April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Interchanged Cities [Bonus]

Blog entry #27

'Hyderabad'i zafrani pulav | 'Bangalore' days | 'Bombay' Brasserie | 'Chennai' super kings

'Hyderabad'i zafrani pulav (Mumbai)
If you’ve watched the Hindi movie Cheeni Kum starring Amitabh and Tabu, you’ll know there’s a scene where the dish that the chef is most proud of - his Hyderabadi Zafrani Pulav, is returned by a waiter with bunny teeth and a queer accent. Post watching the movie, we returned home and every time Mom made pulav, Dad and I would ask her in the very same accent: "Is this Hyderabadi Zafrani Pulav?"

'Bangalore' days
DC++ was the intranet-based software students used in BITS Hyderabad to share software, games, e-books, movies, TV shows, and more. We would eagerly await new releases, mostly for English and Hindi movies, occasionally for other language movies we’ve heard about from our friends. In 2014, we waited for the newly released Malayalam movie Bangalore Days to be available on DC. But since this was in Malayalam, we also had to wait long enough for the subtitles to be uploaded! Although it seemed like a one-time watch to me at the time, I’ve ended up seeing it multiple times after.

'Bombay' Brasserie
I’ve been to this restaurant thrice, but only to the Adyar branch in Chennai. This place serves Mughlai cuisine and has a live kitchen concept, similar to what’s adopted in 5-star restaurants like ITC (see my post on I). In 2017, I celebrated my birthday here. We were quite a large group and it was a fun-filled evening!

'Chennai' super kings
Are you crazy about IPL? Me - not so much. But Akhilesh is and so is my Uncle. We were at their house in Bangalore during the finals, and guess who were the two teams? RCB and CSK! While Akhilesh was obviously rooting for Chennai Super Kings and my Uncle was obviously rooting for Royal Challengers Bangalore, the rest of us were rooting for the decibel levels of their yelling and thereby our ordeal, to alleviate. Despite the noise, watching tournaments or matches together is fun when in a group, or as a family. Good times!

With that, my very first blogging challenge comes to an end. I don’t know about you, but I had a great time writing all of these tales. Can’t wait to begin the next journey!

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [Z]

Blog entry #26

Zoom out | ZNMD | Zelda | Zebra crossing

Zoom out
It’s been close to seven years since we’ve permanently moved out of Mumbai. Being a Mumbaikar has been in our blood right from the day we were born. We couldn’t imagine settling elsewhere. Now look at us - hustling with the auto guys in Kannada, driving like a Bangalorean, speaking English in a Chennai accent, cooking with different species of vegetables, getting accustomed to hard water spoiling our buckets and leaving a white trail, and what not. But most of all, our bond with our closest ones have gotten nothing but stronger. They’re stronger than they’ve ever been, the visits have increased, the laughter echoes from Bangalore to Chennai and back, and the tales of togetherness to be cherished for the years to come. Zooming out, it’s been a wonderful journey overall, not just the transition, but also the transformation.

ZNMD (Hyderabad)
Acronym of the movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, it’s the Hindi version of YOLO (see my previous post), but involving memories created with your close friends. Although I didn’t hang out as much with my wingies (that’s what we called our friends living in the same corridor or wing) in my first two years, I went out with them during the last two years. I’m glad I did so. We were just friends then, but now we’re the best of friends in a close-knit group. We’re all in different cities and different jobs now, but once in a while, we get together on video call - sometimes chatting, other times playing online Pictionary and having the time of our lives!

Zelda
A feminine form of the Yiddish word 'Selig’, meaning 'happy and blessed', this is exactly my state of mind here at home in Chennai. I feel lucky due to the wheel of fortune having spun in my favour. I am thankful for all the goodness that has been bestowed upon me. I hope to remain humble and filled with gratitude for the opportunities I’ve received in this wonderful city. I hope to do my part of making others feel 'Zelda' or 'Selig' to the best of my ability.
(Bet you thought I was going to mention The Legend of Zelda here :P)

Zebra crossing
If any of you have ever seen or spotted a Zebra crossing in Bangalore, please do let me know. I’ve seen them in Mumbai, in Hyderabad, in Chennai, and in cities like Delhi, wherein I’ve only been to CP for a couple of hours for shopping before continuing to another place. But I guess to have a zebra crossing, the prerequisites are - one, have clearly demarcated two opposite sides to a road. Two, have a road wide enough where you can paint more than one line of the zebra crossing. Three, have a fully paved road that isn’t under construction so that the zebra crossing can be seen as straight lines, without any undulation. Four, and the most important saved for the last - learn to respect signals: red means stop. Only then will the zebra crossing even make sense in the first place!

The End? Not quite.
Wait for my upcoming bonus post on A Tale of Four Cities tomorrow.

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [Y]

Blog entry #25

Yippee Ki-Yay | #YOLO | Yanni | Ypr Chennai Express

Yippee Ki-Yay (Mumbai)
Fascinated by quirky phrases learnt from different cultures, I came across this cowboy celebratory exclamation from an episode of Hannah Montana, pronounced "Yi-puh-kah-ye" or "Yi-pee-kah-ye". (I didn’t watch Die Hard until much later). I don’t think I’ve eaten dinner without being in front of the TV - I was a major addict. Still am - only now I don’t have a TV. I just fire up Netflix on my laptop. Who needs TV when you can binge-watch shows at a slightly faster speed? Yippee-ki-yay!

#YOLO (Hyderabad)
Borrowing a phrase from the millennial way of life, YOLO (you only live once) and FOMO (fear of missing out) are seen and experienced in bulk on campus. Wanting to be part of groups, trying out funky things never done before, being one of the "cool" members in the gang, all these are commonplace among those trying to "fit in". But my idea of #YOLO was to say yes to new opportunities, and I am grateful for all the knowledge and experience I gained from participating in various extra-curricular activities and playing a major role in organising events.

Yanni
Yanni is awesome! If you’re unable to focus on your work during WFH times, which might extend for another five months here in Chennai, switch to instrumental music. Yiannis Chryssomallis is a Greek composer, whose stage name is Yanni. Two of my favourite compositions of his orchestra are "Violin vs Saxophone", titled "Playtime," and "The Storm." Listening to these two, sometimes in loop, energise me and make me work with maximum productivity. Do listen to them sometime.

Ypr Chennai Express
On the days I decide to travel to Bangalore in the last moment, the Mail would obviously not be available, it’s the most popularly booked train. I also wouldn’t want the same Shatabdi food again. So which is the next best train suited to my timings? It’s the Ypr Chennai Express - Ypr shortened from Yesvantpur, a place 12 kilometres from Bangalore. It runs only on Fridays, perfect for me - starts after 11pm and reaches Bangalore the next morning at around 5am. On those Saturday mornings, I feel like I’ve gained extra time to talk to Mom and Dad, since if I’d taken the Shatabdi and reached on Friday night, I’d sleep in till 7am on Saturday and lose those precious two hours!

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [X]

Blog entry #24

Xerox | Xtrovertism | XXIV | X marks the spot

Xerox (Mumbai)
During school days, the "Xerox" shop was the most frequented. Once you’re in college, no one needs physical copies - it’s all digitised. Being the grammar Nazi that I was and still am, once I learnt in grade five that Xerox is the company whereas photocopy was the correct verb, I started acting "kewl", so to speak. If my friend said "Hey I need to Xerox these pages", I’d eagerly jump in with: "Oh you want to take a photocopy? Let’s go." (It’s now a universally accepted verb)

Xtrovertism
If you knew me well before my first year at BITS Hyderabad and then met me after that, you’d ask me who I was. School days were something like this: talk to no one, read your own novels, have only a couple of friends, be a studious geek, go to school and come back home and nowhere else, don’t socialise with others. Post my first year, even my parents were shocked to hear things from my new friends like: "Oh she stops and talks to everyone on campus. We have to drag her away else we’d be standing simply for 15 minutes!", or "Oh she’s part of this club, that department, and those associations, no wonder she knows so many people." 
Introvertism —> Xtrovertism: loving the transformation.

XXIV
That’s 24 in Roman. Once I moved to Chennai, I had quite a few important events that took place on the 24th. Akhilesh’s birthday, the date I bought my car, and the date I rejoined Amazon as an employee. I’m not superstitious about numbers, but I sure do have favourite ones: 7, 10, and 13 being a few of them other than 24. 

X marks the spot
Most times I travel by Uber or Ola auto or cab, I end up walking a bit from the destination I’ve entered on my map. This is probably because Bangalore is so congested that when you give a particular place on the map, it’s unable to pinpoint the exact area. Moreover, there are small shops, which don’t feature on Google Maps, located near bigger landmarks, which do show up on the map. So when you want to visit the small shop, you end up walking a little, which is actually a good thing.

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [W]

Blog entry #23

We found Dove in a soapless place | W kaun hai | West Mambalam | WFH

We found Dove in a soapless place (Mumbai)
Grades 11 and 12 were the phase of parodies. Parodies of songs What makes you beautiful by One Direction and When I look at you by Miley Cyrus were popular in my group of friends. So one day, the creative juices flowed and an original was made. Rihanna sung a song called "We found love in a hopeless place", and it was shamelessly turned into "We found Dove in a soapless place!" Those were the times we were juggling between displaying the maturity of a college-level student while overcoming the school-days silliness.

W kaun hai (Hyderabad)
Most weekends on campus were reserved for movies. Usually new ones, but once in a while, I like to re-watch one from my favourites. Dhamaal, a remake of 'It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World', is one such movie. There’s a scene in which when everyone is searching for 'The Big W', Sanjay Mishra is unaware that W is a letter of the alphabet. He keeps roaming around the garden, repeating 'W kaun hai?' (Who is W?), more like 'Dabloo kaun hai?' My friends (who are Bollywood buffs like me) and I enact such commonly known dialogues to turn serious conversations into a giggling episode. I am slowly catching up on funny Tamil movie references with my husband these days.

West Mambalam
Finally, a place we could call 'home' in Chennai. A huge shift from Thoraipakkam, where we were living in a studio apartment that was a hundred degrees and was part of a huge complex where people barely knew anyone else. People were friendlier here, and the apartments divided into separate buildings, each with 2 or 3 stories at the most. As Taylor Swift rightly puts it: "Busy streets and busy lives; all we know is touch and go." Step out into Arya Gowda Road (the main road) and you name it and you have it - banks, stationery shops, medical shops, post office, flour shops, flower shops, electrical store, bedding store, utensils store, supermarket, and even a temple! Folks briskly walking with a sense of purpose, to get their work done, people on the road at 5 in the morning and beyond midnight, all this reminds me of Mumbai. Guess that’s also why I like it here :) 

WFH
Before the days of COVID, being in Bangalore on a weekday meant WFH aka Working From Home. It also meant: barely WFH. Internet connectivity issues, reluctance to actually work when I could be spending more time with Mom and Dad, helping Mom with cooking, I should say "helping", in quotes - because a one-woman army doesn’t need any. Moreover, wanting to rummage through my shelves and clean, declutter, organise, go KonMari on all my old things, then realising that all of them "spark joy", so simply putting them back in a different order; flipping through pages of old albums, taking a picture with my phone and sending them on the WhatsApp group - so many things to do when you’re at home. How do I compensate for all this? I book a Shatabdi back to Chennai and work in the train!

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [V]

Blog entry #22

Ventriloquism | Viceroy | 'Vera level' | Vani

Ventriloquism
I had attended a magic and ventriloquism workshop in grade 7 in Mumbai. My dummy was called Chimpu. I only performed twice ever, and Dad wrote the scripts for both shows. Even today, when I visit home in Bangalore, I skim through the shelf that not only contains my ventriloquist dummy and my magic kit, but also the memories created by them.

Viceroy
This is the name of the in-campus restaurant in BITS Hyderabad. If we didn’t have the time to go out to Bits n Bytes or some place far for someone’s treat, this was the nearest place for one. There is a juice guy near Viceroy, for super-mini-treats too. During fest times, Viceroy was also the go-to place for Food Wars!

'Vera level'
The literal meaning being "next level", it’s a phrase used sarcastically most of the times. A few of the times, it’s also used while exclaiming how great something is. If someone blundered on top of a mistake they already committed, or if there’s already a problem, say at work, with one issue, and something adds fuel to the fire, exacerbating the problem, a common remark you’ll hear among Chennai-ites is "Vera level." Be a super nerd, or a grammar Nazi, and you’ll hear that a lot being said to you (been there!)

Vani
In Bangalore, there was a lady Kalaivani - my aunt’s maid. I used to chat with her when I was about six years old. She would talk to me in Tamil, and all I could muster at the time was "Aama" (yes) or "Illai" (no). I used to call her Vani Akka for a long time, until one day she revealed to me: "Everyone else calls me Kalai, your aunt is the only person who calls me Vani." Whenever I look into my aunt’s kitchen, I am reminded of her, since that’s where I remember talking to her most of the times.

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [U]

Blog entry #21

"Unner mah umbuh-rella, ella, ella" | Usher | Udbhavaha kshobanodeva... | Ulsoor

"Unner mah umbuh-rella, ella, ella"
During Mumbai rains, it’s of no use carrying an umbrella IMO. The rains lash out at you, and frankly, you’re better off with a raincoat instead. The umbrella will be of more use to you on sunny days. In this city, the expression "It never rains but it pours" is to be taken in the literal sense. Mumbai rains ten years ago - going about your daily life as if it were any other day, walking to school with shoes sans socks in the floods, it was all part of the routine. So, it’s funny to hear people say "Oh my, it’s raining" and take several precautions to stay dry, even during a drizzle, in other cities. The song in the title refers to a song by Rihanna, my very first English song I ever heard, referred to by my Aunt when I visited the US back in 2007.

Usher (Hyderabad)
My second year on campus - this was the phase where I used to listen to all sorts of artists from the hip-hop genre, and their contemporaries - Chris Brown, Pitbull, Eminem, and T-Pain, to name a few. Usher Raymond, mononymously known as Usher, was also part of the list. Although the former artists produced more of pop music, with Eminem in the sub-genre of rap, T-Pain and Usher belonged to the contemporary R&B genre, along with Taio Cruz and Justin Timberlake. "Without you", "More", "OMG", "DJ got us fallin’ in love", and "Scream" - these songs are still on my playlist even today, from six years ago.

Udbhavaha kshobanodeva…
"Udbhavaha kshobanodeva iti paramo mantraha, shankabhru nandaki chakreeti keelakam" - Chennai folks, is this line more familiar now? It’s one of the lines from Vishnu Sahasranamam, a list of 1000 names of Vishnu, with each name eulogising His countless great attributes. Powering up my Alexa at 6am every morning, with the instruction: "Alexa, play MS Subbulakshmi songs", either this or Bhaja Govindam would be among the first songs played. After a while, a few lines from this Stotra come to you naturally, you don’t need the lyrics. This Stotra (Stothram) or prayer, is probably the most frequently played Shloka in this city than any other - you can hear it in the mornings, you can hear it in the evenings - in houses, or in temples - played as a recording, or chanted by a group of people.

Ulsoor
Etymology can either be fascinating or annoying. The first time I saw this name in Bangalore, I pronounced it "ool-soor". It’s actually "uhl-soor". If you look at common English words from "u", most have an "uh" sound - umbrella, under, ugly, utter, urn, umpire, ultimate. The other "u" words go like "you-niform", "you-niverse". So technically, I should’ve said "uhl-soor". But if you look at proper nouns - names of places especially, they have the "oo" sound - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ujjain, Udaipur, Ulhasnagar (place in Mumbai). Take places in South - Udagamandalam (aka Ooty), Ubburu, Udupi, Uppal. By this logic, my "oolsoor" pronunciation seems apropos. If you want to avoid all this, you can simply say "Halasuru" :) 

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [T]

Blog entry #20

Tikuji-ni-wadi | The Viva | Thendral | Thippasandra

Tikuji-ni-wadi
Not just an amusement park, but also a water park, going to Tikujiniwadi located in Thane, Mumbai, has been one of the fun weekend activities to pursue with cousins. Our school also took us once on a weekday, and we enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. Amusement parks are rightly named - they amuse me greatly! Roller coasters, water slides, giant wheel, dashing cars, spaceship, dragon ride, lazy river, wave pool, and spinning tea cups. Going on every ride more than once. Wishing the day never ended. Not wanting to come out of playing in the water. All of these form a crucial part of my memorabilia of a wonderful, screen-less childhood.

The Viva
If you haven’t seen this video already, just take 13 minutes out of your day to watch it. It’s hilarious! It’s in Telugu, but the video has subtitles, so you’re covered. Akhilesh and I have watched it umpteen times, yet we still laugh out loud like the first time we watched it. Despite knowing each and every dialogue, each and every gesticulation, we’re never bored of it. We even re-enact some of the typical answers or mannerisms depicted in the video during our conversations. Do check it out, it’s bound to crack you up.

Thendral
The word for 'breeze' in Tamil, two of my favourite Tamil songs start with "Thendral Vandhu", namely Thendral Vandhu Theendum Bodhu and Thendral Vandhu Ennai Thodum. Being a Scrabble player and a language lover, I have a list of words I can call my "favourite." In Tamil, this is one such word.
(P.S. April is coming to an end, so is my challenge along with it. Could this be a way to start a new challenge in May, with a list of my favourite words? Stay tuned.)

Thippasandra
Known for street shopping and street food, this place in Bangalore reminds me of Gandhi Market in Mumbai. I’ve had chutney sandwich from the stalls and Mosambi (sweet lime) juice from the juice shop here. Moreover, every time my aunt from the US visits, we go to the Rajasthani guy at the end of the street. He not only speaks impeccable Kannada but is also swift and artistic in drawing Mehendi. Within ten minutes, my aunt, her daughter, and I, come back to my grandparents’ house with different designs drawn on our palms. I hope this mini-ritual continues for the years to come.

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [S]

Blog entry #19

Shah Rukh Khan | Secunderabad Railway Station | St. Thomas Mount | Sharda Residency

Shah Rukh Khan (Mumbai)
Also called King of Bollywood or King Khan, I was a fan ever since I watched my first ever movie in the theatre when I was one and a half years old - Dil Toh Pagal Hai (DTPH). No, I don’t remember that, it’s just the number of incidents my parents and relatives tell me that make me aware of that fact. They also tell me that from the movie, I would try to sing a song called Pyaar Kar. There’s a line that goes "Tu bhi sun bekhabar". At two years of age, there’s no way I could pronounce a tough word like "bekhabar" - too many plosives there! So, along with me, my parents would also sing it as "Tu bhi sun bebagar, pyaar kar" :) 

Secunderabad Railway Station (Hyderabad)
Travelling in Bus No. 212 to and from campus to Secunderabad Railway Station has been a different story each time. During the first two years, we travelled in groups (see my post on D) so we kept company amongst ourselves. The last two years, invariably, I’d find students with whom I don’t usually chat or hang out with in campus. So, it was a good opportunity to connect with such folks. The times I’ve travelled all by myself, I’d play a game with myself - memorise car number plates, calculate the sum of the last four digits of the license plates, and try and remember all the bus stops in-between my source and destination. The penultimate stop was Patny - this was where we’d get off to take a cab to go to high-end restaurants in Banjara Hills or Jubilee Hills. Or travel to our friends’ houses located in Begumpet or Himayat Nagar.

St. Thomas Mount
I’ve travelled to this place, called Adambakkam, by cab, auto, local train, metro, and my own car. Since here’s where my aunt’s house is, it was like my second home until I got married. My aunt and I hadn’t spoken much over the years other than meeting over summer holidays, whenever we would visit Chennai from Mumbai, or when there were a cousins' meet in Bangalore for vacations. But during the last two years, we developed such a strong bond, I can easily say our relationship is one of the best. Once we discovered we were so alike in different aspects, we would chat and giggle for hours together, each of us enjoying the other’s company. I’ve observed this pattern among few other girls too, where the bond they have with their Periamma (or Peddamma, or Mom’s elder sister), is extremely special.

Sharda Residency
This is the building in Bangalore where yet another aunt of mine stays. She’s my Mom’s eldest sister, and my aunt and uncle have lived in this house for as long as I can remember. When my parents shifted to Bangalore, this place was also 12 minutes away by car (see my post on M). An all-cousins meet here, when all of us were little school kids, takes me back to the times when Bangalore was indeed a garden city…

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [R]

Blog entry #18

Rangeelo Maaro Dholna | Ramana Sir | Rajinikanth | Richmond Road

Rangeelo Maaro Dholna (Mumbai)
Apart from being a popular Antakshari song, starting from 'R', I like this song because it takes me back to my childhood days, where my cousin Vijita (Viju) would dance to this song. She is proficient in Bollywood dance, and her movements were very graceful. I found this YouTube video recently, and all the steps Viju taught me came back to me just like that. She also taught me basic Mudras she learnt in school - I can still recall pataka, tripataka, ardha-pataka, mayura, ardha chandra, arala, mushti, sikhara, kataka-mukha, chandra kala, mirgasisha, simhamukha, alapadma, and bramhara. Dancing, learning from her, playing A LOT of Name-Place-Animal-Thing (see Vyoworld’s post on Q), sometimes Thing replaced with Movie - all these made every weekend of mine memorable and enjoyable!

Ramana Sir
Ramana Sonti Sir was a guest faculty at BITS Hyderabad. He hailed from ISB (I found a rare video of him singing an old Mohd. Rafi song in class; one of my fav songs too). Enrolling for a minor in finance was one the best decisions I ever took - I learnt a wide variety of subjects, helpful for me even today. Ramana Sir taught us SAPM - Security Analysis and Portfolio Management. We were introduced to the following concepts in that subject:
  1. Risk and return
  2. Fundamental analysis
  3. Efficient market hypothesis
  4. Markowitz Portfolio Selection Model
  5. Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) 
  6. Single index model - Sharpe Ratio
  7. Arbitrage Pricing Theory
  8. Time value of money (and YTM: yield to maturity)
To delve deep into these topics, Investopedia is a great site to start with. It explains the basics in a crisp manner, while also including relevant equations and diagrams. One day in class, I don’t remember what graph it was, but when Sir explained that it approached infinity, he remarked: "Some infinities are bigger than other infinities". While most of the class gave befuddled looks, I chuckled to myself because I was familiar with that reference. Then, Sir mentioned his daughter had read The Fault in our Stars, and he happened to catch this phrase from there! Finance is such an essential subject for everyone to master. Why don't they start teaching it from school itself?

Rajinikanth
Born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, he is not just a superstar or a sensation here in Chennai, but rather a "God". People literally "worship" him here. This video shows fans doing "Paal abhishekam", a sacred ritual involving bathing a deity with milk, which symbolises cleansing and purifying one’s own mind. The latter part is clearly not the case here! I might get chided, or beaten, if hardcore fans get to know this, but I have never seen any Rajinikanth movie in the theatre - like ever. Movies for me have to mean something, I prefer realistic plots and acts. But watching movies here in Chennai is not as entertaining as observing those in the theatre - not just Rajinikanth, but for anyone, be it Ajith, Schwarzenegger, or even a Bollywood hero; folks watching the movie will whistle, clap and hoot during a fight scene or a romantic one. If you’re simply visiting Chennai, do try going to the movie theatre once, especially Imax - you’ll enjoy the movie and the environment, I hope!

Richmond Road
Similar to going to Commercial street for shopping for my wedding gown, (see my post on C) we went to Vijayalakshmi silks located on Richmond Road in Bangalore, for my wedding saris shopping. We found a beautiful collection here, and we were impressed, but at the same, not too happy, about the fact that the shopkeeper tending to us was a polyglot. We tried to converse in 4 different languages, switching quickly so that he wouldn’t understand what we were saying, but those efforts were in vain.
Mom: "Idhi nacchinda?" (Did you like this?)
Shopkeeper: Nacchaledante idhi chudandi Madam (If you didn’t like that, then look at this [sari] Madam)
Aunt: Yeh kaisa laga? (How did you like this?)
Me: Colour thoda dull hai (The colour is a bit dull)
Shopkeeper: Yeh colour dull laga toh woh bright green vala dikhau? (If you found this colour dull, shall I then show you that bright green one?)
Similarly we couldn’t get away trying to converse in English, or even Tamil.
But in the end, we came out of the store with big bags and a big smile on our faces, so that’s what matters!
Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [Q]

Blog entry #17

Quixotic | Quid pro quo | Quest for Zest | Qui vive

Quixotic (Mumbai)
I can still recall the story of 'Don Quixote and Sancho Panza' from my 5th grade school book on literature. For this story, pronunciation was the first thing we learnt: "ki-ho-tey". This story also taught me the phrase "tilting at windmills", referenced in one of the later seasons in Suits (clip). You’ll also find this character referenced in TBBT (clip). Moreover, it’s a valid Scrabble word, and that’s a good thing, since with 'Q’ = 10 points, and 'X' = 8, this would be a high-scoring word if you got to play it. 'Quixote’ is valid too. Don Quixote was more of a silly character, and the word 'quixotic' came to be associated with 'unrealistic and impractical'. If you’d like to tell your kid this story, here’s a 12-minute animated version.

Quid pro quo
This Latin phrase for "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours", was commonplace in BITS Hyderabad, as I’m sure is in other colleges too. In campus, it’s always 'something for something' among students. You help me with my assignment, I can put in a word or two for your Dance Club inductions. Help me practise tennis, and I can help you understand electrical engineering 101. And so on. I guess this policy holds true in some corporations as well. Gone are the days of selflessness, perhaps.

Quest for Zest
I was very excited before, during and after my internship at Amazon Chennai. During my internship, I was pumped to be part of this huge conglomerate. Huge might still be an understatement, since this is the world’s largest online retailer, with having acquired several digital businesses too. My excitement did not end with the internship, of course. Once I joined as an FTE (full-time employee), I was eager to learn and work with the in-house technologies and frameworks. I am glad to say that my 'quest for zest' continues not only in my job, but also in other domains, say, like writing a blog? ;) 

Qui vive
It’s French for 'on the alert or lookout'. When driving in India, one has to be cautious, that goes without saying. But when in Bangalore, especially, one always has to be on the qui vive. It’s quite scary for a learner, a rookie driver. It’s been two years of my frequent visits there, but I flinch every time someone is so close you can see the colour of their eyes (Okay that was totally random). But yeah, if this city has the capability to become the top IT hub and is a dynamic city that beckons diverse populations, I hope it can do better with its "traffic situation" and therefore, "driving frenzy".

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [P]

Blog entry #16

Pace | Pelli choopulu | Perungudi | Pollen allergy

Pace
Pace IIT coaching class in Mumbai was where I went for IIT coaching during 11th and 12th grades. Other city folks might be more familiar with FIITJEE, Narayana, Chaitanya, Resonance, and Aakash Institute. These classes used to be fun - 6 to 9pm in the night - physics, chemistry, and math - math being my favourite, as always! I still recall some of the things we learnt in calculus. It wasn’t like a typical school classroom, the teachers there spoke mostly in Hindi. Although I did not get into IIT, attending those classes left me with one of the best friendships I have that continues till today, with my friend Gauri :) 

Pelli choopulu (Hyderabad)
This was the first ever Telugu movie I watched in the theatre. My first intro to Vijay Devarakonda as well, who won a national award for this film. I was in my third year, so by then I had a decent grasp on comprehending Andhra Telugu, although I wished some parts had subtitles. I liked the movie plot, and enjoyed the first half. I found the second half slightly dragging, but there was some light comedy which was entertaining. I learnt a new phrase for "mind your own business" with a tinge of sarcasm: "Naa chaavu nenu chasthaanu neeku enduku!?" (I’ll die my death, why do you care?)

Perungudi
My first home in Chennai, rightly called "Happy Home". This is a PG in Perungudi, just over a kilometre away from my office. I stayed here for almost a year, but only towards the end did I bond with my roommate Manupriya, with whom I’m still in touch with, gladly. Living in a PG was fun - it appealed to the inner self-discipline in me. I followed an amazing routine and was consistent with my daily habits, and everything was well-aligned to help me focus on my internship, because I badly wanted an offer! Walking to and from office was fun too, except for the heavy laptop and charger I had to lug around. Overall, it was simply splendid to have tried out the "PG experience" for once.

Pollen allergy
Every time I visited Bangalore, the most important item in my backpack was my inhaler. I know it sounds like I’m an NRI, but I really did have pollen allergy! (Why NRI? See Kenny Sebastian’s stand-up video on that) Just one day in Bangalore, and it would trigger bouts of sneezing - these were days before COVID, before people would give you dirty and scared looks if you sneezed. So it wasn’t an issue, just that it was tiring! Luckily, I don’t get those allergies anymore, but foreigners or sensitive immune system folks visiting Bangalore, hope you have your Zyrtec with you!

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April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [O]

Blog entry #15

One-day Treks | Ohri’s 70mm | OK Kanmani | Once bitten twice shy

One-day Treks
Once a year, Dad’s office organised one-day treks, and I joined him twice - once to Kothaligad Fort in Karjat, about 60 kms from Mumbai, and the other to Nanded Ghats. Not only was the expedition enjoyable, but also the dumb charades (Moment of truth: So this is what 'Dhamsharas' is actually spelt like!) played with Dad’s colleagues on the bus. My very first trek was 9kms up the mountain one way, I was in the 6th grade then. I was ecstatic, and the adrenaline pushed me to reach the summit before many others did, so on my way back down, I had a guide escort me back to the bus, while I waited for my Dad and the others to reach. Trekking is one fun activity to try out, if you haven’t already!

Ohri’s 70mm
This was a restaurant we’d go a group of friends, with more than one of us giving as combined treat, because it was listed as: $$$, aka "aukaat k bahar" (out of one’s league). This was my second theme-based restaurant in Hyderabad, this time the theme being: Bollywood - old and new. In this buffet-style restaurant, you can see framed movie posters on walls, photos on ceilings, and a few props here and there that symbolise a particular song. For instance, a black and white mannequin of Raj Kapoor and Nargis under an umbrella (song reference here). You know how you go to some places for the ambience more than the food? Well, this is one of such places.

OK Kanmani (Chennai)
O Kadhal Kanmani was the first of many DQ-Nithya movies I watched one after the other. I liked the light-hearted songs composed by AR Rahman for this movie, although the movie, not so much. But compared to Mani Ratnam’s usual style of movies like the terrorism trilogy, or other cathartic films, this was quite a shift in terms of its simplicity in romance and drama. If you’re not too picky about movies, like me, and would merely like an entertainer, you can give this a shot and you just might like it.

Once bitten twice shy
Twice, thrice, and always thereafter - that’s how Bangalore speed breakers are designed - to make you meek, to give in, to destroy your ego. Here, you’ll find both intentional and unintentional speed bumps. Calling them bumps is a total understatement - they are speed 'breakers' - they will break you, your speed, you confidence, and self-esteem (if you had one to begin with, that is). It is a shattering experience, especially for a car with low ground clearance, you will have to decelerate to 0 kmph and then go over it. Despite all this, it doesn’t deter those who prefer speeding from one speed breaker to the next. Who’s to tell them that that speed is just an illusion!

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [N]

Blog entry #14

Nerul | Nakko (and Hau) | Naduvula konjam pakkatha kaanom | Never say never

Nerul
Sector 27 - Just Books CLC. 
Sector 21 - Cine Homes earlier, now Sun Star Apartments
These two places would always be etched in my memory. Also, Jhama Sweets, Gupta’s Sandwich, and Haware Mall - which was newly constructed at that time, in 2011. Weekends with Dad were super fun - driving from Chembur to Nerul to visit my cousins, while stopping on the way to visit Mom’s library, and then going near Uran highway so I could practise driving once I got my license. At my cousins’ place, we’d order sandwich, without the spicy green chutney for me, chaat - sev puri, dahi batata puri and bhel, while tea and coffee would be made at home, due to everyone’s different specifications for beverage!

Nakko and Hau (Hyderabad)
'Na' and 'haan' in Gujarati, 'Naahi' and 'Ho' in Marathi, 'Nahi' and 'Haan' in Hindi, and 'No' and 'Yes' in English - these were what 'Nakko' and 'Hau' were in Hyderabadi Hindi. Here is a clip if you’d like to get a taste of more such words. The complete phrase to say yes to someone is not just Hau, but 'Hau miyaan'. Miyaan loosely translates to fellow. If Hyderabadi Hindi is an amalgamation of Hindi, Telugu, and Urdu, shouldn’t they choose a word that’s easy to say? Nakko seems like putting in more effort than simply saying 'Na' or 'Nahi'. Nakko is also the Marathi word for 'don’t want', but it’s more like ’Nako', without the emphasis on 'K'. Hyderabadis also add 'aan' to make an object plural: chappal - chappalan; baat - baataan; So a brief conversation might go something like this:
Pattha (friend): Mera chappalan kidhar miyaan? (Where are my slippers?)
Kiraak (Kewl Dude): Humko kya maalum? (What do I know?)
Pattha: Dekho Chiccha, Baigan ke baataan nakko karo. (Look here dude, don’t speak nonsense)
Kiraak: Hau miyaan, yeh lo chappalaan. (Ok man, here are your slippers)

Naduvula konjam pakkatha kaanom
This movie was my very first introduction to Vijay Sethupathi. The movie is based on a true story, with the director’s friend, the cinematographer of the movie, suffering from retrograde amnesia a few days before his wedding. The movie features an ensemble cast, so to speak, and its genre can be classified as funny, maybe hilarious in some places. I watched this movie when I was new to Chennai and to Chennai Tamil, so when I was searching for subtitles for this movie, several sites kept showing me: "Eng Subs (a few pages are missing in between)". I was wondering why so many different websites had faulty subtitles, with incomplete text. Little did I know, that’s what the title of the movie translated to! Thanks to the subtitles, at least after the movie, I didn’t ask like the hero kept asking: "Enna Aachu?" (What happened?)

Never say never
I’m not referring to the song by Justin Bieber featuring Jaden Smith, no. The news of my parents having to shift to Bangalore came suddenly, and we were in a state of shock for some time. Never did we think we’d have to move out of Bombay for any reason, never did we imagine we’d have to adjust to different living conditions and standards, never did we foresee we’d have to eat long, dark green cucumbers instead of the short, light green ones… But on the other hand, never did we imagine a closer-than-ever bond with my aunt, uncle, cousin and my grandparents. Never did we imagine we’d have to make frequent trips between Bangalore and Chennai and that they would be so easily achievable, and economical. As my Dad would say: "Ellaam nanmaike" (Whatever happens, happens for the best). So I guess, never say never.

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April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [M]

Blog entry #13

Miley jab hum tum | Mayabazar | Mahamudra | Mayur Paradise

Miley jab hum tum (Mumbai)
I’d watch this 8pm show every night when I was in grades 8 and 9. It was perfect for sitting in front of the TV while having dinner. 7:30-8pm was reserved for That’s So Raven on Disney. Mom too, would sit with me and watch this show. I not only recall their character names - Samrat and Gunjan (the actors got married in real life too!), Mayank and Nupur, Dia and Dodo (aka Uday Bhaiyya), but also the songs that were played frequently, or rather sung by the character Gunjan - "Yeh Zindagi" and "Kya Hua Yeh". This show was simple and sweet, along with light romance. And one did not see hardcore revenge-seeking villainous characters, as you do in serials today. Wish we could bring simplicity and cuteness back to TV!

Mayabazar
Mayabazar (meaning: market of illusions) was my first theme-based restaurant in Hyderabad. (The first theme-based restaurant I went to in Chennai was Kaidi’s Kitchen). The restaurant was named after the 1957 epic fantasy movie of the same name. The menu was typically Mughlai - we’d order a biryani, or roti, subzi and raita. This was a slightly pricey restaurant for us during hostel days, and we’d have to take a bus to Karkhana, which was farther away and took 45 minutes. So, coming to Mayabazar was a luxury, you could say. Ah, hostel days. Teaches you frugality, among other things.

Mahamudra
Located in Mylapore in Chennai, this is a restaurant started by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. I’ve been here once, along with my parents, aunt and grandparents. Akhilesh and I were not yet married then, but everyone knew about him. So, when we glanced through the menu and under rotis, we spotted 'Akki roti', my granny started teasing me, saying: "I bet you’d order this!" :P We enjoyed eating sattvic food here, for a change. The restaurant had a pleasant ambience, and we visited the exhibition downstairs of hand-crafted items post lunch.

Mayur Paradise
When my grandparents shifted from Bombay to Bangalore, this was their home. When my parents shifted to Bangalore, they chose a place that took about 12 minutes by car to reach here. Due to unplanned constructions near Mayur Paradise (MP), the roads started deteriorating, and stayed that way. Somehow, the number of speed bumps along the way also increased. So, earlier I would be excited to drive Dad’s car from home to MP or back. These days, all three of us get excited to walk there, even though it takes 45 minutes! It’s totally worth it, since we get to walk on the pavements within DRDO, and under the shades of trees.

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [L]

Blog entry #12

Le cafe | Leonia | Lucky da Dhaba | Look out for the elephant 

Le cafe
This cafe was walkable from our building in Chembur, Mumbai. My friends and I have been here a couple of times, once when I gave them a treat. The fun part was also walking and talking in pairs, as we were a big group of 10 members. Once we were there, the first thing we’d order is a fondue bucket. Whatever snack or food we ordered, everything would be dipped into the cheesy fondue before it went into our mouth. Nachos, sandwiches, and fries. Not sure if any other place serves something like this…

Leonia
In lieu of staying in the popular and closer Alankrita Resorts (near my campus in Hyderabad), every time my parents visited, we’d stay in Leonia Resorts. It was a better experience in terms of the sumptuous breakfast they offered - I could eat 2 of the perfectly prepared masala omelettes each time, and more! Leonia also has a movie theatre, and although I didn’t go there with my parents, I sure did with my friends. Staying in Leonia over the weekend was a refreshing break for me from staying the hostel as usual. And of course, better company ;)

Lucky da Dhaba
This place was not like any other Punjabi Dhaba. Quite a small place, it was always crammed, probably because of its smart location opposite 3 IT parks in Chennai. Whenever one of my teammates had to treat the rest of us, it was always this place when we were too hungry to wait for our orders in Cheesy Juicy Burgers, located right opposite our office, with one poor soul managing the entire place. In Lucky da Dhaba, I always ordered the Cheese Paratha, along with any of the subzis, all of which I found spicy. This guy would also serve you masala chaas (buttermilk) in a beer bottle - ekdamm isshtyle mein! (in total style!) But once his competitor Kake da Dhaba opened much closer to 2 of the IT parks, we started going there more often. Hope Lucky doesn’t have to push his luck too far to continue being in business. Good luck to him!

Look out for the elephant 
Once we moved to Bangalore, all my books which were in my room back in Mumbai, were now scattered across the different bookshelves available in the new house. Sometimes when I like to just wander around the house picking up random books I haven’t read before, I turn it around to read the synopsis to see if I should borrow it from Dad. One day, a book that my parents bought me when I was in grade 4 caught my eye. It’s called "Look out for the elephant and other stories" - no points for guessing the author - Enid Blyton, of course. When I sat and flipped through its pages, I was surprised to find I could recall each and every story in that book. And the phrase which stayed with me all these years - "Shut the door Greenie, shut it!" Enid Blyton - she makes you visualise everything that’s happening as if you were there, and things were taking place around you. I also remember certain stories from the O’Clock Tales I read - 5 through 8. If you take your kid to a bookstore sometime and you spot this ol’ book, be sure to pick it up, it contains a wide variety of imaginative stories.

Image courtesy: Google ©

April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [K]

Blog entry #11

Kumbaya | Kathe | Kavan | 'Kannada gotthila'

Kumbaya (Mumbai)
"Kumbaya My Lord, Kumbaya" was one of our school prayers until grade 5. Our principal explained to us that this was a West African song, an appeal to God to come and help those in need, and that Kum ba yah was actually "Come by here". The prayer went something like: "Someone is crying Lord, Kumbaya", "Someone is singing Lord, Kumbaya". This and a few other prayers stay with me even today. I remember them like it was yesterday. It felt nice to have all students gather in the assembly and sing together for a few minutes. School prayers - do we even have 'em anymore?

Kathe
Yet another Hyderabadi Hindi word. Kathe is "kehte rehte hai" shortened. (see post on H: dikhru - shortened form for dikh raha hu). This is the equivalent of Anamaata in Telugu (see post on A).  Also used at the end of sentences to state what happened, this was often heard among students living in Hyderabad. Observing their slang, it only reminds me of all the Bombay Hindi words that are intrinsic within us Mumbaikars - when exclaiming, we automatically say "Aila!", and anyone who’s lived in Bombay long enough, expresses mild frustration with "Arre yaar!" So when we hear our Hyderabadi friends use "Kathe", we immediately say: "Arre yaar…"

Kavan
I had a short run of watching Tamil movies in 2018, one year after I moved to Chennai. By then, I was both a Vijay Sethupathi and a T. Rajendar fan. I found this movie to be just okay, not as great as I found Vikram Vedha, which I recommend as a must-watch. But one TR phrase stuck with me after this movie. When he dupes the villain and comes out on top, he tells a dialogue, which was apparently his own from an older movie, which starts with: "Vaada en macchi, vaazhakka bajji". So when Akhilesh and I are playing Scrabble and I have an edge over him, or a place for a bingo that he can’t spoil, I happily recite:
"Vaada en machi, vazhaka bajji"
"Un udamba pichi, potuduven bajji!"

'Kannada gotthila'
As Bangalore suddenly grew into the #1 dynamic city, surpassing even New York, rapidly establishing IT companies and startups, there was one other good thing that happened. The language problem kinda-sorta went away. You find most folks as polyglots in Bangalore. They can not only speak Kannada and Hindi, but also English, Telugu and Tamil. But one phrase that still comes in handy at certain small shops or with Auto fellows who are not Uber or Ola Auto guys, is this: "Kannada gotthila". It means "I don’t know Kannada." Once you’ve established that, you have to figure out how to continue the conversation in the next best language that has to be common between the two of you, usually Hindi. But telling this phrase right at the start saves them the trouble of repeating and keeps you from staring at them blankly, like a cat got your tongue!

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April A-Z Challenge: A Tale of Four Cities [J]

Blog entry #10

Jai Jawan Library | Jalebis | Jujubee | Jackfruit tree

Jai Jawan Library
It’s a small shop with mostly second-hand books, and an old man running his library in Derasar Lane in Mumbai. You could borrow upto 4 books and return them within 2 weeks, so I would happily take Secret Seven, Famous Five, Fatty series, Amelia Jane, Brer Rabbit and Malory Towers books one after the other in sets of 4, and binge read daily for hours together. Ah those golden times. I still binge read, but not for more than an hour nowadays. From grades 3 to 5, I would walk every alternate day to this library to borrow new books and coming back home beaming. I have this library and of course, Enid Blyton, to thank for making me an avid reader.

Jalebis (Hyderabad)
I’m not a sweets person - the only sweets I could eat 2 of at a time, were Kaju Katli and Pista roll. In my second year in campus, I called up Mom after having mess dinner one night and she almost fell off her chair. The news I gave her was that I ate not one but two: Jalebis!!! You could call it a phase shift. From them on, anything you gave me - mysore pak, soan papdi, malpoa, pedas, gulab jamun, I’d say: bring it on! I didn’t slide to the other extreme, it’s just that I became more of a yes man, woman rather, wrt trying out different sweets. 

Jujube
In Chennai, when you want to tell someone a task is a piece of cake, you’d simply say: "Idhu Jujube". I didn’t know Jujube was a small fruit until recently. Thanks to my Chennai cousins, I also learnt other local slang words like Jujube, mass, Pista, and Appatakkar. It’s fun when you say it the right way, with the accent, and boy does it surprise and sometimes, elicit a laugh with those unsuspecting. 

Jackfruit tree
I love all fruits, except one - the jackfruit. It has a distinct smell (I’m controlling my urge to say stench lest I get hit in the head with one - it’s a big fruit! To each their own, eh?) and I cannot get myself to eat it despite adding it to my new year resolutions every year for the past three years. In Bangalore, we pass a huge jackfruit tree en route to grandma’s house. It’s not a particularly scenic route, there are residences of people working in DRDO, a basketball court, empty most of the times when we pass by it, and a normal-looking petrol pump. This one tree is the most fascinating thing you can see on the way. Nature is simply marvellous - this tree can hold lots of heavy fruits hung high up its branches.
Fun fact: jackfruits are also known to grow from the underground roots in some rare cases, wherein the fruit cracks the ground over it and emerges outside.

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