Marina, A Cornucopia of Life in India at its Best

I visited the Marina Beach one evening on a blazing hot May day

I was struck by how many people were out enjoying the bay

The sheer diversity of people, all Indian, reminded me of the constitution of our country

All out to cool down in conditions which were far from wintry

There was the Muslim family whose little girl was advising her brother and parents on life

And a couple of IT couples who stood out because one of them had a fair North Indian wife

There was a certain zest about a few naked kids somersaulting their way past a wave

Then the angry dad who enjoyed the waters himself but had rules for his kids – his belly was hardly rave

Fishermen’s boats were being used as lively dry spots for those drenched from the ocean

Just as much for those who wanted to stay dry or preserve their fashion

The fishermen themselves were busy assessing and packaging their day’s catch

With their discards were the nimble dogs and wily crows whose appetites met a match

My son who is circumspect around large water bodies was kissed and assured by an akka

A couple of “uncles” came by and played with my little makka

How conservative we are with our dressing was abundantly clear with temperatures hitting forty

And so was how young we are as a people as I could count on my fingers how many were over forty

Marina is said to be the India’s longest sand beach stretch at thirteen kilometers

All amply filled with pony rides, sundal and bajji vendors, balloon shots, boys at beach cricket, even as the day peters

It was a place devoid of all negativity – everyone had one reason to be there: have fun

A pleasant departure from the hustle and bustle of the roads and everyday life under the sun

Change without the change

Tomorrow finally arrived. I was talking to my buddy of 7 years a couple of days back and we were discussing how people change, yet do not change. It's funny how people universally talk about change being the only constant - but hang on, have you seen people's basic character change enormously over their lifetime? If you see someone changing with the situation, depending on whether it's positive or negative, he might simply be versatile or be sucking up.

Maturity kicks in with age, but one's outlook does not really change (being social / reserved; ability with the language / not). I think the only change that really happens is in the first 15 years or so (I can remember being this way since 17), and I do not attribute too much to the genes. A child ends up being what he / she is based on what he observes from his parents: parents' social outlook, exposure, their education, motivation, perseverance, etc. That is one explanation for the son of a president becoming another? Adopted children would be just as inheriting, I think, of characteristics as regular children

Motivation behind blogging

For a long time, my belief has been that blogging is for those who seek attention that they don't get in their personal or professional lives. Nothing much has changed with that, that I post my first serious blog since creating my blogspot 1.5 years back - only that I now see this as one of the few opportunities to exercise what I once considered my single biggest ability - the ability to write, write clean and write simple

This, I hope will be my diary that only those I want to see will see. So, I'm in Chicago and it's dark as hell at 5.30 pm (actually, it's been dark for an hour now). Let me think of what to write before I fully start tomorrow

Blog warming

Let's get going