Hello

A reminder from the blog administrator has sort of prompted me to write this.My hesitation in
contributing stems from the fact that I'm probably unknown to most of you. Here's my introduction- I'm Soumya, cousin to Suma, Aravind & Gayathri. I'm here thanks to an invitation from Lakshmi (M.Bhat).
This piece of writing will go down in history(!!) as the first post I've ever written and I've been thinking & thinking about something nice to write about. I've only got so far as to realise that it is easier to first put my thoughts into paper and then transfer them on to the computer! In the good old days of snail mail, I used to exchange long letters with my near & dear ones and probably, that's why I'm more comfortable with writing on paper.
The idea of a group blog is a good one. The name 'Chavadi' is good too - it creates an informal ambience. A quick look at the older entries - and, I seem to be the first 'non-MT' person to have contributed (The nice poem before this has been placed by the administrator). All right, someone has to break the ground and phew! I'm through with the 'starting trouble'. I promise to
contribute when I can think of /come across something nice. I think, as far as possible, I will avoid cricket, Bollywood & politics. Regards to all.

ನಿ೦ತಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಕ೦ಬವಾದೆ

ಅರೆ ಕತ್ತಲೆಯ ಏಕಾ೦ತದಲಿ
ಗೋಡೆಯೊಡನೆ ಬೆರೆತುಹೋದೆಹಲವು
ಕನಸುಗಳೊಡನೆ
ನನ್ನ ನಾ ಮರೆತುಹೋದೆ!

ಸುಮ್ಮನಿರದು ಜೀವ
ಬಯಕೆಗಳೊಡನೆ ನಡೆದಿದೆ ಭಾವ
ಯೋಚನೆಗಳೊಡನೆ ತಲ್ಲೀನಳಾಗಿ
ಸ್ಥಬ್ಧವಾದೆ
ನಿ೦ತಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಕ೦ಬವಾದೆ.

ನುಡಿಯತೊಡಗಿತು
ಕಲ್ಲಿನೊಳಗಿನ ದನಿ
ವರುಷಗಳ ಹಿ೦ದೆ
ನಿನ್ನ೦ತೆಯೇ ಯಾರೋ ಜೊತೆಯಾದರು
ಕೆಲಕ್ಷಣದಲಿ ಮರೆಯಾದರು
ನೆನಪಿಸಿತು ತನ್ನೊಳಗೆ
ಕ೦ಬನಿಯ ಕಾಣಿಸದೆಕರಗಿತು
ಕಲ್ಲು ನನಗರಿವಿಲ್ಲದೆ
ಮರುಕ್ಷಣವೇ ಮರಳಿದೆನು
ಜಗದೆಡೆಗೆ, ಪೂರ್ಣ ಬೆಳಕಿನೆಡೆಗೆ...


-ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ ವಾರಣಾಶಿ

VENICE

Venezia or Venice, often cited as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, has been seducing visitors for its beautiful watery setting and fairy-tale appearance. This Italian ‘city of water’ will undoubtedly create a restless magic on visitors from around the world.

The city sits at the heart of a lagoon, its many islands, alleys and canals divided into six sestieri, or districts, three to the west (Dorsoduro, San Polo and Santa Croce ) of the Grand Canal and three to the east (San Marco, Castello and Cannaregio).

San Marco is the busiest sestiere and is the commercial centre of Venice. One of the main attractions in this region is Piazza San Marco, Venice’s main square. This area houses the tallest building of the city, Companile. Other points of interest in San Marco are Basilica di San Marco (one of the world’s greatest medieval buildings) and Palazzo Ducale (a beautiful gothic building).

Castello and Cannaregio are Venice’s quietest districts. It is good to be in this area when you are tired of crowd and want to sip cappuccino sitting in a quiet cafe.

Grand Canal, or Canal Grande, snakes for 4 km through the heart of Venice and it divides the city. This may well classify as the world’s most beautiful ‘street’ and trip along this fascinating canal is a pleasure in itself. Journey along the canal offers superb views of the city’s buildings, houses, shops and an insight into Venetian world.

Dorsoduro, the most distinctive sestieri, embraces the southern part of Grand Canal and is mostly residential. If one wants to wander at random, Dorsoduro is the place to be in.

San Polo and Santa Croce are the two remaining districts of Venice. The famous Rialto market is in this part of Venice. Early in the morning or late in the evening, whether you want to shop for souvenirs or clothes, buy fruits or fish, Rialto has it all. Beautifully crafted Maschere (traditional mask) is the one of the ‘must buy’ souvenir when you are shopping in Rialto.

When you are finished visiting all the districts and its attractions in Venice, it is worthwhile to take a trip to nearby islands like Lido, Murano and Burano. Lido has a beautiful beach while the lagoon island Murano has been the historic heart of Venetian glass production. Burano, mainly consisting of fishing community, is famous for brightly painted houses.

If Venice is beautiful beyond description by day, it defies description by night. It is an enchanting experience to take a trip along the Grand Canal under starlit sky. The combination of – Candle light, Italian Food & Wine in Venice (of course with your partner) – makes this the most romantic dinner to have on this earth.

Planning a visit to Venice in April or May would be ideal. Temperature will be around 20 C, not too cold or hot, sunny bright days of spring. Getting to Venice is easy – there are two international airports with direct flights from worldwide. The best way to explore in and around Venice is by foot and boats. Vaporetti (water buses) are the most common mode of public transportation while Traghetti (ferries) provide invaluable service in connecting few important places which are far away. Motoscafi (water taxis) are fast but very expensive.

And there are Gondola’s...Hiring a gondola is an expensive affair but it is worth to have a ride for an hour in this historic gondola. One can bargain for price with a gondolier before hiring, an average price for a forty minute ride in a gondola is €60.

Food and eating out....A ristorante offers good ambience and hence expensive, whereas the trattoria is less formal and less expensive place to eat. Pizzeria or Spaghetteria are take-away sort of places where one can enjoy a slice of pizza or bowl of pasta for a very cheap price. Cappuccino and a bruschetta are perfect for mid-morning or early evening snack.

"A realist, in Venice would become a romantic, by mere faithfulness to what he saw before him." - Arthur Symons

Appa and amma ,50 years together

A great marriage is not when the 'perfect couple' comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.
Dave Meurer, "Daze of Our Wives"


Appa and amma celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 1st.
The previous night, we sat talking about old times.
Amma was just 19 when she got married.
Appa was working in the Indian Railways.
Amma had just seen a train, but never sat in one. Ajja had taken the family to Mangalore to see a circus ,Kamala Three Ring circus. Then he had taken them to the Railway Station to see the train!!
Appa and amma got married on May 1st'1959, and amma who had till then only seen a train, had to travel all the way to Kharagpur!!
Ajja sent Gopalamava and Ranichikkamma along as company. While in Kharagpur appa made them eat egg omelette, telling them it was dosa!! They ate it with great relish and came to know what it really was only after they finished eating.
On May 11th, they left for Madras from Kasaragod by Madras Mail. It seems in those days, when the pantry car had not yet come into existence, the train stopped at Kannur for ½ an hour. People went to the platform to eat or food was brought into the train in tiffin carriers and banana leaves.
The next day they reached Madras then they had to take the Madras Howrah Mail to Kharagpur and reached there on the 14th.
Indeed a very long journey for a person who had never been on a train before!!

Some time in 1965, appa and amma with anna and I decided to go to Darjeeling for a holiday.
They had to go in the train and then at one place they had to cross the river by steamer and then take the meter gauge train.
When the Ganga enters Bengal, it splits into two, the Hugli and the Padma.
Just before the breakup, a barrage was constructed- Farakka barrage. The train stopped to the south of the barrage and they had to cross the river by steamer.
They reached that place quite late in the evening.
In those days there were trunks and holdalls, no suitcases.
Appa went ahead with the coolie who was rushing. Amma followed with two of us. At one place, some people went to one side and others to another. Appa was nowhere to be seen so she followed with some ladies and climbed up the waiting steamer. To her dismay she saw appa nowhere. She immediately climbed down and saw appa coming towards them anxiously. He had gone to the correct steamer and after paying the coolie saw that his wife and children were nowhere to be seen.
That was a happy reunion.
The steamer on which amma had gone left soon , God knows where it was going.
Many,many incidents have happened along the way ,these fifty years, some sad some happy.
I read somewhere,
“ We see in life what we want to see.
If you look for the extraordinary in the ordinary,
You can see it.
Life is precious and extraordinary.
Put your attention on this fact and
little ordinary things will take on a
whole new meaning.”