Nine, Ten. Big Fat Hen - New Game of tag

Boddi tagged me on to this fun and demanding exercise of listing out 10 of our favourite literary characters.
It was a great nostalgic trip remembering the characters, their idiosyncrasies and the reason why you love them.
Here are my 10 best.

And I tag : Anks, Slogan, Dashy, Raghu.


Calvin

6 year old Friend. Philosopher. Guide. He’s the reason I look at life around and think why not?

Jughead Jones

I see a lot of me in him. Our Motto ‘if it can be postponed till tomorrow why do it today’?

Sherlock Holmes

Wit, wisdom and intelligence he had it all. Not to forget weaknesses. Showed no hero can be perfect. Arthur Conan Doyle should have been immortal and given us more stories with this exceptional character.

Frank and Joe Hardy

Fenton Hardy, Chet Morton and his sister and Callie Shaw. All living in Bayport. Fank’s marathon running, Joe’s 100 meter dashes, Chet’s new hobbies. Fankiln W Dixon had me hooked with his Mystery stories and the Case files series. I had a huge collection and used to proudly show off.

Fatty

Larry, Pip, Daisy, Bets and Buster were the rest of Five Find outers and Dog. Fatty used to always have money and I was in love with his ‘pome’ reciting and disguising skills. How a 12 year old could wear disguise and fool Mr. Goon and solve mysteries I don’t know. But believed every word written by Enid Blyton.

Kivi / Maara / Mandanna

Poornachandra Tejaswi’s works assume the air of detective writing because of their exploratory nature. He was able to cater to two categories of readers - those who looked for entertainment in literature as well as to those for whom it was a serious intellectual pursuit. Tejaswi was majorly drawn towards nature, modern science and technology. Along with the dog and the bee, you find that a jeep, a scooter and water pump becoming characters in his writings. Also his sometimes raw, but earthy humor would have you in splits.

Kivi – cocker spaniel shikari dog named after its long drooping ears, Maara – the village simpleton with earthy wisdom, Mandanna –bee keeper and forest tracker - are just some brilliant examples of Tejaswi’s trademark characterization.

Belta Mera / Kunji Moonu Byaari / Rosli

I am glad I discovered Kedambadi Jattappa Rai before I read Jim Corbett and Kipling. ‘Jim Corbett of India’ is an epithet he richly deserves. His master piece ‘Beteya Nenapugalu’ (Hunting Memoires) not only showcased how rich the flora and fauna of Tulu land was but also instilled a sense of adventure in me.

All stories are centered on the forests around ‘PiliMajalu’ a village near Uppinagady and Subramanya in Puttur Taluk. Belta Mera, Kunji Monu Byaari, Kent Couple and their daughter Rosli, Cape guns, Single barrel , Double Barrel guns, various types of fauna like Hare, Wild boar, Tiger, Wild hens that were hunted still are fresh in my memory as though I have read them yesterday. Till date I regret not buying the entire collection when it was on sale from an old library.

Rusty / Binya / Sita / Sheroo

Most of Ruskin Bonds writings show a strong influence from the social life in the hill stations at the foothills of the Himalayas, where he spent his childhood. Characters like Rusty, Binya , Sita, Bishnu or Sheroo are , simple and uncomplicated beings and ooze earthy and simple wisdom through their actions.

Swami

Swaminathan, a boy full of innocence, wonder, and mischief, and his experiences growing up in the fictional town of Malgudi. He is a student at the British-established Albert Mission School. Life changes dramatically for young Swami when Rajam, son of a police officer joins his school and the dispute that occurs between Rajam and Mani.

Shauri aka Jeeves
Inspired by PG Wodehouse, kannada writer KeFa created Shauri – The quintessential man friday of Paandu - The Dunhill smoking hapless chap with never ending list of relatives. Though I later started reading Jeeves, I relate better with Shauri who with his ‘knowledge’ always saves the day.

Thanks Mr. Forester. I owe you one.

“Thanks much much much”!! M’s excited voice on the other end of phone made me grin.

This was the first time I was speaking to M and I was already on a strong wicket. What had I done?

Simple. Followed Mr. Forester’s advice.

It’s not so simple actually. I had to figure out what to do, how to do and then do it in style. I turned to my trusted lieutenant – Information.

Social networking sites that I frequented came in handy. Interests were scanned, hobbies were checked and even common work friends consulted. My, my! I never researched anything so much even on routine work projects.

Then came the brain wave. It usually comes when I am not thinking of the problem and in the loo.

Mind processes information selectively and recalls them mysteriously.

Some news bit that acted as background noise while speaking over phone was remembered vividly and as a result newspapers were scanned. Internet search was done and the fact confirmed. A call was placed for a personal favor to a friend living in a city I always looked down upon. Suddenly I regretted hating that city. A plan was forming.

Then came the time for sending across what I had put together. A big bout of un-certainty made me stop in my tracks. An urgent chat invite was sent to a close friend as it was time for some feminine touch. On being blasted for having put in the hard work and not having the guts to cross the final hurdle, the scales tilted on to the chat consultant’s favor and I took the plunge.

Result?

“Thanks much much much”!! M’s excited voice on the other end of phone made me grin.

So what did Mr. Forester say that stood me in good stead?

“An unexpected gift at an unexpected time”! With a bit of information and technology I would add.

Sixth Sense

She just popped up with a big heeyyyy!

Heeyyy!
Hey.
What you doing?
Nothing.

I was replying instinctively while my mind started scanning my schooling memories for a hook. I just could not place her.
She was not forth coming with her identity as well. A quick check left me with no picture, no schooling details, no common friends, not even a nickname.
All I had was a huge heeyyyy and my conversation skills to figure out who she was.

As my mind now started scanning my ex-collegues and immediate friends circle, I realized the futility of the effort.
I decided to end the mystery and asked “Who is this”?
The reply was almost immediate “Sorry. My Santosh is different”!

She too must have realized something amiss and checked me out. And my profile picture must have burst her bubble.

As we joked about mistaken identities and bid each other goodbye, I was left wondering how the heck she did figure out it was someone else in exactly two responses?

All cool girls make some noise...

There was a time when my dad came to mom’s house accompanied by grand dad who did all the talking. He made mom stand, sit, sing and answer questions on - her education, hobbies and interests. All this was done after they were served a healthy helping of ‘tiffin’ allegedly made by mom.

Only after granddad was fully satisfied, did my dad get a chance to speak up and ask for two minutes alone with mom. Their two minutes was spent in the garden, in front of everybody’s eyes. Thankfully out of ear shot.
All dad asked was ‘Are you ready for a shared responsibility called marriage’? At that time dad was a clerk in a private bank and mom was a highly paid government servant. Dads only condition was mom would work till she thought fit.

Dad tells me back then, arranged marriages were dependent on that one question either the boy or the girl asked and the reply they got.

Mom was the only girl dad saw and agreed on. Today they have been happily married for over 30 years.

As a 21st century generation we take pride in our superior communication skills. But when it comes to an important decision like marriage, we ask a whole lot of questions but seldom the right one.

Do you own a house in Bangalore?
Are you into coding or into ERP and application development?
What are the chances of your project moving on-site?

It sounds more like a job interview than a chat for determining compatibility. And as the hapless boy hams to answer this barrage of questions from the girl, her parents wear a look of silent admiration.

If at all the boy makes through the first round, then comes the compatibility round. Else the boy and his family will have to be satisfied with only ‘tiffin’ allegedly made by the girl and beat a hasty retreat.

At least something has not changed!

Handwritten with love

It’s been over two years since I last wrote here. I have changed one country and two cities. Have made a few new friends, visited new places and changed three jobs in the meantime.

I have always been lazy. I know what needs to be done and I know how to do it. But once I do it, the feeling of been there - done that takes over me. I don’t even attempt to it the third or the fourth time. The truth is I lack motivation to continue doing the same thing over and over again. Probably this is why despite being in a profession that needs constant updating of skills and knowledge; I tend to feel bored quickly.

But one thing that I am not bored off is letters. Handwritten, plain old, simple letters. Do you remember the last time you put pen to paper and did not stop at a flourish of a line and two dots?

Handwritten letters are charming and full of surprises. They are so much better than just picking up the phone or dashing off a two line email.

Letters actually take an effort to write. You need to think what to write since you do not have a backspace key to delete what was not a coherent thought. You have to spell each word right without using spell-check. Then there is this big thing called handwriting which actually tells the reader what kind of a person you are.

The absolute best part of letters is the wait. The wait for an answer. When the letter arrives - the eagerness to tear off the envelope and open the letter, the first reading of the letter which is always in a hurry and then reading it again slowly taking in every word. Preserving it carefully so that it can be read again when you write a reply to it.

All these rituals have made me fall in love all over again with this medium of communication. Have been dashing off letters to a few special friends all over the country and waiting to hear from them.

Hope I help them re-discover the simple joy of writing and waiting for a letter from a dear one.

hard knocks...

Learnt it the hard way. 'Trust' has lost its meaning . Simple and innocent faces can deceive you. Need these hard knocks in life so that the protective layer wears off faster. The whole experience has made me a better person.
My bumchums call me real. What is real? Being practical? Standing up for 'Principles' no matter what? World has moved on. Have I?

Ramblings

Lot of thoughts going on in my head. There are always thoughts at any given point. Am I right? Why can't this be done ? Hey, that's a cool idea. Should try it next time I get a chance.

Why am I not writing these days? Words used to flow out like a fountain from my head. Guess that writer is lost somewhere. With the upgradation of skills a good writer is lost. Started reading english writers, started thinking in english. and started coloring the thoughts which I was capable of expressing the best in my mother tongue.

Blogs have been a good refuge for that writer's itch. You can write what you want and post in your own space. Its like your own personal post box which only a few can access.

Need to sharpen the writing skills. Thanks to the boss who always said put it down on paper first. No matter how good you are in transferring your thoughts straight to the computer, put in down the old fashioned way. Use pen and your hand. Hmm, cramps develop as I get to half the page. Have not been using my hands and pen much except to sign ... cheques, estimates, invoices.. . Lost the habit of writing. Miss the sound of nib scratching paper and thoughts freely flowing out.

The last I remember writing freely was in my degree class exams. There were 15 mark questions and all would easily fill up 5 foolscap sheets and ask for extra sheets. Ha! We used to take pride in how many extra sheets were taken. Higher education made me unlearn all that. Thoughts were taught to be expressed in bullets or numbered points. 15 mark question? 15 bullets or points. Thats it. No long drawn explanations. No extra sheets. No nothing.

It all seems to be coming back. I guess writing after all is like bicycling or swimming. You need to learn it once and will not forget for your life. All it needs is a little bit of sharpening from time to time. Once you start writing the thoughts automatically begin and the words flow. I did believe Mr. Forrester when he said 'Punch the keys. The first draft of any writing should flow without thinking'.

I guess that's what I need to do. Start punching and see how it shapes up.