Selective Amnesia

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Question

Would a cultured, kindly and important resident of Berlin be an Urbane, germane, humane urban German human?

Friday, January 15th, 2010

The sight of Madras and the Sound of Music

So, here are a few of my favourite Madras things.

5 AM filter coffee (sugary, but good) at Udipi Welcome
6 AM Sambar iddli at same Welcome
Filter Coffee and Real Vanilla ice-cream at Peter’s road Saravana Bhavan. (Ice-cream first, then Filter Coffee.)
Walking from Nilgiris/Radhakrishnan Salai to Ranjith hotel in Nungambakkam High Road at 7 in the evening.
Doing the same walk the next day, but with two friends for company.
Walking along Thanikachalam Road, Dr. Nair road, TP Road, Valluvar Kottam and Village road because you were bored of riding your bike.

Bored, so you take your bike out and go everywhere, without getting anywhere, and enjoy traffic for what it is – a huge affirmation that the city is still alive, is worth living in. Powercuts between 6 and 9 in the evenings, so you walk out and gossip with cousins and uncles and neighbours, catching up on old family scandals while the air cools down, mosquitoes warm up. Those 2-3 hours spent doing nothing, but sitting on the steps out your home.
Mint Street, Parry’s Corner, Fort St. George, Mandavelli-Mylapore markets, P.T Rajan salai, Natesan Salai and 9th Sector, KK Nagar, Sardar Patel Road, Mount. Road, Chamier’s Road and TTK Road, GN Chetty Road, Jeeva Park, Bazullah Road, Rangarajapuram/Samiyar Madam, Besant Avenue, Besant Lane, Besant Road, Peter’s Road, Gen. Patter’s Road, Pattulo’s Road, White’s Road, Greame’s Road. Tambaram via Velachery, GST Road from Airport to Tambaram, Irumbuliyur Road/NH45/NH4 to Poonamallee.
Thalankuppam, Water, Beach, Sand. Sitting with your feet at the edge of the wave at 11 AM in Thiruvanmiyur, after a night spent at the office, working with bosses who’ve become friends. Foggy mornings on Napier bridge, clear skies over Broken bridge, evenings and sunsets at Muthuswamy Bridge/Zero point, Watching red taillights of cars diminishing in size while standing on Anna Flyover. 5 minutes later, another motorcyclist stops and the two of you watch taillights of disappearing cars on NH road.

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

The Chennai PhotoWalk/Mylapore Festival Exhibition

The Chennai PhotoWalk folks have collected some of the best photos of Mylapore. Ever. In December, if you recall, Vatsan organised two special walks in Mylapore, to document the locality’s specialties. The idea was that the organisers of Chennai PhotoWalk and Mylapore Fest will collaborate to curate an exhibition of photos of Mylapore’s unique architecture and contagious mood.

Vincent and Vatsan have vorked out the logistics and all, and the exhibition is all set to go live. I’ve seen some of the images, and I honestly think they are nothing short of amazing. (More photos below the fold.) Vatsan is, as you read this, printing the first batch of photos. And shortlisting a few more photos (As supreme lord of PhotoWalking, and as the Prince of Madras, I have final veto. It’s a power I wear light).
Anyway, it promises to be a superb collection.

If you are in Madras, please do go take a look at the exhibition. And buy a few photos, help support these talented photographers. If you are not in Madras, perhaps a good time to come? The weather’s nice and pleasant now, and a lot of events are in the offing.

Start Time: Thursday, 21 January 2010 at 18:00
End Time: Sunday, 24 January 2010 at 21:00
Location: Lady Sivaswami Girls High School Mylapore

Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Original Sound Track

It’s 6:28 AM, and it is my third night running that I’ve stayed up, un-sleeping-ly, reading, researching, note-jotting for my 5000 word essay. Make that two essays, minimum length 3000 words each. While I am no stranger to late nights, (*) what makes this bloody difficult is that I miss the unique sounds of a Chennai night.
There were no dogs barking/howling. No watchman thumped the platform with his stick. No creaking cots. No sudden blare of a car horn as a late night reveler/worker sped past. No mosquitoes. In short, nothing familiar about this bout of insomnia.
As morning approaches, and as the skies pink at the horizon, Madras’ many temples wake up. December/January is devoted to LR Easwari, SP Balasubramaniam and Seergazhi Sivachidambaram and their multiple gods. Tinny speakers on temporary poles borrowing electricity from the closest apartment, out-shouting the other shrine not more than 20-30 feet away.

Suprabhatam or Bhaja Govindam plays, and in the rare case of absence of that particular tape, any MS offering. Not cliches, not perpetuating blind stereotypes. Even in August 2009, I assure you, early morning Kelly’s performed to this particular mix.

Like Kamal in Pushpak/Pesum Padam, I think I should get me a tape of these sounds.

(* Aargh. The Brits have got me. The line – no stranger to late nights – HAS to be understatement of the decade past, and the decade present.)

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Of eyes and looks: Translating Bharathiyar’s Suttum Vizhi Sudar

Let’s begin with one of the best translations I’ve seen so far.

Agnibharathi

Is that sparkle of the eyes the dual light?
Is that black sphere the dark night?
Your indigo saree with diamonds sown
Are they the stars that night has shown?
The halo from the wild flower
Is that thy smile my lover?
The waves that the sea does hold
Are they thy bosom’s sweet fold?

The cuckoo’s sound of soulful note
In thy voice sweet does it float?
A maiden like a budding grove
Kannamma I have fallen in thy love.

Of rules do thee to me speak
Do rules stand for passion’s peak?
Later I shall do the laws elders seek.
How shall I wait? Here, a kiss on thy cheek.

Sharanya takes it, and does wonders. I like the way Kannamma has been interpreted.

PRECIOUS AS THE EYE
(a transcreation of the Tamil poem Suttum Vizhichudadar by Subramanya Bharathi)

Those eyes of yours, Kannamma, blaze
more brilliant than the sun or moon.
They smoulder with the darkness of the skies.


Your saree a silken midnight shimmering with stars
Your smile the radiance of a forest aflame
The tides of your heart like those of the ocean
Your voice the song of the sweetest koel


Woman precious as the eye, my
Love fills me with turbulence.


You speak of fortunes, my heart, but for those
enraged with passion, what need is there for fortunes?
With the elders’ consent we will marry, but let that wait –


But if I could wait – here! Allow me, a kiss upon your cheek.

I remember Chenthil translating this once, and the two of us got into a little argument over the way he’d translated nenjin alaigal. But I am unable to find his version. Chenthil, can you post it as a comment, please?

Anyway, here’s mine. Wholesale reinterpretation rather than a translation. No metre. No rhyme. Make of it as you will.

That searing glance, as pungent as the sun’s, as soothing as the moon’s, yours my precious, my iris.
Those deep eyes, pools of never ending black, the night’s sky, yours my precious, my iris.
Not stars winking on a clear night, but the diamonds on glistening silk you drape.


That radiant smile, like countless wild flowers opening up to the sun.
The curves of your breasts, the ups and the downs, as enchanting as the blue waves by the shore.
The timbre of your voice, as pleasing as the call of the wood’s sparrow.


I’m smitten my precious, my iris, my gypsy girl.


What code can hold me, moved as I am in passion.
The rituals elders demand can wait. Come here, love.
Let us have a kiss.

[Past translations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6]

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

More foodblogging Bristol

Part 1 here. More proof of my housewife-ly skills.

Exhibit a) “Typical South Indian”

Carrot சாம்பார்:
& சாதம்:

(Aside: When people accuse Madras of being a ‘idli-sambar’ place, do they realise how cosmopolitan that is?)

Exhibit b) “Typical North Indian”

राजमा और चावल:

& चन्ना:

Exhibit c) “Typical Italian”
Penne al’Arrabiata with Garlic Bread:

Exhibit d) “Typical Western European/American”
Smoked Salmon:
I must confess, the smoked salmon is not my preparation. Dave, a classmate, brought the salmon and, um, made it for us as part of a large Christmas lunch.

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

I want to see the film. NOW