Month-long sleepover party with my cousins, Ashwin Akshya, who are visiting from Carnation, Washington

Since they landed in Chittur from Chennai, the four of us have been inseparable.  We spend all our waking moments together and even go to sleep together.  It's the most amazing summer! I love them and can't wait to visit them in Seattle one day soon!
Ashwin
Ashwin is a 12-year old tall boy. He is a total basketball addict. He is a great friend to me. It is nice to play with him becuase we share many intrests. He is a great sporter, but his fave is B-ball. He follows NBA so well he may even match to my friend Joshua, the human sport-cyclopedia. He is a great person, and is way kinder and noble than me. As a good cousin, he always consoles me in my temper fits. But, instead of talking as cousins, we talk as friends. Another quality is he is super smart. He is already learning calculus. He's actually in 6th grade. So, as friend-cuzzes we will always stay together. Me and him are a lot alike (though he looks better). From now we'll stay in touch. Our motto: Basketball and Pizza!!
Akshya
Akshya is a bubbly baby of 7 years. She is SOOOO cute. She is Ashwin's younger sister. She has two bouncy braids which, as she says, tickles my face. She has a lot of energy and she has a lot of innocence (which is very deceiving). She gets away with everything. Sometimes she is super stubborn. She stands her ground like an angry elephant. She can win an argument no matter what. She calls herself "thoughtful." She also refers to herself as a good girl (Not true. She's very naughty). And just like her brother she calls herself smart. She commends herself on knowing 2X2 multiplication. She and me could also go a long way together in the path of temper. But, as always, her bubbliness prevails. She will one day become queen of the world.

Bengaluru, Karnataka

BENGALURU
Bangalore aka Bengaluru, is where my Thatha's sister, Malathi Athai lives in a neighborhood called Malleswaram.  Bangalore is really great because:
1. The family there is super nice.
2. Everyone is treated well (animals included)
3. IT IS THE MOST URBAN CITY IN INDIA!!!!
Banga is the most modern and urban city in India and probably on the top ten urban cities of Asia. I had a lot of fun. I hung out at malls, I played with family, and saw the city. Malathi athai was the manager of the house. She has a very cute round face and is like your typical grandma except for the fact that she's 150 times nicer. Her husband, whom we call Athimber, used to be a brilliant #1 professor in electrical enginnering in Indian Institute of Science but then he has become stricken with Alzheimer's  Disease. Still, he lifts his head when I come. And he has a kind of enlightenment about him.  He gets the best care at home with around the clock nurses who are really gentle and nice with him.  Even though he does not talk any more, I feel that each time we were near, he was smiling right at us. His eyes were so bright and he sometimes grinned at my sister and me.  His son is Swami Anna. He was just like my dad. They were like THE same. I'm not kidding. I call his wife Rekha Aunty. She was always jolly. She gave us expensive gifts and took us to a mall where I played pool with my grandpa in the food court. Pooja and Prasanth are their twin children. Cool facts: Prasanth lives in Sweden, and Pooja watches movies for her job. Sharda akka is Swami anna's sister. She is really pretty and really smart, happens to be a renowned cardiologist. She is funny and strict. She visits a hundred times a day and brought us stuffed animals in the middle of her work.  All in all, Bangalore was awesome. We walked places, ate fun foods, and saw lots of young people wearing LL Bean. It was just like downtown Houston. We saw many cool sights. I hope to go there again.
PS: Any of you who love urbanness should visit!
Look out for a post on my visit to my appuppa's cousin, the very cool Rajan chettan and family in Brookfield, a suburb of Bangalore. Waiting for pics!

PEACE OF HOME - SANTHI, CHITTUR

                                                                                         July 2-4, 2013

Chittur is a village 10 kilometers from Koduvayur. My paati’s childhood home where she grew up with her three siblings is called Santhi meaning peace. It actually consists of at least four buildings, a 50 foot cement courtyard, and over 20 acres of field. Big, BIG, or BBBIGGGG!? Many people live there still which is the best part. First is Thatha anna. He is the wise one. He is a patriarch who is a retired headmaster and still has a way to put any naughty child back in line. He is a Sanskrit scholar who is fluent in many languages and people come from far away to listen to his lectures. The accompanying photo shows him in his cosy room with his altar of gods. I look up to him also because with all his wisdom, he is still exciting and can produce a story off the top of his head. The two key individuals who keep the entire home running are Radha Mami and Usha Mami. They clean, cook and take care of everything in this huge home .But, instead of being ruff-tuffs they’re quite the opposite. They are fluffy sweet aunties who are quick to cram in sweets into my mouth. Ram Mama is a literature professor who has read everything under the sun and is always ready to read more.  He calls me the Englishman.  Prasad Mama, who looks like a jolly old Santa Claus, is the brilliant engineering pioneer in this home and also knows all the prayers from Hindu scriptures. He also has a nice fluffy beard that I like to ruffle.  Ramesh Chittappa used to live in Seattle. He works for Microsoft. He is actually possibly the only off-site Microsoft office in the state of Kerala.  He is quite a genius. In his free time he plays sports, watches TV, and builds Mindstorm robots. He used to be obsessed with the game of Cricket and still joins the local boys for games. He is developing a new love for farming just like his dad, Ram Mama. He is special to me because he had driven up to Syracuse, New York from Kennedy Airport with my grandpa, Appuppa the day I was born.  One more important person is my paati’s elder sister, Lakshmi Periamma and she is a retired math teacher.  She loves to teach math, singing, art, and most of all, she loves to laugh.  I can’t wait for her grandchildren, Ashwin and Akshaya from Washington to join us for summer holidays soon.  What a party, huh!

VISITS TO WADAKANNCHERRY

We drove through some really scenic landscape of hills and paddy fields to reach a neighboring township of Wadakanncherry, just a stone’s throw away in the USA but takes about an hour’s drive just because the roads are narrower and shared by every kind of vehicle you can imagine.  There we met Dhanya Akka’s maternal grandmother, and also, an entire family of Thatha Anna’s late sister. Dhanya Akka’s maternal home was really big and quiet. It was traditional with a wooden swing that I enjoyed tremendously. There was a big backyard. I mean BBIIIGGGG! It had over 15 different fruits growing and a rice field in the back. The paati who lives there is kind and wise. Also, she has good taste. I was given Chocolate biscuits!

It was raining heavily and I couldn’t believe how nicely my thatha drove through the rainy streets in the evening.  One time, we were stuck in a narrow alley and a jeep came toward us so we had to back out to let it pass.  Then as we went back into the alley and almost crossed it, another car came hurtling toward us.  At that point, thatha waved his arms telling them to GET OUT.  Then we made our way to a very traditional family home in which, once upon a time, nearly nine children were raised.  Now there lives Balan Thatha and his wife, Raji Paati, daughter Dhanam and Jai Sree Akka, who cannot speak like us but is still a chatterbox.  We met some of their children and grandchildren who were all so fluent in English.  I talked a lot to an eighth grade boy named Vignesh about American life and Indian life.  Jai Sree Akka gave us a deluxe tour of their historical home with a narrow wooden staircase leading to a corridor with more rooms upstairs.  My mom and Jai Sree Akka were having a full conversation with their hands and facial expression.  Balan Thatha, the aging grandpa who was not very mobile and used ropes tied to the ceiling to hoist himself up, was so cheerful.  He predicted that my sister with her big shining eyes would be a scholar and that I was destined for greatness.  Am I? 

WELCOME TO MY PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS' HOME, KODUVAYUR

On July 1^st, we reached Koduvayur after an overnight trip from Trivandrum city.  We were received by my dad’s dad whom I call “Thatha.”  He just turned seventy in early May.  He loves gardening and he has shared a special photo of a flower that blooms only once a year. My dad’s mom, “paati,” waited for us at their grand home, with delicacies along with his uncle, who happens to be one year younger than thatha, Pushpaji Chithappa.  He is so bright, happy, and cheery that he looks and talks like a young guy even though he is of my grandparents’ generation.  In the photos, you will see my thatha gardening in the rain, my paati playing a tea party with my sister and Chithappa reading the newspaper. The house in Koduvayur, “Shree,” is a huge 3 story mansion. It is very up to date, with cable, Wi-Fi, computers, and modern room designs, and a big front courtyard. The backyard… a forest. I like playing on the balconies too. There are two balconies, one with an egg swing, the other a huge platform with as much space as the whole upstairs. In the backyard there’s a well the size of a small house! Best of all is my paati. She treats us like total royalty. My thatha is always cracking jokes. He also has an iPad with a lot of games. Chittapa advises me on cool movies to watch. I read, entertain myself, soak in the cool breezes of the monsoon, eat the most tasty food, pester my sister when given a chance and get pampered by three grandparents. This place is totally MY place.

 

Lotus Temple

 Lotus temple was the biggest, cleanest, most diverse, and beautiful temple I have ever seen. The temple dome fascinated me the most.  It was a giantomanganticusolificosigongartuansuar color-changing… LOTUS.  Weird, cool, or both? This was a very clean temple. I hope to play there again. It’s a pretty new temple, just came up a few years ago, which is baby years compared to the really old old temples that are all over everywhere in the places we go in India.  Also the temple is built in a way that it makes the temple warm and nice, but still caught the breeze. Also they gave you candy for prasadam.  The priest distributing it was American who spoke English but my mother whispered that he is European.  Plus it wasn’t so ONLY PRAY NOTHING ELSE temple. It gave you space. It let you play in the courtyard. This was my favorite temple. Also, there were arts and crafts booths. I hope when I come back to Poornasree in August, I will see the Lotus Temple at Shanthigiri. 

*My ammumma-appuppa’s home in TVM city where I have been chilling all of June!    

                                                                                                                         

PLAYING AT KOVALAM BEACH

KOVALAM BEACH

June 21, 2013

Kovalam Beach was by far my best beach trip yet. I actually got a swimsuit get-up. So, when we got to the beach, I kicked off my sandals and jumped in the water. I laughed at the frothy white waves. I screamed for them to get harder. I sat down on the squishy black sand. I tried to wedge myself in the sand. The waves didn’t mind the sand and sucked me in. I felt like a chocolate quicksand milkshake. The scariest part was when the waves threw me around. I was thrown at the feet of some guy, and then sucked in. I grasped my mom’s leg till the waves left. Soon we got out. I then played tag with my mom and sis. After, we ate cotton candy and left.

HANGING OUT WITH MY COUSIN SISTER, PARU

A few days ago I got to see my cousin, Paru. At fourteen, she is already so grown up and mature. We talked a lot. She is very smart, and told me a lot of things I didn’t know. I like being with her because she is very much like me. She knew about sports, books, and games. I talked with her about many things. I learned that she speaks French fluently, is on the fencing team at school and will visit Paris for a school trip when she is older.  She wants to be a forensic scientist and her favorite show is CSI crime series.  She is going to spend her summer learning very advanced classical Indian dance at the best dance school in the country, Kalamandalam.  Next month, when I visit my thatha-paati (paternal grandparents), we will visit Paru because it is closer for us from our home in Koduvayur. 

For lunch, we went to a very fancy Hotel Karthika. Even though she had just gotten off a 20 hour flight from New York, she was very patient and gentle answering all my questions. I had so much fun connecting with my big cuz. I hope to see her soon. She is my favorite person to talk to. She understands everything I say (especially my accent). I hope next time I see her, I get more time with her.  The first thing we talked about was SkyDoes Minecraft and the last thing we talked about was Slender Man, both are video games we like to play. With us, it is like we are not at two ends of the United States meeting for a brief spell in Kerala.  Basically she is my big sister from the Big Apple while I will always miss her from the Lone Star State.

Here is some cool trivia.  Perhaps these are too easy for you!

1. What is the largest and most well-known museum of the world?
2. What is the most debated painting housed in this museum?