Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Kela no: 1

04:42:21

Mahesh, the muhurth is at 6 am and we need to leave atleast by 5:30.. Wake up..Amma and I have taken our bath, Appa is in and you are next...
Viddu, do I really need to come ? I mean, I did not wake up before 6 even on Diwali and here we are talking about the Upanayanam of some second cousin...whats his name...Nishant... I've never met in my whole life and I'm expected to change my holiday habits......
But the entire family is congregating da. Murali mama is coming all the way from Singapore and you can't move your fat ass from BTM to Hebbal....
Its a bloody Sunday dammit..besides you guys need me only as a chauffeur...Why don't you take the car ? I'll manage with Pri's Zen...
The pottery class again ?
Yeah...Don't feign as if you don't know...
Hmmm...so what time will you come to the mandap then ?
Class is from 9 to 12.. I will come for lunch but remember, I am not staying beyond 2...
Movie ?
Yeah... and I have something else lined up too...
Is today the day ?
Maybe.. Haven't decided... will go with the flow..
All the best da...
Vidya, avana udu...He won't come somberi...Vandila petrol irukaada ?
Full tank ma...

08:33:19

Good morning Mahesh...
Hi Pri...
You sound very groggy...slept well ?
Illadi.....got woken up at 4:45 again... and as usual had to fight to stay off the function......
But you should be attending such get-togethers....
Not another lecture pls...OK...
Do you realise you promised to come and pick me at 9...which is like 26 minutes away...
Listen, can you go by auto today ? Something else has suddenly turned up and I need to borrow your car....Of course, I will pick u back from class...
No problem..Come home and take the keys from Mom..so eppo varuva ?
Quarter to 12... the usual ? fine ?
Yes buddy...
Chill....

12:02:54

Been waiting long ?
Nopes...Just came a couple of minutes back...How did the class go ?
...and what should my answer be ?
Hahaha... You are right.. Whatever you say, I don't get it... so why ask... you are right...
Finally you're seeing some reason...So what plans for today ?
Can we just drop in at that function ? Periamma called and blasted me...Thalai kaamichittu vandhudlaam......
Appa....Thank God you finally relented...But I am not appropriately dressed and this is a family affair where I won't fit in so why don't you go ahead and we'll meet later when you're free...
Are you mad ? If you come I'll atleast be able to wriggle out earlier.. Please don't refuse deee...
Uffff.....fine... let's go....

12:25:28

Amma, Mahesh anna has come...Hello anna, you've become taller...
Hahaha...and so have you Ajit....
Akka kaettiya... anna also thinks I am taller...
He knows anything else will upset you...Stop making a fuss about it Ajit...You'll grow, don't worry...Hello Mahesh...
Hey Shwets, how did the sem exams go ?
Good. Thank you.
Harini enga ? Aala kaanum ?
Anna, she is in the Store room with Brinda manni arranging the thamboolam packets...
Dei Ajit, how is your tennis coming along ? I told you to come home and borrow my Wilson and you haven't come yet...
Vendaam Mahesh... As it is, he wastes so much time with sports..Next year he has his board exams and he has to start now....
There you go, playing typical elder sis....Give him space Shwets.. He'll do fine...
Yeah.. Btw, Mahesh, aren't you gonna introduce your friend to us ?
Ohho... sorry.....Ajit and Shweta, meet Priyadharshini my friend...Pri, Ajit and Shweta are my second cousins...My mom's eldest cousin's kids....
I am no kid...
Hahahaha.. I know you're doing your post grad but you'll always be my kid sis, Shwets...Ah, there comes Harini...
Ayyyoooooooo..Mahesh, eppo vandha ? You've become fatter...chaaaaa... no exercise-a ? And lips are black...dhum uttutannu sonna ?
Cheee podeee...Harini, meet my friend Priyadharshini...I can see Saambu Periappa coming... Let me go meet him before he sees me... why don't you folks chat up till then...and Harini, no kusumbu ok ?
Seri seri.. Nee poda illena Periappa vandhu kadiya poduvaar inga...
Akka, can we call you Priya ?
Of course Ajit...So you play tennis huh ?
Aamaam akka...Was more regular when we were in Calcutta but ever since we moved last year haven't quite settled down.
No problem.. Mahesh has friends in the Koramangla Club so maybe you can take his help...
He already has...Neway don't let Ajit bore you with his stories.. Why don't you tell us about yourself ? What do you do Priya ?
I work as a fashion designer...I help my brother who runs a garment store....
Wowww.. Very interesting...You're a Bangalorean ?
Yes. Was born here, studied a couple of years in Chennai but everything else has been in Bangalore. I stay in Malleshwaram.
Oh ho..and how do you know Mahesh ?
Common friends.

Hey Priya, nee eppo vandha ? Thanks ma.. Mahesh naan sonna ketka maattan.. Thanks for bringing him here...
No Aunty..I tried to convince him but finally I think he made his own decision... You know how obstinate he can be !!
Ha Ha Ha...Still thanks ma..Its such a relief that he hangs out more with sensible people like you....andha Venky veetukku varumbodhellam bayamma irukku...I need to go now but u shud definitely stay back and join us for lunch... Harini, Priya kootindu introduce her to all our family...
Seri Chithi...
Bye...

12:29:26

You don't worry... I shan't do anything like that if you are uncomfortable..
Thanks a million Harini.. you know how embarassing it can be...
So Aunty knows you huh ?
Ya.. I've been home a couple of times...
Mahesh took you home ?
Ya... why do you ask ?
Illa... aise hi...and is your brother married ?Do you have any other sisters ?
Forget Shweta... You tell us where and when did you meet Mahesh first ?
Yeah akka.. Tell us no...
I hope you don't think we are intruding...
No No.. though I am just a little curious about why I am suddenly being questioned...
Nothing to be afraid of.. We are just two curious cats...
Mahesh and I... we met sometime in October just before I went abroad..I used to work in a software firm at that time......I think it was at PVR that we first met..You know that place right ? At The Forum on Hosur Road..
Yeah.. I know....and then how did you become friends ?
He was there with Divya and my best buddy Shiv.. You might be knowing them.. Divya is Mahesh's really close friend...
Shiv...Oh he was Harini Akka's friend too in college..
Really ? I did not know that...
We studied in Chennai together and even dated for sometime.. but adhu kidakudhu... you tell us about you and Mahesh...
Nothing...there is no story.. so we got introduced there...and we've been friends since then...
C'mon, there is more to this... We are all part of the same family now..You can tell us...We'll keep your secrets...
Harini, plssssssssss...
Nee summa irudi Shweta...
There are no secrets at all. Neway can I ask some qustions now ?
Of course...but just two questions and we will tell you...
This Mahesh... Was he always a woman's man ? See, he's just been here for 15 mts and he is already flirting with that girl.. Yaar aval ?
Oh adhuva.. She is Mythili...Brinda manni's neighbour's daughter...Avalukku eppovume oru kannu Mahesh mela...
Mythili akka is a University basketball player...See how tall she is.. Mahesh anna and she talk a lot about sports...
Is that all you had to ask ?
You haven't answered my question..
See Priya..Mahesh has a lot of women friends but none of them are close.. I mean, its all platonic relationships...Wait....Are you talking of Manjusha and Bhargavi ?
Yes. So you know everyone in Mahesh's life huh ?
You can say that...
Then how come you didn't know about me ?
Appdinnu oru act kudutha nambittela ?
No undue respect pls...
I don't think you have any competition...Mahesh has never taken any of those women home...
Who was talking about competition ?
I just thought you sounded a trifle insecure.
You are too much Harini. OK..One more question ? I assume you won't discuss any of this with Mahesh...
Of course not... Our lips are sealed
Why does your brother always watch movies from 2 to 6 ? Why this fetish for matinees ? Why does he hate staying out after 6 pm ?
Mahesh hates crowds
....so ?
Illa Priya.. what Shwets means is that Mahesh is not the kinda guy who will go out on a date when the streets are crowded so that he can flaunt his gal or something..He likes his space.. he values his privacy...Besides his point is that since we have come out anyway to watch the movie, how should show timings matter ?...I know thats crazy but thats him..
...but i like my afternoon siesta...
all the more reason why he prefers matinees coz he feels people waste too much time over the weekends doing nothing...
And what does he do later in the evening ?
Akka, idhu kooda theriyaadha.. Sunday evenings are for football in the TV or snooker at Raju mama's house and Saturday mornings are for cricket..Anna is the fiercely sporty kind...
I know...so idhu dhaan kadhaya ?
You speak good Tamil for a Kannadiga..
No No.. We are Thamizh and we speak thamizh at home... basically from Kumbakonam...
OK
So how long have you been going steady ?
No No.. I am not his girlfriend.. We are just good pals...
Ha Ha Ha
Nejama pa...
Ha Ha Ha
Harini, sirikaadha...Mahesh is coming..
Hey guys. sorry Pri but I got held up... and there's more bad news.. Periappa says no leaving without lunch..Why are giggling, Ajit ?
Onnum illa anna..
hey Harini, I can see that mischiveous gleam in your face.. Been upto your usual tricks ?Sathyama illapa.. You ask your girlfriend, naan onnume pannala...
Lets have lunch... we need to leave...

13:17:13

Why are you so silent ?
Nothing
C'mon, you can tell me. Did my cousins say something wrong ?
Not at all. On the contrary, they were great fun...
Yeah.. though I would not trust that Harini one bit....she is a real devil...
Hmmm
Did you get to meet any of my relatives ?
No
Amma told me she saw you...I am sorry..
Its OK
Aren't we having a very monotonous conversation ?
Yes
Did not know it was the day of monosyllables today..
Sorry...All your cousins think I am your girlfirend...
Is it ?
Thats not much of a reply...
So what do you think ?
I don't think I was ever asked...
Yeh sub poochna padtha hai kya ?
Of course.. why do you have to take everything for granted ?
OK OK.. I adore you...
Is that supposed to be comprehended as "You are my girlfriend"
You should have been a lawyer...
Hmmm..

13:22:55

The food was great, wasn't it ?
Awesome it was... the vada though could have had some more uppu...
Don't worry... we won't let it happen at our wedding....
Mahesh, you are impossible..
Why ? What is it now ?
Why do you keep doing it all the time ?
Now what deee....ayyoooo...
Wait...let me put it this way...did you just ask me to marry you ?
If you want to put it that way... but I thought you already knew...
I didn't.. In fact, look at it this way... I just heard that you were serious about our realtionship a minute back...
The girlfriend thing ?
Aur kya.. and now you talk about marriage....
I didn't know you were so slow in taking hints..I thought we had passed that stage a long time back...
Women don't know.. they need to be told Mahesh....
Fine
.......and are there any other suprises in store for me today ?
Now that you mention, I do have a ring in my jeans which I proposed to use later in the evening...
omigawddd.....
...but since we are already there, maybe I should do it now...
No No No.. DON'T....
No what ?
Don't propose..
But why ? You don't like me...
I know you are not going to like this... but hear me out.. I think we are rushing too quickly here.. Waittt.. Its not me.. I know I love you and I haven't wanted anything more than this... But I think I don't deserve you...You are way too nice...There are sides to me you haven't seen....I want you to think this through a little more carefully....
Can I make a point here ? Will you give me a little more credit ? Will you please let me decide what I want ?
Don't get angry Mahesh...Can you pls do this for both of us... Can you wait for some more time ? I want you to be crystal clear before you take this huge step..
I am clear even now..
Please....
Fine...
You ok ?
Hmmm
Look at me baba...
Am driving...
Don't sulk baba..
I am not..
If you're not feeling like it, we can ditch the movie..
No...
Neway which movie are we seeing ?
%$#@
Why are you swearing ?
Nothing..
Which movie are we going ?
Lucky: No Time for Love

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

You suffer from a terrible Vikraman + SA Rajkumar hangover. Ella kadhaiyum orey maadhiri irukku :)

Unknown said...

mama....i agree to what the guy above has said,....all the stories are the same machchi..there are more things than women decent love affairs and family dramas...though I cldnt have matched his expression...

make something without women, something racy and exciting.....no more soaps....

okie now dont put up a blog, which says my readers are dictating what i shld do....

Jupe said...

The first two kadhais I ever wrote were as different as they get... a coming-of-age story of a Bhagyaraj crazy small town boy and an emotional story about a middle aged man stuck between his terribly conservative, religious father and his modern, agnostic rebel son...By any yardstick I am sure they were decent efforts but the fact was that nobody liked it...and then mush happened ;-) To quote Bharathiraja, kaadhal illama indha ulagamey illapa....hence love subjects :-p mebbe there is a heavy tilt towards teeny urban stuff... so ungalukkaaga oru graamathu kaadhal kadhai venumna ezhudraen....

Maams, look at it this way...Vikraman padam odicha illaya ? SP Rakjumar oru round vandhaana illaya ? anga dhaan nikkiraan chandiran :-p

MAVIS HOME -HOME RETAIL said...

2229 words(Yepp i counted all of em ) in 7 colors ; time frames in pico seconds ....

Boss, Aapko ladki ya shaadi ki sakt zarurat hai ...

Jupe said...

For sthg that was typed at 2:45am , I thought I did a fine job of getting the colors right.. Nobody gives me credit :-(

Need of the hour: relief from insomnia (or) India Fashion Week on TV ;-)

ps: I thought women gave men sleepless nights..Isn't that jes gonna exacerbate the problem ?

Anonymous said...

Hey Jupieeeeeeeeee,

Ta daaaaaaa ...... I am back!!! ;)

Ur virulent critic is back to ur rescue - so Mahesh is the new found identity huh (guess his intro happened in 'The Man' loved that short story)!!!

Looks like u upset Venks, u shudn't have used his name for the 'bad influence' pal in Mahesh's life - lesson one - never use the names of thy critics

samme colour paiyan da nee, anna summa solla kudadhu bayangara eye for detail :D

I liked the flow of the conversation, devoid of 'every time I open my mouth I am going to be smart' kidda dialogue!!!

Mush.....oops I mean 'Romance' is thy world and you shall truly rule!!!

Susie

Jupe said...

Susie,
You rock... You absolutely rock....U know sthg.. U r the second person who's told me that most of my characters aren't 'normal' and that they always seem to be making wiseguy comments :-p This one really took a lot of effort from my side to tone down the language...

Mushy, I am NOT.. Romantic, I would like ot believe but alas..I think feel-good is the apt word...

Venks was definitely unintentional and Mahesh is surely NOT me..Don;t read too much between the lines..Plssssssss nambu :-p

Needless to say, its a delight to have you back reading my stuff... Hope one Ramakrishnan's gain is not another's loss ;-)

Anonymous said...

I try to believe that i am a win-win kind of a person ;))

Jupe said...

Touche ma'am :-)

Anonymous said...

machaan, am sorry if Im gonna hurt U, but... but... ithaiyum copy adichiya andha oalan kitae irundhu???

Jupe said...

Ennada olarra ? Ippo ellam nee pesradhey enakku puriyala... Kalyaanum panniko baadu... Paatti sonna pecha kelu ;-)

ps: Mail me..

Unknown said...

Okie Susie : Didnt even know there was a Venks in the narration...the blog was so racy,mushy and rivetting tht I gave up in a nano second....

Jupiee seriousa machchi...i think u can do much better than these soaps...its people like Susie..who keep u going...
1) they read it fully
2) They appreciate it..
3) They ask you for more...

man..i know ur target segement is housewives between the age group 23- 38, have washing machine and servant maid at home..

neways atleast once throw away those spinless yarns...and weave one for the man...in you!! (is he still there ??)

Jupe said...

One of the first lessons Marketing teaches u is that you cannot be something for everyone.. you have to be everything for someone... That is the secret of good STP :-p

My target audience though not restricted to housewives of 23-38 is more or less well defined..If u think u arent a part of it, nobody is putting a gun to your head and asking u to read it..

Kamal makes one movie for his fans and then follows it up with a movie for himself (the man inside him to quote Venks)..Needless to say his hit rate is 50%... Rajini makes movies only for his fans.. his success rate (save Baba where he tried to sway away from formula) is 100%...Naan Kamal a illa Rajini ya nnu naan dhaane mudivu seyyanum... enna solra Susie ;-)

PS: If you still feel i should stop mush, YASH CHOPRA va nirutha sollu naan niruthren... RJA nirutha sollu naan niruthren...Like in MMKR: Catch my point !!

Anonymous said...

Jupiee, idha gavani da, naan vandha neram onakku double digit comments - what treat do i get???!!!

Venks - chill mams, long time since i visited ur blog, hope u r taking care of everyone's daily dose of adrenalin - enna vedio game kadhai ezhudhindrikiya????

Jupes, avanga ellarum (yash/KJ/etc) niruthinaalum, nee nadathu mame, yenna un vazhi thani vazhi ;)

Susie