ALTER IDEM

There was this village fair I once went to. Everywhere, people around me were buying the fancy, colourful stuff and I was feeling a little left out. I HAD TO buy something & it HAD TO be something useful! Among the less flashy stuff, I found these pens. As these rarely-used pens turn 6 this month, I have this great longing to go to another fancy fair, where, I can idle away some mindless and relaxing hours.

My 20 km journey to music class twice a week, is by bus. 95% of all the bus routes in these parts are managed quite efficiently by private operators. The stops are few and far between &, of late, the operators have graduated from playing Kannada/ Hindi film music to screening Kannada movies, maybe, because most buses cover a distance of 100-200 km one-way, in the course of the journey. One evening, as usual, I sat and resigned myself to half an hour of exasperation. But, wait a minute, here was Shilpa Shetty- as a beggar!! I am, of course, aware that Ms.Shetty, owing to her Mangalorean roots has acted in a couple of Kannada movies, but, as a beggar?? This was news to me!! Soon, I realised that 'Maya' was being punished by destiny for being haughty, proud, cruel, etc. during her money-lending/ mafia days. She was, infact, reduced to eating rotten food from garbage bins while the town jeered at her. A long, boring, sad, preachy song followed & before it ended, it was ti...

This is 'Bhadra Stop'. Located about 45km from/ before Chikmagalore depending on whether you are coming from/ going to C'lore, on the C'lore - Sringeri road, this attractive shack slows you down to take a peep.  'Bhadra' is the name of the mighty, yet, quiet river that flows nearby. The surrounding coffee plantation is called 'Bhadra Estate'. Well, once you take the peep, you feel like taking a break. Coffee is the only beverage that is served. If you are hungry, some basic snacks are also available. Everything inside has a rustic feel. Yet, the fridge, the gas stove and the uniformed cook- cum- server fit in. We were lucky to be passing by during the peak of the monsoon and when the coffee was served within 5 minutes, all we did was pamper all our senses - saw the lovely landscape, heard the birds, felt the weather and smelt and tasted good coffee. Decision made on that day - If ever 'Bhadra Stop' asks me, 'Coffee, tea or me',...

Of late, I have been reading a lot of short stories. I think that most short stories have their roots in real- life incidents. Also, attend to a short story closely, and you can tell something about the author! One of the earliest short stories that I remember reading is about an old man who plays extra roles in movies.To land these roles, he has to hang around film studios everyday and roles at his age don't come by easily. One day, a famous director offers him a role - that of a retired gentleman on his way home from buying groceries. The scene requires the old man to be window shopping as the hero storms out of the shop and dashes into him, thus, upsetting his bag. All he has to say is 'Oh!' and the fee is very good. Our man agrees, happy to be in the famous director's film. While thinking about his scene at home, our man realises that 'Oh!' when said in different ways can mean different things. Much to his wife's annoyance, he spends his whole evenin...