"Too young to worry, Too old to smile"

"Too young to worry, Too old to smile": Win it, to feel it

2011-12-15T00:37:00.000+05:30

"Too young to worry, Too old to smile": Win it, to feel it: Watching the last scene of "The greatest game ever played", tool me back to the days when we won, when I won... I ended up asking myself, w...

Win it, to feel it

2011-12-15T00:07:00.004+05:30

Watching the last scene of "The greatest game ever played", took me back to the days when we won, when I won...

I ended up asking myself, what is winning? is it the pleasure of seeing happy faces cheering you? Or is it the moments where your loved ones stood by your side? Or maybe it is those occasions that touched you...

I would never really understand that.

The joy of being by yourself is also winning right! Then why is it that one does not feel the goose bumps trickling up your spine?

The pleasures of making someone else happy, just by asking, “How are you"? Is that winning? I don’t know... I’m trying to find out

I thought and realized that all the above situations involves your feeling. You need to "feel" it to win. "IT"... that "it" is the funny equation in the whole thing.

I have seen happiness in a child who kicks the ball for the first time... maybe he won! I have seen a tear in the eyes of an old man, saying “what did i do to fail you”, was that actually his victory?

Too many questions right... the answer probably lays within you... me...

You win, not because the world wants you to, not because your family is craving for it, not because you want to wake up a super hero, but because "you" want to...

Being number 1 is a tough job, but being number 2 is even tougher, you know why? Maybe because, the urge is within you... kill it!

The truth about winning comes when you deal with the situation without expecting any returns. Can’t digest it right!

Francis Quimet clapped with his heart when his idol finished the game, but he still won the Championship... not because of his skill (that is another aspect), but because of him being true to himself.

I have won on many days, just like you... Days when an employee calls in sick and your support, "I will come by you", is enough to see you earn respect. "Respect" - is that a way of winning? Being acknowledged as a person who has no time to call his wife to say a "hello" but has the time to wish better health to his reportee... is that respect (Ask your wife/husband and she/he will tell you)

"But" and "If" is too much of heartbreak...

Winning is the art of making yourself happy, feeling that you are contended. If you look up at an empty box of giving’s (for the old age home) and feel that you could have contributed, you have won more than half the battle. Look at your wife and tell her that she means the world to you (you will win, but you will end up with kids in 9 months). Ask a mother who took pain to deliver that baby, and you know, in tears, she has won. Look at a supervisor and know that you know more than him, but empower I’m to deliver on your behalf, you will win, I promise...

You need to feel it, to make yourself a winner...

If winning is everything to you... feel it every day, and you are a "winner"... Just like me!

Road Trip in Oct11

2011-10-09T15:49:00.032+05:30

This was our journey without knowing where we were headed, where were we to stay and what were we to do after reaching the destination.... it was all about the drive... and what an amazing experience it was...

We had heard about Sakleshpur and decided that we head in that direction. Started at 0800hrs and hit the road towards Mangalore. The road was a breeze and even after a Pitstop (breakfast) for 30min, we reached Sakleshpur by 1130hrs. 1st things first, check for accommodation if we were to camp at this town. It had been an amazing drive till now and with no luck to stay & time running out, we decided to hit the road to Mangalore and camp at Mangalore. Did some local sightseeing, driver change and hit the highway again. The ghat section from Sakleshpur onwards was a little bad and considering the recent rains, it was expected. after about an hour and 40 kms in to the drive, the roads smoothed out and the drive was a pleasure again.

Reached Mangalore at 1530hrs, went south to Ullal and looked around for a few budget beach resorts. After all, the motto was to drive and eat well and stay cheap :). The place was amazing with artistic accommodations and a well planned layout. The price was equally steep so we decided to hit the town and find a hotel to camp for the night. Poonja International it was and we checked in, threw our bags, grabbed a bite and hit the nearest beach to catch the sunset on the shore.

Panambur was the nearest beach and it was an easy drive to reach their. Easy… Compared to Bangalore traffic. Lot of youngsters at the beach, flying kites, eating chat and most getting their ankles wet watching the golden ball of flames go down. The beach is deep so numerous life guards were keeping the adventurous crowds at check. When is Baywatch going to be introduced in India? I'm sure it will increase tourism, if not anything else...

The drive back was equally pleasant with the town lit up. Being the last day of Dusheera, streets were illuminated and the families were all out. We decided to have a sumptuous meal and headed to the "Clay Oven"

Clay Oven - what do i say about it, simply superb. An Arabic food extravaganza. Al-fahim for starters, mandi rice with Mutton and a bulging stomach by the end of it(not that it is flatter on other days). Packed myself like i had never eaten before.

One thing i noticed was the expressions of people when they talk, in this part of the town... the auto guy who gave us directions to the beach, was so animated that i hardly concentrated on the directions. The waiter at the restaurant, Sumit Sharma, made the food sound so tasty and his expressions ensured i ordered more than i can consume. I don't know if i should generalize... but they are very accommodative and animated in their communication.

Slept early and like a log…

Friday morning over tea, we decided to head towards Wayanad via Kasargod-Kannur-Kozhikode. hit the road after breakfast and the food was digested in the first 15 min. Reason: pathetic road (NH17), i mean a disgrace to the term "Nation" when we call it a "National Highway". An entire stretch of 75kms took us a little under 3 hours before we could find tarmac among the rubble.

The scenery and the drive could have been better enjoyed if we had pleasant roads. now, usually in Kerala you will find government regularized alcohol shops which would be the only place where economical and social diversity line-up in a queue with utter harmony. The town, 24 kms short of Kannur, was bustling with trade styled shops and people. But what was unbelievable was every second shop in the entire town was a wine shop. This came to me as a shocker... but them i noticed a lot of Pondicherry vehicles and soon figured this town to be a part of the erstwhile French colony. Very surprising...

After Mahe and 60 kms, i crossed Kozhikode and finally got of NH17 to start my journey towards Kalpetta on NH212. "NH212" - What a blessing to my back and all the bones that needed serious greasing over night.

Early evening by now and I take on the wheels towards Kalpetta. Nice evening skies with the sun setting behind and the golden light splashed across the trees... very soothing to the eye. Once in the Ghats, the trees where throwing dramatic silhouettes with the sun setting. One scenery was exceptional, with the Setting sun blessing the land below with rays of light. You suddenly felt very relaxed and were in instant peace with yourself.

We finished one of the last few hair-pin bends and there we see it, "welcome to Wayanad district" - what a relief. At 1730hrs we had finally reached Wayanad. Spotted a coffee day, grabbed a bite and started calling a few people we knew from earlier visits for camping at night... we were in serious trouble by 1830hrs when we had no luck with stay. Then someone called to say he had a home stay in Kalpetta. God knows who gave him my number and why was he calling, but we just needed to find a place to hit the sack. Drove to Kalpetta, stood in the queue to pick some booze, found the home stay, ate an awesome dinner, and crashed by 2130hrs. (phew, what a day)

Woke up to a refreshing tea and plans to hit the forest. We did not want to go the "tourist" way, so I called the Wildlife Warden of Wayanad and took some help of the local forest officers. He helped me with some details and people to meet and even arranged a meeting with the DFO Tholpetty forest range. Thats it, hit the road to cover 50kms - destination Tholpetty Wildlife Sanctuary

The DFO was conducting a forest drive to clean plastic in the area with the help of local drivers and panchayat, which I thought was an excellent thing to do. But this also meant that my trip inside the forest would take a while. So I hit the road further towards Karnataka to find some food for lunch, and boy did we find an awesome place
Stopped for world famous Kerala "Chai" and Banana Chips. The chai was amazing considering they make it out of Tea Dust. I mean, the entire world says that tea leaves make the best tea, try dust tea from Kerala!

Nestled deep in the forest a place called Foody's. Run by a coorgy family (the area apparently comes under Coorg district), his menu was fairly simple. Rice, chicken, curd, dal... that’s it.

And what a smashing we had for lunch. Ghee rice, chicken dry for me and Plain rice curd and mint chutney for Anu... all that for 200 bucks. Drive back to Tholpetty was extremely drowsy. So decided to reach the place and crash for an hour.... that’s exactly what we did.

Once up from a power nap, we met the DFO and she set us up with a forest Guard for a trip inside the forest. Nowfel (not sure if i got the spelling right) was our man with a camera and information of the range. This range was spread across 79 sqr kms with 16 Leopards and the same number of Tigers (as per May 2010 census). He says he had sighted multiple tiger cubs in the recent past, so the numbers are higher. I knew that is not a good time for spotting cats, but I wanted to build my contacts in this area for more trips between December and February, which is a good time to sight cats. We spotted a herd of elephants with 5 adults, 1 juvenile and an infant. The leader was very protective and did charge us a couple of times, obviously to protect the infant.

We did not want to bother them much, so did not venture out to close and left after a while of gazing. We met a few forest watchers who live in camps as a part of the anti-poaching campaign. They normally carry a few sickles and a wireless radio set to inform about poachers and live in groups of 2. It is a very tough life for them for such a great cause. They were saying that this year they had not received funds to clean the drive way for a few meters. This cleaning helps them react not only to poachers but also the wild animals. There life has become more dangerous due to the near 6 feet growth of shrub and grass.

I don’t know where my taxes go man... pathetic roads, poor living conditions of the protectors of our wild and no funds to run such a great cause. I am very sad with the state of things of our country

Left for home after sunset and a chat with more forest guards. Ate a sumptuous dinner, slept early.

Woke up early to hit the road back to Bangalore. A refreshing morning with mist flowing in the balcony door as soon as I opened it. some tea, a quickie and back on the road. The roads were wet with the dew and the scenery was exhilarating. Drove on NH212 to Mysore, stopped for breakfast at Kamat and reached Bangalore for Lunch.

Four days went by, covered 1300 kms, spent splendid time and multiple conversations with Anu, Met those great but simple people who manage the wilderness for us and travelled with no place to stay, no idea where we headed but finished with one of the nest trips I had done in a long time...

Something’s are best done unplanned... my belief of this became stronger!

Exclamations are killing me!

2011-07-13T22:00:00.003+05:30

In the name of an educational establishment, a group of educated illiterates are creating social unrest to achieve political mileage... Osmania University for you! In the name of tribal unionism to achieve better education for their children, good roads to commute on and improve their well being, a one-eyed idiot takes the blind men to war. But against who.... Maoist idealogy for you! In the name of building a nation, white collored men are stashing away the riches to see their retirement days in luxury.... Political leaders for you! In the need to have legends for sports from a billion people, they cash in on the hype while the sportsmen bear the pain of poor diet, improper equipment, under nutritious diets and to top it all, a system that drugs their efforts into the history books while the management plays the blame game.... Sports authority of India for you!

I'm tired of the exclamations surrounding me, why are you still listening...!!!

Growing my own food

2011-07-04T07:52:00.005+05:30

The thought of owning a small land and cultivating my own basic edible needs are not only creeping in my mind for the last few weeks, but also intensifying by the day. The need to grow organic food and contribute to the society by selling the excess produce seems to be such a noble cause to attain a little more inner peace.

Now comes the detailing, buying the land and where! which land has what kind of potential to grow a certain type of vegetation! and many more Q's... Looks like i need to go for an internship on farming before starting this of!

One thing for sure is that i need to know where to buy the land. depending on that, i can decide about the internship bit. Then comes the thought of, "you cant grow everything right!", and eventually you have to still procure some from the market,then why not build a farming society that contributes to each other and saves the idea of trading, unless your produce is being wasted.

Suddenly all this seems like a business and thats not something that I want...

Getting back to growing for the need, i guess this is another plan that goes into my bucket list...

I will grow my own food one day, not far from today, what about you!!!

Painting - Water colour

2011-06-12T16:14:00.006+05:30

I love the smell of lemon grass. From Scented oil to agarbati's, everything that could take me closer to nirvana had to be lemon grass based. While surfing through the various scented candles recently, I thought I should take a chance with other fragrances as well. Some of the fragrances were so pungent that I lost my ability to smell again for a while. As I glanced through some more bottles, tins and candles, one single jar shaped candle in a glass stood at the very top shelf and right at the back. The label said "CITRONELLA" and the colour of the wax looked was sunset yellow. As soon as I opened the cover of the scented candle jar and took a deep long breadth of the aroma, everything went silent for a bit. The next 5 seconds was an amazing experience and took me back in time, many years back in time!!!

I stroked the last few lines of the petals to add shadow using my size 0 brush. They were the tiny flowers that were attached to the base of the fruit. As I glanced at my piece of art with a tilted head and a painters eye, I realised that I could actually smell the fruit that I had painted. I was in the 4 grade and this was just another painting that would head down the attic in a few months. Nevertheless, I could feel the fruit, smell the aroma if i crumbled the leaves in the painting and then, there was something missing... The painting had to have the colour associated with that smell. I squeezed a few tubes and arrived at a light yelloe colour that was closest to the shades of the sunset. I carelessly stroked the colours across the background to add to the contrast that would mentally make this painting perfect and bring the "Lemon tree" to life

Today, I dont know what ever happened to that painting and I never knew that I had painted something like that, till I opened the scneted candle jar. I never knew that an aroma can rekindle so many joys from the past and bring back to life those tiny little things we might have done.

I purchased that jar to remind me of that paiting and bring back a few more memories from the past. I wish to have many more experiences of this sort in the future, its just that, I dont know when and how will they come... Till then, my citrus flavoured Citronella candle will do just fine...!!!

How am I being remembered?

2010-11-27T18:11:00.003+05:30

The wise man says, Identity is built within the family and nurtured by friends. You groom yourself to be someone, to be identified as an individual and remembered by most. Like most people, my parents gave me an identity and my friends, from the distant past, nurtured them. All is perfect until after many years and a lot of distance between those friends, I kind of don’t know how they remember me as. Did I ever have an identity? When they think of me, how do they recollect me as a person? Guess I would never know!!!!

He was my class mate from school and was remembered to be highly energetic and smart. He was a hit with the fairer sex and on most days was seen mingling with them, more often than not. Dare I say that he is no more like that! As we moved on to college, his love for music and dancing brought him, more and more company and friends, but he never gave up on the older ones. I always remember him for his patience and light heartedness. He is truly a great friend and in the spirit of F1, I would never mind taking P2, if he was P1. A Hugh Hefner of the 21st century, he is the real Iceman for me...

My one time neighbour and ‘Dog-Walking buddy’ was the coolest of all. He was nicknamed Viper, keeping his crazy, but controlled, driving skills in mind and if you ever wanted to experience NFS for real, you better strap up your seat belts in his company and breeze through the winding sub-urban roads. His decisions, thinking and actions were truly a few years ahead of time. I always secretly admired his wisely words and matured decisions. He has been an inspiration for all and has always been there for all, let it be family or friends. He is the closest thing to the wise man for me...

His dressing was refined and he spoke only when needed, like a true gentleman. I never understood him completely, I guess most of us never did, but whatever we could understand of him, he was simply amazing. He always had an air of mystery surrounding him which would keep all thinking. He always sported a smile on his face. A man of few words but limitless style. The way he would hold the glass or get his suit stitched to fit or hold the cigarette, it was always noticed and tried out. He is no less than the James Bond of the circle and truly reflects the DON in his style...

Many still believe he is not grown by the years and his actions justify the child in him. The joker, peacemaker, lover-boy or just the kid-from-the-block who can keep us all in splits, at any time of the day or night. His sense of humour did get irritating on most days but to think about it now, he brought us all on neutral ground. He was never taken seriously and always had an opinion, which may or may not fit the situation. In the end of the day, eyes wide open starring at the ceiling; I wish I could be like him for one day and understand what would make him so jovial, always...

Who am I in the scheme of things!!! I would never know. Guess I never had an identity to fit in the group. Guess I am never remembered, and that’s why we are no more together...

NOTE: See what a free mind can do, it takes you to the deepest & darkest corners of your human self and makes you feel so lonely. Try it, it helps realising you have much more than you actually need. We have memories that keep us alive and ticking every day.

What did you think of today???

Lights, Colours & Nostalgia...

2010-11-01T21:52:00.003+05:30

Yup, the lights and colours are back to remind us of all the happy days from the past and to add some more colour to our present and future

5.30AM, my mother woke me up from deep sleep on a cold November Ferozpur morning. Her agenda, I should burst the loudest cracker "The Lakshmi bomb" and remind the entire colony that it’s a Diwali morning and it’s time for the best day of our lives. I was 13 and I was feeling too old to get out of bed and do all this. I felt too old to be doing these things but my mother’s enthusiasm was over my emotions. I would never know if she did it for herself or she was excited for my brother and I on this occasion. I burst the bomb, she smiled and the day of joy for a family, as I remember it, had just begun.

2 years later, it was early noon and my brother and I were experimenting with “Atom Bomb”, The green coloured jute thread wrapped bomb that usually caused a lot of discomfort to the old , the dogs and the already noisy babies of the area. Some of you might remember the Amul Cheese tins that were in demand during the early nineties. We found a few empty ones, placed an “Atom Bomb”, inverted the empty tin over the bomb and light the wick... BOOOMMMM!!!!!.... Where did the damn can go? A few seconds later something fell close to us, it was the tin without the bottom. The bottom must have been blown away to pieces, but we were wrong. After a good 2-3 minutes, a ring fell close by. It was the bottom of the tin and it must have flown very high into the sky to come down this late. We both smiles and a day of experiments, as brothers, had just begun.

Few years later during junior college days, my friends and I collected a selected few crackers like spiralling rockets, loud rockets, coloured rockets, whistling rockets, bomb rockets and more rockets. We kept the bottles inclined on the road and shot the rockets parallel to the road. This was dangerous but I must confess somewhere down under, we were enjoying this in an evil way. The rockets hit a few four wheelers and two wheelers, so we decided to shoot the rockets with a better angle, this time keeping a small stone under the bottleneck. The rockets were more evil than our intentions and landed in the bathroom of the girl’s house who hated our guts. Unfortunately, it was her father who was in the loo and we had to do the only thing that commonly came to our minds.... Run!!!! The days of Running had just begun

Diwali during engineering college was less noisy but equally fun. Myself and Vicky would be the only few students who would not go home to celebrate Diwali. Instead, on one occasion, we had a couple of drinks, picked a friend’s RX100 and hit the road towards the forest searching for a female ghost draped in a white sari carrying a candle (imagine what alcohol can do!!!). We waited till late night, in vain and the stupid babe never turned up. We started our bikes for back home, practised some wheelies and landed in the Sugarcane fields once the front wheel was high up. Picked up self, the bike and searched for the rider who was fisting the road for not being able to complete the wheelie for a longer duration. Somehow reached the hostel room and got the bike repaired the next morning along with a few glasses of lime juice to cut the hangover from the previous evening. The days of drinking on Diwali, with friends, had just begun.

Diwali 2 years back, some miniature lanterns with small candles inside, colourful rangoli’s, a lot of diya’s collected by mother from all the years and the four of us together. Sweets were prepared at home, new clothes were customary for all four and the entire house was lit well beyond our imagination. My mother lit a few sparklers, dad was trying his hand at a few bombs and brother was sending rockets way up, while I was capturing memories for all. We finished our small celebration in 15 minutes, ate sweets and vada’s, feasted on some lovely dinner made by mom and hit the sack. While in bed, I looked up and thought, this was to be the last Diwali as a family, as this family!!! The days of expanding my family, losing some and gaining others, with love lost and found, had just begun.

These are my memories of the life that revolved around Diwali... all of you have one, revisit them, since Diwali is a season of Lights, colours & nostalgia....

Happy Diwali to all!!!!

The Bucket List... Irony

2010-09-19T19:36:00.002+05:30

It was so easy to think that I can have a bucket list in place and also relive them at a certain stage in life. The Irony is, unlike in the movie, Jack Nicholson was an extremely rich guy who just didn't know what to do with all the money. He just convinced Morgan Freeman to accompany him. In my case, I am the Morgan Freeman and although I am not looking for a Jack for company or money, I am not entirely convinced that I would ever have enough for any/many items in my list.... (Sighhh!!!!)

I was just toiling over the thought of a trip to Bhandavgargh & Kanha National reserve and the expenses keep adding up. Forget even the cost of the trip, I would need to have at least a basic telephoto lens to shoot in the wild. And then there are travel costs that suddenly show up. Even the minuscule things such as the basics of wildlife photography need to be in place before making such a trip. Now the best part, I am still planning to travel in India and worried about the cost. One of the items in my list was to visit Masai Mara in Africa. Imagine how big a hole that would burn in one's pocket!!!!

After all the pondering over the trip, estimating the cost and feeling low about the current situation (Which all happened in the last 15 min), I have finally decided to continue writing about the Bucket list...

The thought of being to those places in itself is a wonderful feeling. I think that's why many have a bucket list. To revisit the memories of feeling nice and being in peace. To have a sense of surreal accomplishments that surrounds the never ending chaos.

The feeling of waking up to the birds chirping, sitting beside the musical trickling of water down the stream, feeling the hardened & dry surface of the desert, listening to the crackling sounds of the waves crashing on the shore, gently rubbing your arms for some warmth on a chilly mountain escapade or just lying under the dark night sky with the creatures of the twilight giving you company... These are the things that inspire us to write the bucket list....

Mine is on the way, Is your ready!!!

Few more things to do

2010-08-07T08:16:00.003+05:30

I was just pondering on the thought of what are the things in life that I wanted to have and have I achieved them. And I was surprised to figure out that I have got most of what I wanted.

I finished my education for good, drove the best bike I could, bought a car, worked with a MNC, married the girl of my dreams, been on splendid vacations, had more friends than anyone could imagine, lived independently in a hostel, partied till sunrise, tasted all kind of cuisine's, drank the best wines, the list just goes on........

These were the things I wanted to do. Others just happened. There are a few more final things I want to do before I call it a day. I am waiting for the 4000 mark, buying a Royal Enfield Bullet, a rucksack with a sturdy tent, quit my job and let the roads take me where they can. I want that peace and its not far... 30 years of living life in the institutionalised way has got me. Its time to spread the wings. I will give myself 5 years at most in this so called "system". That's the target and I hope to achieve the remaining targets by then...

Then I am of....!!!!

Inner Thoughts

2010-03-17T15:21:00.004+05:30

As an adolescent, most of us dreamt of living free. Young blood within would make us a rebel to most things around. Be it our annoying class rooms, the dismal food prepared at home, nagging parents or just simply the schedule of our daily being. As we grow older and take care of our earnings, the daily bragging about how sad our job is and the continuous dismay with our organization is nothing but a feeling of dissatisfaction not with our job or anything; it is something calling from within our head. Living is like serving a life sentence, at a highly protected jail. Or as Morgan Freeman in “Shawshank Redemption” says, we were institutionalized and we don’t have a chance outside.

But I would dream of a life outside. I would want to do something different from what was being done. Obviously most of the people around said that I was just being a cranky adolescent kid. But it was more than that for me and I could not explain the feeling to anyone since I myself could not decipher the thoughts within.

It has taken me a little over 12 years to get a better understanding of what I really want and believe me, the thoughts are not easy to handle or express. In fact, the thoughts are like a storm in our head, sometimes creating waves of thought and other times hidden far away in the back of our head. My thoughts started to be more outwardly towards the world, as I saw the world. There was just one thought running in my head every time I sank into my head.

I wanted to attain peace within and be part of the unselfish natural world. I wanted to connect with nature and submit my entire life to it. I wanted to get away from the cacophony of the institutionalised world.

This thought, although unclear to all of us in our younger days, has crept in almost every individual’s head, at least once in his life. It creeps in as the expression of a rebel in our adolescent days and turns into a more subtle state of denial towards the daily chores we do. Our bond with people and the pain that others may encounter, burry our thoughts deep within and do not allow us to explore our true need.

I am not sure who would have the answers to whether we should do what our heart and mind feels, but I know one thing is for sure, both ways, we ourselves have to walk the path. And that’s why I think the day is not far when we would unshackle the chains and head out to find our true self.

Imagine walking a lonely trail deep within the green forest with the birds chirping and the leaves swaying to create a musical. Your feet crushing the dead leaves and broken twigs and the sound of a stream flowing nearby. As you are thinking of all this, your present state of mind will hit back at you and ask you, how many hours can you do this? Do you think you have an answer? Think again...

The truth is you already have the answer when you asked yourself the question. This question is one of the million questions that act as obstacles to our inner self and the thoughts associated to it.

A Glimpse of the Elusive Cat

2010-03-07T21:03:00.010+05:30

It was an early evening safari into the Rajiv Gandhi National Park at Kabini. The heavy lunch was not helping and the jungle trails ahead were not some of the best. A look above the horizon and the sun was getting the best of you. Most say it was a perfect setting to sight the Big one - Tiger.

We waited for a bit at the beginning of the park to register ourselves for passing the National Park. As we waited, a nip of breeze was in the air and the silence was not too comforting. It was around 3.15PM, the sun was gazing bright at you and the birds were at their loudest best. As we started our drive on the webbed trails in the jungle, we noticed the dryness all around. Mid autumn and controlled burnings of the plantations around the trail was not visually too pleasing, but these were the best conditions to sight the Big One. We were the first vehicle in the forest and it was good as we could catch the mammals in their natural environment, undisturbed, at least till we pass by.

10 minutes into our treacherous drive on the rugged roads of the trail, we found some wild elephants who were not happy with our presence. And they made their intentions pretty clear by waving their head from side to side and trumpeting loudly. We spotted another larger male by a tiny waterhole. He too was not happy in our company but watched from a distance.

Quick facts: Only the male Indian Wild Elephants have tusks, the females do not have much to show-off.

As we drove further on our trail, we noticed numerous Chital (Spotted Deer) crossing the road. Our friend and Naturalist, Kuttapan says that this place is in abundance with this kind of herbivores who don't seem too surprised in our company. Although curious, they seemed not surprised at all. Their dotting eyes and continuously moving ears was searching for other predators. For once humans were not in the top of the predator list.

As we drove by, we saw forest officials burning the greens along the trail. They do this often to keep a clearing between the trail and the thick vegetation. For obvious reasons that the cats and other predators camouflage well with the surroundings and a little clearing helps keep them at bay and safe guard tourists at the park.

Quick thought: Is it really wild when you are trying to control the wilderness!!!

Our search for the Big Cat took us to many small waterholes within the park and finally to the banks of the river Kabini. As we entered silently, at least thats what we thought, we were welcomed by the gazing eyes of numerous Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer, Wild Boar and small groups of Elephants. Although evening was near (4.20PM) and the heat was not at its highest, all animals wanted to drink as much of the last drops of water they could. After all night fall was near and this is "Tiger Country" and the cats rule the nights.

Just over an hour in the safari and we were still deprived of finding a cat. We switched multiple trails and headed to more waterholes. Although we spotted a lot of deer and a few more Elephant families. The cats were truly missing. Or were they...

We spotted a lovely Peacock walking ahead of us on the trail. He surely was not surprised in our presence and continued his lazy walk on the trail. Suddenly, for some reason, he stopped, panicky look on his face and a few quick turns to see and hear around. In a jiffy, he flew away right beside our vehicle in the opposite direction of the one we were facing. Something was there... we could feel it. But where...

Our driver whispered and asked none of us to talk. His finger pointed in a certain direction and our eyes searched through the thick dry vegetation. After a few tense minutes of scanning the dry grass, we finally saw something starring right back at us. It was a Leopard and was not more than 50 feet from us. A super blend of shiny golden brown skin with black dotted spots on the skin was very well camouflaged in the shrubs and grass. He was almost invisible. As I silently worked on my lens to get a shot of the beauty, a sudden purring was too prominent and too close. I could suddenly hear my heart beat and the feeling was not the best I have had. Maybe it was the heat but a few drops of sweat did work around my forehead. I worked my lens closer to us but in the same direction only to find another Leopard, about 20 feet from us and better hidden than his partner. This was where the purring was coming from and it was a clear warning. A few shots of both most Elusive of cats and we where off on the trails again. Although not a Tiger, but a Leopard is one of the most rarest caught on camera and I was happy to have 2 on my shutter.

With the sun beaming through the trees and creating shadows of sorts, I was happy and disappointed at the same time. Happy to see some Cats in the wild and sad to have missed the Tiger.

As we searched for more trails we spotted some lovely wild squirrel and a group of Deer being chased by Langurs, for a change. We saw some lovely ghost trees all over the forest and I should tell you that they are a lovely sight to watch. They are Golden in colour and shine bright. It is their Bark that they shed away to grow newer ones revealing their inner skin which is golden in colour. It has no leaves in the process and looks like a ghostly tree from one of the Chain saw movie's.

Around 6.30PM and our hunt for the majestic big cat was coming to a almost tiring end when we saw some movement in the grass on our right. I kept and my camera ready and hunted the grass line with my lens for more movement and something that may catch my eye. With in minutes, Another large male Leopard appeared form the grass and came half way through the clearing before he stopped to assess the movement around. We were about 70 feet from him at this point and we had more worried eyes than him. He must have been more than 6 feet from nose to tail his majestic stance at the edge of the trail was simply a treat to watch. As I focussed through my lens I noticed him starring right back and it was not a very happy feeling that I had. The Lemony eyes had less of curiosity and more of aggression. He majestically crossed the trail behind us and gave us another stare at the end of the trail before he disappeared in the dry vegetation.

We were holding our breadth for a while before heading back out of the park. Nightfall was not far and this really was not our backyard. As we left the park, there was no regret that we could not find the Tiger, but I was sure a few Tigers did have a long glance at us. After all this was Tiger land and we were not invited.

Thought for the next trip over a beer: A friend of mine and a renowned wildlife expert once told me never to go searching for a Tiger and that is the day you will spot one.

The Bucket List

2010-03-01T15:37:00.008+05:30

What would 2010 bring for me!!!

Although a bit late to put the mind to work, but the consistent thought of preparing a list of things to do till my end comes sounded like an excellent option.

In 2010, I look to prepare a list of all those things that I want, all those places that I would love to visit, all the scintillating food that my palate would like to devour and finally, the retirement plans would be thought upon.

With no random list as such (Although this is the Bucket List of Sorts), 2010 will give my personal life some direction. When I say personal, I dont know if I can take my better half to some of those places or be with my friends drinking the best of wine and cheese, All I can say is, this is me and I will be there in all those places.

To start of the list, I would love to visit “The Cotswolds”

The Cotswolds is a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the "Heart of England", an area 25 miles (40 km) across and 90 miles (145 km) long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The highest point in the Cotswolds range is Cleeve Hill at 1,083 ft (330 m),[1] 2.5 miles (4 km) to the north of Cheltenham. The name Cotswold means either "sheep enclosure in rolling hillsides"[2] or it comes from the term "wold" meaning hills.

The rich green farms cover the land till where one’s vision can drop. The English are known to walk a lot and where else to do it better than here. There is a 250km long walk-way running through the hamlets and villages. More importantly, most of the distance passes through private land and that brings you closer to the real world of the people living here. The taste of bitter beer in one of the Inns would be a treat to my thirsty lips and when it’s all done, the famed English Tea by the fireplace would be the icing on the cake.

Hmmm, that’s one among the list of places I would want to go to.

Boy, this year’s going to be fun…

Sachin Tendulkar... My God

2010-02-24T21:40:00.003+05:30

"Cricket is my religion and Sachin Tendulkar is my God." A famous one-liner we have heard for many years.

I was in office when someone screamed he is on 182 and he stands a good chance of beating his previous record and the world record maybe.

I logged in to the live coverage on one of the popular websites and witnessed him scale his highest score. A few more minutes and he was waving to the scores of Anwar as they were history and out of the record books. A colleague called me and asked me to accompany him to a showroom close by to view history being made.

It was 6PM and my colleague had an important client call and as we were running down the steps he said that even a client can wait for this. just outside the office, we saw some people gather around a barber shop. We ran in to find a sweet spot.

A 14" TV and a room not bigger than 5 by 8. We were 20 people and the volume was loud. It felt that i maybe at the stadium. Dhoni not giving Tendulkar strike was frustrating for a while but he finally gave the man his bit. I looked around and saw fingers crossed, knuckles cracked and feet restless.

199 was the score and he needed 1 to make history. I was thinking at that very moment, who do i pray to? Tendulkar was my God and he was at 199, who do i pray to for him to reach 200? By the time my mind could race for an answer, he tapped the ball to cover and took the single to make history. i could breath again...

His success comes from being humble. I wish we all learn that from him.

Long live Tendulkar....

Body and Mind is demanding a Break

2010-02-17T19:12:00.002+05:30

Have you felt that you have had enough of the worldly chaos, noise and necessities? Well, if you are, then its time you join the boat.

Its that time when your boss starts to look like a monster and work looks like a jail with all people around looking like Institutionalized beings (Shaw-shank Redemption.

The body says, why are you trying to wake up in the mroning and hit the road to office, just lay a while more in bed... The mind says, am i really needed at work and for the numerous meetings ahead.

I need the wilderness for a while. The thought of spending time with the greenery and noise of insects is prominent in my dreams and the boring meetings. What should one do for these things? Breaks cant be too affordable every 4 months... Then how does one satisfy his mind and body... maybe a trip to the spa would help...

I dont know... But i am totally messed up right now.

...Peace...

Sambhar-Rice....

2010-02-16T08:22:00.003+05:30

Isn't it is difficult to try and forget people. We go on trying and pretending to not actually think about them and we do a good job at it, most of the time.

But then just a small instance brings back all the memories and floods your head with thoughts and heart with emotions. Then you become worried, nostalgic and happy at the same time. In short, your Mind-F*#$ed....

We make lives so complicated for ourselves and we pretend to think that things are going as planned...

Sambhar-Rice over dinner last night triggered these thoughts in my mind

Parted with my First Love

2010-01-05T20:50:00.004+05:30

In the summer of 99, a 12 grade adolescent wanted to graduate to the world of biking. His eyes were looking for the perfect lady to accompany him for the journey ahead. There were a few ladies at that time that could stand apart. The Yam (Yamaha RX100) would be of first choice as it was a beauty and would kill just by the stare, but that was too common a girl to hang around with. More like a clone of the best babe around and you never felt that you actually were walking down with only one of its kind. So the hunt continued until some the day a dark, tall and lean girl passed by.

That was it!!!! This will be the girl of my dreams she is the one i will ride along for many years to come. SUZUKI SHOGUN... The BOSS.

Thanks to dad and i had the best bike in business. She took me places from day one. She was more like a good luck charm. Every thing fell in place from the day i brought her home and introduced her to my family and friends. The rest was history.

For the last 10 years, I have had the best of times with my friends with her by my side. From our first trip to Nandi hills with the boys to the water falls near Mysore. From the late night drives around Bangalore to the numerous drags and street races, she was all by my side. Never let me down. The best part, she never asked for a thing in return. Just pat her on the tank and talk to her, she would purr into a musical rhythm which would take me to a state of trance.She took me all the way from Chennai to Bangalore one fine morning when i could not find a way to get home. She helped us on all our parties to Pondy and would send shivers down passers by on the ECR (East Coast Road, Chennai) cruising at 145 kph. Many a drunken nights would have been scary if not for her by my side, holding my hand and taking me home to the safety of my cozy bed.

She Taught me the meaning of the words, NO FEAR.

Been there, seen it and done that, All with her by my side!!!

Will surely miss her all my life.

Fun during the long christamas weekend

2009-12-28T10:32:00.002+05:30

Did nothing much for 3 days but watched movies, ate food, slept, watched movies, ate food, slept and so on.....

I think New year would also be this interesting.

New Year Plan

2009-12-06T18:45:00.002+05:30

Any suggestions for new years.... i cant think of anything and a weekend at home looks like the best option. Kinda reminds me of the days in school, when i used to spend the nights watching new year shows on DD1.

It was a family reunion of sorts...

Leh Trip - Day 7

2009-10-31T14:00:00.000+05:30

The day began with some hot tea and the view of the sun rise. The golden drops of warmth were more than inviting. A quick shower and we hit the road to visit the only Monastery where in the statue of Lord Buddha is in the outside. Lukhil monastery, as it was called in the old days, today has been given a more more acceptable to our palate, Likhir Monastery. This was the only place where we could see many young monks running around the compound of the monastery, many adolescent ones prioritizing their work for the day ahead and the elderly yelling out the days chores to all in their vicinity.

We had packed a crate full of food for our lunch by the Indus. The trickling of water around the rock edges and the steady flow of blue water was truly mesmerizing. A few snaps of us by the river and i was ready to grab a bite from my lunch box. Bioled eggs, Boiled Potatoes, Cheese sandwich, juice and some cookies. Mouth watering!!!! considering the fact that food is difficult to find in this intolerable conditions. Without thinking much about our next agenda and after munching on a hearty meal, we hit the road to Leh town and visit one final monastery, the Spituk Monastery. This Gonpa is perched on a high hill overlooking the Indus river.

The monastery dictates a panoramic view of the valley for miles. Numerous images of Lord Buddha and five 'Thankas' (Scroll painting on silk and brocade) in this 11th century built monastery. Spituk also houses a prized collection of masks, antique arms and an admiring idol of Mahakaal. Although taking pictures of the Airport is strictly prohibited, i did manage to take some that may not be too revealing to the outside world. Few good photos of an Air Force cargo place and the day was closing in on us. A short drive to our hotel and it was already dark. A good dinner and we were of to a good nights sleep before flying out of Leh back to our 'Real' world.

I don't know if this was the real world or the one i was going back to was the one, but i was surely a guest to heaven for the last few days.

Leh Trip - Day 6

2009-10-31T13:30:00.000+05:30

Agenda for the day: To drive to Lamayuru Monastery, visit Alchi, visit the village (Which was not planned initially), Have a borne fire, great dinner and stay the night at a motel at Alchi village. Sounds like a lot but we added a few more things to our plan as the day went by.

We drove around 140 kms to visit the Lamayuru. Most places en-route, like the magnetic hill, the Sangam and the gurudwara, we had visited on an earlier day. So i caught up a long argument with my driver regarding Buddhism, as taught today and to what would have actually been taught by the Buddha himself. Although our thoughts were similar in the matter of fact that todays teachings are more orderly, which is not right, we still argued on the true reasons of re-birth, purpose of being born and many trivial things that we really dont think about in our daily being. It was a great experience to have chatted with him as time flew and we reached moonland. Apparently, many travelers visit this place to admire this view. Their is no other place in the world that looks like this and some say, it looks like a piece of the moon on earth, hence the name.

Next stop, Lamayuru monastery. A nice place with hardly any monks around. when asked, we were informed that most monks were visiting villages and spreading the teachings. Nice place with a beatiful view of the Indus below. We left taking a route that was under construction and it was an amazing road. A good 30 kms stretch ride beside the Indus with the mighty Himalayas giving us a very intimidating feeling.

Lunch bu the Indus and after travelling another few kilometers, we reached Alchi village and we were just in time for evening tea. An amazing masala chai awaited us and sipping it with a smoke was a bliss. We heard some local music playing close by and decided to scan the village. It was a wedding and we walking in. We were greeted by some very friendly people and were offered some local brew called "Chaang". I decided to pass that and opted for some Ladakhi Butter tea. I enjoyed every bit of it and left with some good memories of attending a wedding here.

A few photos from the top of the motel and the wind was getting chill. We hit the comfort of our room and decided to have a fire. A fire place at any altitude just brings out the best of the trip. One hour in sub zero temperatures by the fire and my gloves were out, shoes were off a smoke to bring things back to life. Early dinner and the sack was all that was visible. Slept better then most days. She was much better than the previous day. Maybe thats why...

Leh Trip - Day 5 : Pangong Tso

2009-10-31T13:00:00.000+05:30

This was one of the days i was looking forward to all my life. Somewhere, subconsciously, There was always a thought that i need to visit Pangong Tso. The place where my father took me 20 years back and it was awe inspiring from then on for me. I always wanted to be here when i am older, to remember the place till my last breadth, And today is the day.

It was a little over 130 kms from Leh and we started around 8.30. we started late since we were planning to camp by the lake. If it was to be a day trip, it is advisable to leave much earlier if you want to spend at least 2 hours in heaven. First stop, Karu military station for some breakfast. Next break was to be at Chang la, the Worlds third highest pass. The drive to Chang La was filled with snake like roads, thinner than a street. Ice had hardened on the road and had become dangerous to drive on. Reaching Chang La was an achievement in itself. With only a few Army guards bitting the cold, the place was surrounded with snow and the whisper of winds from the valleys below. A lot of things were running in my head and the most prominent was, 8 out of 10 people cant stand here and be normal. I was perfectly normal. Just like i was born here. That gave me a lot of confidence.

By now my better half was showing signs of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). As usual of her, she would not listen to me and stay awake. She does not listen, at least you try, never sleep when your head feels heavy and you feel like throwing up. Sleep is one way of taking over your body. After coming so far, it was a matter of another 2 hours to Pangong and why not try to reach their even if we could not stay overnight. Next stop, the last village before the chinese border, Tangste. It was a twin village with Durbuk covering the Last and most prominent Army Units to defend our nation.

We stopped for Tea and a smoke. Lush green valleys with Olive green of the Army ever where. My recent haircut left a lot of them in doubt about my shade of Olive green. The next on our map was Pagal Naala (Mad Stream). I could never really understand why would anyone give such a name to a stream.

The first glimpse of the sky blue lake between the hills was from not far away. As we crossed the Army camp that was right up at the beginning of the lake, time just stopped for a while. The Army camp had a souvenir shop and an army run canteen. They also had speed boats and multiple helipads. We were cruising at snail speed as their were no roads to our camp site.

The view of the lake was more than anything i could ever have asked for. I never spoke a word and just captured every inch of the lake in my mind. Their is no other lake in the word so blue. As you go closer to the lake, the colour disappears and becomes the most clear lake you would have ever seen. Wonder where the colour comes from. We parked our car at the camp. My better half was getting bad to worse with her AMS and she decided to sleep for a while. I saw my watch and it was 1.30PM. If we had to leave back to Leh, 2PM is the last option. It is not advisavle to start after that due to multiple reasons. One, "Pagal Naala" lives up to its name. Secondly, the snow on Chang La becomes a skaters paradise and the car does not run on blades.

This was the only place in the world where the lake was much more blue than the sky. I wish i had carried my 100-400 to capture the Bar-Headed Goose. There were plenty of them around. They are solitary hunters and prefer to be swimming alone in the shores of the salted lake.Patience is something that i would love to have had, but when the air around is a little below -10 degrees and there is a subtle breeze blowing across the silent shores of the lake, it is a little too much to ask for. Also, the failing condition of my better half kept my mind half present at the lake.

After spending a good one hour by the lake, i left heaven to get back to check on her condition. And she was not doing very well. I decided at 3.30PM to leave Pangong back to Leh. I am not sure if many people had the courage to take this decision. My driver, with all his experience, was hesitating to take us till Leh. But i convinced him that nothing would happen. A hot tea and we were on the way out of the most beautiful place in the world. 20 kms into our journey back to to Leh, we reached "Paagal Naala".

Now, i will tell you why the name. History says that during summer, after 2PM, one cannot cross the stream as it runs fast and deep. It was a bad strip of road with big rocks and a thin stream of water running over when we crossed around 1PM. By 4PM, the stream was a mini river with strong under currents and our vehicle was more like a canoe up for rafting. Fingers crossed, we were slowly maneuvering over the rocks and the fast stream of sub zero water. My mind was racing with many things. She is not keeping well, the air is getting colder, the sun is setting and the last few rays were visible on the top of mountains the water is getting faster by the minute and we have not even reached half way across the stream. As we reached the end of the stream, the mind, body and muscles relaxed. But i guess that was a bit too early since our prayers had stopped and the "Mental Lake" was not pleased by any chance. The rear right tyre found a sweet spot between two big rocks in the stream and we could not move either ways. My driver and I gave our best shot to try various things, with no luck. In this wilderness, we could not turn back or hope for help, that was the only thing running in my head at this minute. After spending 15 minutes, i heard a Yamaha RX100. At 14,500ft, the sound of an RX100 was pleasing and at the same time i thought i was running nuts. But then, it was really a YAM. The rider was a seasoned guy to these roads and offered a helping hand. We collected small rocks and dug out the large ones from around the tyre. Within minutes, my hands were harder than the stones around and i had lost all sensation in my hands. The water was well below sub zero and would freeze instantly when not in motion. After an hour of struggle, the car finally pulled out of the stream. The rocks settled into the hole and the stream covered the whole struggle up, as though nothing had happened. Paagal Naala, lived up to its name for us.We reached back home at around 8PM without any more problems. She was already feeling better as Leh was lower in altitude. I was feeling a bit upset about not being able to see the sun rising and no being able to go to Khardungla the next day. But i slept with the thought that, I will come one more day top see these places again. For now, it was her health that was of number one priority. The thing that kept me calm was the lovely view of crystal clear waters and the colour blue of the Lake.

I will be back one more day to see the Great Pangong Tso...

Leh Trip - Day 4

2009-10-31T12:30:00.000+05:30

A long drive of close to 120km to Alchi at 8.30 AM was planned and on our ride to Alchi, we witnessed some lovely low level flying by the Sukhoi's among the hills. A bit further and 2 ALH's were also patrolling the skies. Nice to know that at least there is someone apart from you in these dry cold deserts.

Alchi monastery, one of the oldest shrines in Ladakh dating back to the 11th century. The monastery is owned by the Likir monastery a little distance away. The numerous 11 century books line in the inside walls of the monastery around the gold Maitreya Buddha. The place outside the shrine is famous for its massive Stupa's, ranging almost 2 storeys in height. A stupa is a place where ancient Buddhist teachings along with Buddhist statues and rituals are buried for future generations.

On our way back to Leh, we were to visit Sangam, that's the place where two rivers meet to become the giant Indus. In summer, this place is flooded with water and is one of the favourite spots for the starting point of Rafting. The rapids down hill get crazy and call for some serious business. One of the bad things coming off season, cant go rafting. Anyway, I have planned a bike trip sometime next year. I will surely raft in Leh.

Magnetic Hill was our next on the agenda and it surely disappointed us. Although, when viewed in the naked eye from close inspecton, the hill seemed to pull the vehicle uphill, but when I walked to a distance of 100 mtr plus, i notices that its as good as an optical illusion. The land around makes us feel that it is an uphill, actually, its the end to a steep downhill and a down hill will have slope and thus move a vehicle. Hence Proved!!!

Next stop, Gurduwara Pathar Sahib. An amazing Gurduwara built with quite a history to it. Built managed and maintained by the Indian Army, the legend says that the depression in the rocks was caused when the rock fell on Guru Nanak and melted upon touching his body to take his shape. A couple of Army jawans manned the premise and we were overwhelmed to have been offered Langar even at these heights. The true spirit of the lord lives everywhere.

A short drive into Leh town and we were heading to the Leh Palace. This place is a beauty during the September Leh festival. With lights illuminating the entire 14th century structure, the magnificent Palace stands tall with the mountains surrounding it. A 9 storied structure, with huge rooms inside. The only place today used by the descendants of the royal family is the chapel inside for religious purposes. The view of Leh town from the top of the Palace is a dream. The town below, River Indus reflecting the sun and the tall snow capped mountains is a treat to the eyes. We left with fond memories of how the kings lived, some mantras that we picked from the evening prayers at the chapel in the palace and a sense of thought that we are heading to Shanti Stupa.

The place was gigantic. It was built not long into the past, but with an intent to be there for centuries. Shanti Stupa is the largest single place in the world where all of Buddha's relics, holy dharma books and Buddha statues are sealed inside for future generations. A stupa is a symbol of Buddha's teachings. The place itself was divine. It carried a lot of silence and sense of relief. When we were there, the mind suddenly became calm and body rejuvenated. The temple below the Stupa was in itself a marvel. Built in pure gold, Buddha's statue was surrounded by his two disciples and a lot of intricate artistry. After visiting so many monasteries and temples in Leh, it was a treat to finish it with the best of the temples with so much of colour and purity. I felt that i was one more step closer to understanding Buddha!!!

Leh Trip - Day 3: A visit to the Monasteries

2009-10-31T12:00:00.000+05:30

Woke up early, it was a spine chilling 2 degrees at 9 AM. Had some hot soup, cheese sandwiches for breakfast, packed more sandwiches for lunch and hit the road.

Agenda: visit monasteries and palaces around Leh.

First up, the Stok palace. A lovely palace overlooking Leh city from the southern side. Although the sun would give us some respite from the otherwise chill breeze, we had to enter the palace and boy was it cold. we had to take of our shoes at the more holy places within the palace. The inside temperature would surely have been well in the sub zero region. there were many artifacts from the 16th century inside. the silver cups and tea kettles, the gold ornaments and the queens turquoise stone studded crown. There was a 300 year old Yak skin wine maker. Many stuffed mountain goat heads lined the Kings chamber. It was a spooky place with a holy fragrance filling the air. A step outside gave us the much awaited heat from the sun and respite from all the spookiness. We took some lovely shots of the resident birds, the Magpie, and the view of Leh city from the grand balconies of the palace before we hit the road to our next destination.

Up next, we visited the Hemis Gonpa, the biggest Gonpa in Ladakh. It was built in the early 17th century. The entrance was lined up with long queues of Prayer wheels which were a great sight. it is a must only to rotate the prayer wheels in the clock wise direction to spread a holy message to the world across. I religiously did that on every prayer wheel around. The Hemis is house to the giant statue of 'Guru Padmasambhava'. He was one of the greatest followers of Buddhist teachings and widespread awareness programmes in the 8th century. There were close 500 resident monks in the promise and it was a lovely sight to see all chanting some mantras but still carrying out there day to day activities in rhythm. I left the place with a big smile on my face as it was one step closer the understanding of Buddhism for me.

We visited Thiksey Gonpa next. It was a sight to the giant Gonpa from a distance. as we walked through the doors of the monastery, we could hear chanting of many monks and some kind of ritual going on. The eagerness to see the ritual was growing but so were the number of steps to reach the top. Once on top, we saw many old monks chanting some mantras, playing there holy drums and a long 8 feet long flute. Inside was the massive statue of "Maitreya Buddha", the future Buddha. It was an awe inspiring statue. It was as though the Buddha was overlooking the entire valley and waiting for his arrival to cleans it of its dirt.

On our Agenda next was to visit the Shey palace. This is where the royal family resided before moving to the Stok palace during the mid 18 century. This palace was built around mid 16th century. The shrine inside houses the copper glided statue of Lord Buddha rising to a height of 3 storeys. There is no other statue of this kind anywhere in Ladakh.

On the way back I insisted on visiting my school where I had studied 20 years back. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Leh. Although many people did not recognise my school today, I remembered the way to the place and gave directions to the driver. He was amazed. A visit to the principal said that the building had changed in 2001 and the one I studied in has been donated to the government for a boys higher secondary school. I was introduced to the school attendant by the principal who joined in 1989 and remembers a bit from the old days. when I asked about my Math teacher who I dreaded back in the days, he clearly remembered him to be Mr. Narendra.

Generally a good day visiting monasteries and my school. Ate early and slept peacefully.

Leh Trip - Day 2

2009-10-31T11:30:00.000+05:30

With only 2 hours of sleep and a major hangover, i reached the airport at 4.30AM to take the 5.45AM flight to Leh. Air India sucks and so does every hostess. They don't have manners and courtesy. I am sad i pay taxes for these people to give such a pathetic service.

Anyway, Landed in Leh at 7.30AM. the cabin temperature was set to a normal 25 Deg. As we got out after landing, we were informed that the outside temperature was -4 deg. Stepped out of the plane to witness the first snowfall of the season. It was an enthralling feeling. I saw snow after 20 years. The tiny flakes of snow touching your skin with a painless prick and melting into an invisible tiny droplet before even your eyes wink. Everyone were appraising the flight commander, Capt. Ajit Singh's flying capabilities as very few have landed in Leh in such extreme conditions.

We waited at the airport for a while before we were picked up to our hotel, a few minutes drive from the airport. We met the owner of the hotel and we realized that he had traveled with us on the same flight here. Mr. Tashi Motup was a very nice man and extended his warm welcome to us. A hot cup of tea and the rest of the day would be spent acclimatising to the weather and thin air. Although, Anu did play a while in the Snow before hitting the sack.

Sleep is all what we did... A good trip lay ahead!!!

Leh Trip - Day 1 @ Delhi

2009-10-31T11:00:00.000+05:30

Reached Delhi at 9.30. A good friend picked me up from the airport and we drove to his house. I witnessed a new generation of roads. 10 lanes and 34 level toll gates, which on a weekday would be packed for hours. Within 20 min we reached DLF phase 1. I could not stop looking at each house. Massive is an understatement. I really wonder where does so much money come from. it was the next day to Diwali and most shops and people were still waking up with a strong hangover.

10.30AM and we hit the 1st wine shop open. The dude at the counter was counting all the money he had raked in the previous night. Picked a few bottles of beer and hit the road to his house. Shoes off, beer opens, hit the bean bags - All this to start a lovely Sunday morning, the way it is supposed to be.

Drank till night and slept very late. This must have been the best Sunday in a long time.

Leh - A journey through time

2009-10-30T13:08:00.002+05:30

I'm back from one of the most craziest adventure trips one can ask for... you have to see the photos to believe the place and have to go there at least once in your lifetime. I have been lucky to be there twice and the third time, it will surely be on a bike...

I'm talking about Leh, Ladakh.

The link to the photos is http://www.flickr.com/photos/arvind_king/

my detailed blog will be up shortly... !!!

Leh Calling

2009-10-11T10:33:00.004+05:30

It happened over a night of confusion and 10 days of leave at bay... couldn't decide where to go and finally, after hours of thought, Leh/Ladakh came to our minds.

It will be cold, most hotels will be closed and many passes would be frozen; but still i like the idea of wilderness. The serene layout of nature and myriad thoughts of connecting with the supreme being.

From the breadth taking monasteries to the never ending lakes, its just what a tired mind wants right now. Dates have been fixed, tickets booked and bags almost packed, Its just the day a I am waiting for.

By the way, I'm currently reading "Buddhism - A short story" by Edward Conze and it is setting the mood for the journey.

So long Bangalore....

My Friends Church wedding

2009-09-26T18:43:00.002+05:30

I just got back after a friend of mine finished all his formalities in the church to be socially accepted as a married man.

The ceremony was right out of a lovely movie with the choir playing lovely notes and the priest reminding us of the foundation of marriage. He was so right about the fact that we marry after knowing each others positives and negatives and then forget the same after marriage.

Will write more after attending his reception tomorrow...

My Friends Wedding Registration

2009-09-24T20:50:00.003+05:30

One of my closest friends got legally married today and it was such a happy occasion. Although it was just a registration of his marriage, before the marriage, it was another one of those rare days when the 5 of us met.

The 5 of us were barely looking at each other, smiling as though it is a formality and cracking jokes that make sense to no one. Just getting old i guess or maybe plain stupid.

Anyway, i am extremely excited and looking forward to a week full of fun and memories clubbed with a wedding that has been anticipated by many for a long time.

Plan for October

2009-09-21T11:41:00.002+05:30

I have been breaking my head as to planning for October holidays. With nearly 10 days off, still unclear about which places to visit...And its getting frustrating.

Looks likely that i cancel the leaves and look forward to working through the month :(

Pure Bliss

2009-08-10T13:11:00.015+05:30

Chikmagalur - A weekend of surprise for my better half clubbed with memories lasting a lifetime, thats what both of us would carry with us forever.

A very relaxed drive took us just under five hours to reach a place we had never been to before. Nestled in the foot hills of Baba Budan hills, Chikmagalur is a calm, serene town full of scenic surprises, hills, valleys, streams and snow-white coffee blossoms. Situated 251 kms from Bangalore, Chikmagalur is a trekker's delight, with its rugged mountain trails.

I kept the surprise of the place we were to stay till our car crept into our refuge at the end of a long and winding road, snaking between forests of tall trees, cloaked in pepper wines, shading the burgeoning bushes of coffee called 'The Serai'.

Serai, the Turkish interpretation is ‘a palace of the Sultan’, the Persian version means a comfortable, accommodative place where intrepid travellers and battle-weary soldiers rested and recuperated from their rigours and travels across inhospitable terrain. And the life we lead today is no different from the description above. The place is "Pure Bliss". If you have a plan, Serai is not the place for you. Go there to do nothing. Just relax and unwind.

After checking-in to the pool side estate villa at 5 star delight by the Amalgamated Beans & Coffee, i hit the comfy chair by the pool and Anu took a dip into the chilly waters of the pool. She played like a 6 year old in the water for the first time. Swirling in the shallow pool, Splashing water all around & trying to see how far she could float... She was a kid exploring newer grounds like never. The day was just perfect.

The idea was to laze and this was the perfect place to do just that. We took an early evening stroll on the estate and decided to see around the property. A look in each direction is an image to be stored in your hearts. The thick pepper wines, swaying on the stem of tall trees, warned us to stand back and admire only. We just relaxed till our eyes shut on the first day at Serai.

Our eyes woke up to the most breadth taking view one could get from his bed. A large French window across our living was like a wall paper. The trees, the birds chirping and the fog was just picture perfect. While sipping over our morning coffee, we had seen the mist rising out of the forests, wreathing the wooded mountains beyond and noosing a high peak with light. We were told it was the highest peak in Karnataka with the mellifluous name of Mullahnagiri. We decided to drive up to the top of the mountain.

From the heights of Mullahnagiri, the green ridges of the western ghats stretched down to the densely wooded plantations, and then on to the flatlands, patched with fields and highlighted with the glisten of blue lakes and wetlands. Tattered veils of mist drifted over the mountains trailing shape-shifting shadows in their wake. It was very beautiful in an untamed, Lord of the Rings sort of way.

Lunch awaited us post our eventful trip into the woods. The irony was, a while ago we were lunch for some tigers in the hills of Baba Budan hills. After feasting on a well spread out lunch, we decided to hit the bed for a while.

We woke up to another spectacle, the moon rise. It was a full moon night and the gleaming milk laden view of the mountains made us gaze in awe for a good 15 minutes. The moon was playing hide and seek with the mountains and us as we strolled around Serai to enjoy the peace and sanctity of this place. The mornings were full of wonderful songs sung by some wonderful birds and the evenings were like a jazz concert with many insects adding a tone for the audience. A light dinner ensured a smooth sleep in the valleys of Chikmagalur.

Day 3 started a walk deep in to the estates. The birds giving us company and the monkeys letting us know that we were in their territory. The tall trees made us look puny and thick vegetation seemed to be never ending. All tired after an early morning walk, we headed back to a swim in the chill waters of the pool, a nice warm hour long dip in the tub and a lazy hot water shower to compliment the chill weather outside. after a late breakfast, we decided to hit the library. The library was well stocked with a collection of large books that were a delight to the eyes. They were a collection of pictures around the western ghats and they were work of some very good pair of hands on a camera. A heavy lunch meant some sleep and to laze in the evening.

The next day was when we were to leave and believe me, it was one of the most difficult things to do. Leaving so many wonderful things behind was like asking an old man to walk on the street without his stick and glasses. He would feel weak more than anything. We felt very weak...

In a frazzled world, absorbing the serenity could be a major gain for many opting for a stay at "The Serai".

Snaps at http://www.flickr.com/photos/arvind_king

We didn't make it to the Top 12

2009-07-23T15:41:00.005+05:30

From all the excitement in the previous blog to all low today....

We could not make it to the top 12. It was heart-breaking, disappointing, shattering and the entire painful words one can describe. Not that we have one so many challenges in the past that we should be disheartened. In fact, coming to think of it, i have never one a challenge/prizes/event apart from the school level 100 meter sprint.

I had set so many things on this and now we are back to square one. I am planning to take the day off as i have a bad head-ache since the results are out.

Anyway, I will be doing something soon just to take this off my mind. Somewhere deep inside I have given hopes of ever competing again. Our daily routine is enough to survive I think....

On a sad note, see you all soon...

We are in the TOP 100

2009-07-20T15:53:00.000+05:30

Wuuuuuuu... Huuuuuuuuuu

Yipee.....

We are in. Guess all the fingers crossing has done its job for us. We are in and it feels good. This is the first time that i am selected (Even if its the first round) for any event. So many messages, mails, calls to so many events.... and this one worked.... I am happy.

Now its down to working on the paper work.... documents, etc....

Hmmmmm, let me cross my fingers for the next process of selection.

The wait is over

2009-07-17T12:49:00.001+05:30

After pondering on the website of the driving challenge for weeks, the wait is finally over. Today, being the last day for people to do something with their profiles. It’s quite weird as it feels that we have nothing to do in the evenings anymore. No more pushing friends to vote, no more running behind office mates to write a testimonial and no more comparing our votes with other to see if anything new has been happening.

Must say, a couple of guys have a good profile and deserve to win. But the fact that we have been there from 22nd June morning post reading the add in the newspaper, makes me believe that we should make it to the top 100. For whatever reason, if I don’t get this, i will feel that the real people, who try things the better way, get nothing.

So lets see, hope for the best and keep your fingers crossed.

The Challenge and the Honey moon trip

2009-07-14T11:52:00.000+05:30

Forgot to mention 300 but 400 looks good. It is a humongous challenge to push your friends to Vote and then the stupid website does not send the mail. I have lost over 50 votes just because the mails did not go from the website to my friends. I wish there was a way out....

The good thing is, if i am facing this problem, everyone are.. :)

I will surely push people to get me till 500. i still have not asked my office team to vote, keeping for the last day. 500 votes at least 50 testimonials and in the top 100 would give me satisfaction that i at least stand a chance.

17th is the D day, lets see how things go.

Amidst all this chaos, Anu and i were planning our honey moon and we could not think of many places. Although we have an idea of what we want. something like a beach is for sure (The snow idea has been put on hold), Out of the country is for sure (We can always visit places in India right) and the budget should not be more than a Lakh.... does that sound like a plan????

Milestone 200

2009-07-09T21:15:00.000+05:30

Its amazing that we crossed 200 votes at 4 pm today. What a feeling i had. I thought, ok, now we are getting somewhere. It took a lot of courage to check the names list by popularity. We needed it coz i saw that a lot of people were demonstrating last few days of aggresive voting. And boy were we in for a surprise, almost everyone were getting 20-30 votes every day. We needed to do something... Give me an idea fast.... somebody give me an idea!!!

A daily routine

2009-07-08T11:03:00.000+05:30

1. Wake up in morning and log in to ee if you got votes

2. Check mail for anything important

3. head to office and think about all the activities for the day

4. Time flies doing something or the other.

5. Check for votes sometime during the day and crib that nothing has happened

6. get back in the evening listening to some hit numbers on the Radio

7. Do something for dinner

8. Hit the bed...

...Such a monotonous life... What can be done to bring a change???

Im sure this question keeps bugging us all. Does anyone have an answer, i would not know. But one thing is for sure, that day is not far when we would brake loose and just do what we have to...

Trying hard to remain in the 3rd Page

2009-07-07T11:49:00.000+05:30

It took Anita 2 days, a lot of patience and even lot of calls to friends in order to increase our votes and come back in to the 3rd Page. The top guys are battleling it out by trying to reach 1000 votes and here we are struggling to reach 150. I am note sure where this is going and i am slowly loosing patience.

Give me some hope guys. We are trying our best. I guess its just not enough and surely, such a challenge is just a dream for a 9 to 5 working class member like us.

2009-07-05T16:50:00.000+05:30

It has been 2 agonizing weeks to reach 100 votes as of today at the The Great Driving Challenge. Its weird that some contestants have reached 500 to 600 votes. I just don’t seem to attract that many friends or people. Guess there networking must be really good.

I am not quite sure how the top 100 members would be shortlisted. Would it purely be on votes or the content or just the story you place in your travelogue. Either ways, this is one hell of a place to be in right now.

Let me thank you in advance for taking the trouble to vote for us, can't tell you how much Anu and I appreciate it.

2009-05-10T17:14:00.000+05:30

My last trip as a bachelor!!!!

Atleast thats the way the boys around me put it across as. A long pending trip and a long pending trip with only the boys. It was fun. We all finished a long day at work and hit the road in a friends car. With all 4 of us having good driving experience under our belt, we decided to take turns to sleep and drive. We left by 8 p.m. and started the journey with a long traffic jam that kept us in the city well beyond 11 p.m. Once on the highway, things were smooth with a couple of beers cooling our heals of. With stops every 100kms our journey was the least tiring. We were greeted for a chill early morning amidst the lush green hills of Karwar and i took over the wheel. The drive was more than fun as the weather was holding good, atleast for the early part of the day, during mid summer. We hit south Goa at 9 a.m. and decided to grab ourselves a good English Breakfast. Boy was that the best breakfast i had tasted in recent times.

Believe it or not, we just ate the whole trip thereafter. We decided to hit Baga and find a place by the beach to relax. We reached Baga by 12 p.m. and found our old friend Francis who owns a nice li'll place opposite Tito's in Baga. After taking a shower, we hit the shacks and boy were we in for a party. The view was nice, the food was good, the weather was pleasant and best of all, the indian girls on the beach were rocking. Give me a break guys, its my last trip as a bachelor, I will be mentioning a lot of girls in this blog...

Amidst all the food and Beer, i spotted 2 pairs of the loveliest legs a had seen in a long time. Their they were swaying from left to right and back. One was in a yellow top and the other in a green top. My wingman took over the reins and suggested that the yellow one was his visual pleasure for the trip, so i had to settle with the green one. After all the food, beer and drowning in our own saliva, we were so dead that we decided to hit the bed early.

We woke up early to plan for some water sports. We struck a deal with one of the beach boys and got a package kinda thing done for all of us for all the sports in the water. The first one was a killer. It was called the bladder ride for some unknown reason. Maybe because you may pee in your jogs during the ride. We were holding on to a mat like contraption which had some air in it. My wingman and i, holding on to the mat, were dragged across the rough beaches of Baga. We were thorwn around from left to right everytime the boat swered in different directions. One giant wave awaited us and we were all over the beach. Arguably the best water sport i have done in a long time.

This followed with the much calmer Banan ride and then the Bumpy Water scooter. Finally we hit the Parasailing and that was cool. the ride on the small boat and the ride in the air was all fun to finish of with.

Hungry like a pack of wolves after finishing a long days work, we hit our Fav shack, Zanzi Bar. To our surprise, the same set of legs had occupied the bench in front of us and boy did they look better today. I guess its the mood that triggers the sensation. Today the colours were even better. Like my friend described them, "they are like the myriad hues of the rainbow". Like before it was food, beer and the lazy feeling doing its bit till late evening. We did some shopping in the evening for the women back home and hit the bed early. The third day was no less than the other days, wonderfull morning and some wonderfull food.

We packed ourselves for the drive back and left by noon on sunday. The trip back was so unrestful and it brought about a feeling of monotony. We reached back home late at night with a lot of memories that will keep us going on for a long time. Especially those wonderful legs...

Indeed it would be the last all boys party before one of us gets married.

A trip to Wayanad

2009-02-10T22:40:00.002+05:30

Had been to God's own country over the weekend. One might need a week's time to see enough of Wayanad. We had only 2 days, but we did not rush to squeeze in many places.

Kalpetta seems to be the prominent town in Wayanad district and other places of interest are easily accessible from there. One cannot afford to sleep along the route from Calicut to Kalpetta, unless he/she is colour blind.

Although this place is second to none of the hill stations in Tamil Nadu, I could barely see a queue in any of the places. Thanks to lack of commercialisation.

Pookot Lake:
Situated some 20kms from Kalpetta, this lake is ideal to visit in the evenings just when the Sun falls behind the adjoining mountains. It is advisable to wear shorts or three-fourths, a good pair of sandals and have a watchful eye unless you want to donate blood involuntarily to the leeches surrounding the lake. Probably one of the fewest lakes, where I didnt see couples lost in love on the boats.

Edakkal Caves:
Takes about an hour's drive to reach there. There's steep concrete path stretching for about 1.5km between the parking lot and the mouth of the cave. The main cave is another 200 metres climb from there. After all the pains one can witness the cave that recaptures the days of cavemen.There is another small peak to be scaled from there. Worth every bit of effort to reach the top.

Soochipara falls:
Easily the pick of our trip. There can be no better camera than the human eye, to capture all that the falls offered. We were welcomed by a gorgeous arc of rainbow. There was no way one could go near the torrents. We were lucky to find a small bed of rocks that was shallow enough to let us have a dip. The water was so pure and fresh, that we never felt like stepping out of the water if not for the darkness.

Except for the local food, it was a very memorable trip and a nice retreat.

Meeting... With an Insight - Part 2

2008-09-05T11:14:00.000+05:30

Something that i never expected happened. I just could not keep my mouth shut. i never realised how people can be so sensitive. The best part, i never learn from my mistakes. I discussed with the guy whose leg i had pulled with a girl, and he says, why does this always happen to you!!!! I felt bad in a way,i am still feeling bad. Not for the fact that i had hurt her, not for the fact that a Joke went bad.... Just for the reason that, i am not learning. I only hope this blog reminds me to keep my mouth shut when others are around. Talkin leads one to so much shit!!!! i want to believe in the saying, "Silence is a virtue"

But does one enjoy when quite? Are meetings with friends justified if one has to be quite? I dont think i will ever know, but i will always keep quite and try to learn from my mistakes....

Meeting... with an insight!!!

2008-08-24T11:22:00.000+05:30

We met up with "The Tribals" again and played these tiny old school pranks on everybody. It was a great evening yesterday. Visiting a coffee shop after so long brought back old memories of college days. I still dont know why i stopped visiting the coffee bars... Is it just that we dont have the time anymore? or the need to stay home after a gruelling weeks work gives a more relaxing outlook? I think that a coffee bar was a place where we could discuss those intricate details which we could not do at home. We needed a place to sit, talk, eat and do things which we could not do under the strict supervision of our parents. That phase was a must on college and that need is no longer there now. Hence, the need for a coffee bar just faded away.

Every thing was going nice and smooth till the time we needed to order something to eat. Now here is the best part, i was given the job to order for the college girls. I selected what they might like the most. Most liked my selection except one of them. And she was really devastated by what she had got. A prominent sadness had clouded her face and she just could not get out of it. All the time i was contemplating whether i had given her something that she did not like, or was it that the others got more of some thing that i ordered. I tried to relate to my old college days and I came to the conclusion that it was probably the size of the dish that left her sad. She had the best of chocolate slices but she was not content becoz other had got more. Their plates were full. If i was in her place, I would have reacted the same way for sure. But i remembered an old instance.

"A teacher asks his class to come home for tea. They all were served with tea in different cups. Some nice crystal ware and other hip new ceramic cups. there were two cups extra in the tray and they were the least attractive ones. Everybody looked through the lot and picked the best cups and at last only the two plain looking cups were lift back. The Teacher took the cups of tea, passed one to his wife and sipped throught the other. He said, "Most of us want the best of everything in life, but the best is not on the outside, its from the inside. The best is not in the quantity, its in the quality. The tea is the same in all the mugs but everybody looked at the mugs and gave them more importance". His saying has marked a great impact on my thoughts and i look beyond the plate of food in the offering.

When i suggested some thing for them, no matter what the quantity, no matter what the stuff, it had love from me and i was just giving my best. Sometimes our best just does not satisfy everybody....

Recent Trip made me younger

2008-08-20T09:59:00.000+05:30

My girlfriend would always tell me... "your old..." I would never want to accept that but the more i tried, the more i started believing her. The number of useless words i uttered regularly had come down drastically during the years. The need to talk less was eminent in most of my conversations. A more gentlemanly poise made me feel comfortable. How others percieved my composure has become an integral part of my living. All these have turned me into an "old" man among the ones i know.... For good or bad... well only time can tell

In my quest to know what are the other finer things that lets one judge you age, i recently acquired a lot of inputs after my trip to Wayanad. We were in the company of two kind of people, one, very young bunch of college going students and the other was a couple few years older. Both played a very vital role in my understanding of the word "Age".

The younger lot were really cool in terms of their limited understanding of the generic term called life... with the attitude to live for today, they were very happy as the minute passed by. Unlike most of us, who keep working our heads on the next days issues or trying to solve trivial problems, they have free minds. The reason for that is that they are still not independent in the ways of life. I believe that unless people start earning their buck and spending out of it, they would never realize its importance. Since one is free from so many thoughts, one tends to have a smile always.... The other thing is that, they are so self contended with everything they have, that the need to have more is hardly visible. As we grow older, the need to have more becomes prominent in our thoughts. This is the most important thing that i learnt being with them. "Keep things simple and you will be happy", is what comes to my mind when i relate to them.

The couple was very happy and self satisfied, they came with the idea of having fun, in company of others or without. They danced with each other, walked with each other and cracked jokes on each other... they were so lively with each other. The need to think about anything else never came up as they had left those thoughts back home and had come to relax. "Knowing your need to do what you are doing now will take away all other thoughts and keep you free". I never kind of figured why i went on trips with friends.... why i wanted a vacation? If one knows the reason, he/she would be so contended that he got it, that other thoughts would never crop up.

I learnt that no matter what age or what thoughts one has in mind, if you have a reason to enjoy, you would stay young forever... (will do more research and post them later)

The Duchy of Kalhatty

2008-01-14T20:55:00.001+05:30

The Duchy of Kalhatty is an estate over 300 acres in size, in the land of an aromatic herb called tea. Kalhatty is a small region about 20 kilometres from Ooty, off the Bandipur-Mudumalai Highway. Easily accessible by road, it’s a beautiful drive to the estate. Herds of elephants, an occasional wandering bison and many monkeys kept us company along the way.

The Duchy of Kalhatty is an estate owned by Dr. Krishna Kumar Manikath Aiyar and his wife, Nuria, a Japanese lady who runs a non-profit organisation promoting racial and cultural integrity. The foundation is called ‘’International Children’s Village in Happy Valley” and is situated at Mathur, a small town 80 kilometres from Bangalore. That’s another story by itself.

Dr. Krishna Kumar belongs to the royal family, which ruled the region of Cochin before Independence. They live in true royal style in a castle on the hill leading an almost fairytale life. Cottages in the estate are rented out to guests for Rs.600 per person, per day, food included. It’s completely worth the money. Cars cannot reach the cottages, so you have the option of trekking up the last 1.5 kilometres or waiting for the jeep. Both options are exciting in their own way. You can also opt to stay at Dr. Krishna Kumar’s residence, which has rooms to let. These rooms are priced at Rs.4, 500/- and offer a variety of comforts including a spectacular view of the entire hilly range. It is best suited for couples and honeymooners.

Kalhatty gets real cold at night, so the bonfire feels good. You can also have a barbeque for Rs.500. The cook is very talented and the barbeque tastes heavenly. Sitting under starlit skies in the midst of a forest, looking out for dark figures that may be bison, elephants or even a Bengal tiger adds to the excitement.

City lights are only dim memories and the forest speaks to you in sounds that mesmerize and taunt. The smell of the wild intoxicates your mind and all you see is the beauty of the untamed forest. Mornings are beautiful, with millions of birds chirping all at once and bison grazing on a hill across the valley. A sightseeing safari will cost you Rs.1000, which includes boating in the Ooty Lake, a tour of the site where several films are shot, Pykara Falls, stunning tea estates and a couple of nice drives.

All the regular stuff apart, one of the most amazing things you can do is visit the king in his castle. The drive up to his place is an adventure. The hill is really steep and his jeep drives up at almost a 70-degree angle. Over dangerously narrow passages and slippery rocks we bounced along in a 4-wheel drive Gypsy driven by the king himself. It was an unforgettable ride. He drives real fast and knows the hill like the back of his hand. But for us rookies, it was an adrenalin filled adventure. More so because of a bison that blocked our path and insisted on leading the way for half an hour. Bison are very powerful creatures; the lone ones are most dangerous and can attack if you get too close.

The king, as we like to call him because he insists that he isn’t one, is a treasure house of knowledge. Talking to him is like watching a movie that shows you exciting glimpses of the entire world history. The Duchy of Kalhatty is his baby and he preserves its beauty as best as he can. Living amidst it is almost magical, like you’re transported to a different world; it’s truly a fairytale.
We didn’t want to leave Kalhatty and as we drove away from it a lone verse from Wordsworth’s poem began to play in our minds. “The woods were lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.”

General info: Kalhatty is 253 kilometres from Bangalore in the state of Tamil Nadu. From Mudumalai Forest, take a left onto Masangudi on Kalhatty Road. 18km from Masangudy is the Duchy of Kalhatty.

Buses are available from major cities to Ooty. Kalhatty is 20 kilometres from Ooty. Toy train to Ooty is available from Mettupalyam, 90 kilometres from Coimbatore. A beautiful ride, it has 156 bridges and numerous tunnels.