ONE HECTIC WEEKEND!!!

It all started with designing toilets for the physically challenged- part of our case study this semester. After our literature study got over- after endless hours in our department library pouring over humungous volumes titled, “Time Saver- Standards for Urban development”, “Designing for the disabled”, “Bathrooms” etc, our class decided that we go visit The Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu, Taramani- Near NIFT.
Off we went there this Saturday- the first off Saturday in the Second semester. I walked all the way to the bus stop to catch 5 T- a bus known as the ‘least frequent bus in the planet’. To my horror, one fully loaded 5T with arms and legs dangling precariously, passed just as I reached the stop. I had to wait a full half- hour to catch another, which thank goodness was nearly empty.I got off near Tidel Park- The city’s IT destination and walked to the Spastics Society to find the doors locked and the watchman asking us to come on a working day.
A few phone calls later, one of my friend’s father fixed up a visit to the Taj Coramandel, near MOP Vaishnav. After making a short stop at my friend’s place to collect the details, 8 of us paraded to the Besant Nagar Depot to catch a 29C to Taj. By then it was 12:00 and we had been out in the scorching sun for over 2 hours and me to top it all with one horrible cold and still more terrible throat.
At Taj Coramandel, we met two other friends of ours there and we went in two groups to our destination- being the rest room( polished word for toilet) of the physically challenged. The very thought of having come all the way to as posh a hotel as The Taj Coramandel to visit as insignificant a thing as a toilet sounded nigh crazy to all of us and stifling all our giggles we went there, took photos( Yes… PHOTOS) of the toilets…oops…rets rooms and came back.I caught 2 buses and ended home- totally exhausted and with my cold aggravated.
Things did not end there. Being a member of The Chennai Poets’ Circle, I had my monthly meeting to attend. I had already missed 4 meeetings-all thanks to Anna University making Saturdays compulsory working days for First Semester students! So I just HAD to attend this one! Off I went to photocopy 2 of my poems and then caught an auto with my cousin and got dropped near The Residency Towers-which for your General Knowledge., I call ‘The Cake House’. Walk, walk, walk all the way to Kanthimathi Kalyana mandapam. Reached there 15 minutes late and after two hours of soul satisfaction, got dropped again near Residency Towers. From there walk walk walk to Pondy Bazaar Bus stand to catch an over-flowing bus to take me home. I was hlding on to the window for support, literally falling over a college girl. But the sweet girl seemed to understand that there simply was no other way by which I could save myself from somersaulting across the length of the bus.
Phew! I reached home- to see that good ol’ DD was showing ‘Help’-a Tsunami relief Concert. One really good show that kept me occupied till 11.I have this practice of going through old newspapers to cut out my favourite articles or interesting stuff or Rahul Dravid photos. As the newspaper rack was overflowing, I hadto keep cutting and watching the show.
My God… if Saturday was so packed, today has been no better. Yet another site visit to a building Construction site. Taking Photos,firing questions at the poor contractor and taking notes. And now… typing it all out and blogging!
Phew! Whoever said that “Life is made up of snobs,sniffles and smiles, with sniffles predominating,” was hundred per cent right!!! And sniffles here mean the one accompanying a cold too.
Sniff Sniff. Kerchoo…!!!