Back to Forest

Forest View Apts I mean, after a gap of six months. Nice to be back, no doubt.

Change is constant, they say.  That is exactly what we found on arrival. New humans moving around the complex. Just blank faces, no greetings, no smile – but thankfully no stare. We thought SFV’s accredited cab driver Akram’s substitute got it wrong and dropped us, instead, in another Sobha complex until we spotted a few familiar faces all eager to hug us in the long-lost Ram-Bharat milap style. Yes, in the interim many families have moved in. The present occupancy, we learn, stands at 550 families out of the total strength of 889. What a fantastic feeling. The more the merrier.

We were in time to attend the AGM of the Association, in no way by design. In one stroke you get to meet all your friends and well-wishers. You felt a bit taken in when entry to the meeting hall entailed a lot of procedures. But as you got involved with the proceedings you realized this filtration process was necessary to get an accurate feedback of the audience, and prevent dual voting and the like. Most of us made a day of it what with coffee on arrival, lunch, and again tea in the evening. It was purely a working lunch, as it was supposed to be, and in no way reminded you of Onam Sadhya.

Onam celebration in SFV is on the cards, on 2 September. Alas, we realize it is Gokulashtami that day when homemakers will be busy from morning trying their hands at Murukku, salt Cheedai, jaggery Cheedai, Nei Appam and Avil (poha), as prasadam for the evening. The menfolk normally assist in preparing Cheedai balls with homemakers looking back now and then from the kitchen shouting, “Not so big,” to be followed soon by “Not so small either…” The whole exercise will last till 3.30 pm. And then comes the most unbearable two-hour wait for the sunset when only they are offered to God and we get to taste them initially, before mounting a full fledged attack.

Back to the Onam programme, if Plan A works, which it should, you are in for a day-long entertainment. By this I mean, to the entire SFV community. A selection of known orchestra groups are being invited to elevate the mood of the audience with Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and Tamil songs. The star attraction would be Vaishnav Girish. He was the winner of Star Singer contest some years ago. He also featured in a national Hindi channel and rendered the Hindi song Bin Tere... It was so soulful that the judges came to the stage and ventured to lift him, his heavy weight notwithstanding. Aside this musical bonanza, there will be the usual Chenda Melam, and Kerala-specific dances, not to speak of the Onam Sadya (feast) at noon. We all look forward to the event next month.

While that is a little way off, SFV is now geared to celebrate Independence Day next week at the Amphitheatre starting at 9 in the morning.

Preoccupation on the personal front has been no less. Even before we could unpack suitcases, we had to rush to Hosur to attend the 80^th birthday celebrations of my colleague. Yes, a reminder that “if it is his today, it will be mine tomorrow.” “How are you Raja?” I asked him when he gave me ‘audience’ amidst the 300-odd guests. “Can’t be better Sundaram.”  “No health issues, no BP, no Sugar?” I persisted. “Perfect Sundaram. No BP. Just sugar. And for that I inject insulin myself daily,” he delivered a googly nonchalantly.

Then the filing the Income tax returns before deadline round the corner. As is wont, the Auditor was out of station. Fortunately with less hassle the returns were filed. What a relief when the system popped with refund figures in both our cases.

It is Aadi masam now. Some communities perform Bhagawat Sevai (Devi puja). In the evenings we could hear chants reverberating from one building or the other. We had the pleasure to attend two, and perform one in our home too. The occasion? Birthday of both our sons, yes both born on 3^rd August. Only the year is different.

Aunty resumed her Narayaneeyam class with aplomb this morning - with probably double the attendance. Moral: Stay away for long to feel wanted.