I turned 40 last week – on the 5th to be precise. My friends ambushed me with a surprise birthday party …. emotions were a mixture of fondness for my friends – who on a working night organized and turned up — and utter embarrassment 🙂

Today is my Hindu Calendar birthday, to be more precise – the Tamil calendar birthday. I am possibly the last generation that still gets to know dates according to the religious calendar 🙂

40. A whole bunch of people have told me that it would be the best decade of my life … and it possibly will. The earlier years were a blast – though i didn’t really like the teens too much, but thankfully they are too far back to genuinely have any angst left — the years to come will be a blast. and the present would definitely be a blast….

so, on this day – when i am facing a serious writer’s block – some arbid things about me 🙂 i am possibly going to pass this on as a meme ….

1. I am the eldest in a family of three siblings. My parents never discriminated against me for being a female. If anything, my dad is a feminist – before that word became famous. From what i understand, so were my grandfathers. The women were encouraged to study and work and I am the third generation of educated females who have stepped out of the house.
2. Gargi is not about delusions of grandeur, it is my middle name 🙂 really. My grandmother who is all of 85 said yesterday — even the gargi of history stayed single, we shouldn’t have named you that !
3. I have learnt classical Carnatic music for 5+ years. though, I primarily listen to Hindustani Classical Music.
4. I enjoy silence
5. I love this country – not in a jingoistic, patriotic, flag waving manner – but much more quiet, affectionate, smile evoking love. Not in the Nationalistic way but much more in the connection to the earth kind of way. When i am traveling, the raw beauty of India and its people often moves me to tears. It’s quite embarrassing 🙂
6. I am usually calm. But when i lose it – really lose it — i attack not to wound but to destroy. It is not something that i really like about myself 🙁
7. My earliest memories are the black out during the Indo-Pak war of 1971 and dad spanking me because i put on the lights during an air raid. i still make him say sorry for that 🙂
8. My paternal grandmother would tell me stories of the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. Ram and Laxman and Krishna and the rest were always very real and realtime to me. In a way they still are 🙂
9. My maternal grandmother, who had just comeback from the US at that time would narrate stories of Batman to me. I am sure that neither DC nor Batman would be able to recognise those stories. Batman, however, is my favourite fictional character. he is truly kicka**
10. I am Shiviate, Advait. For me saying that I am Hindu is like saying that i belong to the universe … very vague and very general !!
11. Calamur is a tiny little village in North Arcot District of Tamil Nadu. It is a border district with Andhra Pradesh. My dad’s side settled in Vishakapatnam, and my mom’s side in Kumbakonnam. My maternal grandfather escaped to Mumbai in the 1930’s.  My dad came here in 1962 …
12. i love graphic novels, i discoverd Manga about 2 years ago and am pulping on it !
13. i am tech savvy.
14. I used to be a corporate high flyer … the person most likely to head a company types… till i realised it was not worth the price that your soul and your dreams payed. this was in 2002.  However, there are times that i wish that i had the security of a very large income 🙂 . Having said that – everytime i go to a corpo set up and see the people buzzing around like humming birds in their little glass cubicles, i have this urge to break the glass and set them free 🙂 thankfully, i don’t act on the urge 🙂
15. I am the age that my parents were, when they had my youngest brother. In hindsight i realise that they must have given up so much for us. They were young, they would have wanted to travel or do things that i do without thinking. But, they put it all away to give us so much. My brothers and I often discuss that but for the fact that we all had such a happy and secure childhood, we would have all been great authors !!
16. There has been more laughter in my life than tears.. Much more.
17. i have been taking photographs since i was 17 or 18 (one of those funny teen years :)). I love digital photography. In the reel based thing, i would often be too lazy to send stuff for development.
18. I have an inner slob that keeps re surfacing. i keep trying to push her away.
19. I have conversations with my self. sometimes i have conversations with my Dog. And most times i have conversations with God. None of these are monologues 🙂
20. Bad behavior bothers me.
21. My Hindi is hampered by the fact that i don’t understand why inanimate objects should have gender !!
22. My mother wanted me to join the civil services. I laughed. This year my final lecture to my students was “if you really want to do good, join the administrative services. ” full circle and all that 🙂
23. I am a media professional, and i believe that the media – especially the news media has lost its collective marbles. What they are doing is dangerous and will ultimately lead to the destruction of the Republic. i believe that shows like ‘ballika badhu’ will end up curtailing rights for women – especially in states where their rights are anyway shaky
24. i have never been able to visualise myself as being married or in gruhastashram. I don’t know why. Maybe it is abject terror 🙂
25. i have a little house with a garden in a village called Nangargaon in Lonavala …  i have finally put down roots.
26. Aham Harini (I am Harini) is an apt descriptor. I am the sum total of my experiences and then a bit more 🙂

I tag

shefaly, charu,  Amrita, Maitri, RAm, Abhi , Nilu, patrix, Optimystic