UPASANA HOSPITAL

Upasana Hospital, Kollam

Upasana Hospital, Kollam

OPENING DOORS

I saw this in Dubai in 1985. I was outside a supermarket when I noticed a long car pull up. A man was driving the car and a woman was sitting beside him. They were expatriates from the west. He parked the car and got out. I was expecting her to come out too but she remained seated inside. He came over to her side and opened the door for her. She stepped out and he then closed the door. Both of them walked towards the entrance of the supermarket. He opened the door of the supermarket and held it open for her. She walked in and he followed her in.
He is certainly a rare man. They may be in the initial stage of a relationship. I wonder if he would do the same ten or twenty years later, if they are still together.

RAM KAMAL RESIDENCY

Hotel Ram Kamal Residency, Kollam

UPSET STOMACH

This happened in Maldives in 2005. Shortly after lunch I started feeling dizzy. I could not walk. My hands and legs were feeling weak. My mouth was getting dry. I thought that there was something seriously wrong with me. I called a friend who came over immediately. He asked me whether it could be due to an increase in blood pressure since I was taking a tablet for hypertension. I told him I wouldn’t know whether there was an increase or decrease in blood pressure. Suddenly I felt like throwing up and rushed to the bathroom. That’s when I realized that it could be due to an upset stomach. Another friend had called for a doctor who came over and checked my blood pressure and pulse. He told me that both were normal and that it was a good sign.

I was admitted to a health center and given a saline drip and a tablet and syrup for acidity. A few hours later I was normal again. I then thought about what I had for lunch that day. I had cooked some vegetables including potatoes and tomatoes in a pressure cooker to speed up the process. I think the vegetables were overcooked and that caused the problem. Till that day I thought an upset stomach was a minor problem. I never knew it could make a person feel so seriously ill.

GOOD YEAR

Goodyear, Shastri Junction, Kollam

PLUM CAKE

The most popular cake in Kerala during the Christmas season is the plum cake. All the bakeries sell their own version of the plum cake. 

WHITE LEATHER SHOES

I had my first holy communion with my elder brother at a Catholic Church in Sembawang, Singapore. We had to dress up in white for the occasion. White clothes were easily available. In those days we used to wear white canvas shoes to school but my father wanted us to wear white leather shoes on that day. So we went from one shoe shop to another looking for white leather shoes. Most shops had leather shoes only in black or brown. A few shops did have white leather shoes, but they had them only in adult sizes. At last, we came to a shop which had white leather shoes for children. They were expensive. My father bought them.

At church, I noticed most of the others were wearing white canvas shoes. I could not understand why my father took the trouble to get us white leather shoes. I am sure he wanted us to be well dressed for the occasion. Later on, when I began to understand how some of our relatives speak, I realised that another reason could be that he wanted to avoid listening to their sarcastic remarks.

After the function at the church we went to a studio and got a photograph taken. Then there was a party at home. I never wore those shoes after that day.