WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, NOR ANY DROP TO DRINK

I saw the giant sea waves approaching us as if they would engulf us completely. Maa shrieked. I didn’t understand why because I was having fun. It was like a huge swimming pool. Being a child, I didn’t realize that we were in danger.

         It was Sunday, 26 December 2004, 8:30 AM to be precise. I was in Kalpakkam, a coastal area, where everyone was still revelling in the Christmas fervour. My sister and I, 8 and 4 years old respectively, were bicycling around the house, giggling and chatting. Paa, being a fitness freak was out to play badminton a few kilometers away. Our house was on the seashore, giving us a beautiful view from the portico.

        I saw the lady who lived in a creepy house which was nearest to the shore cycling fast towards us. My sister and I imagined her to be a witch and used to challenge each other to go into her house and come back. Whenever we walked on the street, we used to tiptoe past her house because we were afraid of her. As she approached us, she shouted: “Run! Run!” We were frightened. We first thought she was chasing us but then realized that she was actually warning us.

       A wave just appeared out of the blue and soared nearly thrice as high as our house’s height and was fast approaching us. It seemed as if it was chasing us. We went running towards our house with water following us several times as quickly. “Maaaa!” my sister made a frantic call.  “Maa! Didn’t I tell you the other day about the dream I had of water flooding the township? The water is really here. Come and see outside!” said my ‘ever- childish, never-so-serious’ sister.  Maa came out only to see the water at our door step entering the just-mopped house.

       Maa quickly lifted me and held my sister’s hand. Everyone around was running away from their houses. We scurried through the water, which was waist deep for my mother, hoping to escape to a safer place. I saw people around me — old, young, some even handicapped — struggling to carry their belongings and valuables. I also noticed various animals, mostly cows, being tossed around like rag dolls by the water.

       We waded through the water to a maidaan, where people were rushing to, because it was higher than the ground level. From there, we took a bus to Anupuram, which was a safer place. The bus was specially meant for transporting people to a safer place. We went to a family friend,  Revati aunt’s house in Anupuram, where her family welcomed us with care and concern. We were safe, at last. But there was no sign of Paa. We were unable to contact him, because mobile phones were not common in a middle-class household at the time.

        The adults went to various places in and around Kalpakkam trying to search for my Paa everywhere. Although we were put to sleep, the adults spotted Paa in a place near Chengalpat, a nearby town. He was trying to locate us in tsunami victim camps. I vaguely remember Revati Aunty calling Paa’s name when they found him, and Maa’s expression at the time.  I was in a state of trance, clinging on to Maa’s shoulder.
    
         When I woke up, it was dark, it must have been nearly 10 PM. I found that I was lying on Paa’s lap, who was caressing me. Maa was next to us, holding my sister. In hushed whispers, they were talking about how lucky we were to be alive. That moment, I can’t describe how safe and secure I felt.

    

Why consider menstrual cups over pads/tampons

Hello! It's been quite some time since I decided to finally sit down and write things that have been itching in my mind in the past few days.
My blog is always about me and my experiences. This time, I thought I would do something different. Henceforth, I want to write useful stuff apart from the occasional usual rants. Why suddenly? As cliche as it sounds -- New Year, New Me.

Ever since I read about the menstrual cups, I have been thinking a lot about them and wondering why they have not yet replaced pads/tampons. Menstrual cup is a cup-shaped, elastic, reusable, hygienic sanitary product which is made out of medical-grade silicon. It has a tube sticking out from it to facilitate insertion.
Note: I have not yet tried them out. But I'm planning to start using them in the near future.
 Here's why they seem to me to be better than pads/tampons:

1. Environment Friendly: Okay. You have heard a lot about this one. We know how sanitary pads/diapers are dangerous to the environment. To give you the sense, they take around 500 years to actually start decomposing. Your menstrual cup will last your lifetime with proper care. Imagine how many pads/tampons a woman throws away in a lifetime. Isn't the menstrual cup an obvious and eco-friendly alternative?

2. One-Time Investment: Oh come on! All of us know how costly sanitary pads are. For 30 pads, we spend Rs.500. This is a main reason, girls from poor economic backgrounds can not afford pads and have a bad sanitary hygiene. The rate of a menstrual cup starts from about Rs.200 and it lasts for years. It is reusable, cheap and hygienic. It saves your pocket.

3. Awareness about one's own body: Even today, there are people who do not know that there are 3 holes down there. In case you do not know -- one is the urethra, the second is the vagina and the third is the anus. I read somewhere recently that there are people who think their belly button is one of the holes. I was laughing out loud at this until I realized how sad this was. When you use sanitary pads, you don't know what is going on down there. You do not know where the blood is coming out from. When you use the menstrual cup, you need to know where to insert it. Isn't it so nice to be aware of yourself?

4. Hygiene and Health: The menstrual cup is very hygienic if cleaned and maintained properly. We all know the array of problems associated with pads and tampons. You have to keep changing them from time to time. Rashes and irritation due to pads are very problematic. The menstrual cup is made up of non-allergic medical grade silicon and it contains no bleaching agents, deodizers or gels (which are found in sanitary pads). It is gentle on skin too!
                   There is something called toxic shock syndrome which is associated with menstruation. The menstrual cup is a very safe product if cleaned and used with care. They can stay in for any period of time depending upon the flow of blood. According to sources, they can hold roughly 30 mL of liquid which amounts to about 1/3rd of a period blood.

5. Cleanliness and Associated Things:  Normally, on a period, you have to constantly check if the blood has leaked/stained your clothes. The menstrual cup solves this for you. The people who have used it, have reported that there is almost zero leakage. Using toilets is also a problem as when you get up, you always drip a few drops which have to be cleaned later on. But this is not the case when you use a menstrual cup.

6.  Ease of Use: Apparently, the cup is very easy to use. It is reported to be so comfortable that you won't even know that it is there. After a few uses, when you get used to using it, you will identify the position in which it perfectly fits within you.

Isn't this not the obvious alternative? Hygienic, safe, eco-friendly, self-awareness-creating, and cost-effective.
I feel everyone should know about this. Spread the word everywhere and explain why it is a better alternative.

Courtesy:
www.bellybelly.com.au
YouTube.com
Google Images

Introspect

It is then, the same bougainvillea, the same rusty old cycle, the same sunshade, the glass windows,
The road which hasn't changed much over the years, the same tea shop at its end, and not to forget the same old boiler.
The same park where you have played, your children have and the kids of the street, the same neighbour who has developed acne to cataract with you.
So I understand I don't have a home,
I have not stayed there till the seed I sowed, grew into a tree,
I don't even know what happened to the puppy I named "Hamlet" 5 years ago,
Oh and the one whom I remember nothing of but the telephone number 7038, with whom I promised to live forever.
From 166, 12th Avenue, from where I saw the calm sea waves turn into giants tsunami waves,  to K-9, East where I slept peacefully one Saturday night locking my parents out,
To C-33/4 where I had my own mini Red Cross, to D- 36/4 where the large French window had become my asylum,
To number 93, K.K.Nagar, where I tasted independence for the first time, nothing lasted.
Nothing lasted. Nothing at all.
Nothing but my eyes; eyes which found home in the beach at Kalpakkam, in the scene at Chhappan Dukaan in Indore, and at the Garba Maidaan in Kakrapar.
Nothing but my taste buds; they have found home in the Udipi Idlis and Dosas and Indori Poha and Jalebi, to Patras and Fafdas of Surat.
Nothing but names which have found home on my Facebook Friend list; Of people, their dogs, their cats, their siblings, their parents, their cars, their cousins. I can probably tell you what my classmate's third uncle called his grandmother.
Nothing but memories; memories of a little brown pup with white patches, he was called "Hutch", memories of a bald person I once met on a train who turned out to be a close relative, memories of riding my bicycle for the first time; Banal, but true.
Nothing but my stupidity which gradually found home in me as I accepted myself with all my flaws.
Nothing but me.
Oh I have found home.

Metanoia

A mild air of contentment blew upon me as Sir said “Knowledge never goes waste”.  I looked at him with eyes very curious. A busy man, Sir, who never usually smiled very easily, smiled today at me, looked straight into my eyes and I rather thought he was looking into my heart that had so much respect for him and said “You did your best! I have never wanted anyone to excel in exams but always in life". Some part of me knew Sir has always liked me for being sincere, which I more or less tried to be.

I met Sir in the twelfth grade, or I should say, in the second year of my coaching for the JEE. Sir was my lecturer for Chemistry. When Sir taught, even the one, who couldn’t say the IUPAC names of compounds or figure out what benzene was, became an expert in Chemistry. Or maybe I thought so. Yes, I topped almost every exam in Chemistry that I came across in the second year.
One thing that is always required to succeed is respect for the one who teaches .I realized this and never left an iota of disrespect for any of my teachers this year.

My attitude has completely changed, for good. All motivation I ever needed was seeing him. He never did anything for that by himself. I just needed him to be present.  I worked very hard to get my basics clear.

And, I cracked the first level of JEE. It was a reward, though not a very great one, it was a reward!  I know I didn't succeed further because of all the little acts of disrespect I’ve ever done before this year.

I was happy to know today that Sir is proud of me. It gives me satisfaction. This is all I’ve ever wanted.

P.S.: No combination of letters or poetic words can describe this feeling.
Image courtesy: Google.

An Aeipathy

I am sharing a bit I know about Indian classical music, something that I love. 

The Raaga Yaman Kalyan of Hindustani Sangeet, its equivalent Raaga in Carnatic Sangeet being Yamuna Kalyani is one of my favourite Raagas.  It is also known as Emaan in the West Asia.

Every Raaga has a particular time when it sounds most melodious and is in its peak of attraction.

Yaman Kalyan spreads its fragrance in the "Ratri ka Pratham Prahar" or 6pm-9pm.  When you sing or do Riyaaz in a Raaga in the time that it is meant for, you get totally lost into it and you just won't want to stop. The time period for each Raaga is pre-decided by great classical musicians in the past. The time is decided based on the different changes taking place in human bodies in different times of the day that arouse different feelings and emotions. It's so amazingly true. How I get deeply lost into a Raaga once I start singing it in that particular time!

I sometimes feel very surprised when I realise how intimate is the connection between Mathematics and these Raagas. Every Raaga is a combination of the 22 shruti (frequencies) that can be produced by the human voice box. So basically Raagas are permutations and combinations of these different frequencies!

The Indian Classical music is sung along with beats or the Taala. A Taala is "clap, tapping one's hand on one's arm, a musical measure" according to Wikipedia. These Taalas are again combination of beats. A Taala is a musical measure of time. Raaga gives melody and a Taala binds it beautifully with time. The different Taalas in the Hindustani Classical music are Teentaal( consisting 16 beats), Dadra (6 beats),Kaharva (8 beats), Rupak(7 beats), Ektaal(12 beats),Dhamar(14 beats) and so on. The beauty of the Taalas binding these Raagas is beyond words. 

There are many health benefits of singing. Singing is good for the lungs; singing improves your breath and respiration. Singing creates a kind of harmony within that maintains a balance within.

The Raagas are surely stress busters. Whenever I feel low or depressed, I make sure I sing Indian classical along with my harmonium and Taala.  It gives me soul satisfaction.  I feel connected to divinity when I sing Indian classical.

Translation to certain terms used:

Raaga: A collection of notes in Indian classical music. These collection of notes induce different emotions in us.

Hindustani Sangeet: North Indian classical music.

Carnatic Sangeet:  South Indian classical music.

Ratri ka pratham prahar:  The subdivision of time meant for different Ragaas is called Prahar. "Ratri ka pratham prahar" means "the first subdivision of night".

Riyaaz:   Riyaaz is an Urdu word which means music practice of Indian classical music. It is usually done along with a Tanpura, Tabla, harmonium and other musical instruments.

Shruti:  Smallest interval of pitch human ear can detect.




Some Indian musical instruments used in Riyaaz:

Tanpura: 






Harmonium:




Tabla:


Picture courtesy: Google :)

The reflection

I was with daddy in a dark room chatting with him,

Eating oranges was I, peeling them was he in light dim.

We discussed books, movies, leaders and everything under the sun.

It was ice cold outside, we couldn't go there, so had the chat begun.

Suddenly dad realized that we'd heated the room to 6000⁰centigrade!

Frightened it could harm us, screaming, on daddy's lap I laid.

Then realizing this was nonsense, I stopped myself from screaming,

At this point, I felt a jerk and realized I was just dreaming.

I lay in bed and thought about the dream so candid,

Everything that happened was in front of me so lucid.

I was amazed the way this dream covered every aspect of daddy,

Friendly, caring, wise and a protective arm to look after me!

Jumping out of bed, I couldn't just stop smiling at the mirror.

Because I saw daddy's spitting image on the rear.

The mic that didn't reach my mouth!

I stood alone in a thousands' crowd,

Looking at parents proud and my heart beating loud.

Sweat ran from everywhere to everywhere,

With sun's scorching heat that I couldn't bear.

I stepped back an inch and said "I can't perform",

-"Just four lines, you can" waved at me, my mom.

They taught me a song famous here way south,

I told them "I can't sing, the mic doesn't reach my mouth".

I ran down swiftly, and my heart felt so light,

I didn't think of my parents a bit, who prepared me all night.

Had "the mic reached my mouth" that day, I'd have gone a long way,

Aah! What use is it of, regretting it today?