Artless Observations

The reason for the lack of faith in the world is probably the excess of it.
Scared by the bunny boiler gleam in Maya’s eye I shall be using her representation of Mars.
I'll put up art work on Monday. But I can wait no longer (my face is turning blue), so here are the protagonists in the Affairs of India Q.

The Cast of Characters:
(in no particular order) (what nonsense.. ofcource there’s an order.. even if it’s random)

Paris (of no surname): the friend. Drop dead pretty, put together and supremely competent, Paris has but one failing, okay two.. uhh.. maybe three.. a memory that would make a goldfish feel proud, the attention span of a flea and an astounding lack of tact. On the plus side, she remembers that she loves Mars and that she has no choice but to love India.

Mars Flanagan: the older brother. Mars has transformed over the years from a ‘I’ll-bash- u- before- I-speak-to-you’ kind of guy to a yoga loving madman. He’s an automobile enthusiast/designer with thoughts he calls ‘brain passengers’. The boy older women dote on; his inability to be anything but nice (even with the neighbours!) causes Paris immense grief.

Salvatore: Mars’ oldest friend. An honorary member of the Flanagan clan. (not an honor he always wants). If James Bond was also the boy next door, you’d get Salvatore.

Piper Gardiner: a married cousin. While no one can say for certain what lies beneath the dark eyes, Piper is still the one stop place for a sense of comfort, discussions, troubles solved and fun.

Myrine: The oldest Flanagan sister. Big woman, big voice and big heart. Brash and naïve, the word for Myrine is simple.

Ms. Sheila Havisham – the mother. Has a tendency to be a camel on the verge of just getting the last straw but with the survival skills of a cat. A woman of many parts, she passed on her expressiveness to India, her creative flair to Titania and her nose to Mars. Thankfully she kept her sense of humour.

Mr. Havisham – the father. Mr. Havisham is the absentee father who one day decided to wreak havoc in his kids’ lives by ‘becoming involved’. A widely traveled, social and generous guy, he’s a split between the saint and the dictator. Unfortunately charity doesn’t begin at home in this case.
(note : yes.. the surnames don’t match their children’s.)

Titania Flanagan – the older sister. She did Mars and India no favours by being the perfect daughter. A shrink, a cooking artist and a budding jewelry designer, Titania is freelancing on all of this while looking for an actual job – she’s groom hunting! Now, if only they could find her either Tarzan or George of the Jungle she’d be really be happy.

Carmen: a maternal cousin. Excruciatingly polite, Carmen’s the original iron hand in the velvet glove. Don’t expect him at family functions (unless they don’t involve family), don’t expect him to answer questions (unless with another question) and don’t expect him to sit around (unless it involves drinking beer). But you can expect him to turn up if you need him.

Alanis: If birds of a feather really did flock together, the chances of Paris, Alanis and India hitting it off would be dim. Flap flap. Alanis is the original wild child. Though she says, she’s hardly wild, it’s a relative world. Highly intelligent, grimly displeased and warmly generous, no college memory seems complete without Alanis’ presence or marked absence.

Katharine: The fourth of the three. The four friends spent most of their time either in India’s house or Kat’s car. Infact her chauffeur has been privy to more girl talk than any man alive! Which reminds me, If Katharine has a problem, it is that she’s a member of business royalty. And believe me, that’s a big problem. From restrictions on career choices to men, Katharine is the original poor little rich girl. Disarmingly down to earth, suddenly wicked and inherently grid oriented, Katharine has but one passion – to dance.

J.B. Aldair: India’s first love. A smooth talking charmer with rare moments of sweetness. India caught a couple. Whether passionately arguing or coldly contemplating, J.B always has a point with three sub points and they’re always going somewhere. His being a lawyer is really just incidental.

Shade: India’s friend from college. Now in another continent. The friendship has only grown with distance. While Shade thrives on pretending to be cynical, India thrives on pretending to be a romantic. They’ve both fooled themselves but not each other.

Smith: A friend of Mars. Descended from one of Medusa’s victims, stoical Smith is a constant source of bafflement to friends and family alike. Dry, practical and inscrutable, the one reason his friends have hope for him is because he suffers from the restless leg syndrome. Obviously something’s waiting to come bursting forth.

Quinn Bingley: Another friend. While his father is aiming to launch Quinn as the next big CEO, Quinn’s ambition is getting people to acknowledge him as the funniest guy they’ve ever met or to lead the country’s cricket team in the next World Cup. The fact that he has absolutely no training will obviously make his triumph all the greater.

The friends who were also fellow lodgers:
Sky Bennet: also a cousin. As happily spaced out as a doper on a binge. Somewhere in her self induced haze, she’s transformed from a highly energetic mad person to a single minded workaholic. The tabla and ghungroo’s that medleyed in her soul either aren’t playing or the auditorium’s empty. And she doesn’t miss it.. India does.

Gaia: A diminutive Hitler with space issues. Can be prevented from going to war by a strategically timed game of badminton or a movie watching plan. Loves all things living except humans.

Sytar: a bespectacled recluse who only gets animated when you discuss Rhett Butler, pasta or books. A voice like a siren while singing and foghorn while talking. Sytar marches to her own drum, plays a secret tune and waits for her serenade.

Harry: Harry read her first film magazine when she was 4. She had her first breakdown when she was 5. She ran away from home 6 times. Got into fights x times. Fell in love a couple of times. Now she’s not just writing movies but living them. One unforgettable scene at a time.

A huge family with close ties, a gaggle of adorable nieces and a nephew.
Other friends: Audrey from post grad and George from school.
Nieces names : Nikita, Eve, Pearl, Anya, Rosalie.
Nephew: Ray

Maya Jones.. whom you’ve already met is going to continue with the art work. It is my intention to always use her work (that is.. some of it) simply in acknowledgment and appreciation of her sheer umm.. zeal and irrepressible spirit.