SORRY BIRDE..!!!!

A few days ago, on September 11th, 2008, a Friend and I discovered a Dead bird outside our office window.

It was the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Images of that morning here in Hyderabad came into my mind, as I'm sure it did for many people. But other than that, September 11, 2008 had started out as a weird morning too, full of nagging little annoyances and discomforts...

Not long after waking up, I got something small and painful stuck in my right eye - like a whisker. My eye went red and watered so much that I couldn't open it much for an hour. This irritation developed into a nagging, annoying headache behind my right eye, which lasted the better part of the day.

My friend Venu and I discovered a little chipping sparrow laying dead on it's back, on the second floor balcony right outside my office window. It's little eyes were open, and it's feet were straight up - It must have hit the building pretty fast and died from the impact. Very sad. I love to feed the sparrows and pigeons whenever my brother and I go to Bombay city  They'll land right on your hand and eat the seed out of your palm if you stand still for a moment or two.

Venu and I discussed the idea of burying the bird somewhere. I thought that burying it under the dirt in a large ceramic planter on the balcony would be quick and reasonable, and might provide some kind of acceptable burial for the poor little thing. Venu suggested that on the ground under a nearby tree would be better. I pictured one of the ladies who manage our office complex trying to dispose of it. Neither of us did anything, but I resolved myself to give the little bird some kind of burial/disposal.

By the time lunch came, my headache was bugging me more, and I felt that I didn't want to be around too much light or noise. I felt a bit anxious about it, but decided to go with my workmates for a quick walk of a few blocks so I could pick up some lunch and return to the office. Hyderabad hates a truly delayed summer and it was a horrible, hot and sunny day. Walking outside with my workmates, the bright sunlight and intense heat really started to bother me. This is a common thing. I normally hate being in the sun, but love taking a walk and getting some fresh air. But this time, all I could think about was getting back inside some dark, air conditioned place as soon as possible. I was maybe tad over-hungry or dehydrated as well. I just wanted to get away from excess light and noise, and find somewhere quiet to cool off, eat my lunch and get some work done. My reactions are basically a mild form of migraine headache I think. It has happened periodically since I was a kid.

On the walk back to the office, I visualized myself picking up the dead bird and dumping it in a hole in the large planter. I was a little worried that people might see me, and not know what I was doing. It could work, I decided, if I was fast enough. Someone had to take care of that little bird.

I holed up in an unused office and closed the door. Thank god for air conditioning, I sighed, as I felt myself cooling down. After popping a couple of Tylenol (thanks Venut!) and eating lunch, my headache finally went away, and the little bird came back into my mind. I worked alone in the office for a little while more, and then decided that the dead bird wasn't my responsibility, and why did I have to always go worrying about stuff like that anyway? Someone else can deal with it.

So, it's been a couple of days now, and the dead bird is still out there. When I turn my head to the left, I can kind of see it lying on the deck. Maybe I'll dispose of that little bird tomorrow. This is just going to get worse... But I never did it and I still regret it….

 

                                                   SORRY BIRDE…..

After my last stupid blog I thought why not I share the true joy and happiness I had in the last few days……

It was a routine day for me taking care of the mails and checking out for my scraps and messages on orkut and facebook when I came across a few of my school friends from V.P.S who is lost touch of about 6 years. I had no information about what happened to them? How they were? What are they doing? I just wanted to see if they could recognize me, so I started sending out friends requests and leaving messages on their accounts.

The first to respond was K.Sriharsha a very sweet friend of mine from school. I never ever thought he would recognize me… but he left me a message on my inbox

“OH MY GOD Rama Krishna” “How are u dude? How is life?” and the questions kept on coming like for about an hour….. That was the first wave of love that my friends from school about 6 years ago fired on me…. I felt good. I remember sharing most of my studies at school because he is just so brilliant at academics. He used to help me finish my notes and home work on time. I remember completing my Hindi home work which I started in the previous class..

Then came the champion of them all CH.TARUN must say he is really a gem of a guy multitalented he is a badminton champion, topper in the class and the prefect for our GOUTHAM HOUSE. Woow those days… I wish I was back there again…. It was a very short conversation with Tarun but I was really very happy ….

Then the next day I get a message from the best of them all my closest friend a very Cute, Charming, Lovable, Adorable, Precious and always Smiling Harika Punnami. You won’t believe this but its true.... She looks just the same when I saw her at school 6 years ago….she is unbelievably smart and remembers every thing.... errrrrrr "God.... this is not fare beauty and brains shuldn't be is the same person..." anyways she is was always helpfull to me in school, she is the only girl who shouted at me in school... at times i felt bad but somewere i knew thats for my own good.... must tell you this she appolagised to me for being rude to me in school can u imagine... I bet its hard to believe people soooo sweet still exist... anyways Another shocker she gave me was that she is married this year On the 19^th of march the very same day another very special friend of mine Preethi Maganti got married… and as if that was not enough for the same mohurat…….

CAN U BELIEVE IT…!!!!!!!!! Tooooo much of a coincidence don’t you think????????. I haven’t seen her for like 6 years but I kept hearing great things about her thought our common friends. And I felt really bad that I dint attend her wedding. Hummmmm things happen… But after that first five minutes of our conversation we were back to our school days remembering all the funny things and fun we had together I almost felt like we are back in school and sitting in the class. Those are some feelings you wish would never end…Its close to being cast away from your very dear things that meant so much in your life and being able to get them back when you least expected. Another thing that hasn’t changed at all in Harika is her sweet caring mentality, which will make any person’s day a very happy one,

GOD BLESS HER AND SRIKANTH ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE

WORLD….

I WILL REMEMBER ALL THESE WONDER HUMANBEINGS FOR THEIR LOVE AND WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM FOR THE WARMTH THEY HAVE GIVEN ME AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. AND I WILL BE OBLIGED BY THEIR

SWEET WORDS AND WILL REMEMBER YOU THREE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE…….

“THANKS LOT FRIENDS YOU ALL ARE GREAT PEOPLE AND ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR FURTURE. AND PLEASE STAY THE SAME”

LOVE YOU ALL…………..

In 2006 I spotted and immediately fell in love with a coffee mug in a Barista. It was blue and it had white stars and one yellow crescent moon on it. It was marked “Made in Mexico for barista Imports, INC.” on the bottom and made out of heavy pottery. I had just begun working when I bought the mug, and for me it symbolized the beginning a new phase in my life. I was obsessively careful with the mug: no one was allowed to use it or even touch it but me; I never put it in a dishwasher. I felt very protective of it. like i feel about all my best things.

Sadly, a years later the mug got broken anyway. I desperately began searching for a replacement. Finally I found a number of  a in hyderabad and mailed him. A very sweet man said that there might be one of the mugs on someone’s desk holding pencils, or perhaps there was one in the warehouse. He found one and mailed it to me at no charge, but he said to be very careful, because if I broke this one, he wouldn’t be able to replace it again. It arrived right before dewali in 2007, and it was the best dewali present EVER.

I began calling the mug my “holy sacred coffee mug.” I felt like it was a part of my identity. I remember that when asked what single item, if my home was burning down and I could take only one thing, would I take, and I answered without hesitation, “my holy, sacred coffee mug.”

Alas, cup number two got accidentally knocked off a table by my then-four-year-old son. He was afraid to tell me what he had done, as he know that I would be devastated. I was.

Since that happened I have conducted regular searches on ebay looking for a replacement. I have bought many other barista mugs, but none have equaled the one that I loved so very much. I tried my hand at painting in a pottery painting shop and was able to copy the design, but the cup itself was the wrong shape and weight. I loved the mug as much for the way it felt in my hand and the thickness of the lip as I did the design. I finally found the exact same mug, in a different pattern (white with the word “frappe'” all in lower case blue letters), which I purchased and which has been a suitable stand-in. It is the same weight and shape as my beloved broken cup. And I still have the moon and stars mug sitting on a shelf where I can see it every day. I glued it together, but it is no longer usable.

In a way I feel silly about my deep affection for this object, but I can tell you, if I saw one for sale, I would pay any price to get a new one.