Done with a modest Sethji dinner, and the night still young, we decided to give the much hyped AVATAR a shot. Intelligence gathered during the day gave conclusive evidence to show that PVR shows were sold out. Even Swati's run to the ticket counter did not help win us a convert to AVATAR, it had sent too many calls and not many seats to offer (:-)). Even the 2D mode was sold out, and we decided to settle in for RocketSingh ( for the first few times, I just could not get the name, I kept saying Rocketman ).
Charismatic first half, fun filled, with Ranbir doing complete justice to Shimit Amin's calls. The very first scene showing 37.82 % on the website, where Ranbir gives us a glimpse of what we were in, for the next 150 odd minutes. The only filmi thing was the sheer ease with which a slogger workaholic manages to woo a girl, and that too in no time. The good thing however was that this Romeo-Juliet affair was never given any extra-time, kept the movie going on the main-theme.
Post popcorn moments however were more than predictable, fun now replaced with a flow of emotions. The villain gets his foothold, probably giving Ranbir a chance to show-case his non Romeo skills. Altogether, a good watch, we walked out of INOX, with no great regrets of being AVATAR rejects :D
Found this one on my iphone's notes application, something that I scribbled 2 months back, found it nice so here it is
Atlanta international airport ,Georgia 6 am
My eyes are red, the free coffee from Airtran did not help big time into waking me up ,, may be couple of cappuccino s from the next door Starbucks might do the job but I doubt ..
It's been 3 &1/2 days of the trans-American trip now drawing to a close . . What starting off as a late night plan on my early nights at Pittsburgh has now materialized and is over .. Adding 3 more states to this great American pilgrimage spanning 10 or 11 ( I m still confused ) states over 89 days
5$ gambled at vegas . . Onam. Special lunch @ LA , homage to Micheal Jackson at his Beverly hills residence,, the super scenic drive along the pacific coast . . Crossing over to the it hub of silicon valley . Then sneaking on through the golden gate into the crooked streets of San Francisco . . The city that does not need a Disneyland to give the roller coaster experience & sadly flying off from SF back to Pittsburgh . . I never thought I would ever be sad boarding a flight to Pittsburgh . . Been days of rewinding memories back to the good old Bhavans days (thanks to RV) & a run down the alleys of the ever green NITC days ( Thomas n Matt guiding the tour ). The all awaited west coast trip is over and I am back 3 hours towards india
The sky is beginning to wake up to a lazy day after the Labour day weekend . It's time to get back to work and leave the west coast tales all treasured only to make sure that I do all that I can to get back to Hotel of California.
P S : I am yet to edit the pile of images from the US .. guess they should begin their journey through copper cables some time early december
704, Hotel Affinia, 7th Avenue,31st St. that is where this post is being keyed in. 400m off the picturesque TIMES SQUARE. The party here never ends, we were there till 2 am and it was just picking up. What has been the significant difference that this city had from the other cities that i visited here is the energy that you get to see here. Life is 'hip n happening' with everyone having the feeling that they are on the 7th heaven, everyone happy and lost in their own world.
I did manage to capture a few of these moments on my 350D but not really happy with the shots i got, some of them are nice though. Was all set to take a panorama of the times square when a cop came in and asked - "Sir, do you have a permit to use this, the tripod, If not, please fold it up and get going, you can take hand-held shots though.". After being scared already on the "TOP OF THE ROCK" for opening up the tripod, I did not attempt it again.
This city really personifies PASSION,AMBITION,ENTHUSIASM and so on. One thing I would have loved to have in NYC is air-conditioning of the subway stations, they literally burn. Another detailed post on NYC, its attractions, how to do a quick and tiring tour of NYC :)
This is Srikanth signing off @ TIMES SQ. NEW YORK CITY
I am reading "Hot, Flat & Crowded" .. the fact that the world is through a critical climate era is slowly sinking in. We are in great need of the single big quality - COMMITMENT, know that it is a lot to ask for but the ask is at a time where we can do something to alter it. Any time later, we can only brood.
We drove down to this super serene landscape at West Virginia ( the states coined - WILD n WONDERFUL .. it truly was ). Had some great time with the camera, doing decently well on the 30 sec shots ,, got one lovely shot of Elekala falls .. bottom line had oodles of FUN. Here is another entry to my list of MUST VISIT AGAIN
PS : will finish the book and write on it soon and going to NYC tmrw :)
a real busy show showing which pant goes well with which TOP :)
If you are addicted to your TV and you are coming to the US anytime soon .. u either carry your channels along or be ready to appreciate how good a channel" AAJ TAK " is :)
I was all excited when my colleagues told me about a 32" samsung LCD TV, thats going to be my time pass machine during my stay here. I had pictured myself watching HEROES, LOST, RUSELL PETERS and what not..I did not know that all this comes if you are paying 2 $ odd a month for each channel. If you don't pay that ...what are you left with ,, read it for yourself
--> Shoppers Quest :
A channel that plays product advertisements all day ,, and I have even heard ads that say - " Shoppers Quest helps me choose products for my weekend shopping ". (Shopping , friends is a full time hobby, another post just on that ). " What to do if you don't want your eggs to get over cooked ? "(common sense : switch off the stove on time), you got it wrong. The answer is " #$@#@()#)_ on time egg cooker " just for 50$ .. wonder ppl pay 2500Rs to cook eggs ( thank god I am a vegetarian ).
Tell me a product that is discounted on the " BACK TO SCHOOL " sale. For ppl who guessed everything from Erasers to school bags to laptops, you guys got it wrong again. The right option is " Instant pizza " - so that mom can cook it in time for school :) ,,, Can you believe that ,, pizza on " BACK TO SCHOOL " sale. Wonder if the Pizza was a pass out of the last academic year yet to get placed :)
--> Cops TV
The other day found an ad on Facebook that said that the AMERICAN POLICE is hiring. Also heard a comment from someone around that " COPS " here look handsome. The reason : They all act on a 24X7 channel that has exclusive shows filmed on COP CHASES. What happens if there is no LIVE COP CHASE happening .. ( they let some one loose and chase him down :) ) ,, and yeah, had my roommate watch that for hours ,, he must have voted for AAJ TAK as his favorite channel.
--> DETECTIVE TV
This is a made up name ( forgot the real one ), dont worry naam main kuch nahin hain, asli maal main sab kuch hain. Guess Tehelka got inspired by this channel. All they do day in and day out is to carry out projects to help the police catch fodgeries ( not the million dollar ones, but ones from 3$-1000$ ones). Here's something that I was tortured to see while having dinner. Kamaljeet Singh is an innocent seedha saadha Punjabi kid doing a clerical job at a cramped looking foul smelling Indian store ( that is how Indian stores in the US are.. have one here where ppl lovingly call it the ANTIQUE shop, attributed to the manufacturing dates on the ATTA packets :) ).. lets get back to Kamaljeet. So here is the punjabi munda (punjabi for a boy), and suddenly the cops rush in, handcuff him. Now the reel stops ,, SUSPENSE ,, this is a show on cracking down all the store clerks who refrain from paying the lottery winner the prize amount but keep the ticket saying it din win. I heard my room mate saying - PAKDA GAYA SAALA, two hours after I finished dinner. In India we could run a 24X7 show on this, an attempt to crack down such clerks :).
NOTE : ALL THESE ARE REALITY SHOWS - meaning you can still find KAMALJEET in some Californian store ,, no offense to any state or community, I am just quoting the channel.
Guess this is good enough for some channel to sue me ( they ll make a show on how the cracked down some one who abused TV channels :) ), but yeah so when u come to the US, carry enough music and videos on ur computer IPOD and what not.
One last one - this one s a fact : A Boston student was sued $ 7500 * 22 for the 22 songs that he got through file sharing. So cant download here :)
This post must have come after 2 other posts that are almost ready but could not stop sharing the excitement. Niagra falls !!!
International border - literally at a stones throw from Canada
3 named falls - The magnificient wide HORSE SHOE falls The majestic American falls and the smallest of the three - Bridal veil
2 famous rides - Maid of the Mist Cave of the wind
Facts and stories can last pages but being there is just an experience beyond words. You could go on searching the dictionary for synonyms to breath-taking, spell bound and all that but the feeling of being right in the center with 168000 cubic meters of water falling in from all 3 sides is literary imagination. (Maid of the Mist). The splurge that involved standing right below the bridal falls where you can easily mistake water falling on your head for tiny boulders :) (Cave of the Wind).
A weekend drive planned on a lazy friday afternoon of what was a rather tiring week of work, the gang of 2 cars sped by sporty Tarun & hunky Sushil (Sushil gave up on the spirit of racing as he watched Tarun speed off just like that). The drive highlighted by food, some nice ARR songs, Shreya s pep talk and Smari s fact files we go to Niagra by around 12 ish on Saturday.
Time raced off soon ( I wanted it to snail ) and we were all treated royally by Nature.
Nature's royal treat !!!
Thank you all for taking me there !!!
(PS : Smari, this Thank you is before I heard last week's knowledge sheet, I hope you got it )
PPS : For many more Niagra pictures ,, click on the American Falls picture above :)
I was all excited about coming to the US, a dream every engineer has when he fills up the application for his passport. A dream, that every parent cherishes. But the whole process also brings in a slow sense of pain, a pain that was soon to be non-existent.
Blessed to have a great gang in Banglaore, further adds to the pain ( fear of eating the result of my own cooking for 3 months also scared me). But there is this Guru who knows it all. HE puts angels to take care of things everywhere.
So here I am, half way round the globe, helping pack ( supposedly ) Pooja di to the Bangalore Ashram. She will represent this serene n scenic township of Pittsburgh at the Teachers Training Course commencing later this month. A bubbly, caring and lovely person, (characteristic to any AOL volunteer, cant find better words sorry :( ), but can always add that superlative so that makes it super-bubbly, super caring and lovely person (now cooking lunch for us :-) ). Having blossomed under the aegis of Rajesh Jagasiya and our own lovely Bau, Pooja di can literally turn any potentially violent situation into a joke ( vice versa .. I dont know :-) ).
Pooja di : Have a Great time back in Bangalore and tell Bangalore that I miss everything about it The story does not go complete without the better half :). Dinesh Nath - dineshda, young dynamic & smart, all set to make his mark on the plethora of Organic Chemistry, and also to articulate the Master's thoughts on this really cool city ( Factfile : Pittsburgh was where the zipper was invented ). A master chef - you name the cuisine and he would have it done the perfectionists do (secret of Poojadi's perennial source of energy). Dineshda is some one who can talk and settle everyone down, someone who can cool a fireball with his words, soothing to the bottom of your heart
So Dineshda (soon Dr.Dinesh Nath) we have got two and a half months right now in Pittsburgh to break ice ( i wonder that ever happens in art of living) and get the ball rolling.
The beauty of the master comes to you in varied forms - he literally bestows you with angels around and I heard myself tell my logical and super sensible colleague - hum o aise hi hain ,, agar pakistan ya alaska mein bhi IBM hamen dalega na, vahan bhi log aa jayenge :) - friends isn't that true ??
It was a long day and I was fooling around showing off my photos on the big screen LCD TV to everyone around. Pooja di n Dinesh da pointed out one to say that I had not taken a specific photo. . . I was like this is one of my best ones .. only then did I know the reason behind ... the picture ( and couple more in the same video ) were used in this really wonderful video :)
Whoever made this video .. thanks a lot :) ,, you made my day
How I got there ?? & What had I done to be there ? ? .. The answer to the first one can wait till the next post and the answer to the second one I am still on the lookout for it. But for now, over to Guruji @ The Hilton,720, South Michigan Avenue,Chicago.
On a Sunday evening, of what was by any standard a long day for organizers, participants (a one day event called the YOGATHON just concluded ), and also for people like me who were lurking around the streets of Chicago (and getting back just on time for Guruji's sessions :) ), Guruji gave us a treat.
Bhagavat Gita - Chapter 4
"Awareness dawns when mind becomes calm
Desire is like a river, it keeps flowing while awareness is like a lake. Our mind runs in the direction of desire. When the mind is calm, brilliance dawns, great ideas spring up. When your mind is feverish, it is far from wisdom.
Music helps. It helps kindle emotions. It helps calm the mind of worries and thinking to a level of feeling. These days there is background music during classroom exercises as well to make the learning process easier. A movie without background music is of no effect. It serves the purpose of kindling emotions. It helps calm the mind. To invoke wisdom it is important to calm yourself down. Similarly crying can also help cut down the worry.
When awareness dawns, the fire of awareness burns away the seeds of karma. Every mistake is done due to lack of awareness. The very moment that you become aware, that burns away the karma. When wisdom is awaken, you become pure and free of mistakes. In the present moment, we are reborn.
However sinful the past has been, the fire of knowledge (wisdom,awareness) burns away all the karma. In this world there is nothing more purifying than knowledge. KNOWLEDGE PURIFIES YOU. Knowledge is like detergent, can wash off all the karma.
But if you keep the knowledge to yourself, it is like letting the soap stay on you :-). Awareness cannot be taken for granted. If arrogance steps in it means that the person still has the soap on :-). For this you have to perfect in YOGA.
People ask - Guruji, how long should we meditate to get enlightened.
There is no end. We cannot ask for the sunlight to get into the room,our duty is to keep the windows open, similarly our duty is to meditate. For this you need Shradda - ( roughly translated as FAITH ), it is the willingness to accept or love or know the UNKNOWN. The unknown that we have not experienced through the senses. We have never seen an atom, but we still know or accept that atoms exist. We should have a say over our senses.
Meditation is withdrawing the mind from all the senses to the center. When it is going all here and there, that just is the lack of say over your senses. People who have doubt as their very existence can never get anywhere. It is okay to have a spirit of enquiry, quest, curiosity. But doubt above this is like a disease. And Krishna says - samashayaatma vinashyati - One who has doubt as the very existence, will not be save neither in this world nor the next.
The Universe has a RHYTHM. The very core of our existence -a wave function. When we study vedanta, it has the same thing to say what quantum physics has to offer (not classical physics). The universe is a wave function - full of consciousness, and it has a mind of its own. Now every small mind is a part of this big mind. This big mind is responsive, reciprocative and very powerful. Through YOGA, you can become centered, bring it to the core of the existence and being centered, you can burn all the doubts. Such a seeker will not be bound by any action.
Through wisdom, we can get rid ignorance and get in touch with the very being in the center of our heart. Krishna says Arjuna, I am your friend, wake up from the doubts. When you are in doubt you only trust your friends or your own self. And again you doubt only the possitive. You even believe when people comment as a joke. You expect people to be always happy with you but you have to have all the freedom. Words fly out of your mouth :)
Just let go of all intentions --> awareness would dawn --> intuition gives the knowledge and then it burns away the karma.
SO MUCH to DO :) - Just Relax :) Let go
Imagine Krishna is telling all this to a sick and tired Arjuna. A good teacher does not convince you but confuses you.And every time you get confused, you move a step ahead. And then he says - You do all this but only Time will get you :) where it has to :)
Gita is highly confusing, the very reason why it was not as popular as Buddha s teaching. Buddha said the world has misery - if you want to get rid of them there is this way.
Krishna also told the same but it was like HIGHER MATHEMATICS :). It remained amongst the intellectuals. Einstein appreciated the Gita & Vedanta.
And yeah Wisdom is not information. When knowledge gets integrated into life it is wisdom. All this must happen effortlessly. Coming to this ballroom from your room requires effort. You have to lock your room, wait for the elevator, but once you are here, there is no effort required.Similarly to catch a train, you have to get to the platform, find the coach and get in on time. But once you are in, then you just have to relax and let go. The same is the case on the spiritual path as well. You would need to do action to get on to the path, but once that is done, it is just about relaxing :). You do all the yoga, and breathing and then you are asked to relax :).
Since these scriptures carry contradicting instructions they were instructed at close proximity - Upa (close) nishad (sitting at the proper place). These contradicting instructions are the ones that makes the Gita so complete. The Result for sure is ASSURED to be GREAT :)"
Tell you what,when GURUJI speaks here, there is so much of attention, like as if time freezes and there is nothing at all happening. Can now get the flavour of how it might have been for people who heard Patanjali and Narada Bhakti Sutra from GURUJI live. I am on a super blissed state now. Stayed at the same hotel where GURUJI is staying. Had a ball of a time at Chicago as well. Will post more on Chicago the city in the coming days.
HAVE A GREAT GURU POORNIMA .. now cant say I miss Bangalore, after what I have been treated to here, but yeah miss the gang though :) .. Have fun. We should all charter a flight and come down to a place like this and just spend time in the elevators (to rush to the kitchen and who knows like some of them here were lucky the door opens and GURUJIs there outside waiting to get on to the elevator) and also waiting in front of GURUJI's suite. - WORTH EVERY THING THAT YOU MISS OUT ON.
Been a month since I posted .. with every word i type in .. I can sense the air of anger for not having posted the photos for the many times i shot .. ( Can definitely pull out a few names, but will keep that for later.
What is happening with me ?? .. Well lots ,, and in loads ...
Big news first .. this is my first post off the shores of Bharat .. I am now at Pittsburgh, PA,USA
A series of prelude events .. a nice dinner out at Little Italy .. ( Madhuri knew all that we had to order ,,we orderly paid the bill and yeah of course ate it all ). Click on the sundae below to get into the complete picasa gallery for the evening.
Things were happening a little too soon .. I went and got my VISA done at Chennai .. Gosh .. take it from me ,, Bangalore is heaven .. and the sun in chennai has an amplifier in between ,, they hit u hard ,, the 20 min that I had to wait for my turn at the consulate was enough for the amplified system to praise the existence of Bangalore, a thousand times loud. But for sure had some super cool time with my little nephew - Vishnu ,, he was just too good.-->
You crib at the Sun and the water gods came gushing in Bangalore ( looks like they have teamed up now ). My 18th D Main ground floor house flood with thigh high water ,. books .. lots of dresses and many more things lost into memory lanes ,, no pictures here as well.
The D day for travel neared and amidst course organization and venue clean up ,, the party set foot at our new place ( what was to follow was some crazy times with the house owner also joining the show uninvited .. almost kicking us out ) .. Thanks a lot guys .. It was just amazing to have you all there ,,We ll also get one done when I come back ( of course Advance course estyle :) ) The next day I found myself already missing India ( still @ #2,Airport Road Bangalore ). I found myself telling people- when will I get to have dosa next, I will miss asianet , I will miss Bangalore.
26th June - With mom dad n kuttu around, and a last minute briefing at office, we rushed to the airport only to wait after the formalities for a couple o hours before I took AI 621 to Mumbai. With a short transit at Mumbai, thanks to the late arrival of AI 621, we boarded AI 141 - the huge boeing 777 ( 9 seats in a row)to John F Kennedy, New York. 16 hour long ordeal that had excitement, food, numb legs (my own),aunties for air-hostess's all fitted into place. To top all that I chose the window seat ( I want to kill whoever who got me to believe that I would get good shots above Europe , all I could see was bright sky ).
Hours later, the wheels touched down at the worlds largest airport (a huge mess with people sitting on the floor,awaiting to board their DELTA - the cheapest US airline I guess - apna deccan types ). We then ( Sharad my colleague n roomie for the next 3 months ) boarded the chotu flight, flew over Manhattan - ( yes I did see Manhattan from above and will go there soon ) and hit down Pittsbrgh 30 minutes before time and home @ 3 30 local time .. Saturday 27th June. .. Sunday and the days to follow at Pittsburgh in the next post.
(this is my new office - Floor 19 overlooking river Monongahela - it is summer here and there are mini cruise boats below and couple of bridges to the right and left of the window :) .. Pittsburgh pictures on the next post )
WATCH OUT FOR : Pictures from Chicago early next week :). Yes - GURUJIs there
Had a super stylish and tasty dessert from Bau, we were then treated to the best of Bau's photo collection ( also featured one where Guruji and Pitaji were supervising the construction of the Old meditation hall). Fun followed with Bau answering our questions and then he played the piano for all of us to bid Jai Guru Dev. (KumSim cribbed all 29km when I took over his stunner to Indiranagar)
Narada Bhakti Sutra
Planning and placing events to that glorious day some time in the future has been a trademark in my life, but with some wonderful ppl to support and motivate, we completed Narada Bhakti Sutras at my place (Bishal n me score 100% attendance - it was my house, I was deemed to :)
18 days(sorry very early mornings) of Fun,Knowledge,Mindmaps,Gossip,Sleeplessness
YES plus course
YES - the YES plus for May came right from the 2 pillars of inspiration - they took us through some strenous YOGA, funniest Q n A sessions, some inter-continental meditation and lots more.
I know the pics are still awaited but let us keep the longing LONG
Highlights : Kuttu my brother also did this course
YES plus Advanced
The last time that I decided I was doing an ADV was in Jan and since then have postponed it a handful times but the day arrived this time. Deep in silence, and now I am getting to know the beauty of this 5 day itinerary.
(Guruji s surprise arrived the moment I was back in Indiranagar, the house was flooded in my absence - all the papers that I was in 2 minds to throw or not to - found an exit. The only sad part being that Greg's passport was also half wet and also my new Bday gift - The tales of Beetle the Bard)
BAWA n DINESH Bangalore Thu Intro talks
Jayanagar will host an Intro talk to YES plus, every thursday @ 6:30 Highlights :
Limited Passes Super funny sessions Inspirational presence
For all of us giving Intro talks otherwise this dialogue from Bau would really help at the end " I invite to a wonderful world a few BREATHS away .. COME JOIN US " There were more highlights - ate out at some nice places, took some nice shots of flowers at the ASHRAM,and yeah there is this HAPPY NEWS that marked the end of this month, you will know the NEWS soon on this blog.
Been really long ,, I opened up the blog to check when I posted last and realized it is almost been a month ,, the next YES plus @ Lalbagh kicked off today ,,, 125 odd buds all ready to bloom
An eventful month would be the least I can call it ..
INDIA VOTED ,, I traveled 10 hours all to get my index finger INKED and cant wait to know who played it tactical - and this time around, how fast you change colors is what decides if you WIN or LOOSE
INTRO TALKS - The next big thing, the past month, beyond doubt - INTRO TALKS Home Intro talks fading off to give way to stranger intro talks. Talks on which I can write posts together. But to name the best one would be this one.
Picture this : A Saturday afternoon busy juice shop in the youth heartland of Koramangala on a day when sun was all smiling. The strategy was plain n simple.. order juice and then seek permission to stick up posters there :). Having had a superb experience at the last juice shop (this was the 3rd one in less than an hour), our (Bhaskar was also there) confidence was running high. I was almost done with the poster that I ran into this guy in black with a cap on and awaiting his order.
I asked him his name and he just turns his back to me. Arrogance has to be ignored but the mind had already painted him in black n white. I consoled myself saying that the poster was not all that appealing as the last one. Bhaskar's enthu seemed to no way dry up and he said - " en logun se abhi baat karni chahiye" - ( he seemed to be drawing enthu from every milkshake we had). So we walk back to the same guy and with a huge smile once again post the same - " What is your name ?"
And then the moment of absolute SHOCK. He lifts his hand up to his mouth and moves them in a crossed fashion in front o his face and then does the same besides his ears. DEAF n MUTE. All the impressions fall earthbound and my throat CHOKED. We were completely taken aback. And then he flashes a SMILE - one that had stamps of INNOCENCE all over it. Moments like these dont come often.
We were then interacting with him for the next ten minutes. We told him that we are here about a YOGA workshop & personality development ( he mistook the YES!+ poster to be a body building workshop :) .. heart n dumb-bells probably were the reason ). His lips repeated our names and then they moved in an attempt to voice out - VIJAY KUMAR. Another software professional @ Hebbal, Vijay had come over to roam around the abuzz Koramangala on a Saturday afternoon.
Sometimes Intro talks are not always about registrations, but it is the measure of learning that you take from every interaction. VIJAY for sure had loads to teach us.
For the rest of the intro talks were also centered around Koramangala - NGV to be precise. Guess can write a post on the complete experience there some time, but none to challenge the one above
MATHEMAGIC n SMS
For those who do not know what SMS is .. wait for the next post ,, and yeah got a few pictures there as well :) or may be you can SMS SMS to me and I will SMS you the details of the next SMS
300 odd youth refilled their tanks with truck loads of joy,enthusiasm n love. With the crowd stretching themselves out, laughing themselves out, and again laughing themselves out ( in that order for all the days .. ), the course also tested the volunteers in ways more than one ,, and I am sure every single one of us have tales that can last all night ... a BRILLIANT YES PLUS ..
Rashmin Bhayya - finish off Sweeden assignment soon ,, and come back ,, else get them all to Bangalore ,, they can also add some variety to our WORK :)
Here are the course photos ,, I was also immersed in the course that the photos have not come as good as they should have ,, but some of them are nice ,, comment them for better pictures the next time around
Been an eventful week, with life playing almost all its cards, was fun.
Desperation, Anger, Sorrow, Hunger and finally joy did prevail. But had an interesting couple of hours with this 10th standard kid called Pradeep (Pradeepu in kannada).
Around 4ish on a Monday evening the kerala transport bus headed towards Mananthavady, shows up at a rural town called Antarshanta and a flurry of no less than 20 kids push each other into the rickety four-wheeler. I pulled myself to the corner seat and came in Pradeepu and his friend Sureshu. Minutes pass where I ponder if I am in a right mood to strike a conversation, questions like "Why of all places now ?" "What am I going to speak" , " Dont think he knows any English". But nature has its own ways to induce curiosity, the sight outside was super-splendid that I just had to know more about it and I started off on the cliched note.
"ninna hesarenu ?" - {What is ur name ?"} - Pradeepu "elle hogthethaya ?"-{intended meaning - "Where are you going ?"} - Deepkope "illi enmaduthithey ?" { again intended - " What were you upto here" } - 10th standard exam
the checker comes in, collects 21 each from these boys ( I wonder, a 21Km ride is some ride and to take it during your 10th exam was something I could never think of, I used to crib about the 9 km ride on dad s scooter for my 10th exam), and Pradeepu tends exact 21 Rs from his pocket.
All the more interested to continue the conversation, I initiate the second time "Kabini elle ithe ?" - { Where is Kabini } - the response was in malayalam - " Malayalam ariyo ?" - malayalam in a kannada accent - { "do you know malayalam ?" } - I felt like Ricky Ponting loosing his middle stump to Sreeshant - clean bowled.
After this it was just as good as two Mallus involved in some deep political discussion, intense it was but I was the only one asking.
He told me that his dad works for the post-office in the village called Deepkope. He and his classmates had come over for the past 10 days to Antarshante to write the Board exam and were put up at a Govt Dorm. ( He had a bag as big as my laptop back pack and it carried his dress for 10 days and also the books for all this 5 or 6 exams - now I just cant relate to that).
He also explained that he used to be in Bangalore as well till 5th standard in a mutt on Kanakpura road, and had to come back since help was required at home. 4 acres of land meant a lot of physical labour, and meant no time to spare. He enquired what I was upto and added that they could not study computers as the lone computer at school came in when they were in 10th and due to board exams computers was not a subject. We then spoke about Cricket and television and yeah even elections. I then asked him what he would like to be in life and the answer was instant -" Want to study plus 1 plus 2 and then go to Mutt to do seva " - No IITs NITs or IIMs
Next I asked him if he has visited any place other than Karnataka, to which he passionately replied - Panamara (Panamaram - another rural town in Kerala, probably 20 km from his village). Here we are in Bangalore, complaining having missed out on planning a long weekend outing. I then asked him his fav food to which he jumped up to say - Rice and curry. - No PIZZA's or Paneer tikka. He was holding a half torn polythene of vegetables for home from antarshanta, probably his take-home after the 10 day outing. I opened up my bag checking for a pouch to which I sincerely refused even before I could find one.
But I did manage to find a DAIRY MILK bar (thanks to Bau for putting us off sugar, this bar was lying asleep in the bag for quite some time) and I offered it to him but he utterly refused to accept it. He then took time off to explain the nature of animals and the work that the locals do inside the forest. I was impressed when he said - " Animals do not do anything until you harm them " - have heard these lines quite a few times, but this was not like one of those TV anchors who would run at the sight of an untamed dog, I could see from his eyes that he meant it.
He then opened up his backpack and offered me grapes, to which I said, " you take the chocolate and I will take this " and he agreed with a broad SMILE. He promply placed the DAIRY MILK safely in his pocket, probably saving it for his brothers and sisters ( a 5 Rs bar ). Minutes before getting down, he picks up his phone book, asks me to write down my mobile number and again safely pushes the book into the depths of the bag. He hesitantly gets up, shook my hand twice. Once down he again comes below the window, gives me another bye and I could see his there till the bus went out of sight to him.
The innocence still prevails around us, Urbanization has spoilt as all with this regard. Innocence can just dissolve all the sorrow and grief, I was on this journey to console my Mom who had lost her dad, and I was virtually uplifted after this conversation, I had so much to learn and much much more to learn.
Days tick like seconds, here I am at 01:24 on a Friday morning, cribbing to get up @ 5 45 for group sadhana, hope I make it ... this is an innocent intention :)
To do justice to the serene picturesque landscape I must call this post - Madgaon. A little more than 24 hours is all I had to offer to this place and trust me, was a steal. Met some absolutely cool people (other than the super-cool people who got me there ), had adventurous bike rides, hunted down veg restaurants when the timed calls would not stop coming.But the highlight of the evening - PARA-SAILING - a detailed post on this later. Next day,we also managed to squeeze in a couple of intro-talks - Prabha & Vaidehi taking center-stage - me chipping in towards the end aided by a couple of videos. Soon it was time to bid bye, the train was on time, and it was freezing and unprepared as I am, spent the night wearing another shirt over whatever I was wearing and headed back to EGB 4A-108, IBM by 12'ish, with a mind still stuck at the beach.
Overall enjoyed this one day starter to Goa and cant wait to have the full course meal.
After the shady post prior, I am back to what I do best - more photos. What was marked as an eventful day (in ways more than one - my best friend was in town, a bad exam result bringing an unceremonious end to a year of preps) also saw the duo (Thomas n me) venture out in accordance with the pre-planned itinerary. A quick drop @ Maddy's for the lens, and a bumpy 14 km bus ride, we were there @ Bannerghatta National Park. Green (by Bangalore standards) and definitely hot(Jan it was), 125 bucks each and we were in.
What was to follow was some shameless clicking on burst mode (guided by rules of probability more than anything else)-peacocks, snakes,macaques,elephants, pelicans, and quite a few more. Yes - all caged.
Next, it was said was the time to make our tickets worth - a safari to the tiger park - an enclosure targeted to provide a feel of the forest(had nice marked roads with more tyre-prints than pug marks ) - on a really rickety bus (resembles the old blue colored police vans used in tamil movies).
We had waited 10 min for an empty bus and rushed to find a sweet spot for the camera. The 25 min ride - Unimpressive - except for this 'okay' shot of a tiger and a decent shot of this deer. We saved the Butterfly park walk for Thomas's next Bangalore schedule, bought packets of Lays and rushed into a nice VOLVO, another 30 minutes and we were home, editing the day's catch (on a serious note this time, with Thomas around)
Friday 27 Feb 2009 .. Scorching sun, a cricket bat in hand.. @ domlur shanti sagar P.U. college grounds with the complete office team around .. but the mind had walked through many a lane - the car porch @ home emptied for the finale - long hours of ONE PITCH ONE HAND with kuttu (my little brother,not really little now) & me battling it out, the prospective winner amongst us taking up commentary( mimicking Ravi Shastri for the first minute and Tony Grieg the next ).. was nice ,, re-living the moments down the memory lane ..
Today afternoon : Office Pantry .. Heights of fruitless discussions .. We speak about writing response mails and suddenly a thought pours in .. The first line of every answer @ school was very easy .. Rewrite the question ( tweaking the tense ) ..Din get it ,, here s what
Q: Why is the sky blue ? A : The sky is blue because ,,, and so on ..
I blurt this out today and the people around walked down their own alleyways .. small things that can get us to really smile from within ,, helping us live the person we really are ,,forget everything that is around us,, things that all of us relate to in our own way,, the person that you really are,, school suddenly becomes a stunningly beautiful place ,, college even better ,, and then you realize that the milk in your cup is over and it is time to head back to your workstation.
P.S : Nice status message that I came across recently "A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station..."
Back to Bangalore after 2 days of bliss. An adventure at the start, followed by some carefully inflicted sun shots ( inspite of having lived in Kerala for long, I just could not stand this one around ) and culminating in a blissful SATSANG with GURUJI. HE spoke, sang, danced and took the crowd along on an amazing journey.
Pictures speak more than words. Enjoy them and yeah yeah COMMENT them ( for better pics the next time )
Prabha & her car :) - popularly called the seva car Ankur - sheer patient steering skills Vivin - for waking up@3 & Sushma for not having slept :)
After a gratifying satsang with the Guru @ the Ashram, the journey began. We started off with a brief 5 hours halt @Maddy's, where we put Ankur to sleep & discussed on the camera settings for the night's shots.
(1:00 am ) Next, we were all loaded and set to go.
Things to carry :
Lots of Chocolates & I also prefer Natura Water ( a bottle of warm water would also be nice ) Biscuits Music player ( in case your car does not have one ) Emergency Lamps & Powerful torches A GPRS enabled phone - u ll know why
What to wear :
Loose fitting clothing Sneakers Sweaters A Cap as well
Headed for :
Skandagiri, an utterly scenic paradise (especially for photographers) with breathtaking views of the peaks surrounding North Bangalore and a spectacular glimpse of the Sunrise.
The Way :
Drive past the silent city of Bangalore & head where the Meru cabs head to - the new airport. Now dont take the diversion to the airport but continue on the Hybd road till you hit the town of Chickbellapur.
Now ask the man( or woman) on the wheels to slow down because we would need to find the hidden Vishweshwarayya statue( we did not manage that and then what happened is worth another post.GPRS phones can come in handy here :) when you lose your way )
Wikipedia had asked us to take the left at the vishweshwarayya statue and then head towards papagni mutt & find your car a cozy alight for the night.
A two and a half hour trek, ( army men and Ankur could possibly get there in less than that time ).The ways are marked except at a few places but chances of getting lost are as good as nil. Half way through with the trek, all of us ended up tying our sweaters to our waists, gulped up a bottle of water each. With Ankur virtually pushing us up to the summit, we ran to get a nice spot for our tripod.
January nights are really cold and trust me, even with gloved hands I could hardly sense the buttons on my camera. But then ego rushed in to do its job, Maddy had began taking night shots and I had to get into action. We always fancied something out of the stove to eat but then, the 3 vegeterians had to be content with biscuits ( they had only omlettes on top :( ).
And then finally the hero for the day decided it was time to call it a DAY :) and the crowd went WOW. Never realized people could be so happy just be seeing the sun :).
Some decent shots ( nothing for a WOW here :( ) is what I had to be happy with. we trekked down in less than 45 min and we had to rush. The next destination was again Ashram where we handed over the car keys to Manisha and then Ankur babu states that his bike keys are @ home. A three wheeler takes us all home, I sleep off@Maddys till 4 and he then drops me back to the place I call home ( only call .. not really ).
Enjoy the pics and would love to go with a bigger gang soon and we can have a lot more fun. And hope I get some nice shots as well.
Wake up : 5 00 am @ IHA-Koramangala : 6 15 am . . . . . .
This was how my day started for the past week ( though that 5:00 got to 5:30 and even 6 today :) ).. 7 days of absolute FUN, FUN and more FUN. 21 bubbling YES!+ grads passed out today - the first morning YES!+ batch in Bangalore. With Sampath and Madhuri on the leads, and quite a few of us playing our roles, the band ROCKed ON! ( adding more to the band-wagon).
A detailed post on the course can wait I guess ( already got a few calls, asking when the photos would be posted), so finally here they are.
My third post and we already have a guest writer on this valentines day special post on " What not to write to your Valentine ". Ladies & Gentlemen - introducing Greg - a fun loving charismatic character,an amateur guitarist, my room mate and a great friend. Greggg!!!!
Love Letter writing - Classic Style, Vol I
To the one who makes my world go round,
Dakshyini, my my, how you've changed.Remember the time when we used to talk forever and on and on about nothing in particular? Remember how we jumped and played and how,I, chivalrous that I am, let you win in all our hide-n-seek games? Now, when I look back, in hindsight, I know that I was the winner.
Remember how I brushed your hair, sticky as it was, when you said you felt a wobble in your brain? Those were the times !
I remember it like it was yesterday.No, not even yesterday; I know that shaky voice is always in my heart.The twinkle in your eye and the dimples on your chin and your ears; God, how can I forget those ears, with lobes forming out like the underbelly of a sleeping giant. And your face, beautiful as it is, makes me realize what life is, and what it could have been.
Now as war looms on the horizon and the recession hitting new lows I really must talk to you as soon as possible.
My sweet forever, if not for anything, at least for the memory of the most beautiful times we've had, I know you'll call.
Little did I know when Swati n me (Swati - the new entry into the YES!+ wagon .. a passionate fashion designer and a budding volunteer ) bumped to Maddy's place asking for the lens, waking him n sushma ( n probably even sushma's mom ) up from their late afternoon nap , that I would be treated to a truly celestial display of classical Bharatanatyam by none other than Shobana. All I had in mind was that there were many celebrities around for the International Womens Conference, and that my DSLR must not miss them.
For someone who grew up watching Shobana movies ( almost every Sunday evening on TV ), this super-talented National award winning actress was to my senses - the epitome of beauty.
After a really really short trip up the gardens and a quick munch @ vishala, we ( swati, lalit n me) rushed to the Yagnashala ( for now the pro-show arena ). The chairs were already occupied and the security volunteer was in no mood to let me in and that was when the 70-300 lens came in handy ... ( all I heard was someone shouting - unko andar bhej do, photographer hain , and then there was no looking back ). I quickly hogged on the seat on the top stair ensuring a nice view of the stage and then the magic began.
Shobana .. in between the performance walked on to the stage .. explaing through her elaborate gestures which enthralled the blessed gathering (by then Swati as well crept her way into the cordoned area some how .. ask her how). Shobana's depiction of the Indian woman through mudras is still afresh ( pic 6 n 7 ). The curtain raiser was followed by depiction of the Dasavatharams, then followed by a display featuring tales from Durga stories. The talented performers also tapped foot to some Classical western music, bringing the crowd to a standstill.
The stylish beautiful shobana was then honored by the Lady-in-Charge, our own beloved Bhanumaa, the sensous performance was followed up by some scintillating rendering of Sufi Music by Zila Hussain Khan ( to know more about her, I would advise you contact Prabha, she was her escort for 3 whole days ). With me n Swati shouting Atif at the sound "Sufi", this show was rather dull. Adding to that was the hunger, we rushed to the canteen to find it closed.
We had made up our minds on a Dominos order @ Bhaskars place, but as always in the ashram, everything was taken care of, Abhay messaging us to get to the Kitchen first floor. Tell u what, even dal n roti tasted as good as hand tossed cheese burst pizza's.
We munched dinner as we discussed the performance and our plans for the next day's followup, with Shailendra da giving us the instructions, Abhay chipping in his thoughts and Jasminder ( a YES!+ teacher from Chandigarh, whose sweater Swati would later borrow for the ride back to Bangalore ). Tt was almost 10 : 30 and we were set to make our 30 km ride back from heaven to earth.
Finally after dropping chwati, got home by 11 45 to find a full scale interview on with Lamboo (a tall classmate of mine) on the hot seat and Greg (my room-mate)n Kumsim (another batchmate), playing the bad guys. I ran into connect my camera to the computer and could not wait any long to see the pictures. After breathing a sigh of relief I joined Lamboo in bullying Greg n later Kumsim as they took the hot seats, finally hitting the bed @ 4 setting an alarm for 8 for the sunday follow-up :) .. a long interesting blessed saturday (extending into the sunday :))
Just managed to delete the other 4 from blogger .. took another promise that this one is going to be better than 4 of its ancestors .. thats not a tough task .. a third post would get this one through :)
Been a mixed bag coming into 2009 .. have been days that have forced me to ponder and enjoy the mystery of life .. walked in from a hectic last quarter 0f 2008 .. and running into an even hectic 2009 .. with events lined up .. with plans all as good as accomplished .. all to once again realize that Life is a mystery .. and it s better LIVED than imagined :)
So with castles crashing one after the other .. it was time for the new designs to take shape .. but this time around .. designs are going to be adaptive .. lets call it resistant to a topple ( clue : dont built them tall ) ..
Now doing a lot of things that I have always loved to do but kept on hold waiting for things to happen ( like a frog waiting for a fly .. for more on that watch the video: LIVING A MYSTERY - Guruji )
A proud owner of a DSLR now, ensuring that I make its money worth , clicking almost everything .. taking good time off for photos and I can feel the difference.. I am really getting better at it :) .. ( if u feel otherwise, please let me know )
Traveled around quite a bit ( by my 2008 standards .. quite a lot )
Bannerghatta National Park to Goa to Skandagiri to Wayanad, shooting @ dogshows to pro-shows, and of course been really lucky to get some amazing shots of Guruji .. a dedicated post on all these can sail me through the objective .. and since Life is a mystery ,, lets see how it goes :)
Helped organize couple of YES!+ courses around IndiraNagar and now beginning to get back into that heavenly state of joy , which multiplies after every course .. Watching people literally get transformed .. Making some great friends ,, Creating some absolutely wonderful memories to cherish .. 2008 set with Ashok bhayya s first IndiraNagar YES!+ and Madhuri kiciking off the 2009 campaign with a truly blissful YES!+ .. a YES!+ that I really enjoyed organizing .. and as we say .. each ones the best only till the next .. so the next one s lined up this Thursday @ Koramangala.. would drive down the Inner Ring Road @ 6 in the morning ( summer s come :( ) .. again Mad n Sampath taking lead ..
