How "Alaipayuthey" played out in my life?

He is not my kind of a guy! - Part II

It was April 2000. I was in the second year of  my Engineering degree course. Along with my class mates, I was in the theatre, thrilled to watch a movie. Those days, in Coimbatore, female hostelers going for a movie that too with guys was a big thing. I didn't care to know the heroine or the hero of the movie. But when I came out of the theatre, I became more "hungry" for the hero... An ardent fan for Mr. R. Madhavan was born out of the movie - "Alaipayuthey". My love for ManiRathnam movies soared big time. Delicate romance, drama, limited dialogues pouring out volumes of emotion, nail biting screenplay - all left a very satisfied feeling in me. Little did I know then this movie would later play out in my life.

Journey with "Alaipayuthey" started...

Year 2002: Final year of graduation. It was a farewell function 'Sayonara" (meaning "Good bye"in Japanese), conducted by our loving juniors. I got shortlisted to the final round of "Miss. Sayonara" contest. It was a tight corner round. This was the problem given to me, "You are madly in love with a guy. Both of you love each other, but your parents don't agree to it. And you both decide to commit suicide. What would you do now?"

I was quick to present my answer. "This is why Manirathnam created "Alaipayuthey". Don't commit suicide. Get married and stay in each other's homes. Once you have the courage to come out, live together!

From the judges panel, "but you have decided to commit suicide!" and I quipped, "After marriage staying away from each other is equivalent to suicide!" (If I were to answer it now, I would have told, "Getting married itself is committing suicide..." :D)

Huge applause... and then much to everybody's surprise, a wheat colour skinned, big spectacle'd, not so "attractive" girl, that's me was crowned Ms. Sayonara! Hehehe!

Year 2004: I had fallen in love with this guy. A guy from another caste, another language, another custom. No brownie points for guessing the parents' reaction. I had an elder sister who was not married then, pretty much the same scenario as in the movie. Eventually we both decided to do a registered marriage. Thankfully, my dad didn't have much qualms. He simply said, 'It is your life and you would have to bear the consequences of your decision.' But my partner's end was pretty rough.

He had come from US after a year, for our marriage. He didn't go home, got married to me first. After our so called marriage was over, I was at my home while he went to convince his parents. It was an encounter with a ferocious lion in its den, ready to pounce on him anytime. He employed silence, nonchalance as if nothing big happened. For more than a day or two, nobody was able to break into him. Then after enough provocation, huge emotional drama unfolded and then all was well at the end!

He continues to be the apple of his mom's eyes. I became a good friend to my mother-in-law, she become my role model in certain aspects and a big source of inspiration too. We in no time became a well adapted family. Kudos to both males of our family, my husband and my father-in-law. Humanity and sense prevailed. Love won everybody's hearts!

We test each other! :)

Year 2016: How is life after marriage? We both quarrel... quarrel for the silliest things possible. I with my brutal honesty, would invite his ire very easily. As I wind up this article today, we are not on talking terms for I made a comment, "only jerks would watch movie like Transformers'! :-D Howzzat?!

I am the boss, I am the servent, I am the child, I am the mother! Jus that he wouldn't know what role I have assumed at a given point of time! :-) :-)

And the movie "Alaipayuthey" continues...
Fascinating movie and even more fascinating life! :-)

An Open Letter to Mr. Kejriwal

Dear Kejriwal,

Over the last 3 years you have provided high quality entertainment. Particularly, after May 2014, the quality of your social media entertainment has grown leaps and bounds. Every day, I look forward to your posts and tweets of all the affairs involving your favorite person, Modi "Ji". 

The moment I see your posts, I gleefully jump to the comments section and enjoy each and every mouthful of comment. I eagerly look forward to 'Hit like if you think he is the greatest chor on the planet!' comment or 'Hit like if Kejriwal is the best PM of the world' comments & its replies. I can't possibly elucidate how bored I felt when you didn't post/tweet much while you were away on Vippasana. 

Around the same time, your best friend @bdutt blocked me on Twitter and I didn't get to enjoy her tweets. Since I lost that package already, I rely only on your valuable presence. That's the reason, I don't give my "piece of mind" to you (what if your team mercilessly block me too) and be a silent admirer of your true #Krantikari efforts!

But now am afraid I may not be able to give the same level of attention to your social media ranting. Because we have an uncanny death at home (state) and we South Indians, esp. Tamilians have become Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery. :-D

Hence I appeal to you to take a break from many FB live, post that you do, for I can't afford to miss such high quality entertainment and absolutely hilarious comments section that ensues your post. Knowingly or unknowingly, you have put your so called IIT brain to best use that you have been able to extract the best possible satire from many of your "true" followers. 

After a long tiring day, nobody could entertain as you do. The loud chuckle that follows on reading your posts makes every minute of my time in social media worthwhile. 

You are the find of Indian Social Media Entertainment! Keep up the good work, Sir! But please consider my request to give us a break from your typical tweets... But if you must post something, pls do movie reviews. I am OK to skip them but nothing else. 

- Sincerely

Your Social media fan from South India

One from the betrayed crowd

My husband mocked me making Briyani. Is he a nationalist?

'I am gonna prepare a yummy veg Briyani', I announced! 'Do you know how to make it?', he asked in concern. After all, he was going to eat it.

'I have been preparing for this day for sometime now. I even bought the ingredients and have done a lot of research on how to make the best Briyani'

He further to annoy me, 'Let me monitor how you make it'. Not withstanding this comment, going back to my patience reserve, I quietly asked, 'Have you done it before? Please, let me make it peacefully. You can taste when done.'

So, I lighted the stove and kept the bottom heavy vessel on the stove. He was right behind and asked me 'why not this vessel?'. I was wondering what happened of him. I gave him the reason and moved on to pour oil. He shouted, 'too much oil... Reduce the heat. You are not letting the vegetables cook.'

He went on and on like this. After adding the vegetables, spices, all necessary grounded powder, he tasted it, 'too salty'. I again asked him to trust me, 'I know what I am doing. I have to add rice. So this masala would be slightly salty now.'

Then again he bet his life by lamenting, 'this doesn't look like Briyani. Feel you are making tamarind rice!'. This time, I ran out of patience and I had to swear at him :-D

And when I was adding rice to the mixture, like the good Lord, he asked, 'Where is basmati rice?' You know I was waiting for this. 'Oh! I see. I have been asking you to help with the preparation, like buying the necessary provisions, washing n cutting vegetables. You were quiet when I did all by myself and now you ask for basmati rice. For your own good, pls move away, once it is ready, I will serve you. We both can enjoy the Briyani together'

He acted as if he was possessed. He went on to say, 'I still feel you don't know how to make it. You are simply raising expectation. I saw how you make, this is not how Briyani would look like. This is going to be a big failure. Rice appears like uncooked rice whereas it would be soft in actual and in pictures too...'

Like a good wife(!), I understood his panic and decided to spare his life. He has not seen anyone preparing this dish earlier. Hence he was anxious about the making and the final outcome.

Now the exciting part of this article. 'Whether the Briyani came out well or not?'

I am sorry to disappoint you. But this isn't about Briyani at all. Please replace 'I', 'me' with Narendra Modi,  the bickering not-so-helpful husband with the "true nationalist" who complain about the surgical strike on black money that our PM cooked for the nation while at the same time ceaselessly question, 'What did #56inch do about corruption in India?'

Read the article from the first now and this is how some of us are behaving. We don't know the exact recipe for a Corruption free India nor we would help with preparation or render any sort of cooperation. Someone out there is attempting something. Let us give him a chance, it is better than doing nothing about it. Given all the outcomes so far, I trust we would taste a great veg briyani, err, Corruption Free India soon.

Of course, our participation is required in every step, by helping people in need, by following rules, by not paying receipt less fines to police, cheating with fake rent receipts, medical bills, buy without bills to purchase in tax less cost, register property at lower cost again to cut back on taxes.

We have accepted all these as norm. We comfortably question some one out there, because it is easy. Let the buck stop with us.

Swach Bharat will not happen without we cleansing ourselves. Whatever it takes, let's face it, let's come out clean. Let us reset ourselves to zero and start a fresh account.

Good luck to all of us! My India, Clean India!

 And I am trying to do my part by constantly questioning my own hypocrisy. Let me get my hands clean first. I am sure I can get there and not jus be an arm chair commentator!