Connections In-tact

The whole of May I was traveling and had it not been to the places I love, it would have been a tedious trip. Never stayed in a place for more than 2 days and the trip covered Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Pollachi, Palghat, Palani and Kodaikanal. So many times, I have traversed these places, but the pleasure of spending some time with the relatives, friends and their family has not diminished in anyway. It was yet another memorable trip, wishing the newly married, blessing the newly born, blessed by those awaiting death, congratulating those who have cleared their exams with flying colours, consoling those who have failed to pass through these stupid exams and most importantly fed heavily by whoever I visited. As for me, these trips fill me with love and happiness as a lamp is filled with light and warmth and is a way to cherish the past and be connected with it always. The past as majestic as the mountains, though irrelevant and obsolete, lets the present flow through it, unless we build a barrier to stagnate and stop it.

I had a view of the Coimbatore Junction from a roof-top and the all that I could see are the coarsely illuminated hoardings of all the telecom operators. A substantial evidence that, India has turned into a huge market for the mobile operators. It is no longer the city I have known and loved.

It was a very brief stay at Kodaikanal, only a couple of hours, during which time, I managed to visit Mark and Graces as I wanted wish Grace personally on her 100th birthday anniversary. I have written many posts on Mark Antrobus, because he has been and is being a great inspiration to me in certain aspects.

Outlook has published an article on Grace in its recent issue. I am sure you will enjoy reading this article - Amazing Grace

The Move

So much has changed; So much remains the same. We moved from Chennai to New Delhi for a change. Yes. Only for a change! I don’t see a better reason than this. Relocation activities have been a great weapon of excuse for all that I had failed to do in the recent months, including my absence in the blog. Though there was only little I had to personally do, mind was fully occupied with something or the other like ticketing, packing, moving, house hunting, house warming, school admission and what not. This post by itself is an indication that we have settled in.

As in any relocation, moving and packing household articles and personal things I thought, would be the biggest challenge. When we arrived at the endless list of things to take, I realized how complicated life has turned. There used to be a time when life was not more than a backpack with no sense of attachment to it. I was surprised, when I was reluctant even to leave behind some trivial things. Everything had a background, a history and somehow bandaged to me as bondage. Mind kept reminding that, this was bought in this trip and that was a gift from that friend and somehow everything found a reason to move along with us.

Recently, I happened to read worst stories about movers and packers and it panicked me more when I read Kavi’s post about his relocation to Mumbai. To add to the fire, Anand, my school buddy sent me this IBN Live link – Couple takes on corporate. However, these information really helped us in cautiously evaluating different options. Thank You Guys!

Request for quote was sent to many Movers and Packers with the list of items to be moved. Most of them replied by email with a ballpark estimate, while Hariom Mishra from Goel Movers & Packers insisted on visiting the house and to do an evaluation of the goods to be moved. The same day he visited, scanned through the things thoroughly and gave the quote. Though it was little higher, I decided to use their service as the approach was professional, service oriented and reassuring. The decision was taken, but had to wait till we find a house in Delhi.

House hunting was more confusing and time-consuming than we had expected, as there were too many localities to choose from and too many vacant houses in each locality. The first day ended with a long list of houses seen with pros and cons. We realized that, most north Indian landlords preferred to have south Indian tenants. On one occasion, the Landlord was willing to reduce the rent significantly as we are South Indians. Moreover, the property dealers while marketing our credibility to the landlords always mentioned that we are Madrasis as key criteria for bringing in a good tenant for them. Not sure if it was a compliment:)

With too many houses to choose from, it was time organize. Then, we prepared a matrix with the key attributes in a house we are looking for with some weight assigned to each of the attribute. From then on, it took very little time to scan the house to arrive at the rating for each of the parameter. At the end of a week of searching, the matrix had 40 houses with the very first house we saw topping the list. It was decided and the same day the papers were signed.

Back in Chennai, we finalized the deal with Goel Movers & Packers. In 5 hours the house was naked and I was just sitting and watching the way the card-board was bound, the polythene films were wrapped and the huge crates were filled. I was asked not to even touch a spec. It was really effortless.

I reached Delhi, a day before the things were scheduled to arrive and did some preliminary cleaning before the things are placed. Though Hariom was giving the daily status of the vehicle, I had my own apprehensions about the safety and care in which the things would be handled. As scheduled, the things arrived on the fifth day. The unloading, unpacking and the cleaning was done in 5 hours, again with no effort from our end. I could see the transformation of my apprehensions and doubts to surprise and wonder when each item being unpacked intact. It was an excellent service offered by Goel Movers and Packers and I was exceedingly happy with the way they carried-out the entire moving and packing. Sadhique and Senthil, my school buddies helped us with setting up of things initially. The rest of the house was settled, whenever we could grab some time. With almost most of things done, we feel at home!

Everything has happened as it should have happened. We have moved for a change? May be a temporal change from a narrow perspective, on the periphery. Deep within, it’s all the same, even in the flowing river and even when the river runs through it.

A rejuvenating Trip

Here I sit, shriveled in the heat of the laptop, fretting on account of my idle legs, world-weary, will-weary, and one day I would be suffocated of my all-too-great self-pity. In a conversation I had with one of my friends, I was talking too much of the nature, streams, waterfalls, rivers, springs, cascades…..I realized the need, yearning, urge, itch and thirst to taste the sweetness of Virgin Nature and share some divine moments in the cradle of Mother Nature. Sensing that the Thanksgiving holiday in US would give me some bandwidth, I planned a day’s trip to Coimbatore with Shakthi.

Coimbatore is the gateway to various nature trails like Top Slip, Valpaarai, Athirampalli, Ooty, Munnar and the whole of Kerala. We reached Coimbatore on Thursday Morning and checked into Lord’s Park, the only hotel where the accommodation was available, owing to the marriages and function as the day was an auspicious one. After a quick wash and change, we along with headed towards, Siruvani Waterfall which is 40 kms from Coimbatore. This waterfall is also popularly known as Kovai Cuttralam. We reached the forest check-post at the entrance of the waterfall and I was happy to note that a thorough inspection being conducted by the forest guard for inflammable, plastic, polythene and other pollutants, before the entry. After passing the check post, we had to drive further to reach the parking lot. Then it was an enchanting 2 km walk through the thick forest of teak and various shoal trees.

The alluring fragrance of champak sprinkled on the dewy moistly breeze accompanied us through this tree caved path which lead us to the waterfalls. As it was a weekday, there were only a few visitors and we felt as if the entire place is reserved for us today. We bathed around the waterfall, stream, casecade and the pools for the next 4 hours. It was a natural spa, with water as sweet as the nectar, as scented as geranium, as cold as rose water, as clear as the crystal and as lively as a masseuse.

Everything flows,
Everything retains,
Eternally rejuvenates the water of existence.
Everything falls,
Everything returns,
Eternally resurrects water of existence
Everything drops,
Everything blossoms forth again;
Eternally manifests the water of existence.
Everything separates,
Everything integrates;
Eternally true to itself remains the water of existence.

In every drop begins existence,
In every dip is an orgasm
The center is everywhere.
For she is the pool of eternity.

We had to leave the place with a heavy heart owing to the pricking hunger and we headed towards the Dyanalinga Yogic Foundation set amidst a thick forest on the foot of Velliangiri Hills. It was a 13 kms drive en route Coimbatore from the Siruvani Waterfall. As soon as we reached, we had some hot dosas with herbal chutney and the hunger was settled. We were roaming around the beautiful garden around the facility meant for guest accomodation and I was happy to spot a couple of peacocks. Then we entered the Theerthakund, which is a tank built underground with a solidified mercury lingam in its center. We spent 20 minutes submerged in the tank hugging the lingam and I could feel that whole body was being transformed into .

Then we went to the dome, the sanctum sanctorum where the dhyanalingam is seated. One of the outer wall of the dome had a sculpture depicting Shiva in three states - Rudra, Hara and Sadhasiva. We entered the dome and found ourselves into a duct to be lost in meditation, just to be in a state of nothingness. No prayers told, No chanting uttered, No wishes thought of…. But I could sense that the nothingness also did not settle. May be, it was too short to expect it and there was expectation which would be great barrier to achieve it…achieve is not the right word though. May be attain… it wouldn’t suite as well. Achievement, attainment and all these objective terms would only be hindrance to nothingness. May be I should stay here for a few weeks to experience it myself. With a hope of returning soon, we left Dyanalinga Yogic Foundation. It was a memorable day!

A trip to Bloomington

Though I was not able to snatch some time to visit my friend during my last visit, I made it this time on this long weekend, Monday being Martin Luther King’s Birthday. I saw people wonder having a civil rights leader’s birthday as holiday while there is no holiday for George Washington’s Birthday or Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday. Anyway, this is for the politicians and the vote banks to worry about.

I had to dodge many bullets and had to leave the office early on Friday for the fear of being caught in project meetings or activities that might surprisingly pop-up. I joined Satish on the 3 hour drive from Palatine to Bloomington. Sita, Satish’s friend had feast of aromatic tomato rasam and hot chilly shrimp fry ready for us when we arrived at 8:30 PM. Then my friend picked me up an hour later.

Saturday morning was mostly spent on playing with Peggy, who is 7 years old and Sahana, 3 years old. They became friends instantly and were teaching me various games line UNO Cards, Trade, Hide and Seek etc.


The only technique to become a natural friend of kids is to be natural.

- Pay attention
- Make sure they know you are paying attention
- Become a kid and respond as if you are of their age – bridge the gap.
- Learn and do what they teach
- Play the game their way, even if it's wrong. All that they are interested in is “My Turn to throw the dice” “Your turn to throw the dice” “I have won” “You have won” etc
- Play aggressively and genuinely
- Don’t excel, but make them excel in the game
- Acknowledge their victory and greet them

Afternoon we went to a house for a class on Vedic chanting. The class started with the chanting in praise of Lord Ganesh followed by the prayers for Dakshinamoorthi, Shiva, Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Saraswathi, Lakshmi, Durga and Muruga. There were 5 kids attending the class and the master was dumbfounded by the flurry of questions shot at him.

Some interesting questions were

- Why Ganesh has an elephant face?
- If his real face was replaced by an elephant’s head, what happened to the elephant? Did they kill the elephant?
- What does each of the God offer?
- If Lakshmi can give wealth, will she give me lots of gold?

Though the purpose of the class was to make them pronounce complex Sanskrit words and to reap the benefits of the pranic breathing through the chanting of words, their incessant questions prolonged the class and questioned the patience of the master and the parents.

Evening we went around Bloomington shopping, picked some movies and slept after watching 2 movies.



Sunday was again spent on more games and TV. I was fascinated to watch Walt Disney’s Cindrella Part 3 and Ice Age Part 2. Peggy and Sahana were told that, I will be leaving the next day morning. I was looking through the photographs of the various stages of their newly built house and the house warming ceremony in the upstairs. It was fascinating to see how quickly the house was built. The foundation and the flooring were the only aspects in which concrete had been used. Everything was in readily available boards of wood and the structural design has given the strength to withstand any stress. My friend has given enough thoughts to make it more Indian than the usual bland American interior design.


Peggy quietly sneaked into the room and handed me a piece of paper with a sketch of Olive leaves he has drawn, followed by Sahana handing me a piece of paper with a crayon sketch and told me that it’s their gift. I was elated and blissful for they have taken me to my childhood days.

The Snow Fall

First time when one of my American colleagues warned me of the winter of Chicago, I sarcastically agreed to his comment, thinking at the back of my mind about the cold winters I have endured roaming around the roads of Kodai Hills and a month long NCC Camp in the tents at the oval ground of Sainik School, Nagrota, Jammu during the peak winter.

Today, my preconception about cold was shattered and the winter of Kodaikanal turned warm when the first big wintry storm with a combination of sleet, snow and ice blustered around Illinois, covering everything exposed with a blanket of snow and ice. In spite of the cautious gestures of my colleagues yesterday to stay warm and not to bother attending office today, I got ready to office the usual way, only to be dragged into the Teleconference and Web Conference bridges to attend the flurry of incessant calls pouring in from the managers to ensure the projects stays warm even when everything is freezing in this prickly cold.

The maximum temperature was –3 degree Celsius while the minimum temperature was –10 degree Celsius against a minimum +29 degree Celsius and a maximum of +38 degree Celsius at Chennai.

Deciding to work from home, I stepped out of the house only to see the snow covered streets, roofs, and commuters walked gingerly along slushy road in front of the apartment, people shoveling the snow in their door steps and side walks, digging out their cars buried in snow.

All trees big and small, no longer demanding the sun light for photosynthesis, as their leaves have withered away in the fall, were dressed in the white clad snow in complete submission to the over-powering weather. However, this one plant still with its tender leaves and beautiful flowers is fighting like a warrior, unwilling to give-up, hopes for the sun to appear. A great inspiration!

Though everyone were cold like the weather, only the kids seem to be excited and fancied by the fluffy softy snow, building varied shapes out of it.

This kid pulled his mother out of the home giving her a tough time, jumping into the mounting snow, picking and throwing at his mother, was having a ball.

Though there has been talks of power outages, burying streets and roads, plunging temperature, accidents on the slippery roads, flight and train delays – I enjoyed working from home, occasionally peeping through the window to see the snow turned world outside.

An evening in Chicago

It has been exactly 2 months since I landed in US. All these days have been too hectic that, I have not been able to visit any place other than Walmart, which is just a furlong from my apartment and a couple of other joints like Apple Bees, Buffalo Wings and of course the Palatine library that houses a huge collection of books.

Though, the Thanks Giving long weekend would give enough window for going around, Thursday was spent in aloneness. However, Thurday night kept me in telecon with the off-shore folks till 3:00 AM Friday. At 4:00 AM went along with a friend to grab a few items in the Black Friday sale. I was amused to see a long queue waiting for the shops to open. Most of the shops open at 5:00AM and the Early Bird price is applicable till 11:00 AM. We visited Circuit City, Best Buy and ULTA. Thanks to my friend - got some good deals in every shop - I have saved a couple of hundred dollars. Exhausted at 11:30 AM, we went to India House, Bufallo Grove for a hearty Indian buffet. Friday ended with a sound sleep till evening and telecon in the night followed by a disturbed sleep.

Saturday started with guilt for having chased a flock of birds and scaring a kid watching the birds, while attempting to shoot the birds with the camera after collecting it from my friend's car. After browsing through a site on Chicago to motivate myself to go around, I started with Madhan, a room mate to Chicago. We boarded the train at the Arlington Park station which is located with in the Arligton Race Course. The train went via Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Jefferson Park and reached Chicago Ogilvie station in an hour. With neither a plan in mind or a map in hand, we were not sure where to head. Just started walking on the street that appeared to be a more than a street, grabbed a tall cup of hot brewed coffee from Starbucks and after a mile we reached what looked like a park.

Ultimately, it turned out to be the Millenium Park of Chicago with its unprecedented combination of architecture, monumental sculpture and landscape design, the 24.5 acre is adorned by morden masterpieces like Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, BP Bridge and a Ice Ring. Architecture and landscaping was at its peak. The park was bustling with people of all types, kids, grandies, joggers, lovers, spectators, and most people from suburban areas have come to spend their evening at the Millenium Park.

A strode on the BP Bridge took us to the Chicago Yatch Club and then to the road that runs parallel to Lake Michigan. The panoramic view of the city from the lake assured that it is apt to call it the city of sky scrapers, though I didn't get a chance during this trip to see the Sears Tower. My be I will make it in my next trip to the downtown.

We went along the lake and crossed a bridge to reach the Navy Pier which houses a children's museum, theaters, gardens, an assortment of shops, the Joe's Be-Bop Jazz bar, restaurants and a variety of entertainment for kids. This is the best place to be with your kids.

In the Navy Pier shopping area, there were two painters painting of two kids and mother. The medium was cardboard paper and water colur. They were specilised in caricature. It was so lively and funny that, I got interested and I decided that I should have on such painting of myself and wanted to know how funny Andy, the painter would draw out of me. We walked back to the station and took the train back to Arlington Park at 8:30 PM and the day turned out to be a memorable one.

Annaprasanam at Guruvayur

Pranav is turning six months old and it is time for him to take solid food. Though, we can start feeding him, we have the age-old custom of conducting the feeding ceremony at a sacred place when the baby is fed with external food. Guruvayur is the preferred place as Krishna manifests as a kid and thousands of parents conduct the Annaprasanam, the food feeding ceremony of their kids here.

We boarded the Nilgiri Express on 12-Aug and reached Coimbatore the next morning. Much to our surprise, Pranav enjoyed the train journey, as it was much like a simulation of the rocking cradle. After the wash and change, we visited the Saradhambal Temple at Race Course, to which I am closely tied up because of the regular visits and some spiritual course that I had undergone a couple of years ago. Coimbatore is my favourite destination, not only because of the pleasant climate, peaceful atmosphere, but also for the brotherly affection shown by my friend Karthi and his family. Siddharth has grown into a boy and has bagged many proficiency certificates at Stanes. As expected, it was a heavy breakfast with Poori, Dosa, Potato Masala, Coconut chutney and of course my favourite Brinjal Chutney.

After making a visit to his mother’s place to get her blessings for Pranav, we started for Pollachi, yet another destination that I have loved, for its plush green coconut groves, paddy fields, friendly people and the caring big brother Kandan Karunai and his lovely family. After a pleasant walk, talk and a hearty lunch, we started to Guruvayur, which is 2-hours drive from Pollachi via Kollangode and Thrichur.

This is a view of the Paddy Fields and Coconut Groves at Jamin Oothukuli.

The stretch of Wester Ghats seen from Govindapuram, just near the Tamil Nadu - Kerala border.

We took nearly 3 hours to reach Guruvayur, stopping in many places to catch the irresistible scenic beauty of the God’s Own country. It was showering in many stretches and by the time we reached Guruvayur at 6:30pm, it was raining heavily. We checked in at Krishna Inn, which is about a furlong from the Temple and after a bath rushed to the temple for a darshan. It was too cold and hence, Pranav had some difficulty in sleeping. However, he managed to sleep after we got a cradle from the hotel and packed it with pillows and blankets.

This is the majestic statue of Garuda (Eagle) that welcomes the visitors, when they enter Guruvayur.The security was very tight due to the Independence Day threats and hence, the cameras were not allowed. The only snap I could capture was the roof of the passage that leads to the temple.

Though Annaprasanam starts at 5:00 AM, we went to the temple only at 7:00 AM. 10 Years before when I went for the Annaprasanam of my nephew Nitin, it was held just in front of the Garpagraham. Now that, they have allocated a separate hall in the first floor of a building to tackle the multitude of devotees performing this ritual. We were not allowed to be in the hall for a very long time and hence, it was a very brief ceremony, which lasted only for 5 minutes. All the items including cooked rice, payasam (sweet preparation of rice, sugar & milk) plantain etc. were placed on a banana leaf and we were asked to feed Pranav. Everyone attempted their turn and obviously, he spit every bit of what was fed. The best part was, the entire hall was filled with chubby kids with their exaggerated eyebrows and eyelashes drawn with long black stripes like the Kathakali Mohini. With their small gold striped mundus and chains, they were all prosperity, personified!

Next, though unwilling, we had to perform another offering called Tulabaram, in which the devotee is weighed against a commodity of his choice-banana, sugar, water, gold, in fact anything that is permitted inside the temple. Pranav was weighed against blocks of Sugar Candy (Kalkandu).

Then we visited the Mural Painting Institute, which is situated in the Devaswom Complex. We met the Principal and the Chief Instractor Mr.Krishnakumar and a Visiting Professor Mr. Vijaykumar from Baroda University. Had some good education on Mural Painting Tradition of India. The history of Mural Painting of India is traced back to the Ajantha Cave paintings considered to have been executed between 200 B.C and 600 A.D. In South India mural painting flourished in places such as Sittannavasal, Badami, Tanjavur, Vijaynagar and Kerala. Though the tradition of Mural painting is forgotten in most of the states, Rajasthan and Kerala are only states that are guarding it from extinction.

In Kerala, the walls and the gopurams of the temples are the mediums in which the mural paintings are executed. Apart from Hindu temples, a number of churches also have mural paintings with Christian iconographic features. The traditional Kerala mural painting is done only in five colours (Panchavarna) such as Yellow, Green, Red, Black and White. White is the wall or the medium and all other colours are prepared from leaves and stones.The first mural painting depicts multi-headed Ganesh sitting on a Lion, while the theme for the second one is the Dance of Shiva.

The above mural painting portrays Narasimhamoorthy. The subject or the theme for most of the mural painting is usually different incarnations of Vishnu, different manifestations of Shiva, Rasa Leela, Ganesh and the goddess Devi in different forms. The first painting in the above picture depicts the Aphrodite of Hindu Mythology, while the second one is dedicated to Krishna and Balram.

In 1970, due to a fire accident in the Guruvayur Temple, the mural painting adorning the walls of the sanctum sanctorum was destroyed. When attempting to renovate and redecorate the walls, it was found that there were only a very few artists like Mammiyur Krishnakutty Nair, M.K.Sreenivasan and K.K. Varier who were able to undertake this work. Though, they could complete it successfully, the need to preserve the endangered art of mural painting became a serious thought and hence, the Guruvayur Devaswom established the Institue of Mural Painting in July 1989.

As a mark of admiration and acknowledgement to this ageless tradition of Mural Painting, we ordered a beautiful painting of Krishna and Radha that will be newly painted and then shipped across to Chennai. With Pranav around it was not pragmatic to visit places around Guruvayur. The elephant sanctuary at Punnathur Kotta about 3 kms north of Guruvayur temple and the Mammiyur Shiva Temple are a must see places when you visit Guruvayur. Hoping to make another trip, may be after a couple of years, we boarded the Allepey - Chennai Express at Trichur and reached Chennai on the next day, 15 Aug.

Eaters of the dead

The morning sleep snuggling in side the warmth of the blanket to counter the cold winter of Kodaikanal was an ecstasy by itself. That too when you are back from the hostel to spend your vacation, no one would bother to wake you up until 10’o clock when you are woken by the aroma of the coffee cup held by you mom. But that day was an exception. To my surprise, my mom woke me up at 6’0 clock. Though unwilling to peep out of the blanket, I had to force myself out of the blanket as my mom informed me that my dad wants me at the backyard. I jumped out of the blanket and threw a shawl around my head to cover the ears from the prickly cold of the backyard, which is an extension of the field.

My dad and a group of his friends were laughing in a joyful mood and on seeing me the laughter faded away. I could see a creature lying encircled by the group. My sister was already there with her panic stricken face. Anand one of my dad’s friends told me that, my sister and me would be the fortunate people to get the lion’s share today. Still half a sleep, I was wondering at the creature that resembled a monkey with a black fur on its body, golden brown fur on its head and had a long black tail. On seeing our terrified face, my dad told that he shot this Mandhi (Nilgiri Langur) during the last night’s hunting trip in the mathi kettan shola forest. He told me that, Mandhi lives in the shola forests that are rich in medicinal and aromatic vegetation and lives on herbs, nuts and fruits that have high medicinal value. Hence, its flesh, blood and the cud are known to be the panacea for many diseases. Now, Rajaiah took a knife and a container cut the Mandhi’s throat and filled the container with the oozing blood. We were offered a glass of blood that was fresh and warm. I gulped it and extended the tumbler to be refilled, while my sister was satisfied with one tumbler. Everyone laughed and said one tumbler is more than enough. We were instructed to jog till the golf course in order for the blood to get digested. When we came home after an hour of jogging, the group was gone and my dad was getting ready for the day. My mom was engaged in preparing meat to be cooked, while my granny was treating a big portion of the meat with salt and turmeric paste. We helped her to dry them in the sunlight and then hang them on the cross cabled strings inside the chimney for uppu kandam (salt-cured meat). On seeing my enthusiasm, my dad promised to take me along with him during the next hunting trip.

It happened the next month, when my dad planned for an over-night stay at a work site 40 KMs from Kodaikanal. We stayed in the jeep till 11:00 PM and then sneaked into the thick pine forest. After walking a while, we enter a shola forest and the site supervisor made a bed out of the dried leaves and spreads blanket for us to rest. We remained there for a very long time without uttering a single word. I was instructed even to keep the breathing very low. I was growing impatient as the time grew and it was already dawn. I was almost fainting with sleep when a thundering noise shook my senses to life. I saw my dad and his smile told me that he had shot something. Slowly we moved towards the direction where the shot was fired and near a stream we found a spotted dear lying motionless. It was a great moment of delight after waiting in the fierce cold throughout the night. We took the head and the skin for making stuffed deer (taxidermy) or a trophy and the shoulders for meat. This was the first and the last time I went on a hunting trip. However, every vacation was marked with relishing some new animal. The list grew like Nilgiri Langur, Spotted Deer, Wild Rabbits, Ibex, Kelai Aadu (Wild Goat), Royal Pigeon, Flying Squirrel etc.

In the following years, I rarely visited home during vacations. During one visit, dad told me that hunting as a game has died out and it is considered a crime as the animals dwelling in Palani hills are being declared as endangered species. The double barrel gun that was presented to my grandfather by the Rajah of Sivaganga for having shot a tiger rested in the attic, only to be taken out for license renewal and over-hauling. When my father died, it was surrendered at the collectorate. I was not eligible to hold a gun license as I was a minor at that time and my uncle was not interested anything else but his business. Later, in an effort to recover the gun, I discovered that the gun was auctioned to an arms dealer named Veeramani of Dindigul, as there was no one to claim it.

As a mark of remembrance, I capitalize every opportunity to shoot animals with my camera and have caught many that my dad has failed to catch with his gun. Shooting them in the camera seems to be more pleasurable as the snaps become valued possessions. All the game, big and small continues; but the guns have been replaced by the cameras.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Visiting Grandma

I made a quick trip to Kodaikanal last friday to see my granny and to visit our family temple. Spent some time chatting with my granny and performed a pooja at the temple. I couldn't visit the KMU as it was open only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mark has moved to his Farm House and hence would require more time to meet him. I missed an hour of rowing which I usually do whenever I visit Kodai as I had to rush to catch the train. Though it was only a few hours I could spend in Kodaikanal, it was a rejuvenating and a fulfilling trip. Here are some snaps I captured during the trip.

Manjalaar Dam view from Dum Dum rock which is at KM 12 of Kodai-Ghat Road

The dried up Rat Tail Falls view from Dum Dum rock which is at KM 12 of Kodai-Ghat Road

My Grandma - manifestation of strength, hardwork, love and compassion.

View of our temple- Shree Bathra Kaliamman Temple at Pambarpuram, Kodaikanal

A group of devotees celebrating a festival in a village on the foot hills of Kodaikanal

Mark Antrobus

First meeting

Though it was a hills station, the summer of Kodaikanal in the recent past has been as hot as Madurai. I was standing under the shade of the a lone wattle tree watching the giant road-roller giving its final touch on the newly laid road surface on the Kodai – Ghat road KM 48/6. A green ambassador, must be a 1960 model, slowed down the near the parapet across the road and a lean foreigner unmounted the driver’s seat and I was surprise to see him walking towards me. He must be at least 40 years of age, but the thing that caught my eyes most was the three stripes of vibhuti (lines of ashes) and vermilion mark on his forehead. With his blond hair shining in the simmering sun, his mustache and beard flowing through his face, his eyes settled in a state of serenity, he looked much like a sage. He introduced him self as Mark Antrobus, an active member of CPCK (Consumer Protection Council of Kodaikanal) and the PHCC (Palani Hills Conservation Council). He appreciated me for having delivered a quality work in laying this road and a couple of other stretches on the Lake Round Road I had executed recently. I was elated, as no one, even the local people have never cared to really motivate me for providing quality roads in spite of the corrupt system.

At the KMU

The next time I met him was at the Kodai Missionary Union (KMU) Library that I visited on Saturdays to browse through the huge collection of books and to pick a book that would be my companion during my travel in the following week. The library was meant for people with missionary connections and I am grateful to Mr. Watson, a former librarian of the Kodai International School who introduced me to the library. Coming back to Mark, we made our coffee and Mark was asking me suggestions on the initiatives to be taken through the CPCK and PHCC to ensure quality roads in Kodaikanal. I was least interested, as these are the few hours I snatch to get rid of the road rollers, heat masters, mini-mix plants and the other road stuffs. However, I gave him a few suggestions, just to be courteous and ended the conversation. He invited me to his house as wanted to introduce me to his mom.

At his Cottage

His house was situated on a hill 2 furlongs from the load road leading to Prakasapuram and the grass path leading from the road to his house had a fencing of Hydrangea (known among locals as Idly poo, for it is shaped like the south indian dish Idly) on the valley side and a retaining wall adorned with the trailing creepers and climbers on the hill-side. It was a beautiful cottage and the calling bell was answered by Mark himself. He offered a warm welcome in the Tamil way (Vanakkam) and ushered me into the living room where he introduced me to his mom Mrs.Grace, who is turning 92 the following week. He excused himself to complete his morning prayers leaving me with his mom. I could hear him reciting Maniye Maniyin oliye, Olirum ani punaindha …… verses from Abirami Anthadhi. His Tamil pronunciation was as perfect as MNSK, our Tamil pundit in Sainik. Mrs. Grace playing with the cat on her lap, was very happy to have found a companion to talk and started sharing her experiences as a war correspondent with Reuters during the WW II. While she was me telling that she had named her cat as Pompon, a submarine she had seen in the WW II, Mark arrived with a towel around his bare body. He took me around the house and finally we landed in the Kitchen. He asked, if I would like to have a tea and I nodded yes with a big smile thinking that he would be procuring fresh tea leaves from Darjeeling or Munnar through his missionary contacts.

Herbal Tea

He lighted the stove and placed a vessel with 2 glasses of water in it. He opened the windows and plucked a couple of Hibiscus and Chrysanthemum flowers, a bunches of Mint, Coriander and Tulsi leaves from the pots on the Window sill. Then took a tray of containers and added dried Lime-grass, Fennel, Vettiver and Rosemary. Then he added 2 teaspoons of Palm-sugar, Honey and finally squeezed a few drops of lime juice on the decoction. Though I sipped it with apprehension, the aroma of the drink rushed through my senses and I felt a refreshed breath. In a week’s time, I stopped drinking Coffee and Tea and switched to Mark’s herbal drink after collecting all the ingredients from various sources. In a few months my frequent nose block was gone completely and I also my weight reduced significantly.

The Farm House

My visits continued and on a Thursday, he called and invited me to his house on the following Sunday, to accompany him on a picnic to the farm house he is constructing, where would be spending the later part of his life. On the scheduled Sunday, along with Mark and Mrs. Grace, I started the trip. Near the Bonded Labor shed on the Kodai Palani Ghat road, he took a left turn and headed on the Ganaesapuram Road. After 8 KMs, he parked the car near a group of locals with a palanquin made of a bamboo chair tied on a reaper on its two sides. The men carried his Mom on the palanquin while Mark and I followed them through the foot-path. It would have been at least 6 KMs when we reached a grove of lemon trees (Got reminded of the beautiful Lemon Tree song by Fool’s Garden).

The scent of the ripe lemon mixed with the strong smell of mud was rejuvenating. Through the grove, I saw a two storey house built in random rubble masonry. As we reached the cottage, the group led Mrs.Grace into the house, while we sat on the verandah that ran along the walls with its heavy stone pillars. Except for the occasional cooing of the birds and humming of the rolling stream, there was only silence. I felt more relaxed than ever after the 6 KM walk through the jungle and I wanted to remain there forever.

I noticed that there was something unique with the mortar binding the walls. Mark told me that he started building this house a year ago and would take another year to complete. The house was built with granite rubble stones collected from the vicinity and the mortar used for binding the stones is a mixture of red gravel, lime stones, sand and jaggery. He has not used cement or any of a artificial material in building this house. The windows and doors were made by reusing the old windows and doors as he is strongly against felling of trees in the name of development. The floor was laid with terracotta tiles and the roof was a simple truss like structure covered by Mangalore Tiles. The wide bath room was tiled beautifully with small pieces of broken tiles of varying colors that he collected from the debris of the bath rooms of his shenbaganur house and he personally laid it creating a piece of art. There was a solar heater and an array of solar panels to supply electricity to the house and the water got collected in a tank on the roof by through gravity from the water fall at the back yard. I busied myself engrossed in every minute details of the house and Mark went to the kitchen to prepare our lunch.

The lunch was a salad of Knol-Khol, Turnip and leeks, red rice porridge, boiled legumes and a salad of peach dipped in honey as dessert. After the lunch, I stretched on a slanting rock below the water fall with my legs hanging through the streaming water. It was almost 4’0 clock when Mark announced that we should leave else, it would be too dark to locate the foot path.

The disconnect

The last time I visited Mark was to wish Mrs.Grace on her 94^th birthday and after I left Kodai, I rarely thought about them. Few years before, when I was going through Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, a book presented by Mark, I got reminded of Mark and I called him. Mark was happy to hear from me and his mom appreciated me on my thoughtfulness. I invited him to our home if he happens to visit Chennai and he told me there was no reason for him to leave Kodai. Moreover, he told that his farm house is in the verge of completion he is making arrangements for settling there very soon and wished I should come there for a stay. I thanked him and when I hung the phone, I felt a sense of heaviness growing on my heart for having left such a beautiful people and place. But I know, life should go on as is. Last year, I called to wish Mrs.Grace on her birthday, only to hear the voice on the other side saying “The number you have dialed no longer exists”. I realized that he would have settled in his farm house far from any form of communication. Probably, I will visit his farm house during my next visit to Kodaikanal and till then, my mind has enough stupidities to be occupied with.

Trip to Amaravathi

If it was not for Muruganand’s marriage, I wouldn’t have dreamt of this break. It was a long and a wonderful weekend that started after I switched off my cell phone when the train started rolling from Egmore at 10:00 PM on 27-May. After a brief discussion with Shakthi on the prospects of IT in Coimbatore, we fell asleep. The train took a longer route via Trichy ->Karur --> Erode -->Thirupur --> Coimbatore, 4 hours more than Nilgiris or Cheran Express and I preferred this, as it is way to be cut-off from the contacts for more time. I snatched the additional pillow from the lower berth and thanks to the passenger who didn’t turn-up and also to the TTR who couldn’t find a replacement till Thirupur, where we got down at 8:30 AM on 28-May. Sivaraj was there to receive us and we started to Udumalpet after a long argument with Kandan Karunai who wanted us to come to Pollachi and Karthi who insisted that we should come to Coimbatore. The priority is always Udumalpet because of its proximity to Amaravathi, were we spent all our formative years in a little-bit of education and a lot of pranks (Extra-Curricular and Co-Curricular Activities!).

By the time we reached Udumalpet, Kandan, Karthi and Maya arrived. We went to the Lion’s Club Marriage hall for lunch, and then met Muruganand of Tamilnadu, the groom and Roumya of Jarkhand, the bride. It is a Love & Arranged marriage and as per the stats, 80% of Amravians fall into this category because of varied reasons that I would post later. After lunch, we started to Amaravathi with the aroma of nostalgia over-powering our senses. Though all of us have lost interest in alcohol, we bought a couple of beers and whiskeys, sensing that there would be a need while sitting in the steps of the Canal or the Dam. The highlight of the journey was how Kandan narrated the way he promised his mom that he would become a pilot and would pick her-up from their house in Pollachi and drop her back after a round over Pollachi.

On reaching Amaravathi, RS, who was one of our English Teachers, stopped his bike after recognizing us while we were taking a snap of the board in front of the Academic Block.

Then, we went to the Obstacle Court and only Karthi was able to perform most of monkey plays, as he is still a monkey while most of us have turned into elephants.

As it is vacation period, most of the staff members were not there and the campus seemed deserted except for the painters, masons and carpenters who were busy with the maintenance activities that are usually done during the vacation period. The other important thing we noticed was that the name “Boy’s Mess” (as if there are girls in the campus) has been changed to “Sainik School, Cadet’s Mess” (as if, it exists outside the campus).

After seeing all the houses, we went to the canal that runs through the path lined with Eucalyptus trees on either sides, leading to Kallapuram, which used to be our running route for the morning PT. As sensed, we finished the beers and whiskey on the steps of the Canal while Karthi and Shakthi busied themselves in catching a lone fish.

The bottles got empty and it was the right time go to the Dam, so that we will be able enjoy its beauty in a state of ecstasy. As like other dams in Tamilnadu, Amaravathi Dam was constructed during Kamaraj’s reign and it stretches between the two hills that stand like the firm and heavy boobs of river Amaravathi. There is Crocodile form and the Indra Gandhi Wild Life Sanctuary spreads around this river.

We met PC, our physical chemistry teacher, who intentionally talked about the political scenario of Tamilnadu rather than the political scenario of the school in which we would be more interested.

The day ended with more Amravians, Beers and Whiskeys!

The direction within

In the recent months significant amount of negative force has been building around me and I had to push myself too much to even keep my routine. Repeated resolutions taken on many occasions and festivals had only left depression and insomnia as company. Being occupied with writing and reviewing the Requirements and Design for some applications that would never make sense to my life, I have failed to review myself. I realized that, a self appraisal – not on my profession, but on every cell of my being is required at this juncture. To be engrossed in introspection without getting lost in dreams and hallucination requires direction from within, which I have always found while meditating or traveling or to be precise on pilgrimages which is a combination of both. Hence, I resolved to celebrate the Tamil New Year at Thiru Annamalai. In this sacred place, I have always the felt the vibration that helped me find the direction. Moreover, it has been nearly 2 years since I walked a kilometer at a stretch and the Girivalam (walk on the 14 KMs circumambulation path) definitely motivate me to resume my daily jogging and walking.

Thiru Annamalai, an abode of Shiva in the form of Arunachaleswarar, supposed to bless the devotees with salvation by mere remembrance of the place (Ninaithale Mukthi Tharum Thiruthalam). Thiru Annamalai has the honour of sheltering saints such as Thirugnana Sambandar, Thirunavukkarasar, Sundarar, Manickavasagar, Arunagirinathar and Ramana Maharishi.

According to the puranic legend, the Annamalai Hill was Agni (fire) during Krithayugam, was Manikkam (Emerald) during Threthayugam, was Pon (Gold) during Dwaprayugam and rock during Kaliyugam. On the request of Thirumal and Bramha by their devout prayer, Shiva who was in the form of a fire column took the form of a Shivalingam (Phallus) at the foot of the where the Arunachaleshwarar Temple is located.

The Sanctum of Annamalaiyar in the temple is believed to be more than 2000 years old, while, there are recorded evidence of development works dating from 870 AD, carried out by Chola, Pandya and Vijay Nagara kings. The Raja Gopuram (Main Tower) is 217 feet in height with 11 storeys and is the second tallest temple tower in South India.


I started my journey along with Shiva my cousin, at 12:30 PM on Thursday and reached Thiru Annamalai at 4:00 AM. After a wash and change, we commenced our walk at 5:30 AM and somehow, I was successful in initiating and pulling him into a topic on some metaphysical debates like, Whether Buddha is God or Not? Is there any fact in Metaphysical Concepts? Or something related to Spirituality, to mute him from humming the romantic Tamil film songs and to blind my eyes to the clinging sound of the anklets. On successfully completing the 14 KMs at 8:00 AM, we had our breakfast and slept till 4:00 PM only to be woken by a relative, Veeramani, who is supposed to take us into the sanctum.

After a bath, we went to the temple accompanied by Veeramani, who took us directly into the sanctum of Kalyanasundareshwarar as well as the Unnamulaiyaar temples and were allowed to sit while the Pooja was being performed. The “Om Namashivaya” chanting filled the air and soon I unconsciously joined the chanting and soon was lost into it and was filled by the light of divine grace. We spent almost 3 - 4 Hours in the temple and then headed to the Ramana Ashram, where we spent an Hour in meditation as it was the day on which Ramana Maharishi attained Samadhi. Started at 11:00 PM from Thiru Annamalai and reached Chennai at 2:30 AM.


Now, I feel that my nerves seem to be rejuvenated and the spondylitis that was diagnosed last week seem to be cured by the Acupuncture therapy and the Muscle relaxation treatment rendered by the 14 KM bare-foot walk. The prayer (an expression of gratitude) and meditation (state of being no-mind) has helped me regain my hopes of resuming the daily walk and meditation and freed my mind off the clutter. OM Namashivaya!