LAUNDRY

A person who makes a living by washing clothes in India is called a dhobi. There was a time when many people were engaged in this profession. Today there are very few of them. They used to visit homes on the weekends to collect the dirty clothes. The clothes were washed and ironed and returned the next weekend. They charged a certain amount for each piece. Today many people have washing machines and do not rely on them. They do get some business from the bigger establishments like hotels and hospitals but now some new cleaning companies have started to take away this business too. The future looks bleak for the dhobi. Old business has to give way to the new.

Washing clothes - Kadappakada, Kollam

Drying clothes - Kadappakada, Kollam

MONKEY AT THE BAR

A monkey entered a bar and asked the bartender ‘Do you have any bananas?’ The bartender said ‘No, we don’t have any bananas’. The monkey asked the bartender again ‘Do you have any bananas?’ The bartender said ‘No, we don’t have any bananas’. The monkey again asked the bartender ‘Do you have any bananas?’ The bartender got angry and said ‘No, we don’t have any bananas. If you ask me for bananas again, I will nail your tongue to that wall’. The monkey looked at the bartender and asked ‘Do you have any nails?’ The bartender said ‘No, we don’t have any nails’. Then the monkey asked the bartender ‘Do you have any bananas?’

(I saw this on TV. I think it was on Comedy Central)

THE JAWAHAR BALBHAVAN

The Jawahar Balbhavan, Kollam

ON THE PHONE

Mahesh told me he had a friend who went abroad some years ago. He came to know that his friend was back on a visit and called him on the phone and said ‘Hello, I am Mahesh’. His friend asked ‘Which Mahesh?’ Mahesh felt offended and cut the call. He told me his friend has forgotten him. I told him that if we don’t meet for a few years and then if he called me one fine day and said ‘Hello, I am Mahesh’, I would also ask him ‘Which Mahesh?’ Mahesh is a common name here and I know several people with this name. If I see him in person I would probably recognise him, but I can’t be expected to recognise his voice after a few years.

Talking on the phone is not like talking in person. We have to be more careful. The chance of being misunderstood is more. Also, the person we are talking to may be facing some personal problems or may even be sick and we will not know about it. If we see the person we can tell by their facial expression that there is something wrong.

Moreover you never know who is listening to what you are saying. Someone may be listening on an extension or the person who received your call may be using a mode on his phone such that everyone around him can hear what you are saying. You will also not know if what you are saying is being recorded to be used against you at a later date.

SHANKAR'S HOSPITAL

Shankar's Hospital, Kollam. Old Building

Shankar's Hospital, Kollam. New Building. Also called Shankar's Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS)

CHINESE TOYS & BISCUITS

I never saw any Chinese toys when I was a child. Most of the toys I played with were made in Hong Kong. Many of them were battery operated. Some toys were made in Japan and they were more expensive. Toys that came from Europe and USA were even more expensive. Today the toy market is dominated by Chinese toys. I was wondering how they got the knowhow and what happened to the toys made in Hong Kong. Then I realised that since Hong Kong is now a part of China, the toys made in Hong Kong may be labelled as made in China. Moreover the Hong Kong toy manufacturers may have started large manufacturing facilities in China. Chinese toys are cheap and of good quality.

When I was in the Maldives, I used to buy cream crackers made in Singapore. They were good and I bought them regularly. The shops stocked different types of biscuits. One day, I thought I would have a change and bought a packet of cream crackers made in china. It was a little cheaper and the packet was bigger. I expected it to contain more cream crackers. When I opened the packet, I was surprised to see that they were arranged with gaps in between, in order to make the packet look bigger. I felt cheated. It did not taste so good either. On another day, I was looking for some good biscuits in a shop. I decided to settle for the one with the most attractive packaging. I noticed that it was made in china. I took it home and ate just two biscuits. It tasted bad and I got a stomach ache. I thought maybe it was old. I checked the expiry date. It was new. I threw away the rest. I did not want to risk my health.

Only a good product can get repeat customers. Good packaging can only get the first time customer. I don’t think I will ever buy Chinese biscuits anymore.

ADORATION MONASTERY

Adoration Monastery, Kollam