IL MEET - The Meeting Of Hearts - 4th Feb, 2012

Dears,

I know it is not proper to describe about an IL meet in blog space as there is a specific forum for that. But many times bloggers do not visit forums and thread posters do not come to blogs. And Satchidananda has done a wonderful job of posting about the meet and adding nice pictures as well.
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/ilite-meet-ups/158597-varalotti-comes-bangalore-il-meetup.html

So let me give my usual accountant's perspective on the meet.

Though the train touched Bangalore City on time and though I had a comfortable lower berth I could not sleep because of the noise created by a fellow passenger who wanted to get down somewhere midway.

With a heavy heart I had to cancel the breakfast appointment I had in Shobana Manjunath's house. I told her that I badly needed an hour's sleep but that I would come to her place soon after the meet.

I woke up refreshed around 9 30 and was raring to go by 10. The meet was of course at 1. For about thirty minutes I loitered around the KG circle area, the place which never fails to make me nostalgic, as I stayed there when I came as a CA Apprentice in 1979 and Indhu and I had our honeymoon in the famous Broadway Hotel there. (It's no longer there; Lalitha's company has acquired it)

Then I went for a joy ride in Namma Metro. The trains are neat, luxurious and if you do not look outside the train you'll think that you are in some Eurpean country. After the metro ride another walk down the Brigades Road and then MG Road and at 12 45 I boarded an auto to the meeting venue.

Lalitha Shivaguru, the uncrowned meet-up queen and Manjula Pathy were there outside the hotel. After exchanging pleasantries with them we moved in to our reserved table.

And then walked the energetic Sapthu02 (Sapthana Balachander) handing over a large sunflower bouquet to me. Next to come in was Sowmya Raman the young HR executive from a software company.

After a while the great Satchidananda aka Swati Iyer walked in. She was taking pictures of the foodies even as she walked in. I am sure she was lying about her age. She told me she was nearing fifty. But I could not believe that. She should be in her late thirties.

Then the energetic environment-consciious architect Kelly66 (Kerman Sen) walked in. Soon we were talking like old friends.

Even before the meet I had a call from Shobana Manjunath that she won't be coming for the meeting as her mother was "afraid of all the internet and computer people". "Sir, if you had come for the breakfast and taken me to the meeting she would not have objected. See what's happening now."

I told her that IL is a safe place and that I can stand guarantee for her safety,. I asked her to tell her mother that I'll come along with her in the return journey and safely hand over the daughter to her mother. Her mother relented and she joined us a little late.

We went for masala pappad and panneer tikka for starters. Most of us were in the so called weight loss programme and we did make a big fuss before devouring the calorie-rich starters. And then the main food, an assortment of roties, nans, pulav rice and side dishes. And finally a double scoop of our favourite ice creams.

We talked about everything under the sun. Lalitha quipped that I had dressed to look ten years younger. Probably Manjula must have been thinking of the same thing. It was a beautiful sight to see those two ladies doing a high five as if they were college girls.

There were questions about my latest serial, my next serial, my books and all. One could almost touch the friendship and bonhomie in the air.

In what way are we related? What does a HR Professional in a software company in Bangalore has to do with a mofussil accountant in Madurai? What connection is there between a Parsi architect and a Tamilian housewife? What brings people of such diverse backgrounds to the common table and make them behave like long lost friends? Yes, dears, it's IL. Indusladies. This is the time to think of that noble lady Malathy Jey who started this website and her dear husband Jey who supported her.

Soon after the meet Shobana almost kidnapped me to her house. I met her mother, her sons, Prateek and Advaith and her dear husband, Manjunath. I gifted a copy of my book Anandham to her mother. (she has sent a mail this morning telling me that she has already completed 200 pages of that book) and a copy of A Love Story to Shobana.

And then swallowed the crispy masal vadais prepared by Shobana and the tasty payasam made by her mother. Around 6 when I started to leave Manjunath insisted that I should go in his car. I took leave of the nice family.

The second day was even more eventful. Lalitha has the habit of making the day after the meet memorable to me every time. Last time it was meeting Mithila Kannan. And before that it was meeting Kavitha Vel.

And this time it was none other than my role model, friend, philosopher, guide and one of the crucial characters of my novel, A Love Story.

Kamla was in a far off place and we had to hire a cab. We left around 12 noon and reached the place around 1 30. I had been wanting to meet this nice lady for more than five years. Twice she came to India I missed her.

Once I went to the US, I stayed in a place which was just 100 miles away from her but missed her at that time too.

This time I had the honour of shaking hands with her, taking pictures with her and chatting with her like a friend for hours. It was a touching moment for me when I gifted her a copy of my book A Love Story in which I have introduced a character in her name, Kamla.

My readers used to complain that I gave more importance to Kamla than Vidya, the heroine of the story.

And the kind lady insisted that I should autograph the book for her which I promptly did. After partaking a rich diet consisting of US pista nuts, local savouries, biscuits, banans and orange juice we left the place around 3 PM to reach Lalitha's house by 4 30 PM.

She prepared hot seva and a delicious side dish to go with that. And then a typical South Indian degree coffee. Lalitha's mother in law never fails to read my works. So I gave her a copy of my latest book Anandham and took leave of them.

My heart was full and my eyes almost so. Why should these people who are in no way related to me shower so much love on me? What did this mofussil accountant do to win the hearts of all those beautiful and wonderful women?

I could not sleep in the train. You know what I did? I took out a copy of my novel A Love Story and started reading it. It was first published in IL and then made into a book.

Reading the book I realised that all of us are connected in some way or other. No man (or woman) is an island.

In the case of our friends we have seen the connections but in the case of others we have not yet.
As the Hollywood Actress Sherley Mclaine put it more

eloquently,
"There are no strangers in the world. There are only friends whom we have met and friends whom we have not."

Let me dedicate this blog to the spirit of benevolence in Malathy Jeyaseelan which made her start this wonderful community.
love,
sridhar
You may see the pictures in my album