Yesterday when i was waiting, most of the voices around me were speaking Bengali. It has been some time since i have heard this many. I was in C. R. Park and i shouldn't expect to hear any other language. Hindi is also heard but Bengali drowns it.

I was walking by Market 2 after a month or so. There was a small traffic jam there. The way of entrance was by the fish stalls, and i covered my nose. I did smell the inevitable whiff. I headed to a store to buy something, where the person in-charge spoke to me in Bengali. I didn't bother telling him i was not one. I saw people sitting, buying fried savouries and sweets from a Bengali sweet shop. A friend and i used to visit this place every weekend in the evenings. We ate, drank and talked. One thing that surprised and disappointed me about that place is that tea sold in the tea stall is not very good.

This is something i miss. I miss spending time in C. R. Park. I still can go to there but, i would be alone and that's no fun at all. The markets in Delhi are very attractive in the evenings. Alaknanda Market too. There's nothing fancy. That said, the crowd and more importantly, the atmosphere there is really appealing.

I dislike Honey Singh and his songs. I still haven't reached the 'i hate him' stage, but let's see on that. That all his songs are raunchy and describe the female as an object of desire makes him go all the way down.

And people here fancy him.

It's revolting to see people spit on the road in Indian cities. With the time i have spent here, i think that people in Delhi spit more than in Bengaluru. And the stains are coloured in red, as people eat pan a lot here (i don't know is this is actually true, but this is my observation).

I expected Connaught Place to be free from this, considering it's central location and it being a tourist attraction. Fat chance, really. At the bottom of those majestic-looking white pillars, we see splashes of red.

When i travel to different cities alone, my parents ask me to be careful. I understand that all parents would be concerned if their daughters travel alone, anywhere, moreso in a country like ours. We are advised not to be gullible, not to trust strangers or anybody for that matter. I agree with most of it. But, this question occurs to me quite often and i don't have any answer for it. Who else can i trust apart from 'my people'? The man/woman i meet on the train is from my place. Talking about regions, that's a different thing. Have we lost all credibility as people, even from the same country within the geographical boundaries of the same region?

Incredible, isn't it?!

The baby's gurgling laughter seeped down through the air and the ceiling. It was delightful to listen to.
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It's been two years since S passed on. I remember him frequently.
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I like buying hand loom material despite them being expensive. The look and the feel is somewhat more earthy than cloth manufactured using power looms. Despite the middlemen pocketing much, it feels nice to know that by buying them, you are helping co-operative societies sustain fading forms of art. This is a huge thing for me. Given a choice, i would always wear clothes made from hand loom material but i can't afford it all the time.

Men and women are structured differently by Nature. I don't know much about men, or i haven't read much about it. Of women, i do know that it is better to bear a child between the years twenty-five and thirty. If women are given enough respect in homes, then i wouldn't mind making a choice of being a homemaker. There should be other factors which are kinda valid but i'm not aware of it. If a woman, in order to fight against unfair social norms, has to defy the laws of Nature, let it be so.

The whole of mankind is on a deteriorating path, a part of the population defying Nature's rules isn't a big deal. Maybe i'm being narcissistic here. But the whole damn responsibility of going along to propagate or protect mankind and Nature cannot solely be women's. Let's all go to heaven or hell together.

 p.s. deteriorating path or not, you do understand me, right?

A bunch of people have established a Ganesha pendal in my neighbourhood. It's not yet eight in the morning, and we have the loudspeakers blaring out devaranaama in the praise of the Lord (am i not showing respect/reverence by starting the words with capitals?). Of course, this is much better than to be woken up to this at half past five or six in the morning which used to be the case during childhood.

I don't know why people of the older generations (my parents and their parents) even had the number of children they had. I simply can't think of any reason. I understand i'm writing on something that i've written about before. The reasons could be plain ignorance or the lack of knowledge. Even when there's no proper food or roof over the family? To see an infant die due to the lack of medical facilites? I don't know.

I saw Calcutta 71 today. Abject poverty and still four kids. Is it really the strong need to have kids? To have another being of one's own flesh and blood, to gain fulfillment when you see your kid playing in front of you? In that case, a couple of kids are fine, i think. I can't figure it out. Maybe i'm immature and it's early for me to think about these things.

On visiting Kolkota after about ten years, i wasn't happy with the city. There wasn't much improvement. I guess the city is not easy to manage, the buildings are darkened due to the heavy rains, the huge population is difficult to manage, the people who come to the city from the surrounding areas have no sufficient means of livelihood.

When i saw a few hand-drawn rickshaws, i was reminded of the film 'Do Bigha Zameen'. Sad. Very. Do see the film if you get an opportunity.

This Teacher's Day, as i remember good memories of them, bad ones fill my thoughts too. I've gained much from them, in good ways.

And from bad ones, i've learnt how not to be what they are and how not to treat others' the way some of us were treated.

As time passes and as i see more of the world around me and try comprehending it, the one conclusion that i have reached is that bravery is required of us, irrespective of whether we like it or not or rather, if we prepare ourselves with it or not.

Moreover, being a woman and facing things requires much more of that courage. And many times, we are unable to do them because we are women. I don't know if i'm speaking pro-women. But i've felt this given some circumstances. It's so easy for a man at times.

I don't understand the perspective in which our clothing is viewed, that of women and men. Traditional attire for women are sarees and salwar kameezes, and it is extremely important for us to wear them often, if not everyday. We are supposed the uphold the land's culture when we do so, we being 'women'. If that's the case, then men get away with wearing trousers and shirts, and that's not traditional, least in India.

Why the bias? Obviously, the woman is supposed to follow and live life according to some set of rules, And men, they have an option to do or not to.

I find walking and working in a saree quite cumbersome, but i do enjoy it at times. There is one instance which really (in my opinion) does not make much sense. During a wedding, the bride is decked in finery and of course in sarees. Women these days, find spending time wrapped in a saree tiring (including me). While a mans steps into the wedding pandal (for want of a better word) in a suit in which they are definitely comfortable.

I don't really understand this. If the idea of upholding one's culture, by way of one's dressing is to be performed by a section of the society, does it mean much?

The perspective matters a lot.

After watching a just-about-okay The Social Network, i wondered if it deserved any credit for having received awards supposedly given to outstanding films. I didn't find it overwhelming, and it's just the story of how a website came into being. It's not worth more than a one-time, or at the most a two-time watch, not more than that.

It's like Chethan Bhagat winning a Sahitya Akademi Award or something like that. Plain mediocre.

After the hands are rinsed in flowing water, i bring my right hand to my nose. The intoxicating aroma of mangoes refuse to disappear. In between my reading, i stop to smell my hands, to be reminded of the delicious mango that i savored a couple of hours ago.

And i have friends who refuse to drink water after eating masala dosas, lest the wonderful taste is wiped out. I was surprised to see one doing so, only to find another following the first.

Different people, strange habits.

Of the few that i've seen, the works of S N Swamy is brilliant. His sketches have been compiled into a collection published by the Lalit Kala Akademi a few decades ago. And i don't know whether the book is still available for sale.

It's a beautiful book, with about twenty sketches of some of the famous monuments and sculptures in India. I tried searching for the same on the internet, but sadly, they are very few references to him (except that he's been awarded the Padma Shri in 1969 on a Government Of India web page). And absolutely nothing of his sketches.

For those who would want to see good art, i think S N Swamy will really impress you.

It is common to find instant portraits done on the spot at Chitra Santhe, or any art fest. In fact, there was a computerized stall in front of The Bombay Store on M.G. Road. I really don't know how that worked. But, i guess it profited. I don't remember this properly, but they were signed Van Gogh.

I was surprised at this, but then realized that these were quite popular. Van Gogh and this. What comparison!!

I wonder why people come from different parts of the country to study at Bangalore University. Perhaps the system of education is better here; i really don't agree with this. But, the University is miserable and disgusting. It's extremely saddening to see marks sheets crumpled and thrown around, like they are ordinary sheets of paper.

Anybody reading this who would want to come to Bangalore and study at the University here, please keep this as your last option.

After hearing positive reviews on Puttakkana Highway, we trooped to the theatre to watch it.

The music is amazing. Hamsalekha has done a really done a good job on that. In fact, i would consider it the best aspect of the movie. The protagonist, Puttakka played by Shruthi lacks expressions. In fact Veena Sundar who plays her friend in the film expresses herself quite well, even though her character is a small one.

After having seen Do Bigha Zameen and this film, i so wish that everybody is educated to an extent where they can read, write and know things, lest they be cheated by greedy people. On seeing such films, one feels miserable. They are taken advantage of so easily.

Do see such films, for leading a life in the city is not the end of it all.

People had told me that Do Bigha Zameen was a trend-setter and was an important landmark in Indian cinema. Not that i'm keen on the topic. Nevertheless, i got an opportunity to watch it and was impressed.

Even if the story line of the film is old (more than fifty years), i guess it holds relevance to this day somewhere in remote parts of the country. But, i hope it isn't quite true as the picture isn't pretty. With an excellent cast, the movie goes beautifully. I especially liked the music.

We all know how well-known Malgudi Days was, or rather is. I don't think i've watched the entire series, but i would like to. One of the greatest productions of our time. I'm immediately transported to that world on listening to soundtrack which played at the beginning and at the end of each episode. The ta na na na....

I wish that some channels would air it regularly, otherwise a huge population would miss out a legacy. Today's kids would enjoy it the way we did. Running behind Swami, listening to his grandmother's stories, and eating sweetmeats at Jagan's Stall.