Author: drsriramnathan

“Lots of pomp loads of laughter
House is clean no thereafter!
It’s a blessed time that’s clear!
The festival time is here!”

Different ways to celebrate but the feeling is the same!
Every mother wants a son like him! Naughty but innocent!
and then you have the Cheedai!

read on!

In the North I remember celebrating Sri Krishna Janmashtami with pomp!
It used to be a big affair and almost all the ladies of the area would come and make little cradles as a mark of devotion to Krishna!

Those who were newly married would earnestly ask for a child like Krishna and those with kids would lovingly make their kids dress up like the characters of Brindavan! You would find little Krishna’s running everywhere with a flute and golden dress!

Surprisingly, little girls used to make the best looking and cute Krishna! A big tikka on the forehead and a band on the head and yellow dhoti with lots of small chains! And finally the peacock feather!

The ladies would then join together and a big cradle would be built and they would lovingly decorate a baby Krishna idol or photo in the cradle and would rock the cradle gently all night long! They would sing Krishna bhajans all night long and give prasad to everyone! We used to love being awake in the night and running around since Krishna was born late in the night, the festivities also were usually in the night!
In south though we used to celebrate everything in the morning! We got to know about the Dahi handi and the breaking only after watching hindi movies!

Mom used to fast the whole day all the while making some amazing dishes which was the main deal for us! The chief were this small salty concoction which used to be so cute! They were called the Cheedai! My mother also used to make a flat rice based snack called the thattai and a sweet version of the cheedai!

The making of cheedai was an art in itself!
If it is too soft then it would not hold the shape and break the moment we lift it! And it is too hard then no one would take more than one! The perfect one was which was a little hard and crispy on the outside and soft in the centre! Put in the mouth and crack it open! Then repeat! After around 5 to 6 salty ones we would pop in one sweet Cheedai which was always soft! She also used to make another jaggery based sweet called the adhirasam which actually means lots of flavour! And it had nothing to do with rasam! It was a flat soft oily and greasy cousin of chapatti which the kids would not like that much but the elders used to relish it! I guess since most of the oldies do not have strong teeth to handle the Cheedai, the adhirasam was a good substitute!
Making cheedai and these dishes at home was the final certification you needed to be called a great south indian cook!
And eating a hard Cheedai was the final certification you needed that your teeth are healthy!

Other sweets which we were given were Laddoos if the aunty was from North! Peda if they were from UP and Kodbale from Karnataka! Kodbale is literally like small bangles made out of flour! They tasted like Cheedai but they had more varieties and were made all year long! I still remember going to Mathura and seeing the temple and the amazing places there with so many stories including the place where Ma Devaki and Vasudev were kept in a prison! Then after the darshan we had to try the Mathura ka peda! Every other shop we saw had a board saying that this was the original peda! We decided any shop would do! Since none of us were foodies we tried one each and liked it!

The year she passed away also Mom had made some very tasty dishes and we had dressed my kids as little Krishna and Yashoda! They were looking divine and my mom was so happy! Imagine on a Krishna Janmanthami day during COVID time and suddenly there is a ring and lo! Little Krishna and Yashoda greet you! The memories and photos of that day still are one of my most favourite and beautiful snaps!

Happy Krishna Janmasthami

Jai Shri Krishna!

“The big metal box with wheels is here!
Eagerly waiting for your cheer!
Hop on and don’t act like a fool!
You are not on a picnic but going to school!”

School buses nowadays have a GPS tracking, a maid or caretaker, a teacher in charge and sometimes ac with reclining seats!

Even with so much luxury kids still do not like to go to school sometimes!

reminds me of our school buses!

read on!

Now KV was more or less exclusive to the defense personnels and so it was understood that even the school buses would be a defence vehicle with seats!

We used to have different sections or classes of vehicles as I remember! So the Jeep and the Jonga were for officers who had individual vehicles. The one ton was like the van of today which was a little bigger than the jeep and had some good seats in the back if needed! Then you had the 3 tons! Now I do not know whether it actually weighed three tons but this was a big vehicle like a lorry!

The average army school bus was a Three ton vehicle with makeup!

Yes! That was the right description!

The back would have seats welded onto the floor and a door and a step welded out! The front would have a school bus number and painted like that. Since one particular school was controlled by a particular unit or division, the school bus also would be from that unit.

There will of course be no maids or caretakers! or even a teacher! You may not get seats most of the time and you still did not care!

We used to rush to the bus stop which was a center spot of the colony and not like how it comes to the door now! We would take our bottles and tiffin boxes and start chatting! Only during the days of the tests would the scene be mellow and silent! Other times it would be full blown noise! Some would be sitting in a corner and eating their toast! I have never had breakfast for the first twenty years of my life except for a glass of milk so food was only lunch!

Since I also do not like to get up early in the morning I would rush when the bus would come to get a seat in the corner and sleep! Only while coming back would I be awake! My brother would wake me up when we used to reach the school which would take at least half an hour of good sleep!

Now since the school did not have school bus of their own, the buses used to come to the school at pick up time since they had other work to do! So when the school gets over we used to walk all the way to the play ground or bus stop and wait for our bus! It was understood that the bus would not wait for us! If you are late it is assumed that you have not come! I have missed the bus couple of times and the walk was not easy! The issue is when you rush to the bus and forget to get your bag!

If you are injured or have a plaster or got some trophy, then you get the special privilege to sit in the front with the driver bhaiyya! It used to be cool but hot and noisy! Plus you would be away from friends and gossip which is why it was not much in demand! Those were not the days of AC and if it was hot, it was always better that the bus keeps moving! The moment the bus used to stop we used to feel hot! And when it used to start, the sudden gust of air over our sweaty body was heavenly!

Once the whole army unit decided to go to a picnic for a change! Since the whole family was to go with so many families we were eagerly waiting on a fine sunday morning for some cool vehicle to come and take us! Imagine our surprise when the vehicle turned out to be! Yes! Our school bus! Of course sitting on the bus with your family and friends in civil dress on a sunday with the destination not the school was still fun!

Without whatsapp or GPS or even a proper monitoring system I now sit and wonder how we used to get back home safe and sound! While now with all these tech available including the name and number of the bus driver! I still worry! Of course when you have Captain Vijayaraj Alagarswami Vijayakanth then you do not have to worry!

Now get your kids ready for the school bus or drop!
Shubh ratri!

“He was flying in the air!

Smile on his face, no despair!

Then he cut her in half! Not tragic!

Just your regular town fair magic!”

Did you know that one of the greatest acts of magic was to make the Statue of Liberty disappear on live TV!?

read on!

In our schools magic shows was the old uncle with great dressing sense! It was great because very rarely out of our army parties have we seen uncles with a coat!

Our KV teachers were usually very modestly dressed and coat was never a choice! The only exception was our English sir in 11th and 12th who used to come wearing a coat even in peak summer! 

Exceptions are never examples so to see someone in a coat was really unique!

These magicians would perform cool tricks like cutting a person in half or making the bottle of milk disappear or the amazing card tricks!

We used to be amazed at their talents and it was magical! At the end of the show they would most definitely sell us a box or bag of magic tricks set! These would have those trick cards and some other stuffs like the trick glass with the milk or water which could be poured only one side or had holes on the side to control!

Some kits also had false fingers and some cards with strings attached!

The kits used to come with instructions and some were easy! Most of them were not! The kits also were of two types; basic with some simple tricks and advanced with more tricks and complicated instructions!

The coming days after the show, kids would be showing each other tricks which they practised! Some would do it really well while some others would fail miserably!

They magicians would have also given address and phone numbers for aspiring magicians and some would have actually joined for a couple of months!

But I have always been marvelled by the elaborate showmanship and those fit people who were part of the show! 

Once I remember a famous show in which a well known magician finally revealed how many of the famous magic tricks were done! It was a big revelation at the time and once you know how it is done then the whole thrill is gone! I am sure even if you know the trick the whole charade takes lots of practice and skill. 

Now coming to the greatest act! This was by the world most famous Magician David Copperfield. His best known illusion was making the Statue of Liberty disappear (and then reappear!). During a live TV event in April 1983, the illusion features an audience sitting on Liberty Island, facing the Statue of Liberty. After Copperfield raises a sheet to obscure the statue, the statue appears to be gone. To prove to the audience that the statue isn’t there, a helicopter flies above and searchlights move through the space. Copperfield remarked that the point of the illusion was to emphasize the importance of freedom and “how precious liberty is and how easily it can be lost. I can show with magic how we take our freedom for granted.”!

After the magic show when I used to go home and tell my mother about the acts, she would dismiss it instantly! Saying, “The best magician in the whole world is PC SORKAR and no one else!”

PC Sorkar and his son; Junior Sorcar, were legendary magicians and probably one of the most famous magicians in the country! At the peak of the popularity of magic in the country was also when Amitabh Bachan movies like Toofan and Jadugar came! Both these movies had Amitabh playing a magician. I was told that both the movies bombed! So I am guessing magic as a profession was not that lucrative at that time! And of course PC was a well known magician! Which reminds me of this famous quote by Jack Sparrow when told by a captain that he was the worst pirate he had ever heard! To this John Christopher Depp as Jack Sparrow in his style says, “Yes, but you have HEARD about me!” 

Another sketch of my Son’s choice! 

Now close your eyes and magically transform yourself to the dream world!

Shubh Ratri!

“Just a little heat and maybe some steam!

It’s not scary so don’t scream!

Some wrinkles are easy to iron you see

Clothes are three on a scale of three!”

That dress is wrinkled! That is the worst thing which could happen on a Monday morning before school! 

Ironing the uniform!

Now that was a ritual!

Read on!

It was so accurate when Hrithik Roshan said in ZNMD about the most depressing music in national television! The music which was nice but used to come just before the news and the last program of sunday! 

It was a depressing because it was a grim reminder that the sunday is over! The vacation is done and it is back to school the next day! The best time of the week was Saturday night while Sunday night was blue!

Now I used to love going to the school especially the last two years in spite of the entrance tests and the competition but in the lower classes it was dull!

We had to keep the bags ready and the homework done and dusted and finally the most important thing! The uniform!

The blasted socks would never be found and the shoes were always dirty! I still remember how my elder cousin from America once came to our house and saw my dirty shoes and then she proceeded to clean them much to my pleasant surprise! I would never polish anyone else’s shoes those days! And she did it so well that it looked a little new! A little because if you look closely the base was slowly opening! One more week of football and it would surely open! Then the Mochi bhaiyaa on the way back to school would apply his gum with the amazing smell! That would keep its mouth shut for some time!

Then the uniform! The best and worst thing of KV uniform was its white colour! Any dirt would stand out like, well dirt on a white background!

So at least on Mondays it was expected to be clean! And since those days the dress was cotton one wash would make it wrinkled like an Octogenarian’s face! The only way out is to iron it and it had to be done right!

Practically iron them well enough and you can carry them for at least three to four days! The worst was in summer because of two major issues! One of course was the sweat which used to form a bad stain and make it even more dirty and the other was that we cannot wear a sweater!

Sweater was my best dress! I used to wear them even in mild summers! One it used to add ‘bulk’ to my skinny body and other was that once you wear a sweater then it does not matter how the shirt was inside! Just had to make sure that the collar was clean!

The iron of those days were not the lightweight automatic ones! The auto switch off was either not there or gets spoilt soon! Then if you keep the Iron box in down position then rest assured you will burn! Every house had one bed sheet or cloth which used to put below for ironing with triangle burn marks! Now days of course you have the light weight automatic iron boxes and they are so simple to operate! 

Those days though handling the iron box was a big responsibility! It was used with great care since the primary use was for ironing dad’s Army Uniform which was done with great care! That was also a ritual where he had to iron them after removing all the medal and badges and then put them again! 

I used to love the army uniform! Like how I love army! The one thing which I still feel bad was not joining army when I got the chance! Of course you lose some and then gain something else!

The school uniform though was just a small thing compared to that! My brother like all elder brother was the one who taught me how to iron! The collars of the shirt and the pleats of the pants! I was not that careful though! It must look ironed and that was enough for me! In fact once for a wedding I was getting so fed up of the pleats that I ironed them out! Then my dad saw that and remarked where did the pleats disappear and got them ironed back!

Today was the day we were getting the uniforms ready for the school and I was back to Ironing duty! Now you even have the garment steamer and also many dresses do not wrinkle that much! Moreover it is easy to simply give for the laundry and ironing! The feel of freshly washed and ironed dresses is so nice! Nice also is to play one of the most famous FPS games ever called the DOOM! A sketching session of the lead with my son! He was narrating the back story in great detail!

Now make sure your dress for tomorrow is ready!

Shubh Ratri!

“Want something get it soon 

We deliver things even from the moon!

Instant is the trend that’s really great! 

Wish you could just as soon lose your weight!”

The other day I was making a sweet called the Paladda payasam and one of the special ingredients my mother used to put was the coconut milk!

I was busy making other stuff that I completely forgot we do not have that! 

Come modern tech to the rescue!

Read on!

The monthly grocery shopping was a special event in our house! Now when it was a remote posting like Missamari then it would be provided to us or we had to send a list and we would get it in a couple of days from Tezpur but in places like Bangalore or Hyderabad we used to head over to the Nilgiris departmental store!

Nilgiris shop those days was special especially for the South Indians and in Bangalore the one in the Brigade road was the most in demand! We used to park our car in Dad’s club and walk down to the shop! This is because even in those days it was difficult to get parking near the shop or for that matter any place in Brigade road!

My dad used to sometimes drop us off in the shop and if lucky get the spot and stay or he would park and come.

Meanwhile my mother would have her list with her. The list was long and old! Basically the things she wanted would not change! Only the price of stuff changed over time and the quantity! Getting the trolley and walking behind her was fun! Those days only Nilgiris had this thing called the trolley! We had never seen a departmental store so big and as we grew older, I felt even the shop grew with us! Even now my kids like to do that though the visits are more frequent and the store is not Nilgiris and the demands are more!

Those days of course the trolley did not have the baby carriage or if it did my parents did not use it since we were big! But I had always wanted to sit on that! We had to keep the stuff neatly on the trolley one by one and for our efforts we could have one item to buy! Or rather one big or two small! 

So now we had a very important decision to make! Should we take that new chocolate or that new biscuit! Or my brother and me and form a team (unlikely!) and get four small stuff! Decisions! Decisions!

Now my kids normally do not have a limit! They ask and we say yes! Since both of us work, we compensate like this! Luckily even now though, a visit to a bigger store with the trolley is still a thrill for them! 

Then my mother would nervously be at the billing counter hoping she was within the budget! If well within the budget then we would even have that famous cone ice cream in front and have lunch outside! Lunch would be either Kamat or Ullas restaurant! There was no option of order! It was south indian meals always! 

The whole month’s grocery was done in a couple of bags and my mom’s swift calculation would ensure that the lunch and dinner menu was planned well ahead in time and there will not be any item which needed to be bought again! Grocery shopping was done only once a month! NO in shopping in between! Of course vegetables were not included in that which was a different issue! Only during special festivals or functions like the Deepawali or Ganesh Chaturthi would the visit be done in between the month! My mom’s special Mysore pak with fresh ghee was always made with Besan from the Nilgiris only! Even when we had shifted far away, come Deepawali and the Besan would be bought from Nilgiris! 

A visit to the Brigade road some weeks back I was thinking of all these when we reached the departmental store and unfortunately, like my mother, it was also gone…

Anyway coming back to my Paladda! The moment I realised that I had no coconut milk, all I had to to was order via an app! In less than ten minutes, by the time my milk got boiled and Paladda were getting cooked, the delivery was done! The technology and comfort is so good now that we can start cooking without any ingredients and simply order as we cook! Only thing is that please do not ask the budget or the price! Also do not ask what price the birthday celebrity Konidela Chiranjeevi used to get when once upon a time he was one of the highest paid actors in the country!

A quick pen sketch! Not everything can be done by an app you see!

Now make a grocery list if you need anything or simply add to your app cart sleep!

Shubh ratri!

“Feels so weird this world is that fun!

By those who are meek everything is run! 

How many failures must you endure human!

To realise that what is write is stronger than a gun!”

The best device to have a good handwriting is…Pencil! yes!

My dad always used to ask this question to us; “Why do you write with a pencil when you are young and then write with a pen?”

the answer is…

read on!

One of the things I hate the most is filling forms! They really irritate me and when the option is that you have to fill it with your own hand then it is even more irritating!

The conventional you cannot understand  a Doctor’s Handwriting is of course a big lie since I know some of my colleagues with beautiful and more importantly understandable handwriting!

During COVID times I remember a young doctor’s handwritten notes on COVID management and history was mind blowing! Even during our graduate and post grad times we used to love some of our senior’s handwritten notes! 

The ones with great clear and legible handwriting would be in great demand!

Now the best method to get a good handwriting is if you use the pencil! I love writing with a pencil since it makes our handwriting look so good!

My handwriting is legible and average if I write with a pencil or an Ink pen or my favourite Pilot pen!

The famous Pilot pen was reserved for examinations! In the later years like the 9th and above, my dad used to give me Pilot pen to write during exams! It used to give a good handwriting and it was not messy as an Ink pen!

I love buying and having Ink pens but they are difficult to handle and take a lot of effort to maintain!

The nib constantly dries out and then filling of the ink is a tedious process! Now of course you have the pre filled ink cartridges but then to get the flow going you have to shake and then some drops will definitely fall out and create a mess!

Not to mention that by accident if you take it out in the sun, you can be sure that it will leak! I have a bunch of ink pens which are dried and lying in a corner for me to give them ink and life! That happens once in a while when I suddenly get the mood to write!

Ink pen leaks are still ok but if your ball point pen leaks then it is pure Havoc! Even if the ink pen ink leaks, it can still be washed and you can wash the pen nicely and dry it with a tissue and you can still use the ink pen. But a ball point pen if it leaks is a death sentence for the pen! The ink also leaves a permanent stain wherever it flows! It can be your pencil box or god forbid, your bag and dress! 

I hate ballpoint pens but those are the most common ones you can use easily and effortlessly.  They are cheap and easily replaceable! Not to mention, convenient!

But except a few, most people do not get that best handwriting with those pens. The newer pens have some sort of a gel ink which are like the best of both ink pen and ballpoint pens so they are really good!

For practising doctors now though writing is now limited only to the signature! Rest everything is electronic! Handwriting is of no issue since no one reads your signature anyway! So after a while if you have to write something then it is a big pain!

Then again even forms I fill electronically! I either use my apple pencil or the better Samsung pen or the best, Kindle scribe pen! You get the same feel as a paper and the handwriting is also good. 

Which is why my pen stand is full but does not get used much! Which is also why I lose my other pens at regular intervals! So many pens and finally when you have to sign then you have to borrow! 

My dad of course is one who will always have a pen with him! He takes good care of them and keeps it handy when needed! Which is why the best ballpoint pens I have got as gifts including some really good ones, I have given it to my dad since I know they will have a safe and useful time!

Now coming to the pencil question! When we are young we are still allowed to make mistakes and they can be erased or corrected! Which is why we use the pencil! 

But when we get older we must know that our mistakes are permanent or difficult to erase! Remember that blue colour part of the pencil eraser? I am sorry to inform you that it DOES NOT erase the writing of the pen! I still remember in the 6th standard when we first wrote with the pen and made a mistake and tried to clean it with the blue eraser! The page tore but the writing remained! That is the power of writing or pen! Like how the birthday celebrity Nirmala Sitharaman has double power! Of the pen and being a woman! 

Now close your ink pen tightly and keep it secure and sleep!

Shubh ratri!

“The songs of them times I know
The words were not just for show!
If you have time to kill
Just listen to your fav song and chill!”

My first and foremost hobby is electronics and tech! Any tech makes me want it! Of course I cannot afford all but then you can always dream!
The next big craze is music! There was a time when I could recognize any song or movie in Hindi, tamil and English!

Then I got the biggest shock!

read on!

I was actually carrying on the legacy of my mother who could not only recognise the song but also the singer, the music director and even the lyricist of any old Hindi song!

Those days we used to listen to the Cibaca or Binaca Geetmala with so much interest even if the TV was on! The time of broadcast was convenient in that you can listen to the songs while having dinner and the TV would be playing the news!

So while we kids and mom used to enjoy the Radio, my dad would see the news!

Ameen Sayani’s Baritone heavy voice would shake the table and we would eagerly wait for his top songs of the week!

Later on of course we shifted to Chitrahaar on some weekday and Rangoli on Sunday. I used to eagerly watch the former but the latter used to come early morning on a Sunday which conflicted with my sleep calendar! Though I sometimes used to still watch it in between quick winks!

There was also a once a week regional songs show which we used to watch with interest! There were some amazing Marathi and Punjabi songs there! Tamil and Malayalam songs were selective unless it is a big hit like Shankarabharanam of which every south Indian had a cassette!

Later on of course musical shows like Meri Awaaz Suno and Superhit Muquabala were very popular! Even now some of the best shows have great songs and dance! That is a sure shot to fame and popularity!

In fact, even now I have not seen the movie Aashiqui but the songs are imprinted in my blue print!

My mother was an ace in guessing the songs and music! And I had a great time competing with her! The recent songs I used to handle while the older ones she had a photographic memory! This is amazing since she was originally from a small village in palakkad! For her to learn hindi and to excel in it is really amazing!

Nowadays we as a family play the you tube quiz shows and there are areas in which my kids are really good! My son is a flag expert while my daughter is an expert in getting lyrics of English songs!

I have fed them a regular dose of great music from all languages and they like it and listen to it!
In old music and movie quizzes, I could answer the questions so fast much to the delight of my kids!

So I was under the impression that it was only I who feed them the music!
The other day in a quiz video of latest English songs, I was telling that since I do not know many songs it will be boring to play the quiz! My pride came to a big fall when I saw both of them getting the songs right in an instant while I was staring blankly at the screen and at my wife alternatively!

There were so many songs which were like Greek and Latin to me! Some singers did not even have a normal name!
Yes! It begins! Some point in time and life, Kids will know more than you! For now though when I sketch someone luckily my son almost always asks me who it is so then I am safe for some years! Like how he asked who today’s birthday celebrity Randeep Hooda was and I told him that he was a good actor!

Now listen to your favourite song and try to guess its singer and lyricist and sleep!
Shubh ratri!

“A piece of thread tied around the wrist
A bond made like no other
All you have to do is treat her well
And respect her like your mother”

The Resham ki dori…

This festival was very special and a big thing for us! In south India at that time it was not a well known or famous thing but being in KV everyone knew about it and how!

read on!

In the armed forces and in the KV, by default Hindi was the language of choice! The common language between south and North Indians now is usually English but those days the majority of KV kids were more comfortable with Hindi! Now if you think everyone from North knows hindi by default then also you are wrong!

People from North East also have the same difficulty with Hindi as the South! Only west and Proper North Indians had no problems! Then again when you have two guys or gals from same place then they would start speaking in their own language!

Apart from that exception, most used to stick to Hindi, some would still have issues but kids learn really fast! In a couple of months you would speak so well!

Also those days there were no regional DD, only the national channel and except on special days; DD was a hindi channel! In KV we have all grown up watching Pure old hindi movies only!

Those days the Bhai Behen songs and Movies like Resham Ki Jodi and Hare rama Hare krishna were a rage! Since I did not have any ‘real’ sisters of my own I used to feel really left out! Guys with sisters used to get such elaborate Rakhis much to the envy of others like me!

Later on of course some girls in the class would tie Rakhi to many and we would happily oblige! The tying of Rakhi was not a simple light thing for one who believed in the tradition and bond! It was a rigid relation for us! A real KV dude treats Rakhi with so much respect and belief that he would keep that relation for life!
Of course as younger kids we used to love getting tied the rakhi since we would then get a sweet!
Some of the girls used to get such lovely decorated Rakhis which they would have made by themselves! It was a pride and privilege to wear those!

Of course when we went to the higher classes some things changed!

One fine Rakhi day, I went to the class to find many of the boys missing! Especially the ones who were quite popular and “fit”! Again it is understood that I was neither! Then I understood that they were escaping from the rakhi! If a girl gives or ties Rakhi then your future is more or less sealed! Guys knew this and apparently had to take ‘precautions!’

It was a common sight to see a trying to be happy dude with an arm full of rakhi! Once in a class seeing all Guys getting tied, I was feeling so left out that I stood on the stage and screamed, “Someone please tie Rakhi to me also!” It was a sad moment then, feels funny now! Of course now I have cool Rakhi sisters to whom I try to be a good brother whenever I can! Like a home version of windows! Slow but steady! Which reminds me of the birthday celebrity Satya Narayana Nadella!

Now get your Rakhi and treat your sister like the way you treat your mother, respect and care!
Shubh ratri!

“Hold tight keep your sight 

It is skill and not just might!

Pick your battles right

If you gotta fight then you gotta fight!”

Beat up and fight was one way while the other way to show that you are strong in a class was this!

There were dudes with DOLE And SHOLE who used to be the clear winners! In fact they used to win the moment they sit on the chair and place their half shirt folded arms on the table for this and then it began!

read on!

One of the most common games “Guys” used to play in the school was the arm wrestling! It was tough and guys like me used to stay away from it as much as possible and only form the crowd!

Breaks; class breaks I mean! Used to be used for the arm wrestling competition! The inspiration of course was the scene from the inspiration of every body builder of those times! Arnold Schwarzenegger! 

His movie which was released that time was the Predator and in one of the scenes you have an arm wrestling encounter between him and his equally buffy and brawny friend Carl Weathers! 

When they both meet with their half t shirts on and in the arm wrestle pose, the boys in the crowd would go mad! I would of course tuck my arm in the sweater more deeply!

I was under the impression that you need strength to win the arm wrestling but then we found out soon enough that the sometimes a less ‘Buffy’ dude would defeat a more muscled one!

Not many guys would arm wrestle with girls but then I have seen many girls defeating guys! 

Many of the competitions were usually straightforward and predictable and you will have clear winner and loser! But once in awhile you get the hold! This is the grip where the arm wrestle comes to a stand still! Both the opponents simply are caught somewhere in time! Then as we watched both of them would be stuck and if that happens for sometime it is usually a draw! Most average guys will accept a draw! 

In the Back benches of KV it was the ultimate decider of the alpha! We front benchers were the audience!

Looking in the history apparently it was played from the time of the Primitive man (or woman!)! 

It was a regular sport for high school and college student. A journalist, Bill Soberanes founded the sport of arm wrestling in the year of 1952 at the Gilardi’s Saloon in Petaluma, California. Soon, the tournaments were hosted on even bigger platforms and auditoriums of Petaluma!

Most articles on the early history of armwrestling mention that the sport was practiced at least as far back as ancient Egypt, and that there are hieroglyphs that back up this claim. The first purported evidence is a complex of 39 ancient tombs in a cemetery site called Beni Hasan. Beni Hasan is a grandiose structure located about 20 kilometres south of Mynia, in Middle Egypt. It contains several painted rooms that have been preserved due to Africa’s dry climate. The tomb of Baqet III (21st century BC) is now referred to as the “Fight Hall”, as its walls are painted with figures of fighters!

Most people see arm wrestling as a battle of strength, but champion arm wrestlers know that technique is critical. 

In fact, winning an arm-wrestling match has less to do with brute strength than with the way in which you place your body and torso in relation to your opponent! There are countless strategies and positions to win an arm wrestling match! Now I am against fighting or physical act of any kind and NEVER promote it! So arm wrestling is actually a better and safer way to prove your strength or technique! If you win then you can dance by saying Bolo tarara like Birthday Celebrity Daler Singh Mehndi!

Now wrestle with your brain to sleep!

Shubh ratri!

“The way to go is shown to you! 

Then another way comes which is new!

The rerouting is your speed affair!

But it’s possible not in land but in the air!”

So you are driving in your own leisurely pace in some street in Bangalore and you have put Google maps on! Then suddenly it gives you a notification that a better faster route is available!

Did you know that a similar shortcut created years ago is used all over the world! In fact the original time taken of that route was around 22 days which this shortcut reduced to 10 hours! Now that is a Google recommendation I will definitely take!

read on!

Most of the time people normally jump on the offer and then when everyone behind you or in front of you take the same offer, the short cut becomes crowded and more slower than the original route!

Of course whatever route you take in many such cities, the fate will be the same!

Once I was going after a bad rain to my work place which had a side short cut! Unluckily that works only if you have a two wheeler! You may advice that you must start early but then that was an emergency time and I just had to reach as early as possible!

After waiting for fifteen minutes in the same place without a single mm movement I gently indicated to the red Santro behind me to move back and I slowly turned and went back home to get my bike! It took me around ten minutes to reach home and get the Bike and as I was cruising faster than the car on the short cut, I saw the same car who had allowed me to reverse in the same place! The look on the guy’s face on seeing me is the look you would get on every other driver in Bangalore! 

How you take an auto most of the time in Bangalore only because Namma Auto driver knows the most deepest and most secret shortcuts available in the street! 

Many times even Google will confuse you so much about the shorter route that I am hesitant nowadays to take it! Once I took on an alternate route while going into a party in some remote corner of some Nagar when Google finally pointed to a small road for my car to cross and in between the road there was a small bridge which was big enough only for maybe a small auto! 

I was very skeptical and it was late night so I was thinking maybe Google was sleepy! I would have gone anyway when suddenly I saw that the time taken to cross just a few Km was shown in hours! Now of course since it is Bangalore that is not surprising but it was late night and that time you do not expect any traffic for such crazy time estimate! Which is when I realized that I had kept the Map in “Walk” mode! When switched it to ‘Car’ mode it finally did a U turn and showed me the proper big road! 

If I had not done that Google would have made me swim with the car!

This is why  always make sure that I put the Maps only in Car mode!

So coming to this short cut which many people take! It is not on the road which is why such a clean short cut is possible! It is on water!

Some time back when this short cut was blocked it was a big disaster! So many ships were stranded and so many days and time lost! Yes! 

It is the Panama Canal!

Now, everyone knows that the United States of America built the Panama Canal under president Theodore Roosevelt, but very few know that the French started the work. It was Mr. Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat who began the work in 1881. It was completed on 15 August 1914, two years before the target year of 1916!

Panama Canal has reduced the sailing distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific by a vast 8000 nautical miles. If we sail with an average speed of about say 15 knots, then it will be 22 long days! On the contrary, crossing the Panama Canal takes around 8 to 10 hours. The toll? Well,  a typical IMO type III chemical tanker of around 50,000 DWT pays around USD 135,000 in toll! The smallest toll was paid by Mr. Richard Halliburton in the year 1928 of USD 0.36 for swimming across the canal! There’s also a proposal to build a competition Nicaragua canal but for now Pannama canal is no 1!

Of course for now the best thing which has happened is the automatic toll deduction in car! The waiting time is so short but of course it is  big dent on the account! Maybe next time get a Robot or Enthiran for the shorter route but for now its Google Maps!

Speaking about Robot reminds me of Birthday celebrity Shankar Shanmugam!

Now try to get the shortest route to your bed and sleep!

Shubh Ratri!