Watch or it will fade away

 

India is not a new market for the fine watch industry. Brands like Cartier, Patek Philippe and Harry Winston have had their roots in designing special pieces for Indian Maharajas.

Recent year records indicate that the Mobile showrooms have more fan following than the ones selling watches. Is it because we have lost interest in keep up the time or wearing the watch itself. In fact mobile phones are now viewed as an add-on investment by the average customers and the watch is an “expense”!!! The watch seems to have taken the second priority when it is considered for keeping track of time. Why has the trend changed ??

I remember wearing a watch 2000 bucks when I was in 8th standard. This was a gift from my dad for getting good marks in exams. I used to wear it to school only on special occasions. I stole a few glances from both students as well as teachers.. Wearing a watch worth 2000 bucks was a huge “status” symbol those days but now apparently every watch costs about 2000 bucks.. Array!! you get mobile phones for 2000 bucks.. why waste that money on a dumb watch.

Slowly the habit of wearing a watch has declined among the younger generation and many IT professionals. They have quit wearing a watch. Reason: time consciousness is a part of life and is moving into approximation like “TENISH” or “ Give me a call to confirm.” Unlike the concept of “Sharp Ten” of yester years and primarily the PDAs , mobiles and laptops display time as well as have more than needed features of the good old watch, such as FM, Reminders, Notes, Calculator, Directory and Games. In the recent times, many feel the watch as an inconvenience or a burden. Why duplicate facilities when the mobile phones(the habitual companion) can do the same job? Wearing a watch was necessity before the advent of mobile phones, now the watch segment has become a gift ” not used” or a gift “for the heck of it” if not based on esteem needs. Well now it looks like the mobile phones are satisfying all needs of Maslow!!!

PS: why did I write about watches?? because I saw about 50% of my class mates where not wearing a watch today even to exams and was irritating the invigilator as well as the other students writing the exam by asking for time, since Mobile phones are not allowed inside the exam hall..

A Trip To Thiruvannamalai

In the month of august, the family plans a trip to Thiruvannamalai. It is a temple for Lord Shiva and known as Annamalaiyar there. To know more about it, please visit Thiruvannamalai. This is one of the famous temples in south India and also you will find a very peaceful Ramana Ashram here.

This trip happens every year and this is my 10th year consecutively. Every year on August 27th being my dad's birthday we celebrate it with a special Pooja and Ana Dhanam. This year being special because he was turning 50. I really cannot thing of my dad that old because he never looks like one. He still looks like the person who took me to walks early in the morning or wake me up for school or college( he still does it, though). So for word sake, he has turned 50 and will be living another 50 more years with all of us. So this special pooja is a sort of ceremony which happens if you guys pay that extra money. Actually, as a family we hardly go out and this is one of the trip we make every year. It about 4 hours travel up and down. During the travel, I mostly sleep or read a books or listen to songs on the mobile phone. This time I preferred to sleep because we had to get up early in the morning to travel. I usually get to sleep on my mom's lap. This is one the best thing that keeps happening to me, every year during this trip because we usually don't have that time to do this kinda stuff and I love to sleep on my mom's lap. But this year, it was different. I got to sleep on my dad's lap. Its been like more than 10 years since I've done that. Ah... it was bliss. My dad was stroking my hair while I was pretending to sleep. I dint sleep the whole time. I was just so happy that I had a smile the whole way. Something told me that this would not happen very often. Just imagine a 23 year old on the lap of the 50 year old father.. Its a beautiful feel being with my dad.. I also love to lie on my dad's shoulder!! Being with your mom is a different feeling whereas with your dad is something good. So I was feeling so wonderful. And still happy about it!!! :P

The ceremony of papad making!!!!!

Its a family tradition that we have to make Papad every year with most of us helping around. Since my grandma has three daughters which of one is my mom, we have this thing happening in my house. My mom being the eldest and the more experienced one in making that liquid( I'm not getting the right words in English)..Okay this liquid is called as Maavu in Tamil. Its a thick liquid which consists of a) Water b) Flour c) Cumin seeds d) Sago( Jawarisi) and last but not the least e) chilli( it depends on your taste). Put all these ingredients together and make a thick paste out of it.

Let it cool down over the night. In the morning, you will find my house flooded with the other two sisters. All are assembled in the terrace in the morning around 6 am and sheets of  plastic are laid on the floor. Then all the ladies in the family put mooruku vadam or other types of vadam.. This process continues for a week with different ingredients like onion vadam or Appalam or others etc. They are dried till they become hard. Then they are separated between the sisters. Its fun fun and totally fun during the whole process. Its like an all- girls party with lots of maavu in your hands. We, the little ones, get to hear a lot of gossips from our moms and grandmother. Its too good and one of the best activity that happens over the summer. My chance of doing this year was missed due to the fact my stupid college has re-opened and the tradition has been broken after several years. This year, I miss it and they will miss me too.