Ground beneath my feet

It was 8 :00 am when the tiles on the bathroom floor trembled.Instantly knew it was coming. I have been tuned and trained to run to the corner when the first tremors occur. There was a sudden bright light , almost blinding my vision. I ran with whatever little energy I could find. I knew this was the moment.

In no time the water will come gushing. I had just one chance to find the corner and cling for my life- which I did.

The foamed water swept over my face, debris brushed my sides. Hair, Coir, Paper-God knows what the water washed in.I still clung to the only support I had. Surprisingly , parents and family were not on top of my mind. Their thoughts came in , when the water levels receded. I waded to safety, dragging myself out of weariness, out of a tough battle and then I saw them.

Huddled in a colony just below the wash basin.They had survived- We had survived another day.

Who ever said Cockroaches were weaklings - We are right here beneath the basin alive and kicking.

Chennai,Karam,Coffee

4:30 am , I was woken from sleep , by my own voice. The whole house was silent . I tip toed to the kitchen,made myself some degree coffee , picked up a couple of murukku ( believe me try this combo , will beat any Mc nugget hands down) and settled on the slab of stone on my balcony. The roads silent , with the odd morning walker, a stationary aavin van, lakshmi, mani all had just begun work on the pavement - sorting through their day's deliveries of milk and paper. Vijay the dog , stood hoping that Lakshmi would soon drop a leaking milk packet . Lakshmi's mother sat in one corner , making "Kanji"- rice porridge , to be sold to the morning walkers and there were flowers to be made into garlands. Laskhmi would handle that after the milk deliveries. There was laughter and Joy, in the small group, a harmony between the elements of the 5:00 am team. As the first rays focussed on the family, I saw them in new light. The struggles of the day ahead did not bother them. What if no one wanted to drink the kanji today, what if the flower garlands never adorned a diety or a neck? They did not seem to be bothered by what lay ahead. What they enjoyed was the moment they had together sorting through papers and milk packets. This was Chennai .. the singara chennai that welcomes me every time. Crunch went the murukku into my mouth . I savoured every moment of it.

Chandramukhi

I walked out of the office to an empty Auto stand, Quite unusual as they knew we were a bunch 5 who took Autos on long distance trips.

Tea kadai Nair then showed the calender, March 4th Chandramukhi cassette release. Aha ! Meendum Rajini. Manikkam's auto then swerved around the corner.

"Sorry madam, cassette vanga ponen.Polama ?"

I opened the book to the bookmark where I left on my morning ride to office.
"Madam, CanI play the tape, been waiting for it for the last 1 year"

"Sure, Sir. Podunga"

SPBs unmistakable boom voice began the "Devuda Devuda" number.

"Madam , parunga Election time llu , indha paatu pinnum , super a pottrukanga"

"Chandramukhi la , Aishwarya Rai nadika maten tangalam ... Waste , Parunga indha heroina vandhirka ponnu , Periya Eshtara varum"

"Left sar, pattu kettutu, route a miss panna thinga "

A Song for every season was the theme..

For the depoarted soul procession there was Kokku para para
For the upcoming Wedding season konjum neram
Elections could play the Devuda Devuda ( Was it a hint at entering Karnataka Politics???? )
For the tired auto driver , A huge poster of thailava on the wind shield.

Packaging , need gap analysis, Forecasting seasonal demand it was all here - Kollywood !!!!
Pick up a cassette today.

Guru Shani Transit

"Appointment at last " Screamed my mother and slammed the phone with bubbles of teenage excitement .

"Monday 3:00 pm sharp."

"In the hot sun ?? " I scowled from a dark room

" Pinna yenna ? To get an audience with him , I had to be referred by Chakku athai.

He is not available for a week after that . I will go on my own if you are not interested."

Was I ? Well , when there is nothing you want to particularly believe in , you believe in anything ! Confusing right ?My eyes glanced at the almanac for the week ... Libra ...'Jupiter in transit foretell minor troubles at work. Dont argue with people older than you.- Bejan Daruwala for week ending March -20th '. So Sunday went past by me like a bee. There was buzz all around the house. The printer was working overtime. After all , binding the world in 12 equivalent squares isnt easy even for a Pentium IV.

Monday morning, a whole lot of calls,dont ask him too many questions, he gets angry , Never doubt his judgement , take the necessary papers along, and yes smear as much as turmeric on them. It helps !! (??)

I went along , not because I believed ,but out of curiosity. What lay ahead is always intriguing if not convincing. I stopped short of entering the house. Books lay strewn around the hallway. A 60 something man appeared out of the darkness, wrapped in a dhoti and something similar on top.

"Vango vango , Unga Ponna aa ??? Va ma ! "

I would have preferred to stay outside, but Surya bhagawan's Parvai sent me in.

After 1/2 an hour of poring over yellowed pages , and crinkly notes . The demi god thus spake -

"Guru sevvai pakaran , Sevvai budhanai , budhan avan veetla irukkan ana balam illai .. . " I could not believe i was a witness to all this, but with so many gods seeing each other i was a mere puppet ,was'nt I ?

"Ellam seriya ayudum ma, 19th kku mela parungo . " "Appo ippa ? " My Libran reflexes reacted . The man turned towards me " See ma, All this is jus a work of god ,9 planets and the powerful magnetic field activity . It has effects and affects . You wont believe when I say this but on the 19th I will be expecting a call from you - This is a Science ma , Science of planetary effects ."

I could not refute , I could not accept. I wanted to leave the place, immediately and that I did. I don t know , situations around me always get wierder than me. I started to walk around the Mylapore tank. Question marks bogged my mind.

Why is that when things are in a muddle, we dont mind hanging on to a broken rudder , but once ashore we don t pay a second look at it ? Was the rudder really broken , Nah for if it was it would nt have served the purpose of getting me ashore right ? Gosh if only my questions were simpler , If I only I knew whethere I was a believer or not , I would have either drowned ,or Swum ashore, but with a rudder i don t know how to react ?Clouds were gathering faster than i could reason , Winds were blowing straight on my face. I traced my steps back to the house .

The door read-

19, Solliappan Street, the Temple bell chimed , was it the 'Nalla saganum' I was waiting for ?
I stepped inside the house....