Third day in Delhi

“June Ponal, July Katre……. Kan Ponal, Kathal Katre….. ”

How often ♪…… am I , ……humming these lines these days.

I was singing these lines again and again (in the month of May) as I stood near the window, starring right through it into wide open space, enjoying the rays of new day, the feel of gentle breeze, the scent of dancing flowers, and the breath of fresh air. All this I did with gently stroking my tooth brush. Friday morning it was, bright and sunny.

I firmly believe that certain things you can enjoy only when you are alone, away from the madness of routine work and people. Giving sometime for yourself, to explore the wide universe within you, ever expanding….This trip was indeed a perfect opportunity for me, to introspect myself, learn new things about myself and understand why I behave the way I do.

I have a strange habit of observing myself, as a third person. In certain actions, I see another Harish, starring at me, ridiculing the way I act for a given situation and this person always suggests me a better way of doing things, but always after the game is over, unfortunately.

And see, how things changes after 8 hrs of sound sleep. All the negative thoughts and disappointments of previous night disappeared. God, no doubt is a master planner. For he has planned things in such a way, that everything is in perfect harmony, is in perfect balance. Life is a see-saw game. You go up once and you will come down naturally. Things fall in its place, on its own. Sounding too philosophical right? Forget it.

The mistake often I do, is to remind me off my past often. There is nothing wrong in rekindling your memories sometimes, enjoy the pain of past, but it is very wrong to live in those memories. I know, but still I do.

“Rear Mirror is your past, Way ahead is your future, but more important is to drive and control in present”. Enjoy the moment, I was telling myself, to avert any accident, I mean mishaps in life.

I was ready to leave for my breakfast. But I had around 10 minutes time for that. I took my camera, and was browsing through the photographs of last two days. I felt I have not taken enough snaps of my beautiful portrait. Wondering on how to do that, I got an idea. Stood in front of the mirror and took snaps of the smart creature standing right opposite to me in the mirror. For the first time, I suppose, the photographer was getting photographed.

As I left my room, into the verandah of guest house, I saw a person, who works for that guest house staring at me, as if he had seen a strange creature from Mars, but wearing dark blue jeans and blue t shirt. I looked back. He smiled back, but put down his head immediately, may be, signs of diffidence. I went near him and asked his name. He replied back, but hardly could I hear. “Sorry, thumare Naam Kya?”, I asked again, practicing Hindi, by the way.

This time I heard him replying back, “Rashid” in bold voice. “Shaddhi! Bangaya kya?”, I asked him. He giggled and his sheepish reply in Hindi, though I did not understand, still I was able to make out that he got very recently married. I took out my digital camera, asked him to pose. He did, took one snap and showed it to him. His face was full of happiness, when he saw his face in the screen of the camera.

There is a reason why I share this incident with you. Sometimes, we fail to understand the importance of small acts of love or a morning greeting, the magic these small things can do for us and for others. We often get carried away, with the pressures of life, little realizing how important these things are in building relationships, and off late I am finding that this trait is perfectly working for me officially as well as personally.

And from there on, I was the special guest among all others in the break fast table.

I think I should acknowledge my friend Bhavani here, who taught me the importance of this trait.

We both studied together from kindergarten till 10 Standard. She was a lean girl with tons and tons of head weight. I never liked her since she was one of the fierce competitors to me in academics. But we had a get together some three years back, when I spoke with her again during the party. It is my habit often to ask for a treat, whomever I meet.

She replied “I would, but you need to come to school of special children in Annanagar”

I was really stumped by what she told and my perceptions about her were melting like huge blocks of ice kept under bright sunshine. She told me that she used to celebrate her birthday every year, in that school for special children, sponsor food for them. What a great way of celebrating birthday isn’t?

I thanked Rashid, for the special hospitality he showered on me. Nothing I did for him. But he showered so much of love, for which had only thanks as payback. Sometimes, it is true that poor people are more generous and magnanimous. They are the rich poor people, showering love on the poor rich people.

Then it was all official work, this time in Ghaziabad , around 50 kms from New Delhi .

After completion of work, proceeded straight to Gate way of India , which was wide open for one of its best citizens. There I was standing very proud, staring right into eyes of the security there, with an air of confidence. “Hey, can you question me?”

It was huge brown block, in the shape of inverted U, with fine works of architecture, in all its four sides, and with India perfectly inscribed in its center. Below the India Gate, there were pots of bright flowers, in all its four sides, neatly fenced with security, yet these flowers were extending fenceless friendship and love across the fence, to all Indians visiting there irrespective of caste, creed, religion, sex…. Please add some more to the list…. I have started forgetting my school time history lessons……


Had a nice time there. Again camera helping me in getting friends in the form of children, whose innocence I was able to capture in the snaps of mine.

As I sat on the lawn, adjoining the artificial lake, where the boating was happening, I happen to observe an old couple. They were surely some 65 plus, with everything white in their head. Grandpa was strong enough, to help his wife, strapped in her belly, into the boat. I assumed that the strap was for some medical reasons. It was great sight to see. A true love story after maybe 40 years of inception, still going strong…..Grandpa, pedaling in a white boat, with his lady love, which was lighting up the entire lake at the verge of sunset.

I returned back to my room with sweet memories.

Everything has to come to an end…. I thought as I packed all my luggage for my next day’s flight at 8 am.


As I woke up next day, the first thing I remembered, was the way, me and my friend Karthick, struggled to park the car in the cramped parking area in the company. All of us enjoy driving the car, right?

So too is luxury.

Luxury is also like the pleasure you derive when you drive a car, but the frustration is when you want to park it aside.

Got into an auto by 6 am to reach the airport. Was wearing my favourite olive green t shirt and dark blue jeans.

Was standing alone in the boarding line, by 7 am, when I heard a beautiful voice of a girl.

“Excuse me, is this the line for Pune flight” I heard. Yes, I replied as I turned back to look at her. Yes, again I told her, staring right into her eyes and turned back again.

In that short swivel, I saw a neat face, with a small bindi, and broad fore head. I was not able to see her hair style in that swivel, but it appeared as though she had a pony tail.

Though I wanted to speak with her again, still I showed off as if I never cared a damn bit for her. After some 5 minutes of silence between us, in the noisy airport, again I heard her. But this time my ears were alert enough to capture every word of hers.

“Hello! Am traveling in the flight for the first time. Can you please guide me”. Turned back, looked at her and told only one word “Sure”. But this time got confirmed that her hair style was indeed pony tail. Another 10 minutes, we stood in the line, I got my boarding pass first, offloaded my suitcase to security check. My job was over. She had no issues in getting her boarding pass as well. Then, I asked her “Are you going to take your bag in hand” She said yes, we both walked together to the final check in. I helped her in getting a Hand bag label for her bag. As we were standing in line, she told me, that her name was Sowmiya, and had come to Delhi for some training, and is leaving to Pune to meet her relatives on her way back to krishnagiri. After that I introduced myself as I used to do in an interview. Only English till the intro was over. But some how tamil found its way in our conversation, as she also happens to be from Tamil Nadu. And it was all Kadalai (Tamil slang for chatting with girls) for next two hours in the flight, as her seat was next to mine.

There was nothing important in what we spoke, often reminding myself, “Lilies that fester smell are far worse than the weeds” but two hours disappeared.

Flight landed in Pune………

Will the donkey know the smell of camphor?

Some 6 years back, in the corridors of Sundram Medical foundation in Annanagar, I promised one girl, smiling with tears in my eyes, that I would attend her marriage for sure. I was not sure at that point, whether I would really attend for I was not confident, but she was very confident, that I would hiding her tears.

But now fear, whether I can keep up my words…….

There are some special marriages in life which you can never fail to attend.

Just think how many times we call up and give all the stupid excuses in the world for not attending some marriages, it can be your friend’s marriage or their siblings. But if I really think of those excuses, there is no honesty in it at least for me, for if I had wished and honestly tried against some minor constraints, I could have easily attended for sure.

This is a real story about three musketeers and one girl, and have got solid reasons, why am typing this at around 12 in night, for I cannot sleep without shedding off these fine threads of emotions into the following words

There were three friends, Ganguly, Rock and Sachin.

One was a dreamer, who always believed in miracles. He was a lean and an arrogant boy, had horns in his heads. Never cared a damn bit for others or for their emotions. Always would tell his friends that he was a Ganguly, not that he scored 11000 runs, but was very passionate, a step above love, as Ganguly is, in whatever he does.

The other was a well built boy, who was as smart as Rock, the famous wrestler. “You smell what the rock is cooking”, is the theme of the famous wrestler and our Mr. Rock will always smell what his mom was cooking…A typical sapatu raman….

The other was a totally practical boy. His strength is that he knows his weakness. Named as Sachin for the sake of this story, not that he was so good in cricket but was as short as sachin in reality.

All three studied together right from Kindergarden, but their friendship really blossomed only during the tenth holidays, when all three would go and play cricket together in CPWD quarters in Annanagar. There are several common threads between them. All had younger brothers. All were of similar social status, all had similar interests and ambitions in life. And all had super bi cycles…. No body can dare to steal those cycles, even if kept unlocked. And believe me Sachin after getting job in TCS also, is using the same cycle.

Ganguly and Rock were in love with a girl, of course not the same girl, and our Sachin always voiced against it. “Never trust girls”, Sachin would often say.

So they were friends by default. But Ganguly studied in coimbatore and the other two in Chennai. But whenever Ganguly comes to Chennai, it would be a grand get together for all the three. And all the three will walk umpteen number of times near the house of the girl, whom Ganguly loved and often Sachin would remark “Dei! my slipper is getting worn out because of you. You love, but why should I have too loose my slippers”
But still he did that for the sake of his friend. And some times sending reports about that girl to coimbatore .

It was a different get together that day, during second year semester holidays. It was a rainy day, but rains had stopped for a while. Sachin met Ganguly in his house; was collecting money for one of his friends who had met with an accident. Sachin is a very caring person by nature, and so no surprises that he was doing this for his friend. And Ganguly too chipped in with whatever he can. With all the money collected, however small may be, believing that every drop makes an ocean, they left to handover the money to his friends parents.

And as they entered the hospital, it was a horrible sight to see. The boy was totally wrapped in plaster, specially his lower half.

Believe me! The boy wanted to die. That’s what their parents told them.

It is very important that when you go and meet somebody injured in hospital, you give them confidence for their recovery.

But of what, they saw, though there was a dreamer in that group, he too thought that they were fighting a lost cause. They were not able to stay any longer there. Vacated the room and as they were moving out of the room, met a girl.

Ganguly immediately recognized that she was M. Arthi, who studied in SBOA till seventh and Joined Chinmaya Vidhyalaya, where he had met her some time in 10th standard during the annual carnival, for Chinmaya happens to be school where Ganguly’s younger brother was studying.

And now he is speaking with the injured boy’s lady love.

He was in no mood to speak, nor was able to give her any comfort.

But that girl was smiling, with an air of confidence, giving comfort to him, telling that every thing would be fine. Don’t worry.

“No signs of Rain; No signs of Clouds
Yet the valleys and ditches would be filled”

Though she was a Brahmin girl, should have read bible somewhere, for she was so confident. And I promised her at that moment that I would be there for her marriage, but had real doubts whether it would happen.

After that Ganguly would sometimes enquire with Sachin, about that injured boy and M. Arthi. And Sachin would update him on his recovery and also the problems faced by M. Arthi during that period.

Understand she was hardly 19 at that time, the problems that a young girl would have faced in her family, visiting hospital everyday but she did visit everyday. And also heard that, the boy’s family were little reluctant to accept this girl at that point.

But then, if no challenges and testing situations are there in life, we can never split the Annaparavai (mythical bird that splits water from milk) from the crows, flying around with low neck churdhidhars….And she is indeed a modern Nala Damayanthi.

I really love the film ‘Nala Damayanthi’, for it shows what real love is all about. You can flirt. You can think you are in love. But only when the real situation demands, you really come to know whether it is love or infatuation. There is one beautiful conversation between Madhavan and Geetu Mohandoss, where he explains her what real love his all about. And whenever I see this movie, I remind myself of only one person, M. Arthi.

Just some 1 month back, we heard the news that she is getting married to the same injured boy in our yahoo groups, through our very own Sachin, who had met the injured boy somewhere.

Yes, a perfect ending to a perfect love story indeed. 200% perfect

But that idiotic stupid Sachin has got no contacts of that boy nor M. Arthi now. And I still don’t know whether I would keep up my words and attend her marriage coming October. But then my search is on, in orkut.

No signs of rain; no signs of clouds. I don’t know whether I would find her before her marriage. But let us wait and see whether valleys and ditches are filled……….

Sachin still holds “Never trust girls”.

But may be now he says “Never trust 90% of girls” But those remaining 10% are real gems.

And M. Arthi certainly is one among them, would certainly glitter in my heart forever.

There is a solid reason for writing it tonight. Those days, when living under thatched roofs, people fear for scorpion bites. Because, scorpions can never be good friends. Their sting really hurts. They move silently, hurt those who stay along with them. That’s the way god has created scorpions.

And am a scorpio born in the month of December, and many of you in this group have got the real taste of my bites, the real stings, specially those whom I like the most.

And yesterday, it was Mr. Sachin’s turn, for he had commented wrongly on what I wrote and I gave him a real sting. (Check out the mail below)

My sting really hurts,
But it also means
my love for you is true……..

And do remember bites of scorpion really cleanse your blood.

And he is another gem in my life; for he is caring and helpful; a true friend whom you can rely on when you are in real trouble.

Words once spelt out can never be taken back and have never taken back my words. So, still I hold

Will the donkey know the smell of camphor?

All what I wrote never reached the persons whom I intended but now am posting it immediately, expressing to them what they mean to us in life…..But, I bet, that Sachin will never read it till the very end….Will get some nonsense comment instead…Now, you tell me should I have to sting him or not?

To my dear wife

It all started when I was studying in 8th standard.

My class girls, all the tiny tots that I had seen all these years, were blooming into beautiful flowers, more attractive than ever before in their short skirts….But then, by what my inner conscience told me, I was not suppose to look at them that way…

At this point, V joined us from Padma sheshadri….

Those days, naughty boys were made to sit in between girls, and since I was one among them, to stop me from being naughty and to make me less talkative, I was made to sit between V and A…but then that never solved the purpose, my teachers intended…I became more talkative….

Still remember the first smile of V’s….Went to her and asked her, “What’s your name?”

She told, “Pardon”.

“Oh! So you’re a Christian”, I replied back. Never knew what pardon means at that time, thought pardon was some Christian name.

She started smiling aloud. I was puzzled by her smile but joined with her smiling….My first crush…..It lasted for one year. She left SBOA and joined some other school after that. Still wish I find her before my marriage, and send her a invite……wish she comes along with her kids….and of course with my never challenged enemy…her husband.

Next two years, thought these things are not worth it, and studied hard.

Then it was M in eleventh. I can write a novel on her, for there are so many incidents, as well as accidents worth sharing, which I would for sure after marriage…..but then, she can never be my crush….

For 8 years, was always singing the song

“Yentha Penilum ilatha onru!
Athu etho, Athu etho,
unnidam irukirathu,
athai ariyamal vidamatten
athuvarai unnai thoda matten”

But then now she is married and somebody else wife……..So, if I sing that song now, I think I will get only beatings with log from her husband…..

So started, flirting from last December, but seriously with no wrong intentions…

Chatting, talking, sms but nothing more….just to get myself deviated from thoughts of M….

One too many, around that time from office colleagues to Adhyiaman college friends…. D, M, R, K, another D.

Was playing for Krishnagiri B division cricket league and was a star in Adhyiaman college for my cricket skills……..Oh! I miss cricket very much now….

Hope you play shuttle, need to play that after marriage for sure J

It was always me who went behind those girls………….but somehow when D really happened, when I was in Hosur, I felt I was doing something wrong….Her intentions were wrong……..really felt it that way and am very happy that I have taken a right decision…..but still sometimes the trouble continues…….

Decided to stop everything before i left for pune.....But a thief will get caught only when he is not stealing...the saying came true when i got some virtual slapping for no fault of mine, from another V, just very recently, due to mis communication.......but still the Journey continues……

Still don’t know….how many before I tie my knot….Oh Jesus! I really feel pity for the girl who is going to marry me…….

Always wished a love marriage, but then now had to show green signal to my mom’s wish. And my mom is all in business now, figuring out the right match for me…..Business Negotiations are on……………Thought of writing this for the girl whom my mom shortlists for me, for she needs to understand that….

I don’t wish a

Marriage between ambassadors and fiats
Marriage between plots and 2BHK flats
But only a real marriage between two caring hearts…

Because, nothing more I can promise, but for simple honest life……with two kids of course

And, if you have any doubts, I have got only four words for you……

“Keep away from me”

Think twice! Is my honest advice…. Am a open book, which you can read, but don’t tear any pages (even if you like it or don’t like)

For I am a beast, emotional and hypersensitive…… Watch the film “beauty and the beast” before you marry me……

Best wishes! I wrote this blog for you… so that you can really understand what I am!

For nothing we can understand in those ten minutes that our parents give, awfully looking at each other, just like humans staring at monkeys in zoo! Hope you are not one of those monkeys…. Just kidding

Best wishes again! And if possible write a similar blog, so that I can understand you…But not mandatory, for I am very sure you can never be as worse as I am……

Think again is my final words for you!

After committing, it is your fate J

Till that time you can find me in Pune, gracefully sighting all those beautiful girls… Enjoy life only one we have……

Cheers
Harish devakumar


No signs of rain...No signs of cloud....
Yet the valleys and the ditches will be filled....

Believe in Belief