A Wedding Party in Nagpur

Went to her wedding and met Abha Kulkarni, a former student (of IMT), for the first time there- I was the bride's guest. Must have happened for the first time. Thanks to Facebook, though, I feel that I know her pretty well. She's been a winner of some of my awards on fb. Anyway, the feeling of meeting someone in person (and seeing the radiant smile in this case) is much more than a facebook friendship. I highly recommend meeting some fb friends regularly when you can, and multiplying your joy. I try my best to meet one per visit to any city, at least. My own alumni meets of sorts.

In this case, of course, I was accompanied by my ex-colleagues Vijayakumar and Anant Ram who had taught her at IMT and told me she was a great student. It was a coincidence that her husband Rohan is from Nagpur, and enabled me to be here for the event. Found out from chatting with her parents that they have lived in Bangalore for many years. I am a fan of Nagpuri stuff like Oranges, and I also like its clean roads in the newer parts. Of course, the speedy Metro construction is causing some traffic issues, but they won't last long, as construction is progressing at 'Gadkari speed'- defined as 20 times the average Indian speed. If he'd been in charge of the economy in the 1960s, we'd never have had to face the "Hindu rate of growth".

I was also happy it wasn't too cold- I am not a fan of sardi-Dilli ki ya aur kahin ki. Just the right medicine for ending the year- Food, Friends and Thums Up, as the old ad said. Thumb's up, totally.

Matrimonial Ad for Self

Once bitten always shy. There were times when one would have written a matrimonial ad for self with all the wrong characteristics- beautiful, smart, earning a six-figure salary, not to forget decent  background, and so on- and got bitten. But no more.  If one were to put an ad out today, it would read as follows-

Good cook, with an even better attitude- as in willing to cook and feed a (potential) family of four, day in and day out.  Work tirelessly to clean the surroundings, care for inmates and guests, expected or otherwise, asking for nothing in return, except occasional outings or small tokens of gratitude. Must be adept at juggling tasks, giving back or limb massages on demand, smile at me when I return from work. Willing to make tea/coffee  every few hours, at least five times in a day.

 Watching serials at home is acceptable, provided there is no attempt to imitate the villainish women appearing in them. Should be willing to attend PTA meetings of (future) children. Appointing maids and supervising their work is an important and necessary qualification. Should not expect husband (me) to conjure up handymen such as plumbers at short notice.

Important: Should not be fond of gold, silk sarees or silk anything expensive, except maybe  chocolates.