மற்றுமொன்று..

25-1-1997
கன்னக் கதுப்பில்
மினுக்கும்
மெல்லிய முடி.
தொடுவானில் ஒளிரும்
புன்னகை.
சூர்யமுகம்.
உவமைகளில்
உன்னை அடக்க முடியாது.
என் அழகிய அதிகாலை கனவே!
நடுஇரவில் விழிக்கும் பிள்ளை போல
என்னை
எத்தனை நாள்
அழ வைக்க போகிறாய்?

இப்பொழுது படிக்கையில் இது மிக சுமாரான கவிதையாக படுகிறது. கவிதையின் மைய்யம் கடைசி நான்கு வரிகளில் இருப்பதால் முதல் சில பல வரிகள் தேவை இன்றி இருக்கின்றது. ஆனால் இது எழுதி பதினொன்று ஆண்டுகள் ஆகி விட்டது என்பதால் ஒரு curio போன்று ஒரு ஈர்ப்பு.

தலைப்பில்லா கவிதை

என் பயண குறிப்புகளை முடிப்பதற்கு முன்னால் ஒரு சிறு கவிதை (அப்ப பெரிய கவிதை எப்படி இருக்கும்?)

என் நாட்குறிப்பின்படி இதை நான் 9-ஏப்ரல்-1997இல் எழுதி இருக்கிறேன். இக்கவிதை எழுத தூண்டிய காரணிகள் இன்று எனக்கு இல்லை. எனக்கு இன்னும் அந்த கவித்துவ மன நிலை இன்று இருக்கின்றதா என்றே எனக்கு சந்தேகம் உண்டு. ஆனால் அது மற்றுமொரு நாளைக்கு. இப்பொழுது கவிதை.

வெறித்து பார்க்கும்
பார்வைகள்.
அர்த்தமில்லா
எதிர்பார்ப்புகள்.
யாரோ எதற்காக
எனக்காக அழ வேண்டும்?
நானே அர்த்தமில்லா
புள்ளியாய் தேயும் போது
கணக்கில்லா கனவுகள்.

நெஞ்சில் தேங்கும்
சாக்கடையாய் மாறும்.
பிரிந்து செல்லும்
நேரம்.
நெஞ்சை வருத்தும் நினைவுகள்.
மரணம் மெல்ல நகும்.

இன்று இந்த கவிதைக்கு என்னாலேயே அர்த்தம் கூற இயலாது. என் கல்லூரி நாட்களின் எச்சம் என்று வேண்டுமானால் சொல்லலாம்.

இது தவிர்த்து, இப்பொழுது நான் அடித்து கொண்டிருக்கும் இந்த transliteration software எவ்வளவு அருமையாக இருக்கிறது. Google has done a fantastic job!.

Day 7 - Apr 11 - Kalka - Shimla - Part 2

Mall road was about a kilometer and half from the hotel and we started by walking to the lift. The Lift is actually a lift, of course, and for 7Rs, it takes you to the lower part of the Mall. It was very conveniant as it meant you dont have to walk the steep mountain to reach the Mall.

The Mall road is probably the center piece of Shimla and you basically come out of the lift and you are already in the Mall road. There are shops on both sides of the road and you can walk yourself to the square where the Christchurch is and it is a big area where you can rest or walk around.

We walked to the square area after doing a little shopping and stopped on the top of the Mall. The kids and me along with my brother, sis-in-law and all of us took our turns with the horse ride in that place and a lot of pictures and walked into the Lakkar bazaar are which lies a bit off.
J did a little shopping here and there, ate an wonderful omeltte in the road side and as the night was approaching, all of the mountain is lit up and you start wondering where the mountains are. The entire area is full of buildings or constructions and may be, Shimla would've been a paradise 30-40 years back. We started walking back to the hotel by about 7.45PM (most of the shops are closed by this time). Had our dinner in the hotel restaurant, which by the way, was very good and went to bed.

Day 7 - Apr 11 - Kalka - Shimla - Part 1

Day 7 started very early in the morning at around 4.45am in Kalka. Thats exactly when the Howrah-Kalka Mail reached Kalka after an overnight journey which was punctuated by a lot of stops (Ambala, Chandigarh etc) before reaching Kalka. The toy train ride starts from here.

We booked in the Shivalik Delux express which starts from Kalka at 5.30am and does the climb to Shimla in about 4.5hours time. This narrow gauge train is unmistakeble in the the station with a smaller size than the normal trains with Shatabti style seating arranged at only about 20 seats per coach.

We boarded the coach which unfortunately was dirty and had some old curtains. The kids were all excited to see the toy train and board it. We were seated and there is an attendant for every coach and breakfast is served on board. The train started on time and started climbing within minutes.

There were a lot of small stations on the way maintained probably the same way as they were in the days they were built. It was fantastic to watch the sun rise and feel the slow chilling of air. As for greenery there is not much left as most of the woods are lost and one cannot see a decent mountain/valley view till the Barog station is crossed. Most of the mountain is now feeling the impact of terrace farming and the slash and burn policy that is being followed all around.

Breakfast was served in Barog (which is the only stop in the ride) and it was nothing to write about. The Barog station itself is beautiful with old-British style buildings and quaint little platforms.

Once the novelty wears off in about 1-2 hours, the travel becomes a bit taxing and I started sleeping. When I got up, we were nearing Shimla and the kids are tired and were either sleeping or were bored.

Shimla itself looks beautiful when the train approaches the station and Sibi was ecstatic after looking at the turntable in the station and was explaining what it is to my brother.

We were booked in the Hotel Holiday Home run by HPTDC and we took a taxi to the hotel. Mercifully, the check-in was smooth and after getting into the room, I just crashed. After sleeping for about a couple of hours, pulled myself out of the bed and started for the Mall Road.

Day 6 - Apr 10 - Delhi

After travelling for 4 continuous days with the kids, we thought of taking it easy a bit and roam around Delhi for the day. Left Vanathy with mom and dad and hopped on a car with J, Sibi, Abhishek and Prasanna and headed towards the city.

We drove straight to the
National Rail Museum. When I was searching for the things to do in Delhi, this one popped up and immediately landed in the must-see list for Sibi. He still hasn't gotten over his affair with trains and so we decided to show him a lot of trains in the museum.

On entering we realized that how famous this museum is with the kids a lot of school trips going on in the place. There on the display are the different engines and coaches from different time periods of the country's rail network. There is a little joy ride you can take which takes you through the different exhibits and a museum which houses lot of miniatures and artifacts. But sadly most of the exhibits are near neglect stage and will not survive another generation unless somebody takes charge and put things in order.

From the museum we drove to Teenmurti Bhavan, which houses the Nehru memorial museum. The grounds and the house are huge with a lot of care taken to keep everything preserved well. It was a great experience to walk through the house which once was lively with the most aristocratic family of India. Most impressive was the huge library that is housed in the museum and I think Sibi was eagerly listening to J explaining the significance of each of the exhibits and the hundreds of photos.

Next was to Indira Gandhi's house and pretty much the same routine happened. It was actually impressive that one family has produced so many people who have worked, served and died in the service of this country. Most tragic of all was the exhibit surrounding Rajiv and it was a life cut short so young, had he been alive, the kind of vision that would've driven this country may have been completly fresh. But its one of those 'what if?' scenarios which may not come true, after all.

We drove from here to Connaught Circle and had lunch in the McDonalds there. Of course, the visit was primarily for Sibii and whats a visit to Delhi without taking a ride in the Metro. So got into the Metro from Rajiv Chowk and travelled the length of the line and returned back. I should say it was most impressive that the entire network is kept so clean and ofcourse, disciplined.

We drove back to Gurgaon by 4PM and took a much needed break before the next leg of our travel started.

We started again at around 7PM for the Old Delhi railway station and on the way had a look at the Red fort and after swimming through the traffic, reached the station by 9PM to realize that the train we are supposed to take was late. So bought some dinner and waited for the train to come. Train did came at about 9.50PM and we boarded the Howrah-Kalka Mail for going to Kalka and from there onwards to Shimla.

Day 5 - Apr 9 - Agra - Mathura

Day 5 started with all of us tired and with everyone wishing to rest. But the place to go was Agra and not to be missed for anything. So we all jumped into the Qualis for another 3.5 hour drive in the sweltering heat of UP.
The driver who came for driving us around was actually a nice guy named Raju. He drove cautiously without going overspeed and respecting at least most of the traffic rules. But since he almost slept off during our return, I asked my brother to get a new one for Agra. After a lot of going back and forth, the cab guy sent Raju again for driving us to Agra. It was not a very nice scenario and the driver complained already. So we started a bit shaky with a slightly grumbling driver.

So when he stopped the car near Palwal to tell us that he left all the papers in Gurgaon itself, we were not surprised. He called his 'malik' and then told me that we will enter UP as if nothing is the matter and hope that no traffic police stops us.

The heat was unbearable in Agra which we entered after a crazy traffic chaos. We went straight to Agra Fort and there was absolutely no crowd whatsoever. We had the fort almost all to ourselves and had the first look of Taj from there. The Fort was well-maintained and literally has a lot of small snippets of history which were very interesting. Like the golden bell of Jehangir or the stone thrones.

From the fort it was a short ride to the Taj. The parking lot was surrounded by the camel carts and the horse carts. It was terrible to even park the vehicle with all these guys surrounding you to take to the Taj gate in one of these carts surrounding the car and trying to literelly pull you out and push you into one of these. It was irritating and for someone visiting Taj, probably once or twice in the life time, it is absolutely disgusting.

We started the lunch when the driver informed that Taj will be closed that day at 3PM due to some VIP visits. It was 2.30PM and we started running to the Taj after taking a camel cart to the gate. But the policeman at the gate said we have time till 4PM. So we slowed down and try taking in the vision of Taj into the mind for remembering.

After seeing the tombs, completely dehydrated, we walked around the monument and watched the site for the black Tajmahal across the river and sat down to chew on the experience. After a few more minutes, the entrance was closed and people started trickling out. By the time we reached the pool in the middle, almost most of the crowd has left and it was amazing to see a Taj devoid of the so many heads.

After spending time till 4PM when Taj was closed, we slowly get back to the car and started off to Mathura, where I promised Sibi that I will show him the birthplace of Krishna. So we drove to Mathura and the Krishna Janma Bhoomi temple. Its almost like a garrison and I can see the improvements in the temple in the past 11 years when I visited the temple last. The temple is almost changed with addition of a small theme park style exhibit, lot of shops, and more crowd.

We went around and actually the temple was better than what was in my mind from the visit 11 years back. Of course, nothing beats a Radha-Krishna temple and you can just spend all the time looking at the beautiful idol decked in green costumes with that glint of romance seeping along with the realization that it is love that conquers all. Amazing place.

It was almost night when we started back and we reached Gurgaon without any incident and the realization that Day 6 is going to be a no-travel-day, we hit the bed and slept before you can say 'hmm'.

Day 3 & 4 - Apr 7-8 - Haridwar-Rishikesh

Day 3 - Haridwar
It was a decision taken after considering Corbett/Rajaji National Park and others in the vicinity for a 2-day trip. After considering the options and the fact that we are travelling with 3 kids, decide to visit Haridwar and Rishikesh. Our original plan was to visit Haridwar and Rajaji National park but changes to Rishikesh after noticing that Rajaji park will need a full day which will affect our schedules in the days to come.So it was off to Haridwar on the April 7th in the same Qualis with the same driver who took us to Jaipur.


We started around 9AM hoping to be in Haridwar by 2PM. Well, by the time we left behind Ghaziabad it was 11.30AM and I felt that we made a mistake by doing this journey in car. It should've been by train. But it was too late and the sun was blazing and we were going at a pace where Haridwar seems to be at a distance far, far away. We went through Meerut, Muzzaferpur and other towns but the road was very bad and made the travel seem longer than it was. After taking a small break for lunch in a road-side dhaba, we continued our journey with the kids tired and sleeping and all of us losing our patience. By the time we reached Roorkee, I was agonizingly looking at the nearing of Haridwar. The problem when we neared Haridwar was that I had no hotel bookings done in Haridwar and when I called up Ginger, they had no rooms available. Now, it was a gamble and after a tussle, my brother told me to go for Hotel Alpana.

After parking the vehicle in the Ram Leela Maidan (hotel had no parking as it is in the middle of a bazaar near Har-Ki-Paudi), we took a rickshaw ride to the hotel, which, I must say, was really enjoyed by the kids. The hotel was neat to our relief and was recently renovated. When I fell on the bed at about 4PM, I wanted to get to sleep. So, after a bit off rest, we were off to Har-ki-paudi for the evening aarti.


We walked through the bazaar and it ended on the banks of Ganga. River Ganga was a sight to behold and cherish. Obviously, it has been tamed and banks were built to contain the flow. But just looking at the flow of the river and the force, you became reverential. I started thinking of the time when the river must have been running wild across the plains with no check dams or banks. It would've been terrific. Although J compared the river unfavorably to Missisippi, I believe both were terrific.

There was much crowd sitting in Har-ki-paudi (which BTW was believed to have been built by King Vikramaditya in remembrance of his friend). Lots of kids selling plastic sheets for 5Rs so that you dont get with the water. The aarti, decked with flowers, was available in different sizes for different prices. We sat down on the banks and the evening was magical.

At about the time the sun set, bhajans started in the Ancient Ganga devi temple. Ofcourse there were peddlers of matches (for lighting the aarti) and volunteers from the maths around cheering the crowd with 'Ganga matha ki jai' slogans and then the river itself flowing at a terrific speed. Then the aarti started with the priest in the Ganga devi temple came out with his aarti to much chanting and shoutings. A lot of people started floating their aartis in the river and J floated down one as well. After about 15-20 minutes, the ritual is over and we all walked back. J had a little mehndi done by a local meanwhile.



Dinner was at a restaurant on the bank of the Ganges 'Chottiwalas' and the food was excellent. After which, we walked back to the hotel through the bazaar. J and mom did a bit of shopping and then got back to hotel. Me and J took a stroll through the bazaar till closing time and got back and slept.


Day 4 - Rishikesh
We started the day by checking out of the hotel and starting to the Manasadevi temple. This temple lies on top of a hill and there is rope car service to the top. The kids enjoyed the ride. The temple was small and crowded. We took pictures in the local dress which actually looked funny. There is a guy who runs a small canteen there which actually sells Idlies and Dosas and it was real good.


Rishikesh lies 25Kms north of Haridwar. We checked out in the morning and started to Rishikesh. It was a slow ride along the Ganga and there were share autos (called 'vikrams') all along with the terrain changing from flat to mountainous.

Our plan was to visit the Lakshman julla and retun. It was a diffcult ride to the Julla and since the terrain suddenly becomes mountainous. the walk was tiring. They are a couple of suspension bridges, the Ram and Lakshman Julla and there is a temple on the other bank of Ganga.We walked into the bridge, which is narrow with motor bikes running wild. There are a lot of aggressive monkeys around this area and it is not safe to carry anything that gives the hint to the monkeys that its food. After the mandatory photosessions, we walked back to the car. When we reached the car, we realized that my father was missing. Luckily he carried his cell phone and when I called up, he replied saying he is walking to the car. Apparently he took a wrong turn was walking towards Haridwar when we found him.

After a fantastic lunch in the Country Inn in Haridwar, the gruelling drive towards Delhi began by 3.30PM. Surprisingly the return journey was fast and although I suspected that the driver dozed off in the middle, we reached safely to Gurgaon by 9.30PM.

Day 2 - Apr 6 - Jaipur

We started early on Sunday to visit the Rajput city of Jaipur and the Amber fort nearby. The highway was just next to Gurgaon and was a breeze to drive through. My brother and sis-in-law joined the trip and it was fun to drive (I mean watch the driver drive ;-)).J wanted a stop at the McD on the road hoping to picking up hash browns and nuggets. The Indian McD unfortunately, don't even has a breakfast menu, let alone hash browns. So we just picked up coffee and ate the Idlis cooked by mom and proceeded onwards to Amber fort.
Amber fort is about 30Kms before Jaipur and through its narrow lanes one can drive almost upto the entrance of the fort. The fort is huge and interesting to go around. There was a festival in the local temple inside the fort and so the fort was crowded with tourists and the pilgrims. It was amazing to even think that someone can conceive of a fort in such a place and of the magnitude which defines belief. It was just fantastic to walk around the rooms and the long corridors and the ramp-style dark walkways leading to different parts of the fort. It was easier to imagine the kind of life the Rajputs must have led in this hot region with their forts/palaces built in marbles and feuding with each other on a regular basis. I cannot but keep my mind off of the people who live in squalor outside the fort and the little, if any, comforts they have.
Talking of squalors brings to mind the Pink city of India, Jaipur. You enter the city through a road overflowing with sewage and the path to the city palace of the local Maharajah strewn with petty shops and dust. It is a shame that such a high profile place is maintained in such a shabby manner. The city palace was huge and displayed the Maharajah's dresses, swords, guns, the Jar to carry Ganges water etc. I was left wondering what they ever did to the people of Rajasthan apart from fighting the wars and carrying jars of Ganges water to bathe in London. While the older Rajahs might have been benevolent, I couldn't bring myself to admire the big, fat Rajahs of the past 250 years with the trophies of Tigers and bending over back to accomodate the 'white Sahibs'.
The hawa mahal was beautiful with ASI digs all around the place. While J wanted to do some shopping, we did spent few minutes and left. The traffic during the return journey was unbelievable to find our way through 100s and 100s of trucks. One thing I found was that the truck drivers simply park their vehicle on the highway and vanish. Being a 2 lane highway this results in traffic jams after traffic jams. After a tiring drive of 3 hours, came back home to Gurgaon.

Vacation - Lost and found

Day 0
After 4 years, we decided to go on a small vacation this summer and decided that we will be off to Delhi where my brother resides and with that as base, will try to cover as much as possible. The kids wanted to fly and so tickets were booked and all set. Sibi's cousin Abhishek joined the party.


Day 1 - Apr 5 - New Delhi
SpiceJet took off ontime and we were in Delhi for breakfast. My brother picked us up and had breakfast in his house and the grand vacation began. Started off with a local trip to all the standard local places and took the necessary photos for the album. Qutb-Minar, Lotus Temple, India Gate, Rashtrapathi Bhavan, Parliament, Raj Ghat were covered by evening and lunch was had in the rather overcrowded Andhra Bhavan. After given a token and waiting for what seemed like hours (actually about 20 min), we were given the honor of getting seated and then served with a Andhra meals. I hate having people standing behind my back ready to pounce the minute you start pouring the curd into rice. But then, the food was good and felt it was worth the wait.

To end the day, we went to the rather garish looking Akshardham and there cannot be a louder proclamation made with the very theme park looking building the years. It was a building built not to raise the level of anyone's sprituality but to say it loud the virtues of the founder of this sect. Anyway, had a late dinner at home and off to sleep we went.

கீழடி அருங்காட்சியகம்.

உலகம் முழுவதும் இருக்கும் பல அருங்காட்சியகங்களுக்கு சென்றிருக்கிறேன். நியூ யார்க், கத்தார், துபாய், வாஷிங்டன், லாஸ் ஏஞ்சல்ஸ் போன்ற நகரங்களின...