The Rajasthan Chronicles-Day 7 (Ranthambhore-Tiger Country)

After reposing in the bed we went down for breakfast and finger-licking paranthas were laid out. I lost count of the number of paranthas that entered my stomach. One friend and me kept our grinding machines (read mouth) working non-stop. (He was so intent upon eating that he refused to keep count). It was a lazy morning and the first that we got to do as we wished. We sunned ourselves in the cold chill and then caught sight of mental boys jumping into the chilly pool.

Time passed quickly enough and we were then en route to meet India's Tiger Man-Fateh Singh Rathore. He looked like he was from a different day and age. A cravat around his neck, an impressive moustache adorning his face-he looked everything that I'd imagined him to me. But I had also thought of him as ferocious which turned out to be way off mark- he was gruff but very very kind. He spoke to us about park management issues, the need for rehabilitation of people who used to inhabit the space within the park, the threat to the park due to tourists, obstacles in conservation efforts due to dearth of ministers who understand the importance of ecology and wild life. He was pleased with the steps taken by Jairam Ramesh and called him 'one good minister who understands the importance of conservation'. Well more ministers like him and at least we would be on the path leading to success stories. He shared a lot of his hunting stories-he would organise hunting expeditions for the Britsh Royal Family and other Indian Royals but somewhere down the line he turned towards saving the hunted-The Tiger.

A search on Fateh Singh Rathore pours out bazillion results on this great man. My friend had specifically asked me to meet him and it was a thrill when he granted us an hour of his time. Widely known as the tiger authority in India, he is credited with successfully carrying out tiger conservation work in the Park. I guess this link will provide more accurate information on this living legend.

 At the end of our time we gheraoed him clamouring around him for his autograph and more information. I asked him something about having zero experience and yet wanting to volunteer for the various projects being carried out by the park. He gave a good-natured laugh and answered that from zero he would transform all of us into heroes. He then went on to pull my cheeks-apparently he was inquiring whether I was  chora or a  chori.

He being so old harbours the conviction that conservation will bear fruit despite corruption, apathetic officials, ignorant tourists all because he believes in the youth. Spending time with him was something that left a smile on my face and hope in my heart that with collective efforts change is happening for the good- slowly but surely. However, they don't make people like Fateh Singh Rathore no more.

The Rajasthan Chronicles-Day 6 (Bharatpur)

I woke up in the morning with a raging fever. I was burning all over and yet shivering due to the cold. I only wished to sleep right back again hidden underneath the warmest of quilts. Worse still I had lost my voice to a terrible throat ache and the pain in my ear was terrible and unfortunately that day we departed from Jaipur without breakfast so I couldn't even relieve my discomfort with pills. My friends took awesome care of me and it still makes me squirm to think of all the times I burdened them with my silly pains. I slept most of the journey and then towards mid-noon we halted at a wayside dhaba for a quick brunch which was the traditional kacchori and samosa. And the place also spotted a sign saying ' taharne ka uttam vyavastha'. Most of the lodging and boarding hotels in Rajasthan had this sign even when the place looked dilapidated and in nearly in ruins. While in the bus I overheard our teacher telling one of my friends that if I wouldn't recover by today I wouldn't be allowed on the trail to Ranthambhore. Ma'm wanted we to rest and recover before I took a turn for the worse. I had to summon all the will power I possessed to get well soon. I kept urging myself to feel better and waited for the perspiration to start trickling- a sure sign of the fever lowering. Nevertheless, I felt it in my bones that after one more night of burning I would be fit to greet the next day.

We reached Bharatpur in the afternoon and our pulse started racing when we read the board which said-'Agra-55 km'. We sorely wanted to visit Agra having come so near but our plans were quickly dismissed by our teachers by a rude face and a swear word :) We were so enticingly near and yet so  maddeningly far..

We engaged a guide at Keoladeo National Park. It's so named because it has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at the centre of the park. It was previously named Ghana because the park is very dense. My friend had warned me though that because of a bad monsoon, the migratory birds were not seen in the park. He had said that you'll be lucky if you get to see any birds at all. Well, we did see birds but nothing exotic.  Home to nearly 364 species of birds, over here birds migrate from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and of course Siberia (the famous Siberian Crane). As we walked the change in the landscape also was very apparent-it started off being arid and then marshy and ended with a lot of water bodies. My friends helped me spot the rose ringed parakeet, flame back woodpecker, oriental magpie robin, collared dove, yello footed green pigeon, pied kingfisher, rufous tree pie, cormorant, black necked stork, rufous black shrike, white breasted water hen, mor hen, crested serpent eagle, bramhiny duck, grey heron (which was magnificent), spoonbill, black headed ibis, the indian roller, a family of spotted owlet and I got a glimpse of the hoopoe. I also finally saw the monitor lizard for the first time ever and also spotted the usual nilgais, sambars, chinkaras, spotted deer, terrapins and the bonnet macaques. Didn't get very good photographs here as the sun kept interfering and showing a very dull landscape.

But it wasn't fulfilling. We wanted to go on but were compelled to turn back as we had to reach Ranthambhore before midnight.

We had a sumptuous and delicious lunch at the forest guest house. It felt like a king's meal after eating at the roadside dhabas and hotels. The resort was beautiful and later we heard that we were actually supposed to halt there for the night but for the change in the plans. I felt better after shoving the food down my throat, my energy was back. We fooled around the resort for some time and as usual our group was the last to board the bus. People were having a gala time in the bus while I was forced to stay put due to my maddening illness. I was missing out on some real fun!

We reached Ranthambhore late at night. We were told that our trip into the park would be in the afternoon. For the first time in the trip, we had the entire morning to relax. Yuhoo!!!

The Rajasthan Chronicles-Day 5 (Finally Jaipur-The Pink City!!!!)

After setting off from Ajmer, we had a long way to travel. Jaipur by far was the place I was most excited to see. My sister had spent half an hour in Jaipur some years ago-she had been shopping like wildfire for me back then. The markets that she had described were enough for enough to whet my curiosity about this place. I frankly couldn't wait! But our bus 'Laxmi' mulled along slowly and I couldn't fight the sleep anymore and in no time was fast asleep. When I woke up people in the bus were oohing and aahing at various sights. I didn't feel very well so I put myself back to sleep. But the sounds of exclamation got the better of me and I found myself looking at the various sights of the city. Palaces big and small round every corner and malls caught my eye. Here the old and new co-habited peacefully, it didn't seem wrong here to have an urban, hip mall next to a stately, old and grand palace. Jaipur was in no hurry to give up it's tag of being one of the most well-planned cities in India. The second I lay my eyes on Jaipur I loved the it!

After lunch we set off to Amer Fort also known as Amber Fort located on the Delhi-Jaipur highway. It looked down imposingly at us. A huge wall spread over nearly 4 hills caught our eye-Great wall of Jaipur??? I'd read that the one could see the fort's reflection in the lake at it's foothills, but Lake Maotha was sadly empty. We went in to be greeted by scores of monkeys and pigeons-nothing out of the ordinary in places like these.We climbed zig-zagging steps and this led to a huge courtyard. It was teeming with people and here we spent some time just admiring the wast expanse. We made our way inside and this time I was truly stunned. Beautiful hunting paintings adorned the wall and ceilings, the mirror work and the carvings were simply breathtaking. Our guide then took up one carving and with his practiced hand hid various parts of the carving which then revealed elephants, fishes, birds, butterflies, bees and many more animals. It was fascinating and felt like a secret document which was being deciphered for us. He then dragged us to one place which had 12 doors. These doors opened into the quarters of the 12 wives of  Maharaja Man Singh. He also showed us the pavillion where Aishwarya Rai feeds Hrithik Roshan in the movie Jodha Akbar. People who had seen the movie sighed while I just 'hmmemd' at this piece of information. He then took us to see the cave where the food was prepared during this scene and then once again we were out in the sunlight. We spent some more time doing some tom-foolery with mammoth sized cauldrons places there and then once again we were off. While going back one cheeky boy gnashed his teeth at the monkeys. This angered the monkey so much that without a second thought the monkey gnashed back it's teeth right back at him. The boy was so taken aback that he ran down immediately from there. We couldn't knock off our laughing for a long time.

We were then take to a garden where wedding preparations were in full swing. Colossal ice sculptures, mouth watering dishes and dainty decorations bedecked the place. It was all certainly charming and royal.  I was by now extremely feverish with hardly any energy left. A cold chill was making me feel worse. After wandering around we had a nice hot cup of coffee which infused some life into me.

Now the part that I was waiting for the most-We were then dropped off at our hotel with instructions to step down in 5 minutes flat.  The shopping was about to begin. I hurried up, emptied my haversack to fill it with the shopping goodies, grabbed my cash and I was the first one down. I was flushed with feverish excitement and my legs were itching to start walking. However, we had to wait for a long time (it seemed ages to me) for the others to make their slow way downstairs. By now I had reached boiling point. We started off with our tour-manager. He kept telling us that the market was 2 km away and that we would need a bus to get there. But the buses were overflowing and so we walked  and walked. People had started grumbling by then as the walk was tiring. My friend and me in our excitement didn't notice that most of our gang was lagging behind. We both were enjoying ourselves to the hilt-this was surely the best way to see the city. We saw 2 marriage processions and the grooms were really cute, we saw the old palaces now converted into 5 star hotels and all this while i could feel my temperature rising. I could feel a heady rush and I couldn't stop my feet from running. We were headed towards Hawa Mahal for our shopping trip. On reaching the gates of the city I now remember screaming for joy. I threw a caution to the winds, grabbed my friend's hand and we ran to cross the road and then we reached the first shop and exhaled deeply. Finally we could begin. I slowly let my eyes wander and saw Hawa Mahal look down at us. We were surrounded by shops selling all that we wanted, shop-keepers beckoning us towards their wares and so much of beautiful colour. It enlivened me even more. My friend and me ran in and out of shops like a storm leaving a blazing trail of astonished shopkeepers in our wake, occasionally meeting some lost friend who only disappeared minutes later. Everyone was in a a hurry to make the most of this shopping trip. I ended up with dupattas, some colourful jutis, a stole, dress material and bangles. Bargaining was the highlight-the shopkeepers would quote some silly exorbitant price and we would beat them down to peanuts all in fast motion. It was an experience of a life-time. We had never enjoyed so much. After we had amassed all that we wanted, we started to cool down a bit. I could now feel my euphoria ebbing away and I suddenly realised that I was blazing with a fever and shivering in the cold. I was now paying for my excitement which had kindled itself into fire in the past few hours. I was also sorely hungry and my head was throbbing away. The pain was all the more terrible because I didn't have anything to take my mind off it. I was now more aware since the thrill had now passed. We caught up with our HOD and some friends. Our HOD promptly packed us into a rickshaw with some orders. The rest is in a haze. But I distinctly remember bickering with my mother, pushing some food down my throat, shuddering in the cold and then witnessing a fight between my seniors in the bus. That woke me up thoroughly. While in the bus people showed their purchases to each other. and we had a jolly good time. My only regret was that, that I hadn't been able to grab some ear-rings. It had been my dearest wish to buy them but sadly this was left undone :(

Back in our rooms we had a great time comparing our goodies. After some dose of hot gossip and cough syrup I was asleep. I knew that the morning was going to be awful for me. I was sick and now I was frightened.

The Rajasthan Chronicles-Day 5 (Ajmer)

This was one of the best days although the day kicked off with an awful start. We were given a choice between Ajmer and Pushkar. It had been decided to split the group-people who wished to visit the the dargah in Ajmer and the group that wished to visit Pushkar. We were not allowed to visit both places as we were short of time. To visit Pushkar, one had to go back a good 20 km while Ajmer lay on the way ahead to Jaipur. Protests and grumblings arose in plenty but the authorities were in no mood to relent. On one hand lay the famous Temple at Pushkar which is the only temple in the world dedicated to Lord Brahma and on the other the 2nd most holy site for Muslims after Mecca and the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti-the harbinger of Islam and Sufi tradition to India. It was a tough choice to make and one boy ended up asking, "Kiska aashirwad sabse powerful hai?" I dearly wanted to visit both places but then I found myself getting up and getting set to visit the dargah. Our group unanimously agreed to visit the dargah-we are good at sticking together.

The Ajmer group totaled to around 20. We were told that if we could finish with the dargah early we stood a chance of visiting Pushkar. It was a slim chance and we more than ready to take it. We rode in a city bus to the dargah, taking in the sights of the city. But being inside a closed bus the view was pretty sad. Nothing to describe here.

The bus halted a few good kilometers away from the dargah and we had a long walk. We left our footwear in the bus since it was considered to leave footwear unattended near the dargah. And so we walked barefoot dodging the spit and cows, the pan spitool, dung, wet mud and water. Nobody minded and we felt much better for the walk. We bought a chadar since most of us wished to ask for something-the dargah has a reputation of granting people's wishes. The path leading to the dargah had the typical air of a holy town. Shopkeepers clamoured loudly asking people to buy their ware, children badgered people selling holy threads, photos, rosaries, flowers and various other offerings etc.

We expected the dargah to be heavily crowded since it was a Friday but we were surprised to find a moderate crowd there and people from all walks of life too! The Saint has a huge following and people come here from all over seeking solace and invoking his blessings.

On entering we first washed our feet and then made our way to the dargah. The dargah was teeming with people all just wishing to lay their eyes on the dargah. It was a huge push and shove process and no sooner we entered than we were pushed out by the swelling crowd. Outside a group was singing Kawalis and it created a surreal feeling then. Now I felt the sacredness of the place; watching people in a trance, some praying with a contended calmness and some praying with an intensity that seemed to radiate energy that went into creating the holy atmosphere. It was peaceful and I felt my eyes turn moist...After being there I felt that it will not matter whether my wish will be gratified or not, I was just glad to experience that feeling wash over me.

We made our way back to the bus and were informed that we can't make it to Pushkar since the other group had already left from there. A slight bitterness crept in but the after effects of the Kawalis lingered and bitterness was diluted to nothingness.

Our faithful bus was waiting for us and now we were off to the place I wanted to see the most-JAIPUR!!!!!!

The Rajasthan Chronicles-Day 4 (Desert National Park)

Woke up very early in the chilling cold. We had to leave early for Desert National Park. Gulped down a quick breakfast and then we were off. We reached the Park and had to wait for an hour for permission to enter the Park. We spent time admiring one goofy camel who was very pleased to pose for us and who showed us it's horrible teeth from all directions. What a treat! It was one useless conceited camel. I guess our visit brightened it's miserable life :)

We got permission to enter just the periphery of the park. A couple of friends and me broke off from the main group. We decided to explore the park on our own. We had an excellent time spotting Variable Wheatears, Isabelline Wheatear, Green Beaeater,  Lesser Grey Shrike. Rufous Tailed Lark and one bird which we think is a Bustard! At one point while I was photographing a Wheatear, the Wheatear did something stunning. It looked at us over it's back, then flew straight at us, then stopped at around 4 feet in front of us, flapped it's wings in mid-air for around 15 seconds and then flew away towards our right. It was simply amazing to look at the bird from such close quarters. We both were so astonished that neither of us could remember to capture this sight. We just gazed with our mouths hung open stupidly. But now we think that's okay. Somethings are best left committed to the photographic mind than the camera; we somehow like to remember it better this way.

While leaving we were party to another fabulous sight. A chinkara bounded out of nowhere straight towards us. When it spotted us in hovered frightfully in the grass staring at us at a distancde of 100m. We too halted in our tracks. The chinkara moved it's head from side to side-it was evident that it was unsure about what to do next. It then leaped up and bounded away towards our right still maintaining a safe distance from us. After it reached the safety of some tall grass it again stopped and stared at us, we wondered if it's heart was beating as fast as ours...

Then we had nothing much to do but travel and travel. We were now on the route to Jaipur and we were supposed to cover Pushkar and Ajmer on the way. Akaal Fossil Park seemed to have been conveniently forgotten by the tour manger. It was a dull journey and everyone popped off to sleep. I was bored and went and sat in the front with the driver. The journey took on a whole new perspective now. The driver and his partner enthusiastically pointed out various sights to me, telling me stories about villages that we were passing by. They ordered me to stay put in the front for we were now to pass a stretch where chinkaras, deer, neelgais, sambars and peacocks adorn the road on either sides. This was a treat that I surely wasn't going to miss. We passed villages with delightful names- Dudhiya, Khara, Sujasar, Bithari were just a few. Amritsar was 690 km away and the road was beautiful. This was NH-15 and I was loving every moment of it. Later we paused for a break at Pokaran and after half hour resumed the journey again. I was now joined by a couple of my friends. The drivers swore now that the promised treat lay just a few metres ahead. We rounded a bend and then we lay eyes on a huge flock of birds that I don't know-but the sight was amazing just the same. They flew all over the bus wildly flapping their wings in desperation. Next we spotted numerous lapwings, doves and chinkaras strewn all over the landscape-not too often but not too seldom either. Night was falling rapidly now, the trees formed an arch over the road and lay standing next to each other as if they were holding hands and welcoming us. One lone cyclist on he road huddled rapidly to the side when he saw the bus approaching. The trees started turning thorny and straggly when without warning a Neelgai appeared on the side of the road. It was very dark now and the Neelgai stood strangely quiet looking at us while we looked at it. It didn't move a muscle and just stood waiting for a cue. Even when the cameras flashed it didn't move and finally the driver had to make the first move of revving up the bus. The Neelgai then just turned nonchalantly and walked back into the woods. I was enjoying myself thoroughly, the wind was blowing my hair across my face and I could feel a slight chill but I didn't care. It was an incredible feeling. I knew that I would have to pay for this joy later-I fell ill terribly after this foolhardy action of mine.

We then went back and started a song singing routine in full swing. Amitabh Bachchan's songs ruled that night and it felt that the night ought to go on for ever. Half the bus joined in and we truly had an enjoyable time. I screamed so much that finally I felt my throat give away. Now I had really fallen ill. We then stopped at one stinky dhaba, had a quick dinner and were then again on our way. Reached our destination again late in the night and immediately fell onto the bed.

The Rajasthan Chronicles-Day 3 (Jaisalmer continued...)

I approached the camels with some trepidation, a memory from the past had woken up and I remembered the feeling when the camel got up after we had sat on it. I actually couldn't wait to sit on a camel again. They were to take us to Sam Sand Dunes to view the sunset in the desert. I chose one camel and sat on it. One of my friends joined me and then we were off. We were thrown in the front and then the back while the camel got up and all at once numerous screams of fright and excitement filled the air as the other camels also got up. Our camel was named Sharukh Khan and the camel's handler was Khurim Khan. When the camels started walking we were still giving out screams and sometimes out of nowhere some camel would start trotting resulting in some more louder bawls from the ones on the camel while we laughed at them and then only to start hollering when our camel started doing the same.

One of our Michael Jackson crazy friend, by some providence was sitting on a camel named Michael Jackson and couldn't quit raving about it! The camel handlers were really young and seemed to be not bigger than 12-15 years age though most of them claimed to be 16-18 years. Their small size caught them out. I was soon at ease on Sharukh Khan. He was a calm fellow and maintained a steady pace and our discomfort was negligible. I was merrily clicking pictures when out of nowhere a screech drowned all the noise. A camel was trotting very fast, our Head of Department was calmly sitting in the front, talking on the phone while behind him sat a boy who was desperately waving his hands in all directions and wailing at the top of his voice. It seemed as if the boy and his voice was scattered all over the route. Withing a blink of the eye men and camel had disappeared leaving behind just a cloud of dust. It was singularly the most funniest sight that had met our eyes in the desert. I laughed till tears poured out of my eyes. Towards the last leg Sharukh Khan started a good run and our camel ride ended with satisfaction. Again while the camel knelt down, we were instructed by Khurim Khan to lean back to ease the getting down process.

After getting down we were badgered to provide bakshish by the camel handlers but we had been told previously that they had been provided with their share of cash beforehand and so not to fall prey to their money-extorting tactics. The sand dunes rose up magnificently and we started climbing one particularly steep one. All the sand entered our shoes, pulling us down but we trudged on and on reaching the summit we were rewarded with the sight of even more sand dunes in the distance. We started playing on the dunes with all of running down the steep one and then diving into the sand. Everyone was in high spirits and the gaiety was contagious. Posing for photographs, running in the sand, finding beetles, admiring their patterns in the sand, watching the ripples in the sand and the shifting sand ahh...It was the most relaxing evening. We had nothing to do but wait for the sun to set.

While we waited, a group of kids surrounded us, begging us to see them dance and sing. They would break into a impromtu song and dance routine and then demand money from us. They tried it on the people there and some were followed by their fathers carrying a tambourine and the jew's harp. The music washed over me It was sad to see the kids do this but the kids bounded about joyously from one unsuspecting tourist to another.

The sunset was one truly rewarding experience. Brilliant orange, red, yellow- my favourite colours all throwing up new hues and shades with every passing second. At one point the sun was divided into 2 parts. The upper part had shades of yellow and the lower part had shaded of orange. As the sunset a silence befell the desert as everybody stood transfixed looking at the sun. It was a rare moment and time stood still. I felt that I could sit there forever watching the sand under the stars and listen to the music that tugged the heart strings.  And then the sun set but it left behind a myriad of colours right from purple, pink, red and the promise of truly a brighter and beautiful tomorrow. A song came up to my mind but only this was a tequila sunset.

While walking back to our bus I spied a thin boy wearing a superman t-shirt sitting upon a camel. I muttered something about superman not needing a camel to transport himself. my voice carried over to that superman and he swiftly flexed his muscles grinning down at me :)

Our stay for the night had been arranged in the tents a little away from the dunes. The evening came alive with camp-fire, sufi music, tiras, rajasthani dances dressed in the most wonderful colour. I felt more so alive experiencing this huge treasure trove of culture unfolding in front of our eyes. The bhavai was stunning as usual and so was dama dam mast kalandar and kesariya balama. The men wielding the tiras won everybody's hearts with their dexterity and skill and the jugalbandi between them and the dhol was captivating. A dutch lady sat next to me and she kept up a steady dance sitting and she seemed totally entranced by the music. We got talking and I learned that she was professional dancer and she was in India to explore the folk dances. She was adept at belly dancing, tango, latin american, ballet and many more dances. She nearly emptied her wallet on the musicians and dancers giving away plenty of notes. When the ghoomar begun we were pulled up to join in. Faster the beats demanded and faster we swayed to keep us the rhythm. We danced and danced and couldn't stop our feet. The fast beats made us lose all our control. Finally it was time for dinner and a rustic meal had been prepared. The traditional thali with dal bhati churma. We were so tired that we just gulped it down. Meanwhile our class singer had taken over the mike and was now regaling the audience. When she sung tujhse naaraz nahi zindagi my heart broke. It was simply beautiful.

Next we attended a meeting with the tour manager who was still expressing his reluctance to take us to Desert National Park. He was firmly put down by the teachers and the HOD showed his disapproval. the tour manger kept saying that we don't have permission to visit the park while a student said that no one can deny permission to students who want to visit the park. The student had her contacts with certain people in the park who assured her that we were welcome to visit it. We decided to visit the park inspite of the tour manger's misgivings. The cold was now starting to creep into my skin and we were shivering once again.

After the meeting we got ready to sleep but we were still in the mood for some merrymaking. Our tent was stone cold and dully lit. So, we crept up to the room occupied by the other half of our group and exchanged bits of the usual juicy gossip. Their room was more cozy than ours and within 15 minutes I could feel sleep over-powering me. We slid back into our rooms and slept by 1 a.m. It was blissful and we slept contented.

The Rajasthan Chronicles-Day 3 (Jaisalmer)

Awoke within a few hours, got dressed really quickly while a couple of my friends were singing useless parodies of songs. For the first time since the trip begun our group was the first to be present for breakfast-we had fast become notorious for being the late-comers.

Breakfast was to be served up in the terrace and we sat there playing on the swing until I spotted a shop with a computer in it. I desperately needed to clear my memory card to accommodate newer pictures. I ran down to the shop with a pen drive and sent another friend to get his memory card reader. But alas! the friend had packed the memory card reader deep in his luggage which was now entrenched atop the bus. Hopes dashed I started leaving the shop when the shopkeeper produced his memory card reader and offered to transfer the pictures into the pen drive. Elated, my friends and me watched him start the transfer process only to then read a message saying that the pen drive was full. He tried repeatedly but luck wasn't on my side. I left the shop in a downcast mood and got myself some breakfast. The rest of our class had nearly finished their breakfastD. ( So much for being first to get ready :) )During breakfast inspiration struck and I realised I could transfer the pictures onto a DVD. I hurried to the shop and finally my work was done. I could once more wield my camera. Yipee!!

There seemed to be a certain amount of friction in the air that day amongst certain students. When we halted at Sonar Killa, some students refused to get down stating that they wished to visit Desert National Park. The tour manger was giving us a choice between Desert National Park and Akaal Fossil park. This was a new development of which my group was not aware of. His logic was that Sonar Killa would take all afternoon to visit so one of the 2 parks had to be scrapped while the students vehemently stated that they would prefer skipping Sonar Killa rather than missing the National Parks. It was wrong of the tour manger to give us a choice but since our group was curious about Sonar Killa we got down and made way.

Sonar Killa turned out to be a lovely experience, something that I had only read about in novels and then later had let my imagination to take me to such haunts.  It was built in yellow sandstone and 1/4th of the population still resides in this Killa. It is a walled city with numerous by lanes meandering through from all directions. How I ached to run down all the lanes and explore all the shops that sold such strange and antique items. It was a place in which it would have been a grand adventure to get lost in. Mazes upon mazes, cobbled alleys, small temples, a large tree in the courtyard where the oldies sat and spoke about the daily ventures and who gazed at us with unconcealed curiosity. We were allowed to explore just one part of the fort and that too was a labyrinth of complex passageways, with innumerable steps, turns and doors. So many feet must have traipsed that path, many a queen must have walked floating in her own fairy world. She must have gazed down at her city with so much pride and now from her seat we could look down at the entire city and we spied hills rising up in the distance, windmills and rows of houses. At one spot there was a replica of the fort placed on a stone table and stone seats around it. It was like an open-air war room. I was tremendously glad to have got the opportunity to visit this place, I kept scurrying about here and there looking for newer marvels to sigh at. It was certainly one of the highlights of the tour for me.

I did some shopping in there and ended up with puppets and a bag which i did not have the heart to leave behind so pretty was it. I finally left with gnawing sensation- I was craving to explore the place thoroughly while I was also glad to have visited a place of which I, previously, would only dream of.

We went back to the hotel for lunch and then checked out. Once again we were back on the road, this time making our way to desert country-Sam Sand Dunes. After lunch everyone was sleepy and everybody's meter went down slowly one by one. Eventually just me and friend were left awake. The time passed somehow and after a couple of hours we could mark out the change in the scenery. The soil was much more arid and sandy, the vegetation sparse and scattered and air was dryer. And then the suddenly we were on a road with sand on either sides and the camels made their way in the distant. The thrill at spotting the first camels was soon replaced when they became plenty and then later seeing a caravan held no new novelty for us. After a long time we drew up and the first thing that caught my eye was a row of 15 camels sitting (which looked like squatting) with their backs to us. The sight got out a chuckle from me- these camels were to be our ride into the desert!!!

(to be continued)

The Rajasthan Chronicles-Day 2 (Jodhpur)

We woke up refreshed from a good night sleep. But the biting cold had followed us to Jodhpur too. I awoke at 5 and couldn't stop my teeth from chattering like mice! After a sumptuous breakfast of parathas we set off. A day in the blue city.

Our first stop was Umaid Bhawan. It is sprawled over an area of 1 sq.km and built in Indo-Sarcenic architecture. It was built for the welfare of people during times of drought and famine. 3000 artisans toiled to make this marvelous piece of splendour in Chittar Sandstone. It houses 347 rooms and a part of it opened to the public. The rest has been converted into a hotel run by the Taj Group where the minimum entry fee is Rs 3000. The Maharaja's family still occupies a part of the palace. I was surrounded by clouds of delight when I first saw the palace. It was simply majestic and one could feel the grandeur that hung about the museum. The artifacts took me to another world where being royal and regal was the done thing. Exquisite pieces of glass bowls, vases, dinner sets in the most wondrous colours only got out squeals of excitement out of me. Dinner rooms and living rooms that had been recreated there were quite a sight. Out on the lawns 4 vintage cars had been put up on display-a Packard, Morris, Overland and a Buick. A pleasant visit to Jodhpur's royal heritage.

After lunch we checked out of our hotel and set off for Mehrangarh fort. Finally a breath-taking view of the blue city unfolded before our eyes. The houses here are painted blue to keep the temperature cool during the scorching summer heat.  Merangarh fort is among the largest forts and was built in 1459. One has to pass 7 gates to reach the fort and each gate marks various battles. The haunting sound from the Ravan Harta greeted us when we entered the fort. The melancholic melody pulled a veil over my eyes and I was back again wandering in another place, another time. It tugged the heart-strings and I was mesmerised, not a muscle moved. A shout from our teacher broke the spell and I scurried over to join the group. Here at one of the gates another sight greeted me. A faster rhythm was being played and one student lost control and started dancing which was promptly taken up by the rest and then finally the whole group. Definitely enjoyed this impromptu dancing session. The guide then begun his ranter but I was least interested. I was more keen on seeing the place and eventually I ended up seeing this fort only through my camera- a clicking frenzy overcame me and I couldn't stop clicking pictures. The architecture is so intricate and the lattice work so perfect it seemed unreal. The hands that worked, carved, chipped and moulded the stone must have possessed magic to create such stunning works of art.

The fort had marvelous palenquins made out of silver on display-some shaped like animals and some with intriguing designs. An old man sat outside one of the rooms displaying how to use the hookah caught my fancy. He was continuously asked by the tourists to pose with the hookah-he seemed pleased with all the attention that was being showered on him. The curio shop in the fort seemed a costly affair but had very pretty jewellery, kurtis and stoles. While leaving the fort the Ravan Harta again beckoned and this time we spent a quarter of an hour listening to the music. But this time the man played filmy songs and I didn't find it charming.

We halted next at Jaswant Thada but didn't visit as we were running short of time. Instead the bird-watching gang ran off to the banks of a stream and exclaimed in delight over birds whose names I cannot remember. They had their eyes glue to the binoculars and shouted over some coots and moorhens. Sir had to drag us away from the spot.

We then visited one stupid garden whose name I didn't bother jotting down because it was so stupid. The vervet monkeys came bounding down when they saw us and made rude faces at us. The garden was still under construction and I found nothing worthwhile in there.

We left the garden soon and made way to a tea stall where a dugdugi was parked. The rickshaws in Jodhpur are a very narrow affair, they have the air of being squashed from all sides. We made one of our friends become the dugdugi driver and then the real dugdugi driver made an entry and he was drunk to the boot. He gave us some more interesting ideas for posing with his dugdugi.

Tonight we had to travel all through the night to Jaisalmer. The night journey was fun and our seniors related engaging stories and then kept up the tempo by relating ghost stories. We halted at Pokaran for dinner and immediately all jokes were directed towards having radio-active waste in our food. Pokaran was even more colder than Jodhpur and as we neared the desert the cold increased. We had food at Shimla Dhaba and the hot food did manage to take away the nip for a while.

Reached Jaisalmer at 2.40 in the night and swiftly put ourselves to sleep. I was worried about my camera. My memory card was full due to my clicking frenzy at Merangarh fort. I decided to deal with the problem the next day.

The Rajasthan Chronicles-Day 1( The train journey)

Seems just like yesterday that I boarded the Pune-Jodhpur Express. I had marked out the train route and had finished fantasizing about the stations that the train would be halting at. Mum had warned me for what seemed like umpteen times, "Don't you go around doing a Jab We Met on the railway stations." I sulkily gave in and scanned the stations from the window.

The train journey was memorable.We didn't have confirmed seats and so 2/3 people shared 1 seat but we didn't even care. Sleeping was the last thing on our minds. We all were just glad to be together. We jabbered away with our neighbours - one old uncle and aunty with awesome child-like enthusiasm about our trip. They were terribly kind and considerate towards all our noise-making activities and cheering and the drop-ins by our friends who were scattered throughout the train.

We started the card games at 11.30 in the night and continued them well past 1 a.m. Most of the time was spent learning one eff-all game called 'Mendikot'. I couldn't for the life of me remember this game though I was nagged by the feeling that I have played this game before. I had 3 friends all giving me explanations and forcing me to listen to them and not to the other person. Really awful. Somehow after what seemed like ages I got the hang of the game and played it well :)

Then I decided to give my wanderings in the train a rest and found an empty berth to sleep on. And oh yes now I remember the biting cold brrrr. I was chilled to my bones and twisted and turned to find a warm spot on the cold berth. Gloves, socks, sweaters, sweat-shirts notwithstanding, the cold made me shiver all through the night.

At 3 a.m. I went to welcome a friend who was to board the train at Surat. It was jolly well good to see her- She had all the tasty grub with her :)

I then found another empty berth after that because the old one was occupied by one surly chap from Surat who cast an annoyed glance at us as soon as he saw us huddled together on one seat. A couple of my friends stayed awake and kept chattering all through the night. They kept up a non-stop chatter and this made the Surat man even more angry. He kept scolding my friends but they didn't seem to care. At around 5 a.m. I was rudely awakened by my friends with the flash of the camera. I joined in the giggling and by this time each and every member of our group was awake giggling and laughing.

The surly Surat man could take it no more and called us the most uneducated bunch of people and that we have studied just too much and so we were keeping up this noisy racket all through the night. I felt he was right. I wouldn't have liked it if I were disturbed when I wanted to sleep. After the mega-scolding he gave us we all promptly went off to sleep and strangely, it was the best sleep ever. We woke up refreshed and the surly Surat man thankfully left.

The rest of the journey was pleasant and was slightly marred by a classmate who tapped my friend on her head, put his finger into my ear and pulled another friend's nose and hugged him. Decided then and there that we have to stay away from this weirdo.

As we neared Jodhpur, we spotted plenty of doves, flamingoes, peafowl, spotted deer and chinkaras. It was a lovely welcome and so exciting to spot them foraging freely beside the tracks. The peacocks trotted with a charming gait and I was mesmerised. For the first time in my life I was seeing them in such huge numbers!!

We reached Jodhpur in the evening and were put up at Beniwal Palace. Dinner was a seedy restaurant called 'Ghar Angan Bhojnalay'. We were busy posing for photographs outside the restaurant and not so very nice men tried to act smart with us. Even while walking back to the hotel some men on bikes tried to upset us-but on hearing our ma'm scream they escaped. Learned that it's not safe to go wandering at night alone. North is really unsafe for girls-even in groups.

Reached the hotel and slept like a log.

Rajaon ka Sthan

I've been listening to a wonderful song since the past week- Mark Knopfler's -Me and the Wanderlust. It's fitting because the wanderlust bug has bitten really hard now. Packing up my bags for a 2 week tour of Rajasthan-The land of the Kings.

Home to one of the oldest people in India-The Bhils, somewhere there is a tiger if you are lucky enough to spot one, and someplace else the desert can swallow you in as you gaze mesmerised at the sifting sand dunes, the women who really know about colour all the more because of the bare and barren landscape, where the men dress in pristine white and turbans of varied hues adorn their heads, where the palaces in all their grandeur tell stories of centuries gone by, where the killas repeat tales of glory and sing praises venerating their heroes... and then the legends of the Rajputs...

Rajasthan seems to have offer all that a traveler craves for- Romance in Udaipur, Adventure with the wild-life, tempting cuisine to tickle the taste-buds, shopping for the love of art, royalty everywhere and brazen toughness also everywhere.

On previous occasions I have thought Rajasthan to be a dull, drab and boring state with nothing in it except sand and IIT classes. Hovever, since the time I have started reading about it I have been floating at higher heights, dumb-founded at the richness it offers. So spectacular, so splendid.

Our Rajasthan expedition starts with Jodhpur-the Blue City and then Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jaipur, Abhaneri, Bharatpur, Ranthambore, Ajmer, Pushkar and ends with Udaipur-the Venice of the East. My scrapbook is ready, my bags are packed and I just have to get on that bus.

Bidding an au revoir with Knopfler's Wanderlust :-

Big black cloud
On a yellow plain
Sure enough it
Looks like rain
Packin' up all our
Faith and trust
Me and the wanderlust

Open window
Empty bed and chair
Who's that callin'
Ain't nobody there
I look behind me
And I see there's just
Me and the wanderlust

Dead of night
I had a dream
Sky was bright yes and the
Fields were green
I was down the road
In a cloud of dust
Me and the wanderlust

And I'm on the edge
Of an endless fall
Sure enough
He's come to call
Got to go now
Get on that bus
Me and the wanderlust

Roacher Pics

Click here to see Roacher and the cockroach.

P.S. It's not for the fainthearted. I couldn't eat my fish for dinner after I clicked these pictures.

Roacher the Roach Ranger!!!!

Well I have one smart and hungry lizard to write about. It's the same lizard that woke me up a couple of days back from my slumber. Today it invited me for tea and snacks!!

I was trying to bang my head against my books in the evening at 4.30 when again the mysterious thudding started. It didn't occur to me that the same lizard was at play. At first I ignored the sound and tried to study but the sound persisted. I had to spring into action. I shifted the wardrobe and Roacher was at work again. (I've named the lizard Roacher) It had just caught a cockroach and this time I was prepared. I lunged for my camera and I photographed the lizard patiently eating the cockroach while the cockroach made desperate bids to escape but to no avail. The jaws of the lizard are really strong. Roacher took 45 minutes to consume the cockroach and now as I write this it is resting benignly at the side of my wardrobe. 

Will upload the entire sequence of pictures tomorrow :)

Lizard's Breakfast!

The morning got off to an interesting start today. I opened my eyes from deep slumber to a sound that seemed as if a bird was trapped and was fluttering it's wings in desperation in a bid to escape. I thought that I was dreaming but when the sound persisted I had to get up and play detective.

I first checked my window to make sure that no bird was trapped there. Pigeons usually visit my window as it gives them a good perch. While I was checking I felt that the sound was coming from inside my wardrobe. I thought that to be very very strange. No bird could land up inside the wardrobe. And curiously enough, the sound seemed to be emanating from way inside the wardrobe. "Ghost bird"- I muttered.

Then I heard loud thuds from the wardrobe. I really thought at this time that the bird is going to die. Then some intelligence visited me and I shifted the wardrobe a little. I was expecting to see a tiny bird there but lo! behold! what a sight awaited me!!

I was shocked and being drowsy, initially I thought it was a snake. After my eyes adjusted to the darkness this is what I made out.

A house-lizard facing vertically downwards with a cockroach halfway into it's mouth!! The lizard banged itself against the wardrobe to push the cockroach into it's mouth. The eyes of the lizard glowed eerily black and then red. I scrambled to get my camera but couldn't capture the sight. After 10 minutes the lizard turned itself vertically upwards and incessantly opened and closed it's mouth. I could see a part of the cockroach coming out and going in.

Anyways my camera started working later and I got a potshot of the lizard now digesting the cockroach.

The lizard is on the back of the wardrobe, the white part is the wall.

New Orkut Vs Old Orkut and Facebook.

Well well well..Orkut finally has gone for a huge makeover. It had to do  no option with even the Orkut loyalists moving to Facebook. The spice out of Orkut had fizzled out so what did Orkut do? It has re-invented itself. And it is cleverly trying to maintain an exclusivity about the new version-meaning allowing only people with invitations to access the new version. Nice aura. I personally was going loony, bleating about desperately for an invitation until a helpful friend took pity on me and sent it :)

The good points first. It's never been easy to look for your friends in the friend's list. One just needs to scroll to find the friend and the same for the communities too. One can now comment on the updates, à la Facebook. Loading hardly takes up any time now and yes it is faster and more jazzed up. And the best thing is that Orkut has left the option to revert back to the old version if need be.

The bad points- It's too too cluttered now.

The hype about the new Orkut will probably stem the flow from Orkut to Facebook but steadfast devotees of  Facebook are most likely to give the new Orkut a pass. One tends to think about the old Orkut with nostalgia. It was new then, there was excitement about using it, one never knew which old friend one would meet, there was the delight of reading the scraps, the sleepless nights thinking who will scrap you next et al.

 Let's see now whether revamping creates the same buzz for Orkut again.

Steve Jobs. Radical!!!!

wow

Why Tunkie Sleeps So Much

No I haven't yet woken up since I went to sleep what seems like aeons ago or was it just yesterday or was it an hour ago. I am not too sure about that. I tried all that I knew, but it's tough to tread the fine line between emotions and cold practicability. But gloom nostalgia seeps in like the grey swirling mist through every pore of my skin and the weight which I'm lugging around becomes much more entrenched than ever. No I don't hurt no more. I'm just numb because the iron grip becomes stronger than ever. There is a sadistic pleasure in this numbness. And I have lost all desire to wake up.

Wrote this a long time ago. And it doesn't hold true anymore!!! :) But I still sleep a lotttt!!!!!

Examination Woes

After three long years I will be giving exams for a fortnight. Biotechnology was pretty chilled out about exams. Three days, 80 marks papers and we would  be free. Now it's 5 papers, 50 marks each spread out over 10 days. It's a real bore. The breaks in between are the worst though this time around they seem welcome since my books still continue to be in a state of permanent rest. And I will be doing the honour of opening them only before each paper.

 

M.Sc has made me even more lazy.  I am not sure if it is because of the horrendous number of assignments that we are besotted with or is it due to the fact that we end up doing them only a night before the submission. I wonder where the time flies. The professors made us slog by giving us a schedule of 9 to 6 and before we knew it exams were bolting towards us faster that Usain Bolt.

Tomorrow are the practical exams and I have just skimmed through reluctantly. The laziness lingers. Here's hoping that I won't have any serious repercussions tomorrow.

Things that I do and Catch 22

Finally my bike is home after being through hell. It looks all shiny-shoo, it also feels good to touch. But the best part is that it actually moves now.

After refusing to budge an inch, I deposited my bike with the mechanic during these holidays. The holidays came as a curse as well as a blessing meaning I was stuck at home for a week while my bike got a makeover.

I was a model of laziness this week. I lolled around the bed all the days, watched movies all the nights and fell in love with Catch-22.

Curiously, on previous occasions when I had attempted to read the book, I couldn't get past the first 4 chapters. And all the time not a word would penetrate my thick skull. Those occasions would amount to nearly 10-12 times. This time I was determined. I had to read it after being subjected to such rave reviews by an assorted number of friends and one going so far ahead as to even offering to narrate the story. (The friend did manage to tell me the plot and what exactly is Catch-22). The book didn't appeal to me previously and I found it to be sitting on the pinnacle of ennui.

Now I find myself eating my words. The book is singularly the most brilliant book I've come across in a long time and I happily hooked. And I also wish I knew a real Yosserian. He's cute.

The real Yosserian would detest the word cute.

Sariska Tigers set up bar. Serve Cold Beer.

Well well what do you know the things tigers in Sariska Reserve are up to now-a-days? Why they obviously lead a jolly good 'ol life and their preferred drink to lead a jolly good 'ol life is of course cold beer.

Three cheers to that. Seems like some people out there are

a) getting broad-minded about serving hard drinks to tigers

or

b) conducting some 'tiger-gone' crazy experiments on the tigers

I think what they are doing is hiding cold beer in secret and mysterious locations, hoping that their wives will not find out that they are drinking on the sly. But the willy tiger is outfoxing them. The smart tiger finds the cold beer and sets of on a jolly good roller-coaster ride.

"The Tiger prefers to hunt large deer specially sambar, chital, nilgai and omnivore COLD BEER."

Check the poster.

Link

little BOY BEGGAR

Begging is to request a donation in a supplicating manner. Beggars are commonly found in public places such as street corners or public transport, where they request money, most commonly in the form of spare change.

This particular beggar that I encountered was a 7 year old, filthily attired in torn clothes, unkempt hair...the usual normal child beggar we spot everywhere. A small 4 year old child clutched his hand and kept up a continuous wail. He was obviously his brother. I had just halted at the Pulgate Signal due to the red signal. As more and more vehicles accumulated at the signal, the elder beggar child jumped into action. He half-dragged, half-pulled his brother towards the vehicles.

They hurried off to a Toyota Innova. The two men sitting inside recoiled at the sight of them. The beggars pounded on the door and window of the car, they tried to open the door and both set up a shrill cry. The man in the car unrolled the window, at least one part of the battle was won by the beggars.

The man then surreptitiously removed a coin from nowhere and fingered it in his fingers. The beggars hadn't seen this and had by that time increased the volume of their shrill. It was pounding my ears though I was with my helmet on. The man handed oven the coin to the boy and within a flash rolled over his window again.

The beggar thankfully received his coin and then stared at it for a very long time and then the scream that emanated from him surpassed all the previous screams. He now banged at the door of the car with an infuriating shriek that his kid brother was startled into silence. And then I realised the meaning of the scream. The coin which the man had handed over was a 50 paisa coin. All the boy's labour, was in the worth just 50 paisa. His tiny fists pummeled the window but the men inside did not relent. The little buy clutched the coin tightly in his hand, then opened his fist to look at it one last time and making sure that the men were looking at him he held it up and then with bitterness in his eyes he threw the coin down and then departed. The signal now turned green.

I can't yet figure out where my disgust should lie. With the men or with the beggar.

Sweety-My headche

The time since I last wrote a post just whizzed by but ever so slowly. It stumbled, toddled, drawled and slept off like a soporific boring lecture. It was one never-ending but extremely agonising slumber party.

It all began when Sweets left. All of a sudden I found myself bereft of my favourite person in the world. But Sweets wasn't going to come back for a very long time.

And then the pain begun. Throbbing head, sounds in my ear, pain in the neck, shoulder, tingling in my fingers. It went on for days at a stretch. Aaaah it was horrible and yet it hasn't ceased.

Sweets attributes these pains to her absence- Conceited creature that she is; but I feel down and empty when I see her empty bed. She is my cuddly teddy-bear.

Nayan Tarse

My favourite song from the movie. It blows me out.




Nayan Tarse
Nayan Tarse
Taras Na Mile
Nayan Tarse

Nayan Tarse
Nayan Tarse
Dono Se Bahe Dhaar
Nayan Tarse

Haare Yeh
Path Nihar
Nayan Tarse Tarse Tarse Re

Bisar Gaye Bisar Gaye Kitne
Bisar Gaye Bisar Gaye Kitne
Biraha Mein jal jal
Pal Woh Gaye Badal
Swaha Swaha swaha Hey Hey Hey Hey

Bisar Gaye Bisar Gaye Kitne
Bisar Gaye Bisar Gaye Kitne
Sunahre Yeh Din
Kaali Raat Mein Gaye Dhal

Raama Raama Raama Raama Re

Saawan Barse Saawan Barse
Tapish Ki Phuhaar
Sawaan Barse
Saawan Barse Saawan Barse

Chubhan De Hazaar
Sawaan Barse

Gaali Si Lage Malhaar
Sawaan Barse Barse Barse Re

Bisar Gaye Bisar Gaye Kitne
Bisar Gaye Bisar Gaye Kitne
Biraha Mein Jal Jal
Pal Woh Gaye Badal
Swaha Swaha swaha Hey Hey Hey Hey

Bisar Gaye Bisar Gaye Kitne
Bisar Gaye Bisar Gaye Kitne
Sunahre Yeh Din
Kaali Raat Mein Gaye Dhal

Raama Raama Raama Raama Re

Are you going to a Wedding?

Going to weddings is one of the most toughest things to do- for me at least. It's like going to the battle without any arms and ammunition. The most dreaded things are

1) Aunties and Uncles pop over to you and ask ' Did you recognise me?' I have now decided just to grin and bob my head stupidly next time someone asks me this at a wedding. Maybe they'll get dazzled by my smile and forget their question.

2) Aunties and Uncles pop over and exclaim, "My God, how big you have become!" Well what do they expect? Am I supposed to remain 3 feet tall for the rest of my life? Babalog please try to understand, I'm a growing girl :)

3) When photographer gets set to click your picture the troublesome hair just then decides to lash up across your face and you are the only one looking like the evil witch.

4) The cameraman always ends up shooting when you are in embarrassing positions like picking your teeth, dropping food, piling your plate high with food or worse still-picking your nose. Shoot him for Goodness sake.

5) And then there are some dorks who will stare and smile at you from afar just waiting for a chance to hit on you. This is very very sleazy.

6) The restless aunties who can't seem to keep their mouths shut and will keep biting your ear off until you reciprocate in kind and then only to realise that you haven't an inkling as to who the auntie was in the 1st place. Feels undeniably goofy.

7) Having embarrassed myself with one auntie a couple of times I sincerely wished to avoid her the next time I saw her. I begged my sister out of desperation to pretend to be me. Thankfully the auntie didn't mention the incident, just greeted and passed on. Whew.

The 1st incident took place 6 years ago- Someone had called home and I had the misfortune to answer the phone. She asked to speak to my mother and I didn't bother asking the person on the phone who it was and I rudely said wrong number, mum doesn't want to speak to anyone and banged the phone down. A week later the same lady called up my mum and she turned put to be the AUNTY. What ensued was so not very good.

The 2nd incident took place 9 months ago. Auntie called asking to speak to my mother. But unfortunately for me, my mum was at her workplace. I told the auntie so. Then feeling that it would be polite on my part to make some polite conversation, I casually asked her, "How is Uncle?"

Auntie just paused for what seemed like an eternity and then heavily answered, " It's been 4 years since Uncle left this world beta." Oh shoot, I could have bitten my tongue right there and then. I apologised as sloppily as I could and kept the phone and went and fumed in my bed. How could I have asked such a question? When I told mum about this she was ready to whip me and my sister actually rolled on the floor laughing.

Now henceforth, I have decided to steer clear of this particular Auntie. It's dangerous territory.

Any ways coming back to the point-I like weddings, I love the people who are getting married, I love dressing up and going for weddings. I don't like what happens to me at weddings.

Pune Not Good

The holidays have come at a very inconvenient time. University had just begun and we were finally settling in with the schedule and within 3 weeks time Swine Flu struck and vacations were declared. Pune has come to a virtual stand-still. The entire student crowd is cooped up at home. The roads were a dismal and dull look. And the handful who are brave enough to step out have the green masks tied firmly around their faces. Everyone is frightened. The kids in my apartment don't go down to play anymore- the reason being one positive case among them.

And the gloominess coupled with the water cut that the city is once again facing. The prospects don't look very bright on the cards. The rains are heavy and intermittent but there is no rainfall in the catchment areas. The water levels in the dams continue to dip dip dip. Now the PMC decides that the time is ripe to dig 350 bore-wells. That's how much the city needs.

People are storing water in tanks and now a new demon is raising it's ugly head- Dengue. The stored water is becoming a perfect place for mosquitoes to breed.

People are dying everyday, the numbers are climbing, the clock is ticking.

What is going to happen next?

La langue française

Yesterday I got a chance to better my French-speaking skills. 4 students from France have joined my department for 6 months as part of an exchange program. We got talking and I made a pact with Audrey-She would help me practice La langue française if I taught her Hindi.

After our lectures got over we spent time in the canteen where a couple of them were treated with idli-sambhar. They ate it with quite some relish and le fil kept wanting to talk about cars. On returning back to our department, ma classe de française started in earnest. Audrey kept throwing les questions at me. It took me a very very long time to get used to her accent and her speed. The French are known to speak rapidly and I had to keep begging her to speak lentement. I was listening and speaking French after nearly 3 months and all les conjugaisons des verbes had taken leave from my mind and for my life I couldn't remember le mot pour 'forget'.
Later I redeemed myself by impressing Audrey by with my knowledge about l'histoire et la geographie de la France.

When it came my turn to teach Audrey Hindi, she proved quite adept at picking it up. I taught her numbers, how to bargain by saying 'Kya bhaiya, kitna mehenga hai!'. And in the meanwhile Tomas was conducting his French lesson for the boys of our class. It was a sight to watch the boys learn how to say 'Au Revoir'. He was teaching them how to pronounce 'Revoir' and in the end all the managed to say is 'Oh Rava'.

And this is what I said when Eric and Americk asked me whether I prefer German or French.
"Je pense que la launge est trés romantique et belle. Je l'aime beaucoup." They were delighted and Tomas started at the word 'romantique'. Bien sûr, il est un fil méchant!!!

Lectures in University

At last a new month began today. The couple of days at University have been absolutely terrific. The lectures are getting all the more interesting with each progressing class. Having never studied Geosciences and Atmospheric Sciences, these subjects are now sharing space with Microbiology as my favourite subjects. I never dreamed that rocks could throw so much light on Earth's historical mysteries and I'm glad of this new-found fascination.

Sir makes us scratch our head with the clever questions he puts to us with a well-placed itch. We grope around with the clues and just about solve his riddle. Everybody ends us being pleased with themselves. After 3 years I am being taught like this. As one of my class-mates put it perfectly-it's akin to listening to stories by our grandparents. Most of the lecturers are aged but with bucketful youthful enthusiasm and with every passing minute I'm totally captivated and hooked.

Then another professor linked Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, the hat makers, the mercury spill in Japan and thus the Minamata Disease. It was ooh-la-la worthy.

This has been the first time that I have not looked forward to the end of the lecture but the commencement of a new lecture. The eagerness grows everday.

The key event

It was the 19th of July, a day before my birthday. It was a Sunday and the reason for dressing up and going out was my teacher's wedding who is now going to the US of A for her doctoral studies. Anyways, the point is that me and 3 friends were dressed up in all our finery and after the wedding I had the brilliant plan of spending some time at Sarasbaug.

While on the overbridge

We had to cross an overbridge to go to the park and I was clicking some shots of the park and the distant hill. All this while I was holding my big, huge bunch of keys in the forefinger of my left hand. While getting down the steps I took a couple of close up shots of my keys and now too I am at a loss as to what prompted this strange behaviour from me. I had no inkling about what was to shortly follow.

 The 2nd shot

When we reached the park, Patra dragged us off to see the 'big' and 'huge' fishes in the stinky, dirty and muddy pond. We oohed and aahed at the site of the tadpoles, baby fish and the 'huge' fish in the pond and then marveled at the pitiable state of the pond.

I was in my element and was madly trying to capture the films on my camera and I shifted to another spot to get a better angle-right at the water's edge. Patra came next to me and at that exact moment I was trying to click 3 fishes swimming backward. She showed me something in the pond and what happened next was a nightmare. The instant I clicked the fishes, my keys just left my forefinger and splashed into the pond in front of my stunned eyes. I was speechless and I was for a minute oblivious to my friends exclaiming around me. After I found my voice I just kept muttering 'Oh Shoot!', 'I'm so dumb!', Oh crap!'. What a fix I had landed myself into! I just kept staring tat the spot hoping that somehow magically the keys would emerge out.

The fishes, my downfall

We ran to the watchman's cabin and narrated our plight to them. Those idjits turned out to be the most unhelpful bunch of slobs that I had the misfortune to meet. One had the audacity to suggest that I forget about the keys and go home, one asked me to come the next day because the person who could get down in the water hadn't come that day. One idjit, curling his lip at us, asked us to enter the water. He very well knew that doing that would be impossible given our attire. I could have clawed him. And then they asked us to ask any balloon-seller to help us with our predicament.

I found one seller who asked his friend, who just asked us about the spot where the keys fell and got into the water. The water was knee length and boy was it sickeningly dirty! His legs turned with the cake of slush. He dipped his hand into water and got out a variety of trinkets-a hair band, a bracelet, wrappers and black coloured mud. So many things but not the keys. He delved his hand again but was yet again unsuccessful. He did a third time, fourth time, fifth time and still no luck. Now I was panicking and was all set to enter the water. Patra kept telling me to shut up and to behave myself.

A big crowd had gathered by now to watch the proceedings and one man came up and told me superiorly that the minute he saw my keys fall into the water, he kept his in his pocket. He too had been dangling his keys dangerously close to the water. One little boy asked me, “ Khup bhari model cha phone hota ka?” I was aghast and I just shook my head wildly at him.

All this while the man kept hunting for the keys haplessly. Patra then said something that drove my heart stone cold and which I think will make me shudder for a long time to come- “Pranietha, just thank God that it was your keys and not the camera that slipped out of your hand.” I could do nothing but just curse at my foolish, awful habit of holding the keys in my forefinger.

The man then sent his two brothers to the watchman's cabin asking them for a metal trough to sift through the water and mud. But those idjits were reluctant to help and to our chagrin they presented the boys with a bamboo 'tokri'. The man clenched his teeth at the apathetic attitude of the watchmen.

20 minutes had elapsed since the man had got down into the pond. The water had also become turbid and we now feared that the keys might have moved away from it's original spot. My heart was clenched like a fist. The man was all set to come out but my friends begged him one last time to check near the railings. The man complied with our request and put his hand once in the water once again. Heart-throbbing we waited and then he got his hand triumphantly out of the water. The shine of the silver was unmistakable. My keys were back from the depths of murky and dark waters and the entire crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief.

The man rinsed the keys and returned them to me. After he came out of the water, I gave him a 50 rupee note and he refused to accept it. Relief mixed with exasperation, my friends were all set to knock him down. But the man turned us down and finally I told him that it was to be my birthday tomorrow and he had to accept it. He just wished me a 'Happy Birthday' and was ready to go. The crowd instead of dispersing were now looking at us with amusement. Then we tried to give the money to his brothers who also refused and they kept looking at their brother for cues. Finally the little boys could no longer contain themselves and we gave the money to them.

My mood did take an upward swing after this but I could still feel a tight fist clenched across my stomach. The loosening up took a long time and my friends helped me cheer up by pretending that we were part of some loony show. Nevertheless, the thought of the pond with those 'big' and 'huge' fishes gives me the jitters and makes me want to go hide my face into the ground like an ostrich.

Walk the Rock

A walkathon had been organised by Connecting NGO 25th July to spread awareness about suicide prevention. CYDA was also participating in the walkathon and I too jumped in at the prospect of trying out something new and I truly experienced an evening worth remembering.

The walkathon started from Dastur Girls' High School (I am an ex-student of this school) and nostalgia crept up the minute I stepped inside it's premises. We took a circuitous route from the school, passing by Victory Theatre on East Street, crossing over to M.G. Road, Aurora Towers, LandMark and then back to school.

My friend and me lead the walkathon, keeping up the tempo by shouting out slogans. It was certainly a new for me to have so many people on the street stop and stare while we were walking. People came running out of shops and a huge crowd gathered outside SGS Mall while we passed by. We sure did create awareness and I do hope the message did reach people. And speaking of shouting, by the end of the walkathon I had yet again lost my voice, reminiscent of my days in Bengaluru last year when my voice had left me for a week. Now my voice has yet again become scratchy and my throat hurts as if needles are being shoved down it.

While walking by, I met an old school-mate and she was curious regarding our initiative. I explained to her about her walkathon and got a thumbs-up from her. It feels good to be part of doing something worthwhile.


After the walkathon, a rock concert had been arranged by a band named Jet Set. They put up a terrific show and I let my hair down after nearly 7 months-the last being New Year's Eve. They played killer songs and our group did some good shaking of the leg. We danced for 3 hours non-stop and by the end of it I was all set to drop down dead.

I also met my school's Principal and it was a pleasure to speak to her again after 6 years. She was glad to see me a part of the action and I was surprised to know that she is the trustee of Connecting. What a small place after all! All in all an evening well spent notwithstanding the terrible throat ache!

Rainy Walks

Walking in the University campus is such a joy. It's been pouring since the last couple of days and during our break in between the lectures my classmates and me go exploring out to various departments. Armed with umbrellas, I find it very quaint walking on the water sloshed winding paths and the fresh greenery transports me into another world. At times like these I'm at a loss for words and just hum a tiny tune for my pleasure usually one of the songs which I have learnt in dance class.

Today I met my old friends again while I had gone to the bank to deposit the fees for the convocation ceremony. Gosh! Again we buzzed like bees, cracking all the same old nonsensical jokes which make sense to none but us. We had to stand in the queue for over a couple of hours but it really didn't matter. The time was yet too short for us. Then after a couple of members of our group departed, 3 of us went to the University Canteen. It's an old, gloomy, dully lit but an interesting place which serves 'Egg Sez' rice.

While sitting there I wished that it would have been so pleasant to have all my friends there with me and studying with me but they jackasses wish the same thing for me to be studying with them in their departments. It's a good thing though-at least each person likes the course that they have elected for. But I oh so do miss them so so so much :)

Algae and Bacteria

I love anything to do with micro-organisms but sadly I will not be studying about them in-depth further I think but the interest remains as strong as ever.
Here is a link to something really fascinating about what these tiny things are capable of doing. Somehow made me feel very very happy. Click here

Microbes are great!

A Tribute to my friends

Had such a wonderful time today. Met all my friends from the bachelor days and it now seems such a long time since we sat together in class, talked crap while much more crappy lectures were going on, got the tag of permanently being engulfed by laughing gas, being scolded by teachers for not answering questions in class, sitting together for lunch, running up and down the corridors holding our flasks and petri-plates...all seems such a long time ago.

But frankly I was standing on one leg to be done with college and at that time I never thought that I would miss my friends so much. I don't miss college because it was a sad place but my friends made each and every minute I spent there seem worth-while.

One friend would just come to college to sleep, one friend had made it her life's ambition to dress to college everyday in pink, one friend would to college just to discuss how boring it is to come to college, one friend would come just to dance and the other one would just come to fill in her daily dose of movie gossip. Fascinating people all of them-really..

And the best part is now that I realised that I can have the same kind of fun with them anywhere and anytime. Nothing has changed.

Today we 5 of us met at SGS Mall at Camp and we all just burst out talking like just as if we had never parted. Each one had such fascinating incidents to relate-talking about cute and crush worthy professors at their new colleges, weird teachers who somehow manage to forget what they are teaching and some teachers who refuse to even come for the lectures. All this talk has got me eagerly waiting for my department to begin so that even I can join in with regards to this topic.

And then inevitably whenever we meet, out topic of discussion always turns to biotechnology. Now we are all biotechnology graduates and I found the course a nonsensical farce. My friends too found it a farce but they all stand by their decision to do their masters in Biotechnology whereas I was so disillusioned by the course that I had decided a year ago to fly the coop.

I found the course a mish-mash of all tid-bits from botany, zoology, microbiology, biochemistry and molecular biology and all this was just given a fancy name of Biotechnology. I would keep questioning that if one doesn't know the basic sciences how does one propose o do Biotechnology. Because Biotechnology, ultimately is an applied field which teaches you how to extract DNA but it doesn't teach you an iota about DNA. It's truly a sad state of affairs in most of the colleges in Pune. Students are all being taken in by the glamorous sounding word and colleges are wooing them by hundreds.

And the proposal put forth by Kapil Sibal to scrap specialised courses like this for the undergraduate level really vindicated what I felt about the course. So a yay! for that.
Well I have drifted off to somewhere else from what I had begun to write about. Just had to get these things out of my system.

Guru Purnima and Dance

Today I danced after 5 long and painful months. It was Guru Purnima and me and my friends had gone to meet our Guru. The surprise on ma'm was evident as she was not expecting us to come to class in the pouring rain but her face just lit up like a bulb.

Ma'm is a wonderful teacher and a friend. She laughs with us, keeps us in splits with her comical stories and she always has a ready ear to listen to all the woes of our life. She is a true epitome of patience. During our dance exams she works harder than anyone else to ensure that we do a good job. She has had a very calming and soothing effect on me and I'm truly grateful to her for that.

And then we danced. It was magical listening to the beats, trying to keep rhythm, getting the tala right. And even after 2 dances I didn't want to stop. I could feel my legs crying out in protest, I could feel my muscles ache and that awareness was blissful.

For me dancing would mean to push myself beyond my endurance. I would love it when I would get tired, when I would barely be able to walk, to hold myself upright after a hard session of dancing, to feel the sweat trickling off. It would make me feel light as if I were floating. The joy of out dancing the others and to show that my stamina was the best were my highs.

Dancing would make me feel refreshed after a tough and hectic day at college, the exercise would be invigorating, keep my stress levels low, help me concentrate better at studies and give me a good night's sleep.

I miss it so much and I can't wait to go back again now.

Monsoon-Disappearing so so soon.

Oh let it rain. Oh please let it rain- That's what everybody has been wishing since the past fortnight but the Raingods don't seem to be impressed with all the wishing and hoping going around. Makes me want to caper around like Calvin, closing my eyes, hopping on the ground and pleading to make the skies open up. And all the grey clouds do is hang around in the sky tantalisingly, promising untold joys but still withholding their gift. Even the North-East has not yet received it's quota of rain this year.

It is said that the wars of this century are going to be over water. It is so awfully true. Putting up with the water tasks is making life unpleasant. We are so used to the routine, timely 24/7 water supply that if newspapers would mention about places in India parching under the heat of summer it would hardly take up an iota of my attention. Now not a day goes when we don't hear someone or the other shouting in the society for water.

Now the water comes to our society in tankers. Suppose these tankers are unable to procure anymore, how will it be to get up in the water and face the prospect of no more water. I can't even begin to think of facing such a scenario. What will the Government do to ensure that water is delivered to every household? From where will help pour in when other states are undergoing the same crisis? Is there any substitute for water? Ha! Will we just die out slowly, one by one and perish? Tick tock tick tock.
Can things like these happen? Oh no it can't happen to us, can it? Something will happen. It will rain. The dams will fill. We'll get water and normalcy will return. At least all the time, money and energy put into the yagnas should now bear fruit (rain). This is what we have to turn to in times of dire hope.

The last three years we were faced with inundations where all low bank settlements were wiped right off. Now is it drought? Why has the climate become so erratic? Is the monsoon really disappearing?

P.S.- Floods in Assam are again. Floods in China. Floods in Europe.
Will write more on this.

Sleeping and Movies

It's 3.15 a.m and I'm awake. I sleep off the entire day and stay awake at night watching movies on my ipod. I just cannot manage to sleep at night and during the day I can't keep my eyes open.

Today though I spent my day watching Mr. India, a little of O Lucky, Lucky Oye which put me to sleep, Then I watched Pirates of the Carribean-The Curse of the Black Pearl and now finally I watched The Unbearable Lightness of being of which an hour is still unwatched.

These tasks don't demand any brain activity, my reading has gone for a toss. Since my exams got over my fascination with reading too ended. I think during exams reading books was a way of escape and now there is nothing to escape from. I'm bored of reading the newspapers too. The news is just not as interesting as it was when I was busy.

Now I just loll arond from bed to another, from one movie to another and oh ya, I'm also becoming very very fat.

The book, the said friend and me!

CAUTION--LONG STORY AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

It all began when my friend asked me to lend him Linda Goodman's Sunsigns. I lent it to him gladly, thinking that he would return it within a week. This was in August 2008. Well things didn't turn out the way they were supposed to and the entire episode culminated with me turning as red as a beetroot right up to my boot!

So I met this said friend of mine at Peppinos-a joint on F.C. Road, a week after I lent him the book. However, my friend's brain is wired to be in a state of permanent absent-mindedness. He is a hopeless case and there is no cure for him. Even he knows that and agrees whole-heartedly with me. Since I expect promtness, I was anticipating the return of my book by him that day. But he plain forgot. I not quite forgave him but the I let the matter at rest and decided to take it from him next time I met him. Like I had a choice.

And so the days just kept passing and the pages flipped till the month of May 2009 and this is where the crux of the story lies. It was time for the said friend to leave Pune for his hometown. I received a number of calls from many of our common friends to meet up before he leaves. But yours truly was stuck in a whirlwind of exams to study for to fulfill the requirements of obtaining admission to a decent post graduate course. And so the ever elusive time was never on hand. I prefered staying at home and directing other friends to collect the book from him. Messages were passed, messages were exchanged and everything was set. Well no, not really.

One fine day the entire group decided to meet and I stayed put at home. The said friend was to deliver my book to another friend (1) who was to meet me the next day. And so next day dawned and my friend like Santa Claus delves into her bag dramaticaly saying, ''I have something for you."

Now I am exceedingly fond of presents and so I clap my hands only to be presented with Linda Goodman's Lovesigns. Alas for my childlike joy!! The said friend's brain didn't work right and thus was presented with the wrong book. I used some choice words on him but had to limit them owing to the fact that my mother was beside me. The day had just got worse. I promptly dialed his number but I was instead told that the subscriber was out of coverage area. What crap!

Called up another friend (2)and after exchanging pleasantries as quickly as I could, I asked her if she could somehow get in touch with the said friend and somehow wangle my book out of him. She said yes but she didn't know how she would do that as the said friend was leaving the next day and she had no means of getting in touch with him a he had very kindly quit using his phone. So the net was the only way of establishing contact with him.

Next day dawned and I met another common friend (3) online and asked her to give me directions to the said friend's accommodation. She tried but I was at a loss because the said friend stayed at a place where I have seldom ventured-Model Colony. And thus so I was armed with crude directions.

I found myself in the whereabouts of Model Colony at 12.30 p.m. No balance in my phone. I reached the BSNL Office and went round and round a couple of times. Couldn't follow the directions my friend had given me. Tried new routes but they were all in vain. Yet I was calm. Tried going in different directions and landed up in the same place thrice! Then I messaged my friend (1) asking her to call me back. I waited and cursed around for some more time. I reached some shops hoping to recharge my phone but none were available of my Service Provider. So I called up friend (3) asking her for directions again but I was successful in getting confounded again and while speaking to her friend (1) called. Friend (1) claimed to know the directions much more clearly than friend (3) as she was fortunate enough to visit the said friend at his accommodation just the day before to collect my book. She gave my a new set of directions. I revved up my bike to retrace this path now and I again landed up at the BSNL Office. Now oh boy was I panicking or not!!

I finally reached some place which I imagined to be a paying guest accommodation. This I assumed is where my said friend stays. And I even spotted a tailor's shop opposite the apartments which curiously shared my name. Taking this as a good omen I thought that I have finally reached my destination. I stopped a passing lady and asked her if this is a PG Accommodation. She said sorry (?) and that these are quarter for LIC employees. She asked me the name of the person I wanted to meet and I gave her the name and she old me that he lived in one of the bungalows on my right but right now he must be in office.(????????)

I backed out from there and started on my search yet again.

Friend (3) called me up again after 15 minutes to find out my progress. None had been made whatsoever. She volunteered to locate him online and convey my dilemma to him. It was a tiny sliver of hope. Meanwhile she sent me packing on a new set of directions. It was 1.45 p.m now. Inching towards clocking 90 minutes since I had first set out on my task. I vroomed up my bike this time with my jaw set. It had to be now or never.

Splutter splutter. To my increasing disbelief, I found myself in some shady place with not so nice looking strange men giving me even stranger looks. Oh Good Mother of God. Why oh why did I ever manage to get myself in this scrape. Really truly, I'm an awful person!

And then my phone sang. It was the said friend. Oh what joy! Rapture! Never had I been ever so glad to hear his voice. He was genuinely concerned about my antics and promptly asked me to meet him. Gladness overtook every feeling I possessed. “Where?” I asked, “do you want to meet?”
“Why the BSNL Office of course” he replied. Well at least that was one place that I knew oh so very well. He said that he would be there in 5 minutes. Swell I said and zoomed off.

Friend (1) called me up then and told me that she was successful in locating the said friend and delivering my message to him. I could have kissed her. She said that it was a stroke of luck that she had found him online. Later the said friend explained that he was helping his friends move to different locations all across Pune. "Social service?", I inquired of him. He said hesitantly," No. Not quite. I'm hoping that if I help them now they'll come and see me off at the station today evening." He he.

I reached BSNL Office and the said friend was already waiting there for me with my book. He had returned another friend's book to me and that other friend thought that the said friend had already returned his book to him. (Confused? So was I). And so I had been stuck with the wrong book and the other friend thought the has his book which he actually doesn't. Like I said my said friend is absent-minded. He had somehow managed to convince his other friend that he had returned the book to him. Story ended? Not quite.

We had a lot to speak about. The usual stuff about admissions, exams, the meanness of professors, the smartness of students et al. And thus we spake for quarter of an hour. And then it happened- A shooting loud noise started emanating from somewhere close by. It was a screeching alarm and a handful of people shot out of the BSNL Office. We thought it was a fire alarm and we looked around interestedly. The sound was deafening to the ears and we could speak no more. One man ran towards his car thinking the burglar alarm must have set off. He checked the horn, under the booth, over the booth, locked the car, unlocked it but still couldn't figure out the source of the alarm. The said friend and I pitied him and resumed our conversation at a slightly higher pitch now so that we could make ourselves be heard. And thus another 15 minutes passed. The mad guy was still going over his car and I thanked my stars that it had nothing to do with me.

Then after much time had passed, some men walking past me told me that I was leaning against my bike's horn and so I was the source of so much shrilling noise and anguish. I had left my keys in the ignition. The mad guy came running towards me and started going over my bike. And then he grinned and said, “ I thought the sound was being made by my car. But now I see that your bike was causing the sound.” I grimaced and felt the blood rush up to my face and the mad guy was so happy at not being thought mad anymore. Oh I could have hid my face anywhere, anywhere but there. And it didn't help when my said friend said that even he didn't realise that the horrible sound was coming from my bike. Soon a crowd gathered and they pointed at my bike and I was utterly shamefaced. My said friend was staring down at me nonchalantly. I wished he would have said something, done something, at least laughed. But he didn't. And after the crowd dispersed he blandly resumed his conversation. Now my heart was not set in talking and I was still mighty embarrassed. After another quarter I hurriedly waved him goodbye and a happy journey and he told me conversationally, “ Don't go leaning on your bike's horn anymore, go home safe.”

Well!

Characters-
Said Friend- Anirudh Venkat who shares my love for books.
Friend (1)- The great Anushree Kogje. I can trust her with absolutely anything in this world.
Friend (2)- Ishani Bose. Sweet and charming-as always.
Friend (3)- Mahalakshmi Ganapathy. Never fails to help and one person whom I know for sure I can rely on.