The House in Pudukkottai That Woke Up at 5AM

Image
By 5AM, the house in Pudukkottai was already awake. The old tape recorder would be blaring Pithukuli Murugados songs somewhere inside, and above everything else you could hear the steady creak of the wooden swing moving back and forth. My athai paati — my grandfather’s sister — would often be on that swing, singing “Gopala Krishna Swamy Gokulathiley,” a soft Krishna lullaby . She had been widowed young and lived the rest of her life in that house, and to me she always felt like someone straight out of an RK Narayan story. For us, summer meant Pudukkottai and Gobichettipalayam. A couple of days after the final exam, we would take the overnight Trichy Express from Bangalore, then a bus onward, and by the next morning we would be inside that long, bustling house full of cousins, relatives, and noise. Athai Paati with the kids on the swing The house itself stretched from one street to another, a lon...
1 comment

Diwali wishes!

My last year's India trip definitely does not feel like a year ago. I had planned my trip in such a way that it coincided with Diwali, and it was well and truly worth it. Here goes some pictures from Diwali 2008 (all pictures taken in Malleswaram, Bangalore) and of course, wishing everyone a very happy Diwali 2009.






Diwali is the festival of lights. No wonder, you see the "Akashdeep" hanging out in abundance!












Flowers are overpriced during festivals, but who cares!












The little fella won't have a tough time selling his earthen ware. Earthen lamps, a common sight during any Indian festival, and during Diwali, you just have to see it to believe it












A neat line of bikes; all are sure shopping in Malleswaram 8th cross











Not very surprising to see the crowded 8th cross street!














The shopping spree continues indefinitely for the next few days










Almost anything and everything available in this little shop













The night is buzzing with activity with the firecrackers lighting up the city in style












A watchful little boy trying his luck with the "Bijli"

Comments

  1. ShubhikaOctober 10, 2009 at 6:18 AM

    So what are your plans for this Diwali?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Praveen KrishnanOctober 10, 2009 at 9:43 AM

    Nothing as of yet, Diwali is landing on a weekday as such!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ShubhikaOctober 11, 2009 at 8:45 AM

    nope its on saturday

    ReplyDelete
  4. KaminiOctober 14, 2009 at 2:19 PM

    These pictures made me feel so homesick!
    Happy Deepavali to you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Praveen KrishnanOctober 14, 2009 at 6:50 PM

    Thanks a lot Kamini and happy Diwali to you too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Prashant PrabhuMarch 27, 2016 at 6:25 AM

    All that remains now is Nostalgia of world gone back...I miss the old Bangalore...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment