CLASS NOTES ANEW

The real monsoon in Munnar was hard but short and seems to be over just like the striking of a lightning. Now once again its sunny days in Munnar but don't know for how long. The classes this year started slowly and sleepily like any other odd semesters in the midst of the rains on the top of this hill.
I am given a new responsibility - handing classes for the final years - lecturing on a purely theoretical yet interesting, completely tedious and mind- numbing subject - Industrial Organization and Management.

I have decided to ask them more questions and make them think rather than theoretical lessons. We have some fun sessions also to boggle the minds of this intelligent bunch of people. My class notes are published weekly on a new blog :

Classnotesmadeeasy.blogspot.com
The main aim of designing that blog is just to make sure that STUDENTS feel comfortable with my class notes, i.e. every detail which I discuss in class has been portrayed there point wise.

So that is not a site which gives any detail information for in depth study and research but a page which provides a site into my lecture notes.
I hope students are benefited in some way or the other through the blog.

My Little son,Gabby

When I watch my little son trying to do every small thing that we grown ups do in a big way, I admire his curiosity and confidence. His bright eyes shining Gabby fiddles with every household item and has his hands on all the electronic items like TV, DVD etc. In the last 6 months I have thrice changed my mobile phone because of the catastrophe it was subjected to many times. The TV remote is partially working and the fridge door is almost done. With his tweak sounding shoe on he tries to peep through every hole in my garden to experiment even the wildest ants and insects. We got our front area cemented recently because when it was muddy Gabby jumped into and played in the slushy pool of water that gets accumulated after rain.
Gabby’s lenient, easy going and ever smiling grandfather who was a like strict military officer until Gabby’s birth is always on Gabby’s side, supporting and comforting Gabby when he gets scolded and punished. Gabby acts as though he has not heard any thing when my husband scolds him hard and takes advantage of his grandmother and runs to her as though she is his entire world. I had left him alone in the dining hall just for a few minutes and when I came back I noticed that he had broken all the tea mugs one by one and was fiddling with the glass pieces. My husband got very furious at him and started to scold him, but he acted as though he did not hear a word what was said.
Recently we set up a new aquarium in our living room with 12 new golden fish. Gabby was around it 24/7. Unable to reach it because we had set it a little higher from the floor, he was very upset. But still he was amused and always thought about it.Before sleep he used to say these two words- Mee- Mee and as soon as he gets up in the morning he repeats the same words. Now he has grown a little taller and is capable of climbing onto the sofa to reach the aquarium and his hands are always on the water. Trying to hold the fish, sometimes taking it alive out and then putting it back again, trying to take out the pebbles and all mischievous things with the aquarium. I wonder when he is going to give a farewell for it once and for all.
I must add that even at this age he has a keen interest in music and keeps his ears open to good songs. He pauses when there is good music around and tries to imitate sometimes. In the evenings when I paint, he watches me closely and tries to hold the brush and paint as well. We all applaud and congradulate him when he kicks the ball with a bend professionally….. it is a real joy that God has blessed us with.

Sleepy Confessions:

I wanted to add this note deliberately in this public blog because it was parked long before on my private one, but whenever I read through it I was amused and I wanted to share the joy of this simple confession to others – especially my batch mates with whom I had loads of fun in class.
Today in class room when am lecturing I hate some students who fall asleep and some of them are deep in sleep even before I enter as though they worked in rice mills the previous night. I justify my anger because I have worked hard to prepare my lecture notes so that they can score high.
But when I think about my student life I should confess that all this mischief was certainly a part of mine too. By the grace of God I was able to be a university Gold medalist in graduation with the help of my parents, teachers and friends, but I have to admit that I was NOT A TOTAL BOOK WORM. I loved to sleep in the hostel after lunch even though I had exams the next day and never liked to do mathematical problems in class room when the lecturer teaches. In class rooms sometimes when it is a really boring class like CIM or OM, mostly all of us feel sleepy and we end up pinching each other when the lecturer turns toward the board.. 
Especially in the morning, first hour I used to feel very tired and that was for no reason at all. My back bench people used to sleep off the first hour and be energized in the next. But I used to somehow manage to sit awake in the first hour but in the second and the third, I couldn’t help my eyelids shutting down by themselves. Holding hard on the bench some times sitting upright I have fallen asleep.
Exactly at 10.45 AM my bench mate Padu and myself used to open our purses and pull out a 10 rupee note each so that as soon as our lecturer goes out of the borrring class room we can run out to the canteen for a short break( which normally is long and we enter the next class evidently late).
The canteen would always be buzzing with activity and the smell of hot bajjis would drag us before we quench our eagerness. Chatting with seniors and discussing about a desalination project or reengineering, we would just sit in the canteen for the next 10 to 15 minutes landing late to class. Now it would not be just the two of us who are late comers but some of our other friends also. Pushing one against the other some how we would apologize and manage to get into the class… ready for the next nap.

Mystified in Mysteries

Confused and distressed I am and so I scribbled these here….
The funny thing about life is that
When you are too good,
Then you are branded a nut or a dumb.
If you are cautious you are called a chaloo.
If you are trying to be sufficient and sovereign,
Then you are called self-centered.
If you are saving money then you are called a miser;
Spending then a lavish or spendthrift.
If you are religious you are called a fanatic,
And if you are an atheist, you are called agnostic.
If you are romantic you are called a lunatic; talkative, then a flirt.
When assertive they call you rude,
When dignified they call you a head weight.
If you sleep when you want to, they call you lazy,
When you are awake when they sleep, they call you tireless or bookworm.
If you dress up colorful they call you glamorous,
And if you are professional they call you dull.
If you are thinking for some time, they call you a day dreamer,
And if you are listening they call you silent.
Though they say all this, none is there when in need
Neither in deed, not even to heed.
But mostly we end up worrying what others think about us and what they say about us
Why the hell is all this happening !!!!

Explored the Millionaire

Yesterday at 11 PM, I watched that movie – Slumdog Millionaire, for the second time and I should confess that, only then I was able to understand why it won all the reputation.

Last week when I had watched it for the first time it unquestionably entertained me but did not keep happy my expectations of an Oscar awarded movie. After watching movies like “Roja” and “Nayakan” any body would have felt the same considering music or direction. Shoba De had termed it as a Class in the interview she had given to NDTV lately. I wanted to know the bits and pieces again. So I did the exploration yesterday and it was really a worth. The very thing which I understood and which kept me mused was that – Jamal the Slumboy and Chaiwala who did not read as we did in schools is taught by life which once was a challenge to him. We are taught by the books we read but he is taught by the life he lives- on streets, spit, and “everything else”. Taught about money, life and love and that true love is the greatest power.

Yeah Ms Pinto was super and Lil Latika sweet. More than young Jamal, Young Salim has done a good job and that’s why I felt they have projected him during Oscars. The real Juhu slum has been portrayed in its own rustic ways and the people described bucolic.

Even though the happy ending is a hyped commercial one, it makes it all the more enjoyable and a lingering one. It is more than worth a see.

Come Elections

Elections are just a month away and political parties in India are tampering, hampering and pampering each other to strike any possible alliance. This type of a coalition government in the centre has been predicted until the ruling and the opposition makes any great amendments in their way of approach. Whatever be the scenario every Indian who has attained the age of 18 is eligible and should exercise his right to Vote – this makes the democracy stronger and an economy possible.
Are we here to say irresponsibly “politics is not my cup of tea”, or with sheer negligence “who cares about elections”??
And we may complain about corruption or scams though we live in a free India where we have the right to choose any party and even the right to change our leaders. We don’t have any autocrats or dictators to rule us and neither is our nation in any kind of an emergency or war. We are all living in such blessed times where we have a proper roof above our heads and good food to eat. But definitely the Indian youth are apathetic about the elections and engrossed in some other personal or professional occupation of their choice. Unless the educated youth vote for the leadership of this great nation, development would be just a dream. Considering the plight of the political parties they are up and new with a lot of promises and projections. Congress boasts about it’s youth full strength in people like Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdullah while BJP is trying to be youthful through it’s popular website www.lkadvani.in. The rights for usage of the Oscar winning song” Jai Ho” has been purchased by the Congress but BJP is already playing it claiming that the song belongs to the whole nation. Split ups like BJP-BJD alliance and thin loves like UPA- SP might be a melancholic drama just for time being…though anything can happen anytime.
The election ID card procedure might be a long and tedious one and the Election Day a pain day of going to the poll station. But it will provide stability to the Government and the nation. All you need to do is stand in the queue and exercise your right. Think about the times you have stood a queue for getting an item of your choice. So for getting a government of your choice the pain is worth taken.

Next Page

Next Page:
Ha Ha so blogging has become my interest for now, I never know for how long but this is cool…. Instead of just wasting time chatting and having fun, this is good. And now that many have started to read and have given me both praises and criticisms, I feel all the more encouraged to write frequently. Yesterday I was discussing with few authorities about my educational blog in which I can have my class notes and teaching lectures published. So that’s nice for some who can easily access the net. I thought I shouldn’t confuse that with this and I am preparing for that also. Don’t know really when it will go online but definitely in the near future.

Home on the Ranges:

The following if you read are few episodes in the hills of Munnar and life in these vast areas of tea estates some years back. Any body who sojourned before say fifteen years would definitely agree to the fact that there has been a tremendous, cyclonic change in the recent past. And my childhood was especially special in this hill locked area of High Ranges. (The Munnar photos that are used here are without the permission of the owner because I didnot know who clicked these; Sorry and Thanks. They are beautifully clicked)
Since my father served as a field officer in the Tatas, I have spent the major part of my childhood days in these ranges. Chunduvarrai, where I was born is where my memory has faded about. But we lived in the PR division- PR stands for Paradise region and my mother says our house was on top of a hill and the clouds passed just below out feet. It was very scarcely populated and still it is the same and even today, only few have heard about this spectacular place. When I was young I remember my dad used to toil day and night because the company was building its first innovative Tea factory there- called Super Factory. I had to come down four kilometers to board my School bus early in the morning to take me to Kinder Garden in High Range School – The only English School at that time.
Then my father got transferred to Letchmi Estate where it would rain cats and dogs all the time. My house was entirely surrounded by tea bushes and behind my house there was a big rock which was our (my sister’s and mine) play area. There was no cable connection and none of us had a television. There were no telephone lines and no proper postal and transport services also. You wouldn’t believe if I said that we used to walk to Munnar or Sevenmally to get a transport. We got to know about my Grandmother’s death after a week she died.  And hospital facilities were even more pathetic those days.
About Vagavurrai I remember most of it because it was total fun and I had very less time ti study but play. We had to travel about 2 hours in the morning and evening to go to school and the journey made us very tired that we did not really feel like studying. So whenever we had time we went for a walk, fishing in the nearby river or picnicked to the vast areas beautified with Gulmohur and Jacaranda trees in the tea fields. I would like to add a poem that I had written in Vagavurrai when we went to the Turner’s valley before summer (here the summer is long and spring is short) and the hanging bridge in side the forests of Vagavurrai. The place is so fantastic and untouched by mankind. It is a dangerous trek though and trudge is so very steep that each step has to be a cautious one. But once you get to the top, it is an awesome view.
(Ahhh.. I should have scanned some of my old snaps that were clicked at that time… I‘ll do that soon and add them so that you can get a glimpse of the place).




In the Vicinity of summer:
The yellow sunrise falls afresh
On the tender grass lands gird
The dawn is lit and the spring is set
As the song of birds are heard

So there is a strong Aroma
Of creepers, leaves and buds,
There’s also gatherings far and near
Of butterflies, bees and birds

Lakes and ponds seem nearer now
For every eye that beholds
Water runs like silver flowing
Before it cools and moulds

The tarry tale of new born beetles
Is heard in every corner
The sound is clear as we move nigh
They are red and green in color

White and pink are mountain lilies
Blooming all the way
Bright as light, their faces smile
As they bend themselves in array

The mountain moor is seen from afar
The sunset’s seen, the glimpse is green
As the falling rays are rays of hope
They spread like sheets serene.

Silent Valley…
It is not the Silent Valley in the district of Palakkad but the one next to Guderale Estate. We lived there for four years – four long years in my teens which were so very silent but yet romantic, so very cold but not calm, just like a life in the counties of England. The winter was bitter all the years and the river next to my house had even frozen. Spring was pleasant and enjoyed one of the best climates in the world during spring. Literally there was no summer due to the heavy growth of the vegetation and thick Forests. Fishing, Cycling and playing on the bank was real fun as we had some good friends from the near by hills to visit us often. I would always compare it with Thrush Cross Grange in the “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte’.
Then we live in Mattupatty very next to the dam itself. Every morning I would rise up to see the silver stream leading to a large silver pool – The dam. We had a variety of flowering plants those days and the rose garden was the best we ever had. Elephants frequented my house and European and Siberian Birds nested below my house. Because of the marshy atmosphere animal life was predominant and the environment was always noisy. But we enjoyed every bit of it. All through the years in the ranges our life was very simple and with very less technology but we felt that we did not miss out anything in life
For each of our need we had to come to Munnar town and we had to wait for hours to get a jeep or any mode of transport for that matter. But still it was easy and never boring because every thing around us was so very natural and happening.