Horror of the Horoscope

I never miss glancing through the daily horoscope on the Times of India epaper sitting in by office cubicle or the elaborated predictions for the entire week published on weekends. There is a purpose behind reading them. Years back it was because I religiously believed in them but now the glance is just for the fun of it; to be amused reading what they believe is going to happen to me today.

Indians are very obsessed with astrology. For them their astrologer is the ultimate savior after God himself. Having said so, I am not a non believer in this science. Astrology is all about the movement of stars and planets in the universe and their impact on the lives on those coming under its influence. In fact it stuns me how they are able to calculate the present state of the planets by just knowing the date and time of birth! There must be a fixed method of calculating it, like an algorithm. This explains why there are softwares which can calculate these states. I find this quite unappealing. It takes the entire divinity out of this age old art.

Whether there is any truth in horoscope predictions is still debated. Knowing your future beforehand even if it may be true can be devastating for many especially if the ’diagnosis’ is negative. Imagine if someone predicts that you are going to lead an ordinary life or worst you are going to die early! The person will shun all efforts to become successful or lead a healthy life. In many cases the credibility of such predictions has been challenged too.

In my view we must really not be bothered by what’s written in our horoscopes. It may or may not turn out to be true but why spoil the fun in enjoying life to the fullest and living in the present? Better don’t make any horoscopes at all!

My horoscope says I have the infamous Shani till the age of 26; which means I will have to undergo lots of trials and tribulations till that age. This in a way seems true given my present condition but I am not going to let it make me put down everything and surrender. I have my struggle to live and I am sure this too shall pass. Until then keep trying, never give up and hit hard!

Martyr At 23

So much has been written and published about the great martyr Bhagat Singh. The glory of this patriot which was confined to history textbooks has been rechristened by host of movies in past few years. He is a well known entity in India now and is often remembered as a material of motivation whenever we are in a phase of revolution of some sorts like whenever a protest is suppressed.

 I remember my fellow college mates bursting into ‘sarfaroshi ki tamanna’, the poem of the revolutionaries, when we were asked to pay for the college fest arrangements in the first year! Seems childish now but the movie ‘Rang De Basanti’, which glorified the revolutionary movement of India and Bhagat Singh of course, was released that time and all the youth was in that fervor! It is unfortunate that his remembrance is limited only to such times and because he symbolizes much more than that.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh went to gallows with his zealots Sukhdev and Rajguru at a very young age of 23, with a smiling face. He hadn’t lived even half the life span of an average human. The significance of this sacrifice seems to have lost in time.

What would a man at the age of 23 want from his world around today? Would they be willing to lay down their lives for the nation? I am not talking about the jawans, the defense personnel; there is absolutely no doubt in their patriotism. But consider the common youth.  I am 23 year old too. What does a man at this age wish for? Getting a high paying job, pursuing mba, buying property, bikes, girlfriends.. Our entire effort is centered around the well being of just our self or at most the family.  Complete studies, get a job, keep switching companies to get better pay, squeeze an mba in between, marry and settle down. Very few care about people, society and nation.

The situation was no different those days. The youth was pre occupied by the same thoughts that time, except that it corresponded to the luxuries and woes of that era. But a little more than a handful of youngsters saw the wrong around them and dared to challenge their present.

What would have been in Bhagat Singh’s mind when the death sentence was around? Terrified? Petrified? No. He was expecting this as he had purposely surrendered before police after bombing the assembly along with Batukeshwar Dutt. He knew he would be hanged, but was not afraid; instead used the court trials as a platform to voice the views of the revolutionaries to the world. He wanted to set an example through his death that they are not terrorists and they value human life but as he said “it takes a loud noise to make the deaf hear”.

It hits me hard whenever I think about the age at which he went to the gallows because I am pretty much of that age now. How would I feel if I happen to die today? So many things unfinished, so many feats unaccomplished, so many dreams unfulfilled! It would seem like an unfair deal. Then I think about him and realize how great he is. Some might say he was filled with that typical madness the youth exhibit, jawani ka josh. But if that was the case he would had been frightened in the face of death.

Time and again I can’t stop thinking about this marvelous man. He has inspired me a lot. It is my die hard wish to visit Hussainiwala, the place he was cremated along with his compatriots and also the Sardar Bhagat Singh Museum at Khatkar Kalan which has preserved many of his belongings and writings.

Recession Proof Jobs

With uncertainty looming large in the job market we are on the verge of another rough phase of recession much of which is rumored or exaggerated (that’s what I want to believe!) Having experienced the 2008 pandemic for myself, couldn’t help thinking of any profession or industry in this whole wide world which is recession proof; which will always ensure a steady cash flow or at least stability come what may.  After musing over it for a while I could chalk out a few lucrative options one might consider. They may not apply to the whole of world but they certainly do for the mystery of a place called India!

Movies

Cinema has always been an obsession with Indians and the demand just doesn’t seem to diminish. Indian film industry is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds thanks to the increasing presence of Indian artists in world cinema. The exorbitant budgets with which movies are made are breaking records every year and so are the collections made by them. I remember watching movies at 50 bucks in a local theatre, which rocketed to 70, 90 and is now 110 within a span of just 6 years. But has this reduced the number of cinigoers? Not even a bit. Movies with great caliber run to packed houses. Actors make large sums, so do others associated with it. This certainly is a stuff to go for given you are talented or at least have contacts!

Cricket

Religion takes the second place on the yardstick of reverence whenever India is on a game of cricket. The country being so infectiously crazy over the game is the sole reason why cricket sells in India. I am sure each and every one in that elite squad of 11 makes enough money to last for generations. Let alone the game, they earn heavily on endorsements and social appearances as well. Cricket is never going to diminish in India, even if the entire nation is hit by famine; it is that glorified here. Consider being a cricketer if you believe you have it in you.

Politics

If we were to start with a rare case of honest politician in India, you still are ahead of the game. Decent paychecks, long list of allowances, vehicle, accommodation, food…and now let us get into the reality; unaccounted record of property amassed, loads of money stashed overseas, unlimited power says the story. Caught in a scandal? No problem. Our judiciary has plenty of loopholes; you will be free sooner or later. If you have an inborn talent of hiding your wrongdoings, Indian politics is for you. Education no bar, criminal background no bar. Hop in and you will be rich in no time.

Food

Food forms an integral part of culture in India. People splurge on food just like they do on cricket or movies. The only criteria for any food business to survive in India – maintain the quality. Once you are able to establish a brand, a USP in terms of taste, price becomes secondary. Be it a simple vada – pav and tea stall or a posh restaurant, taste is all that matters to Indians. Take any example; the soaring price of any dish has hardly impacted its sale in eateries which is known uniquely for it.  Come up with viable and quality recipes and you will earn a recession proof income.

Doctor

Doctors and engineers are always at loggerheads as to who among them is supreme. Though I am an engineer I would say the answer is the doc. No human body is sickness proof and the situation is much pronounced in present state India clouded with pollution and harsh climate. Doctors are literally money making machines here. Didn’t get a job in any hospital after MBBS? Set up your own clinic and watch patients line up at you doors. It is indeed an ever green profession. Be a doc if you don’t puke at the sight of dissected human parts or pitiful looking patients and of course if you are a stud.

Phew! These are the ones I could think of, enjoying the traffic sitting inside my office bus. There are more options, some of which cannot be discussed! (How about the Desi Boyz way?!). Post them in comments if you can think of any.

Note: the options given above are to be taken in good humor! Rely on your gut instincts, passion and abilities to choose a career path.

Matters that Matter

Ever wondered why we observe such a wide variety in behavioral pattern of people around us? Some are orthodox while others are just liberal; some utter only abuses while others  speak civilized; some are timid and shy while others are bold and daring; some are taciturn while others extroverts. Having pondered over it for a while, I abruptly conclude that it is the nature of a person which decides which side of the coin he is going to be in but on deeper introspection realization dawns upon me that there is a bigger factor which dominates such human behavior. It is your UPBRINGING.

I could get the rationale behind this clearer when I took the example of my own. I have been bought up in a very protective environment. My dad was so conservative about us kids that he never let us experience the harsh life outside. Our world was confined within a virtual capsule inside which everything was safe and the world was a pleasant place to live in. I grew up not knowing the ‘tricks’ to survive in this harsh world and when the time came when I had to use them, I faltered and am still learning; taking baby steps.

My dad on the contrast is the ultimate survival stuff. He has been shouldering responsibilities since he was 16, has struggled a lot, has fallen many times only to rise stronger next time and as a consequence of this has learnt how to survive in this world. Unfortunately when it came to passing those skills to me or at least letting me learn myself, he became all protective.

The way you are bought up in the family is the molding factor of your personality. Your sun sign traits may indicate that you are a shy guy but growing up in a lineage full of clamor can turn the whole story around. Parents have a great role in shaping the personality of their kids. Under proper guidance they can bloom to the fullest of their abilities but under the shadow of neglect or protectiveness they can turn outcast or even an evil to the society.

Beasts stop feeding their young ones after they grow old enough to seek food themselves. Birds push their chicks off the nest so that they learn to fly, tigress teaches her cubs to hunt soon after they are fit enough to stand. Kids who are allowed to have their way but in a controlled environment grow up to became apt candidates to survive and thrive in this world. They learn how to deal with people and problems, how to negotiate, to sense the danger; they know their way around in this world. On the contrary, the kids who have a conservative and restricted upbringing grow up without knowing essential things like socializing, expressing your views, to stand for your talk.

Ever wondered why certain people have a cheap mentality towards thing in life, why some couples are always found hurling a volley of abuses at each other? It is by the virtue of the family they are bought up in, the cultures they are taught by elders while they are on that learning curve and obviously by what they observe around in their home. A kid who is growing up witnessing only violence and petty fights around him is most likely to make that his world. For him that becomes a normal condition. Whereas a child bought up under the shade of values and discipline is likely to embrace that in his life ahead. Of course there are exceptions but former is the most likely thing to happen.

In school we had a fable about two brothers who got separated in their infancy in a mishap. One went on to become a king and other was bought up by animals in a jungle. Years later while hunting, the king happens to capture this strange creature that has the looks of a human but behaves like an animal. They cut his hair, clean him up and are surprised to find striking resemblance of the creature with the king. The story then goes on to describe the difference between the behavioral traits of the king and his brother. The king was civilized, talked human language and had all hominal features while his brother had the beastly attributes. It thus portrays the effect of upbringing in different conditions. One of the brothers was molded into the personality of a king while the other was bought up among beasts in the jungle and accordingly imbibed their behavioral traits.

The environment in which you are brought up plays a pivotal role in deciding your future traits; parents and family have a lion’s share in shaping their kid’s personality.

How Do They Do It?

What does it take to be happy all the time? What do these people eat or thrive on to exhibit a smiling face and a carefree personality all the time? It can’t be that they have no problems. We all have problems; no living creature has a life devoid of that. Then how is that a handful of them manage to don a happy hat all the time?

I am an avid movie watcher and have always derived many aspects of life from them.  If one were to introspect on the characters that have illustrated this vivacious and mirthful personality in movies, we can very much fall in love with many of them.

The other day I was watching the 1992 American comedy flick Sister Act. The humorous story of a lounge singer who disguises like a nun to protect herself from her boyfriend, a mobster, when she witnesses him killing a chauffeur. Let alone the humor part, the movie  also teach you how to bring about a change in the way things already are. Apart from role of the protagonist essayed by Whoopi Goldberg, I loved the character played by the American actress Kathy Najimy. Sister Mary Patrick is a bubbly nun who knows no other thing than smiling and talking care free all the time. She is not a person who has cultivated or knows positive and optimist thinking, but it is something found naturally in her. She has found contentment in the life of a nun and never even once winces about the sacrificial life they lead. Instead she jokes and stays joyous all the time.

Sister Mary Patrick

I like animated movies a lot because they set no limits on your creativity and vision. Any emotion, no matter how complicated can be seamlessly conveyed through them. Imagine a fish staying cool even while been chased by a shark! That’s Dory for you; a Pacific Regal Blue Tang voiced by Ellen DeGeneres in the movie Finding Nemo. Ever had someone around who comforts you unknowingly whenever you are feeling low and helps you no matter what the situation is? Someone who brings a smile to your face by their mere actions when all you want to do is cry? Dory becomes that someone for Marlin, the clown fish in search of his lost son, Nemo who gets captivated by a sea diver. She suffers from short term memory loss, but does not complain, instead just ignores it and leaves it to her companions to worry! She seems naïve at times, but guess we all are a little dimwit inside.

As a kid I loved watching the Disney’s cute cartoon series Winnie the Pooh. It portrays the adventures of Winne, the bear with his friends. I have always loved the episodes where Tigger shared more screen time than other characters. Tigger is a young tiger voiced by late Paul Winchell. He is funny, cheerful, confident and vivacious among all the characters. The way he spirals his tail into a spring and jumps around is indeed a delightful sight. He is very competitive, in a healthy way and wants to outdo his mates in all chores. He seldom succeeds but never runs out of steam due to this. He is great motivator and ever energetic.

Coming back to animated movies, I am reminded of the hilarious 2002 flick Ice Age. The jocund group of three, Manfred, the mammoth, Diego, a saber-toothed feline and of course my favorite Sid the sloth, are on a mission to find the kin of a lost infant. Sid is voiced by John Leguizamo. The best thing I like about Sid is his acceptance of the fact that he looks ugly. He lives with it but ignores it ironically. He is like all other characters mentioned before, ever joyful and very talkative. He has a knack of getting into trouble and is often ridiculed and bullied by other beasts.  But he acts cool and takes it in light spirit every single time; maybe because he has no other choice! He is kind hearted but at the same time has a mischievous innocence about him. He is surely a thing to lift your damp spirits.

Siddy boy

I am not a big fan of Kareena Kapoor, but her one performance closely outdoes the definition of ‘acting by getting into the character’. The bubbly role of Geet portrayed by her in the movie Jab We Met is simply commendable. It is one of those movies I never get tired watching repeatedly, much due to the persona of Geet. She is, as she describes herself, a Punjabi Sikhni, very talkative, cheerfully optimistic and lives life to the fullest. She likes to do things in a crazy style of hers and takes whole responsibility for her actions. You can’t help smile seeing her mumble in sleep, miss a train while arguing with a stall keeper, her ignorance while booking room in a cheap hotel.

Such personalities are sparsely found in real life and I admire dearly those who I have come across. Being happy comes naturally when we are feeling good but it takes a lot of courage to smile or even stay composed in adversities.

My Experiments With...err... Health

A great irony of my life; though a fitness freak, I have always struggled to stay fit. 

Every initiative to achieve that well toned body and radiant psyche has been hammered down deep into the earth for reasons that seem befitting to the circumstances.

Over the years I have tried many ways to stay fit and healthy; have always been willing to go out of the way to achieve that but no success. Every time I adopt a new technique some obstacle comes up such that I am left with no other choice than to quit.

I was an obese kid in school.  Though I enjoyed playing outdoors, those were very limited thanks to the timing restrictions imposed by dad. I finally lost that flab and gained good height after joining the N.C.C in 8^th grade. I turned me around completely. We had it for 2 yrs and it transformed me into a teenager with decent built. I have always had a low metabolism which means I tend to gain weight quickly. So I am always supposed to eat in control and exercise frequently. This has never happened. I am a voracious eater with a sweet tooth. ‘Khaane Peene Ka Shaukeen’. My parents have spoilt me too.

I once joined Karate classes when I was in 7^th grade. I was made to do splits, kicks, and jumps on the day one itself. Others had conditioned their body over the time to endure that level of flexes but mine was completely untrained. The result was a horrible body pain. I suffered from torn ligaments, and bruises. My elbow still bears the small patch gifted by the bruise. The worst part was that my thigh muscles were paining like hell. I could not walk straight for a week and had to quit the Karate dreams. Maybe I could have braved the pain and continued next week, but I was too immature to muster that will power at that time. My parents didn’t compel me too.

I used to go for walks frequently and the I.I.T Bombay Campus, where I was brought up, was an ideal place for that. I still enjoy walking a lot in the outskirts of my new locality, listening to some great tracks on the headphones, lost in my own world.  I am nuts about cycling. For me it is one of the finest vehicles invented by man. Unfortunately I don’t own one now, but used to cycle a lot in I.I.T campus. While others crave for bikes and cars, my dream to own a high end bicycle!

During college days I started working out at home, doing pushups, crunches, on spot jogging. Soon I started developing good contours. But it lasted only till a semester. Viral fever hit me. I was weak and rested all the time for a month and was soon back to the squishy bodied former self.

My next stint with fitness came when I finished graduation and was sitting idle at home without job (It was during the recession of 2008-09) and as expected started putting on weight. I and my college mate who stayed nearby decide to go for brisk walking. We used to wake up at around 5 in the morning and walk like our butt was on fire. It went on for a week after which we realized it won’t show substantial results when we could do something more strenuous. So we started jogging instead. We jogged around a circular track built inside a nearby garden so that we could measure the number of rounds we covered. I started getting back in shape, feeling rejuvenated and active. But the fun lasted only for a month. I started experiencing excruciating pain in my right knee. There was no pain when in first few rounds but it surfaced once I had finished two or three. I ignored it in the beginning, but showed it to the doc when the pain refused to subside. The x-ray showed an abused knee cap. I was running on a concrete surface and with canvas shoes.

Our knee caps bear humungous amount of shock while running as the entire body weight is burdened upon them. If we jog on a rigid surface instead of grass or clay, the pounding our knee cap takes is huge, let alone friction it endures. Wearing improper shoes adds to the damage. You need special flexible shoes for jogging.

I continued jogging wearing a knee band hoping it would absorb some of the pressure. But that did not help too. Finally after many days of painful mornings post jogging sessions, I finally quit; was back to square one. My partner continued for some time and he quit too after some days… due to laziness!

I learnt swimming In Hyderabad when I was on an assignment there. We had a small pool where I used to dive in after office with colleagues. I am not a very experienced swimmer but know just enough to survive if I happen to be drowning anywhere. Though I feared the deep end of the pool, I enjoyed swimming a lot. It is a complete exercise and is very enlivening after a stressful day in office.

Winters in Hyderabad are very severe and water turns chilly. Swimming in water so cold may invite troubles ranging from a common cold to a heart stroke! I tried to ignore cold in the beginning and swam in the evenings. The number of swimmers too had reduced to a handful by mid winter. I too finally decided to quit one day when the water became unbearable. I wasn’t even able to paddle my legs and had difficulty in timing the breathing.

I joined the Gym close to the pool thereafter. The trainer there advised me on the regimen to be followed. I gave more importance to cardio than body building. I hit the treadmill first and jogged for about 20 mins, then on twisters followed by crunches and finally did weight lifting for about 20 minutes. It was working well for me and as always I was getting in shape. But fate laughed at me once again as I my transfer request got sanctioned and I got posted in Mumbai, my home location.

I haven’t really dared to venture into any other means of fitness after that. Walking is the sole ally. I walk home from the railway station while coming back from office, listening to songs on the headphones and I enjoy it. I don’t miss it on weekends too. But that is not enough. To stay fit u must expel more calories than you consume. My mother makes sure I bombard my mouth with dry fruits, apple, and banana in the office. I’d rather gulp them down than arguing with her. I am seated before the computer all my day in the office, a symbolic life of an I.T professional. All these have added to my weight and I now look quite beefy.

I have started doing Suryanamaskars lately getting up early in the morning. I have been doing it since a week now and already feel quite light and active all day and must say it has been rewarding till now. I pay good attention to my eating habits too.

I have absolutely no idea how long this new experiment is going to sustain. Hope someday I am able to attain that proverbial Nirvana!

Raghu Uncle

We all have someone whom we admire in our life, who is our idol, whose life inspires us, who leaves a sharp impression in our mind with his/her charismatic personality. I too have many such stars in my admiration list.  I don’t treat them as idols as I believe you should never strive to be a mirror image of someone. Such people are unique and it is impossible to emulate them. They have each left a distinct mark in humanity and we too should do exactly the same in our conquest for greatness, leave our own distinct mark. But there are many whose qualities I wish could imbibe, whose allure I could match, whose struggles I could take an example from. My one year stay in Hyderabad made way for one more name to be included in that list – Raghu uncle.

Raghu uncle is a distant cousin of my mother who is settled in Hyderabad since more than 30 years. Unfortunately we had never been in touch before because of the distant family roots. I hadn’t even heard of his name till I was posted in Hyderabad.  I was reluctant to call him after reaching there but finally did so, much to Amma’s insistence. But when I spoke to him over the phone for the first time, he talked as if we have known each other for years. His voice had a tone of humility in it.

That week he came to the office campus where we had been put up, in a hired SUV with a driver and took us to his house in a place calledKarkhana, located well within the city limits. At first I thought it would be his own vehicle since had heard from Amma that he is a marketing director in some firm.  But as days passed I realized that he owned only a Honda Activa and had no penchant for cars or any luxuries to that regard. His better half, Geeta aunty was no less than an angel. She fed us, enquired about my family back in Mumbai. The display of hospitality was something I had never seen or exhibited before.

Raghu uncle tried finding us an accommodation in places where he had contacts but unfortunately Hyderabad is averse to renting apartments to bachelors for obvious orthodox reasons. He even offered me to stay with him since only he and Geeta aunty were staying there; both their kids are in the U.S. But I thanked and refused as it would be like deserting my batch mates.  We found another apartment by ourselves later through an agent. Raghu uncle on hearing this apologized to me for not being able to help. I wasn’t expecting that from him since he is an elder. Yet he had the humility to say sorry. He did that on couple of other occasions.

He is a deeply spiritual man but at the same time does very well know that we should try hard and seek answers ourselves before knocking the doors of the Almighty. One gets wonderstruck seeing his active nature at this age. He must be 60 something but moves around like a person half his age, full of vivacity and ardor. He is involved actively in number of social activities in nearby temples. I was fortunate to be a part of few of them. It was really kind of him to take me to those activities. The Ayappa temple near his house feeds the poor every alternate Sundays and provides free medical treatment too. He involves himself actively in all these.

I had to once take an early morning flight to Kochi to attend my sister’s wedding. A special bus shuttles between the airport and different bus bays in Hyd. Raghu uncle drove his Activa early morning to my place to drop me till the bus bay. To say, it was a small thing but imagine doing that early in the morning for a distant relative, when I could have easily taken a rickshaw. That was really a kind gesture from him.

He and Geeta aunty treated me really well whenever I visited them. I hardly remember to have come on my own to visit their house. Uncle used to pick me up from my place on the day I wished to meet, which was usually Sundays. We then used to visit 2-3 temples, where he offered flowers and prayed. His prayers were very brief, not praying for more than five seconds before a deity! He was very swift in his movements and very particular about doing ‘pratakshinas’ around the temple.  We rode home after that where Geeta aunty served awesome homely breakfast. Sundays at Raghu uncle’s home were indeed a big relief from the bland hotel food. We used to head to other temples after that, wherever there was any activity. Raghu uncle had huge social circle around him. Almost everybody in Karkhana knows him and he is always greeted with a smile; he reciprocates with a bigger one, enquires about their health and families and jokes at times.

The donation he makes is just commendable. It is never monetary, mostly groceries and edibles. I still remember him carrying sack of rice to temples on the scooter with me. Upon reaching the temple he unloaded the sack in the temple kitchen and instructed the people there to utilize it judiciously. He cares for the beasts too; feeds the cows with cooked rice and bananas on the way! All this was a totally new and moving experience for me. I had never donated anything substantial in my life, though I always wished to, but never knew of a proper channel to make it materialize. But now he seemed to be giving me a direction on this.

In his company I have experienced the cultures and traditions of Kerala, many of them just heard about or seen in the T.V before. It was a holistic feeling; taking part in pushp’abhishekam during Shabarimala season, hearing all sing Harivaranasam, doing service in temples on Sundays.

He is not a kind of person who would say yes to anything and everything. He actively voices his opinion and doesn’t care if it is conflicting with other’s views. He scolds people whenever he felt they did wrong, praises them for their good work. He is in fact one of the few men on my elite list of people whom we need as leaders and bureaucrats in today’s India. He is bold, confident and courageous in his talks, and most importantly walks his talk.

 The day I visited his house for the last time (I was posted in Mumbai after the assignment in Hyd.), I touched his feet. He blessed me whole heartedly, hugged me and gave me his wishes. It felt like coming from a genuine person and I will always cherish the warmth of that moment.

I call him on festivals to wish and at other times too. He still has the humility and charisma in his voice. He enquires about my job, family, everything. He still apologizes repeatedly whenever I call and he’s unable to answer. I and Amma plan to visit Hyd. soon particularly to meet him and Geeta aunty. We have got lots to thank them for.

Raghu uncle has taught me to have an existence that is not centered on making money or thinking of just your well being, but to take the world with you by helping the unfortunate ones. I will always be indebted to him for helping me out in situations, for treating me as a part of their family without paying heed that we were never in touch before, bringing me closer to human qualities, social well being, the culture and traditions of Kerala and of course relieving me of vapid hotel food on Sundays J