9th January 2013 - Our little princess is born.

I was in office in Chennai, Tamil Nadu that day. My wife was at her home in Changanassery, Kerala. We were awaiting our baby :). It was in afternoon that my wife called up and said that she has started feeling pain.. I had to make quick decisions to find a way to reach hospital on time. Well, I called her back and came to know that, she is already booking flight ticket for me with the pain!

We were lucky enough to get the ticket for flight scheduled for 6.10 pm. It was 4pm already. I drove with the maximum speed possible back to apartment in Chennai to pick up my bag. Since I knew the two places where the speed guns are placed enroute from Siruseri to Thiruvamiyur, I slowed down and revved the car below 60 Kmph on those two sites. While driving, I called up 'fast track' car service and booked a cab to pick me up as soon as i reach our Chennai apartment. Back in home, the cab driver was on the way; 10min late and I had to run to the main road taking the bag so that I can catch him on the way. It was 5.30pm when we were 5-7kms far from airport. In heavy traffic of Chennai, car was just making its way like a snail and I was getting uneasy. I called up the customer care of airlines and came to know that the flight was 30min late. That time, I really thought that the flight has been delayed by god for me to catch it.

When I landed in Kochi, I grabbed a cab and told him that my wife is hospitalized for delivery and have to reach there at the earliest. It was 7.30pm then. He understood the urgency and started speeding in the heavy evening traffic of Kochi. In seaport-airport road, we were hit with an unexpected block. Some tanker has turned causing gas leak and there was evacuation in progress and roads were blocked. We had to take an alternate winding root and that included a railway crossing also. Well, the crossing was closed and we had to wait for 30-45 min there. Even after this delay, the driver of cab was determined enough to drive me to the hospital. I recognized his promptness in a decisive way apart from the fare.

When I reached hospital, it was 10.15pm. The delivery has happened already and my wife and baby were healthy. When I saw Ritika for the first time, I cried. Tears of happiness. God gifted us our princess that day :).

It wasn't much of an ordeal to get to hospital from Chennai that day. God has just eased it a lot - in form of ticket availability in last hour, delay of flight and finally in form of the cab driver.

Our Ritu on 10th of Jan 2013

What makes them do this?

I was late that Friday when I started from Thiruvanmiyur home for Chennai central railway station. I was in obvious hurry and it was drizzling. The normal auto rickshaw charge from Thiruvanmiyur RTO to Tidel Park Suburban railway station is 40 rupees. As usual, these guys ask 50 rupees for this trip; quoting hike in petrol price (even if their vehicle has LPG label stamped on it). 

This driver saw me walking (literally running) towards the RTO road. Sudden thoughts of 'Ha, yet another prospective customer' sprung onto his mind. I got into the auto and told my destination. As though a thunderbolt has struck him, came the reply.. 'Sir, 60 rupees venam'. I knew it was way too much. I didn't want to argue since time was against me. I just told him that, he knows clearly my situation and that is the reason why he is demanding me. Also, I told him that, normal rate is 40 and the max is 50. He then said that, it was heavy traffic. I replied saying that, next time, when another person gets into his auto for same route, ask him only 50 and requested him to drive little fast. This guy, as if to avenge my words, started driving slowly. I didn't speak until it was 100 meters away from Tidel railway station. The red signal was on and traffic had already piled up. The guy started murmuring something that time. The inferiority complex has settled upon and played lot of damage to thoughts of these guys. That is what which makes them do all this.

I stepped out of auto and paid him 70 rupees mentioning 'you can still drive with speed'. And, I told him this:  'As I told you, do not ask 60 rupees from next person who gets into your auto in same route.' Turning back, I saw him by the corner of my eye; nodding his head as if he got what I meant. 

Well, good for him if he understood. Because, we cannot take what is not meant for us.

The way the world is...

I was travelling to home town for the weekend that Friday. I usually buy something for dinner from French Loaf counter at Chennai central railway station.

On that day too, I reached the shop by 7.20 pm. I finished my purchase when I saw a poor old lady (by looks, she was over 70), requesting to the shop attender for a burger. She was holding 10 rupees in hand. The attender was telling her it cannot be given for 10 rupees. Then, she started searching the knot in her saree patiently; counted and handled over 5 rupees in coins. The attender mocked at it and started shooing her away. I was irritated at this and asked him, how much more he need. Suddenly, laughs died down on his face and he said 50 rupees. I handed over the extra money to him and asked him to give the food to her.

This is the way the world is. We see instances like this in our daily life. We never know what circumstances make people beg. Ignore them; but never mock or make fun at them.

Journey to Guruvayoor - Happenings on a day

We had a trip to Guruvayoor temple on 5th Nov 2011. This was a trip which was arranged with both of our families. In fact, something which was planned a month back. Radhika had to leave to home wotn a week before for an appointment with her dentist. I had my ticket confirmed on Patna express from Chennai central at 3.45 am on 5th Nov. I arranged a taxi for 2.00 am to take me to Chennai central railway station. Reaching station at 2.45 am, I was taken aback by the departure board displaying 12.00 pm as departure time for Patna Express. Train was delayed by 8 hrs! Many things came to my mind together with the much renowned lack of punctuality of Indian railways. I ran to the information center confirmed the obvious! Only option left out for me was to catch the Bokaro (aka Tata Alleppey) express which is scheduled to depart in another 45 min. 

I didn't have a ticket for this train and found reasonably long queue (considering 3.30 am) for single counter opened in ticket counter of a major railway station. I managed to reach the counter at 4.03 am. When I asked for a sleeper ticket, Mr Counter Man said that sleeper tickets are sold in 1st floor. I didn't see any board in that site which conveys such an information (Put this way, for Mr Counter Man, the age old computer would be interested only in generating general class tickets Or, it might be that, he cannot guarantee a colored sleeper ticket because the color cartridge is out; what else!). Left with no option, I took the so called 'open ticket'; a word which I am hearing/experiencing for first time. Before taking the ticket, I checked with this guy, who was joking behind me until that moment, whether I could board Bokaro express with this ticket. To my surprise, he started acting very busy to get his ticket from the counter. I got the matter. He simply doesn't want to see a 'good thing' happening to a fellow human being. What else could I perceive out of this? (I recollect seeing this guy in the same train and was heading to Coimbatore. He never saw me.) People are un-predictable all the time. That was an experience indeed.

I had to get into sleeper class with open ticket. Getting into general compartment was equivalent to throwing yourself into death by suffocation due to lack of space and oxygen. I met couple of aged employees returning to Erode after work. Here I met a person who was working with Indian Railways for on contract basis for over 15 years!. He gave me good company and we inquired each other on work and life. Time passed and I had a decent nap of 3-4 hrs in train. My new friend woke me up when the train reached Shornur as he was getting down there. 

All through till now, I missed to mention that, our 'working' union of kerala has called a 'hartal' in protest of petrol price hike from central government. Even though state government had cut on its taxes by 27 paise the previous day, hartal was something which would be celebrated without any change. 

I reached Thrissur at 4.00 pm. Earlier in the noon, my wife called me and said that they were lucky to get a KSTRC transport bus heading to Guruvayoor as they managed to reach the Thissur railway station. I was in the hope of another such magic happening for myself. I stepped out of railway station's side exit and saw many auto rickshaws there. I approached one Mr.SeemToBeGoodGuy and asked whether auto would go to transport bus stand. He said that it is transport hartal and no vehicles would run on road. When I told him that KSRTC buses are plying, this person said that KSRTC buses were stopped a while ago. It was in matter of seconds that Mr.SeemToBeGoodGuy turned out to be a Mr.ReallyReallyBadGuy for me. Because, he was plainly lying and I knew that transport buses were plying with police protection. I often wondered why these gentlemen get dressed up in morning and stay put in such places to disrupt normal people's living. Why couldn't they just stay back at home and support the so called hartal; staying out of road?

The world, as it goes along, turns bad; 
and gets tougher to live with...

Epilogue: I walked to main exit of railway station with my luggage and saw an auto rickshaw guy (void the khakhi uniform) whom god has sent to help me. He asked me the destination and five minutes later, we reached Thrissur KSRTC bus stand. There were police squads deployed for safe travel of real 'working' class. After 15 hrs of ordeal, I managed a comfortable seat for my journey to Guruvayoor on a bus charted to start at 5.00 pm.

Do i know you?

I remember the month of September when i took 2 days leave for my sisters Engagement. It was on September 1st of 2008. The marriage; the blessed day, when the blessed couple embarked their journey of life was on February 1st of 2009. So fast the days were flowing. 5 months.. and the day arrived.

The 'feeling' was in the 'air'. The home was alive from the start of week before the marriage. Cousins, relatives, family members, friends... Just like any home which awaits a marriage, the house was bustling with activities. The typical feature of a marriage that, it is an occasion of bringing the people together was again a point to be stressed here.

Deviating slightly from the topic now... I understood one thing that time. The relationships in the family (when i say family, it refers to this context, the old joint family members who had turned out into numerous nuclear families) members were not known to that extent it used to be; say 20-25 years before(Not my experience; though ;). ). I learned that i didnt know many of the relations (too complex like a highly complicated trigonometric function! ). Wow... i wondered at that time; how difficult it would have been for members of old joint families to remember the member's names(i' didnt mean to be sarcastic here :) ).

I think i am deviating from the topic 'Wedding'. You know, i have kept the title of this writing as 'The Wedding'. It has evolved to 'Do i know you'. Out of box...

Eventhough, i am happy to bring out the above mentioned fact which most of us feels during such an occasion. Moreover, these are the things which needs to be specified when we feel like writing about such occasions... some real life experiences...