Who's Viji?

This post is meant for Viji. A small auto biography which definitely would bore anyone other than me. Who wants to hear about the "I"s of others? After all "I" am not a great soul.

But felt it's time to reinvent who Viji is and if she is doing what she is supposed to do. Whether she adds value to the society she lives in. Whether she has set the right path for her son to tread. Whether she is a good partner to her husband?

The answer is, I am just like any other woman who works, cooks, tends home and lead a ?content life.

Where's that spirit gone? the fire, the zest, the carefree life of those college days.

Viji during the late 80s and 90s:

Most of the times a book is judged by its cover. People take me for a simple and compliant person, while there had always been a tiny dash of rebel inside me.

My family, my first cousins are brilliant lots. IITs are everyday occurence at home. Getting in to IIT is everyone's dream atleast until the day Viji was born :)

Viji is altogether another story. Her heart inclined towards Arts and not towards Science. History and Literature were her favourite subjects. When almost most of her friends used to hate English, Tamil, History and Civics. She had a passion for them. She never had the habit of studying for exams. She detested studying while loved to learn. Her favourite haunt used to be libraries and partial towards British council where she heard David I. Davies yelled, crooned and cried as Macbeth, Othello, Fairie Queen.

Switching to first person, during my college days, Mrs. Rajalakshmi Viswanathan is a lecturer whom I used to adore. The way she used to read out plays, amazing! Still, I could hear her voice resonating Mr. Bingggley or Mr. Darrcy, (E)Lizabeth. No wonder Jane Austen, Alexander Pope, Shaw's plays are my all time favourites. Those were the Authors RV mam taught us. We used to take turns reading out various characters in various plays.

During my second year we had Shaw's play "Candida". It revolved around three main characters, Morrel, candida, Eugene Marchbanks. As usual we started out to read the play and I chose the part of Eugene, a passionate poet. I was intrigued by his character and I lived as Eugene. It took three weeks for us to complete the play and I finally ended up crying and looked like a fool at the close of final chapter. RV mam instilled in me the desire to write poetry.

I later did my Masters in English and M.phil and did a crash course on Journalism and Mass communications.

My dreams was to become a lecturer. But fate had other plans, I joined Sankara Nethralaya, a renowned eye hospital. My life changed topsy-turvy. I matured over night, when I met a month old baby Moumita with a retinoblastoma (tumour in the eye) and her right eye was removed. When she was three and she came for her regular annual check up, was diagnosed retinoblastoma in her left eye too. I saw her walk inside the operation theatre, her vision 6/6 but was guided back to her bed. I cried and cried that day and knew that life held no guarantees. I somewhere lost being ambitious. I knew then that money cannot buy everything. What Bodhi tree was for Buddha, SN was for me.

Seven years were spent at SN. SN saw me falling in love, getting married and giving birth to Ani. Even now whenever I pass by College Road, I would request whoever goes with me to stop by for a moment at the gates of SN. My heart would always hold a special place for SN.

I quit SN a year after Ani was born, to become a full time home maker. I tried my hands in various activities then. Did medical transcription, ran my home, taught Ani his lessons, sang, dance and play with Ani. Next seven years flew this way.

Viji after Y2K:

Ani asked me one day, why I was not going to office. I knew he was growing up.

His question shook me and I decided to start looking for a Job. That's how I started to work on the current assignment. HR - human resources suited me. I love my job. When one assignment gets closed, another leaps up. Basically, I am in to Talent acquisition and I had to be on my toes all the time. A wonderful and friendly work environment. A home away from home. I earned a very good friend here. I complete four years this september.

Still a long way to go.

Dreams...

I too have them. Not everyone is fortunate enough to live their dreams. Though not immediately, I will chase my dreams.

My dreams:

I don't like to wear jewels, except for a simple silver bracelet or an ear ring. But jewels interest and fascinates me. It excites me when someone wear an extraordinary piece of jewelery.

I would want to own the most exquisite boutique, where i would sell hand crafted antique pieces, Embroidered hand woven curtains, Silver jewelery pieces. An expensive dream but, every month a little amount goes towards pursuing this dream. Hope this dream materialize within a decade as I know I am not getting any younger. When my dream comes true, it has to be in the right place with right pieces. I do not want to compromise here. When I want a raw cut Ruby, it has to be that nothing more nothing less. Let me save every spare penny on this dream. May be time to get ambitious again.

Holiday:

Europe is my dream place and I would love to have a full blown holiday in Scotland Mountains and moors, take a ride in a English countryside, visit the castles in Ireland. Want to visit Hungary, Spain, Italy too.
Spend few months in Tibet.
Once done, I want to be in India and nowhere else. Don't ever want to leave India, until ofcourse more or less forced to.

Friends:

Quite friendly. But it stops just there.

Fortunate to have two best friends. Want to be friends with them through my life. I demand a lot from my friends and yield to their demands too.

Family:

Very small but close knitted family:

Sure, Ani and me.

My parents

Sure's sisters and their family,

My brother and his family

But lots and lots of cousins, innumerable nephews and nieces. I love each and every one of them and its mutual.

What makes me happy?

When Sure uses an endearment.
A day out with my best friends.
Pick a tricky song and try to sing, when I am alone.
When Ani, writes a new poem in his blog.
When I finish writing a good piece of poetry
When a difficult assignment gets completed.
When I buy a pretty kurti or a beautiful cotton saree.
To have a little harmless chat ;) with men who looks good, dress well, speak well, carries well and possess a good sense of humour.


"You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it , however." - Richard Bach