The Big Change

For the world population that is not following up with my super-fast changing life, I am now married! Yes, went through all of the traditional arranged marriage routine.

Past few months… So much has happened!

Numerous heavy bull fights with parents when the tabooed topic of marriage was initiated; mom’s strong persuasion; crying out to friends on how painful and irritating the discussions were; Progress in career and hectic stressful 16 hour working days in office; Finally mom’s victory in finding ‘The Guy’ for me and days of convincing me to get married; my first retaliation to the very idea of marriage; Dad’s pitching in on the project of convincing me for marriage; my first embarrassed gtalk chat with Him at 12 in the night; our first few hesitant and awkward talks over the phone; our first meet in McDs’ in Velachery; His first gift of a Fasttrack watch; nice McDs' Burgers and ice tea :P; Both of us nodding a ‘Qabool’ to “Us”; Our Engagement; His visits to Chennai and mine to Blore; Wedding plans n shopping; More and more office work in the peak; Kadalai with fiancé; More Shopping; Advices from every Tom Dick and Harry; More work; Driving in Chennai heat and increasing traffic due to Chennai Metro; More kadalai; More and more unending shopping… and it went on till the end on my bachelorette life!

The marriage itself was a blur. Lots of people telling me when to do what, what to do how, how to do why, why… there was almost never an answer to that other than – “That’s the tradition, and it has to be done that way. End of discussion.” I was specifically instructed to bundle up my rationality and logic thinking and throw it away until the marriage got over. Rule number 1 was DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS.

Though a lot of people came to the wedding and told me that the food was great, I was hardly able to have a bit of it. Loads of controversies; several rituals – both meaningful and meaningless; many Saree changes; numerous pics – by professional photographer and relatives/friends; now and then pampering :P; parlour ladies and their resolution to make me look unrecognizable; Flowers everywhere; And Jewels too; Hymns, Chants and Holy Fire; Buzz in my ears; People colorfully dressed, running around; Total chaos and noise; People saying “Aww she looks so beautiful” though I felt that I looked like a stuffed goat with Jewels and flowers; Continuous ‘Cheese’ and ThanQs in the reception for full 3 hours… Sigh!

These are all I remember! The rest of the picture, I got only from the photos!

It all blew so fast, with hardly any time to stand aside and breathe. After a week in Andaman (yeah, nice break, but not planning to elaborate on that :P), here I am in Bangalore, settling down - back to eating eggs, going on facebook and GMail as and when I want, blogging, sitting in a silent office that the Bangalore branch is (dead-silent when compared to the Chennai office, which is much more friendlier, casual and noisier), wearing sober cotton kurtis, watching Dexter and House, driving my pep+ (which was taken away from me in the month before marriage for ‘my safety’), eating corn flakes, sight-adichufying good looking guys in Bangalore (;D)… slowly settling down…

6117

I was driving back home at around 8 pm a few days back, in fact to be exact, on 31st July, after a really long tiring Saturday, with lots of multi tasked work and weekday-pressure-spilt-over-weekend. Work that should have taken ten minutes took half an hour, work that should have started was not even remotely close to starting and work that was planned to have been completed was nowhere near the end.

Above all these, I was damn sleepy!

About my current sleep pattern -

The more I sleep, the sleepier I feel.

The less I sleep, the sleepier I feel!

I ALWAYS FEEL SLEEPY!

So there I was on my pep, trying to safely-drive-rashly (yes, I find rash fast driving very soothing, but I tend to drive cautiously all the same, n hence I call it a safe-rash-drive), when I saw something that made me smile.

I have this habit of looking at the cars, if a really royal cool looking car, look at the driver (it is my belief that the coolest of cars mostly get horrible looking drivers) and any vehicle, look at the license plate to check out the numbers and their pattern.

So back to my story, I saw a really cool Honda City, in royal red color. But I did not even go to look at the driver, coz I was too busy staring at the license plate. It was 6117.

6117…

That was my first year’s room number. 6th block, ground floor room no 17. 6117.

It brought an instant smile on my face, and brought back a series of memory flashes. I had shared the room with a Delhiite, who hated South Indians, esp. Tamilians.

We hardy used to talk to one another, since both of us were a part of totally different worlds and had complete different attitudes and absolutely no roads crossing each other’s paths. But surprisingly, we kind of got along pretty decently.

I was thinking of all these things when an Innova crossed my track, with the number plate 6320, my third year room!! Boy, would you call that a titanic coincidence or what?

6th block second floor room no 20. That was the best year, my third year.

Filled with hopes of future and beliefs in present and loads of extracurricular activities and positions and fun in labs, lots n lots of friends and what not!

I just can’t remember the last stretch of my drive home. I was drowned my pensieve filled with memories of my past, my insides happy and sad at the same time.

I am afraid I might never, you know, be there, ever again.

Last July 31, our ID cards expired and we officially became the BITS Alumni. This July 31, it was like the world was reminding me about my one year of having been a part of BITS Alumni.

I was truly overwhelmed and came back home and watched a couple of college videos. I truly felt like back in Summer of 2004. :)

Happy New Year

There is always a lot of excitement surrounding ‘the New Year’. Everyone wishing one another greetings and wishes, loads of offers, HOLIDAYS, special TV shows… It’s truly a great time. The one thing that really beats me is the usual (ridiculous) question that usually follows the wishes, “So, partying tonight? Big plans?”

Seriously people! Help me out here! One thing I don’t understand is what their very idea behind the question is. I mean what DO people do ‘specially’ on the New Year’s night that they don’t do in the other nights or in other parties that the party-buffs may attend, other than probably wish one another “HAPPY NEW YEAR”? I think the whole thing has become too hyped-up.

This weekend, being a 3 day weekend, one more question follows- “What plans for the 3 days?”

This question is even more maddening! I live in Chennai with parents, friends’ living with parents too, in places that are quite far from one another, sick bored of travelling. The only places that one can think of is eat-outs and restaurants where families/hungry-hostel-people would go, or spencers/city-center which has become a little too clichéd, or beaches (that are toooo far for the only few friends living in Chennai) or some local shopping places like in T-Nagar where we have already met a little too often and have nothing left to do there.

Well, honestly, I can’t seem to think of any other place(s) to generally go out here in Chennai, probably coz though this is my native, the main high-school and college days of mine n my friends weren’t spent here! Plus when living with friends in Bangalore or in Pilani, going out for fun or for time-pass or for food and entertainment and to avoid loneliness made sense. But now, being at home with a TV and more importantly, parents, meeting every weekend just to eat, or for time-pass when work is tight, or to avoid being lonely when you always have company doesn’t make any sense, especially when we all (friends) get to happily talk about every small detail of our lives all over the day through mails n chats.

This is why, the very question is sad bcoz it has no answer from my side! And yet, every known-unknown person walking past asks “Hey! Happy New Year! So what plans for the 3-day weekend? I m gonna Pondy with my gang with some bottles n glasses! What about you?” And I dumbly say “Uhh.. I don’t know. No plans yet/can’t think of places to go/don’t have a huge gang here/living with parents well… I might just have a quite weekend at home, I think. Happy New Year to you too!”

As I entered the house, my parents were right there, drowned deep into Sudha Raghunathan’s concert on TV; and I said to myself, “Here starts my New Year weekend.”
Oh yeah… Happy New Year you all!! Hope you guys have a great weekend and a great year ahead!!