Its been a while since I last updated this blog. And a quite a lot of things have happened in between.
We went through a scary night waiting on Vanthy throwing up due to food poisoning and got through it safely. It gave us a chance to visit VHS and it was quite a change from the big hospitals which just fleece you or your insurance. That in itself is quite a lot to write about.
Then Diwali and the monsoon came together to wreck the travel plans of a lot of people and we ourselves managed to catch the train by wading through water and rain and luckily, by starting early.
Diwali itself was uneventful but Sibi had a lot of fun firing crackers with his cousins and having a lot of fun. Overall, that in a nutshell is what was happening.
And I am reading through a couple of Wodehouse's, 'Then kumariyin Kathai' by A.K.Perumal, A bio of Einstein by Ronald Clark.
Vanathy and Friends
There are a few plushies and toys which Vanathy has on all the time and she usually sleeps with a bunch of them around her. Here is a picture
1 & 2 : - Part of the Teletubbies gang. These are bought when Sibi was a kid and since he used to watch a lot of Teletubbies, these were some of his favorites. Vanathy does not watch TV (not even to the extent Sibi watched when he was 2) but inherited the toys and tagged them as 'Anna's toys'. She knows the name of Laa-Laa but is not interested in watching them on TV.
3. This is an interesting and the most favorite of all. Vanathy calls it 'Tose' (in rhyme with Nose). This toy has a little nose which fell off when she started playing with it. My father put a lot of glue and other stuff into it and stuck the nose back. When it was nose-less, Vanathy started calling it 'Tose' (aka nose) and the name stuck. Today this is the one toy without which she wont sleep.
4. Simply called 'Bommai' just a fav one for Vanathy.
5. All that was written applies for Elmo as well. Though she knows the name as Elmo and likes playing with Elmo in the sesame street website, she dont watch it on TV.
6. This is little teddy bear which she used to be very fond of but of late, this is thrown away for Tose.
Apart from these, Vanathy also likes to play cooking popcorn, Thomas and friends etc.
Here is a shot of Sibi as Raja Raja Cholan in his school fancy dress competition. Dress and all accesssories made courtesy of my lovely wife with a picture of Raja Raja Cholan as guidance.
Apparently school admin likes to see their kings in the usual King's attire and so no prizes won.
Two Doctors
Last week we went out to get some items for Sibi's fancy dress competition. While shopping in Naidu Hall, Vanathy slipped on the floor and her back head hit a wooden panel. J noticed a slight cut and a drop of blood. Though Vanathy started playing immediately and showed no bad signs, we thought it will be better to show it to a doctor and started back.
There is this lady doctor(lets call her R.V) we used to go to in Adyar and we drove to her clinic cum home in Adyar. We reached by 8PM without knowing that she sees patients till 7.30PM. So we went and knocked on door. The maid answered and said the doctor is in. Then some other guy (probably the husband) appeared. He informed that doctor is not in and we should go to the casualty dept. in Malar. J was on the verge of tears.
We remembered the other lady doctor we go to near our place in Velachery (lets call her J). She practices in the Egmore govt. children hospital and the clinic is open till 9PM. So I drove again back to Velachery. There was a crowd and it took another hour or so to see and hear that the injury is nothing to worry about. When we consulted, it was 9.30PM and there were atleast another 4-5 people waiting. When we were around, the doc informed the attender that she will see all the patients and so asked them to wait. I think it might have been another 1-1.5 hours before she finished seeing the patients and go home.
What is the difference between the two? The adyar doctor gets 150Rs for consultation and see you in a AC cabin. The Velachery doc gets 50Rs and consults in a non-AC room. Without getting into the class variances of the docs, it set me thinking about the attitude of both. Without being judgemental, we decided to stop seeing the Adyar doc and continue with the Velachery one.
Vellore - Kanchi trip - Day 2 -3
Day 2 started with a hearty breakfast in the room and checking out of the hotel. Our first stop was Vellore fort and the Jalakandeshwarar temple. After going around the temple, which was maintained very well, we drove around the fort and then left to Katpadi to vist a childhood friend of J.
It was a reunion of sorts wherein J is meeting her school friend after about 12-13 years and so they had a lot to catch up on and I just did a dutiful baby sitter part going through their old albums and trying to find a way to pass time. So after much diffcult parting, we hit the road back to Kanchipuram. We missed out on vising the Virinchipuram temple as it was past noon and waiting means missing some of Kanchi's temples.
We reached Kanchi by 1PM on the 16th and checked into GRT Regency and after lunch, took a break till 4Pm. We started at 4PM with a visit to the Kailashanathar temple and it was amazing with overcast skies(again) and the temple standing majestically. It was fantastic to visit the sculptures and walk around leisurely.
We moved on to Ekambareshwarer temple and another huge temple, not as well maintained as Kailashanathar, but none the less was looking great after all these years of history behind it.
Next we visited Kamatchi amman temple and the crowd was enormous and so decided to visit the Varatharaja Perumal temple.
After a 5Km drive across Kanchi, we reached the magnificent temple of Perumal and being saturday, the temple was crowded but were able to visit the staired cases of Perumal and pray to him. Couldn't help the comparison with the vainglorious temple in Sripuram.
After a heary dinner in Saravana Bhavan, we retired for the day.
Day 3
After checking out in the morning, we went to the kacchapaeswarar Temple and spent some time before going to the Kamakshi amman temple again. Again, the crowds were heavy and we decided against standing in the hot sun with the kids in the queue and decided to go to the Ulagalanthar temple. By the time we reached the temple, it was noon and the temple was closed.
After lunch in Saravana Bhavan, J went around a few saree shops and we started back to Chennai. After a breif stopover at the Rajiv memorial in Sriperumbuthur we reached Chennai by 4PM.
It was a reunion of sorts wherein J is meeting her school friend after about 12-13 years and so they had a lot to catch up on and I just did a dutiful baby sitter part going through their old albums and trying to find a way to pass time. So after much diffcult parting, we hit the road back to Kanchipuram. We missed out on vising the Virinchipuram temple as it was past noon and waiting means missing some of Kanchi's temples.We reached Kanchi by 1PM on the 16th and checked into GRT Regency and after lunch, took a break till 4Pm. We started at 4PM with a visit to the Kailashanathar temple and it was amazing with overcast skies(again) and the temple standing majestically. It was fantastic to visit the sculptures and walk around leisurely.
We moved on to Ekambareshwarer temple and another huge temple, not as well maintained as Kailashanathar, but none the less was looking great after all these years of history behind it.Next we visited Kamatchi amman temple and the crowd was enormous and so decided to visit the Varatharaja Perumal temple.
After a 5Km drive across Kanchi, we reached the magnificent temple of Perumal and being saturday, the temple was crowded but were able to visit the staired cases of Perumal and pray to him. Couldn't help the comparison with the vainglorious temple in Sripuram.
After a heary dinner in Saravana Bhavan, we retired for the day.
Day 3
After checking out in the morning, we went to the kacchapaeswarar Temple and spent some time before going to the Kamakshi amman temple again. Again, the crowds were heavy and we decided against standing in the hot sun with the kids in the queue and decided to go to the Ulagalanthar temple. By the time we reached the temple, it was noon and the temple was closed.
After lunch in Saravana Bhavan, J went around a few saree shops and we started back to Chennai. After a breif stopover at the Rajiv memorial in Sriperumbuthur we reached Chennai by 4PM.
Vellore - Kanchi trip - Day 1
After thinking for weeks for a place to visit during the Independence day weekend we decided to go to Vellore and Kanchi by a road trip and have some fun.
That was an easy decision and trying to find things to do in these two places was much more difficult. Here is a little travelogue on what we did.
Day 1
Started early in the morning towards Vellore. This is a deceptive little statement. 'Early' was 3AM for Jeysri who woke up to cook/pack the breakfast and lunch for the day 1. And for the rest of us it was about 6AM and we were on road by 7.30AM. As always, we started with lots of fun and being early had its advantages as we did not have much traffic on road and were able to hit NH4 without issues and by 9 we have crossed Kanchipuram and stopped on road for a quite breakfast alongside the fields.
After breakfast, NH4 turns into NH46 towards Vellore and it was a breeze driving with overcast skies and a surprisingly cool day. We reached Vellore by 10.30AM and checked into a hotel called Baby residency. Immediately after we started towards Amirthi forest.
After about 20-22 Kms (1 hour at least as the roads are not in good shape) in the road from Vellore(I mean, what is left of a road) you will reach Amirthi. The drive is very scenic with open spaces, corn fields, paddy fields and single lane driving with kids running behind cars (as seen in Tamil movies!).In between we crossed a river (shall I say ford it?). Actually we have to drive right on the river bed and drive across. There was no water and so no issues.
Anyways, at Amirthi entrance, there is a local food shop and a mini zoo (if you can call 4 porcupines, 10-15 pigeons, 4 peacocks, 1 crocodile a zoo at all!). But the fun lies in the trek to the Amirthi falls which is about 1.5Kms inside from the entry point. The trek is not difficult and the path is laid with red sand and slabs of stones and there is a view point to boost. The falls itself didn't had any water but through the trek it was drizzling and the forest views were fantastic.
After the trek we started back towards Vellore and had lunch in one of the vast open fields near road.
After taking some well deserved rest in the hotel room through the afternoon, we dressed up to visit the newest attraction in Vellore, the golden temple in Sripuram. The road gets congested as you near the place and parking is haphazard outside and inside as well. The crowds are unbelievable and true to being a temple for the god of wealth, a 250Rs ticket eliminates the hassle of standing in a long queue(day we visited waiting period was about 2 hrs) and puts you bang in the star shaped pathway to the temple itself. The temple itself is sort of a let down and we walked around and tried to look for people who have come actually to pray and found none. The place reminded me immediately of Akshardham temple in New Delhi which in turn reminded me of the amusement parks. The crowd start looking upwards as they near the golden part of the temple and with shops in every corner, the bhakthi aspect of the visit is nowhere to be seen.
We drove back to the hotel with mixed feelings towards the visit itself and took the much needed rest for the day
That was an easy decision and trying to find things to do in these two places was much more difficult. Here is a little travelogue on what we did.
Day 1
Started early in the morning towards Vellore. This is a deceptive little statement. 'Early' was 3AM for Jeysri who woke up to cook/pack the breakfast and lunch for the day 1. And for the rest of us it was about 6AM and we were on road by 7.30AM. As always, we started with lots of fun and being early had its advantages as we did not have much traffic on road and were able to hit NH4 without issues and by 9 we have crossed Kanchipuram and stopped on road for a quite breakfast alongside the fields.
After about 20-22 Kms (1 hour at least as the roads are not in good shape) in the road from Vellore(I mean, what is left of a road) you will reach Amirthi. The drive is very scenic with open spaces, corn fields, paddy fields and single lane driving with kids running behind cars (as seen in Tamil movies!).In between we crossed a river (shall I say ford it?). Actually we have to drive right on the river bed and drive across. There was no water and so no issues.
After the trek we started back towards Vellore and had lunch in one of the vast open fields near road.
We drove back to the hotel with mixed feelings towards the visit itself and took the much needed rest for the day
MRTS to Mylapore
One of the recent happenings in Velachery is the opening of the MRTS station, thereby connecting Velachery with Northern Madras via a railway network along the beach corridor. In fact, from last week's Vikatan, I came to know that the first proposal was made in 1956 and it took approximately 50+ years for it to reach Velachery and the original proposal talks about the line till Mahabalipuram.
But that apart, the impact of this extended line can be seen immediately as this has completely changed the way Velechery was commuting (not to mention the un(der)developed Madipakkan and other surrounding areas. One has to visit the station to see the kind of change a good public transport system can bring into the city.
I took my first ride 2-3 weeks back when we decided that we will park the car in the station and go to see Kapaleeshwarar in his abode in Mylapore.
Now, we repeated the same yesterday. There is huge parking lot in front of the station and the crowd is minimal on a Saturday. Of course, Sibi is taking this line till beach for sometime now. So we have to wait for the pink or the yellow trains to come or otherwise, Sibi will not board. I never fully understood the reason for this but suits me to spend sometime in the station with the kids watching the trains go by. Vanathy has taken a liking for the 'choo-choos' hearing much from her brother on the subject. So both of them go crazy whenever they see a train.
The approach road to the Velachery road is a mess but if you pass that by, the parking lot is concrete-paved and is quite good. The train passes by Taramani, Perungudi, Indira Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Kotturpuram, Mandaveli to reach Mylapore.
I've never been to Kapaleeshwarar temple till about 3 weeks back and has taken a instant liking to it. The vast kulam with the abundance of fish, the busy streets with the roadside shops, the vast corridor and the lord Himself who reminds me of Madurai every time I visit the temple make the trip very special.
Yesterday we took a walk around the temple and went to Giri trading agency which specializes in puja materials and bought a few books as well. Had dinner in Saravana bhavan and returned home. Imagining the same trip by car trying to negotiate the Mylapore traffic gives me the shudders.
Today visited City center for a bit of shopping but was taken aback by the crowd in Lifestyle. But when you come out and look in the 'Ambedkar bridge' behind the mall, I saw a old couple in the bed on the pavement with dirty kids running around. A typical sight in the city but it also made me wonder whether we are so tuned to these sights that it doesn't register the poverty which drives this kind of inequality and the politics which keeps it the same way. Whether these will make any impact on the minds of my kids is another thing that I keep thinking about. May be I need to talk to them.
But that apart, the impact of this extended line can be seen immediately as this has completely changed the way Velechery was commuting (not to mention the un(der)developed Madipakkan and other surrounding areas. One has to visit the station to see the kind of change a good public transport system can bring into the city.
I took my first ride 2-3 weeks back when we decided that we will park the car in the station and go to see Kapaleeshwarar in his abode in Mylapore.
Now, we repeated the same yesterday. There is huge parking lot in front of the station and the crowd is minimal on a Saturday. Of course, Sibi is taking this line till beach for sometime now. So we have to wait for the pink or the yellow trains to come or otherwise, Sibi will not board. I never fully understood the reason for this but suits me to spend sometime in the station with the kids watching the trains go by. Vanathy has taken a liking for the 'choo-choos' hearing much from her brother on the subject. So both of them go crazy whenever they see a train.
The approach road to the Velachery road is a mess but if you pass that by, the parking lot is concrete-paved and is quite good. The train passes by Taramani, Perungudi, Indira Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Kotturpuram, Mandaveli to reach Mylapore.
I've never been to Kapaleeshwarar temple till about 3 weeks back and has taken a instant liking to it. The vast kulam with the abundance of fish, the busy streets with the roadside shops, the vast corridor and the lord Himself who reminds me of Madurai every time I visit the temple make the trip very special.
Yesterday we took a walk around the temple and went to Giri trading agency which specializes in puja materials and bought a few books as well. Had dinner in Saravana bhavan and returned home. Imagining the same trip by car trying to negotiate the Mylapore traffic gives me the shudders.
Today visited City center for a bit of shopping but was taken aback by the crowd in Lifestyle. But when you come out and look in the 'Ambedkar bridge' behind the mall, I saw a old couple in the bed on the pavement with dirty kids running around. A typical sight in the city but it also made me wonder whether we are so tuned to these sights that it doesn't register the poverty which drives this kind of inequality and the politics which keeps it the same way. Whether these will make any impact on the minds of my kids is another thing that I keep thinking about. May be I need to talk to them.
Kone falls
Last weekend we drove to the Kone falls. Kone falls is in AP near Puttur.
The trip started after I read a couple of entries in the BSmotoring site. The falls is in a place called Kailashkona in SH-51. Though the site gave some outline of the directions, I found an entry in Google Earth and was able to deduce the directions to a certain extent. And the clarity of GE pictures means I could pinpoint a few landmarks as well.
We (me, J, Sibi, Vananthy and my father) started at about 9AM in the morning towards Koyembedu and continued on the JN road till the Red Hills flyover. Taking the left of the flyover, the road becomes NH 5. The road is 4 laned with median and very good to drive on. After about 30 Kms, the L&T toll plaza comes. Once you pass the plaza, take a left and you are on SH-51.
GE calls this road NH205 but I couldn't find any marker with that sign on. There are a host of villages coming in the TN side of this road with both livestock and people crossing at regular intervals. After uthukkottai, you enter AP. Once crossed over, the villages becomes lesser and road wider and with paddy fields on both sides, its a pleasure to drive on.
We stopped a couple of times to show Sibi the paddy crop and how it grows etc. We drove on SH-51 and the first doubt that we lost our way came when we entered Puttur. When enquired found that we overshoot Kone by about 7-8 Kms. We drove back 8 Kms and the sign clearly said Kailashkona.
The last couple of Kms was a single lane road approaching the falls itself. Once you reach the parking and climbing about 50 steps, the falls come into view. Its not so much a falls when compared to courtallum and all. But the water falls from high above and is pleasant to take bath as the falls sees fewer visitors. We had a long bath and after chasing away the monkeys, drove back 2-3 Kms to find a big enough tree to put the sheets in for Lunch.
After a good lunch, drove back the same way and reached home by 5PM. The trip is good in the sense the drive is not taxing and you have fun in the falls and return back by evening to spend some time at home as well.
The trip started after I read a couple of entries in the BSmotoring site. The falls is in a place called Kailashkona in SH-51. Though the site gave some outline of the directions, I found an entry in Google Earth and was able to deduce the directions to a certain extent. And the clarity of GE pictures means I could pinpoint a few landmarks as well.
We (me, J, Sibi, Vananthy and my father) started at about 9AM in the morning towards Koyembedu and continued on the JN road till the Red Hills flyover. Taking the left of the flyover, the road becomes NH 5. The road is 4 laned with median and very good to drive on. After about 30 Kms, the L&T toll plaza comes. Once you pass the plaza, take a left and you are on SH-51.
GE calls this road NH205 but I couldn't find any marker with that sign on. There are a host of villages coming in the TN side of this road with both livestock and people crossing at regular intervals. After uthukkottai, you enter AP. Once crossed over, the villages becomes lesser and road wider and with paddy fields on both sides, its a pleasure to drive on.
We stopped a couple of times to show Sibi the paddy crop and how it grows etc. We drove on SH-51 and the first doubt that we lost our way came when we entered Puttur. When enquired found that we overshoot Kone by about 7-8 Kms. We drove back 8 Kms and the sign clearly said Kailashkona.
The last couple of Kms was a single lane road approaching the falls itself. Once you reach the parking and climbing about 50 steps, the falls come into view. Its not so much a falls when compared to courtallum and all. But the water falls from high above and is pleasant to take bath as the falls sees fewer visitors. We had a long bath and after chasing away the monkeys, drove back 2-3 Kms to find a big enough tree to put the sheets in for Lunch.
After a good lunch, drove back the same way and reached home by 5PM. The trip is good in the sense the drive is not taxing and you have fun in the falls and return back by evening to spend some time at home as well.
Vanathy, 23 months old.
Cat in the bonnet
There is a cat in my car's bonnet. Strange as it may sound, it is true. Right now, there is a as-colored cat resting comfortably in the bonnet of the car doing God-knows-what.
When our apartment watchman called me yesternight to let me know that there are 'meow' sounds coming from my car(Hyundai Santro Automatic), my first thought was that guy must be crazy. I know that he is old but never thought he will go senile and start hearing 'meow's from the car. I misunderstood it as coming from inside the car and started thinking when I closed all the windows. When I got down to the parking lot, thats when I realized the sound was actually coming from the bonnet of the car. When I heard it, I thought may be I am just hearing voices and it may not be a cat after-all.
So we brought a hand-torch and opened the bonnet and started looking for the cat. The search was in vain and after 10-15 minutes, I convinced myself that may be the cat is calling from elsewhere and we are just assuming it to be from the bonnet. I told the same to the watchman and came back up.
So when we decided to go to the Vandalur zoo today, my first nagging thought was what about the cat? I mean, no one has seen that cat but there seems to be a 'meow' sound coming from my car and either there is a cat or my car is becoming a cat slowly. While the AI possibilities of a car getting a cat's charecteristics are scary enough, I was thinking more of whether the car will start demanding other stuff. Then I got down again this morning and opened the bonnet. To my relief, I found an ash-colored cat sitting on the battery thinking how to proceed next.
So it was a bit of a relief for me to realize that my car is not turning into a cat, after-all. But then, the cat on seeing me opening the bonnet, instead of jumping out and legging it, jumped right back into the bonnet to its secret hiding place and let out a couple of 'meow's to re-assure us that its back in business. So, self and the watchman went through the rituals again and even managed to thow a cup of water in its direction.
Having decided to take the cat to the zoo, I was kind of scared that it might get into the machinery and either die or damage and both will be equally bad. I was not sure when started the car and driving. One of my wife's nephew assured us that he had a cat in his car's bonnet for 3 days before the cat decided to vacate it for bigger premises. So it is upto the cat to decide on moving out and probably we cannot do much in that direction. It made sense after going through the successive failures to get the cat ejected from the bonnet. So I decided to make a go for the zoo with the cat in the bonnet and here I am writing about it after a good day spent in the zoo looking at other cats in the cages and wishing that the one in my bonnet walks away.
When our apartment watchman called me yesternight to let me know that there are 'meow' sounds coming from my car(Hyundai Santro Automatic), my first thought was that guy must be crazy. I know that he is old but never thought he will go senile and start hearing 'meow's from the car. I misunderstood it as coming from inside the car and started thinking when I closed all the windows. When I got down to the parking lot, thats when I realized the sound was actually coming from the bonnet of the car. When I heard it, I thought may be I am just hearing voices and it may not be a cat after-all.
So we brought a hand-torch and opened the bonnet and started looking for the cat. The search was in vain and after 10-15 minutes, I convinced myself that may be the cat is calling from elsewhere and we are just assuming it to be from the bonnet. I told the same to the watchman and came back up.
So when we decided to go to the Vandalur zoo today, my first nagging thought was what about the cat? I mean, no one has seen that cat but there seems to be a 'meow' sound coming from my car and either there is a cat or my car is becoming a cat slowly. While the AI possibilities of a car getting a cat's charecteristics are scary enough, I was thinking more of whether the car will start demanding other stuff. Then I got down again this morning and opened the bonnet. To my relief, I found an ash-colored cat sitting on the battery thinking how to proceed next.
So it was a bit of a relief for me to realize that my car is not turning into a cat, after-all. But then, the cat on seeing me opening the bonnet, instead of jumping out and legging it, jumped right back into the bonnet to its secret hiding place and let out a couple of 'meow's to re-assure us that its back in business. So, self and the watchman went through the rituals again and even managed to thow a cup of water in its direction.
Having decided to take the cat to the zoo, I was kind of scared that it might get into the machinery and either die or damage and both will be equally bad. I was not sure when started the car and driving. One of my wife's nephew assured us that he had a cat in his car's bonnet for 3 days before the cat decided to vacate it for bigger premises. So it is upto the cat to decide on moving out and probably we cannot do much in that direction. It made sense after going through the successive failures to get the cat ejected from the bonnet. So I decided to make a go for the zoo with the cat in the bonnet and here I am writing about it after a good day spent in the zoo looking at other cats in the cages and wishing that the one in my bonnet walks away.
மரணம்
நண்பர் ஒருவர் இந்த வாரம் மரணம் அடைந்தார். நல்ல மனிதர். சிறு வயது. சில நேரங்களில் வாழ்க்கை சற்றும் அர்த்தமற்று போய்விடுகிறது. பணம், சந்தோசங்கள், எல்லாம் இருந்தும் ஒரு நொடியில் எதுவும் பயனற்று போய் விடுகிறது.
'காதறுந்த ஊசியும் வாறது கடை தெருவுக்கே' என்பது மட்டுமே உண்மை. இது புரியாது எத்துனை சண்டைகள், எத்தனை கோபங்கள்.
'காதறுந்த ஊசியும் வாறது கடை தெருவுக்கே' என்பது மட்டுமே உண்மை. இது புரியாது எத்துனை சண்டைகள், எத்தனை கோபங்கள்.
Complete NewYorker
I have so many thing to write and not sure where to start. So will start with the latest.
I recently got the 'Complete NewYorker' collection DVDs through their online stores. This is just a collection of all NewYorker issues from 1925 till 2005. One thing that comes to mind is the amazing technology that has made it possible. Secondly, the kind of treasure trove this is.
After initial hiccups in installation (I run a Vista PC), I managed to get it installed yesterday and browsed a little through the indices. The entire collection is littered with articles by the who-who of modern English literature. W.H.Auden, Capote, Sylvia Plath, Dorothy Parker, James Thurber and so on.
I used to be a NewYorker subscriber when I lived in the States. One of the things I missed after returning back to settle in Chennai is the dose of the NewYorker articles now and then and I had to satisfy myself with the pieces of articles publised in the NewYorker website. Not anymore. I have not about 4100 back issues and its going to take a life time to just browse through them. I am excited.
On the other hand, I was wondering why no such effort exists to digitize our own palmscripts and some of the modern magazines of Tamil (say Ezhuthu, Manikodi etc). That will be worth the effort.
I recently got the 'Complete NewYorker' collection DVDs through their online stores. This is just a collection of all NewYorker issues from 1925 till 2005. One thing that comes to mind is the amazing technology that has made it possible. Secondly, the kind of treasure trove this is.
After initial hiccups in installation (I run a Vista PC), I managed to get it installed yesterday and browsed a little through the indices. The entire collection is littered with articles by the who-who of modern English literature. W.H.Auden, Capote, Sylvia Plath, Dorothy Parker, James Thurber and so on.
I used to be a NewYorker subscriber when I lived in the States. One of the things I missed after returning back to settle in Chennai is the dose of the NewYorker articles now and then and I had to satisfy myself with the pieces of articles publised in the NewYorker website. Not anymore. I have not about 4100 back issues and its going to take a life time to just browse through them. I am excited.
On the other hand, I was wondering why no such effort exists to digitize our own palmscripts and some of the modern magazines of Tamil (say Ezhuthu, Manikodi etc). That will be worth the effort.
ஏன்?
படித்த புத்தகங்களை பற்றி எழுதலாம். நடந்த நிகழ்ச்சிகளை பற்றி எழுதலாம். அல்லது உலக நடப்புகளை பற்றி என் கருத்துக்களை பதிவு செய்யலாம். இவை எல்லா வற்றையும் விட எதுவும் செய்யாமல் சும்மா இருக்கலாம்.
எதற்க்கை எழுத வேண்டும்? எனக்கு இன்று வரை புரியவில்லை. இந்த compulsion. எதற்காக? நான் 12 வயதில் diary எழுத ஆரம்பித்தேன். ஏன் என்று தெரியவில்லை. இன்று வரை கிடைத்த நேரத்தில் எல்லாம் எழுதுகிறேன். என் பழைய நாட் குறிப்புகளை பார்க்கும் போது ஒன்று தெரிகிறது. பின்னாளில் யாரோ படிக்க போகிறார்கள் என்ற உணர்வோடு எழுதி இருக்கிறேன்.
ஒரு கட்டத்தில், என் நாட் குறிப்புகளை புத்தகமாக வெளியிட வேண்டும் என்று யோசித்திருக்கிறேன். எத்தனை பாகங்கள், எப்படி வடிவமைப்பு என்று எல்லாம் தீவிரமாக யோசித்து வைத்திருந்தேன்.
இப்போது கொஞ்சம் ஆச்சர்யமாக இருக்கிறது.
ஆனால் நான் எழுதுவது ஒரு சீரான வேகத்தில் நடந்து கொண்டு இருக்கிறது. என் நாட் குறிப்புகளை நிறுத்தி ஒருஇரண்டு, மூன்று வருடங்களாய் விட்டது. இந்த blog, நான் உறுப்பினராய் இருக்கும் சில குழுக்களில் கருத்து பரிமாற்றங்கள்என்று நான் எழுதுவது மட்டும் நிற்கவில்லை. முன்பு இருந்ததை விட குறைந்துவிட்டது. அவ்வளவே.
கவிதை எழுதுவது கிட்டதட்ட நின்றுவிட்டது. நல்ல கவிதை எது என்று நான் உணர்ந்த தருணங்களில் அது நின்று இருக்க வேண்டும்.
ஆனால், தன்னை பற்றி ஒரு அபிப்பிராயம் இருக்கும் எவரும் எழுதுவர் என்பது என் எண்ணம். அதுவும், என்னை போன்ற ego-centric மனிதர்களுக்கு அது சுவாசம் போல.
எதற்க்கை எழுத வேண்டும்? எனக்கு இன்று வரை புரியவில்லை. இந்த compulsion. எதற்காக? நான் 12 வயதில் diary எழுத ஆரம்பித்தேன். ஏன் என்று தெரியவில்லை. இன்று வரை கிடைத்த நேரத்தில் எல்லாம் எழுதுகிறேன். என் பழைய நாட் குறிப்புகளை பார்க்கும் போது ஒன்று தெரிகிறது. பின்னாளில் யாரோ படிக்க போகிறார்கள் என்ற உணர்வோடு எழுதி இருக்கிறேன்.
ஒரு கட்டத்தில், என் நாட் குறிப்புகளை புத்தகமாக வெளியிட வேண்டும் என்று யோசித்திருக்கிறேன். எத்தனை பாகங்கள், எப்படி வடிவமைப்பு என்று எல்லாம் தீவிரமாக யோசித்து வைத்திருந்தேன்.
இப்போது கொஞ்சம் ஆச்சர்யமாக இருக்கிறது.
ஆனால் நான் எழுதுவது ஒரு சீரான வேகத்தில் நடந்து கொண்டு இருக்கிறது. என் நாட் குறிப்புகளை நிறுத்தி ஒருஇரண்டு, மூன்று வருடங்களாய் விட்டது. இந்த blog, நான் உறுப்பினராய் இருக்கும் சில குழுக்களில் கருத்து பரிமாற்றங்கள்என்று நான் எழுதுவது மட்டும் நிற்கவில்லை. முன்பு இருந்ததை விட குறைந்துவிட்டது. அவ்வளவே.
கவிதை எழுதுவது கிட்டதட்ட நின்றுவிட்டது. நல்ல கவிதை எது என்று நான் உணர்ந்த தருணங்களில் அது நின்று இருக்க வேண்டும்.
ஆனால், தன்னை பற்றி ஒரு அபிப்பிராயம் இருக்கும் எவரும் எழுதுவர் என்பது என் எண்ணம். அதுவும், என்னை போன்ற ego-centric மனிதர்களுக்கு அது சுவாசம் போல.
Day 10 - Gurgaon - Chennai
After reaching home in the morning on the day of Baisakhi, we decide to just roam around Gurgaon for the day and complete the packing for our return to Chennai.
We visited the Ambience Mall, supposed to be the largest in India and this monstrosity is just big and so vain that most of the space is unoccupied. Did some shopping at Reliance Digital, India's answer to 'Circuit City'. It was nothing much to write about.
My brother then took us to the local shops nearby and it was afternoon and was very hot to walk around. And most of the shops are closed for Baisakhi. So we just had some snacks and returned back home.
After resting, took the flight out of Delhi to reach Chennai by 9.30PM. One thing about the low-cost fliers. Both SpiceJet and JetLite were running the service very much like our MTC buses and probably JetLite will take the honor the worst of these two. Except prices, there is no selling point for these carriers and next time, probably I will shell out more some amenities as well.
We visited the Ambience Mall, supposed to be the largest in India and this monstrosity is just big and so vain that most of the space is unoccupied. Did some shopping at Reliance Digital, India's answer to 'Circuit City'. It was nothing much to write about.
My brother then took us to the local shops nearby and it was afternoon and was very hot to walk around. And most of the shops are closed for Baisakhi. So we just had some snacks and returned back home.
After resting, took the flight out of Delhi to reach Chennai by 9.30PM. One thing about the low-cost fliers. Both SpiceJet and JetLite were running the service very much like our MTC buses and probably JetLite will take the honor the worst of these two. Except prices, there is no selling point for these carriers and next time, probably I will shell out more some amenities as well.
Day 9 - Apr 13 - Shimla
Day 9 dawned with the realization that this is the day we are leaving Shimla. We got up, checked out of hotel and drove to the railway station to put the luggages in the cloak room. Our train was not until 6.15PM and it was only 11AM when we put the things in the cloak room and walked out to roam around the mall road.
We drove back to the lift and climbed to the mall road. Lunch was in the restaurant in Hotel Combermere, which was expensive and the food was just OK. Then we decided to raom around for a while before getting back the station. 
J was buying some stuff and we again got into a fight. Then again, we made it up faster than it took to pick up the fight and after lingering around the mall road for sometime, we walked downhill towards the station. On the way lies the 'Indian Cofee house' aka the Indian Starbucks (without the frills and the choices, but then you dont get sambar vadas in Starbucks either). The coffee tasted very good but the building itself looks run down.
Then the moment came for us to embark on the 4.5hour journey downhill in the seperate coupe for the 8 of us. I booked this time in the Kalka-Shimla passenger in first class and it was fantastic. But once the ride started and the sunset was over, we were killing time to reach Kalka. After an uneventful and very boring ride to Kalka, boarded the Kalka-Howrah mail to reach back to Old Delhi station the next morning.
Day 8 - Apr 12 - Shimla - Kufri
The day dawned as any other day. I wanted to just sleep the entire day as the weather was fantastic. But then had to check out Shimla.
After lots of discussions about the places to see, we decided upon Kufri which is about 28Kms from where we stayed. My brother found a taxi big enough to carry all of us and we started from the hotel around 10AM.
Now I had no idea what is there in Kufri. I know there is a valley there but nothing more. So we just drove on. My brother found a big spider (I mean, real big and looking mean) lurking near his shoes and mercifully threw it out when we stopped to fill gas.
We stopped at a place to have a view of the valley and the amount of construction that is happening in the area is just unbelievable. Shimla will become a metropolis pretty soon with the kind of development that is happening and pitifully, none of the greenery will be left. Even today, when you drove around you can see the amount of dust that is thrown up, a definite sign of deforestation of the area.
Next stop was near wildflower Hall to see the apple orchards in the area and more than that there was a very nice tea shop serving piping hot tea. Then we drove towards Kufri.
Once in Kufri, you are suppose to take the horses(ponies?) for a 20-25 minutes ride to the top of the hill for viewing the valley. We decided that it is something that cannot be missed and booked the ponies for the ride.
The ponywala(?), my guy is named Sitaram, was a chatty fellow and was explaining the names of the ponies along the way (it was called Darling, I guess). But then, he kicks the horses so much they just start walking fast whenever he approaches nearby. Anyway, it was a strange feeling sitting on these ponies and they start sleep-walking into the narrow road running upwards, minding the slush and stones on the way to climb to the top.
When you reach the top, you hear a nice voice calling you out in Tamil, 'Anna' and I was actually shocked. It was a Tibetian girl calling us to take a photo siting on the Yak standing nearby. It was kind of surrealistic to hear that in that strange place.
So we had the photo sessions with the valley and the top of the hill is nothing to write about. It is denuded of its shrubbery and is so dusty, I started sneezing. There is a small temple on the top and a nice view of the mountains of Himalayas (called Shivalik range in these areas). We did saw some snow in the distant mountain tops.
We took our photos on the Yaks and climbed down in those bored ponies. Climbing down was so scary I thought I am going to have my neck broken at one of the turns. But then we reached down safely. Took the kids to the Himalayan National Park (which is actually a zoo) where you really have to search for the animals.
It was late afternoon and time to return back to the hotel. We reached our rooms and I fell down exhausted. Me and J had a fantastic, all-weapons drawn, fight after reaching the room. I dont remember the reason why it started but what I do remember is that it was probably one of the worst we've ever had. May be seeing each other for 24hours a day continously for 8 days at close quarters is good for no one anyway. That too, keeping a hypertension individual like me nearby certainly did not help. The important part is that we fought and then made it up over a couple of mocktails in the hotel restaurant (which were BTW delicious!).
After lots of discussions about the places to see, we decided upon Kufri which is about 28Kms from where we stayed. My brother found a taxi big enough to carry all of us and we started from the hotel around 10AM.
Now I had no idea what is there in Kufri. I know there is a valley there but nothing more. So we just drove on. My brother found a big spider (I mean, real big and looking mean) lurking near his shoes and mercifully threw it out when we stopped to fill gas.
We stopped at a place to have a view of the valley and the amount of construction that is happening in the area is just unbelievable. Shimla will become a metropolis pretty soon with the kind of development that is happening and pitifully, none of the greenery will be left. Even today, when you drove around you can see the amount of dust that is thrown up, a definite sign of deforestation of the area.
Next stop was near wildflower Hall to see the apple orchards in the area and more than that there was a very nice tea shop serving piping hot tea. Then we drove towards Kufri. Once in Kufri, you are suppose to take the horses(ponies?) for a 20-25 minutes ride to the top of the hill for viewing the valley. We decided that it is something that cannot be missed and booked the ponies for the ride. The ponywala(?), my guy is named Sitaram, was a chatty fellow and was explaining the names of the ponies along the way (it was called Darling, I guess). But then, he kicks the horses so much they just start walking fast whenever he approaches nearby. Anyway, it was a strange feeling sitting on these ponies and they start sleep-walking into the narrow road running upwards, minding the slush and stones on the way to climb to the top.
When you reach the top, you hear a nice voice calling you out in Tamil, 'Anna' and I was actually shocked. It was a Tibetian girl calling us to take a photo siting on the Yak standing nearby. It was kind of surrealistic to hear that in that strange place.
So we had the photo sessions with the valley and the top of the hill is nothing to write about. It is denuded of its shrubbery and is so dusty, I started sneezing. There is a small temple on the top and a nice view of the mountains of Himalayas (called Shivalik range in these areas). We did saw some snow in the distant mountain tops.
We took our photos on the Yaks and climbed down in those bored ponies. Climbing down was so scary I thought I am going to have my neck broken at one of the turns. But then we reached down safely. Took the kids to the Himalayan National Park (which is actually a zoo) where you really have to search for the animals.
It was late afternoon and time to return back to the hotel. We reached our rooms and I fell down exhausted. Me and J had a fantastic, all-weapons drawn, fight after reaching the room. I dont remember the reason why it started but what I do remember is that it was probably one of the worst we've ever had. May be seeing each other for 24hours a day continously for 8 days at close quarters is good for no one anyway. That too, keeping a hypertension individual like me nearby certainly did not help. The important part is that we fought and then made it up over a couple of mocktails in the hotel restaurant (which were BTW delicious!).
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.
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!.
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.
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.
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.
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'.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tibet & The Hindu
I consider myself as a liberal in terms of the views I have on issues. But I dont let it cloud my judgement to interpret things as it happens and the opinions I have. One such issue is Tibet. The past week of demonstrations in Lhasa is interesting and probably the reason is to grab world's attention to the Tibet issue when China is all busy with the olympic preparations. No doubt about it.
But I believe the issue needs a sympathetic hearing atleast. The coverage of the protests in 'The Hindu' over the last week, to say the least, is just disgusting. Probably Hindu just chose to reproduce the Xinhua wires and decided not to report on it. The worst happened on March 18, when Hindu published Wen's statement calling Dalai Lama as instigating the protests and calling him a violent person and the Lama's protest was buried in the clutter of Page 18.
Now I have no doubt that Hindu is almost the mouth piece of the CPI-M in India and views the governments of China, Cuba and Venezuala as revolutionary. But to act as a propaganda tool for the Chinese is the proverbial last straw. I never had any illusions on the credibility of Hindu in terms of objective reporting when it comes to Left and the Communist governments. But this probably beat everything. The anger I felt on that morning seeing Wen's statement was real and I wanted to puke on the paper. I think my days with The Hindu are numbered now and am seriously looking for an alternative to drink my coffee with.
But I believe the issue needs a sympathetic hearing atleast. The coverage of the protests in 'The Hindu' over the last week, to say the least, is just disgusting. Probably Hindu just chose to reproduce the Xinhua wires and decided not to report on it. The worst happened on March 18, when Hindu published Wen's statement calling Dalai Lama as instigating the protests and calling him a violent person and the Lama's protest was buried in the clutter of Page 18.
Now I have no doubt that Hindu is almost the mouth piece of the CPI-M in India and views the governments of China, Cuba and Venezuala as revolutionary. But to act as a propaganda tool for the Chinese is the proverbial last straw. I never had any illusions on the credibility of Hindu in terms of objective reporting when it comes to Left and the Communist governments. But this probably beat everything. The anger I felt on that morning seeing Wen's statement was real and I wanted to puke on the paper. I think my days with The Hindu are numbered now and am seriously looking for an alternative to drink my coffee with.
உதயனானு தாரம்
இரண்டு நாட்களுக்கு முன்பு 'உதயனனு தாரம்' பார்த்தேன். பல வருடங்களாக மோகன் லாலின் ரசிகனாய் இருந்தும் இந்த சில வருடங்களில் பார்க்காமல் விட்டு போன சில படங்களில் இதுவும் ஒன்று. ஸ்ரிநிவசனின் கதையோ ஏன் படமுமே மோகன் லாலின் முந்தைய சில படங்களை எட்டிய 'Perfection'ஐ எட்ட முடியாதுதான். இருப்பினும் யதார்த்தமான நடிப்பு, மிகை இல்லாத கதை, சில விஷயங்கள் தமிழ் சினிமாவில் வெறும் பெருமூச்சுக்களாய் மட்டுமே இருக்க முடியும். அடுத்து 'கதா பரயும்போல்' பார்க்க வேண்டும். அதை, தமிழில் ப.வாசு எடுப்பதை எண்ணி இப்போதே மனம் நொந்து விட்டது.
மிகப்பல முயற்சிக்கு பின் ஒரு மாதிரியாக தமிழ் blog. இன்னும் சில விஷயங்களை எழுத வேண்டும்.
மிகப்பல முயற்சிக்கு பின் ஒரு மாதிரியாக தமிழ் blog. இன்னும் சில விஷயங்களை எழுத வேண்டும்.
Sujatha
I am coming back here today to mourn one of my childhood heroes. Sujatha died today. It sounds crazy because I never felt him to be a old person. He was something like a demi-god to me right from the day I started reading 'En Iniya Iyanthira' till today and probably will remain so for the time to come as well. I dont remember whether 'En Iniya Iyanthira' was the first Sujatha story I read. But I remember the days, when I was in 8th standard then, when we (me and Anantharaman, another childhood friend disappeared without a trace) would wait for the next episode of 'En Iniya Iyanthira' in AV (it was serialized). We used to discuss a lot on the science behind such a story and terms like 'teleport' or 'hologram' introduced me into a science I never heard of till that date. It astonishes me that such a novel like that was written by Sujatha in 1986-87 for a bunch of readers who dont even have TVs in their houses(we had none). It also shows the reach of his intelligence and the gift of simplifying things for the lay man. Even today, both 'En iniya Iyanthira' and 'Meedum Zeno' remain my favorite sci-fi novels. Who can forget that little presumptive robo-dog giving lecture on Zeno's paradox?
If 'En iniya iyanthira' introduced a new world, his essays in the, now stopped, 'Dinamani Sudar' explained in simple terms the workings of a computer and pushed me to start taking seriously the primer computer classes happening in my school(1988, I think). I still have those note books with my first basic program and the base-2 calculations along with flowcharts. If not for Sujatha, I dont think I would have sit through those saturday afternoon classes (while the other kids went home and having fun).
In those days, I had a crush on this neighbourhood girl. She is slightly older than me and was good friends with me. When she presented a book of short stories by Sujatha, the first story in it was 'Thanimai Kondu'. This has been analyzed, ripped apart, praised in various forums. But it is a story that is seductive and triggered a lot of thoughts about Love and Death. It is probably the most powerful story written in Tamil after Pudhumaipithan and would rate probably 'Nagaram' (another Sujatha gem) on par with it. It had a profound influence on my thought process in those days.
It was a period in my life that shaped me as I am today. There was lot of exciting things happening (although I never realized at that time). I had computer classes, buying old issues of magazines like 'Computer world', 'Semiconducters' etc in the bylanes around Meenakshi temple, trying to discuss literature with neighbourhood girls, writing,literally, hundreds of poems in my journal, trying out my hand in story writing, I remember writing a porno story even (1988-92). Much of my interest in literature and world literature had its origins in three important influences.
1. Sujatha, who introduced various technological innovations, and the nuances of writing short stories or Haikus etc.
2. NCBH, which was selling the works of Dostoevsky, Pushkin and other Russian masters in throw away prices. I remember buying 'Idiot' for 28Rs.
I read 'Nylon Kayiru' and other Ganesh-Vasanth thrillers along with what Rajeshkumar, PK Prabhakar, Subha were churning out. I believe Sujatha started the trend of the 'detective with a sidekick' concept. Apart from 'Naren-Vyj' I dont think I liked anyone better.When I learned that Sujatha is not held at a high esteem by the literature crowd, my world crashed down. This is some time in the 1993-95 timeframe when I got introduced to the masters of the modern Tamil writings.He was accused of compromising with the commercial world (meaning he is writing in Kumudam/AV etc). I never understand how writing in a junk magazine will make your writings also junk. Guilty by association?
But I never got tired of Sujatha. His 'Srirangathu Devathaigal' or 'Anithavin Kathalgal' or 'Aah!', he was the master who just hooked me into his writings. Everytime I read a novel or a short story, I was never tired of wondering how this is possible for him to think through such a plot. His computer essays 'Silicon sillu puratchi' or '1000 kanipori vaarthaigal' are all shaped my thoughts and he was a pioneer in thinking about the necessity of coining tamil words for various computer terms. Ofcourse, nothing beats the 'Kanaiyazhiyin kadaisi pakkangal'.
When I read Carl Sagan for the first time, I was wondering the similarities with Sujatha's writing. Sujatha introduced Jay gould and others and discussed the existence of God and it is difficult to find a topic on which he hasn't written.
Today I am saddened that the man who was talking to me through his writings, his wit is no more. I can go on write about 'Nila Nizhal', 'Irul varum neram', 'Pookkutty', 'Vannathu poochi vettai' and may other short stories/dramas he has written. But I stop here.
Rest in Peace!
If 'En iniya iyanthira' introduced a new world, his essays in the, now stopped, 'Dinamani Sudar' explained in simple terms the workings of a computer and pushed me to start taking seriously the primer computer classes happening in my school(1988, I think). I still have those note books with my first basic program and the base-2 calculations along with flowcharts. If not for Sujatha, I dont think I would have sit through those saturday afternoon classes (while the other kids went home and having fun).
In those days, I had a crush on this neighbourhood girl. She is slightly older than me and was good friends with me. When she presented a book of short stories by Sujatha, the first story in it was 'Thanimai Kondu'. This has been analyzed, ripped apart, praised in various forums. But it is a story that is seductive and triggered a lot of thoughts about Love and Death. It is probably the most powerful story written in Tamil after Pudhumaipithan and would rate probably 'Nagaram' (another Sujatha gem) on par with it. It had a profound influence on my thought process in those days.
It was a period in my life that shaped me as I am today. There was lot of exciting things happening (although I never realized at that time). I had computer classes, buying old issues of magazines like 'Computer world', 'Semiconducters' etc in the bylanes around Meenakshi temple, trying to discuss literature with neighbourhood girls, writing,literally, hundreds of poems in my journal, trying out my hand in story writing, I remember writing a porno story even (1988-92). Much of my interest in literature and world literature had its origins in three important influences.
1. Sujatha, who introduced various technological innovations, and the nuances of writing short stories or Haikus etc.
2. NCBH, which was selling the works of Dostoevsky, Pushkin and other Russian masters in throw away prices. I remember buying 'Idiot' for 28Rs.
I read 'Nylon Kayiru' and other Ganesh-Vasanth thrillers along with what Rajeshkumar, PK Prabhakar, Subha were churning out. I believe Sujatha started the trend of the 'detective with a sidekick' concept. Apart from 'Naren-Vyj' I dont think I liked anyone better.When I learned that Sujatha is not held at a high esteem by the literature crowd, my world crashed down. This is some time in the 1993-95 timeframe when I got introduced to the masters of the modern Tamil writings.He was accused of compromising with the commercial world (meaning he is writing in Kumudam/AV etc). I never understand how writing in a junk magazine will make your writings also junk. Guilty by association?
But I never got tired of Sujatha. His 'Srirangathu Devathaigal' or 'Anithavin Kathalgal' or 'Aah!', he was the master who just hooked me into his writings. Everytime I read a novel or a short story, I was never tired of wondering how this is possible for him to think through such a plot. His computer essays 'Silicon sillu puratchi' or '1000 kanipori vaarthaigal' are all shaped my thoughts and he was a pioneer in thinking about the necessity of coining tamil words for various computer terms. Ofcourse, nothing beats the 'Kanaiyazhiyin kadaisi pakkangal'.
When I read Carl Sagan for the first time, I was wondering the similarities with Sujatha's writing. Sujatha introduced Jay gould and others and discussed the existence of God and it is difficult to find a topic on which he hasn't written.
Today I am saddened that the man who was talking to me through his writings, his wit is no more. I can go on write about 'Nila Nizhal', 'Irul varum neram', 'Pookkutty', 'Vannathu poochi vettai' and may other short stories/dramas he has written. But I stop here.
Rest in Peace!
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