STYLE PROCLAIMETH THE MAN

Passerby 55 has tagged me to write ten of my traits that would reveal my style.


Method in the madness:

I am disorganized in my functioning and my forgetfulness is proverbial. And yet, I have the knack of reducing chaos to order. I can collect pieces from various sources and cogently present them, sprinkling them with a bit of reasoning. Humorous situations enhance my comfort level.

There is a Divinity that shapes our end:

I am not very religious in the traditional sense, though I pray silently and enjoy the atmosphere in some of our temples. I am particularly fond of walking in the long corridors of a Madurai or Rameswaram temple, early in the morning. I believe, many of our rituals have only social significance and therefore I would not practice them, when I am alone. I certainly find solace in reading spiritual texts. I read five stanzas of Gita with meaning and a page or two from Dr.Radhakrishnan’s “Thirteen Principal Upanishads”, daily. I believe in putting efforts to the best of my ability, leaving the results to that force which shapes our end.

My inheritance:

Passion for reading I inherited from my father who also left for us a collection of few classics – Dickens, Oliver Goldsmith, Tagore, Stephen Leacock, Alexander Dumas etc. I am greatly indebted to him for this legacy. I have this habit of reading three or four books at a time. Some times I go to the last few pages first and read them. ”Good writings” is the name of a file I have opened in my computer. Marked lines from various books, magazines, newspapers and blogs find place here. My pastime is to visit this page as often as I can.

Punch lines:

I like Narayan’s simplicity and subtle humour as also the punch lines of Shobha De. Lytton Strachy’s Eminent Victorians, Macalay’s essay on William Pitt and the essays of Addison have great appeal to me. P.G.Wodehouse’s Jeeves is certainly inimitable. I try, often unsuccessfully, to imitate their style.

Pandering to the palate

Good food always appeal to me and I have this weakness for south based ones. That two Tamilian marvels – Vettakuzhambu and Vengaya Sambar always tempt me with their seductive charm and I succumb to them. Strangely, I enjoy my pieces of Pizza, though other fast food varieties, including Pav Bhaji whose aromatics assaults our nose often, are taboo with me.

Our sweetest songs are those that tell us of saddest thoughts:

I literally believe in this line of Shelley. I need a slow musical background to provide me sustenance when I read, particularly when I am alone, late in the night. I rate Airlines and Star Hotel lobbies, from the quality of piped music they provide. Classical, light filmy ( Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam) and pop music enthrall me. Two of my all time favourite instrumentals are “Wedding Bells” in Veena by Chitti Babu and the live concert given at Agra by Yanni, a few years back.

Of Human Bondage:

Though I was a little introvert earlier, as time advances, I observe that I have been longing to reach out to people, even to strangers. I enjoy train travel because it provides us an opportunity to mingle with people. Exclusiveness and tight upper lips in the aircrafts, oppress me. I am uncomfortable in the ambience of five star hotels. I am very keen in attending marriages and other ceremonies in friends circle, as I get opportunities to meet old friends and renew relationships.

Swiss Family Robinson:

I am essentially a family man. Recently I prepared our family chart (descending on the paternal side), tracing six generations, consisting of around 95 members. I strive to visit as many family members as I can, particularly those who are elder to me. Both in family and friends circle, I look for odd characters as they lend me an opportunity to draw a portrait of them.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder:

Biologically I am myopic, but, artistically I am not. I enjoy looking at beautiful flowers, pictures, sculptures and workmanship in general, though I am not a perfectionist. Taj Mahal, beaches in Goa, Temples at Tamil Nadu and Brindavan Gardens fascinate me. My wife used to say that in the temples, I enjoy the sculptures and don't venerate the Deities.

Nosedive:

Of all my sense organs, the most powerful one is my nose. Jasmine flower, Agarbahatti, perfumes, pure ghee and Mysore Rasam when it boils, first rain drops on sand, all emanate a fragrance which send me into raptures.

Willow world:

And finally, I cannot imagine a world without cricket. I minutely follow the game and generally have the vital statistics on my fingertips. I believe (non-cricket enthusiasts please forgive me) bouncers are to be hooked and ducking under needs to be denounced. Hook shoots are aesthetically appealing and only the Amarnath brothers had the dare devilry to hook and though they often perished in the shots, I revere them.

Style, like apparel, often proclaimeth the man, for, style comes out of cultivation and choice. Didn't Rajiv Gandhi and Gulzar charm us with their immaculate whit kurt pyjama with narrow flares? We can dress them in Armani and Abu Jani designers only with disaster.