Kanmanigalu.....

My daughter Spruhaa Vasistha ... Spruhaa is ambition

My son Sudhanva Vasistha

Ganeesha Banda.......

It is the 3rd year in a row that we as a family are celebrating Ganesha - Gowri festival at home - 'away from home' !! Celebrating the festival sitting at my desk in office, I was thinking that it is amusing to note some of the differences between celebrating such a big festival as this away from home. Here it goes ......

DIFF #1.
Here: Business as usual. Work from 9 - 5 PM
There: Rajaaa (Holiday)... Majaaaaaa (Make merry)

DIFF #2
Here: Dont bother if we dont find 'maavina yele' (leaves from the mango tree !)
There: Must find maavina yele the previous ..... come what may !

DIFF #3
Here: Dont bother to buy new clothes for myself or for kids
There: Elders at home take care of it !! (for us all .....)

DIFF #4
Here: A quick pooja with 'Ganapathi Shastri galu' reciting the ganesha stotra on the internet (www.kannadaaudio.com)
There: An elaborate step by step ritualistic 3-4 hr pooja

DIFF #5
Here: Doesn't matter if you look at the moon
There: Advised not to look at the moon today. If you happen to unknowingly, make sure you read up the 'shyamantaka mani' story and recite the 'shyamantaka mani mantra' in the evening

DIFF #6
Here: No ganapathi pandals / functions
There: Many a roads in the interiors are blocked with ganapathi pandals

DIFF #7
Here: 'Madan Mallu Sangeetha Sanje' missing here ..:-(
There: We get to see sangeetha sanje's for the next one month in every corner !!

DIFF #8
Here: We dont even get to visit a single house where ganesha is being worshipped
There: We are supposed to visit 101 houses (or atleast 21) where ganesha is being worshipped !!

DIFF #9
Here: Desi store modakas
There: Amma / ajji maadida kadubugalu (rice dumpling filled with coconut & jaggery paste and boiled under pressure)

DIFF #10
Here: Ambience ..... :-(
There: Ambience .. the feel ... the vibrance .... a majaaaa :-)

There are many many more smaller details and things that we surely do miss out being here .... but I must tell you that sandhya (my beloved) is trying to make up for all of it by celebrating this festival as closer to the way it is celebrated back home .....

ganesha banda.... kaayi kadubu tinda............
chikka kereli bidda, dodda kereli edda.........

Back in Dallas..

I flew back to Dallas after a 4 wk vacation in namma bengaluru ..... it was nice to get back with family and friends after almost 2.5 yrs .... but it was also a whirlwind trip with 2 big functions (sudhanva's birthday party followed by his chaula function) in two alternate weekends ..... it got very hectic though ..... anna and amma were all the while complaning that I have not been able to spend enough time with them even though I was in bangalore for all of the 4 weeks ..:-(

More soon (snaps, videos, some thoughts .. and lot more !!!)
Bugs.

India ...is english ur national language !

Oh ! you are from India !!!...... Is English your national language ??...... Oh ! it is not is it !! Then how come you speak such good English !!!

Too many exclamations .....but that is exactly the feeling of an American or a Hispanic (people who speak Spanish as their mother tongue ) who happens to speak to me here in Dallas .... they are amazed by the way the Indians in general are able to converse in English with such ease ....

I always tell them that English is not our national language but is definitely the language of instruction in schools in most of the cities right from our nursery education.

They are surprised because in most of the countries (like china, Mexico, many countries in Europe, japan, Korea, Vietnam) English is not the medium of instruction and probably is not even the official corporate language ! (people - correct me if I am wrong...). This also makes people who come to live in the US very difficult with English being the default language everywhere. Almost everyone from these countries mentioned have an ascent that just does not get neutralized with time ... not that us Indians have an very typical ascent of our own ... but Indians
still manage to bring in the most clarity of speech while speaking English .....

Well, people now know and also acknowledge that having a huge English speaking population has also helped the Indian economy to grow in many industry sectors ......

Speaking of ascent, I must put down this hilarious email that I got about Chinese ascent when they speak English. Let me tell you that this is not an exaggeration.... It is good fun, read out loud !!

1. THAT IS NOT RIGHT .......................SUM TING WONG
2. ARE YOU HARBOURING A FUGITIVE ...........HU YU HAI DING
3. SEE ME ASAP..............................KUM HIA
4. SMALL HORSE..............................TI NI PO NI
5. DID YOU GO TO THE BEACH..................WAI YU SO TAN
6. I THINK YOU NEED A FACE LIFT ............CHIN TU FAT
7. IT'S VERY DARK HERE......................WAI SO DIM
8. THIS IS A TOW AWAY ZONE .................NO PAH KING
9. OUR MEETING IS FOR NEXT WEEK ............WAI YU KUM NAO
10.STAYING OUT OF SIGHT.....................LEI YING LO
11.HE'S CLEANING HIS CAR....................WA SHING KA
12.YOUR BODY ODOUR IS OFFENSIVE.............YA STIN KI PU

Our priorities in life !

Hia -

I found this very old write-up called 'Just for this morning' from my archives. I had seen this the first time in bujji's (my daughter spruhaa) school at HEAD START in Bangalore when she was in her pre-school. They had this notice board at school where they used to put up some very interesting anecdotes, stories, inspiring themes and some articles (like this one!) as food for thought ....

Let me know what do you think about it. I read it the first time and tears filled my eyes !

JUST FOR THIS MORNING

Just for this morning, I am going to smile when I see your face and laugh when I feel like crying.
Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear and smile and say how perfect it is.
Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.
Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles!
Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck, I in will buy you one if he comes by.
Just for this afternoon, I won’t worry about what you are doing to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.
Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won’t stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald’s (or Kamat or Forum!) and buy us both a happy meal. So you can have both toys.
Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.
Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.
Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.
Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given. I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children’s graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in the hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can’t handle it anymore.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask him for nothing.

Except for one more day ………….

Bujji singing ....

I have been lying low for sometime now .... office work is killing me .. :-( .. coz' sandhya and the kids are not at home, I seldom reach home early now a days. I make sure that I reach only after 8.30 pm in the night - just in time to have dinner, do some work and doze off !

While I was looking thro' my laptop for some photos and old songs that I had recorded of the kids, I found this really nice snippet rendered by bujji. This is a song on Krishna and is sung beautifully by bujji ... very cute ... listen to it !

Bujji's song:

<01>



<02>



<03>

Movies Galore !

Sandhya and the kids left for India on 8th June from Dallas, Texas. Oh ! we have been living in Dallas, texas for more than 2 yrs now. I am here in a short term assignment from IBM GLOBAL Services (am with IBM for 6 yrs now ...).

Its has been movies galore for me after Sandhya and the kids left ...I have been watching atleast one movie a day since last sunday..... I have always been a movie buff but am not sure why I am watching movies at this frequency now ! :)

Just coming back today from the theatre after watching DASAVATHARAM (Kamal Hasan in 10 different roles for the first time in Indian cinema). He has tried to bring in religion, science, spirituality, equality, patriotism .. all in one movie !

I would say that he is succeeded you putting the message across ....message that there is 'one' super being (no religion here..) who is controlling the strings up there ..also the message that we cannot continue to abuse MOTHER EARTH the way we are doing today ....

It was decent ... but at 3.5 hrs it was a bit too long :(
Do watch it if you get a chance .....

More soon ...not movies but my posts :-))
until then ....ciao

Paatradhaarigalu ..... (The actors !)

Anna (for DAD) 'Gundanna HV', was born in Shettykeredoddi (In Kanakapura taluka, 60 kms from bangalore). He did is early school in 'kooli matha' at Hukunda and then moved to Kanakapura for his primary schooling and college. He moved to bendakalooru (Bangalore) for his graduation and post graduation. He earned himself the job of a lab assistant in the prestigious VIJAYA COLLEGE at a tender age of 20 yrs !!

A self made man and an extremely ingenious person, anna probably knew that VIJAYA COLLEGE is a very small place for his experiments. He therefore moved out of the college to becoming an entrepreneur ! He has been an entrepreneur for the past 30 yrs now and a very successful one at that ...

Amma (for MOM) 'Vasudha Gundanna', was born in bangalore. She did her early schooling in bangalore and joining BEL, BANGALORE. She married anna much against the wishes of the relative circle 35 yrs ago. They definitely are a 'happily married couple' but for some minor differences on certain issues in life ! .... but, which couple does not have some differences :-)

Yours truly 'Bhargava Hukunda', was born in BANGALORE(JUBIJEE NURSING HOME) in 1974 in the month of January. Amma keeps telling me even today that Cauvery water was connnected into bangalore on the same day ! So, that is another reason why 'Jan -24' will be remembered during the years to come ... swalpa jaasti aaytaaa :-))

Sandy 'Sandhya Bhargava' my better half, was born in BIRUR. She has done her majors in Fine Art from the prestigious Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishat, Bangalore. She aspires to share all that she has learnt and all the talent that she has amongst the bugging artists in Bangalore. Right now our kids (their intro will come lower down!) are keeping her busy 24 x 7 !!

Putti urf 'Thejaswini Hukunda' my younger sister, was born in BANGALORE(VANI VILAS) in 1975 in the month of July. She did her majors in music and continues to live in bangalore with her 7 yr old Adithya.

Adi 'Adithya Kashyap' my nephew, was born in BANGALORE (DIWAKAR NURSING HOME) in 2001 in the month of April. The same year that I got married to Sandhya. He is an extremely energetic and an intelligent boy. He is the darling of anna at home and is loved by all of us. Keeps amma busy at home all the time with his pranks ! :)

Bujji 'Spruhaa Bhargava Vasistha' was born in BANGALORE (SRIDEVI NURSING HOME) in 2002 in the month of October. She is the opposite of Adithya in terms making friends, talking to anyone and everyone on planet earth ! The kind of poise and patience that she has at this age is amazing !

Bujja 'Sudhanva Bhargava Vasistha' was born in BANGALORE (DIWAKAR NURSING HOME) in 2006 in the month of July. He is also growing up to emulate adithya in all aspects !

Now it is sudhanva :)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZY5xfFBsHT4

This is my son Chi. Sudhanva Vasistha dancing on the table. He is soon going to be 2 yrs on July 17th. Currently sandhya and the kids have gone to India for a couple of months. I will be joining them all on July 28th ... eagerly waiting to go home ! ..Check this video ..

Bugs.

Spruhaa singing ....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rLu_THl9uZo

Spruhaa is singing 'Look at all the twinkling stars' ! Both spruhaa (we call her bujji) and sudhanva (we all call him tammanna as bujji calls him tammanna) love this rhyme. Tamma is 'little brother' and anna is 'big brother' in kannada !! Now, I agree that 'tammanna' is a misnormer ...... but we like it :)

Enzoi the video !