The Gospel according to my little cousin

Diwali! The Indian Christmas! And this year, I was the Desi Santa Claus!

Going home after earning my first salary felt like heaven. Laden with goodies for the whole family, I truly felt at peace with the world. And the look on my paatti's (grandma's) face when I handed a 1000 rupee note to her was, as MasterCard puts it, priceless!

But this Diwali was all the more important to me because I got to see the world through two completely different people. My 75-year-old grandma and my six-year-old cousin.

Scene 1:
My grandma has just received word that her pension arrears have been sanctioned and she is entitled to a huge sum. Somewhere in the vicinity of two lakhs! I am driving her over to a relative's place.

Grandma: kannappa! (That's how she calls me. She never calls me by my name, it being the name of my late grandfather!) As soon as the money comes, it will be your birthday. I will give you some money.
Me: Why paatti? I have started earning. Keep it yourself. Enjoy.
Her: Not like that. I want to give. Some for you, some for your sister. Then of course, to your dad and mom. Your mom has taken care of me for so long! (This coming from an almost typical Indian Saas!) And then the rest I will give to my sister's son. (This son has been paralysed from birth and is now around 25. Can't eat or bathe or brush by himself.)
Me: What about for you?
Grandma: What use is it for me? I will be dead and gone in a few years!(I frankly think most old people are fascinated by death. They never stop talking about it! Fetish, perhaps!)

Just like that, she was giving away two lakhs! And here I was, trying to figure out which person in the family to leave out of the gift list, so I have money to party later!

Scene 2:
I am taking my 6-year-old cousin on a 'bike ride'! Through the streets of Chennai filled with Diwali rubbish. Late evening, with 'Digital Calculator' and 'Pink Pongs' and 'Hot Girls' lighting up the sky. (These are genuine names of rockets!). She suddenly looks up to me and says, "I prefer things that only give out light. And lots of colors. I don't know why people like bombs so much. Too much noise!"

How does that MLTR song go?
The world's so wild,
but you've built your own paradise, Sleeping Child!

Another time, at the Marina. A beautiful afternoon, the sea in a hue of colors. Grey and green and blue playing with my mind. My cousin looks at the beach sand and notices the countless paper rockets and kites and balloon pieces on the sand. She then turns to her source of wisdom - her dad.
"Daddy, why are there so many balloon pieces?"
"Because, sweety, people sell balloons in the evenings and kids play with them."
She looks perplexed.
"But daddy, why do you need balloons here? You've got waves! What more do you need?"

My Diwali was made!

Bangalore Times

Well, it's about time I wrote something about this city.

Where do I start? There's so much here I don't know where to begin. To me, ten years from now, Bangalore will stand for money. This is the place that has given me a job, and my first salary. This is the place where I realised ATM cards don't 'make' money. And credit cards can belong to me as well. There's so much dough here.

But then, for anyone else, I suppose it stands for the same. Let me just step out of the money field and look at Bangalore a bit objectively. What comes my mind when I think of Bangalore? Pubs! Of course! And then.....coffee shops, pretty babes, fashion dressing, software firms, advertising agencies, and of course, the traffic.

More and more I think of the things bangalorish, the more and more I am surprised that Bangalore doesn't have an identity. Not one person who stands for this city. This city will always be the 'other' city.

There's no 'old' Bangalore. A lot of things happen here and yet, it seems stale. Like one huge play being enacted every single day, with varying intensity. And people feel comfortable knowing that there is permanence. That is probably why this city attracts so many people.

Do I like it here? Let me see......Right now, there's isn't much of a choice for me. But given a choice, would I still stay here? Well, all through my life, I have been living in places where crossing the road was the principal source of entertainment. Places where the very idea of paying thirty bucks for a coffee beckons images of armageddon. This is a sudden and nice change! I like the pace here. Not fast, mind you, but customized. You want to go slow, just go slow. People just don't bother what you do! Probably the reason why Bangalore has no identity is because everyone's an individual here. To each, his own.

INR 12,615

Here I am, again trying to write something because I have to. No writers' block this time. For the first time, I can honestly say I have been busy. Working!

Okay okay, i know you must be tired of hearing me say that but people, it feels so good. I got my first ever salary last week. Let me immortalise the number here so future generations can come and be enthralled!! 12,615!!!!! That's how much I got!!!

The other trainees in Wipro think this is a paltry sum. I look at them with a look that I reserve for worms and Himesh Reshammiya. Dude! Do you seriously think I am kicked about the amount?

I withdrew 500 bucks from the ATM the other day. With a card that has my signature on its backside. And when the money came out, I was close to choking! My money! All of it! My sweat and blood (Well, not exactly but I guess it will do:))! What a feeling!

There's a downside to this however. I just figured out everything costs money! I mean, even a small razor!! People just dont give ANYTHING for free anymore. They think I am loaded. I think it must show in my face.

Be that as it may, I am so happy! So happy that I can't even come up with a better entry to do justice to the feeling! But who cares! If you have any problem with it, I will buy you off! I AM RICH! I AM RICH!!! BUAHAHAHA!!!!!