From: kannan@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Kannan Subramanian)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re: COW UPDATE FROM COLORADO
Date: 31 Aug 92 03:06:51 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523



Well, with the Wodehousian-Weakness thus revealed for the world to see, the
time has come to climb the nearest peak, aim that trumpet at the Louisville 
Ramesh Reservation and yell, "Philistine!" And with this, one notes that 
nothing is sacred anymore. Ah well. But Cow-lorado has arrived, it seems. 

About the cousins of Ram-esh, with the arrival of Mag-esh and Nag-esh, 
(who is surely a product of "tipping" Gan-esh, and also a cousin; writing
no doubt, soft and sundry ware in San Jose) the problem has essentially been
reduced to figuring out the first syllable. N or M? one asks, as Madame 
Agatha (Christie) once did. 

Colorado is indeed correctly pronounced Cow-lorado. No mean coincidence
that. CSU (as in Colo State Univ) has its own cows (whom I met not half an
hour ago on the trail going over the first range, grazing on the slopes, 
a stone's throw from this desk). We have brown cows and black cows. The
brown cows have a regal air about them as they inspect you from a distance and 
proudly flap yellow labels on their ears bearing the legend "CSU - 126" or 
"CSU - 468". The black cows, not to be outdone, sport similar airs and labels
but prefer odd numbers. Just to be different. Like twenty seven, or even nine 
hundred and twenty seven. 

They can all quite easily, like the Hare Krishna cow petted by Ramesh 
(gingerly), host two colonies of sparrows (each) on their backs and provide
them stadium facilities to boot. Not to generalize or anything, but
one cannot but help detect an idle pattern here. This sparrow-game-room
may well be a minimum requirement of sorts to qualify as a Cow-lorado cow. 
And they all wear the expression which defines in no uncertain terms, the
extent to which you may mess with them. "Pet, but don't tip" is the unwritten
rule. 

Among other clarifications to related and miscellaneous threads, I did
not say Mulund had 12 platforms as our Hawaiian friend has deduced. I meant 
Mumbai's Victoria Terminus (note the reference earlier to "commutes southward").
"Canon", the pav-bhaji place (such an inadequate term!) I alluded to earlier,
is diagonally across from the exit from VT, as one proceeds toward that 
movie hall which is either showing Superman or Star Wars sequels for all 
generations to behold. Sterling, I think, or do I mean Metro? Well, actually,
both. It's right at that corner. About the precise knowledge of platform 
numbers, let's just say I was a true Bombay-ite!
 
I made the mistake of educating Sthan via e-mail about Rocky Mountain 
oysters and haven't heard from him since. No doubt the shock was too much 
for his delicate herbivorous palate. I assure you that vegetarian "delights"
available in Boulder and the neighborhood are all not misnomers. Btw, where 
else in the country can you walk into a Haagen-Daaz ice-cream parlour and
order "steamed chai" straight off the menu? (I must confess though, that 
the said same chai could do with less steam and froth and more chai - the
scam is not unlike the "espresso" coffee sold in deceptively shallow 
double-walled steel cups in Indian railway stations.)

I look forward to the first meeting of the "Dream team of Colorado SCIers". 

SCIers, one notes, could easily be the homonym to "seers" or "skiers" without
loss of pun. 

cheers, 
kannan

ps - are you sure there are only seven remote controls?