My 10.30am docs appointment hadn’t begun by 11.10 so I legged it to go see the Maharaja (he’s also the MP and I’d had a message inviting me just this morning) for 11.30
Of course it wasn’t exactly a timed appointment. It isn’t with a doc so it’s hardly likely to be with Royalty — now, is it?
We’re gathered in the outer office.
Groups and the odd individual — yes I’m the oddest — waiting to see the boss.
After 90 minutes he actually stops seeing visitors in the office and comes out, for it to become an orderly-free-for-all, we take it in turns to plead our case.
It’s my week to be tested and my friendly neurologist in addition to the many tests she’s imposed, has suggested I get my hearing tested.
But of course whilst I’ve complemented the staff here on doing sterling jobs, it’s efficient and easy-going.
A challenge to create and maintain especially in a large institution of any kind.
I still can’t resist taking the piss.
Remember I’m here for a hearing test.
I’m in a waiting room at the audiology clinic at the institution.
Look at the photo.
We’re maybe 200 metres from the entrance door.
I’ve spent a week dropping drops in my ear and fresh from the ENT physician with a nifty, teeny vacuum cleaner to suck out the wax
Yes I’m in the audiology block waiting to have my hearing tested— that’s assuming I can hear security yelling out my name from the door 200 metres away .
This couldn’t be made up. It’s like a comedy skit.
So, precisely on time, the rain has started with its heavy patter on the ( temporary plastic) roof.
Yes the ‘hard of hearing’ might have a challenge to hear their name called out for the HEARING test.
But let’s be fair. In India everyone turning up at a clinic will have at least one member of the family with them to help out.
So I hope that when they call out the name for the lonely old Firangi (foreigner) to go for his test, they’ll put extra effort in to ensure he can hear it.
Maybe they’ll call
Stephana Farrella
But that for another time as it’s part of one of Manjula’s tales.
—
How come exactly one week ago I walked straight in to the doc, this week there’s tons of people.
BUT do not let my stupid desire to have a joke at everything camouflage the fact that it’s a great place and the staff who include students from Kerala and other states do a fantastic job.
It involves a lot of testing and not just the outer ear.
Slow fast food.Chick chick Chicken Anyone? Stephen, Kaveri, SB and Naveen (the winner) Which child dripped chocolate from the waffle down his new t shirt?
Mysore is a connecting place, social entrepreneurs, community animateurs are forever initiating new ideas to bring us together.
Sriranjini Simha kindly invited me to experience mysore. Well I have been doing that for twenty years, initially on holidays and now as resident with our own business. But joking aside this was an invite to a new initiative that is actually called ‘Experience Mysuru’ and I’m so pleased I checked it out.
I’ve always thought that the Mysore city feels more like a village, by that I mean : it has an intimacy, interactivity, on a human scale. Well ‘Experience Mysuru’ reflects exactly that. Mysore has a well deserved reputation as a cultural capital that was fantastically represented last night..
The ‘showcase’ was curated to reveal through the senses of taste, hearing, smell, touch and sight and included: yoga and meditation, ancient board games, percussion, storytelling, dance, music and singing. To be more precise — Chande: the pulse of Karavali, Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music and Kamsale— come find out for yourselves what it is.
I can’t say performers, yes they shared, their skills, they entertained but it went beyond that. Each person introduced their activity to ‘get beneath the skin’ they fitted all this in to just 120 minutes and it was not crammed. It was exactly right, the timing, the diversity, the interactive-ness, the rich content, their expertise, I’ve got to know Mysore a bit over the years but this brought me to so many new layers and levels.
Well done team, we’re rightly proud of our heritage and this was a great way to share with young and old, local and not so local, and I’ll be back..
Who is this guy, who pops up everywhere? An active entrepreneur who’s become a good friend. Great to catch up with established and meet new friends.
Thank you Kim Kanchana Ganga, Tanushri SN, Shrimathi and her team, Pranav Athrey’s-Pranav Athreya, Suraksha Dixit, Tejashri Murphy, Pushpa and her team… plus the managers and organisers behind the scenes that put it all together and made it go so smoothly…..
A new summer school holiday activity — Button Masala.
Incredible creativity and innovative design from cloth, button and rubber band!
A great addition to the swimming, summer camp, reading, storytelling, crafts, skating, seaside, badminton, cycling, TV and phone that’s become a staple of Kaveri’s school holiday
A really cool event presented by the creator of Button Masala —Amuj Sharma and supported by Sri Vidya MR of the Anubhuti Trust.
Radhika was 17 this week so with Kaveri back for a skating race we made Sunday into an extra celebration.
Happy Birthday
Radhika B Radical
Skating and school was tiringRadical’s fiancée did the honours and it now lives in what’s fast becoming Kaveri and Radhika’s room at the BnB In my role as one of Kaveri’s extra mums I’m finding the best moisturiser.
Well if ‘last’ years birthday is anything to go by I’ve fully localised.
31st December can seem a weird day for a birthday. Or maybe not.
Endings and beginnings
There’s always multiple celebrations
It was wonderful.
A steady stream of lovely friends making it a day to remember.
Plus my girls were here (kaveri and Radhika) having missed Christmas together, we shifted Christmas to the morning and began my birthday at noon 12.35 sharp 🤭
and Rinkal and Sheetal are seriously becoming an integral part of the team. Welcome to you.
and I became Pinocchio, it was my alternative to being fed cake… repeatedly.
Next morning
Radhika borrows one of Kaveri’s Christmas presents They are ‘sisters’, you’ll understand. Lucie prepares to go to the vets.
Even in our first year we were no 1 in Mysore on Trip Advisor but there were no contact details. Guests couldn’t quite believe it
As they realised, I’m Yindian, (Indian by marriage, Yorkshire by birth) the Yorkshire bit means I’ll not spend money unnecessarily. (that’s one way of putting it)..
We’d also joke that we only wanted guests that would put the effort in and find us!!
Our Facebook entries also meant we were on Google. All that helped.
AirBnB was our other big thing. We’re still on it but sometimes forget as most guests come as returners, byword of mouth or recommendations.
Just to prove it, here’s some of the reviews from our lovely AirBnB guests.
We can assure you, that we don’t chop people’s heads off
Me and MYCycle 