMA. VARIYA EN KOODA?" I turned back and it was ASK. I got up from bed. I was in F-8, Ground floor, Parson complex, Saidapet, Chennai - 15. It took a moment for me to realise that what I just saw, Mehru, UK and Australia were just a dream.
"Illada. You carry on. Have a good time with your gal. Vandiya paathu otittu po. Shakthiya kettatha sollu" I replied.

It never felt like a dream to me. I got back to sleep and all I did was a million dollar smileeeeeeeeeeee and said I love you mehru. :)

Author's Note:
Please intha mathiri oru mokkayaana post ah ungala padikka vachathukku ennai mannikkavum. Velai illa. Athaan ippadi ellaam. Sorry for wasting your precious time for reading a mokkai blog like this. I truly apologize. It was just a dream and I felt it real and funny. Atleast this dream meant something to me. Athukunnu naan psycho aayitaennu ellam ninachidatheenga. Antha alavu innum pogala. Thanks for reading. Cheers. :)

The Differentiae

I recently joined the CAT classes conducted by TIME Institute. A funny incident happened today and I just wanted to drop a line in my blog. Today's class was about Percentage, Profit and Loss. I was into batch C along with four other guys. Our batch had no gals as I anticipated. We had a combined class with batch B fellows for the PPL session and that batch had about 6 to 7 pretty women. The class was exciting and in the course of action I got completely engrossed in the session. The guy who always sits next to me, Dheena from some XYZ college kept on talking obnoxiously during the session and most of them were no where related to the topic that was dealt in the class. I kept asking him to be attentive in the class but he never actually listened to me. I stopped to pay attention to him and started working on the problems. The class got over at 8.30PM and we all packed our material and left the room.

While leaving, I paid close attention to the gals who were still sitting in desks and were working some problems. One gal said to the other, "Hey, this is not the right way to proceed the problem. When the discount and the profit are same... bla bla bla.." She continued. The other gals who left the room were also broaching the same thing. "Arjun invested Rs.2000 on 5% stock and his annual income will be ... " They rambled on. On the other side, Dheena continued his talks. "Ji, inikku namma aalu dress olunga pottutu varale. T-shirt kum bottom kum matching eh illa". I gave him a stern look and replied "Goiyala, onnu en aalu nu sollu illa un aalu nu sollu. Athu enna namma aalu?" "Ada, athu illa ji, ethukku pirichi pesanumnu paathaen. Avlo thaan" That was Dheena. I didn't answer him this time as so many thoughts were running on my mind and kept on walking towards my bike. "Ji, give me the keys. Let me drive." "Dai ennathukku? Ponnunga munnadi scene podava? Olunga pinnadi ukkanthu va. Key ellam thara mudiyathu. En aalu ava bike edukka vara. So naan koncham scene podanum" That was me.

Dheena looked at me furiously and said, "Ennamo koncha neram munnadi Vivekaanandar cousin brother mathiri pesuneenga? Ippo ennamo en aalu nu solreenga? huh?" I replied him, "athu illa machi. Rendu perume ore aala paatha prechana aayidum. So nee t shirt potta figure ah paaru naan chudi potta figura paakuraen. Deal okay va?". We both chortled and while driving back home I told him this,

"Oru vishayam gavanichiya? Class mudinchathum ponnunga ennamo naalaikke CAT exam vara mathiri ennama discuss panni padichittu irunthaanga. Aana nammala paaru. Intha figure enakku antha figure unakkunu vetti thanama pesittu irukkom. Ithula santhoshamaana vishayam ennenna, namma mattum illa. Ulagathula irukkura ella pasangalum ippadi thaan and ulagathula irukkura ella ponnungalum appadi thaan. Aandavanin padaippu appadi"

"Athu ennamo vaasthavam thaan ji"

"This is called Differentia" I answered him.

Sumi Darling... :)

My sincere thanks to Sirajudeen and Sadaf for bringing the most beautiful angel to earth.

"Hey, Do you know who I am?", I asked my darling.

"Theriyathu", Sumi replied in tamil.

"Oh, that's great. You speak tamil as well eh? Go ask your mom who I am"

Without any hesitation she ran to her mom and asked, "Mamma, kaun hai yeh?"

"Yeh aapka chacha hai meri beti, fahad chacha" responded her mom.

She came back to me and replied, "You are fahad chacha" and ran away.

That was the first time I spoke to her. I didn't know then, that she were the angel I was searching for, since ages. She had come down to India with her parents because of her grandpa's demise. I had to get back to chennai to leave for my college reunion, so I lied to my dad that I got to attend an important meeting at office and left Ranipet.

A month passed by and I was confined on all sides by problems. I was used to the problems since it was in my blood and name. My college mates usually mock at me telling that if you search for the meaning of my name in any dictionary, it would be written as the guy with ATP(Anytime Problems) just like the ATM. That was a different life altogether when I was at college. Take it easy policy was my mantra then and so I never gave a damn to these things and my problems. But now things were so different and to my astonishment even I was so frigging different from my college life. I started to feel anxious, distressed and troubled. "Hey come on, this isn't you. Why have you changed? What made you change? Why are you so concerned about problems all of a sudden?" I told myself. I was completely thrown to a corner. I thought this was the end. End of everything. "Are you alright?" asked every single person I met. My mom started to worry about me and my future and in a jiffy, my life was filled with complete darkness.

Then came my angel, my guardian angel to rescue me from all the troubles. I met her again at chennai. My brother was pushing off to qatar and so I went to his in-law's place to see him. My bhabhi made the most delicious biriyani I ever had in my life and before I could start to eat, Sumi interrupted. "fahad chachu, Khaane ke duva bhole kya?". I blinked. Sumi's Mamu also named fahad, gave me a stern look. I could capture what he was thinking from the way he looked at me. "Dhamma thoondu kolanthaikku theriyuthu, ippadi kadaa maadu mathiri valanthirukka unakku theriyalaye da." I gave her a embarrasing smile and started to eat. I started to play with her and I forgot everything around me. Everything in the sense, EVERYTHING. I ceased to pay attention to any other thing other than her. I stopped attending calls on my mobile and I never bothered to read the sms that beeps once in ten minutes. I started to admire her, adore her and love her. I was completely attracted by the way she talked tamil, the way she plays pranks on me, the way she smiles , the way she sticks her tongue out when I take a snap and the way she calls me 'fahad chachu'. And before leaving to the airport, I told my bro that I will take Sumi with me in my bike. Before fahad maamu started to say NO, my bro said "Okay", without any reluctance. Sumi sat behind me and hugged me tight and I started driving. I knew I talked complete nonsense while I was driving but I wanted to make sure that she wasn't bored. That was the time when I realised that this was something special. The kid you love the most, the kid who came to rescue you from all agitations, the kid who is your angel, sitting behind you and hugging you tight. I am out of words to explain how I felt. After sending him off, I was a bit hesitant to go my brother's in-law's place since I hardly knew them. But there was a readymade answer with me, and that's SUMAIYA.

I started to visit her place more often and even my mom asked me, "Ennada, adikkadi anga poyittu vara? Enna aachu? Nee thaan family koodave mingle aaga maatiye?". I smiled and gave the readymade answer I already had. I slowly recovered from all my problems and finally I was back to my normal life, completely. Sumaiya came into my life when I was fired from my project along with four of my mates, the person I loved the most disappointed me, one of the few guys I trusted completely, let me down, I was totally demoralized and patronized about my career and future, I had no shoulder to cry upon and I didn't know what to do and where to go. But now even though I have all these problems I simply laugh at them. She was the medicine/cure/whatever for my problems. There is a saying in tamil, "Kadavul oru kathavai moodinaal innoru kathavai thirappaar"(If God closes a door, he will open a new door). YES, he did close all the doors but in return he opened the most beautiful door that I longed for. There was a time when I disbelieved the existence of God but now He proved me wrong.

And to you Sumaiya (I know you need to grow up a bit before you can understand what I really meant in this post), I owe you my life. This fahad chachu owes you his life. You changed my life upside down for which I owe you big time. I will do anything under the sun for you. This fahad chachu will be there for you, forever. You will always be the special child to me, even if I get a baby girl like you in the future(Insha Allah). And the next time I meet you, am gonna get you the biggest Barbie doll which you asked me for. I promise you my dear.

And for you guys who are dejected in life, there is always a solution for any problem in this world. If one door is closed, the other door will be made open for you. I am glad I found the door quite soon but if you are disappointed with life, try to figure out the door which is already opened especially for you. Let peace prevail. :)

Oh yes. I forgot to mention about the other angel. Hamzu Chanda. I spent equal time with him just like being with his sister.

The kavithai I wrote about her:

ஒரு முத்தம் கொடு என்றேன். அவளும் சிரித்து கொண்டே முத்தம் கொடுப்பது போல் என் கன்னத்தை கடித்துவிட்டாள்.வலியையும் பொருட்படுத்தாமல் அவளை கட்டி அணைத்து கொண்டேன். இவளை போல்

ஒரு மகள் எனக்கும் பிறக்காத என்ற ஏக்கத்துடன்.

And finally when she was about to leave India, I asked her "Just remember this fahad chachu, will you?" Sumi replied, "I will not remember you" with her tongue sticking out. I smiled and asked her a huggie. She hugged me, I kissed on her cheeks and said, "I will miss you, sumi darling."

Manasellam Unplugged Kulir 100 Lyrics

I listened to this song accidentally when I went to my relative's place. Fell in love the first time when I listened to the tune, got completely addicted when I listened to it's lyric. I miss my friends so much and this is for you guys. Simbhu made me cry once, when I watched Manmadhan Climax on screen and now I am almost in tears by his song. This song is about friends and the pain of missing them in life. I've them in my life, but this song reminds me of the golden days of my school and college life which I can never get back. I sit in the corner of my room, listening to this song repeatedly with tears in my eyes. I value these tears more than anything else in this world. Friends are always the best. Enjoy the song guys. Sorry about the format, I typed the entire post from my mobile. The lyric may not be accurate.

Film: Kulir 100
Music: Bobo Shashi
Singer: Simbhu | Rap Abishek, Shivam, Srikanth

Rap:
Hey yo. This song is dedicated to everyone, who miss their friend. This is how it feels.

Manasellam unnidam koduthaen ennuyir thozha.
Pazhasellam ninaivukke varudhe neril vaada.
Vaanendru unnaiyum ninaithaen vaanavillai marainthaaye.
Thirukuralai vanthu en vaazhvil iru variyil mudinthaaye.
Kan moodinaal irulethu neeye therigirai.
Naan pesinaal mozhiyaga thaane varugirai... (2)

Rap:
It's been a while since we last met. Can't forget what happened until my last breath. I regret my actions coz what we had was everlasting, aint no joke man. My heart comes crashing.
Etharkaaga piranthai, enai eno pirinthai, unnale ninaivugalaale modhi vilugindrathe. Oliyai nee irunthai, kanavilum sirithai, nanba un izhapaal nada pinam aagiraen.

So coming back.

Hmmm... Karai mothum alaigalai pola ninaivugal modhidudhe.
Oodhuginra cigarette thundugal kathaigal solliduthe.
Thanneeril kumuzhiyai pola vanthavan ponaane.
Vilaiyadum maithaanangal mayanam aagiyadhe.
Ingu enakkendru ethum illaye.
En palliye mutru pulliye.
Ini muzhuvadhum naan azhuvadhum unai ninaithe thozha.
Kan moodinaal... (2)

Rap:
I'm walking down memory lane, it's all coming back. Don't ever forget me man. That's all I ask. You've got control on my thoughts and emotions, when the world stops still you put it back in the motion.
Nanbanaaga neeyum vandhai, sollaamaale veedu sendrai. Indru nee ponaalum endrum un ninaivaal azhugiraen en nanbane, unnai izhakiraen en nanbane. Karaigiraen un ninaivile unnai izhakiraen en nanbane.

I DIDN'T KNOW THE WORD 'FRIEND' HAD AN END.

Good Bye Chennai

I seriously don't know what to write up here because my condition isn't just hunky dory. This day is one of the most depressing days in my life. I believe sharing is the best medicine for sorrows. So I am here sitting in front of my pc, to write down my effusion.

Thus far, I was the most happiest person on earth. The time was 5.15 PM. I was sitting in front of my pc at office. I had no temparament to work. I took my bike keys and came out of office. I drove back home recalling the past 20 days of my life. September 19th. The day iyer landed at chennai. I was completely excited of his arrival since I am meeting him after almost nearly 2 long years. Karthik has been more than just a friend to me. He is my counsellor, my legal advisor, my best pal, my well wisher, I can just add on and on and on. My life was in complete isolation before he came down. From day one of his arrival the word "solitary" ceased to exist in my dictionary. We hanged out all day, to all over chennai from every muttu sandu to citi centre, lone streets to spencer plaza, beach to mayajaal, and the list goes on as we explored the entire chennai together and with Nivash. I have been in chennai for more than a year, I can count the number of hang outs on the fingers of one hand but with this guy, I haunted everywhere. Just a thought and next moment we would be in Satyam or Citi Centre. Money was 'just' money. To be frank, my bank balance was 67,000 and odd (inclusive of his salary) on October 1st and now it is just 4000 and odd. So just imagine how much we guys would have enjoyed in a span of just 10 days. Forget about the money, money is not the lone thing for enjoyment but being with this guy is. Three booze parties(even though all the parties were at home, I reckon most of my guys would never forget them just because the liquors provided were of high caliber), trip to pondicherry, and many more. It took 35 minutes for me to reach home which was very unusual (normally it takes only 20 minutes). I entered and found noone in the house. I called karthik, he was on his way from Spencers. Twenty minutes passed by and it seemed like two hours. He came and there was an uncommon silence. "Mama innum koncha nerathula kilamburaen da. Pogave manasu illa (I am leaving with no interest)" he said. There was silence again and he headed home.

Nivash and I kept numb and Hidayath made his way home at 9 PM. We went to karthik's house which was at the next block and his mom made us dinner. "Dai catch an auto and come" I told Nivash. He went and came back in 10 minutes. We guys went in bike and karthik and his mom came to the airport in auto. We reached the airport well ahead of the schedule. Even though he was leaving us with no interest, he didn't show it out. We guys couldn't speak. We went to the restaurant and had coffee. Karthik was talking something about england which my ears desisted to listen. I was thinking about me and made a decision tightlipped. An hour passed and it was time for him to leave. I was here at the same airport some 20 days back with full excitement and joy but now things are different. I took the visitor's passes for all and we went inside the airport. We checked the tickets and passport, everything were fine. Here comes the most toughest part of all, bidding adieu. "Machan time aachu naan kilamburaen (It's time to leave)" said Karthik in an uncommon tone. He went with his baggages for the security and we were waiting for it to complete. I hesitate to send off people or the best way to put, I don't encourage myself to be in such positions. We never went inside the airport when he went last but this time we wanted to go in and send him off. I ended up watching a bald headed guy sending off a woman (must have been newly married or committed). She was speaking to him in a highly monotonous voice and I never cared to listen to what she spoke. She was in tears. She hugged him closely, kissed him and said "I love you" and these three words were perceived by my ears. She wiped her tears and went, turned back, gave him a flying kiss before vanishing without a trace. This was completely new to me. I can comprehend their situation and it was a fellow feeling. If it was me, I would never let her go, but I don't know anything about their circumstances. That's life na. Karthik came back and a final hi 5 from all of us and he said "Thanks for the wonderful time da", after a couple of minutes he was gone. "Wonderful things are never permanent", I told myself. It was the most painful and lacrimal send off. We made our way back home. I couldn't sleep. I have had this feeling before when I left hostel, when I left my college but then I cried and now I can't. Men don't cry, do they? Cherishing the moments I spent with him and our guys. Machi thanks for the time. Atleast for these 20 days, I was never alone. We miss you and the good times we had together. Back to the solitary life and yea Solitude is eternal.

P.S:- I am sorry for being a gasbag and publishing an unwanted post.

Welcome to Chennai Airport

Statutory warning:- Cigarette smoking and drinking liquors are injurious to health, unless and until you have them with your friends. ;)

The clock was ticking. I have never had the merriment expressed by the animation of countenance before. It's 8.40 P.M. I was working in the second shift. Sorry. I was busy working in the second shift. Can you imagine? Chatting with friends, working on issues, BMC, Mercury ITG, PPM, answering the phone calls, talking to personal calls in my mobile. All at the same time. Just 80 minutes left. Damn. I must leave early today. Too many weird thoughts struck my mind. I must be there on time. Gosh. Suddenly a message popped out in my gmail.

Nivash: mamsae

me: ennada?

Nivash: if possible call hurmath & ask abt the details. I don't know where he is.

me: okay

Nivash: ok done.

machi am so much excited abt karthik's arrival

from last week.

Mama sarakku vera varuthu. Champagne and Jack Daniels

inda hurmath kudikara naaye ithukku thaanda varaan.

Namakku oru sottu kooda kidaikkathu maame.

me: dei. ithu ramzan maasam da. avan adikka maataan. sarakku ellame namakku thaan. Cheers. :D

mama naan inikku romba santhoshama irukkaen da..

namma uyir thozhan rendu varusham kalichi varaan plus inikku ennenne therila romba santhoshama irukkaen. solla vaarthaigal illa maamu. I am deliriously joyful.

Nivash: appo night sarakku adikkalaam.

me: dei already late aayiduchu. airport poganum. iru naan kilambi veetukku varaen.

Nivash: okay. come soon mama. bye

It was already 9.45 P.M when I bid sayonara to Nivash in Gchat. I could have left office early but there was one person who stopped me. Yes. It was my friend. The clock striked 10 when she said good night. I was like okay. It's high time I got to leave. There were two reasons for my exhilaration. As I told Nivash about them. One reason being my friend and the other was Karthik's Arrival. I hunted my keys, made sure I logged off my pc and there was nothing left on my desk.

I plugged in the keys, kicked and started my splendour and operated it at the maximum speed. I stopped at a petty shop. "Boss oru packet Kings" I said to the guy in the shop. "Oru packet ah? Oru naalaikku onnu adichale adi othaila irunthu seruppu varaikkum parakkume. Oru packet nu therincha enna solluvalo? Parava illa. Inikku its a special day and over gujaals ah vera irukkom. Onnum solla matta. Ketta samalichikalaam. Freeya vidu maamu. Vaazhkai vaazhvatharke" I cogitated. It was 10.30 when I reached home. Had a quick shower and I reached Aravind's place with Nivi to take the Omni. I am not an expert driver when it comes to any four wheelers other than Maruti Zen. I remembered the dialogue "Evolovo Pannitom. Itha panna mattoma". It was difficult at first but I managed well later. "Enna vandi da ithu. Itha otrathukku pesaama oru lorry eh ottidilaam. Cha" I parked the car at the airport. The time was 11.30. We went and checked the flight arrival status board. Thank god. The flight was late by 30 minutes. "Seri mama. Seekiram vanthutomnu ninaikkiraen. Namma velaya aarambippom va". This was nivi. We started our usual job. Taking snaps in different postures. It continued for some 15 odd minutes.

One thing I really admire about the airports is its environment. Some people excited about receiving their friends or relatives and some depressed about their friends or relatives leaving. Not to forget about the beauties, the stewardess who cat walk the entire airport giving visual treats to the passengers. "Mama Gantrool" I told myself. Lufthansa LH758 landed at 11.55, 30 Minutes behindhand. This was my first experience of receiving a friend who was coming home after a long duration. I was not aware of the immigration and the procedures that follows it. So I had no clue when this guy would come out. We waited, waited and waited. After nearly 20 mins, some weird looking guys, supposed to be business men came out of the airport one by one. I consulted a guy holding a placard. He said that these were people from the business class. Then came the crew followed by the economy class people. "Anna antha black t shirt ah paarunga. Semma figure na" Aravind whispered in my ears. "Dai venna, olunga karthi varaana paaruda" replied me. 'Eine welt voller Ideen' It was written on a plastic bag of an outlander. Wtf was that, I thought. I stood there for 50 minutes. How should I call this? Is this intense desire or impatient expectancy? Vaazhkaila intha mathiri naama yaarukkume wait pannathu illaye. My legs started to ache. I spoke to myself "Dai porambokku. Seekiram vanthu thola da". My thoughts started to waver. "Namma nanbana rendu varusham kalichi paakurom. Ithukke nammalaala 50 nimisham wait panna mudiyala. Appo avan avan than kaathalikkaga varusha kanakka wait panraan. Avangala enna solrathu. Then I told myself, "Dai ippo intha ninappu romba mukkiyama? Moodittu karthik ya thedu da. Avana thedriyo illayo. Avan kondu vara sarakku pai kannula maattutha paaruda dabur".

Out of the blue, Karthik manifested from doors. The ugly, unattractive, displeasing guy had turned into a stylish, modish, smart, trendy and contemporary guy (with the sleeky earphones from the iphone hanging through his neck) in just two years. Strange isn't it, but this happens to everyone who goes abroad and returns back to his homeland. Almost all. "Dai macha, Welcome back to India da." I said. I felt his happiness, the joy, the excitement from the ecstatic smile on his face. I handed him the rose which I bought at the arrival platform and Nivi put a sandal garland and we took like thousand snaps with him. Hurmath joined us and we left the airport at 1am. When we reached home, Karthik's mom was waiting at the doors."Vaada kutti. Apdiye irukka" She hugged him with a bright smile on her face. I loved watching her expressions. The expressions of a mother getting to see her only son after two long years. At long last, we had our dinner, the typical iyer family's sambar and rasam satham with the appalam and vaazhai pazham. Nivi's eyes were focussed on the bag which had the sarakku. We chit-chatted for sometime and while leaving, nivi cautiously took the bag and the time was 2 A.M when we opened our doors. As usual took all kinds of snaps with the champagne and the Jack Daniels for sometime. As this experience was new for me, I thought of posting it as a blog. It took two hours for me to write this and my mobile displayed 4.01 A.M. I thought of getting some sleep but couldn't. May be because I am all buoyed up tonight. It's 6.23 now and I haven't slept yet. Peace Prevails. :)

எத்தனை மனிதர்கள்...

Well it's been a long time since my last post and here I am with a post which I wanted to write since the year dot. 'Ethanai Manithargal' (Eng: How many people?) for the most part is about the different people who I have observed in my life (mostly strangers), during a travel or in course of waiting for my friend in a station. Here, I am narrating one such experience while travelling back to Chennai from my hometown Arcot in a train.

"FAHAD BHAIIIIIIIII... Mani 7 aachu paaru... elunthiri... FAHAD BHAIIII..." (Eng: Fahad, its 7am. Please get up). This is how my dad wakes me up every morning. That's his style and I am used to this same boring dialogue since I was a kid. He always addresses me with Bhai and I reckon it's just to remind me that I am a Muslim. It was a Monday morning and I had to get back to Chennai for work. I was into the second shift that means I will have to be at office by 2pm. I got up from bed, went straight to the bath room, had a shower, got ready and by quarter past 7, I was ready for the breakfast. Idly and chutney (the dish I disliked during my school days now happens to be one of my favorite dishes). I happily ate the idlies, took my bag and dad was ready to drop me at the bus stop. My place is a very small town and people wouldn't fancy using a deluxe bus which costs a cent more than the normal charge. I was amazed that the Tamilnadu Transport Corporation (TTC) had started an A/C bus service from Arni to Chennai via Arcot, which was supposed to reach the stand at 7.45am. I was there at the bus stand well ahead of time, feeling very happy that I would catch the bus with ease because people wouldn't afford using that bus due to its high fare. I waited for more than an hour but the bus never came, worse luck ever! The thing I like the most while waiting is that I get a chance to observe the people around me. There were many bald-pated men carrying manja pai (yellow bag) wearing white shirt and dhoties, old ladies carrying their grandsons, not so good looking guys trying to fish some local gals and other people waiting to catch the only other bus to Chennai which was supposed to arrive at quarter past 8. The time now is 0840 Hrs but even this bus never came. I could see there were 150 and odd people waiting for that single bus which has a seating capacity of 55 + 25 standees and you can imagine how it is.

The only thing I hate about India is its population. Wherever you go, you can see a huddle of men or people queued up, be it a ticket counter, cafeteria, railway station, bus stand and even at THE LOCAL PUBLIC TOILET. The first words I utter when I see such a rabble is, “Bloody Indian Crowd” which in short can be BIC. My friends turn furious when they hear me say BIC. They are right because even I am a part of the Bloody Crowd but that’s how I am. People dressed down the TTC for not running the buses properly. I could hardly wait anymore so I decided to catch the train instead of bus. I went to the nearest station Walaja Road. Again ‘BIC’, a long queue at the ticket counter. I had no other choice. It took me 30 minutes to get the ticket and fortunately the train was late by 20 minutes. I always have a habit of listening to music when am outside, so I plugged in my ear phones to my mobile, 100% Volume so that I could not even hear anything even if a thunder (or is it lightning, am not sure) strikes the person sitting next to me. The train arrived. The possibility of getting into an unreserved coach is out of the question since even a mosquito cannot enter the coach and come out alive, it was so jam-packed. So I got into a reserved coach with a limited number of journeyers standing.

I found myself a place to stand near the reserved coupe and there was this person aged about 30-35, bald-pated, with mush standing facing me. There was hardly 5mm gap between both of us. Behind him were a young married Muslim couple probably going back home from a honeymoon at Bangalore/Coorg (This is my assumption and I know my assumptions are not that bad). We both were standing towards her left and her Benedict was sitting next to her. I gave her a long fixed look. Her hubby returned a stern look. “Adi vaangidathada baba. Moodittu paatta kelu” (Eng: Don’t get a blow from him. Just listen to the music). That was my mind voice. But I couldn’t stop my eyes from looking at her. She wasn’t that beautiful. She wore a purdah, had black marks on her face, the best legs and that’s it. It was toilsome when people crossed us every minute. I had to move every time and it was so damn disgusting. “Tho phir aao… mujko sataao…” the voice of Mustafa Zahid made me lose my thoughts and I was there standing in between 100 fellow travelers, DAY DREAMING. “Sir Oru thadava sonna puriyatha, athaan thalli nillungannu solraenla” (Eng: Sir, Don't you understand if you are told once? I asked you to move a bit). My dreams were disturbed by her husband who was shouting at the guy standing in front of me. The guy had accidently stamped the gal’s most beautiful legs and she had complained to her husband and then this had happened. I was admiring enviously the way he was protecting his wife. I just wished I had protected someone the same way. My feelings were ineffable. It happened the second time as well but this time she didn’t complain to her husband but instead she told the guy straight away.

Vaazhkaila muthal thadava namakkum intha mathiri nadakkathannu thonuchu. Antha oru nimisham. Marakkave mudiyala. (Eng: First time in my life, I was wondering if this would ever happen to me. I want to term this moment in my life. Unforgettable!!!) I have come across many beautiful couples in my life than these two but I never had this feeling before. The way she slept on his shoulders, the way he whispered a joke in her ears, the way he protected her, their each and every expression made me so envious, that I wanted to get down from the train and get married right away in the Chennai Central Station. I don’t know, this may look bizarre to you but I hope some of you would have felt the same at some point of their lifetime. I can only wish things to happen but I cannot expect them. Two hours just vanished like a flash and then I got down at Central station with a remarkable smile of my face. This journey was special and will always stay close to my heart forever. I believe my old lady reads this post and a simple smile from her will make me the happiest person in the world.

To my old lady – I will always be your guardian angel all through my life. I will never let you fall. I will stand up with you forever. I will be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to Heaven. I will be the one for you. You are my true love and my whole heart. :)