Usha
"Agelessbonding eliminates the possibilities of a Middle Age and its blues."
- blogger Krishna Bhatt left this comment on my previous post.
Precisely the reason why this blog was started; and also to have a channel of communication that transcends the barriers of physical world which limits your interactions to a small group of people in your family and neighbourhood. I could never have been exposed to reactions from people as diverse as those who leave a comment here and broaden my perspective - I might never have discussed some of the things I write about here in the real world with a 18 year old like Shashi and I wonder if he would have been as forthcoming with his comments. Funny I used the word "real world" for this world is about as real for me as anything that happens around me everyday. Vaish and I were meeting every weekend at the French classes but our friendship deepened to the level of peers only after we exchanged blog addresses and got a peek into our reactions to men and matters. And she tells me that I am more twenty plus than most twenty pluses she knows. Same with Anita. Visithra, the kolam expert who is already a good friend , agrees. Well,as Siddhu says I guess I stopped growing sometime in my 20s - don't know if that is good are bad but as long as I am comfortable with it, it should not matter, right? and believe me, I am.Mohan and Samanth, who are Siddhu's friends are as much my equals now. It feels great when Mohan says that he feels the same way as me about the need for space.
As Mark twain observed: Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.. Another blogger friend Ravi agrees completely.Dubukku Renga, do you still want to call me "akka"? Beware, when you are 40, I might call you "anna", relatively speaking...and Mukundan, can we get rid of that "Madam"?
Middle age and old age are not for me, I intend to die young at 80!Or as Rashmi said,
"18 till I die". ( actually I'd rather be 29!).

P.S. Apparently this is my 300th post. A big thank you to those who take the trouble to read me and even bother to leave their reactions,which is what keeps this blog going. Thank you all!
30 Responses
  1. Kishore Says:

    Usha (er.. well, u dont mind me calling u by name.. but when i meet u i'll call u aunty.. or maami.. whichever u prefer.. :) ),

    Honestly, when I first came across ur blog I couldnt believe this is being written by someone who is (ahem..) old... Great to know youngsters like u... ;)

    Congrats on ur 300th post... and even as the Agelessbonding celebrates its 300th post, Prabat celebrates its 1st birthday today... :)


  2. Usha Says:

    old, did you say old? O.L.D.?
    Not allowed in this space except as the antonym of "New". Let us say you guys are chronologically challenged and I am chronologically "gifted"!!!


  3. Anonymous Says:

    >>Dubukku Renga, do you still want
    >>to call me "akka"?

    No not any more aunty :P

    That was purely for teasing fun and I get those threats as well. Silly Visithra aunty even calls me thatha sometimes.

    jokes apart I was really proud when I mentioned abt you to my wife that I have got a e-girlfriend at your age :)


  4. Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety .. keep going strong, ush. you are loved and adored by all the rabblerousers, idlers and vagrant-spirits of the world. :)


  5. Visithra Says:

    Dubukku thathaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

    rombeh naal ach ungleh ipdhi kupthu ;p

    usha you are one of those older ppl who though mature in mind - you are absolutely young at heart - the wise young ;)

    congrats on the 300th post - always write something for us - we love reading what the 20ish has to say ;)


  6. CONGRATULATIONS, Usha!! Your blog is the source of much joy and reflection!!
    And yes, for those of you who have not been to her place - it is the nicest-feeling house I have ever been to! Apart from being so beautifully arranged and decorated and so full of light! And I think it has got to do with the person - it is Usha's warmth and generosity that makes the house feel so good!


  7. Anita Says:

    dear usha, what a lovely post! i was talking to my mother the other day telling her i was studying with a friend (which was you!) for french exams. i suddenly realised while talking to her how the physical boundaries have changed today.

    and i think a lot of it is due to the fact that we get to extend ourselves in the virtual space beyond our physical constraints (like age) and get to know each other in a way that would not have been possible otherwise.

    as you said yourself, ordinarily interactions are limited to peers and family at the most. but today, we can open our worlds to interact with so many more people across all ages, enriching our lives and widening our perspectives.

    and congrats on the 300th post! more cake, i say :)


  8. Anonymous Says:

    Usha,
    What can I say except I wish I'd read your blog/we'd become friends sooner? But, as is said, don't good things come to those who wait? Your intelligence, infectious enthusiasm and grace come across beautifully! Congrats on your 300th post! Ravi *reminds* himself to read them all one of these days!
    Cheers
    Ravi


  9. Unknown Says:

    hey usha,
    well i dunno if i have called by your name before. but i guess your post speaks for this.
    and 300 posts....wow...thats quite a number..
    cheers


  10. Krish Says:

    "Usha" :-), sorry I missed this post and yes, I do understand Mark Twain perfectly since I may in that boat in a few years from now :-)


  11. Which, somehow eerily, EXACTLY echoes what I told a friend yesterday. She knows Siddharth too, and so I was pointing out that you were his mom, which she found very intriguing (pleasantly so!)... Congratulations on your 300th post, and just as it was so much fun to get to know your son in the "real" world, it's been great getting to know you online!


  12. Anonymous Says:

    Usha, this is wonderful! Think you just inspired me to begin blogging. I had never wanted to...because the thought of sharing my thoughts to total strangers didn't quite appeal to me...But now I know what I've been missing! I see from your post how blogging can touch one's life and enrich one's "living experience." I now want to reach out and feel this for myself. And I have to say Thank you! :-)

    Congratulations on your 300th post!


  13. A.R.Malik Says:

    Usha, you rock! What can I say that hasn't already been said here? You're loved and adored for good reason. Congrats on #300, and here's to many, many more to come.


  14. ravi Says:

    Congrats for scoring a triple century aka virender sewag style i.e. more of fours n sixes without even giving a single chance..wonderful n surely hope to score a 400 in Brian lara's style. Good luck n god bless n keep posting..n for the moment i thot that ravi was me..congrats again.


  15. Pradeep Nair Says:

    Age is more a matter of mind, definitely. A friend from Delhi after a visit to Bangalore, particularly Brigade Road and M G Road, told me, one feels very young in this city. I feel, people you live with, and more importantly interact with, have a definitive role in determining the age. As for me, may be a strange coincidence, just yesterday, a colleague remarked pointing to me: "This guy is at least 7 years elder to me, but his heart is 7 years younger to mine."


  16. Anonymous Says:

    Your blog has a very intesting name-ageless bonding considering the fact that in life, it one is able to bond with oneself, i.e, know oneself thoroughlly, that in itself is a fantastic achievement. As for your statement in the end, you can stay young forever only if you are in an occupation of your liking since a majority of waking hours are spent there - Make your passion your profession


  17. Alapana Says:

    Ushaji,Congratulations and i am so glad i know you and age seriously has no place here but the BONDING continues,I am proud to know you as a person whom i can just reachout when i am in need and i know you will be there.i hope to meet you soon:)


  18. Jackal Says:

    300 th post...amazing gal....keep it going.......tc bye


  19. Visithra Says:

    Oh what an unsporting son - i think he images a spectacled lady ( the huge ones with strings) wearing a bun a high collared saree blouse - in boring dull colours seating around the house pouring chaai for him when he comes home saying beta something something demurely


  20. Usha Says:

    Dubukku, Thanks. Does E-pal mean "elderly" pal? ( Naduthara vayadu Maadhu?")

    Anooooo, wow, me and Cleo, you DO love me lots!

    Visith, I heard that my friend's son told her to act her age! (She is my age!) Wonder what that means? Anyone knows how one acts at 47? Are their instruction manuals for these?

    Asha, Thanks.

    Anita: Absolutely. And I am so happy to be living in this age and time and be able to use the computer. Perceptions of age are also changing as you can see from all those who interact in the blogworld!

    Ravi, Our mail interaction prompted me to write this post. Thanks.

    mahadevan, Thank you. Aiyo "crabby" - whats that!

    Kripa is someone I have seen as a 10 day old child and now he is here to leave a comment on my blog. Wonderful. Sure, we are all adults here and ya that IS my name.

    Thennavan: Poora Ramayana kadai keetutu, seethaiku Raman yaru ? na eppadee? I am saying age doesnt matter and you are talking about "few years from now" This is it! freeze at the age you are comfortable in!

    Samanth: I am glad to know you too.You write extremely well. Was your friend intrigued or Scandalised?

    Nita: Looking forward to your URL so I can link it to mine. Welcome, jump into the boat. The journey is lovely!

    Thanks folks for all the wishes and kind words.
    See you soon...

    Abhilash:
    First of all it is a great achievement that I made you uproot your seat and come visit my blog. That itself is a great compliment. On top of that, these nice words, wow,this is some post!
    ( Posts with such nice numbers are always good - you can say anything and be assured ppl will say nice things. What say?)
    You better make this a habit!
    Ravi:
    Thank you for the kind words. Look forward to seeing you more.

    Pradeep:
    yes Pradeep, There is that about the city too where the society around you does n't expect you too behave ina certain way because of your age - the "act your age' is not so common here.

    Thanks to agelessbonding I could meet fine friends like you and share your thoughts and impressions too.....

    Hiren: Thanks. Will check out.

    alapana: Yes, It has been sucha pleasure meeting lovely people like you and being able to bond. Thanks for accepting me so warmly into your life. Yes, I look forward to meeting you too...

    Jackal: Thank you.

    Visithra: I KNOW! hahah, your picture is damn good - a middle aged mom from a 70s Tamil film!! Interesting!! am going to try it next time my son is down here for a visit!!


  21. Anonymous Says:

    Lovely post!
    I have met you at Vaish's wedding.
    OF late I have been feeling the sting of growing old too, but suddenly the "what the heck, am not gona allow age n the like, affect me" person takes over n life is normal n happy again!
    Will make the Twain line my signature. My current one is "The problem with life, is the lack of background music"

    rEEna
    chengappa.reena@gmail.com


  22. her Says:

    You know how to get popular! ;)

    Keep kalakkufying!Yo!


  23. Congratulations on your 300th post!
    I will definitely still be reading when you reach your 3000th post!

    And honestly, if I didn't know about Siddhu, I would've thought you were 29! You are the wise, bubbly 29 year old who we all love!

    And I am very thankful for our blogs - they helped us bond....agelessly! :)


  24. Usha Says:

    Lioness:
    adenna popularity stunt? illema all those acknowledgements were straight from my heart. In fact I did not even mention some people who have been with me from my early days of blogging and added so much value to the posts with their comments.

    Vaish: Absolutely and I am so happy for the bonding! Me loves you all too.
    Hugs!


  25. her Says:

    No no Usha! You've misunderstood..that was a compliment! I was talking of your charisma :)...Stunt ellaam naa chollave illai da..


  26. to me, Usha,
    You are one feisty lady, not afraid to call a twit a twit, and yet with your heart in the right place, and who is able to laugh at yourself as much as at others. So maybe you are a decade or so older than me, all i know is that I like and can relate better with you than half my peers! (as an aside, wonder what that makes me, tho??!!)

    And all I know of you is through your blogs. If people were as engaged by my blogs as I have been/am by yours, then I almost ask for no more... (I wish my blogs would earn a bit of money on the side too...;-))


  27. you know, sometimes, you remind me of Donne's lines- "Grow (antonym of new) with me, the best is yet to be..."
    Have you got a better compliment? ;-)


  28. Usha Says:

    JLT: I am overwhelmed - and no, I have n't received a better


  29. Usha Says:

    JLT: I am overwhelmed. and no, I have not received a better compliment nor can I hope to! Thank you.


  30. WhatsInAName Says:

    Usha :)

    I am back ! Digging into your archives till I have no more.
    Loved this post and yes, I can relate to so much you have written, learnt so much that I want your archives to keep growing!

    Whats so special about 29 (you mentioned that you would want to remain 29 forever!)