A stubborn conversationalist!

Knock. Knock.
Mrs. and Mr. R were standing at the entrance door waiting for me to say a hello to them.
My husband S raised his voice from behind me.
“Hey R, welcome! P, meet Mrs.and Mr. R. R joined office yesterday!”
“Welcome, please come in!”
I directed them to the sofa and they sat down on the edge. It was a hesitation on seeing strangers.
“I will be back in a jiffy!” My husband went inside, put on his pant and shirt, and told me,
“P! R and I are going out for 10 minutes. Keep talking to Mrs. R!”
‘Ok!”
R and S left..
I decided to be the conversation starter. Judging by her face that she might be a shy woman, I decided to make her feel comfortable.
“Would like to have a coffee or a tea?”
She nodded her head meaning no, thank you.
“How about having a cool drink?”
She nodded her head again. There was nothing more to offer, obviously because I was not prepared enough to make a breakfast for them.
So I switched on to our favourite ‘weather” topic.
“So how is Chennai?”
“Not bad…” she dragged.
“It’s so hot and sultry…”
“Yeah”
“The heat is unbearable. How is it in Bombay?”
“Not this much..”
“Cooler than Chennai?”
“Yeah!”
“Here the heat is unbearable!”
“Yeah!”
There was nothing more coming from her.
Should I drag the weather topic or should I change it? I was confident that I can still hold on. So I decided to continue.
“Hope it rains!”
“Yeah..”
“It’s raining cats and dogs in Cochin!”
She looked at me as if it was news for her.
“Shall I switch on the TV?”
She nodded her head slowly as if to say yes.
I switched on the TV.
She seemed disinterested and looked around here and there.
There was nothing interesting in the TV.
She looked at a painting on the wall.
“My aunty gifted it to me..”
“Who asked you?” Probably she thought of asking me, but she ignored what I said.
Oh my, Sand R! Please come soon.
I have exhausted all the topics!
If S and R showed signs of delaying, I would surely go for the family albums.
But there was one final arrow left.
“Do you have kids?”
She brightened up.
“How many?”
“Two! A son and a daugthter!”
She was beaming. Now I knew I have caught hold of a topic of interest.
I switched on to my next question.
“How do you manage these kids? Kids are darn mischievous these days.! Not like our generation! Gosh!”
That was enough! She started talking about her kids and she went on and on. I relaxed and leaned on the sofa. All I have to do now is only listen to her!
Knock. Knock.
I went and opened the door.
S and R.
“P, did u talk with her? Mrs. R, were you comfortable?”
‘Yeah!” she said and nodded her head.
R looked silently at her. He knew there was something waiting for him at home for leaving her with a stranger and going out!

Posted in Sulekha.com on 16 Jun 07

Morning walk in Chennai!

For the past so many years, I have been longing to go for an early morning stroll. I have never had the time or the willingness till now since household work and family commitments kept me occupied.
But when I watched the Chennai walkers one early morning while I was going to attend an early morning muhurtham (wedding), I was tempted to get on to the “daily walk” routine.
“Go for a walk every morning or evening. You have to work off some of your pounds, Mrs.Sivan!”. The cardiologist sounded stern this time. This was another reason why I wanted to go for a walk daily.
“Can I attempt the treadmill, sir? “ My husband was not that pleased.
He was certain that the treadmill would see one of the corners of a room soon.
“Shall we get a dog?” I asked my husband. I had read somewhere that taking a dog out helps humans to shred off those pounds. He was sure that he would be the one to walk along with the dog after some days and I will start churning out excuses.
Moreover he was scared about the effect it would have on his purse.
I was thinking hard. The potato roast was getting cooked on the stove.
“Now what are you thinking about?” my husband asked.
“About burning calories!”
“Now stop burning the potatoes first. Then you can think about burning calories!” He loved potato roast and could not even think of it getting burnt!
He decided to accompany me. He had no choice.
“But where shall we go?”
Chennai doesn’t have many places for walking as such.
I was looking out for a suitable place where there would be no crowd, no hooting of horns, no health-drink sellers….
Any resident of Chennai knows that it is not safe to walk on the roads of Chennai.
“Let’s ask Mrs. Ram. She walks in the campus of I.I.T.”. Obviously who would not want to walk inside the most envied campus in the city? It was my first choice.
Husband went and asked her son who was studying in I.I.T.
“She needs a pass, uncle..”
“Of course, she has passed her graduation. Do you guys need a qualification even to walk on your campus?”
He had a personal grudge because he couldn’t get into I.I.T to study.
“Let’s go to the Boat Club Road...” I suggested.
My suggestion was taken in the best of spirit. After all, it was going to be just a walk down the road!
“How about getting a pair of jogging shoes for me?” It is plain wonder who discovered the word called “mute”! I can’t blame him; he is yet to get confidence in my achieving this goal of shedding off pounds.
Boat Club Road is a very posh area where leading industrialists live! I loved to gaze and gape at those houses and be in a dream world for sometime.
Next day, we started walking there and as I stopped now and then to read the name boards of the residents and got over-excited, my husband decided that we should stop this exercise program but never had the heart to say so. Can we please go elsewhere from tomorrow, he asked. I could understand his embarrassment.
“Let’s try the BesantNagarBeach or the Marina Beach...” He said.
“No. I am scared of Tsunamis!”
I never went to the beach, no, not even to have sundal or bajjis, after the tsunami disaster.
“Then how about going for a walk in the NageswaraRaoPark?”
Next morning, we started off to the Park. I was happy. Proximity also mattered and this was suitable.
It was amazing to see walkers from all walks of life. It was a sight watching Churidars to sarees, dhotis to jeans, walkers to joggers, couples, families etc., walking, as if with only one goal in life – winning the battle of the bulge.
“Shall we go tomorrow too?”
My husband was eager to know.
The sign inside the park said “1 round = Half KM”
I managed to walk around once but I felt I had walked quite a distance when I saw the sign.
“I have covered half a Kilometer! It’s a long distance! Let’s go!”
“But your brother said you need to walk six rounds!”
“I am feeling hungry already!”
All my husband could do was to nod and heave a few sighs.
Guys tell me, is there a place in Chennai where one can have a quiet, safe walk with no hooting horns, where one can walk without tripping over a sleeping person on the platform, or without stepping on cow dung? And chain robbers? And stray dogs?...
I am still waiting for a long, free walk daily,which would work off my pounds!

Chennai is the capital of Tamilnadu, India

Posted in Sulekha.com on 7th May 07