I wanted to have a short nap after that helluva journey and headed to what I used to proudly call "my room" .It was defaced without an inch being spared and I was shocked to see that.A few months back SRK,Madhavan,Harry Potter,Brett Lee,Backstreet Boys etc used to stare at me and now my sister probably decided that I needed some change and decorated it with teddy bears,greeting cards and also some radium stickers!I no longer call it my room lest people have wrong notions about my interests and sexual orientation.So my room in my house is practically dead.
Picture this-You are sitting in a jewellery shop with only women around on a Sunday and the saleswoman eager to show out variety stuff and the customer doubly eager to try it out.Add a heavy lunch to the above scenario!Boredom,ennui,irritation and sleep!There was no one to even "put sight" and I had a tough time keeping sleep at bay.This shopping affair was after a distant relative's marriage which i attended for the obvious things-food,meeting cousins and you-know-what!The purpose of attending it was fully served in all senses and I was yapping non stop with my cousin.I made sure I went in early in order to have both breakfast and lunch.The rest of the day was spent in catching up with a few old friends.
Diwali,for which I had gone home, was simply great.After the traditional oil bath and bursting crackers before dawn we went to a temple and I followed it up with a visit to another friend's house.Then it was the usual wishing,meeting relatives,lunch,sleep etc .I spent the entire night bursting crackers with friends and family after a gap of 5 yrs.Bursting after 10 pm is illegal but who cares!Parents being with banks does help on the sweets count as we get many complimentary festive season sweet boxes.I devoured the sweets and savouries and I am surely going to have an extra inch of flab around my tummy.
My train to Chennai, which was on Wednesday was cancelled due to the floods and I decided to peacefully return on Sunday.I watched almost every ball of the Ind-SL matches which were being played that week and it has been a while since I had done that.My mom,needless to say,cooked some of my favourite dishes and stuff which i dont get to eat back in hostel.I hogged every bit of it.I also downed piping hot filter coffee daily{Yaa the Tam that I am,I love coffee} which is awful in our mess.I checked out a stupid sidey Hindi flick and a "once watchable" Telugu movie called Chatrapati with the "countriest" of crowds possible and IMO this is the way a movie ought to be watched.
It was a nice break from the monotonous life and homecoming was a kinda rejuvenation camp.The brief sojourn ended as I returned to Chennai on Sunday by bus.Guess what!It was raining cats and dogs when I landed in Chennai.Rain was my constant companion everywhere and if there is a drought anywhere now you know what to do!!!!!
Monday, November 14, 2005
Friday, November 11, 2005
IN THE LAND OF BIRYANI-1
Prologue:
It was slightly dark in the evening and there was a chill in the air.A phone call at 4 pm brought about a lump in the throat.He hurriedly scampered out of his room to inform his friends about the shattering message he received.Their plans were in jeopardy.The chilly atmosphere and wet weather could not prevent sweat droplets on the brow.Then followed a spate of phone calls and the 3 guys set out, braving the rain and the abominable weather.With a prayer on the lips,hope in the hearts and anxiety writ large on the faces they entered the place which was swarming with over thousand people.A small enquiry generated smiles on the faces and the 3 guys were elated and it was normal again.
Wondering what this is all about? OK i give it away.The phone call was from the Call Taxi bastard,supposed to come at 4pm, who called up at 3.55pm to say that his taxi brokedown and told us to look out for alternate means.The place-Chennai Central.Most of the trains were cancelled that day and the small enquiry with the help desk said that our train to Hyd was leaving on time and hence the happiness!
The train journey was not comfortable.The train pulled out of the station on time.The start was full of jerks akin to what you experience if you release the clutch lever in an instant after applying the first gear in a vehicle.Every time the train slowed down,it generated huge no. of jerks.Only after 2 hours or so did the train pick up full speed but with infinite no of stops at every arbit station.The only consolation was that it was a new bogie and so the berths,seats,lights etc were good.There were also a couple of good looking females but had to crane the necks and change the seat for a better view to watch them and so i gave up.5 of us in 3 seats did not help either!
It was 9 pm and we began to experience those hunger pangs.Little did we know that food would be the biggest problem in a train journey.I hog every small bit of junk that comes my way in the train but this time much to everybody's chagrin there were no vendors and thus began the vendor hunt.All the people looked out eagerly with high hopes at every station for the food outlets but the incessant rain all along the journey led to their closure.We survived on biscuits,chips and cool drinks that night.
I was immersed in Deception Point and thanks to Dan Brown the night passed away quickly ,which would have been a nightmare otherwise.The next morning was also similar and there was a huge clamour for breakfast at every station.It was exactly like a refugee camp where people jostled and pushed aside others for food packets thrown from helicopters!We got our first taste of proper food at 11am and inspite of the small quanitity it was one of the most satisfying meals in the recent times .Our train got delayed due to floods along coastal Andhra and reached Hyderabad after a cool 8 hours delay at 3pm.
I was greeted by rains once again in Hyd .That day was marred by accidents and destruction.In a few hours we got the news that shook the nation-the Delhi blasts and the train accident in Nalgonda which left more than 130 dead.The accident was one of the reasons for the delay and i thanked God profusely for being fortunate enough to escape such disasters as I myself was travelling through a rain ravaged route.
It was slightly dark in the evening and there was a chill in the air.A phone call at 4 pm brought about a lump in the throat.He hurriedly scampered out of his room to inform his friends about the shattering message he received.Their plans were in jeopardy.The chilly atmosphere and wet weather could not prevent sweat droplets on the brow.Then followed a spate of phone calls and the 3 guys set out, braving the rain and the abominable weather.With a prayer on the lips,hope in the hearts and anxiety writ large on the faces they entered the place which was swarming with over thousand people.A small enquiry generated smiles on the faces and the 3 guys were elated and it was normal again.
Wondering what this is all about? OK i give it away.The phone call was from the Call Taxi bastard,supposed to come at 4pm, who called up at 3.55pm to say that his taxi brokedown and told us to look out for alternate means.The place-Chennai Central.Most of the trains were cancelled that day and the small enquiry with the help desk said that our train to Hyd was leaving on time and hence the happiness!
The train journey was not comfortable.The train pulled out of the station on time.The start was full of jerks akin to what you experience if you release the clutch lever in an instant after applying the first gear in a vehicle.Every time the train slowed down,it generated huge no. of jerks.Only after 2 hours or so did the train pick up full speed but with infinite no of stops at every arbit station.The only consolation was that it was a new bogie and so the berths,seats,lights etc were good.There were also a couple of good looking females but had to crane the necks and change the seat for a better view to watch them and so i gave up.5 of us in 3 seats did not help either!
It was 9 pm and we began to experience those hunger pangs.Little did we know that food would be the biggest problem in a train journey.I hog every small bit of junk that comes my way in the train but this time much to everybody's chagrin there were no vendors and thus began the vendor hunt.All the people looked out eagerly with high hopes at every station for the food outlets but the incessant rain all along the journey led to their closure.We survived on biscuits,chips and cool drinks that night.
I was immersed in Deception Point and thanks to Dan Brown the night passed away quickly ,which would have been a nightmare otherwise.The next morning was also similar and there was a huge clamour for breakfast at every station.It was exactly like a refugee camp where people jostled and pushed aside others for food packets thrown from helicopters!We got our first taste of proper food at 11am and inspite of the small quanitity it was one of the most satisfying meals in the recent times .Our train got delayed due to floods along coastal Andhra and reached Hyderabad after a cool 8 hours delay at 3pm.
I was greeted by rains once again in Hyd .That day was marred by accidents and destruction.In a few hours we got the news that shook the nation-the Delhi blasts and the train accident in Nalgonda which left more than 130 dead.The accident was one of the reasons for the delay and i thanked God profusely for being fortunate enough to escape such disasters as I myself was travelling through a rain ravaged route.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
SHAASTRA AND DUSSEHRA
Shaastra is our tech fest.This time it coincided with Navrathri as a result of which i got 4 full days.Else it would have only been a single day off on Vijayadasami.I utilized the first two holidays in the best possible way- eating,sleeping,music and watching movies.I never slept so peacefully for two consecutive days in the recent past.Actually i went out to see what shaastra was all about at around 12 on the 2nd day and found out that the registration for all the events was over.So i decided to wake up early the next day, which was a Saturday.I did wake up at around 8 and was in time for a few events.I participated in "Make things Work" and the prelims was a written test which covered the fundas and basics of engineering in daily life.I teamed up with an elec friend of mine and started solving the paper.We answered a few non mech/elec questions.After hazaar brain scratching and recalling and putting pseude in the paper by writing Bernoulli's eqns i realised later that it was wrong. We gave the paper and i did not even bother to find out whether we qualified for the next round.
Last year we did quite well-We almost qualified for the finals after clearing 2 rounds but our thing was rejected and we seriously suspected some foul play then.Last year i also solved many questions in the daily puzzle championship .This year it was too tough.There were a few lectures by eminent professors but the topics did not seem interesting.Once again a good excuse for avoiding.Only one interesting event was left-automobile workshop and i found out that the registration for that was over long ago!I did a few innovative things though- went to the daily quiz,took the paper,came to my room and started googling.Some of the events {physics quiz} started before time ,totally redefining IST- Indian Shrinkable Time.I fully participated in only one event- movie on Saturday.So another tech fest has passed away.
Coming to what i did for Dussehra.Well we had a holiday on Wednesday and i still do not know the exact dates of Saraswati Puja{i think it falls on the same day as ayudha puja} and Vijayadasami.My mom just called up and said for "us" vijayadasami is on Thursday!We are told not to study on Saraswati Puja-this thing totally beats me.Wednesday was like any other day.The only consolation-I took bath in the morning.In fact Vinayaka Chaturthi and Janmashtami were also like any other holidays.The only ritual which i still follow perfectly is the changing of poonal{the sacred thread} and the Gayatri Japam on Avani Avittam.This time I want to go home for Diwali as i have not spent Diwali with my parents and friends since 2000. '01 and '02 my parents were out of town and i was also supposedly studying for JEE .In '03 and '04 i was in Chennai where i combed the entire hostel to find a few bijili crackers{single red bombs}.The ultimate thrill lies in throwing the red bomb in the air after lighting it.
Other developments - 1)Acquired a good Altec Lansing 2.1 speaker which is awesome compared to my dabba mercury speakers.Actually my friend from Hyd who was here for shaastra purchased it in Richie Street here at a throwaway price and has left it in my room.I may have to return it in December,but will enjoy blasting music and pain my neighbours till that time!MORAL- It pays to be in touch with your old friends!2)Bought GATE form.The exam is in February and i have absolutely no idea as to when i am going to prepare for that.
Wishing you all HAPPY DUSSEHRA!
Last year we did quite well-We almost qualified for the finals after clearing 2 rounds but our thing was rejected and we seriously suspected some foul play then.Last year i also solved many questions in the daily puzzle championship .This year it was too tough.There were a few lectures by eminent professors but the topics did not seem interesting.Once again a good excuse for avoiding.Only one interesting event was left-automobile workshop and i found out that the registration for that was over long ago!I did a few innovative things though- went to the daily quiz,took the paper,came to my room and started googling.Some of the events {physics quiz} started before time ,totally redefining IST- Indian Shrinkable Time.I fully participated in only one event- movie on Saturday.So another tech fest has passed away.
Coming to what i did for Dussehra.Well we had a holiday on Wednesday and i still do not know the exact dates of Saraswati Puja{i think it falls on the same day as ayudha puja} and Vijayadasami.My mom just called up and said for "us" vijayadasami is on Thursday!We are told not to study on Saraswati Puja-this thing totally beats me.Wednesday was like any other day.The only consolation-I took bath in the morning.In fact Vinayaka Chaturthi and Janmashtami were also like any other holidays.The only ritual which i still follow perfectly is the changing of poonal{the sacred thread} and the Gayatri Japam on Avani Avittam.This time I want to go home for Diwali as i have not spent Diwali with my parents and friends since 2000. '01 and '02 my parents were out of town and i was also supposedly studying for JEE .In '03 and '04 i was in Chennai where i combed the entire hostel to find a few bijili crackers{single red bombs}.The ultimate thrill lies in throwing the red bomb in the air after lighting it.
Other developments - 1)Acquired a good Altec Lansing 2.1 speaker which is awesome compared to my dabba mercury speakers.Actually my friend from Hyd who was here for shaastra purchased it in Richie Street here at a throwaway price and has left it in my room.I may have to return it in December,but will enjoy blasting music and pain my neighbours till that time!MORAL- It pays to be in touch with your old friends!2)Bought GATE form.The exam is in February and i have absolutely no idea as to when i am going to prepare for that.
Wishing you all HAPPY DUSSEHRA!
Sunday, October 02, 2005
TAGGED
Oh my gosh!I have realized this startling and shocking fact that i am kinda addicted to messenger when i was not able to log in on Friday and Saturday.One of my friends said that he had two wives -messenger and the bed!OK no double meaning and offense intended here.It is only for some light hearted humour and i am not interested in polygamy either!! So my old yahoo id is trapped inside a firewall thanks to the institute's whims and fancies.They keep toying with the proxies and people like me become bakras in a totally hitherto unknown manner.So what happened was that i was using GAIM {another form of messenger} and chatting away to glory when out of the blue got disconnected on Friday.It simply refused to connect inspite of trying out various permutations and combinations of the proxies and port numbers.Since i did not sign off i am now seen online for eternity!Thanks to this even yahoo refuses to sign me in saying "you have been signed off as you have logged into a different device" or some stuff like that! I was forced to create a new one as i was getting many sms's and scraps saying "Why are you not responding?".Anyways i never knew there were so many out there keen on talking to me :P{NTPK}.I was forced to create a new one and have to use this for the time-being.Ok no more flying off on a tangent.I am actually hitting the keyboard to write a short story[in 55 words :(] as i was tagged by Kesavan and let me see what i can cook up.It does not seem peaceful.Here it goes-
She was so damn good-looking,milky white and cute, befitting an angel.My eyes were fixed upon her and she too was watching me.Suddenly a young man descended from nowhere and she went away with him.She was not a kiddo,as you might have anticipated,but a 20 something and i was single again.
I know its pathetic but had to write some story or the other to save my skin!Else i run the risk of being called a non-sport!A bad story is better than a bad nick-name. If i were to rate this attempt i would give it 3/10.Inflicting pain is contagious.So i am tagging ASHA and VAISHNAVI.. I am sure it wint be as pathetic as this!! Write it at ur leisure...
NTPK- An acronym for a Tam saying which has attained cult status thanks to its extensive usage by Kesavan which means -If you think too much of yourself it will lead to self destruction.And kesava next time gimme something easy dude..
She was so damn good-looking,milky white and cute, befitting an angel.My eyes were fixed upon her and she too was watching me.Suddenly a young man descended from nowhere and she went away with him.She was not a kiddo,as you might have anticipated,but a 20 something and i was single again.
I know its pathetic but had to write some story or the other to save my skin!Else i run the risk of being called a non-sport!A bad story is better than a bad nick-name. If i were to rate this attempt i would give it 3/10.Inflicting pain is contagious.So i am tagging ASHA and VAISHNAVI.. I am sure it wint be as pathetic as this!! Write it at ur leisure...
NTPK- An acronym for a Tam saying which has attained cult status thanks to its extensive usage by Kesavan which means -If you think too much of yourself it will lead to self destruction.And kesava next time gimme something easy dude..
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
ODI TOURNEY AND TESTS
ODI-One Day International
This is not another ubiquitous post on cricket or the ASHES which have been flogged to death in most of the sports sites.After completing ,and of course performing poorly in most of them, yet another set of internals{called quiz here..1st QUIZ} i found it quite similar to cricket,which till recently was my passion.The passion has fizzled out thanks to the incompetent performances of INDIA over the past 2 years.
Well i play an ODI on the eve of a test!The batting is done throughout the night with the primary intention of saving the test.The innings starts somewhere around the break of dusk where the notes are procured and photocopied {Hazaar thanks to the guy who invented that}. The next 30 min are spent going through the notes and trying to find out the corresponding pages in the text-book.Probably this could be called the warm-up session.The batting starts with great enthusiasm and verve.Obviously a well begun job is half done and soon its time for some "well left" which i call the SIEVE THEOREM!! Somehow i just cannot fathom/digest the fact that whatever is "well-left" by me surely appears in the exam.So much so that at around 2 am many of my friends gather in my room to find out what is left by me.Then there is the inevitable drinks break.It is coffee for me to rejuvenate my drooping eye lids and get ready for the post drinks session(or post tea session).It is quite surprising that i am able 2 cram so much into my head on the night before the exam.The lurking fear of a Gangulyish score provides the necessary impetus i guess.Of course i end up getting one,but that's a different story of epic proportions altogether.
The perfect example of "inductive effect" is witnessed at around 2 am where a single yawn by a sleepyhead spawns multiple yawns among the neighbours .Coffee is not available at that time and i dance to the tunes of the capricious sleep without any control.Generally i manage to complete the portion by around 4am,albeit with many parts being "well left",which stare at me in the question paper like a menacing fast bowler the next morning.In the 1st QUIZ the irony was that i did well in the tests with minimal effort,which included conf and orkut, while i totally spoilt the test for which i even did "net practice" apart from batting throughout the night.This has deeply entrenched some nonsense in my head regarding exam preparation.
The papers will be given some time this week when it will be time for some introspection again.As of now i have plans of playing a test-studying atleast 5 days for each exam,for the 2nd QUIZ.I am quite sure that this will soon fade out.But still NEVER GIVE UP!Like September for March flunkers there is 2nd QUIZ for 1st QUIZ flunkers.There is an end sem also to revive the sagging fortunes.Lets see what this sem has in store for me!!
This is not another ubiquitous post on cricket or the ASHES which have been flogged to death in most of the sports sites.After completing ,and of course performing poorly in most of them, yet another set of internals{called quiz here..1st QUIZ} i found it quite similar to cricket,which till recently was my passion.The passion has fizzled out thanks to the incompetent performances of INDIA over the past 2 years.
Well i play an ODI on the eve of a test!The batting is done throughout the night with the primary intention of saving the test.The innings starts somewhere around the break of dusk where the notes are procured and photocopied {Hazaar thanks to the guy who invented that}. The next 30 min are spent going through the notes and trying to find out the corresponding pages in the text-book.Probably this could be called the warm-up session.The batting starts with great enthusiasm and verve.Obviously a well begun job is half done and soon its time for some "well left" which i call the SIEVE THEOREM!! Somehow i just cannot fathom/digest the fact that whatever is "well-left" by me surely appears in the exam.So much so that at around 2 am many of my friends gather in my room to find out what is left by me.Then there is the inevitable drinks break.It is coffee for me to rejuvenate my drooping eye lids and get ready for the post drinks session(or post tea session).It is quite surprising that i am able 2 cram so much into my head on the night before the exam.The lurking fear of a Gangulyish score provides the necessary impetus i guess.Of course i end up getting one,but that's a different story of epic proportions altogether.
The perfect example of "inductive effect" is witnessed at around 2 am where a single yawn by a sleepyhead spawns multiple yawns among the neighbours .Coffee is not available at that time and i dance to the tunes of the capricious sleep without any control.Generally i manage to complete the portion by around 4am,albeit with many parts being "well left",which stare at me in the question paper like a menacing fast bowler the next morning.In the 1st QUIZ the irony was that i did well in the tests with minimal effort,which included conf and orkut, while i totally spoilt the test for which i even did "net practice" apart from batting throughout the night.This has deeply entrenched some nonsense in my head regarding exam preparation.
The papers will be given some time this week when it will be time for some introspection again.As of now i have plans of playing a test-studying atleast 5 days for each exam,for the 2nd QUIZ.I am quite sure that this will soon fade out.But still NEVER GIVE UP!Like September for March flunkers there is 2nd QUIZ for 1st QUIZ flunkers.There is an end sem also to revive the sagging fortunes.Lets see what this sem has in store for me!!
Monday, September 12, 2005
OBSOLETE BLACKBOARD
Firstly let me clarify a few things before i go about cribbing in what is one of the few meaningful posts by yours truly.I am not the typical first bencher in class with a never ending urge to park himslef right under the nose of the teacher and I dont listen to most of the classes.I pay attention only to certain professors,few classes etc which is fn(enthu,hrs of sleep the previous night,the guy who sits beside me).
My first point is the usage of power point presentation in the classes.It is not bad to use it to assist the teacher but it certainly gets on my nerves when the teacher uses only ppt.The poor, old blackboard is relegated to the 2nd position.This is an explicit case of technology misuse or abuse.The primary drawback is that we dont get enough time to write down notes.The prof in most cases just reads out what is there on the slide.If by mistake the prof says "I shall give slides" thats it.It is assumed that we have the notes with us and so he can proceed at his will, oblivious to the fact that class notes are quite important.I have personally faced many problems in the FEW classes where i jot down notes.The teacher is the only one who is benefitted by the ppt.I have also heard of "computerised teachers" or "robotic teachers" or some crap like that where the talking is also done by the comp.It is absolute gibberish/nonsense.The age old method of using the blackboard and the dusty,white chalk is the best in my opinion.I might sound like an octagenarian or a primitive man who is against technology invasion but i do have a valid point here.I am not against ppt per se but i am pained because it is ruling the roost in every classroom these days.It is incumbent now to use ppt and hi tech gadgets at the cost of the blackboard even in kindergarten.I have been and will be a proponent of 'CHALK AND TALK' always.No qualms about it.We did not have these ppts in school and some of my best teachers have used the blackboard with far more superior effect and most of them will vouch for the fact that it cannot be replaced.
In my opinion 'chalk and talk', with usage of ppt to lay emphasis on the finer points or to depict complex diagrams,graphs etc would be the best way of teaching.Let not technology take away the joys of listening in the class,the screeching sound of the chalk on the board,the duster etc which are integral parts of the student life and let it be used in a better manner.My dear readers,if any of you wanna take up teaching as your profession please follow the age old teaching practice.This is my only request.
My first point is the usage of power point presentation in the classes.It is not bad to use it to assist the teacher but it certainly gets on my nerves when the teacher uses only ppt.The poor, old blackboard is relegated to the 2nd position.This is an explicit case of technology misuse or abuse.The primary drawback is that we dont get enough time to write down notes.The prof in most cases just reads out what is there on the slide.If by mistake the prof says "I shall give slides" thats it.It is assumed that we have the notes with us and so he can proceed at his will, oblivious to the fact that class notes are quite important.I have personally faced many problems in the FEW classes where i jot down notes.The teacher is the only one who is benefitted by the ppt.I have also heard of "computerised teachers" or "robotic teachers" or some crap like that where the talking is also done by the comp.It is absolute gibberish/nonsense.The age old method of using the blackboard and the dusty,white chalk is the best in my opinion.I might sound like an octagenarian or a primitive man who is against technology invasion but i do have a valid point here.I am not against ppt per se but i am pained because it is ruling the roost in every classroom these days.It is incumbent now to use ppt and hi tech gadgets at the cost of the blackboard even in kindergarten.I have been and will be a proponent of 'CHALK AND TALK' always.No qualms about it.We did not have these ppts in school and some of my best teachers have used the blackboard with far more superior effect and most of them will vouch for the fact that it cannot be replaced.
In my opinion 'chalk and talk', with usage of ppt to lay emphasis on the finer points or to depict complex diagrams,graphs etc would be the best way of teaching.Let not technology take away the joys of listening in the class,the screeching sound of the chalk on the board,the duster etc which are integral parts of the student life and let it be used in a better manner.My dear readers,if any of you wanna take up teaching as your profession please follow the age old teaching practice.This is my only request.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
PIECE AND SLICE
I love "chat".If the thing that strikes you on hearing that word is 'yahoo messenger' then good.I am a chatter-box and a 'mouse potato'{akin 2 couch potato!}If it reminds you of those unhygienic stalls doling out lip smacking fare then all the more better. But if you think 'chat' means licking{In hindi} then i am sorry.Not a day passed off without me indulging in chat,but that was in my good old school days in Hyd.Ok digress. I was reminded of an incident which took place long ago-2 yrs to be precise.The fact that it has been evoking wide guffaws ever since bears testimony to the timelessness of that!
I dont remember exactly when and where it happened,but this is a true story.I was with this group and we were newbies to Chennai.I had been to Chennai before but was confined to my relatives' places and did not roam around much so i was as good as a newbie,albeit with the knowledge of the local language.We decided to have chaat in some store{it was already 25 days without chat then}.My friends were apprehensive after seeing the shop and the uncouth surroundings but i always advocate this policy "dingier the better"!I have had some of the best food in joints which were much more smaller and unhygienic and came out unscathed,so i felt this wont do any harm and took the plunge.It was a small fast food joint and i thought of having some concrete food first and ordered "pease barota masala"-- note down the spelling.I thought it was "barota"-which is similar to a "paratha" with a side dish which had "peas" {or "mutter" in Hindi} with some masala would be the gravy.After the usual banter to kill the hunger our item arrived.I was shell shocked to say the least.It was like mini idly-hazaar "barotas" in a plate.I could not fathom that.Also there were no "peas" around.I called the waiter and asked him what it was and he said the same.Later i realized that it was "piece barota masala" wherein that barota was butchered to hazaar pieces,some reddish paste{that was masala for u} smeared on them and served.Phew! Needless to say i ate just 2-3 pieces and discarded it.Probably "pee"se barota masala would have been a better name.I just wanted to have some cool drink and escape as soon as possible when my friend told me to wait.He was already in splits seeing the food{that dawg was not hungry} and decided to order another dish just to have a good laugh.We ordered "pani puri" {it is one of my fav}. I was shocked again when i saw that!There was "puri" in it-once again smashed to a thousand pieces,akin to a glass window being smashed by a cricket ball and pieces strewn all over the place. OK there was "puri" but no "pani" in it.It was a concoction of smashed puri and "channa".It was baffling,i mean no water in pani puri!Did someone say water shortage in Chennai? Well i never knew that the situation was so grave.Huh! I was afraid even to order a cool drink.Probably he might have given us glass-which is a super cooled liquid in its liquid form and say cool drink!Or maybe smash it,which is his forte,powder it,put it in cool water and say "cool drink". My friend ,needless to say ,was having the time of his life while we were fuming.The only thing which was decent was the bill.I should have torn the bill to "pieces" after paying it.It was cheap and for once my policy of "dingier the better" failed and i had to bear the non stop rebuke of my friends as it was my suggestion to go to that place.Mea Culpa!
Fortunately i have never faced this "piece" thing again.Peace!That bad experience dissuaded me from going to such small joints,but only for a few months.The stomach ruled over the brain again in a few days and i was happily back to square one munching and downing 'pani puris' at the same rate and in equally uncouth,inadequately furnished joints .I have dined in many star restaurants but stuff from a push-cart vendor gives me the ultimate thrill even to this day.I also ended up puking and singing LM{scratch ur brains and find out whats that} many times,took a resolution- not to eat in those joints and invariably found myself downing junk the very next week!!And what will i do if i have a stomachache again-Well i dont have it now so deferred to another date!Till then enjoy ... Anyone willing to accompany this gourmet,gourmand,glutton and connoiseur???
I dont remember exactly when and where it happened,but this is a true story.I was with this group and we were newbies to Chennai.I had been to Chennai before but was confined to my relatives' places and did not roam around much so i was as good as a newbie,albeit with the knowledge of the local language.We decided to have chaat in some store{it was already 25 days without chat then}.My friends were apprehensive after seeing the shop and the uncouth surroundings but i always advocate this policy "dingier the better"!I have had some of the best food in joints which were much more smaller and unhygienic and came out unscathed,so i felt this wont do any harm and took the plunge.It was a small fast food joint and i thought of having some concrete food first and ordered "pease barota masala"-- note down the spelling.I thought it was "barota"-which is similar to a "paratha" with a side dish which had "peas" {or "mutter" in Hindi} with some masala would be the gravy.After the usual banter to kill the hunger our item arrived.I was shell shocked to say the least.It was like mini idly-hazaar "barotas" in a plate.I could not fathom that.Also there were no "peas" around.I called the waiter and asked him what it was and he said the same.Later i realized that it was "piece barota masala" wherein that barota was butchered to hazaar pieces,some reddish paste{that was masala for u} smeared on them and served.Phew! Needless to say i ate just 2-3 pieces and discarded it.Probably "pee"se barota masala would have been a better name.I just wanted to have some cool drink and escape as soon as possible when my friend told me to wait.He was already in splits seeing the food{that dawg was not hungry} and decided to order another dish just to have a good laugh.We ordered "pani puri" {it is one of my fav}. I was shocked again when i saw that!There was "puri" in it-once again smashed to a thousand pieces,akin to a glass window being smashed by a cricket ball and pieces strewn all over the place. OK there was "puri" but no "pani" in it.It was a concoction of smashed puri and "channa".It was baffling,i mean no water in pani puri!Did someone say water shortage in Chennai? Well i never knew that the situation was so grave.Huh! I was afraid even to order a cool drink.Probably he might have given us glass-which is a super cooled liquid in its liquid form and say cool drink!Or maybe smash it,which is his forte,powder it,put it in cool water and say "cool drink". My friend ,needless to say ,was having the time of his life while we were fuming.The only thing which was decent was the bill.I should have torn the bill to "pieces" after paying it.It was cheap and for once my policy of "dingier the better" failed and i had to bear the non stop rebuke of my friends as it was my suggestion to go to that place.Mea Culpa!
Fortunately i have never faced this "piece" thing again.Peace!That bad experience dissuaded me from going to such small joints,but only for a few months.The stomach ruled over the brain again in a few days and i was happily back to square one munching and downing 'pani puris' at the same rate and in equally uncouth,inadequately furnished joints .I have dined in many star restaurants but stuff from a push-cart vendor gives me the ultimate thrill even to this day.I also ended up puking and singing LM{scratch ur brains and find out whats that} many times,took a resolution- not to eat in those joints and invariably found myself downing junk the very next week!!And what will i do if i have a stomachache again-Well i dont have it now so deferred to another date!Till then enjoy ... Anyone willing to accompany this gourmet,gourmand,glutton and connoiseur???
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