All the music you hear in Chennai (and probably India) is from a film. Not some of it – all of it. There’s not a Top 40, no TOTP, just music from films.
Every now and then there is a song that you will not be able to escape – it’s on peoples phones, in their cars or just blaring from houses. The latest one is from Slum Dog Millionaire Composer, A.R. Rahman and its called Hosanna.
I would say I hear it at least twice a day, every day.
Groundhog Day.
A mail has been doing the rounds about a rickshaw driver called Samson, who has his own website and has become a bit of a celebrity in Chennai.
His site was made by a BA crew member who had been using him and a Norwegian subsequently donated Samson a laptop.
Now the media have picked up on this and there was an article in The Hindu this weekend, followed by an interview on the radio this morning.
However, I am not in a rush to get a lift as I rarely use rickshaws and have been told that my frivolity when paying raises the prices for other Westerners!
We are the . .
Peoples front of India - SPLITTERS !!
Well, he’s not in the kitchen – he’s in the garden.
I first became aware of him when I came home from work and felt the wind as he galloped past me – it’s not your average sized rat – he’s massive.
I’ve been approaching my porch with my laptop held above my head, ready to swing at him, but he seems to have gone into hiding.
Maybe I should arrange for the snake that fought and killed a cat in my garden last year, to fight the rat – and get Jose Luis Rodriguez to captue the moment!
Pongal is the Tamil new year, the biggest event of the Tamil calendar and therefore I was persuaded to wear traditional Indian clothes for the day.
We celebrated by having Pongal (sweet rice) a game of ’smash the pot’ blindfolded and a Rangoli competition for the girls.
Dhoti look nice
Vetti Good Team
Bosh!
It hard to imagine in England, someone (let alone a group of men) whilst waiting for a train, taking advantage of the hoses which clean the trains to have a quick spruce up before their journey begins.
This isn’t a provincial station, its a big station in the city.
Shower - Alfresco !
Logo looks familiar
Winter has arrived and is dropped to 25 degrees.
Appropriately, people are wrapping up. I have seen people with jackets, wooly hats and even balaclavas!
I am standing on the train platform, shorts and a t-shirt lapping up the sun, while the man next to me seems to think its scarf o’clock!
Bit chilly?
It seems that everyone who comes to India reads Shantaram – the story of an armed robber who escapes an Australian prison and lives in the slums of Mumbai. The book was such a success that it is now being made into a film, with Johnny Depp as the lead roll.
As we ate in the restaurant which the book centers on, I spotted the author. Unable to resist the temptation, I approached him and got my picture.
Extra scene in the movie needed now I guess . . .
Gregory David Roberts
Not the tragic events of 26/11.
As we drive from the airport into the city I am soaking up the scenery with all my senses when I spot some graffiti that I recognise instantly as North Londons finest, Drax, living up to the World Domination name!
Brought a big smile to my face.
Didn’t get a chance to get photos myself, so these are courtesy of Drax’s Flikr account
Draxi
World Domination
Sandhya has had a little boy “Lakshmi Narayanan”
I adopted my usual “uncomfortable oh shit I am gonna drop him” look which i have perfected over the years…
Sri Hari
What i love about India is you think you’ve seen it all, know everything there is to know, something happens that takes you by surprise.
On Wednesday, a member of staff found a 3 foot Indian python wrapped behind the headlight in the steering chassis of his motorbike.
The motorbike was wheeled to the road and tipped over, where I am sad to say it was then attacked with sticks and killed.
Badger Badger Badger
Snake, its a Snake . .
So, despite the numerous times I have listed my contact details or referrer’s contact details in various documents when applying for a visa, no one contacted me to let me know the visa laws were changing and I had 3 days to leave the country or risk overstaying my visa, an arbitrary fine and potentially not being let back in to the country.
Fortunately someone i met 3 weeks before informed me and I was able to get a flight out the next day and return to the UK to apply for an Employment visa.
The main aim of the change in law was to prevent foreign workers from taking low skilled jobs in India and to get taxes from the expatriate workers were on business visas (like myself).
Not surprising the government is looking to raise funds, since they has just realised they have been paying $43m to 22,000 non existent workers in Dehli!
Noel EPmonds
Due to my not too uncommon procrastination, my blog was not just taken offline but erased due to non payment of a small bill.
Anyway, all is back now, lesson learned and I will be updating shortly with Diwali, Visa dramas and more . .
But seriously, you thought that was my name . . ?
Names not Neck, you're not coming in..
Much as I would like to claim that Puja was a ceremony to welcome me back, it was just a coincidence that it fell on the Sunday I got back.
Puja is a ceremony to bless the work place. Incense is burnt, prayers said, and red markings placed on all work equipment – from air conditioners to cars.
I did feel lightly guilty though, that as I watched the traditional ceremony, the kids were glued to the Wii which I had introduced them to minutes before.
Puja 2
Puja 1
So, after 9 months here it’s time for my first trip home – it feels like the end of term and summer holidays are about to start.
Since November I have learnt:
“w” is pronounced “v”
“v” is pronounced “w”
“th” is pronounced “t”
“t” is pronounced “th”
If you shake your head – it means yes,
….and this is what you get for your Birthday . .
Happy
Birthday
I have fairly vivid memories of going on “hash weekends” with my parents when I was about 8.
Hashing is essentially a running club, or as the Madras Hash House Harriers describe themselves, “a drinking club with a running problem”.
The rules of this secret sport are that the “hares” lay a flour trail on a cross country / urban run. False trails are also laid to add to the general confusion.
A few weeks I hosted the pre and post Hash gathering at my house and laid the trail, along the beach, through the fishing villages and along the main road near me. Everyone meets at about 5 o’clock and sets off accompanied by the hares, complete with loud horns. The sight of 50 people running through the backstreets of Chennai is quite bewildering for any of the locals we pass but only adds to the amusement.
This weekend was my third run, so I have now been given my “Hash” name – “Blow my Pipe”
On On.
Yes, I know these are immature – but they still made me laugh when I saw them.
Terence has been saying it for years
Sleeping Time Sperm Release - Classic Indian English
Not just Gay Lord, Cum Pickle too. Delia special.
Since I last posted anything, which i think is because all that was new to me 9 months ago, is just normal now.
A family on a motorbike doesn’t attract a second glance, the constant beeping is now background noise and I probably wouldn’t even bat an eyelid if i was faced with a naked man jumping from a bush again.
I must have some stories from the last 5 weeks, I’ll try and post some soon.
It’s come to my attention that my team are now following my blog – so, hello Godson, Shiva, Salim, Srinath, Muthu, Mohamed, Nagarajan Mohan and everyone else !
Below is a photo of us – I am in the middle, front row.
Where's Wally?
Where ever you go in Chennai, elaborately painted on every single wall (apart from ‘P James Magic Show’) are political slogans. On some walls are very good murals depicting the leading politicians.
But as it was election time when you would expect to see political slogans (at least in the UK) all walls have been whitewashed, leaving me with a very unimpressive photo of a wall, which was a piece of art a few weeks ago.
It's a whitewash
I make no secret of liking writing on walls and wherever you go in Chennai you will see “P James Magic Show and Balloon Event 9841072571″ He has blitzed the city.
There are a number of things which amuse me about this.
Where are you Mr Potato Man when Chennai really needs you!?
Number 319 . .
I’ve just realised this is a different phone number – so maybe P James has competition – or one phone simply wasn’t enough for all the calls he was receiving !!
Corruption in India is everywhere, I have heard a number of stories:
Now, when I heard these stories, I couldn’t believe that’s how Indian society worked, I wondered if it would ever be possible to stop and I thought how much better the UK was.
And then I realised, as MP’s expenses claims have proven, the UK is probably just as corrupt – at least in India it is much more in the open