Bizarre cultural practices

Sunday, August 22, 2004

I was waiting at the barber’s, an hour ago, when another customer stepped in and in squeezing past me, accidentally touched my footwear. Mind you, my footwear, not my foot or any part of my body. I barely felt it, didn’t bother to react.

He whirled around, poked me in the collar (ow!), then retracted his hand to touch his eyes.

ravi — Aug 22, 2004 6:50:39 AM — # ↩

Yeah, that happened to me yesterday at my grocer's. This guy took a brinjal, tapped my head thrice, chanted the olympics theme song.
- mujib — Aug 22, 2004 7:36:20 AM — # ↩
  
  *tee hee hee*
  
  But yes, this happens often in Trivandrum buses--the stamping and poking and self-blinding; at least, it used to.
  - ravi — Aug 22, 2004 7:41:53 AM — # ↩
    
    Sigh, that's why I wish keralites got an education. Bluddy werld sux. ;/
    - mujib — Aug 22, 2004 7:45:53 AM — # ↩
      
      Bloody illiterate Keraloids!
      
      Say, is the Olympics theme song available for download? I haven't heard it yet.
      - joge — Aug 22, 2004 7:57:25 AM — # ↩
        
        hmmmm "Bloody illiterate Keraloids!"
        
        mujib — Aug 22, 2004 8:00:33 AM — # ↩
        
        You can say that again.
        
        ravi — Aug 22, 2004 8:15:15 AM — # ↩
        
        Bloody illiterate Keraloids!
        
        mujib — Aug 22, 2004 8:21:03 AM — # ↩
        
        Good boy; now here's a cookie.
        
        ravi — Aug 22, 2004 8:25:08 AM — # ↩
        
        I'm listening to Pudhiya Mugham. You should, too, assuming the nazis at your ISP didn't firewall off raaga.
        
        mujib — Aug 22, 2004 8:29:06 AM — # ↩
        
        Is that the Tamil remake of Face Off? *snort*
        
        Raaga.com is, blessedly, available. I am there.
        
        mujib — Aug 22, 2004 8:31:02 AM — # ↩
        
        Oh, it's the pazhaya Pudhiya Mugham. I have the mp3s.
        
        ravi — Aug 22, 2004 1:17:53 PM — # ↩
        
        WE DECLINE!
        
        brainz — Aug 22, 2004 3:35:22 PM — # ↩
        
        That has to be the best sunday strip i've seen in recent times. =)
        
        hail watterson!
        
        sunson — Aug 26, 2004 1:12:32 PM — # ↩
        
        Today is funny too!
        
        jayasankarvs — Aug 23, 2004 1:43:02 AM — # ↩
        
        Ha. Do you remember the times when we Trivandrumites used to bash up the Tamilians who used to land here, at the time of the Kaveri issue? "Ninteyokke Jayalalithaa" *biff, pow*
        
        mujib — Aug 23, 2004 2:25:17 AM — # ↩
        
        *kapow wham* Yeah, but you could just never punch sense into them, however hard you tried. Something to do with genetics, I'm sure. Bloody ignorant sāla Madrasis. These South Indians are crazy. *tap tap*
        
        Kiran Jonnalagadda — Aug 22, 2004 8:31:09 AM — # ↩
        
        I thought only bats and sloth bears hung around by their feet.
        
        joge — Aug 23, 2004 8:40:14 AM — # ↩
        
        see your userpic above
      - ravi — Aug 22, 2004 8:17:28 AM — # ↩
        
        Say, is the Olympics theme song available for download? I haven't heard it yet.
        
        I'd bet 10 bucks it's available online, if one such thing even exists. I've not heard it either, and I have no clue if one even exists. I was just feeling bored a couple hours ago when I wrote up that comment ...
        
        ... you play with Bit Torrent ever? If not, you should check it out. It's a trove of goodies, I hear ;/
        
        Kiran Jonnalagadda — Aug 22, 2004 8:23:39 AM — # ↩
        
        The chap who makes a directory of torrents gets my first born. Until then, the network is perfectly useless.
        
        tushar — Aug 23, 2004 5:24:07 AM — # ↩
        
        Suprnova.org?
        
        tsk1979 — Aug 23, 2004 6:58:48 AM — # ↩
        
        Why? Why would anybody want your first born. umm if it was the apple you are offering... then .. :)
        
        mujib — Aug 22, 2004 8:25:33 AM — # ↩
        
        I have the official and Shad0w clients, but haven't looked into available downloads. I tried downloading XP SP2 using BT, but it was too damn slow.
vipul — Aug 22, 2004 7:20:28 AM — # ↩

You got a haircut!!
- ravi — Aug 22, 2004 7:40:26 AM — # ↩
  
  Your head's glowing, and you're missing feet!!
  - vinodkumarvc — Aug 22, 2004 12:08:23 PM — # ↩
    
    :))
    !!
irq2 — Aug 23, 2004 4:04:09 AM — # ↩

I was waiting at the barber’s

What a coincidence. Even I went to the barber's y'day for a haircut.
shortindiangirl — Aug 23, 2004 4:08:30 AM — # ↩

I'm really surprised to be the first one to have caught this... but it does show you HOW DARN sensitive people in *that!* culture are to touching any part of any one else with their feet.

Perspective: Your experience at the restaurant a few posts ago when the guy you may have accidentally brushed with your feet was so annoyed about it...

And here you post about another foot touching incident. Perhaps the posts of your blogs are leading you to some revelation ?!

I.E. While in India, remember that you feet and anything in their surrounding vicinity are no less than total filth. And people, divine by comparison. Be sensitive to when the filth corrupts the divine...

You should have demanded that the chap do five squats with his hands touching the opposite side ear of his.
- sunson — Aug 26, 2004 1:14:40 PM — # ↩
  
  so, is it difficult to get a foot-job done in India without making the doer feel bad about it?
truptee — Aug 23, 2004 6:52:55 AM — # ↩

Pony tail gone?

That picture is really cute!!
- Kiran Jonnalagadda — Aug 23, 2004 7:00:37 AM — # ↩
  
  Pony tail gone over a year and a half ago.
  
  Post yesterday's haircut looks like in the userpic.
nakulshenoy — Aug 26, 2004 1:53:35 AM — # ↩

It happens only in India [Music]
It happens only in India [Music]

:-)

PS: Don't worry. It was nothing personal. He was only paying respect to your soul. Not you. ;-)