From what The Hindu reports in the city section, it looks like chain snatching is still the numero uno pastime of petty thieves on bicycles in Indian metros such as Chennai. In fact, the enterprise seems to pay such rich dividends that the more seasoned chain snatchers have now upgraded their getaway vehicles to motorcycles.
On any given day, right alongside murders and sexual assaults, one reads of women being "relieved of" their chains while walking along a busy street in broad daylight. (Standard newspaper jargon usually states that "a woman was relieved of her chain," rarely using words such as snatched or stolen. Does the use of the word "relieved” suggest the chain was a burden to begin with?)
“One can never be too careful these days,” shuddered a buxom aunty at the monthly ladies association meeting. Discussing the gall of a "badava rascal" who snatched her friend's 10-sovereign gold chain, she nervously tucked her thick, rope-like mangalsutra, weighed down by innumerable safety pins, into her ample bosom, and declared, “You just cannot trust anybody.”
“I have two thaalis,” another maami shared. “A regular one, and one I use expressly for my morning walks.”
“See, if you wear a salwar kameez, the chain won’t be so prominent with the dupatta covering your neck,” a third lady chimed in, contributing her two paise to the discussion.
“Er … maamis," said mom, when she could get a word in edgeways. "Why don’t you just leave your thaalis at home? That way you won’t invite trouble, no?”
Shocked silence ensued.
Normally loquacious maamis were rendered speechless, until one of them pointed in the distance and asked, “Isn’t that Karpagambal maami? Let me go ask her when she returned from the U.S.”
Suddenly, all the ladies professed an unusual interest in Karpagambal maami’s U.S. trip and departed like a herd of elephants, leaving mom standing all alone by the watering hole buffet table.
Reaching for a paper towel, she noticed a solitary, plump, golden brown medu vadai left on the tray, looking as forlorn as her. Quickly glancing around, mom pushed the idlis on her plate aside and picked up the crispy vadai.
In a crowded room, in broad daylight, a tray was relieved of its last vadai.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thiruda Thiruda
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33 comments:
I find it strange that mamis are fine with having 2 versions of the thali but won't just keep it home before they leave. Isn't the whole sentiment lost when you remove the original? Anyways, I think the only reason you really made that comment was so you could clear the space around you to get that vadai guilt free :) BTW, I did your tag today!
terri:
please check with dad and see if there is an equivalent question that scatters men-folk. i want to use it during my next india trip ;-).
- s.b.
Hmm finally got some time.. hilarious story, but isn't it time they advanced to do something about the holy M.S.? I mean mankind has seen so many changes, from walkman's to Ipod's, rusty old acc books to Computers,Writing 2 page letters to making a 2 min phone calls...I totally agree with not wearing one at all...Srikanth
aiyoo, I am so proud of your Mom, terri. See, she even got rewarded right away.
A crispier Medu vada anyday than a bunch of idlis, I say.
What was Mom doing at the "monthly ladies association meeting"?
Ps: I can never masterup the courage to watch Kite runner after reading the book, my quota of tears has already been shed for the book.
sri:
you're right. i think the 21st century will see the new and improved subcutaneous m.s. - you'd need a phd (in thievery) plus an mbbs to snatch it!
sachita:
re: the kite runner, you sound like v.b. - she refused my offer to borrow it from the library.
- s.b.
@terri mom in "maami's" meeting.. totally integrated into the Chennai circuit..
@sb: what will scatter us men? ... "free drinks being served down the hall"
vijay:
sounds like a plan!
for the purpose of due cya, i'll place a big 'hooje' down the hall; me = a yudhishthira of the 21st century.
- s.b.
Sands, whoever heard of two thaalis, right? Sometimes, maami reasoning defies logic. Thanks for taking up the tag. You look so pretty!
s.b., dad wouldn't know. His response to invitations to booze-free events is to send his wife and good wishes.
Srikanth, why make phone calls when you can SMS or send e-mail? You don't watch Tamil movies? Pious women can kill themselves to get thaali bhagyam.
Sachita, the movie is nowhere as touching as the book. Since you already know what happens, you can fast forward scenes, as I did. I still think it's a very nice movie. The boy who plays the servant has the cutest cheeks that you want to pinch.
Vijay, I couldn't believe I was attending a ladies assoc. meeting. Such is my dismal social life here. Although, come to think of it, that "monthly" meeting happened a few months ago, and I haven't received notice about any other meetings.
s.b., what's a hooje? Since you mention cya in the same sentence, I'm almost afraid to ask.
Hmmm..I guess this is a problem since from even when I was growing up; my mom's earring was snatched when she was alighting a crowded train in Mumbai. This was back in the 70s.
But since mangalsutra is something sacred to most married women in India, I wish they didn't have to be afraid of wearing one, fearing that that might provoke a thief. It would be reeally nice if a married woman didn't have to try and hide her mangalsutra or leave it in her house for its safe protection. Of course, if she didn't really care to wear one, that's wonderful. If not, I wish one of these days, these thieves get caught and taught some real manners about stealing mangalsutras :)
-rm
I bet the vadai was relieved to be picked too... who wants to be the leftover, after all! :)
And by the way... *deeeeeeep, shocked, audible indrawing of breath* remove the thali? Remove the THALI??? Blasphemy, I say! The best thing to do is never wear one, then the question of removal (voluntary or otherwise) doesnt arise :)
rm, ouch at mom's stolen earrings. How does one steal ear studs without tearing the ears?
Shyam, mom's been trying to convince grandma of that very same reasoning for years - not only for the thaali, but for the pottu also. Grandma wonders how a person like mom was born of her womb.
LOL...but yeah very familiar with the two thalis habit - which confirms that I am much older than mom, and probably belong with the maamis myself :(
My SIL in BBAY also had two thalis - a fake one, for "daily use" and the good one, taken out only when travelling by car :-)
BUT - in my admittedly limited experience of MDS maamis, they are all very stylish, and noone wears thalis anymore! At least none of the ones I have met - they all turn out in superbly matched jewellery instead :)
M
terri:
a hooje is a big earthern pitcher used to keep water cool in ancient india (aka the 20th century). now, of course, even slumgods - millionaires or not - would thumb their noses at them!
- s.b.
p.s.: i guess - if you get the right size - a hooje could be used to cya (literally speaking), though that was not what i meant in my previous comment!
M, MDS maamis are stylish? Not unless you count the octogenarian grandma who steps out in her silk nine-yards sari in the middle of the afternoon with green cooling glasses on, an umbrella and a scarf tied around her head and proceeds down the street leaving a trail of Cuticura in her wake.
s.b., a suraahi? You'll need to fill it with more than water to entice menfolk.
oh, how did i miss this one?!!
"BUT - in my admittedly limited experience of MDS maamis, they are all very stylish, and noone wears thalis anymore! At least none of the ones I have met - they all turn out in superbly matched jewellery instead"
at the risk of getting banned from future tyagaraja aradhanas if word got around (but i am safe, i don't think terri's turf is that famous yet!), i need to say this - one local (nri) maami has mastered the art of matching outfits, down to her contacts! i can even picture how, if she were to play holi, she would say "no, nod thad color, it doesn'd match my condacds!"
- s.b.
OK, I knew I didn't have the right contacts in this world :-) These maamis live in Mylapore/Mandaveli, all seem to spend their time either attending or putting on plays, music sessions, dances etc., are all frighteningly erudite in the arts, are lastly, are mostly relative-in-laws!
I've been rebuked by some of them for not having appropriate "light gold/diamond jewellery" and by others for not bringing any western-wear to MDS (on a 2 day trip primarily for a wedding) - as they wanted to go to some club or other and a salwar would be so-out-of-place!
M (the frumpy....)
Yeah two thalis is complete fraud...any idea on how they switch? Unless they wear a manja kayar with a piece of manjal tied in during the switch, it does not count...you tell them Mom! Do you know that some of the original mylapore maamis (not these frauds with two thaalis) actually wear a manja kayar along with the gold chain thaali?
My thali has taken up residence in my bag so that I don't get caught "without" it by the inlaws. I keep soaking it in water on and off as it looks too shiny after a year and a half of being married! Only I live in fear of my bag being stolen now rather than my chain getting snatched!
gds, so much fraud to please the in-laws? ;) If your handbag is ever stolen, which I hope it never is, the thief will find an unexpected bonus.
M, what well-heeled in-laws you have. I feel like a country bumpkin just reading about them. Maamis going to the disc? And here I am, almost menopausal, never having set foot in one yet (Amma didn't allow).
s.b., that zounds like a Mallu maami. What are you doing in a maami crowd?
terri:
palghat/palakkad is tn's, ain't it? :-) granted, maami might know mallu too, but the crowd is 1000 to 1 tamil to mallu, so don't think she ever had a chance to speak mallu.
i am pretty sure i linked to this infomercial before, but you have a new and improved audience now, so i might as well do so once more. tarsha carvey does an unbelievable job as a "maami," doesn't she?
- s.b.
Terri's mom
yup - unfortunately these set of ILs *are* well off - too well off, if you ask me! :-D :-D
I much prefer the carnatic music circuit myself, having no inclination towards disco....obviously I'm more of a maami then they are!
OK, on the 2 thalis thingy - why can't they put on the second one and then remove the first? That way, there is no time when the neck is unadorned by a thali, right? Am I missing something?
M (intrigued unnecessarily by thali-swapping algorithms!)
Hmmm..only two mangalsutras? Most of my relatives in Mumbai and Pune have multiple. There's the original heavy one that you get in your wedding, then a silver (but gold-plated of course) one that you wear to casual occassions, then a couple (cosmetic or Bentex jewellery )that you can wear while travelling (while the real one is safelty kept in a pocket in your petticoat) ;)
Veena
Veena, I thought one mangalsutra was one too many, now you're telling me women have made it a fashion statement? What's more, petticoats have pockets? I should ask on my next trip to Naidu Hall. If you keep your cell phone there, how do you get it out without unraveling your sari?
M, bare necks (mottai kaizhatu) are not allowed. I've seen my mom tie a yellow thread when her mangalsutra snaps and needs to be restringed (or is it welded)? I remember chewing on these yellow threads as a young girl, while studying or working on crossword puzzles. After a few days of mixing with grime, sweat and bath water, it starts to taste salty and delicious.
s.b., what were you doing in a predominantly Tamil crowd? If you were there to eye maamis and appreciate the arts, you'll find Chennai fascinating.
terri:
i thought i already gave a huge clue on what i am doing while around the matching-matching maami - "participating in the annual tyagaraja aradhana at the local temple."*
as it is, the ratio of tamilians to non-tamilians (among non-telugu south indians) here is like 4:1, and when you're talking of a carnatic music related event, that ratio is maintained even after you throw the telugu folk in the mix!
with all those thaalis, i hope the maamis keep track of the real thing! that's my biggest peeve against owning gold - it is real tough to figure out what's pure and what's not.
- s.b.
* - one doesn't have to be a hot-shot music dude to participate.
No, no petticoats don't come with pockets. You have to stitch pockets on to them to keep gold stuff/cash safe while travelling. You haven't heard of this? Maybe I just let a family secret out ......
Veena
"I remember chewing on these yellow threads as a young girl, while studying or working on crossword puzzles. After a few days of mixing with grime, sweat and bath water, it starts to taste salty and delicious."
I'm beginning to see some link between this post and your previous one :P
Btw, I object to all this "Mylapore Mami" talk. As if the Mogappair and Guduvancheri mamis are slim, chic things.
inbavalli, another favorite memory is chewing on the handles of my mother's black purse when I was a child. The leather was so soft, I felt like I was chewing on a piece of nan.
Veena, thanks for spilling family secrets. I could use that tip if only I wore saris. I hope pockets in kameezes are the rage next season, as long as they figure out how to attach them without making one's hips look bigger.
s.b., to add to the gold confusion, they have stuff like 1 gram gold, which most people claim is not gold at all. Whatever it is, it looks nicer than platinum which resembles dull stainless steel.
Well , I am a telugu guy, and I believe watching Tamil and Telugu films are a health hazard, hence i keep away from them ... Srikanth
I used to really like Aamir Khan (guess I still do) but haven't worked up the enthusiasm to watch Ghajini because:
a. Aamir Khan looks like an an overly endowed and demented Frodo (Hobbit from LoTR) with a hyper active thyroid (is it just me or have his eyes gotten bulgy over the years?)
b. Ghajini is a nested ripoff of the Hollywood movie Memento (an excellent if mentally taxing movie; I incinerated several brain cells watching it) but AK prefers to use the term "inspired" ...
-DS
srikanth:
i was wondering what you were commenting about - i mean, i went and re-read all of the 27 other comments, thaalis, maamis, etc. and failed to find the connection between tamil/telugu movies.
ds:
thanks for linking the comment to the side-bar. not having watched the movie or read the reviews (in other words, being in a "srikanth state of mind"), i've been wondering whether it is about a she-elephant or an islamic marauder - the spelling/grammar is blasphemous, either way!
someone help me please!
- s.b.
s.b.: Hmm .. I thought Srikanth was referring to the title of the post (Thiruda Thiruda) which Google tells me is a Tamil movie about thieves.
And Ghajini, I'm told, is the name of the villain in the movie. I was hoping for a tusker ...
So much confusion thanks to Srikanth. For a moment, even I scratched my head wondering if he posted on the wrong blog. Since he avoids regional movies, he has no idea how hysterical maamis can get about their thaalis.
DS and s.b., you can safely avoid watching Ghajini and preserve your sanity. There's only one nice song in the movie (Hai Guzarish), shot in beautiful Namibia, but it's so badly choreographed, you're better off downloading an MP3 version.
Lol...the intention wasn't to confuse anyone. T's mom, I was just replying to your "You don't watch Tamil movies? Pious women can kill themselves to get thaali bhagyam ". I had a nightmarish experience of seeing a movie where a " pious " thali ( am I getting the spelling right? I didn't want it to sound like the meal ),was being tossed around like a plaything while inane dialogue's were floating around....This was the reason for me quitting all regional films with the exception of " Kancheevaram " and " Anand ". I hope this puts an end to all the confusion. Cheers Srikanth
Am I the only one who vaguely recalls having read something about Mom owning not one or two, but three thalis?
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