grrrrrrrrrr

I want to watch a movie on a weekday at 10 pm and there are no tickets
I want to eat at some decent restuarant on a weekday at 9pm and there are no tables - "you have to call and book madam"
I want to go to Kerala any time of the year and there are no tickets - "weekends madam we cannot promise you anything"
I want to return home anytime of the day and no autos agree to come - "too much traffic we won't come"
I want to get out of house at 6.30 pm there are no autos available (well they would be available if they come in the first place to return)
I want to work from home and half the day there is no power - "no load shedding" the CM's been harping.
I want a taxi to pick me up from the airport in two hours time and there are no taxis - "all are busy madam" (this at midnight on a bloody working day)
I want to get a hair cut at some half decent place and there are no appointments during the week or the weekend - "summer is always like this sorry"
The well known brand of soaps or cream I picked up last month is not available anywhere -" short supply" is the cryptic answer I get.

What the bloody hell is happening? Where have I landed?

The tyrants and the victims

I am moving to Denmark.

Why you say? There are about 4500 Danish junta fighting against the "tyranny of early risers"
The number is of course small but here I am pretty much on my own (except may be K who will surely join in)

Read the details here and here.

I have never been a morning person and have always been admonished for it. I missed all my morning classes (god forsaken time of 7am and 8am) throught out my college life. Earliest I can get anywhere without wanting to murder the whole bloody world is may be 9 (in emergencies only) otherwise its got to be 11. I am nocturnal by nature meaning I cannot sleep before 1am unless I haven't slept for 3 days straight so jumping out of bed at 6am is out of question.

I've tried very very very hard to be an early riser but after months of practising I realised I am not half as productive when I wake up early.

But I am not to be sleeping in peace especially because I am a "woman." It used to be "how can a girl sleep so late? It is not lakshana what will you do when you go to your husband's house?" Well I went to my husband's house and slept late. So now I hear "how can a woman of the house sleep so late? It brings bad luck to the house." What about when men sleeping late? Well thats bad too but it doesn't bring bad luck or anything so its alright (I've actually heard this explanation)

And I find no incentive in waking up early other than may be watch sunrise and see some interesting birds. However since I live in Bangalore, picturesque sunrises and interesting birds are not part of the package. So I go on holidays to watch sunrises and bridwatching. Although I am very biased towards sunsets and moon rises.

I don't see a point to this getting up early thing especially after marriage cos all morning I end up in the kitchen making coffee (which I don't drink) and thinking up of and making breakfast while hubby dear checks his "office emails" reads newspaper back to back and suddenly takes off saying "damn its late I'll be stuck in the traffic jam...is there anything for breakfast?"

One of the articles also says that if you are the kind who cannot get up early then choose your professional carefully. Good for me that although late I did make a career change and atleast my boss doesn't call me to ask "why are you late"

I feel obligated to repeat some of the explanations people come up for my not getting up early

"Your husband comes back home late isn't it thats why you can't get up early" (giggle)

"You must be studying for some sorta exams thats why you sleep late and can't get up early"

"Yours is a love marriage so I guess it is ok to get up late" (isn't this priceless?)

"Oh you don't have kids thats why you do this" (!!!)

They don't seem to get the point that I simply don't want to get up early in the morning on most days!!!

Here are some of the motivational onliners people have tried on me

"you can finish off all the work and then go to sleep at around 11" (!!!)

"if you leave the milk outside so late it will get spoiled"

"your husband will feel un motivated to go through the day if he has a wife who sleeps late" (again priceless)

"It is not healthy to keep odd sleeping schedule" (only sensible one and I've not heard it too often)

"Hasn't being a journalist taught you nothing?" (Wha???)

The rest of them aren't funny or interesting so I'll spare you that.

I never grudge other people who get up early (unless they insist on my company) so why grudge me?

Unless people take a cue and let me be I might be moving to Denmark.

Summer Holidays

This is what I did to make it feel like it is summer holidays (in reality it was just Summer not exactly Holidays)


These are things I do pretty much every year!


1) Enquired about swimming classes. Of course as always I chickened out. This time my excuse was "last date is over" (about which I knew for a week)
2) Looked up at various new courses that I could join. (only this time I didn't pay for prospectus and admission forms)
3) Ate a lot of Mangoes
4) Thought about cutting my hair really short.
5) Going to "native place" (this is happening tomorrow and unlike school days it is just a 2 day trip)
6) Promise to help Amma with making Sambhar powder.
7) Do some art and craft kinda thing (Yes I know I am not in school anymore but I am incapable of kicking off this habit but the advantage of doing this when you are older is you (ok I) can actually finish what you started:-)


I have to my credit

a) a pair of earrings and chain with a pendant I made using Amma's old buttons

b) a kitchen window covered with hundreds of sequins strung together. The second one has been a long pending project of mine (15 months to be precise) and I duly record that I had help from Sav, Amma and Prajju (in descending order) in completing this.

This has been a better summer than most of my adulthood summers :-)

Darn the section of the media that always misquotes:-)

Who else but my beloved minister of labour Mr. Iqbal Ansari to talk about on a dull Monday morning.

After giving me and thousands of other women and some sane men sleepless nights for a whole week Ansari says he was misquoted by the section of media. He also says that women are more talented than men and hence ridiculous to think of banning them from night shift. Read the report here

I really like the honesty of this man. You don't see it? Well see he is accepting that it was a stupid thing to do in the first place albeit in a very round about manner. I am sure if he reads this he would scream hoarse that his statement is being misconstrued. No no thats not what he would say he would simply say "I've been misquoted"

Now that Mr. Ansari has eaten a humble pie for his glorious effort to preserve indian culture may be we don't have to worry about women getting thrown out of office after 8 (My condolences to all the women who are dissappointed at not going home at 8 because of this)

Aside:

What and who is this section of the media that always misquotes the politicians? You think they are especially trained to do so? And how is it only a "section" of the media when every publication worth credibility is quoting your 'mis'quotes?

I am hoping this will be the last of posts on this whole act of insanity!

Night Shift ban

It has been a week since our beloved labour minister declared that women cannot work in night shifts. Till date there is no clarity on the issue. By Monday most people decided it is too ridiculous a measure to implement. But bang on Thursday the minister declares no it will be enforced and the governor has signed it

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/May102007/state20070510811.asp?section=frontpagenews

In the same newspaper the minister also announces the most cliched but most preferred and revered reason for all this "it is against the Indian culture to make women work at night"

But there is some hope still. The women's commission is refusing to back down. Vimochana one of the NGOs working with women is contemplating a PIL. And according to today's TOI report Ansari is pretty much on his own in this brilliant move to protect the women and the Indian culture. Neither the governor nor some of the other ministers in the cabinet are with him. And even better the Labour commissioner is trying to get permission women work in factories at night shift!

Do these guys even talk to each other? What was the minister thinking after all?

There has been some noise about this the blogworld too. Here are some:

Apu 1

Apu 2

Bangalore Metblog 1

Bangalore Metblog 2

It is crazy how most women are NOT indignant about this. Most of them sound like they would be rather glad to just stay at home and cook. They however want to wear what they want, drive around, hang out and have all the fun - basically enjoy the fruits of feminist movement but gladly jump sides when they need to so something to keep this going for the next generation of women. Talk about shortsightedness!

I was talking to the domestic help Satya at my place about this. She's not educated, works in half a dozen houses to feed her her drunkard brother and aging father and believes everything that happens in the serial are real. I had to warm her up to the subject.

Me: What do you think about women working?

Satya: As long as it is to make your family life better it is fine

Me: For what else would someone want to work?

Satya: There are some who just like to show off, prove a point I don't think that is right

Me: So should they be stopped from working?

Satya: No how can you stop someone from working? You have to change her attitude thats all.

Me: Do you know government is banning women from working at night shifts?

Satya: Ayyo then what will happen to eshwari akka? she goes to cook dinner in that house every evening. And why should government stop her? Do you have to work at night?

Me: sometimes. you think I shouldn't do it?

Satya: no how can I say that? it is either you or your husband who has to decide if you should work at night or work at all not the government.

Satya an illiterate girl who has little lokajnana is saying that this is an individual choice and the state has nothing to do with it.

Are you listening Mr. Ansari?