An Odyssey

{ This one has been sitting idly in drafts for more than a year. Most of it owing to my laziness to edit and publish. Finally I got around to it and the reason for that has to be yet another blog. Before you go on - the story might not be fictional but the characters and settings are.} T he Sun had silently gone to sleep. His last rays bounced off the golden sands. The groundnut peddler hit his wares furiously. The tantalizing smell of onion pakodas gave a tough fight to my diet plans. But the Beach was not the same today. The Waves don't sound happy. They sing in sorrow like they understand her.

First Things First: Wish you and your loved ones a very  happy, peppy and zappy 366 days in 2012 Looks Good Right? But Do You Know that he is not following some of the Golden Rules? As you might be aware, I have been preparing for a marathon(half) . Due my extreme commitment in the preparations I decided to change my category from 25 to 12.5 KM so that the regular winners of 25 k are not disheartened by their sudden loss. But as 12.5 KM is not my category, I knew I could not finish first. But life is full of sacrifices ain't it? While running the marathon, I picked up some tips and came to know that most of my "training" didn't incorporate the important stuff that contributes to better and efficient running. These are my observations and are awaiting patent. Humble as I am, I hate to say it but I am expecting a Nobel prize in Sports. Till then I hope you keep these things between us. Here are ten tips that will help you for sure whether you are over...

Sural Waterfall from the view point in the village of Sural I t was a search for Heaven that led us to Belgaum. The spark came from a set of  photos posted on FB . Temptation overcame us and a trip for the immediate weekend took shape. We wanted to hit the place before the end of  October. Lack of rains can change a landscape into something else altogether. Without enough time to plan, road blocks had good luck  finding us. We couldn't get reservations in a resort called Wildernest. Heaven was supposed to be en route to the resort. So the infinity pool plan sunk with it. It was  decided that  it should be a trekking + sight seeing trip instead. Trekking on Saturday and scouting on Sunday (armed with the  approximate location of the place from Vatsa's friend, who was the lucky soul who posted the photos). Bangalore was left behind for a weekend.   

No question now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.  George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 10 This is not a dissection nor a review of the work Animal Farm .  The world has smart people who can write  better  reviews than me. This is about the  relevance  of  Orwell's  writing in  today's  world. This is about how 100 pages written six decades ago reminded me of the world I live in, how a world changed from an idea of Utopia to a dystopia , how freedom is just an idea and  how our lives are driven by lies. ****** Spoiler Alert ******

Last weekend Mrs. Nair and me had visited  Bannerghatta national park . The place closest to Bangalore where you get to see animals other than humans, dogs, cows and crows. We decided to hit the place early to avoid traffic and the weekend picnic goers. And we were  spot on with our decision for when  we decided to return at around two in the afternoon the  crowd was bigger than the Anna campaign. At least  5 schools, two convents, teams from s/w companies and hundreds of nuclear families were fighting to find picnic spots around the park.

Tie the knot by TCR4x4, on Flickr Prologue N ext month, by this time, I will be a family man from a bachelor bloke. Lightning strikes when you are most unprepared for it, like when you are holding an iron rod. Lightning struck me when I was holding a plane load of iron pillars. The lightning went straight through my flux capacitor and here I am three years into the future. It doesn't feel so bad, but I am concerned about the aftermath of such an unprecedented event. Responsibility was never my accomplice. Well, I chose him not to be. He is like a laxative, shit happens when he's around.

I t has come to my attention that people's opinion of software engineers  is changing. This is a recent phenomena, instigated by the rumours spread by rival professions. I believe these rumours have their origination from secret mendicant organizations, who feel that we are taking away their rightful place in society. These rumours are going on a small trip now. To the outside of outer space [War cry]..

  This stunning image is from aussiegall's photostream on flickr The cocoa garden behind our rented little house was my favorite haunt. I spent my time climbing the small trees and chasing the brownish orange hens that were always pecking around in our backyard. When the evenings caught up with time, I would run back to the vicinity of the Grampoo tree near the kitchen. The cocoa trees were scary after dark. They seemed to be stripped of  all friendly essence that they showed to me all morning. It was during such evenings that she appeared in the empty plot nearby gathering wood.

Photo By h-k-d T he night was new. I walked out of the air conditioned hotel lobby. A blast of hot air caught my face.The air was annoyingly warm. I ran a hand through my hair as I waited admist the shimmering lights of Chennai's traffic for an auto. Chennai - the city where you get ripped by the autowallah's, fried by the sun and interrogated by foriegners. But I was happy. The interrogation was a success and I had been granted a Visa to the USA.

[Photo By : Midiman] B eing an inquisitive 9 year old, I was always confused about the concept of heaven and hell. If both existed why couldn't we see it? How will I know in advance where I will go? And can we come back to earth if we want to sometimes, like Mahabali does once in a year Or is that only for privileged persons and VVIPs? I knew a person who had the answer for it all, Ammoomma. She knew everything. She knew how Vamanan had killed Mahabali. So logically she ought to know how it was at hell and heaven. So I decided to ask the knowledgeable one. Ammomma was sitting on the portico singing her bhajans as she always does in the evening. There was a light breeze outside. The hibiscus leaves rustled. Its flowers had just been sacrificed in the puja room.The light jasmine fragrance of burning incense floated in the air. I went and laid my head on Ammoomma's lap. 'Ammomme... Ammmomme... Ee swargavum narakvum evideya?' (where is heaven and hell?) 'Where will I...

[ Image Courtesy: http://www.istockphoto.com] This post was written by me successfully during the GATE exam 2009. Three hours of peace from the noisy life of Bangalore, just for a cost of Rs.1000/-.Apply now!!! Waking up early on a Sunday morning is a bad sign. Waking up on a Sunday morning after a party with friends the previous night to write an exam -- the worst sign. The alarm played the perfect part of the dream destroyer that morning as well. After one hour of relentless ringing I had to give up to the irritating power of Evanescence's wake me up inside ... I had got ready to leave home but I had one more task to complete before I could be there for the exam. I had to find the way to the exam center. I was able to reach the holy place, a well 1 hour 15 minutes before time, with lot of help from blore's own Auto bhaiyyas. I thought i would be the one to reach there first. But i was greeted by the faces of those guys who were going to have more beautiful wives and cars tha...

[Photo Coutesy : jamuraa] I got this tag this Maverrick who got it from Sailor who got it from Sneha. [I hope the tag is not an Evil plan by some Evil Warlord to get information about me so that he can overpower me and take over the world]. Here goes.. 1)What is your occupation? I am a central goverment employee*. *Conditions Apply ( Psst. I heard there is no value in the marriage market for Software engineers . We are a depreciating asset now.) 2)What colour are your socks now? Never ask a bachelor about his socks >:- 3)What are you listening to now? I'm hearing Bhumika's voice on the phone persuading me to go to innovative film city this weekend. 4)What was the last thing you ate? Lemme see: Wheat flour, (UN)cooked on a flat or slightly concave iron griddle and Dark yellow colour potato, tomato and onion paste sprinkled with garlic seasoning.. For those illiterate guys, lets say : Roti and aloo curry from the cafeteria. 5)Can you dri...

[Photo by : aloshbennett ] T he year 2008 was a year for news about Olympics ,Mumbai and Obama. In Olympics it was of course a great year for India. And there was a good reason for the papers to celebrate the crowning of the three young men at the Beijing Olympics. But Beijing was also a photographers paradise. The most hyped and most ceremonious Olympic meet yet, there were enough photos available to the papers to fill all their pages. But with in a months time Olympics lost its charm in the papers, even though Bindraji gets a mention here and there and in TV Ads. Teacher: Who won the bronze In Olympic wrestling for India? Appu : mmmm... i know... iknow.. i know... The Great Khali Now that Olympics is over and none of the athletes are making news, the best knowledge people would have of wrestling would be of unusually tall men with loads of meat on their body shaped like bricks. Then came the Mumbai tragedy. Which was a jolt to India, Indian politics, Media, and the security force...

The rain had passed. The air was filled with sweet music. The music of water drops falling into puddles. It was on such a day 4 years back that I had lost Sophie. If only she was here with me. My heart began filling with heaviness. My eyes blurred. The heaviness was a sleep inducer. I would soon become tired and fall asleep. My ears received the sounds of outside as though it was a healer. It was like nature was sympathizing with me. I felt a palm on my hands. A gentle voice called me. 'Appacha..'. I could be dreaming. I opened my eyes and saw my son looking at me with gentle eyes. The tears came back. Tears, a companion all along the way, in your sorrows and joys. 'My Son, I thought you wouldn't come this year. I didn't see any letters, i thought...' 'Appacha, how can I forget. You know how hard it is for me to leave you alone here'. I was so happy, the heaviness i felt before was gone. 'Where are the kids?', i asked 'They are not coming.....

7th October 2008, A Suburb in Kerala 'Chechi, you should be really careful. The stars don't favor those who live in this house.', Saraswati said as she escorted Anita through the garden. 'What do you do, Chechi?' ' I am a writer, Saraswati.' ' Do you write news in the newspapers?' ' No, I write books, novels..' 'You write stories,Chechi?', Saraswati asked with amazement. 'Yes I do Sarasu' ' then someday if you are free, can you come home and tell munna some stories. He always complains that i do not know any stories. How would I know? I haven't even gone to school..' 'Sure sarasu, one day for sure.', Anita said as Saraswati opened the door. 'how long are you going to stay here ?' 'I wanted a place to write my next novel. After it is complete I might leave.' 'Are you married?' 'You sure do have a lot of questions. Let me sit down for a while and settle down in this ...

I thought I will write about this wonderful journey that we had, before I forget the details. The details may fade but the fun we had and the sights our eyes beheld will never ever fade away. It was on the third weekend of November 2008 that we finally went for the trek, the Sakleshpur - Yedakumari Train route. We had been wanting to go for this from the first time we heard about it. But then there were a certain number of uncertainties. Goods train had started plying on this route and there was one passenger train also. Apart from it being risky , we were unsure whether the railway authorities will agree for trekking. Finally everything turned out to be like nothing we had thought about. We were a group of 9 . We started late on a Friday night from Bangalore, reached Donigal very early in the morning. We had breakfast from Surabhi hotel just before Donigal and got fresh as well. Our starting point was a gate of Sethna Estate around a kilometer from Donigal on the right side of the...

'W ALK', the traffic signal blinked. Harvey made way across the road amidst a large group of pedestrians. He still hadn't found a prospect. He observed everyone whom he was to pass from a distance. Any chance of a coat bulging a little more than it should and he had found his customer. The city was his hunting ground. Especially near the big malls. He found an unsuspecting shopper every once in a while to keep at bay his hunger for a few months. He certainly was talented. He had an uncanny knack of getting the right person. But he could not pull it off three months back with the old man. That guy had been too alert. He did not even get a chance to make a run for it. Caught red handed and sent to prison for three months for petty theft, it had just been two days since he started sleeping in his own bed. A relief from the stench of the prison cell. He noticed the eyes following him. But he kept his cool. He was way too experienced. Harvey knew how to avoid the questioning e...

[a view from the terrace of my house] Ever since I came to Bangalore, I have been a slave to the fast life. Never felt as fresh as I did 2 years back. The occasional outings help a lot. Gets me unconnected from the world for at least sometime.Also, I stay away from all technology for an hour a day, when I reach home. Feels really good.One more way I found out is by cooking. But I have to eat what I cook, which makes the whole exercise meaningless :) . What do you guys do to loosen up? Click To Subscribe Rate This Post

The heart stops at moments like these. Words fail to form. It was a magical moment , when the only thing he had waited for so long came upon him. He knew, she was the one for him. She would decide his fate and she would be with him till death. He had a fear of what was about to happen but also a relief knowing what would become of him after. They had but one thing in common. Both of them had a destination to reach and both were running out of time. He watched as she came closer clad in blue and white. She approached quickly yet gracefully. He could feel the rhythm of her steps. He could hear her singing from the distance.A lullaby which would put him to sleep. He lie there; waiting in anticipation; butterflies in his stomach. The time had come. He closed his eyes and let her take him. They say, at moments like these your entire past flashes before you. May be it did for him. Did he feel remorse? We will never know. As for her, she had none. She had seen many a person before her wanti...

There was once a boy who dreamt of the day when he could carry a star enclosed in his palms. He would stare out of the window on a starry night, watch with admiration those beautiful twinkling dots and pray to god. ' Oh God! you have so many of them cute little lights with you, why don't you give one to me. I always give my lil sis whatever i have.' His Dad would come to him smile and say , ' you work hard my boy, study hard and God will give you not one light but many in your palms.' Twenty years have passed since such a night and Hari is a man who literally plucks money off trees. He has the stars in his palms and around him. But like his Dad said it was not God who gave it to him, but a friend. His friend had given him - the magic powder which made all worries go away and which made him swim among the stars and caress them in his palm as much as he liked. Another 10 years and fate sees Hari, laid down , two cotton balls in his nose, legs lied together. And with...