Cat in the bonnet

There is a cat in my car's bonnet. Strange as it may sound, it is true. Right now, there is a as-colored cat resting comfortably in the bonnet of the car doing God-knows-what.
When our apartment watchman called me yesternight to let me know that there are 'meow' sounds coming from my car(Hyundai Santro Automatic), my first thought was that guy must be crazy. I know that he is old but never thought he will go senile and start hearing 'meow's from the car. I misunderstood it as coming from inside the car and started thinking when I closed all the windows. When I got down to the parking lot, thats when I realized the sound was actually coming from the bonnet of the car. When I heard it, I thought may be I am just hearing voices and it may not be a cat after-all.
So we brought a hand-torch and opened the bonnet and started looking for the cat. The search was in vain and after 10-15 minutes, I convinced myself that may be the cat is calling from elsewhere and we are just assuming it to be from the bonnet. I told the same to the watchman and came back up.
So when we decided to go to the Vandalur zoo today, my first nagging thought was what about the cat? I mean, no one has seen that cat but there seems to be a 'meow' sound coming from my car and either there is a cat or my car is becoming a cat slowly. While the AI possibilities of a car getting a cat's charecteristics are scary enough, I was thinking more of whether the car will start demanding other stuff. Then I got down again this morning and opened the bonnet. To my relief, I found an ash-colored cat sitting on the battery thinking how to proceed next.
So it was a bit of a relief for me to realize that my car is not turning into a cat, after-all. But then, the cat on seeing me opening the bonnet, instead of jumping out and legging it, jumped right back into the bonnet to its secret hiding place and let out a couple of 'meow's to re-assure us that its back in business. So, self and the watchman went through the rituals again and even managed to thow a cup of water in its direction.
Having decided to take the cat to the zoo, I was kind of scared that it might get into the machinery and either die or damage and both will be equally bad. I was not sure when started the car and driving. One of my wife's nephew assured us that he had a cat in his car's bonnet for 3 days before the cat decided to vacate it for bigger premises. So it is upto the cat to decide on moving out and probably we cannot do much in that direction. It made sense after going through the successive failures to get the cat ejected from the bonnet. So I decided to make a go for the zoo with the cat in the bonnet and here I am writing about it after a good day spent in the zoo looking at other cats in the cages and wishing that the one in my bonnet walks away.

மரணம்

நண்பர் ஒருவர் இந்த வாரம் மரணம் அடைந்தார். நல்ல மனிதர். சிறு வயது. சில நேரங்களில் வாழ்க்கை சற்றும் அர்த்தமற்று போய்விடுகிறது. பணம், சந்தோசங்கள், எல்லாம் இருந்தும் ஒரு நொடியில் எதுவும் பயனற்று போய் விடுகிறது.
'காதறுந்த ஊசியும் வாறது கடை தெருவுக்கே' என்பது மட்டுமே உண்மை. இது புரியாது எத்துனை சண்டைகள், எத்தனை கோபங்கள்.

Complete NewYorker

I have so many thing to write and not sure where to start. So will start with the latest.
I recently got the 'Complete NewYorker' collection DVDs through their online stores. This is just a collection of all NewYorker issues from 1925 till 2005. One thing that comes to mind is the amazing technology that has made it possible. Secondly, the kind of treasure trove this is.

After initial hiccups in installation (I run a Vista PC), I managed to get it installed yesterday and browsed a little through the indices. The entire collection is littered with articles by the who-who of modern English literature. W.H.Auden, Capote, Sylvia Plath, Dorothy Parker, James Thurber and so on.
I used to be a NewYorker subscriber when I lived in the States. One of the things I missed after returning back to settle in Chennai is the dose of the NewYorker articles now and then and I had to satisfy myself with the pieces of articles publised in the NewYorker website. Not anymore. I have not about 4100 back issues and its going to take a life time to just browse through them. I am excited.

On the other hand, I was wondering why no such effort exists to digitize our own palmscripts and some of the modern magazines of Tamil (say Ezhuthu, Manikodi etc). That will be worth the effort.

ஏன்?

படித்த புத்தகங்களை பற்றி எழுதலாம். நடந்த நிகழ்ச்சிகளை பற்றி எழுதலாம். அல்லது உலக நடப்புகளை பற்றி என் கருத்துக்களை பதிவு செய்யலாம். இவை எல்லா வற்றையும் விட எதுவும் செய்யாமல் சும்மா இருக்கலாம்.
எதற்க்கை எழுத வேண்டும்? எனக்கு இன்று வரை புரியவில்லை. இந்த compulsion. எதற்காக? நான் 12 வயதில் diary எழுத ஆரம்பித்தேன். ஏன் என்று தெரியவில்லை. இன்று வரை கிடைத்த நேரத்தில் எல்லாம் எழுதுகிறேன். என் பழைய நாட் குறிப்புகளை பார்க்கும் போது ஒன்று தெரிகிறது. பின்னாளில் யாரோ படிக்க போகிறார்கள் என்ற உணர்வோடு எழுதி இருக்கிறேன்.
ஒரு கட்டத்தில், என் நாட் குறிப்புகளை புத்தகமாக வெளியிட வேண்டும் என்று யோசித்திருக்கிறேன். எத்தனை பாகங்கள், எப்படி வடிவமைப்பு என்று எல்லாம் தீவிரமாக யோசித்து வைத்திருந்தேன்.
இப்போது கொஞ்சம் ஆச்சர்யமாக இருக்கிறது.
ஆனால் நான் எழுதுவது ஒரு சீரான வேகத்தில் நடந்து கொண்டு இருக்கிறது. என் நாட் குறிப்புகளை நிறுத்தி ஒருஇரண்டு, மூன்று வருடங்களாய் விட்டது. இந்த blog, நான் உறுப்பினராய் இருக்கும் சில குழுக்களில் கருத்து பரிமாற்றங்கள்என்று நான் எழுதுவது மட்டும் நிற்கவில்லை. முன்பு இருந்ததை விட குறைந்துவிட்டது. அவ்வளவே.
கவிதை எழுதுவது கிட்டதட்ட நின்றுவிட்டது. நல்ல கவிதை எது என்று நான் உணர்ந்த தருணங்களில் அது நின்று இருக்க வேண்டும்.
ஆனால், தன்னை பற்றி ஒரு அபிப்பிராயம் இருக்கும் எவரும் எழுதுவர் என்பது என் எண்ணம். அதுவும், என்னை போன்ற ego-centric மனிதர்களுக்கு அது சுவாசம் போல.

Day 10 - Gurgaon - Chennai

After reaching home in the morning on the day of Baisakhi, we decide to just roam around Gurgaon for the day and complete the packing for our return to Chennai.

We visited the Ambience Mall, supposed to be the largest in India and this monstrosity is just big and so vain that most of the space is unoccupied. Did some shopping at Reliance Digital, India's answer to 'Circuit City'. It was nothing much to write about.

My brother then took us to the local shops nearby and it was afternoon and was very hot to walk around. And most of the shops are closed for Baisakhi. So we just had some snacks and returned back home.

After resting, took the flight out of Delhi to reach Chennai by 9.30PM. One thing about the low-cost fliers. Both SpiceJet and JetLite were running the service very much like our MTC buses and probably JetLite will take the honor the worst of these two. Except prices, there is no selling point for these carriers and next time, probably I will shell out more some amenities as well.

Day 9 - Apr 13 - Shimla

Day 9 dawned with the realization that this is the day we are leaving Shimla. We got up, checked out of hotel and drove to the railway station to put the luggages in the cloak room. Our train was not until 6.15PM and it was only 11AM when we put the things in the cloak room and walked out to roam around the mall road.

We drove back to the lift and climbed to the mall road. Lunch was in the restaurant in Hotel Combermere, which was expensive and the food was just OK. Then we decided to raom around for a while before getting back the station.

J was buying some stuff and we again got into a fight. Then again, we made it up faster than it took to pick up the fight and after lingering around the mall road for sometime, we walked downhill towards the station. On the way lies the 'Indian Cofee house' aka the Indian Starbucks (without the frills and the choices, but then you dont get sambar vadas in Starbucks either). The coffee tasted very good but the building itself looks run down.

Then the moment came for us to embark on the 4.5hour journey downhill in the seperate coupe for the 8 of us. I booked this time in the Kalka-Shimla passenger in first class and it was fantastic. But once the ride started and the sunset was over, we were killing time to reach Kalka. After an uneventful and very boring ride to Kalka, boarded the Kalka-Howrah mail to reach back to Old Delhi station the next morning.

Day 8 - Apr 12 - Shimla - Kufri

The day dawned as any other day. I wanted to just sleep the entire day as the weather was fantastic. But then had to check out Shimla.

After lots of discussions about the places to see, we decided upon Kufri which is about 28Kms from where we stayed. My brother found a taxi big enough to carry all of us and we started from the hotel around 10AM.

Now I had no idea what is there in Kufri. I know there is a valley there but nothing more. So we just drove on. My brother found a big spider (I mean, real big and looking mean) lurking near his shoes and mercifully threw it out when we stopped to fill gas.

We stopped at a place to have a view of the valley and the amount of construction that is happening in the area is just unbelievable. Shimla will become a metropolis pretty soon with the kind of development that is happening and pitifully, none of the greenery will be left. Even today, when you drove around you can see the amount of dust that is thrown up, a definite sign of deforestation of the area. Next stop was near wildflower Hall to see the apple orchards in the area and more than that there was a very nice tea shop serving piping hot tea. Then we drove towards Kufri.
Once in Kufri, you are suppose to take the horses(ponies?) for a 20-25 minutes ride to the top of the hill for viewing the valley. We decided that it is something that cannot be missed and booked the ponies for the ride.

The ponywala(?), my guy is named Sitaram, was a chatty fellow and was explaining the names of the ponies along the way (it was called Darling, I guess). But then, he kicks the horses so much they just start walking fast whenever he approaches nearby. Anyway, it was a strange feeling sitting on these ponies and they start sleep-walking into the narrow road running upwards, minding the slush and stones on the way to climb to the top.

When you reach the top, you hear a nice voice calling you out in Tamil, 'Anna' and I was actually shocked. It was a Tibetian girl calling us to take a photo siting on the Yak standing nearby. It was kind of surrealistic to hear that in that strange place.

So we had the photo sessions with the valley and the top of the hill is nothing to write about. It is denuded of its shrubbery and is so dusty, I started sneezing. There is a small temple on the top and a nice view of the mountains of Himalayas (called Shivalik range in these areas). We did saw some snow in the distant mountain tops.

We took our photos on the Yaks and climbed down in those bored ponies. Climbing down was so scary I thought I am going to have my neck broken at one of the turns. But then we reached down safely. Took the kids to the Himalayan National Park (which is actually a zoo) where you really have to search for the animals.

It was late afternoon and time to return back to the hotel. We reached our rooms and I fell down exhausted. Me and J had a fantastic, all-weapons drawn, fight after reaching the room. I dont remember the reason why it started but what I do remember is that it was probably one of the worst we've ever had. May be seeing each other for 24hours a day continously for 8 days at close quarters is good for no one anyway. That too, keeping a hypertension individual like me nearby certainly did not help. The important part is that we fought and then made it up over a couple of mocktails in the hotel restaurant (which were BTW delicious!).