Chessy Masala Dosa and Stretchy Mangalooru Bajji

I am following the World Chess Championship 2007 in spite of confusing rules of FIDE to determine the next world champion. Anand and others say the format is biased and designed to suit Russian (Kramnik) and Bulgarian (Topalov) lobbies. Anand also says that he does not want to dip inside the muddled waters of FIDE politics. He rather concentrates on chess matches. So far so good. When you follow a chess match, you have to participate in the process. Imagine watching a live chess match without any thoughts. It is not possible. You have to think about it. But if you think it is as good as you are playing. Not like other sports where you can watch live without doing anything that is connected with those sports. I watched Yuvraj's six sixers. But I did not feel the physical effort involved in that power hitting - meaning there is no pain or strain on my shoulders. Leave the mental efforts alone.

Now what am I writing...

I am supposed to write about masala dosa and mangalooru bajji.

Where is the link?

The link is the Janatha Hotel, 8th cross, Malleswaram, Bangalore.

I am sitting here in the hotel and thinking about what are the differences between watching chess live and watching other sports like cricket, hockey, football, etc live.

I am waiting for my masala dosa. It is surprising. Surprising to see people wait outside the hotel. You think there is no surprise about that as far Janatha Hotel is concerned? Surprising to see people wait outside when the hotel is closed. Ah! that's something, isn't it?

The hotel opens at 4pm. People wait from 3:30pm.

People?

A husband, A wife, and their small girl who asks sambar for Masala dosa which is not given at the hotel. Pay extra for extra sambar.

Two ladies with newly bought something.

Two girls who swallow mangalooru bajjis as fast as they send SMS.

An old man who sips coffee and thinks about good old days.

A girl who is carrying and is thinking possibly about the kid that is shaping up.

Two grandmothers with their grand-daughters eating some sweets which are possibly banned at home.

All these people are united. United to taste the time-tested Janata servings.

And what am I doing now? I am supposed to think about differences between watching a chess match and a cricket game. But here I am. Sitting and watching Janata's Janata.

Masala Dosa emerges just in front of me. Crispy and slightly sticky too. Pudina leaves are floating on the chutney. The chutney seems to be watery but it is not. You just dip your finger to feel the solid sediments of chutney.

I unroll the dosa to see the beauty of potato masala and grey chutney talking to each other on the crispy grass of masala dosa. I envy them. What is better than discussing chess with potato masala?

Small piece of dosa along with solid sediments of white chutney rolled together and meet their destiny in my mouth. I am watching ...

Chess is such a beautiful game that you do not mind losing yourself. Not just losing yourself but getting lost. I still remember a chess game I played with my friend in Tambaram bus stand. Without a board. How?

e4
e5
Nf3
Nf6

We played and pushed the game to its middle. We then found it quite difficult to analyse the position without board. Board is the substratum. Just like our experiences with relationships are to understand ourselves.

Where am I?

Who has eaten my Masala Dosa?

I must have achieved that in no time - much faster than how Anand plays a double knight Ruy Lopez variation.

Some say - Do not play Catalan against Kramnik. Sicilian against Kasparov, etc. But I play Mangalooru Bajji next.

Four small balls come. Elastic balls. Quite hot. Quite crispy. When I went to Mangalooru I asked Mangalooru bajji. They brought something quite different. I thought this is similar to how Hosur road, somewhere in its path, transforms itself to Bengalooru Road.

The small girl sitting opposite does not want to come out. The mother insists. But the girl moves between the table and the bench. The girl is quite happy with the masala dosa.

I am also happy with my dosa and bajjis. What next?

What will happen to this blog? How do I want to continue this? Chess statistics? Personal rants? Why I have to continue this? What is the big deal in saying I maintain a blog?

Hahahahhaa.....Hahahahhh.....

Two old men are laughing loudly.

Where are we?

Did I write "why I have to continue this blog"? No. It can't be true. Did I write that?

Masala Dosa is nice. Bajji is good. Something is still incomplete. Feeling of incompletion and feeling of something more might have created those words. Not me.

This is the right time to drink Janata Coffee.

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