Familiarity...

Is a by-lane in Basavanagudi

and it flows like a silent river touching many many surfaces of hard cushions
like one long white sari
taking its many many colours from activity during the day.

It jogs, emits light, exudes fragrance, dances and performs jigs
bare bodied
under
bare skies

where once there was
a doddaganesha temple, a thindi beedhi,
the perrenial fragrance of camphor and mallige hoovu,
saturday evenings at shanimahatma temple and yellu offerings into the fire,
the church and white candles,
a less visited classroom, unfamiliar lectures, exam tension,

Vidhyarthibhavan, Subbamma stores and chatni pudi,
Pobbathi, saree cheeti, pink frocks, later, 'ready-made' blouses,

a silver activa, a red 'Identity' jacket, dripping rain on the helmet's glass

and some girl,
dreamy eyed,
apprehensive,
going with the flow,
with a prayer,
blindly trusting life's directions,
following the same road back home every single day.

Familiarity...
breeds connect!

Battles in Rain...

Like a single strand of thread
and a single line of thought
the fragrance of geeli mitti -
copious yet sparse,
abounding yet invisible -
caught me unguarded
and tied itself tightly around me;

and like quicksand,
it engulfed me into a wonderland
as the red volvo, my war vehicle,
swung to Rahman and echoed in Swades' music.

I smiled, respired, resigned
in the single stroke of breath,
in that single journey from work,
to fate
that brought me home to myself!

PS - Bangalore rains, though not in full swing yet, connect those single isolated dots, like fluid from straw, to seamlessly complete the picture cald me! :)

Its B for Bangalore!

Its now been a week in Blore and god alone knows how time flies here...Of course working 5.5 days a week is a great explanation to the aforementioned phenomenon but thats jus half the story...

What have I managed already?
1. Adigas Masala Dosa - S U P E R L A T I V E - whatay dosa I say....brown crust coated with red garlic chutney and the aloo palya filling garnished with the 'benne'....man o man whatay creation!
2. Barista Hazelnut Mocha - Tasty, Yummy, chocolate topping n all that....overpriced at Rs.84 but worth having once in a while!
3. New Shanti Sagar North Indian Mini Meal - Whoa! Great Spread, great volumes and most important - Great taste!! Must have at least once in a fortnight!
4. Davangere Benne Dose - Its the Benne - that makes all the difference....dripping in butter....need I say more???
5. The inimitable capsicum and chilli bonda - Yeah so there's a shop abt 5 min away from my place that makes these awesome bondas....earlier I had to go all the way to Malleswaram to get it....but now my prayers have been hearddddddddddddddd :D....
6. Krishna Sweets Samosa - 6 bucks and almost 6 inches....this is a living example of all that v study as 'value' and 'value creation' in MBA...this embodies marketing, finance, strategy and org behaviour for me....
7. My beloved Yelneeru - tender coconut water - Mumbai mey aisa kuch nahi milta....
8. Last but not, definitely not the least ---the one and the only.............
FILTER COFFEE - what the heck! I mean just what the heck do they mix in to make this....bangalore coffee ROCKS 200%!!

Never mind the bad cold I have, all the sneezing, the dust, the incessant cough....sab ek taraf and this city ek taraf...I mean anything for Bangalore.....Kuch Bhi Yaar….

THIS CITY HAS ITS OWN UNMISTAKABLE FRAGRANCE ...Mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!
Welcome home A!!! :D