More Static

In the absence of rain, the weather department has resorted to predictions of clouds. One day the prediction will be ‘cloudy skies.’ Yesterday it was ‘thunderclouds expected.’ The cartoon weather map on the TV news shows slanting lines falling and falling over the southern Indian peninsula. The monsoon has arrived in the entire South, they say. We get clouds. And occasional thunder, far in the distance.


I read a very good article about Agha Shahid Ali by the novelist Amitav Ghosh. Ghosh talks about Ali’s ‘greatest’ poem, Lenox hill, which is in Canzone form. He mentions a poem with the most wonderful title: “I Dream I am at the Ghat of the Only World.” He says that Ali had shrines in his apartment to his idols, including the singer Begum Akhtar. I pulled out Ali's last book, which I bought after his death, Rooms are Never Finished. Maybe I’ll read it this time. (Poets.org has an exhibition on Agha Shahid Ali, along with links to a number of his poems.)

Whom would you enshrine?


Lakshmi says that the headache medicine R gave her is very good. She says that she had too much water in her head, and when he gave her medicine, a lot of water came out. The doctor had told her to wash her hair only once a week, because she had too much water in her head. She says, Everybody says that’s what causes headaches.


A terrible Hindi movie on TV – Gair, with Ajay Devgan. Some of the good fight lines:

Do this or the crows will eat her body!

The only reason I didn’t clothe you in the garment of death is ... (I got distracted – what was the reason?...)

…I pushed him into the mouth of death!