Chennai Chatter

A month and a half into the longest vacation of my life. You'd think I'd be bored by now. Instead I'm having the time of my life.

I've been doing all the things I've always wanted to, and never really had the time to. Like filling in endless forms for visa applications, work permits and background checks.

I also managed to read a whole bunch of really nice books including some Gogol, Erica Jong, lots of plays - Tendulkar, Tennessee Williams, and Moliere. All in all a fun time.

Another play looms large in July, bigger than the previous one.

Plus we're going to Frisco, Colorado, Alaska on a family vacation after ages.

Much fun it is!

Of Random Conversations

Between my sister and I this afternoon :

She : If you could be any animal, what would you be?
Me : I don't know.. I'm sleeping!

She : Ok, if I could be any animal.. what do you see me as?
Me : Leave me alone.. Ok.. a .. Cat!

She : But I don't like cats.. Waitaminnnitt.. YOU don't like Cats! :(

I tried telling her about Henry James, who once said "Cats and Monkeys, Monkeys and Cats - all human life is there". She was not pleased!

Which reminded me of another James quotation, one of my all time favorites -

"We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art. "

LTTE : Love, This, That Etc..

Miss Dolly Dilly from Walla Walla has a problem.
A big problem.
A 400 pound elephant of a problem.
Will the kind doctor be able to help?
Find out in 'Gynaecologist'

Rita plots to save a relationship and polish her diamonds.
Is all love really that fraudulent?
Are some thing better left unsaid?
Or is a full and frank 'Confession' the key to true love?

Father Joseph intervenes to help Sybil and Scotty.
Will he save Scotty before the pernicious Arabian Araq gets to him?
What will his habebe think?
Watch him tend to his flock in 'Compulsion'


Take time out this weekend to join us for asap's production of

LTTE - Love, This, That Etc.

Three short comedies about that Crazy li'l thing called love

(with due apologies to Queen, freedom fighters,

Harvard and anyone else who feels they deserve an apology)

Venue

"Top storey" Alliance Francaise of Madras, Nungambakkam.

Dates
May 5th, Saturday @ 4pm and 7.30pm
May 6th, Sunday @ 12.30 pm, 4pm and 7.30pm

Cast
Amit Singh

Anjana Iyer

Naveen George Thomas

Sujatha Santhanakrishnan

Sundar Subramanian

Directed by

Naveen George Thomas

Tickets

Rs.100/-

Available at

Landmark, Apex Plaza (Nungambakkam)

Alliance Francaise of Madras (Nungambakkam)

For further details call

98411 17773

98402 46196

Writer's Block

There are several reasons why someone might find it physically impossible to write. Some of these reasons include :
* Boredom
* The lack of inspiration
* A general laziness seeping into the system after weeks of lazing around, eating mum's food, and watching meaningless television

I however, have no such excuses.

Over the past few months I've travelled a lot, read a lot, changed a lot (Yes! Once or twice a day) and sat in enough airports to be able to atleast come up with three interesting things to say about AirDeccan, Gujju travellers or Delhi women.

However, every time I sit down to write, the words just don't come out!

There is a certain pressure that what one writes must have meaning, must be profound, must be funny. After all, the point of any writing is to make a person laugh, or to make a person think. Hopefully both.

Yet, everything I think about writing seems insipid, or mundane.
Hence, I'm taking the easy way out and writing about not being able to.

Amen!

So Long, Farewell

Isn't it funny how an entire lifetime can be summed up in 7 cardboard boxes and a cup full of loose change?