I had set out to watch Nanban in the evening. It's been more than two weeks since the movie released and I haven't caught a Shankar movie yet. Was ready by 5:45 p.m., and since it was Friday, the roads were lined with college buses and filled with students and all good people going home for the weekend, which lengthened a 10-min journey to nearly a 30-min one. From Vadasery, I took the route through the market and when I had another 2-min walk left to get to the theater, it was 6:32 p.m. I didn't put a step further on that route and just started walking backwards. I thought - to walk, get a ticket, get seated, it's going to take another 5 to 7 minutes and if the show had started on time, I already missed some. Maybe it was only ad-time by then and chances are that the movie still hasn't started playing. But I didn't want to take a chance. I'll make it another day! I'm going to watch it only once in the cinemas and so missing a minute of it really matters particularly for a Shankar flick. Years ago, I watched a movie multiple times simply because I had nothing else to do. Ticket prices are just too hot, you see, it burns :-)
6:45 p.m. - Cinema
Walked aimlessly putting my head down; now there's a whole evening left and none with me. Before further plans could strike me, I reached another cinema hall, which is actually closer to the place where I got down from the bus. It played a Chinese movie, 'The Sorcerer and the White Snake' dubbed to Tamil, named 'Bodhidharman.' I never wanted to watch it, but I also couldn't think beyond because I found people walking hurriedly into the theater and getting their tickets. The movie released just yesterday and maybe results by word of mouth have marked it good, I thought. I too walked in, got a ticket, not suprised that ticket price for a dubbed movie is no lesser than a direct Tamil movie. There is nothing else left but to watch this one to spend the evening. I went in, the movie hasn't begun, however, by 6:45 p.m. Then jewellery ads for 15 mins - almost every popular jeweller in South India had their share of exhibiting Gold, in their way, with models & stars. Well, it's a pleasure to watch these ads on widescreen with amazing photography, glittering graphic techniques, and melodic background tunes. Another understanding: This is why our movies don't glitter - they are lengthy. Keep them short, they'll shine.
The movie through my tweets:
8:40 p.m. - Hotel Gowri Shankar (Vadasery)
I used to come here very often with Ranjith, but that's a long time ago. Haven't been here in years. That's the reason why I just got in here. It's one of the oldest Gowri Shankar pure vegetarian franchise. In the period between 1996 and 2000, we came here regularly after watching a movie. There's no change in the menu and my order always remained the same except the kind of dosa - masala, rava, onion, and others. This time, I want to nourish my dream with that starter rasa vadai and finally coffee in a dabarah. The coffee has gone up to Rs. 12. *in shock!* But you can pay for the taste - it remains the same - taken back in time by a surplus 12 to 16 years. Only the person who served it has changed. They have the same arrangement of tables/chairs/mirrors - the same way, nothing modern except the wash tap. Most people who come from other districts particulalry Thirunelveli, who step down at this bus stand would come here for lunch, coffee, or an early morning breakfast. There are a lot of other new restaurants nearby now, but it's good to see this old-fashioned one still crowded.
9:00 p.m. - Market
Now, instead of taking the direct route to the bus stand, I took the market route (Vadasery Vegetable Market) with many gates; one road from within the market leads you directly to the bus stand. Shops have started closing down - it's five minutes past nine. There wasn't much of a crowd. (Usually, when my mom asks me to accompany her to the market, I simply yell at her, but many times I have walked through these roads and the crowd just to get a feel of the freshness of their substance in the air. Anything green, you get it here!)
Just as I walked along, some fruit vendors started inviting me to their shops calling out rates of fruits. It isn't unusual there. I kept walking: The fuits section ends here, and there I can see buses. I simply stopped by the last shop and asked for seedless green grapes. I was doing something unusual, but felt I should do it. Bought half a kilo of grapes for Rs. 30 - I didn't know if it was fair price, bad price, and I didn't even try to bargain. After packing, he asked me if I needed sapotas as that they cost only Rs. 10 per kg. I was taken by surprise. I didn't know that there was something available in the market for 10 rupees or less per kilogram. I asked him to weigh half a kilo. He didn't even care to listen, he weighed them for a kilo. I said half was largely enough and that it was not a matter of money but there was no one at home now and I didn't want to waste it. He said, "that's the same here, we too don't have anyone to buy all these, take a kilo.." and then smiled. I smiled widely. I started feeling so happy like I have bought the best thing available in the market for Rs.10, that weighed a kilo and was heavy too. It may be simply because I haven't been to markets regularly buying stuff and that this often happened in markets when things came in surplus. But the fact that this day turned out to be so good that the best 10-rupees I spent for the day was for a fruit and that now I'm going to be healthy and happy eating sappotas made me more happy.
I came home with a bag full of things with no one to hand it over. Before I could get them arranged in the fridge, I rang mom, "You know, now I know how to shop at the vegetable market; I bought my fav fruit for Rs. 10, and I got enough items filled in the refrigerator for the next one week. You better stay there. I know to live! :-D" Mom laughed the wildest laugh ever through a phone.
**Did she mock me now? I'm not going to worry. Its been a Great DAY** :-)
