Sadly ugly

The world just got uglier with the demise of the two most beautiful and elegant women...Leela Naidu and Gayatri Devi.

"Sun" Times

This blog is for tams only...When in Mumbai my TV viewing is retricted to Sun TV. Not because of my penchant for the daily soaps on the channel, rather because I am providing viewing company either to the parent or inlaw. So I am back with the Mannikams and Selvams not forgetting the kasturis and Godhes and Laxmis. And funnily I can pick up the thread of the story almost as if I never went away....

Sun TV makes for better viewing than the myriad Hindi soap series. I can sense a few raised eyebrows....For one it is more real...let me explain ... in which Hindi soap will the main protagonist agree to wear a veshti that has seen better days ...or which heroine will agree to wrap her head in a towel as the southies are wont to do when they have shampooed their hair...The women also sport the no-nonsense bindis unlike their Hindi counterparts...and the heavy jewellery is conspicuously absent. So its like peeking into your neighbours house....



Another reason why I like Tamil soaps is because the title song which is so much more interesting than the episode itself goes on for almost 5 mins which restricts the episode time...(thank god for small mercies!)......The ad breaks of course I so enjoy..they hog almost 15 mins of the viewing time.....I love some of them ....like the one about sun DTH. Veetak Veet Sun Dhun dhana dhan......I must of course mention the guy who reels out the names of the sponsors...i mean he can give 'breathless shankar ' a run for his money......

In all, the episodes themselves are for about 10 mins out of the total 30 mins ...out of which someone or the other is crying for about 5 mins for some reason or the other...(it does not matter..)....

And then of course I love the dialogues...where else can you hear stuff like....nee BA le porkhi, ana porkhithanatle PHd......and ....onne naan ombodu masama shomundu peth, valath val .....enke drohu pannirya....boy!

But I now feel cheated...recently when I was reading the credits I read 'Concept and Produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor'........probably the next time I come, the veshtis will have gone and the bindis will have made their appearance.....Sad!

A Walk through Life

Walking in the park is like getting a view of life from the ring side, with an insight into people.
I love my morning walk. And from the number of people around it does appear that Mumbai has become health conscious.
There is this group of middle aged men, numbering ten, who walk not too briskly, guffawing every two seconds, showing a joie de vivre which can be just what you want on some days and can be a tad irritating on others. There are others who do their solo turn with their eyes glued to the ground, loathe to be social.
I love ogling at those who do the unusual, like walking backwards…there are others who walk briskly with their hands held high. I don’t know what the logic is but if it works for them why not. It’s a treat also to see the paunchy ones do the squats with vigor, with the paunch itself defying any attempts at discipline.
And then you have the young ones, with satchels on their shoulders, walking hand in hand…I wonder about the parents who probably think they are all attention at a class at the crack of dawn……little do they know!!!
And what about the odour? Some stink so much that you have to hold your breath as they pass (I guess they are sweating it out!!).....there are others who use that dash of perfume which makes you want to inhale deeply as they pass. Not to mention the varied attire….I especially love walking behind the one in the 9-yards gear, and the women in saris and keds, in salwar kameezes, and various tracks etc….not to mention some men in their office wear right down to the buttoned cuffs and trousers.
I am grateful for this patch of green in this suffocating city called Mumbai. A walk there makes my day.