Pandora

There is only one thing worse than opening Pandora's box. That is opening her underwear closet instead.

Last thursday, a routine mission to pick up the little one from school turned eventful. There were TV crews outside the school and a dude thrust a mic in front of my face and said "Sir, what is your reaction to what is happening here?" and my response was "What IS happening here? I don't know" and walked in to the classroom.

The teacher tells me that the school is closed by the County because there is a probable case of swine flu in the school. Apparently some sick kid attended school on Mon/Tues and did not show up for school Wed/thursday and the school was going to close till May 11th!

Most of the parents were frustrated more than concerned by the school closure. They were all just hoping that their kids (who looked fine) would stay symptomless for another couple of days and then things were fine. Some parents told me that chances were, if our kid was infected she would be showing some symptoms already!

The little one jumped on me and kissed me all over my face. She gave it the extra saliva for the special occasion. That meant, if anyone was going to be quarantined with her, it would be me.

So we showered with extra care, waddled in germ killing lotions and stayed put indoors for hte most part over the weekend. No symptoms from anyone. That meant the family was safe but there was still no school.

Finally last night they figured out that if they request sick kids be kept at home, they can open the school. Now we are all back to our regular routine.

The headlines today?

"The responsibility is now on the parents who have to make sure they keep their kids at home for at least 7 days if the kid has a fever of 100 or above"

The responsibility was ALWAYS on the parents, irrespective of school being open or closed. It puts an even greater burden on more parents if the school is closed!

The little one is finally happy. To have a three year old ask you if "we are all going to die because of swine flu?" is very very difficult to handle.

Shouldn't kids be spared the panic?

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Co-optex, Solidaire, Samuelson's Economics books

These days when you go to a portrait studio, the assistant tells you

1. you get so many poses
2. you are allowed this many dress changes
3. you get this many props
4. you are allowed this many backgrounds

Then the adults in the family enter into roundtable discussions on who is wearing what color, how to optimize the contrast of everyones dress colors, the props and the background and either

a. launch into a philosophical discussion on color and background
(typically done by the grandparents) where statements like

"andha kaalathula naanga ellam jamakkalam dhan background-aa use pannuvom. Appove photo nalla dhan varum!"

"In those days we used floor spreads as the background and the photos would still come out nice!" followed by

"En ponnukku enna? .. saaku thuniya kattinaa kuda azhagaa dhan iruppa!"

"What does my daughter lack? .. even if you make her wear a flour sack she will look beautiful!" which invariably sends a not so young man into a dream scene where the woman is wearing only a "saaku thuni" and without realizing it blurts out "saaku thuni ondi pottunda endha ponnu dhan nalla irukka maataa?"*** (Won't any girl wearing just a flour sack be beautiful?")***

b. try to infuse logic into the situation (typically done by the young parents)

If the kids stand in front of me and complement my blue sari, then it doesn't matter where you stand or what color you wear.. they are going to look at the girls in the picture anyways! or

The Stephan Boltzmann law clearly states that for a black body like mine the radiation of color is dependent on the constant Sigma which is equal to .. enge en log tablesa konjam edu paapom! (can you go get me my logarithmic tables book please!)

or

c. run around in like crazy chicken around the studio, oblivious to any color discussions going on.. (typically done by the kids)

One thing is true though. In those days there were no simple backdrops. You went to Sathyam studio and they had this artwork painted on the wall with a archway and laurel wreaths and every family would take a photo under that same background.

The once in two year home portrait sessions where a relative or hired cameraman took photos of the entire family (we are talking an assembly of ~40 folks here) would usually be with creative "Co-optex" handloom blanket backgrounds.

Laughing at this photo now, but for 25 year ago Chennai technology, it is pretty cool!

While today the props include nicely painted ponies, giant alphabet blocks, fake rocks and dinosaurs, the early eighties saw large scale solid state devices like Philips Radios and Solidaire TV's as props. Why not? You have just started enjoying good times and this whole photo session is to get a sampler of the "times they are a changing".

The only prop that we actually remember being there perpetually for no reason were those heavy Economics books by some dude called Samuelson. For years the family starred at this series of books neatly sandwiched between two elephants on top of the radio. Had dad ever read those books? Did he buy them to show off? What kind of a sick dude would show off with such dull books which seemed a cardboard read even for 5th graders?

The last India trip did have a search for the elephants and the Samuelson books for pure sentimental value, but were not be found.

At least the two photos are digitized now and will be around for Jr. and the little one to see 25 years later.

What would props and background look like in the early 30's?

2030's that is!

***Do not try this type of comment at home. Comment made by professional son-in-law under controlled conditions.

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When you are compared to SRK, you should feel?

Legend has it that the wife said "I am okaying this guy. He looks like ShahRukh!" when shown this photo before she agreed to meet me in person. In south Indian brahmin parlance this photo is what you would call a "circulation" photo or "maaplai" photo, that is printed in the dozens, attached to horoscopes and circulated to temples and match making centers.

This comment refering to SRK, has never appeared even in foot notes, sidebar scrawls, or photo album legends in the last ten years from either side of the family.

The wife should be given plausible deniability for such important statements and to that end let me be the first to declare that chances are what really happened :

a. she was shown photo
b. she told her dad that the guy is ok and added
c. Wish you showed me Shah Rukh's photo

vs.

a. she was shown photo
b. she told her dad "This guy looks like ShahRukh!"
c. her dad calls my dad and says "my daughter liked your son's photo. She even said your son looks like Shah Rukh"
d. dad doesn't know who ShahRukh is and brushes aside this remark into fuzzy memory
e. years later he actually watches hindi Movies and knows that SRK is a big name and is a ladies favorite and goes "oh my god! my son was actually compared to this fellow.. should tell him next time this fact comes to the foreground" and continues to forget!
f. 8 more years later, he decides to relase this fact from the vault at 3:00 AM when he is delirious after taking heart medication

You be the judge! I am sticking to the legend version.

These days, SRK's name seems to be hitting a negative note, thanks to his involvement in the cricketing business. Wish he would stay king Khan..

Otherwise this post loses its point...

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