CRAZZYYYY

You should witness the running race of the dry leaves in the wind -

Not to mention the high jump of the rain drops!!
Olympics can't match this competition ;)

Fountainhead...

Forgot to mention... his hair-stylist aka my mother has presented Kunji a grand new fountain head look :) :) More photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/Adu#

Back with my updates

Well, well, Kunji has started eating apple - mashed well with sugar and ghee.. :) Saying ubbu, ubbru and blowing little, bubbles seriously. Greatest achievement of recent times is that he is giving Shake hand :D

On 8th May, we gave him his first share of salt.. it was his annapreshnam and he stayed awake throughout the ceremony, relishing the new flavors :) It was fun watching him, though we definitely did miss Srini and my parents & Soumya. Now, he gets his share of pappu mammu :D
More fotos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/Uppoooooooooooo

Real Heroes

After a long time, I sat and watched a program on TV. There was a program called Real Heroes on CNN-IBN in the night & the episode I’d watched was its grand finale.

So many individuals, most of them who were backward, monetarily as well as education-wise, have made a difference to the world in their own ways. They have resurged, like the phoenix, from the ashes of their losses, to move forward and bring about a change & have set apart their lives for the benefit of the others. The program was truly inspirational. Rightly said – They undeniably are the real heroes!!

Another milestone achieved

Kunji has started grabbing things – give him a toy, he will grab it and the very next second, it would be in his mouth. He pulls our nose and cheeks and hair… He has started chewing on his teethers with his gums and seems to be enjoying it :)

More fotos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/Am5MonthsOld#

Timezone trouble

Kunji sleeps peacefully all through the day and is wide awake at night. Once we are back from office, we have a nice time playing with him. But, at night, when both of us are dead tired & want to hit the sack; here goes our little master – ingi, hingaa, gaaa, haaa :) Probably since he was born in the night, he stays active in the US timezone.

Some pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/AdityaApr09#

Back to work

I joined back to office on Mar 9th and came to know that I’d be into the same track in the same project. I read through the requirement specifications. Work wasn’t as hectic as it used to be before. But, there was this new rule of having to be at office for a minimum of 9.15 hrs every day!! It was difficult to even think that I had to be away from Kunji for that long, given that he was drinking only about 40 ml of Lactogen for about 2 hours. The doctor had told that he had put on only 100gms in one month though his weight was normal for his age.

Initially, I was very worried - but then Kunji is sooooo sweet - he started drinking more and palying more & what with achieving all his milestones at the right time - he eased my heart :)

Kunji rolls on his tummy!!!!!!!!

Four days later, Kunji, who had started showing signs of rolling on his tummy, did so without any help from us. He was soo excited. Thankfully, he was able to lift his head upright and did not bang his nose on the bed… now that he’d learnt the trick, he’d just not lie on his back. You put him down and lo, he has turned. Once on his tummy, our little master would start looking around, smile and start making noises. We arranged all his toys on the sill of the bed so that every time he rolled on his tummy, he could see them all. He looked at them and his excitement doubled, and he would say …….. ingaaaaaaaaaaaaaa geeeeeeeeeeeee hheeeeeeeee ggggggggggg inguuuuuu :D :D
Nights became sleepless for us, for Kunji had nothing on his mind now other than rolling on his tummy :P You wake up in the middle of the night to discover that he has rolled on his tummy! And to add on, numerous nappy changes… he he, but still, you look at his face & you’d forget all your woes! He is such a darling :)
Kunji is now trying to crawl. If he ever finds anything or anyone in his reach, he’d kick hard and move upwards & each time he does this, you should see the sense of achievement on his face :) :)He kicks and moves in front while on his tummy as well.

Valentine's day

Thatha and amma left for Tvm on 14th Feb and I was missing them already. Srini and his appa went to the station to see them off. In the evening, Srini went out to the supermarket & when he was back, he gave me a sweet card… it was unexpected. It was beautiful and I felt extremely happy :)

Kunji - The Herooo

Kunji had increasingly begun to smile socially and make loud noises that lasted for longer intervals. He reacted to high pitched voices and variations in tones and looked towards the direction of noise. He followed people as they hustled about here and there in front of him & it was realllllly nice to be with him and talk to him.
Thatha was his favourite. Every time he entered the room, Kunji smiled. He used to say ‘Ram Ram’ and Kunji could not control his happiness. It was fun watching the big child and the small child converse with each other :)
Amma was enjoying Kunji’s games to the core. She insisted that she would bathe Kunji and dress him up till she left back to Tvm.
Srini’s parents were very happy too and patti kept on saying “Srinikku pullai porakkanamnu evalavu kadavula vendinden… romba santosham” :D
So, in all, Kunji had become a Hero :)

Wedding day :)

Unbelievable, yet true… It had been a beautiful journey packaged with the world’s most beautiful gift… It had been one year since we were married & Kunji was there with us to celebrate it :) :) We are lucky indeed… At the stroke of 12, I surprised Cheenoo with a little greeting card that I’d bought when I was at Tvm itself and had been successful in keeping it a secret :D In the morning, we woke up early and went to the temple at Chandanagar to seek God’s blessings for many more years of togetherness and happiness.
Once back, Srini was to go to office – but upon rethought, he decided to work from home… We were all very happy at that and had a nice time at home.
In the evening, Srini and I went out and while returning got caught in the lift… We opened the door of the lift and jumped out :D This added a tinge of adventure to our marriage anniversary.

Aditya in the sky!!!

It had been a long stay at Trivandrum and before I knew, it was time for me to leave. After much thought, we had decided that we’d go by flight since train would take about 31 hours and Kunji might not find it comfortable.

So, Feb 1 it was to be… Thatha and amma accompanied Srini, Kunji and me. We flew by Paramount. The journey was good & to all our relief, Kunji was an angel, he showed the slightest discomfort or irritation & slept most of the time during the journey. It was as if he used aero-planes everyday :P :P

At about 8:30 pm, we reached our house at Hyderabad where three pairs of eyes were most anxiously awaiting our arrival. As soon as we reached, everyone had a good look of the new member of the house :) Srini’s amma had prepared dinner, but it was impossible to have it after the heavy meals offered in the flight. So, soon we all hit the sack. Kunji slept on peacefully and did not show any frustration at being in a different location.

Silver Jubilee Celebrations

On the 25th of Jan, amma and appa celebrated 25 years of togetherness. It was a day of pleasure and pleasantries. Srini had also come on 24th & we all decided to go out for dinner at Arya Nivas. Thatha, Prema mami, Shoba, Vatsala periamma, Kuttan anna, Sowmya, her grandfather, Soumya, Srini, Kunji and I were there besides the two who were in the limelight that day.
The dinner was good & everyone had a nice time… It was Kunji’s first visit to a hotel :D
He enjoyed it too… Going from amma to appa to vatsala periamma to thatha to Srini to me, he was sleeping for some time and for the rest of the time, treated himself to the colourful atmosphere around him ;)
More photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/AmmaAppaS25thWeddingAnniversary#

Soumya's birthday

Jan 23 – It was Soumya’s star birthday and she wore the dress that I’d bought for her, making it my day too :) She looked good and went to college; had a nice time. Some fotos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/OnSoumyaSBday#

Soumya goes to Ooty

Soumya’s class decided to go on an excursion to Ooty. So, it was time to list down things to do and things to take. It was only a 2 day trip, but we sure did miss her.
Thanks to Srini, she was able to capture moments of the trip with her new camera.
Once back, she surprised us by presenting Kunji with a teether that looked like strawberry. (Why it was a surprise would be clear to everyone who knows her)
She also gifted me with an earring.

Pongal

14th of Jan - We had more than one reason to celebrate. It was Pongal and also Soumya’s date of birth. We had great fun putting large kolams in front of our house. We went to the temple and amma made payasam. :)
It was on Pongal that I bathed Kunji for the first time. I was doubtful whether I’d be able to do it. And O yes!! Kunji loves his mom… he did not cry at all and what a greatttttttt time we had, playing, exercising, singing and coo-ing while Kunji took bath.. I dressed him up in his new dress that read ‘Speed’ and as always there was a photo session. I felt soooo proud… I called up everyone and told everyone who called or came home that I Bathed Kunjiiiiiiiiiiii :)

More photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/Pongal#

Growing up with Aditya

Kunji had now slowly started making noises and waking up more frequently giving us all great entertainment. Sweet as he is, he used to curl his fingers and catch tight if we offered him a finger to hold… softee softee touch :)
Around 90 days, it was good times or rather better… my pathyam got over…. Kunji started recognizing faces/ sounds a little & when we called out to him, he would acknowledge it with the sweeetestest smile… What more can one ask for!

More photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/Aditya#

Kunji's naming ceremony

The ceremony was to be on the 1st of December. He got his ancestral name, Swaminathan and the name we chose for him – Aditya. He was put into a cradle…and the relatives looked on :)
Viji and her husband had also come for the naming ceremony. Srini took a foto with Kunji that day, which is one of his favourites…
Meanwhile, amma had introduced a strict diet for me which was to be on for 90 days :(
I was to have no spice, less salt, less sugar, no dal, no oil… in short, I was killing my taste buds, rejuvenating them & re-killing them…
Nights became a series of nappy changes… thanks to amma, without whom looking after Kunji would have been very difficult.
She was taking care of bathing him everyday… singing rhymes for him and making him exercise. He used to enjoy it :)

Naming ceremony

Kunji became my new world :) Every moment with him is fun. What a bliss it is to watch him sleep and how sweet he looked when he woke up and wondered what surrounded him - a new world, new faces, new sounds, light... can't imagine what thoughts run through his little mind. During his sleep, he smiles a flash and the next moment, he cries :)
On one end, I was having my pathyam (restriction of food) as advised by my aunt, who is an ayurveda doctor. I missed good food very badly :( But then, it was for Kunji.
By and by, Kunji grew older. On the 12th day, it was to be Kunji's naming ceremony. After discussion, Srini and I had decided upon his name. It was to be ADITYA for many reasons.
Both of like the name in the first place. Also, Srini revered the Sun God and read Adityahrudayam every Sunday. Moreover, as I'd already mentioned, we came to know of the existence of Kunji after going in the 360 degree ride.. well 360 = circle and sun is round and Aditya is sun... :) On the 30th of Nov, all relatives had come to the house and Kunji was named.. Aditya alias Swaminathan (name that came ancestrally).
Photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/Aditya#

Welcome home Kunji

On 23rd, all formalities were over & we got a discharge from the hospital. We had booked a cab to our house... Kunji's first travel :)) I was thinking of my previous journeys to the hospital; I constantly used to remind and request the driver to Go Slow; this time I was bearing Kunji in my lap... Blissssssss........ Soon, we were home & arathi was taken. After praying to God, Kunji's rubber sheet et all was set on the bed & Aditya slept on cosily, opening his eyes far and few in between; being fed on time, all he had to do was sleep :)

Aditya darling enters this world :) :)

After a looooong wait of 18 and half hours filled with anxiety, my little darling, Aditya was born on the 20th of Nov, 2008 at 10:26 PM. It was normal and all was good with the baby. The first sight of the baby... I can't describe it! It probably was the most soothing sight... the sight of the tiny baby - bathed in blood and wailing; his head was covered with thick black hair even at birth...

Few moments later, the nurse came to me and said... it is a baby boy and he is fine. He weighed 3.14 at birth. Soon, these thoughts ran through my mind... 3.14...wow! Pi... he might become a mathematician... don't ask me why I thought so, but I did.

Then, I was lying and thinking... ooh... on his 3rd birthday, the date would be 20-11-2011... fancy date... and then I knew I was too tired... so I just closed my eyes.

An hour or so hence I was back in the room... clouded by all my relatives... all bearing Colgate smiles at the sight of the baby :)

What a wonderful gift God had given us! I could not take my eyes off the baby... he was soo extremely delicate... fragile... a reddishness embalmed him all over... he slept peacefully... we had covered him in a flannel and he looked so tiny...

Finally! finally... I could see the little one who ran within me and kicked me :) The suspense was over... God is Great!! :)

It was a great day... it was a great moment... it was a great feeling... to be a proud mother of such a beauty :)

Checkup

On the 19th of Nov, I went to PRS for my checkup with Srini and amma. Aysha administered my health & asked me to get admitted! This was unexpected; we had not even thought of it. Soon, amma rushed home to get essential things, while we had lunch and filled the forms at the reception. I was in a state of "blankness" and was unable to think of anything ;) ;)

I went into the labour room... I got a parcel of lunch... The heart beat of the foetus was checked. Then, I waited till evening for the doctor to come for the rounds.
She came, checked and told... TOMORROW... now you may go to the room.

When I stepped out of the labour room, I saw anxious faces awaiting me.. amma, Srini, thatha, Vatsala periamma; everyone had come & appa was on his way :)

That night, I could hardly catch any sleep & soon it was 3:30AM. I took bath and the receptionist called me. I went in at 4 AM.

Maternity Leave begins

Srini returned from the states on Nov 7 and reached Tvm on the 11th. Our anticipation had reached its peak as the expected date of delivery (26 Nov) was approaching.
Those were days of tiring late night work & Srini and amma both complained... and finally, on the 17th of Nov, I availed my maternity leave. It felt great or rather I should say I had mixed emotions - Cisco had kept me so busy that I'd almost got addicted to work. I was missing the calls I used to complain about and what a life without the laptop. I refused to keep it in the cupboard for two days... so that I could get used to life without it :P

ESTeem Award

Another surprise for me from Infy... I was nominated for the ESTeem Award in the Individual Performer category; though I could not make it, our project won the Best Managed Project award in the ESTeem award function.
The certificate given to the team members came to me by post to my home town :) Thanks to Vikas Khurana... My parents felt very proud about it.

Thalai Deepavali

On the 28th of Oct, it was our Thalai Deepavali. But, since Srini had gone abroad, we could not celebrate it together. After taking bath, I wore the saree given by Srini's amma and came online and what did I behold!! Srini had also got up and taken bath (celebrating Diwali in IST) and worn his new dress :P We showed him the mysore pak that amma had made, but he surprised us by bringing out a packet of kesari and eating it in front of us ;)
We got ready in the evening and started bursting crackers, which were very few this time considering that Kunji might be affected by the noise and the fumes... We enjoyed it :)

Seemantham

On Oct 3rd was my Seemantham - a Brahmin custom wherein some poojas are conducted during the 8th month of pregnancy. This is preceded by Valakappu, wherein they put glass bangles as well as distribute bangles to those who attend the function.

Srini came on the 1st of Oct to attend the seemantham.
The pooja was conducted at the Sankara madom and the event went well. The next day, my in-laws left and Srini went back on the 5th of Oct.
More photos available at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/Seemantham

Trivandrum beckons :)

One more addition to my list of enemies... the weighing machine. After 5 months, it still refused to go past 47. Srini started getting anxious that I was not eating enough.

We were to go to Trivandrum for Kuttan anna's marriage which was on the 21st of August. Srini too had to be off to US for 3 months on an assignment. Srini very well knew that when it came to things like diet my mother was very strict. So, we decided that while Srini was away, I would stay at Trivandrum and work from there.

At Kuttan anna's marriage, Kunji stole the limelight putting even Kuttan in the shadows :P :P The function went well and we all had lot of fun pulling his legs.
More pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/remya.hariharan/KumarMarriage

On the 30th of Aug, Srini returned to Hyderabad, wherefrom he would depart to US. Thereafter, every day became disciplined.
Getting up early --> Taking curd and methi --> Having ginger juice :( --> Coffee --> Taking oil bath everyday --> Eating a banana daily --> Chatting with Srini --> Breakfast accompanied with water boiled with Kurunthotti root (veru thanni as I call it) --> Work begins --> Lunch on time again with veru thanni --> Work continues --> Evening 6 PM --> Listen to Vishnu Sahastranamam and other slokas (even if you are working) --> Walking --> Early dinner :(( with veru thanni --> Work continues with constant pressure from amma to shut down :P

After I had joined office, this was my longest stay at Trivandrum and I really enjoyed it. I spent lot of time with amma, appa and Soumya. It felt nice though I missed Srini. We made it a point to chat everyday and see each other on webcam :)

My further checkup was to be at PRS and my consultant was Aysha. Well, things definitely did improve and my weight began to shoot up...

A Peep Into The Tummy :)

The next day, we were to take a scan of Kunji and we were excited :) Every time we go to the doctor or for a scan, Srini and I discuss which colour dress Kunji would wear ;) and today it was to be a yellow T-shirt with black shorts...

During the scan, Srini was able to see the baby moving and kicking about and he was very pleased. The scan report showed that the baby was normal and weighed nearly 2.56kgs

There were lot of terms and measurements in the report we could not comprehend, so we went directly to the nursing home.

The doctor looked at the report and merely said everything is normal. Huh! We explictly asked her what these meant and she said those are some terms and all's normal... we were curious. So, as soon as we reached home, we googled out the meanings like AC meant Abdominal circumference and so on... he ha... From the readings it looked like the little one had a big belly :P

Pizzaaaaa Mania

Well, well am hungry all the time now... I suddenly felt like having pizza... he he, So I told Srini and on the 3rd of Aug, 2008 when we celebrated our half yearly "anniversary" we went to Pizza Hut on our way back from office.

I relished it. We also bought parcels for appa and paatti. (Amma was at Bombay then) As we stepped out, we realized that it had been raining hard and we were unaware of it while we were inside. We thanked our luck and decided to go fast to our house, putting aside the thought of buying a family pack of icecream :P

We had gone only half the distance and lo, it started raining again... hard! We had no cap or coat to save us. What a day it was!! We were fully drenched when we reached home.

The best part of the day was probably that paatti was able to eat the hard crust pizza with her gums ;) ;)

Kunji's kicks :)))))

The best part about being pregnant is feeling the baby inside the tummy. Those little kicks are the sweetest of all feelings...

Welcome to Hyderabad :))

It was July and I was 5 months pregnant. Amma, appa, Soumya, thatha and Vatsala periamma decided to pay a visit to Hyderabad. They were all seeing our house for the first time. As was the custom, amma presented me with a black saree. I was thrilled to see them again :) Thatha felt very much at home here and liked the company of my in-laws too.
We took a cab and went to Charminar. It was quite far from our house. This was the first time I saw the place. After seeing the building, we went shopping for some bangles.
On the way, I felt my nausea uncontrollable & did dhobackkk on the street... one shop keeper got angry and started scolding me for vomitting in the premises of his shop. Tan ta daan... Srini got angry and started quarreling with the shop keeper ;) and we moved on.
Amma purchased quite a few bangles and was busy bargaining while Srini had already bought 3 sets of similar white bangles for his amma, Viji and me :)
While we were at the shop, Vatsala periamma who had gone to visit a friend for inviting them to Kuttan's marriage, called and asked us to come over to iMax so that she may also join us for the rest of the day.
So, off we went to iMax. After roaming around for some time, we had lunch at Ohri. The lunch was heavy and so we decided that we would walk for some time and reached the NTR Garden nearby.
We took a stroll in the beautiful garden and then sat in a hearth. That was when Soumya spotted a man selling bubblesssssssssssssssssss :)))))) and then...
From there we went to the Birla Mandir. It was a pleasant experience & to end the long day, we went to Shilparamam.

Aiswarya is born!!

As I already mentioned, my sister-in-law was also carrying and these were moments of double tension for my in-laws :P They went over to Mumbai in July for Viji's delivery.
On the 9th of July morning, Viji gave birth to a beautiful daughter and they named her Aiswarya :) The nurse in the hospital called her a princess...

As soon as we heard the news, we were very excited and Srini bought some sweets and distributed them to the neighbours.
The arrival of Aiswarya kindled our excitement regarding the arrival of our own little one.

Protinex - my new found enemy

I hate milk!! I really do :( And what with Protinex added to it....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Every night, bed time became a scare 'cause I had to gulp down a glass of Protinex.

Everyone said... It is only for the baby dear, try and drink...

Poor Srini also started drinking milk in the night to give me company. I used to get irritated at the sight of the blue and flask which meant time for Protinex. Srini sometimes made Protinex for me and I used to be soo stubborn :P He even tried to bribe me unto drinking it by showing videos of Tom n Jerry :))

Dhoback....

Kunji (pet name for the little one) had entered our lives and I was asked to eat lots and drink lots of juice.Well, well sounds good... but every time i ate something, the next second I threw up... eat, eat, send it out.... dhoback.... I even vomitted icecream :( and the worst part was that I did not vomit Upma :D which I generally dislike.
While going to office also, I started getting nausea & so I requested for Working from home option.
Meanwhile, I was under constant pressure to put on weight - doctor, relatives, friends everyone had only one question - why are you not putting on weight?? I started at 45 and remained at 45 for 3 months :D Srini borrowed Umesh's weighing machine & taking my weight became a daily exercise.

Kuttan's engagement

It was a period of advices, of 'Take cares', of Do's and Dont's, of 'Eat this, eat that', 'Did you put on weight?' and the like... Srini was taking special care while taking me to office... All this for the little angel budding in my tummy :)

April 16th was to be Kuttan's engagement and I was looking forward to going home :) We were to travel by train since it was too early to go by flight. So, Srini decided to book a train to Chennai and then from there to Trivandrum so that there is a break in between.

All was fine and we reached Tvm even before Kuttan anna did :P It was our first visit after marriage and everybody was welcoming & congratulating us.

Kuttan anna's engagement was at his house itself. Sowmya looked beautiful and the event went well.

In the evening however, there was rainfall and so, the guests were brought inside the house for dinner.

The same week, it was Priya akka's second son, Girish's birthday and Sivaramakrishnan's son, Akhilesh's upanayanam. It was a week of heavy meals... :)

Meanwhile at Padmanabhaswamy temple, the Pandava statues had been brought out before the temple and all of us went to visit it. Srini liked them esp their eyes ;)

Days passed by quickly and it was time to return to Hyderabad. With a heavy heart I said bye to all at home.

The sweetest discovery...

On the 27th of March '08, on our way back from office, Srini and I dropped in at Vijaya Nursing Home near our house and that's when we discovered that I was pregnant :) Both of us were so happy and more so, since we had not very much expected it and had even gone in the 360 degree ride at Ramoji, the same week.

Immediately we called and informed both the families and they were surprised and extremely pleased. What a a blissful day it was!! :)

Ramoji visit

Lakshmi and her family planned a visit from Nagpur to our house in March. Her husband had been unable to attend our wedding. They also brought along with them their beautiful daughter Sridevi.

Srini booked a cab to take us to Ramoji Film City on the 22nd of March. I had visited the place once during my college excursion, but I was excited as well as the others to be there :) It was a long trip and we had to start early. Enroute, we had breakfast at a hotel.

Soon, we spotted the huge gates of RFC and got down near the Angel Fountain. There was bus service from there. We had reached just in time to see the opening ceremony - there was lot of dance and music. It was really colourful and rejuvenating. Once done, we went about seeing the place.

At the entrance, we saw some rides as well. Srini and I were anxious to get into a ride that took us around 360 degrees. The rest of them stayed and we went zoom, zoom, zoooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmm.....

All the buildings in RFC had been built with Plaster of Paris and most Indian films are shot at this location. The best part of our visit was when Lakshmi was called upon stage to show the making of a film. She was to enact a part from the movie Sholay - it was fun :) Finally we went to Fundustan - the section for children; Sridevi and I enjoyed it.

It started drizzling in the evening. It was a long day and we all hit the sack as soon as we reached home. The next day, Sridevi entertained us by dancing to the tunes of Om Shanti Om :) In the evening we went to the Necklace Road, saw the Hussain Sagar lake and snacked at the Eat Street and were back. Following day, they returned to Nagpur and we were back to our routine work.

The change we need

Srini had been working for more than 5 years at Oracle when a new opportunity knocked at our doors. It protracted lot of learnability and responsibility & we chose to go for it. Srini took the learnings and experiences along with some good memories to a new job, a new role, new heights... well as the saying goes Change is the only constant :)

Spotted!!

It was yet another day of hectic work at office and this news came to me as a pleasant surprise... I had won the Oracle Spot Award for Feb '08 :)







The award was a gift coupon of 1000/- and was my first achievement at office. We bought a pair of pants for Srini and a cap that bore the Infy label with it. Felt good :)

The year that was-Part 3

Season of love - Part II
From Manali, we went to Delhi and from there we boarded a flight to Goa. It was the 14th of Feb that day & Srini had booked the Park Hyatt hotel for our stay. Well, before I come to that... how can I forget the journey to Goa??!! At the airport, we noticed a group of ladies covered in thick paint and a lavish coating of lip stick, holding a red rose each! What a sight that was... most of them had applied hair dye as well. It was, I can bet, one of the most abominable sights :P

And to our great dismay, the entire group boarded our flight. There were a few foreigners as well. I couldn't believe my eyes. Even before the flight took off, the ladies started walking here and there, making it impossible for the crew to carry on with their duties. One of the ladies won a bid and if you'd hear how they cheered... my God! Srini and I had a great time enjoying their behaviour, though we were concerned what impression the foreigners would get about India. Suddenly, one lady screamed...."See, See!!!!! See the sea!!!" We had reached Goa and were only too eager to get down :P

At the airport, a man from the hotel waited with a placcard bearing Srini's name (It was the first time for me). The place, the climate and the coconut trees around, seemed to me, very much like Kerala (from where I hail). Wow! The hotel looked really impressive. All hotel staff were dressed in white... we were led to our room. As soon as we entered, we found, on the table, a chocolate cake bearing our names, wishing us a happy honeymoon :) So, that was how our Valentine's day celebration began. The room was mind-blowing; it had the view of a pool and the hotel had a private beach as well.

We became fresh and went to the beach. We noticed that they had made arrangements for dinner at the sea-side for the guests and it looked pretty.

We enjoyed the sunset and after standing in the waves for long, returned back to the room. The next day we checked out from Hyatt; we were to spend the rest of our stay at Goa at Club Mahindra resort.

We got a cab and checked in to our new room. The room was spacious and neat; the best part was again the beach. We also had cricket matches every alternate day to watch :D We went to the beach in the evening and had fun. The sun was exuberant and the scenery was stunning.

Srini was busy clicking photos :) Viji had presented us with a handycam for our marriage and we made the most of it during this trip. The sea was shallow and the sand very coarse. It was different from the sea at Trivandrum where I went very often; and ofcourse it was special 'coz I was here with Srini ;)

This is one of Srini's favourite snaps.

We found that we had a microwave in the room. So, we went to the store to get some provisions. He, he.. to my relief they had only noodles, bread, biscuits, juice and the like ;) So, we got a few packets of those.

We went about the resort - they had a spa, gym, library, some games et all.

While in the room, we used to hold competitions on "who will solve this su-do-ku first"? (The game was there in Srini's cell)

We went around sight-seeing Goa in a cab. The driver this time was Antony. We went to Big Foot Loutolim.

It was an old house that had been converted into a museum. If you have not seen the museum and would like to, just go through http://picasaweb.google.com/sriswami/Goa Trust me!! Srini hasn't spared a thing that was in the museum :) But hold on, there's more to it than just a museum ;) Dekho aa gaye hum kahaan se kahaan!! :)

We went to Mangeshi temple; it was noon by the time we reached and as we removed our footwear to enter the sanctum sanctorum.. it was boiling hot; what a contrast to our experience at Manali just a week back :) The temple was beautiful. After offering our prayers there, we continued our journey.

We also went to the Basilica of Bom Jesus. The church was palatial. We spent some time there admiring the architecture and some huge, old paintings.

We then went to Panjim street to do some shopping - some snacks and frozen food. We also bought a couple of T-shirts for Srini. On our way back, we went to the Dona Paula beach.

When we reached the resort finally, we were tired and hit the sack. The best part about our stay in Goa was that one day Srini and I decided to learn to read and write Malayalam and Telugu respectively. Believe it or not, both of us learnt the script in one day! Then it was fun - we gave each other dictations and time just flew ;)

Soon, it was time for us to say good bye to Goa and start towards Mumbai.

We were to go by Konkan railways to Mumbai. We were looking forward to it since the route covered some of the world's largest tunnels. It was a great experience - from light to pitch black and then we see the 'light at the end of the tunnel' ;)

The Goa- Mumbai plan was introduced so that we could meet Viji and make up for her absence in our wedding. Viji's husband, Shiva came to pick us from the station. Everyone in the house was waiting to meet the newly wed and for us, it was a pleasant stay; Viji was very happy that we visited Mumbai :) After having a heavy dinner, we retired to sleep. Viji and us chatted for some time in the night.

The next day, we played with the children in the house for some time and had fun. Then Srini and I went to Dombivilli to meet a relative. They were extremely hospitable; after spending some time there and having hot dosas with chutney, we returned back to Viji's house.

The next day we started off, back to Hyderabad. During this journey, we occupied the upper berth and gave ourselves more dictation. Finally, we clambered down to meet a couple and their 2 year old son. They were basically from Manali and gave us good company. The boy was very naughty and we enjoyed.

Early next morning, we reached Hyderabad station and Baig mama (our very own auto driver) was there to receive us. We reached home and then the reality struck :( We had to go to work on that very day! After catching some more sleep, both of us woke to an entirely different world - a world of routine and monotony.

To be continued...

The year that was-Part 2

Season of love - Part I
After our wedding, we were to leave for Hyderabad the very next day. We applied for our marriage certificate in the morning and all relatives met at the mandapam and parted after lunch.

We were to leave in the evening... my mind was filled with mixed feelings, to leave my parents and sister (they were not able to come then) and to join Srini and his family. We reached Hyderabad in the night. The house looked beautiful and I discovered that I needed no time to feel that it was my own home :) Srini and his parents made me feel very comfortable.

We woke up on Feb 6 to kick start our honeymoon and thus began the season of love.

It was an exciting plan. From Hyd --> Delhi by flight, Delhi --> Manali by bus, Manali --> Goa by flight, Goa --> Bombay by train, Bombay --> Hyd by train. Phew!! We did not spare any mode of transport :) We had doubts whether it would be hectic.... but then it was simply great!!

Waiting at the Hyd airport:

We reached Delhi and had the entire day to ourselves as the bus to Manali was in the night. We went to India Gate. Army officials were paying homage to the jawans and we felt proud of the sight. After watching for some time, we noticed that there was a rally of policemen on bike with white helmets over there. We roamed about the streets of the capital city for some time, had lunch at Saravana Bhavan and by dusk, were back at the tourism office.

As we were waiting for the bus, Srini offered me a pair of socks and we bought a pair of gloves from a man who came by selling them. We were getting ready for the chilling experience :)

By and by, the bus arrived and we both were excited to see the snow as neither of us had seen it before. The movie 'Welcome' was played in the bus and since it was a hilarious movie, we had good timepass. The roads slowly became narrower and the night turned colder. More hair pin curves... hmm, we were nearing our destination.

We stopped at a tea stall in the night and lo! It was shivering cold. A hot cup of coffee on a cold night in the street with a great partner ;)

Next day morning, we reached Manali and I could not believe the sight that I beholded. The roads were all covered with thigh deep snow!! The driver finally announced that the vehicle would go no further since the snow was thick. We got down and took a jeep to our resort, accompanied by another couple.

Ambassador Resorts - Holidays at Cloud nine! That was our destination. Even the jeep hiccuped and crawled and finally said no... i can't. So, we got down and had to walk a little, really very little. But, I could hardly stand, leave alone walk - with all the cold around me, snow and melted snow running and giggling happily... drenching my socks, making the situation worse. I walked past all these odds, legs growing numb, number, numbest ;)

A bell boy had come from the resort to assist us with our baggages. Srini and I finally reached the resort. While Srini was settling things at the reception, I was led to the attached restaurant... to a cosy seat near a tandoor burning in all its glory... I can't tell you how great it felt. Soon, Srini joined me. After "warming up", we went to our room. It looked beautiful and the view from the room was baffling. It looked like a world bathed in bleach ;)

Now I thought, Srini was right in deciding to camp at Manali for a week. This beauty deserved to be seen :) That day we were tired and chose to remain in the room. Everyone at the hotel was extremely hospitable and the food served was delicious. We had a special table near the tandoor and there was a waiter who was keen on making us taste every special dish that they prepared ;)

He used to have a strange sense of spelling words that made our day!

Some extracts:

'Yahan pe baut saree palam ke ped hain' (Palam here means plum :P)

'Sir bada idli laoon?' (here bada is not big but vada)

and the best one... 'Sir, aaj spessal paper rasam hai, laoon?' (paper = pepper)

Next day, we decided to go for sight seeing and booked a cab. Generally, it does not snow in Manali, but now it did. Because of the heavy snowfall, the major attraction of the place - Rohtang Pass was closed for the season. So, we had to settle to see the other places. The driver was Prem bhaiya who used to talk non-stop and tell us about the different places making our journey more pleasant. We were clad in ordinary dress with a sweater to beat the cold. When we stepped out, it started snowing. Felt like heaven :) Enroute, we bought gum boots and some fur clothes for rent and headed towards the Hadimba temple.
There was also a Gatothkach temple nearby. We went to both - the best part being that we had to remove our footwear before entering the temple. It was sooo cold... :)

We saw people standing with yaks and rabbits, and chubby, pink children playing and skating about.

Thereafter, we went to the HP Tourism office. Both of us were interested more, not in the stuff that was sold inside, but the thick snow that lay outside.

So, off we went, out in the snow and threw huge balls at each other. It was an experience that needs to be experienced to be felt. We felt like little children as we hurried forth to make our next ball of snow and hurl it with max energy at the other :)

We left a mark where we went ;)

When we returned back to the hotel, we had so many sweet memories and beautiful sceneries to relish. We retired for the night after a heavy dinner.

Every alternate day there on, we remained in the room and watched cricket (Ind vs Eng series). Thankfully, both of us like cricket :) We used to go on little strolls from the resort and return back with rattling teeth and go for a cup of hot coffee.

Next day, we went to the Kullu shawl factory and bought 2 shawls and a kullu cap each.

We dropped in at the Vaishno Devi temple on the way. The entire temple was built in marble. The temple was on the banks of the Beas river. Our next destination was Manikaran Gurudwara. The road was spiralling all along and our heads went round and round... We stopped at Sanjha Chulha and had lunch as suggested by our driver and then reached Manikaran. The place looked beautiful. Prem bhaiya had already told us lot of stories about the hot sulphur springs there. We wore our kullu caps and went inside the gurudwara. One priest commented 'Jaisa des waise vesh'.

While returning from Manikaran, we visited the Siyali Mahadev temple. It was beautiful and the architecture was amazing, completely made of wood...

On our next visit, we went to Kulu... the nagar as they called it. It was a pleasant trip and on our way back, we visited a small Shiva temple and a Gayatri mandir, where the Pandavas are believed to have come to pay their obeisance. It was quite dark by then.

We also visited the Vasisht hot sulphur spring and temple. It was a great experience. Attached to the temple is a natural sulphur spring where the devotees can take bath & it has boiling hot water!! See left for a snap of the sulphur spring. The picture is not clear because of the steam.

There was considerable snow piled up inside the temple.

We then headed to a Tibetan monastery; there was no one in there. We both admired the size of the Buddhist statue inside.

Slowly, the temperature started to increase and the snow-capped mountains began to melt. It was as if Manali was crying at the thought of our departure ;) ;) The scenery became a greener one and our minds blue at the thought of saying bye to Manali.Manali was a treat to the eyes and mind; for Srini who loves photography, he had his fill at this place. This was certainly a great way to start our new life.

We packed our bags and prepared ourselves for the next trip... Go Goa :)

Photos available at: http://picasaweb.google.com/sriswami/Manali

To be continued...

The year that was-Part 1

When my mind races back to revive the memories of 2008, am baffled... what an year of jam-packed events it has been!! Innumerous transitions and wonderful new experiences...

Last year this time, I was at Bangalore cherishing hopes of a new life & my days and dreams were brightened by post-engagement phone calls from my fiancee Srini :) All my friends had fun teasing me. Since this was to be the last new year I would be celebrating as an unmarried girl, we planned big & our gang at the PG... let me not say what we did ;)

Look at the balloons and butterflies below...

My marriage was to be on the 3rd of February, 2008. All the family members were extremely pleased and excited about the event and so were we ;) Then, Srini was working at Oracle and led a team that was distributed in Hyd and B'lore. Dil ne bola "now is the time my son"... and Srini dropped in at Bangalore for a week to "visit his team members".

We visited the Ganesha temple at 8th main first and prayed for a long & contented married life. Thereafter, we went to Forum mall, Lal Bagh, Lumbini park and Wonderla & had a jolly good time together and this time helped us to talk & learn each other better.

We watched 2 movies - Goal and Taare Zameen Par. Srini had booked gold class ticket for TZP & I was wailing about it... only until I watched the movie! What a movie it was! :)) Hard to say how the week flew by ;)

Well, by mid of Jan it was time to say good bye to Bangalore & come to Trivandrum for my wedding preparations. At office, the pressure was mounding up, for I was to take a loong vacation ahead... believe it or not... I took 1 month leave :)

It was treat time, it was farewell time... time to say bye bye to the frends at Blore office as well as at the PG... miss them.

We at our favourite hang out for my farewell... Maharaja icecream parlour along with PG mates :)I was at Trivandrum to celebrate Pongal, which also happens to be my sister's date of birth. Had a nice time. Following days were a countdown for my marriage... I could not envisage the metamorphosis from Remya to Mrs. Remya.

Amma and appa were busy distributing the wedding invitation to frends and relatives or making some purchases and I complained that I was alone at home... and before I could believe it, it was February!!


Our nischayathartham was on the 2nd of Feb. We all started from home in the morning to the mandapam and we had a photo session at home ;) I generally am shy to pose for the camera & this day I had to smile throughout and give odd poses :P

Srini and relatives reached the mandapam around noon, had lunch and went to the rooms booked for them to freshen up.

This was how the 'maplai' came :)

This is a picture of the Lalitambal Devi at the kalyana mandapam whom we revere.

Next day was to be the BIG day... we stayed at Papa mami's house, who is one of my grandma's close friends. We had to wake up early & I could hardly sleep :)

Feb3: Our marriage day

Every parent hopes that their childs' marriage goes smoothly till the end and in this regard, my parents were very lucky. There would be limitations in every marriage, but no one complained, everyone was cordial and we were all pleased to the core.

We went to the mandapam separately and were given dresses to change. Then, floral garlands were given... believe me they were really heavy. O'course, there was a foto session - one sample Then there was a function called Kashi yatra wherein the bridegroom would announce that he is going to skip Grihaprastha and take up Sanyasa. He walks off from the mandap with an umbrella, walking stick, a fan, slippers and a religious book. Then the bride's father would go and plead the to-be son-in-law to reconsider his thoughts and lure him with the idea of taking the hand of his daughter instead. Wah wah!! And our bride groom says okay and comes back.... There ends the drama.

As they say, every guy must be given one last chance to escape :P

Then, it was time for Oonjal... we were given some garlands which are to be exchanged... but wait... it is not as simple as it sounds! The relatives of each side take the bride and the groom on their shoulders and move back and forth and it is in this challenging position in mid-air that we need to do the feat of exchanging the garlands ;) Once done, we come back to 'ground state' and are led to an oonjal or a swing. Ladies gather around and sing songs...Seeta Kalyana Vaibhogame... and the worst part is that they give us milk and banana... then they take arathi...

Well well, between, Srini was supposed to hold my hand while we sat on the oonjal & everyone got a chance to tease us.

After this, the bride sits on her father's lap, some mantras are chanted. My gothram was changed to that of the grooms' gothram and my father gave my hand to Srini. Then, in the shubha muhurtham between 9:30 and 10:30 the auspiscious thaali was tied. One knot by Srini and the remaining 2 knots which had to be tied by the sister-in-law were taken over by Lakshmi since Viji (Srini's sister) was expecting a baby and was unable to travel.

The moment.... :))Flowers, cheers, wishes and handshakes.... And thereby Ms.Remya became Mrs.Remya, wife of Srinivasan Swaminathan!! I still can't believe it ;) ;)

Again, more mantras were chanted and we had to see Arundati nakshatra (acting) and then do ammi methikkal...

By noon it was time for grihapravesham... boo hoo.. more bananas in milk..
After being overfed with milk, we went to the nearby Shiva temple.

And then Mrs. and Mr. Srinivasan along with other relatives, returned to the mandapam for a heavy lunch. Well, well we were not spared. See below ;)

And then, it was game time... There is a ritual called nalungu in Brahmin weddings, which is basically to ensure that the bride and groom get accustomed to each other.

We had songs and lot of fun - the best part being that when I was supposed to break a pappad behind Srini, I very ceremoniously broke it hard and right on top of his head... poor lady me! ;)

Everyone teased and then after few more rituals like rolling a ball, combing each others' hair, showing the mirror etc. nalungu got over.

By the time nalungu got over, we had to rush as the reception was to start at 4PM. Well, reception was a time to stand and smile with a heavy garland aiding the gravitational pull and trying to identify the numerous people who come and ask do you recognize me?

And after dinner ended a beautiful day that marked the beginning of a new and wonderful life, filled with hopes for the future, for us :)

I deidcate this blog to Srini as a mark of our dashing first year of togetherness... Love you a lot :)

(More marriage pics available at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Hariharan1954/SrinivasanWedsRemya)

To be continued...

From Nature's Canvas...

Footprints in Snow





Exuberance





Tea-time!!!



The flavour of my choice...



Pure-white blanket... Will surely keep you warm ;)



Ugly duckling has turned into a beautiful swan!!!



A Rally of White Helmets...



Dollhouse



Bananaaaaaa....



White-washed!!



Freshhh.......



Three-In-One



Black n' White

Stretchhhhh.......

Ahem... if mountains can be made out of molehills,
let me make few sentences out of words :P

"MADNESS" - Many Actions Do Not Ever Seem Sensible
"TIME" - Tells Important Messages Effectively
"SKY" - Soaring Kites Yonder
"EYE" -The window that opens -
to shut the door of "I"
"WINDOWS" - World Is Nice, Do Open Windows n' See

Weird!

Knock O! knock -
thou weird thought
at the door in my upper storey
that waiteth for thee...

Some silly thoughts :-)

I wish I were like
the petal that caressed
its neighbour
when -
both of them had fallen
from the same tree top.

*****************************************

Today -
I was really cross
with my window.
It blocked the cloud from coming in
In spite of it having repeatedly knocked.

*****************************************

My strangeness maketh difference my passion.

*****************************************

Tribute

I pity myself -
For having ventured
to unveil the inscrutable;
She smiled slyly as ever.
I wondered -
How immobile she was!

She laughed alarmingly,
Clapped her hands -
Breaking the silence
With silent whispers that
mounted to quite a commotion!

She called me an interloper
who was interdicted.

"I shall pursue my quest" -
I decided, and remained there -
Pulling up my dying spirits.

Soon, I was insensible again
and thought how placid everything is
And lo! The copy cat
inculcated in me
the vision of "motion in stillness".

The watchman arrived fluttering -
huge and staring -

To drive me away from where I was.

Irrefutably and indubitably theirs -
I was a stranger
in their indisputable possession.
O! Look at those infinitesimal soldiers
Threatening me.

The infirmity in me rose -
As did the water-levels
In the little beads that stared.

The infiltration of a new thought
indemnified all of my feelings.
I am not a stranger!!
I am in them ; I am hers!!
I took me so long to infer this.
When'll I outgrow my infantility?

I kept on staring.
The silver plate shone -
Invitingly;
Tiny silver flowers scattered
all around the plate.

All this decor was for me!
How blind I was!!
I laughed at my own insanity.

The incubus of loneliness faded.
I was rocking in her cradle -
I was fast asleep.

I woke up the next day -
She was there as usual;
She was what she always had been.
But, I had changed -
Changed beyond recognition;
Unpardonably.

Let me indite a few lines
As my tribute to her -
The unchanging;
The constant;
She who lives for ever -
Eternally;
Untouched;
Undiscovered;
The infallible.

But deep within -
I know,
I am hers and she's mine.

Solve my life

His eyes spoke so loudly -
In the "silent" language of hearts .

Wonder many a time , I did -
How the loud pounds
of the tiny red pouch ;
The rhythm of life - got unnoticed.

He made time tick by
Just by being close
And made me count each tick
As soon as , to leave - he arose.

Of likes and lies ,
Of gestures and glances ,
Of sounds and silence ,
Of smiles and soreness -

What do I say
What everything meant....

Where are thy caressing hands?
Smiles that bloomed without demands?

Iam lost or Am I ?

Life is now a jigsaw puzzle -
Of which you are the missing piece

Come hither , my love
My eyes - your abode
Sans thee Iam all alone.

Who let this mind out??

It's not how long you live, but how well you live that really counts.Nature conveys such deep thoughts in so subtle a manner that it is not out-of-ordinary to overlook these examples.
I learnt this from the bubbles....Yes...I saw them rise...light...higher...short-lived as they were; they knew they had to rise, to flow, to fly, to see....They had all the hues in them....how bright their life is....they perch....they die...But then they "LIVED".
What are these years for, if you yearn to do something even when you die? Why do you seek this cocoon? Break free...See the light ahead...You are a molecule in the excited state....jump high;make friends....it might be a Vanderwaal's force binding you...you'd never know....keep moving higher and higher...ne'er stop the quest...let your zeal not terminate...finally you would meet what you seek; That'd be the moment you realise that all these years of existence had been worthwhile....an inexplicable sheer pleasure...your search has halted...you are stable...ground state...Peace...Eternal peace. The years thence are bliss! Death ultimately, unevadably knocks at your door....You have LIVED!!....no struggle....no hassles...zero resistance....you have been what you wanted to be...you have done what you wanted to do...The coldness embalms you...You lie there - a smile on your face.
I love the following quote:
At age 20 , you are concerned what others would think about you
At age 40 , you don't care what others might think about you
At age 60 , you realise that others haven't been thinking about you after all !!
Live life to the fullest..be what you are...do what you want...chase your dreams...drive your passions...that is what
living is all about.:)

Tears of Joy

With a deceptive wink-
The mother claps to her children
A black shamiana is spread-
The crowned soldiers yonder
Bow beneath the chargin' batallion
The pearls of translucence
Hop off to get drowned-
In the brown sea beneath 'em
Black mushrooms sprout in our hands,

Vehicles wave to one another
United they stand-
Those hues of magnificence,
And O! Look at those mudpools-
Fillin' li'l minds with glee-
To be provin' Archimedes Principle
Gullies are decorated-
With tiny Titanics

Giggles die down
As the mercury shoots up
Back from the lanes
Here Iam-
Down memory lane.

If I were....

If I were a bird
That soareth in the azure spread -
Brazing the wind under
The widespread feathered wings

Lettin' my visions sweep
Across the asylum of life yonder -
Much below the clouds, my friends !
I'd see the li'l world.

The feelin' would be ecstacy -
Not elation;
When I'd go higher and higher
Atop trees
Amidst spongy clouds
And above and above.

And finally when my endurance decays,
To efface my weariness -
I'd would return to my cosy niche;
To be lost -
In the blanket of sweet dreams.

O Mother!!O Cherub!!

O Mother! O Cherub!
Thou art the dew that gave me life
Thou waketh me with your aureole-
From ages of quiescence
Thou emanated the lumen of cognizance
Thou shoveth my tedium
Thou impelled the imperceptible me to implode
Thou maketh me imperial
Thou taught me to be imperturbable
Thou made my mind imponderable
Thou incarcerated impiety in me
Thou art my inception
Thou art integral
Thou art the genesis of my life
Thou art my destiny!

Ode to a lugubrious life

Oh Behold!That osseous frame-
That once must have had skin around;
The ears are dangling low
and her cheeks-marred
with a jumble of lines of contracted skin;
Her sockets-deep and hollow
with tiny beady eyes that sparsely are visible;
A lustrous white strand of hair
has been tied into a bun
and a hunch so huge that-
she hardly seemed to be standing;
Her face looked orgy
and her lips kept trembling
as if she were muttering s'thing;
Her clothes were in tatters
and the ragged being was held upright
upon the strength of her walking stick.
Her whole appearance was truly insalubrious
Yet,there was something-
something about her that was magnetic.

I looked into her eyes
and I felt as if I were anachromized
She had been the mother of five;
Her heart had been a reservoir of love-
She had toiled and strained all her life-
to take them up to the sky;
to pluck the shining stars for them;
to show them the wonders of life;
to give them the best of what she could.
She was a proud mother-
her love and prayers sure did good;
All her children are well-off today.

This is the writhing paradox-
She is here on the walks-
With a concave belly;
Not anymore does she live-
She merely exists!
She is wizened of age and of woes;
Uncared for - far from the milk of love;
She is no beggar;
She is no wanderer;
It is the zany game of time and fate
that she now stands right before my gate!