My latest book is The One Who Swam With The Fishes.




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11 September 2005

You just call, out my name, and you know, whereever I am, I'll come run-run-run-running, to be by your side

> I was at Jeevashram, this animal shelter, today and the vet was kinda busy with this poor stray dog that had (okay, be prepared to wince) maggots in his testicles. Luckily, the dog was being fed and taken care of by this woman and she brought him in and he was really sweet and got sedated and swayed around like a drunken man before collapsing on her feet and she picked him and took him inside. (I also learnt that some people in this city have FIVE dogs. FIVE. Big ones too. I suddenly feel sorry for poor Cookie growing up as an apartment pet instead of in a large family of dogs where she could roam free in the garden). Anyway so I wandered around exploring a little and I saw this sign pointing to a shed that said "The Cattery". And there were all these cats inside this huge cat run (they can't be let free coz of all the dogs and all) and I whistled to them and made general beckoning noises and they came to the ledge near the wire mesh and walked back and forth over my stroking fingers going rrrr..rrr..rrrr. Loud purrs also. One of them, who I've taken a picture of, and hopefully it will load so you can see it, was particularly beautiful with this long twitchy tail and he pressed his face against the mesh and I rubbed his ears and told him how pretty he was. Which he knew, but it never hurts to tell people. Of course, him and this other beautiful black and white cat were like the dadas there, some skinnier cats miaowed hopefully from the corner but wouldn't come towards me no matter how much I called, because these big guys were giving them dirty looks. Of course, now Cookie at home is not speaking to me because my jeans smell of cats and dogs and Pieces' dashchund who made me play throw the bone while we converged at her house for a drinking session this evening.

> Because yay-yay (as people from my college would say) Pieces is in town! For a good two weeks this time, and so five of us from college gathered with a bottle of White Mischief vodka and some biryani and drank to our hearts content. Old boyfriends were raked over the coals, and whatever-happened-to's were also discussed. We got to a point where we started comparing bras and how long we had all been celibate. Then I left. Good times.

> I noticed when I was trying on my poncho the other day, the label says "One size fits most". I thought that was so sweet.

> Which instantly reminds me of when Leela and I both read Ex Libris at the same time and we loved the part where Anne Fadiman has just read Treasure Island and the dude there goes, "I want a bit of cheese. Toasted mostly." So Anne, who is really really pregnant at this point potters around her house going, "Toasted mostly. Mostly toasted." And Leela and I thought that was the funniest. So I'd call her and go, "Toasted mostly" (in a Brit accent) and she'd go, "Mo-astly toasted." It got so that she would sms me going "Toasted." and I'd say, "Moastly."

> And there was this one music video, you know the kind where they play dik-chik-dik-chik in the background and the lyrics are all spoken? So this woman comes on, strapping on her stilettos, walking around her flat and everything and there's this man sitting on a couch. And the video's all very art deco, very white with a black couch and the woman appearing in this little purple and blue boxes. So she says, "I am a very stylish girl." And the music goes dik-chik-dik-chik. Then she dances in front of the guy and says, "How do I look? How do I look?" And he says, "Very nice." (Beat. Dik. Chik. Dik. Chik.) "I MUST say I'm amazed." And we died laughing.


  1. very nice post, experiences and memories along with ur day 2 day meanderings, the music video seems stupidly fundoo...

  2. You've been tagged. (Don't worry, it's a rather fun one.)

  3. one of the strays in university has some kind of infection in his testicles - they look mangled and he smells of rot. and he's very touchy, so people can't quite take him to the vet either. but i think it's going to be over soon.

  4. ummm... celibate??? reminds of this scene from neil somin's chapter two, where the actress asks something like "if you dont have sex for long enough can you regrow your virginity"

  5. Yes,People have five dogs and more also:) i have two myself:) Its fun to see them running around and playing.

  6. All you peoples make me want to get a dog. But who will feed him when I go to work ?

    I also want to have lots of friends who I have know since college. But apparently, they too run away when I go to work.

  7. "regrow your virginity?" i see . draupadi was supposed to revert to being a virgin before sleeping with a different husband. the implications of that has made plenty of feminists see RED, i'm told...

    this video, i want to see!

  8. Dogs get VERY jealous. My parent's dog won't even acknowledge them if they so much as look at another dog.

  9. Congratulations! Yay!
    Now to business...
    Drinks. When? Where?

  10. almost useless: Why thank you :)

    jasmine: Noooooooo. :) Okay fine, actually it DOES look like fun.

    ramani: Oh but we laughed coz it's such an uncomplimentary thing to say. Why was he amazed? Did she not always look nice?

    teleute: God, the poor thing. By over, do you mean OVER over or that he's going to get well?

    vishnupriya: Neil Simon said that? Damn, and here I've been taking credit and applause for that line! :)

    akruti: I almost had two. But my dog's most jealous and won't stand for us giving anyone else attention.

    vignesh: Better not to get a pet unless you can spend time with it, at least initially, you know? :)

    rimi: I heard about that! Though I always thought it was pretty cool that she could do that, like a super power or something :)

    mint: (Almost typed mint chutney!) Are kids any better?

    three drinks: Okay.. um... Tuesday? Buzz? :)

  11. jI dont know why we have so many dogs in india. In Nagaland u wont find any animals. Their rule is simple all animals and birds are meant to be eaten.

    Instead of having chickens and muttons one should look at dogs and cats as a viable alternative.

  12. The bit about the maggot dog didnt make me wince. It made me shudder. Poor thing.

    When you move into your new flat, are you taking Cookie with you ?

  13. White mishchief? No wonder you ended up speaking about matters celibate. Belvedere, girl, Belvedere.

  14. anarchy of incessant beats and skin. but, there is one escape route - VH1.

    saw Radiohead's "karma police" video yesterday after years. video is awsome! it's proof that a music video can be art. sure it will be lost on the masses, but it's amazing to watch.

  15. Dogs are sentient beings. The Jataka Tales tells of story of Buddha being born as a dog. The story is very intertesting.He became the leader of a band of dogs in ancient varanasi and how saves lives of the fellow dogs during critical situations.

  16. you can keep taking credit for it. i wont tell anyone. (it'll be like our little secret ;)

  17. Nice post. So now instead of booze parties you are covering pet cemetaries, huh;)

  18. so there's other people in the world that's seen that ridiculous "How do I look" video too! I thought me and my brother were the only ones. And God, it was pathetic.

  19. wht is the name of this song?i have bin looking for it....heard it smtime back whn i was in gokarna,india

