Travelogue - Kudajadri: Day 1 n 2

Nov 26, Saturday. Year 2005

Woke up to the snoring sound of KK.
True in every sense..
"Thaakkol kodukkaatharunodhayathil
Thaane muzhangum baliyooralarm" !

Kk had back-ache when he got into the bus
But Aila! Its gone now!
Some good omens (do these words go together)?
(Donno.. Whateva..)

It was 6.30 in the morning.
And ideally, we should have been seated in another
bus, heading for the next point, moving closer to
the destination, in this relay...

The only info that we have is that we are heading
towards 'kundapura' - a strange name for a place..
And a fellow passenger had told us that this is the
last stop for the bus. So no worries.
Hey wait.. But where is that 'passenger' ?
He is not there.. He is not in his seat..

Hmm.. So are we doing right by sitting in our
respective seats, and looking at each other at
intermittent breaks of 12 seconds ? NO

Since KK was at the window seat, that responsibility
comes on to my head. To stand up to the driver's cabin
and to ask in whatever language you know (on second
thoughts, make that 'in whatever language they know')

With the earphones of the hi-fi mp3 players still plugged
into the ears, I walk towards the cabin, attracting
unwanted attention from fellow passengers - galz included.

Rat (to the boy assistant) : Kundapura last stop ?
Boy : Hawthu
Rat : Enthiru ? Hawthu vo ? oh. ok ok.. ok ennu alle.. got it
Rat : Kundapura yeshtu gandey (followed by some wild gestures
which to a 3rd person would remind the crash landing of
an F-16)
Boy : (giggles) talks to the driver.. Then says
: Ombathu gantey
Rat : Jab blub.. muf..
Boy : Nine , sir
Rat : Oh.. ok ok.. enikkappozhey mansailaayi.. potte..

With a victorious smile on face, I walk back.
Doing a bit of balancing act, gets baack to the seat.

KK : Enthaayi ? Eppo ethum ?
Rat : 9 mani (with a lot of air)
KK : Hmm.. Enikkappozhey thonni... 6 manikkonnum ethaan ponilla
ennu
Rat : (manasil) oh pinney.. nee angulathi
Rat : OK. So entha plan ? innu thanne return .. alley ?
KK : Lets see. We'll make decisions on-the-fly

I liked that.
Not everything in life should be planned..
At times, you should go out totally unplanned..
Doing things as and when the situation demands..
There is some adventure, thrill in it.

It was near Udupi, that we opened our eyes from sleep..
Saw NIT, Suratkal on the way.
There was a hault at Kasthurba Medical College, rather
known with the name "Manipal Hospital".

The engine was off.
KK had nature's call. Number 1.
So we get out.
KK asked me to enquire when the bus will leave.
I grabbed the attention of the driver thru some gimmicks
and asked him when we leave. He said in about a minute.
He asked whats the matter. I gestured with my small finger.
He pointed to the rear of the bus.

Kk and I went towards the rear tyre of the bus..
Naay.. this wouldnt be the right spot..
Aah. there is a small pavement at a stone's throw.
We threw a stone and picked the spot. KK watered the plants
and came back relieved.

We returned to find a moving bus - and only ONE moving bus.
That was ours !
Somehow got in and got back to the seat.

The next few hours were spent taking snapshots of the scenery
outside. Took a photo of KK too. Onnum pathinjilla. Camera
off cheythu maati vechu.

Decided to sit peacefully for a while.
Thats when KK sprang up with a desperado look on his face.
KK : Eda.. ennaalum.. Enthellaam pratheekshakal aayirunnu..
Rat : Ngae ?
KK : Avar nammale pattichu
Rat : Aaru ? Aare pattichu ? nee onnu thelichu parayedaa.
KK : Oru kannada padam kaanaam ennu bijaarichaa ee bus thanne
book cheythey.. Padam ittilla :(
Hahahaa... At times, he blabbers some good jokes too..

The driver was spot-on wrt the time..
Reached Kundapura at sharp 9.

Next is a 36km drive to Kollur.
Kollur is the place which houses the Mookambika Devi Kshethram.
36Km converts to an hour's journey (which proved out wrong)

Kiron had told that you get buses to kolur every 2-3 minutes.
Waited for 15 minutes to get a bus.
In the mean time, we did not stand there idle..
Rushed to every single bus that stopped there, and asked this
single word question "Kollur?"
There was something which amuzed both of us equally
All of them said something like "bus barthey.." which
according to our understanding meant "Bus will come".
That was strange as well as helpful..
Normally, you would expect a straight face "No" to that
question..

Well we got our bus at 9.15
Got seated with a Manorama news paper
And slept with the newspaper wide open.

11 o'clock at Kollur.
There is a nice little bus stand there. Seemed to be a new one.
A kid followed us offering a room for 100 rupees.
We collected info about booking counter and jeep service, but
showed no inclination to boarding that room.
Now the room rent dropped by 25 rupees (may be due to the quake
in Iran..) Still we did not oblige.

There was a lodge - Kairali Residency.
The name Kairali seems like a name of trust. Be it Kairali
restaurant or this lodge.
Got a room for a day. The owner said, you hav to be out by 6 in
the morning, coz the room is already reserved by a different party.
We told our plan - that we are leaving the same day.

But there was a problem.
To reach the hill-top (Kudajadri), you need to go by jeep.
(Why only jeep, we got to know soon)
And jeeps leave, only if it is full - 7 passengers.
So if you are lucky to get 5 other fellows, you can cover the
up and down journey at an amount of 150 per head.
Now if you are 'lucky' enuff to be the sole travellers, then
you need to shed 1100 bucks for the trip !

Well, lets c..
We got into the room and finished off the routine (boring) acts.
After the bath, we discovered that we dont hav a comb..
I got out (with KK's purse) and peeped into the first shop.
2 customers already waiting. and a lady doing some DTP inside.
She showed no sign of attending to us.
So I got in, grabbed it by hand (the comb, mind you!) and
stepped out. But the lady demanded something..
"Oh. Sorry", and I paid for the comb.

Dressed funky (apt gear for a temple visit), we stepped out.
KK with a camera hanging from his neck.
Me in a zebra T shirt.

At the jeep stand, we found a jeep-ful, waiting for 2 more..
That was a boon to us (and to them too)
We kept them waitin for 15 mins, and booked the tickets for
Bangalore at 7.30PM, the same day.

Into the jeep.
Fun starts.
A short intro about the situation.
Jeep was all dusty.
The seat, the steering, the glass, everything..
Part of the dust was hidden by the already seated ppl..
An aged couple (in the 40-50's) in the front seat, along
with the driver (who is as thick as Sowji)
An old man (in the farther 50's) in teh back seat.
I'm seated in the same seat.
The opposite seat was crowded - KK was seated there.
And there was a young couple (seeemed newly married)
So much inside the jeep
And there was an acrobat, hanging out on the back door..

NObody talking.
Except for the couple in the front seat.
They were heard saying something in low voice.
After a few 100m in jeep, the driver stopped and got
down at a milk parlor. He ordered for 7 'moru' packets

I thought I'll break some ice (ithinu vendi kurachu ice
njaan veetteennu kondu vannirunnu)
I said "This is a tradition. The driver buys moru packets
and gives it to the passengers. Its part of the package"
All attention on me..
Old Man "Oh REally.. Thats a good custom. May be to get
rid of the vomiting sensation too"
KK laughs out..
KK : Ivan ingane pala mandatharangalum parayum. Ningal
athonnum kaaryamaakkanda.
Rat : glub.. bjub... Athu pinne.. Njaan first time-aa..

Old couple : Njangalum
Old man : Njaanum athey..
New couple : (dint say anything..) They seemed to be a
reserved lot..

Seeing this fun happening, the old man came up with a joke.
"Ithu chilappo vere valla tradition um aayirikkum...
Thenga udakkunnathu pole, mor packet udachittayirikkum
avide pooja"

All smiles..
And relieved that there is something that glues all..
All are mallus !
(This shouldnt have been a Gyan. KK revealed why, later)

The rest of the trip was all fun filled..
After a few kms on the road, the hang-man got out at a
point.
Rat : Kurachu kayinju driver um irangum. Pinne njaan ettu
KK : nga.. nee elkum.. (he opted not to say more.. he
remained decent)

And indeed, the driver got down after some distance.
Rat : Ennaal njaan angottu
KK : Adangi irunnonam avide
Rat : ok :-S

The driver had clear plans when he got down there.
That is the point where the tar-road ends.
The remaining 23 km of the 40 km stretch is on muddy
road - wait.. u cant actually call it road..

The driver lifted the front windscreeen glass.
Rat : Chetto.. ithennaathina ?
Drvr: Glass pokkiyaal kaatundaavum. Ithu cheythillel podi
adichu ningal angethumbozehkkum color maarum
Rat : Haavoo! Ente varshangalaayulla praarthanayaayirunnu..
Anganeyenkilum ee KK de color onnu maarumallo..
Ellam deviyude krupa

Roaring laughter..
The gal also laughed out her heart..
The guy just giggled..
But the rest of the gang were out of control..
Luckily for KK, he was still in control, and my life was
spared.. I will be thankful to him :-)

The way ahead was rock, mud, stones, debris, but NO ROAD !
The question to the driver "Do u pay road tax" was relevant
To drive on that path, you need to be a mountain driver.
The kinda driving u see in Tata Safari ad's..

I got technical
Rat : KK , ithu 4x4 aano ?
KK : alla. 3x3 . mindaathiriyedaa..
Rat : :-S

The seating positions were automatically re-arranged by
the dancing drie. KK was seated opposite that gal. But
by god's craze, err. i mean Grace, nothing happened :-)

Reached the top by 1.30PM
There were a few prathishta's there. visited each of them.
The driver said that we should re-assemble at 3PM at that
spot. Lunch will be ready.

From there, it is a beautiful trek upwards.
The young cpl and the old man took a different route
upwards. KK and me trekked with the old couple..

The man wasnt as old as he seemed.. at least in his thoughts.
He is a business man in Trichur.
He was trekkin in front, far from his wife..
He remarked "Kandille.. Njaanaa cheruppam. Ente stamina
kandille.."
The wife just smiled..
He said "Kandille mukham chuvannu vannirikkunnu.. Ini
ente kaaryam pokkaa.. hahaha"
All smiled...

We took some photos on the way up
With KK in all breath-taking poses
(Breath-holding too, to disguise his tummy)
:D

Mid-way, there was a Ganapathy Guha, where Devi appeared in
front of Sree Sankara. Visited that place.
On top, was the place where Sree Sankara meditated..
That was the peak. Couldnt go any futher..
And it was already 2.45PM

Walked back (for some part, and skidded back for a major part)
The path was very narrow, and a skid in the wrong direction
will end you up in deep land (some 6 km below!)

Back at the starting point.
The young cpl and the old man were already there..
They had taken a different, difficult, steep path upwards.
And got tired soon and walked back..
And were waiting post-lunch.

We got in to a hotel - Mookambika Hotel.
3 benches, 3 desks.
Food on banana leaf.
Plain clean water..
it tasted great (may be 'coz it was the first food since the
previous nite)

After the lunch, the old couple did some pooja at the temple.
Rest of us waited near the jeep. They seated in, kk and me
outside.
thats when a debate started.
Cpl : The place on top is where Sankara appeared before Devi
KK : Its not that way, Devi appeared in front of Sankara
And the argument goes on and on.. And if KK is on one side,
you know, it is not a discussion, it is indeed an argument!

Finally I chipped in
Rat : Nammal thammil tharkkichittu kaaryamundo ?
Avare randu perem kaanuvaanenkil njaan nerittu choyikkam
Ennittu ningale ariyikkaam .. porey ?

:D

They "agreed"

By that time the old cpl was back from pooja.
And we started the downward trek on jeep.

Some time down the path,
Gal : Driver urakkamaa..
Rat : Ayoo chetta.. urangalle.. namukku thamaasha paranjondirikkam
Drvr: Ngae.. ennodaano ?
Rat : nga
Drvr: Njaan kannadachum venamenkil ee route il vandi odikkum
Rat : Innoru change inu kannu thurannodichoode ? Njangalkum athaa
thaalparyam..
Drvr: smiles.. ok..

By the time we reached tar road, it was all dust inside..
Shirt, camera.. pant.. seat.. eyes ! All dust..

When the smooth road came, every one started dozing off..
Not much of talking after that..

Reached the base by 5.
Paid the driver,, and we parted ways..
Back to lodge, a quick bath, and off to the Mookambika Temple
A good temple..
Rock structure..
A huge nila-vilakku..
Pants allowed, no shirts.
I was in a Tshirt, but still, dint go for an argument :-)

There was a young lady doing 'Anna-nada' around the temple.
Anna-nada is a ritual, a nercha to get a good husband, I said.
Kk said "Then let me stop her.. Njan ullappo.. "
Rat : Venda.. Venda.. Anya naattil thallu kollunnathu enikk
ishtamalla.. Naatil aavaam :D
KK : I dont think Anna-nada is to get a good hubby. See that.
There is an old lady doing the same !
Rat : Hmm.. pinnenthinaa.. AAaa..... Whatever..

Back to room.
Quick packing.
Settled the bill.
200m to the Bus stand.
A good bus.. KSRTC Rajahamsa.
Bus started at 7.45
Stopped for Dinner at Kundapura at 9PM
But we already had a masala dosa , after the Temple visit.

Bus started from there at 9.15PM
ZZzz...

Got up at a place called Yashwanthapura.
That is close to my house !
I walked up to the conductor and asked if the bus goes via
Malleshwaram. No. But you can get down close to that.
So I got down at Navrang.
Bid adieu to KK.
20 rupee auto drive to home.
Hope at 8 !

______________

Tailpieces
1. Mookambika temple is visited by a huge majority of mallus
It is said that, the Devi blesses only Mallus..
How mean !!
2. I had packed a whole lot of stuff - shawl, jacket, cap,
extra dress.. which was not required at all! The place
wasnt as cool as I thought.
3. Photos are with KK
4. Hotel Kairali Residency Contact Phone Number : 08254258210

Travelogue - Kudajadri: Day0

Now that the Ooty trip is scrapped, we
needed some other destination to uncover.
Thats when we became too religous.
What about a pilgrimage to Kudajadri.
Why not?!
There is some scope for trekking as well
(given it doesnt rain)
Just KK and me.
Kk booked tickets for the friday evening trip.
Did all the packing at home on Thursday evening.
Left for office on Friday with the big back-pack.
The bag contained useful stuff like shawl,
monkey cap, jacket, essential wear, and a few sets
of funky costumes.
KK picked me up from the office.
Headed for the bus boarding point - Madiwala.
India's performance with SA in crkt, not bearable,
we braved the rains in the open air, preferring it
to the shelter (with TV on).

There comes Jins to entertain us.
A few excerpts..
Jins: Ethra manikkaa bus ?
KK: 8.30
Jins: Thirichu ningal ennu varum ?
Rat: Saturday evening starting, Sunday morning reaching.
Jins: Return ticket book cheytho ?
KK: Illa
Jins (in a marvellous display of his IQ): Athenthaa.. ?
Ticket illaanjondaano book cheythey ?

Rat, KK: :-S

Another one from Jins.
KK: Ennaalum Jins, nee cheythathu sheriyaayilla.
Jins: Njaan enthu cheythennaa ?
KK: Nee varilla ennu paranjonda Ooty cancel cheythey
Jins: Edaa.. ippo povaathathethaayaalum nannayi
Rat: Athenthaa ?
Jins: Ooty-Srilanka border closed aa..

Rat, KK : :-@

Jins left us in a short while, not wanting to be the
center of attraction there..
Bus came soon.
We got into it.
After a quick round of peaceful talk, KK slept..
Now that I have a real peaceful atmosphere, I too dozed off..

50th Post

Congrats to me..
I have made a half century..

The gal behind me - my team mate - stared at me curiously, when I lifted my keyboard to wave towards my colleagues..

Today's post is an email information interchange - an email , and its reply
Well, if you ask where 'information' lies in this mail, I have no answer :-)
Read on.. (bottom up)

From: Rat
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2005 5:27 PM
To: The same friends



Not much of punch in that one..

Try this.

Hi there,
There is a little kid in Banaswadi who is just 48 yrs old, and doesnt have a father.
He has lung cancer disease of heart, and is dying every second.
Doctors have advised for a brain transplantation to sustain his life.
Please do not pass on this letter to any one.
Please come over to the afore-mentioned address and donate your brain.
You will save a young angel.

No 144,
Bull Shit Road,
Banaswadi
Bankloor
Ph: 001-602-697-633

Thanks
Friends and Enemies
Of the dying kid.


-----Original Message-----
From: Alex Joseph
Sent: Thu 11/24/2005 5:15 PM
To: Friends
Subject: forward :P

Hello, and thank you for reading this letter. You see, there is a starving
little boy in Baklaliviatatlaglooshen who has no arms, no legs, no parents,

and no goats. This little boy's life could be saved, because for every time
you pass this on, a dollar will be donated to the Little Starving Legless

Armless Goatless Boy from Baklaliviatatlaglooshen Fund. Remember, we have no
way of counting letters sent and this is all bull.

So go on, reach out. Send this to 5 people in the next 47seconds.



Oh, and a reminder - if you accidentally send this to 4 or 6 people, you will
definitely die some day. Thanks again!!

Ragging Case

SME College
Kottayam

One of the few colleges in Kerala with a Nursing course.
The College is in news these days.
It is shut down.
There has been no activity in the college since last week.
All this ill-fate, dud to a major 'activity' that took place
in the college.

Friday
October 21 2005
Exam day for the seniors.
Post exam, there ought to be some fun events by them.
And the juniors will be the victims.
This tradition is called ragging, and has been an age-old
one. Its fun. It used to be fun.
But not on this day.

A group of seniors spotted their prey for the day.
The team headed by Renjith and Sherin.
The victim - a girl (name not disclosed)
After the routine breaking the ice program, the girl
was told to demonstrate frog-jumping.
The girl had no other option but do perform it - in
front of her class mates and college mates, who where
gazing from a safe distance.
Tears dropped from her eyes, while she was doing this.

The seniors (visibly drunk) remarked this is not the
right way to do it. They took her to the lab.
She resisted, but was threatened to oblige.

Inside the lab, the guys appeared friendly. There
were 5 of them. They said, lets be friends.
Sherin said. "Its Renjith's birthday today. Lets
celebrate it together". They took out a box of
Laddu. Picked one and gave it to the girl. The girl
though now relieved was reluctant to take it at first.
But when the 'new-found-friends' compelled, she took
it. They talked about the college, whether she liked
the atmosphere, any issues....

The girl dozed off soon.
It was the chemical mixed in the sweet.
It was all sweetly planned.
Renjith and Sherin molested and raped the girl even
while she was lying unconscious. A third fellow also
joined..
The two others did not join, but they were urging the
rest "Dont do it. It will create problems. leave her"
But they did not do any physical act to stop the guys.

After the brutal act, when the girl regained her
consciousness, the guys themselves dressed her up,
gave her back-pack and sent her out.
_______________

The girl's home.
The girl used to stay at hostel.
Was reasonably good in her studies.
The girl's father noted that she is not able
to concentrate on anything in the college. She had come
over to her house over the weekend. She was silent. And
was confined to her room, with doors closed. Very uncommon
of her. Even after repeated questioning by the parents, she
did not say a thing. The worried father contacted her friends
They also nodded and said, they dont know anything.

One day a female voice called up and said that, she is a friend of
the girl. One of their friend's father was killed after being hit
by a car inside the campus, in front of their eyes. That could be
the reason why the girl is behaving odd..

The father was not impressed.
He lodged a written complaint to the the principal of the college.
Mentioning that his daughter does not seem to have favorable
learning conditions in the college, and to do the needful in this
regard.
________

The girl was taken to hospital for consultation.
The doctor said she had no problems.
But still she was admitted for a thorough check up.
She was admitted in the psychiatry dept.
She was given sedation tablets and was put to sleep for
more than 3 days. It is not clear why this was done.

The true story was uncovered, when the girl revealed the
incident to the duty doctor Dayana. The doctor informed
the girl's parents. The parents were literally shocked.
But they stood by her daughter. Its not her fault.

The brave father went up to the principal and asked for
an explanation. The principal was not helpful. She paid
no attention to the complaints of the desparate father.

The father went to the police and lodged a complaint.
That is when the story unfolds and gets wide media
publicity. The officers were quick to act.

The houses of the accused were raided.
But the culprits were not found.

The main accused - Renjith was absconding.
But finally, he was caught by the police, and is in remand
now.
_________

In a sudden (would-be) turn around of situations, a press
conference was held by a group of students from the same
college. The summary of what they said is
" There has been no such raggin incident in the college.
These are just plain allegations. The accused were in the
exam hall till 4 and were with us after that.
The rape is said to have happened at 4.30PM. At that time
the guys were with us and we have proof for that.
The whole incident is a made up story. We suspect that the
girl has some serious mental problems. We request the
media and the public to step in and bring back the peaceful
learning atmosphere in the college"

This was published in the newspapers along with the picture
of the girls who called for the press conference. The victim
girl identified these senior girls and said that these are
close friends of the accused. These girls play a major part
in ragging by telling the guys, the inside stories in the
ladies hostel. A complaint has been registered against these
senior girls as well.

_______

When the main accused was caught by the police, the girl
was summoned for an identification parade.
The girl exploded at the sight of the guy. She cried out
"How dare you come and stand in front of me", and broke
down into tears. It was a desperate sight..
______

The college is closed now.
Enquiry is on.
The recognition of the nursing course in the college has
been taken off. The recognition of the current batch is valid.

______

The VC of MG University called on the girl.
After the meeting, he announced that anti-ratting law will be
implemented in all the colleges under MG. Squads will be also
put in place. There shall be no such unfortunate incidents in
the past. The girl will be given all help - financial included -
to complete the course. If required, she will be given a seat
in a different college, considering the situation in the collge.

______

The principal of the college is arrested.
Even after having informed of the ragging case, she did not
take necessary action. Initially she had said that she is not
aware of any such complaint or incident taking place.

But a show-cause notice was found from Renjith's room, signed
by the principal. And the principal's claim proves wrong.

The main accused is said to be a distant relative of the principal
and the principal was working in the interest of the accused, to
wind up the issue, amicably.
______

This is an eye-opener incident.
Accolades to the girl and the family for having brought this to
the public's attention. By doing so, the narrow-minded common
man will isolate the girl and the family. But hope there will be
a few good men...

------

The Day

The day started as usual with the Nokia alarm going off.
And as is the routing, snoozed it for 5 mins.

How long does it take to take 5 mins ? :-S
I think in the mornings, the clocks run fast.
Could be attribuited to the crystal vibrating faster in the
early hours. Could be all charged up and raring to go..

Anyways, when the alarm went off for a secong time, repeated
the actions above.
But the third one ringing means , you are in for trouble.
So got up just before the third one rang.

Next up is 5 mins of padmasana on the bed.
With eyes closed (in deep meditation)
Yoga and meditation has a deep impact in keeping oneself fit.
But what has this got to do here ?
I was just extending my lay-down pose to a more uncomfortable
sit-down pose.

Thats when the To Be or Not To Be question runs all over your head

This is how today's thoughts were..
"
Oh.. What a terrible head ache..
Is it really worth getting up now ?
Shouldnt I sleep a lil more.. and get rid of this headache?
Headaches happen when you are devoid of sleep : Gyaan!
Moreover, I have 5 annual leaves this year which will go lapse
if not availed before Dec31.
And to add to that, what is the big million-dollar project that
is going to be called off, if I dont turn up in office for one
day?
"
By the time all these calculations were done in the mind, the
brain got charged up and pushed me on to my slippers.
So the bottom line is that "I won over my mind, yet another day,
in this routine struggle. I got up !"

6.55 to 7 brushing
7 to 7.05 core dump
7.05 to 7.20 bf
7.20 to 7.25 dress up and get out
7.25 to 7.30 go back and take the ID card
7.30 Get out (officially, and finally) and run for your life, lest
you miss the van.

The van comes at 7.40
So I get some time to act smart in front of Miss M at the stop.
That is when Mr V doesnt turn up.. That massive figure comes
in between me and M and blocks the view..
And today, M came :(
So I stood there, gazing at the horizon to see the white and
red Swaraj Mazda to appear..
Van came at 7.41

The usual 40 mins drive took longer today
Thanks to the accident at a place called Audugodi.
I saw a car, which looked like a Maruti Esteem.
Maruti has this dubious distinction of gettin tranformed
in an animated fashion such that post the accident, the
owner will wonder, what is this, is this a road roller ?

Hope all is safe in hospital...


Landed in office at 8.30
Lets not get into the office stories. its rather uninteresting
and technical.

Post lunch.
And in a dozing mood.
Thats when Miss N came on internal chat.
"interested in a group dance for the company family day?"

I never let go of an opportunity to get on stage, if its for a
mouth-shut affair. Thats why my fav art sciences on stage are
Mime and dance. So I confirmed and assured Miss N with a Yes.

She is doing a course to get promoted to a managerial level.
Or So I thought, when she veseted the task of selecting the
songs and doing sound engineering for the program. OK.
let the task be done by some one with a 'sense of music' and
a 'sense of technology' :D

That is when another news came.
India SA cricket match abandoned due to rain.

If that wasnt shocking, here is another one..
Ooty trip cancelled due to want of head count.
That is sad indeed. Coz we were all charged up for an outing
which I badly needed.. Earlier, we used to go for a trip on
every other weekend to one place or the other, be it to a
shopping mall in the neighbourhood, or a plane trip to Goa.

And the last trip I remember going with my friends was at
least a year back..
Hmm.. well.. lets see if a shorter trip can be done on bike
or in public transport..

Thats the story so far and its 16.45 IST
The last 1 hr is very crucial.
(That is when u finish your work..)
And to finish your work, you need to start it..
So let me do some activities in that regard..

Over and Out (of the seat for a round of roaming around)

Travelogue - Bootiful Ooty : Day2

"Thaakkol kodukkatharunodayathil
Thaane muzhangum valiyoralarm!"

Yes, the 'dhoha' above is about KK. Who else !
KK and Jose have got into some 'peaceful' discussion
early in the morning. I grabbed my mobile.
Its just 7.30 in the morning. Why cant these morons
sleep? I cursed myself for having not slept in my own
room... Soon I had to get up. There was no other way out.

And now that my sleep is disrupted, I dint want the others
to sleep in peace. Appurathe vaathil chavitti polichu.
Jins at the door. "Enthaadaa raavile thanne vaayil kolumitt.."
Rat "Theepetti undo oru beedi edukkaan"
Jins "***** %%$%$$@ (*)((__**"
Rat "ok ok.. thank you thank you. illenkil paranjaal porey..
choodaavunnathenthinaa ?"
I stepped in and practised boxing on Sho's tummy.
Sho greeted me in style. I heard a rpeat telecast of what I heard
a while back..
Geo got up happily and remarked "Raavile thanne kettu alley..
"nalla santhoshathilaanallo.."
Rat "ngaa kettu.. enthaa kurachu veno ? njaan kepikkaam"

The team was all ready by 9AM. Had breakfast also by that time..
The plan was to cover a few more places before we pack up at noon.
KK's calculation was that if we catch home by around 9-10PM, we
save a lot of money in terms of bata, and also save an extra day's
fare.. Fair enough..

Made a trip to some rather un tredded places.
Not much of crowd.. Peaceful place.
Stepped down and explored a bit into the bamboo forest.
Found a small 'aruvi' inside.. Chilled water!

After doing some acrobatics there, had a super lunch.
All kinds of birds and animals were ordered on to the table.
Made sure that teh bill crosses the expectations

The ooty-mettupalayam train trip is a highlight of ooty.
The stretch is 46km and the train takes 4 hours one way :)

Somebody suggested we take this train.
Jins "Appo Sumo enthu cheyyum?"
Geo "Athu trainel ketti valikkaam.."

Since the feasibility analysis for this turned negative, and
since we didnt have too much of time with us, we planned to call
it a day..
Back to hotel. Packed up.
Made sure that the room is really deserrted.
Sho picked up a glass also, but had to keep it back, when Geo
saw him doing this..

FM in Sumo. Old Tamil Songs..
"Naan aanayittal .. athu nadanthu vittal.."
Jins "ngae aana(elephant) idaano ? athengane?"
KK explained this into Jins' ears, and he seemed to be more
than satisfied with teh explanation.

Every body took a nap in the sumo.
I dont think KK slept.. That is one animal who sleeps only in the
night (And wakes up early to disturb fellow animals)

We stopped only once on the way, to take a tea.
A tea was required, else the driver will drive into the divider,
dozing off..

A second 'pit-stop' (as KK refers to it) was for dinner
KK demanded money from the rest.
"Common Fund theernnu. Enthoru theettayaa ?"
Geo "Theernno ? Kk panam thinnunnundo ?"
KK "Panamalla , ninte ******"
Geo "Choodaayaa porey, parayunnathenthinaa ?" :-S
Jins "Geo , athangane alla.. "
Sho idapettu panam koduthu KK ye shaanthanaakki..
Rest also followed suite.
Dinner CF ready.
Dinner ordering, Eating, bill paying, iranging..

Back in Sumo
Sho "ini engottaa?"
KK onnu nokki..
Sho "nga. parayanam ennilla.. vandi pottey right!"
Geo "right alla.. aa mathil avide irunnotte.. namukku straight povaam.
njaan pandey straightaa.."
The driver cared not for these 'navigators' and that ensured we
travelled the next 2 hours trip safe and steady.

Back to the starting place by around 11. Late by a couple of hours..
We had stopped on teh way at an ATM to draw cash, to pay the driver.
Jins stepped out "haavoo.. ithra pettennethiyo?"
KK "veedalla ithu. ATM aa.. kaashellaam theernnu
nee irangiya sthithiku poyi kasheduthechum vaa.
Jins odi keri akathirunnu
Kk went to ATM and got the bucks.

At the halt, paid the driver.
I decided to stay at KK's, since going home at this hour is not advisable.
No guarantee that you will reach home.
KK had 2 reasons to point out:
1. Onnaamathhaayi vandi maryaadakk odikkaan ariyilla.
2. Pinne valla pempillerum ivane pidichondu poyaal pinne athu mathi !

Sho also stayed with us for the nite.
Geo and Jins left on Geo's Yenticer..

End of a bootiful trip !

Travelogue - Bootiful Ooty : Day1

After intermittent breaks in the sleep, at 7 in the morning
reached the kewl (really koool... ice kool!) Ooty.

Even while Jins and Sho were asleep, and me taking guard,
Geo, KK and Jose got out and found out a decent place to
stay. Parcelled the 2 sleeping booties into the rooms..
2 rooms were more than enough.
Finished the formalities of brushing.
Some of us even dared to take a bath!
Phew.. They deserve bravery awards..
Geo was heard singing, rather attempting to utter the
lyris of a popular Hindi song from Dhoom.. (and failing
miserably)
Sho also got up, thanks to the peaceful galatas by KK.
Jins had to be brought back to on-foot position with a
lot of manual effort from the roomies..

Jins woke up to see all dressed up and ready to go for
breakfast. "Da.. eppo ethi? Ningal evide povvaa ?"
KK "Etheettu oru 23 varshamaayi.. Ippo povunnathu ninte
**** de 4 aam kettinu. Neeyum vaa.."
Jins was happy to listen to such a nice 'prabhaatha bheri'
The rejuvenated Jins got up and got ready in a snap..

Breakfast from the same hotel.
And since the introduction of CF back in end-2003, there has
been no stopping.. usually strict diet Sho also joined the
bandwagon and ended up ordering a thing each of what the others
ordered. Jins as usual ordered for extra poori and ended up
wasting a couple.
Since CF was being managed by KK, I could peacefully enjoy
the hot served madalasa on my table..

By 10 it was time to go..
KK had a map of ooty and its neighbouring islands(?)
Since Geography is allergic to Geo, he grabbed my camera
so that he could distract himself from the rest with the
false impression of taking pix.. Even otherwise, Geo with
a cam - Monkey with a garland !!
I was busy pulling legs of Sho and Jins.
KK and Jose decided where to go, what to do etc etc..
And somehow communicated it to the driver.

Jins "Da.. Khushboone arrest cheythille"
Geo "Yes, athondu?"
Jins "Alla... Ooty, Khushboo, boat, jab glab puf muf.."
KK "Da, mindaathiriyeda... Oronnum ponanjondu vannolum.."

Silence.
KK paranjaal appeal illa..
Later KK himself came up with a germ (?) of an idea.
Eda, namukkithu kayinju Munnar poyaalo ?
Jose replied "ngaa.. oru kaaryam cheyyaam.. Munnar kayinju
namukku mulla periyaar dam um, khajuraho guhakalum koodi
sandarshikkaam.. samayam undenkil ashtamudikkayalil pandu
train marinjidathu poyi randu photo koodi eduthekkaam. Alle,
PK ? "
Muttan chiri.
Even that driver was seen rolling with laughter.
(na na.. dont ask that qn - if he was rolling, who was driving?)
Wonder whether that driver got a gist of what ws being said,
or was simply laughing seeing the monkey face of KK !

Within an hours time, learned that our first destination was
the Botanical Garden.
Wow! What a wonderful place to roam around, at 12 noon, under bright
sun. But no one (dared) question KK's plans..

A lot of trees, some beatiful plants - rather, flowers - and a pond,
some rocks..
Jins was jinxed "Ee paara kaanaanaano angoonnu ibde bare bannathu?
Ithu polathe kure paara ente beetinte aduthundu."
KK onnu nokki. Onnum paranjilla.. Aa notathil thanne Jins dhehichu
poyi.

Finishing the Botanical Garden (I mean, finished enjoying the booty
of the garden). Lunch time. Sneaked into the first hotel in sight.
With CF in action, all was excited.. But finding late, that this is
a veg hotel faded the smiles.. Geo was heard murmuring something..

Post lunch destination is a water fall.
30 mins drive..
Water fall ennu paranjaal bayankara stimpi fall onnumalla..
oru kunju fall..
Kurachu vellam abdunnum ibdunnum okke peekkiri piller mullunnathu
pole ozhuki barunnu! Thats all.
I guess, it was the wrong time for us to visit the place..
But there is a dam nearbay.
An beautiful site.
(sorry, wrong use of article.. Shemi)

Shobin grabbed KK's camera.
"Yedaa.. Njaan oru photo edukkatte.."
KK "Da.. athu pillerku kalikkanull saadhanamalla.."
Jose, who was silent for most of the trip chipped in
"Athenthaa KK angane paranjey.. Sho um edukkattenne orennam"
Geo "Athaanu, athu thanneyaanu, athu maathramaanu"
Rat "Nirthuvo.. ithu kettu maduthu"
Geo "Enthu cheyyaanaa.. swabhaavathil alinju chernnu poyi"
And his usual chiri "buahahahaa"

Took some group snaps from there.
Kure chips um lathu polathe alakuluthu saadhanangalum vaangi.
Enthinaa kuraykkunney ! Why lessen !!

Back in Sumo.
KK mapum kettipidichondirikkuva..
Ethaandokkeyo pichum peyum parayunnundu..
Ithu ketu Jose um koodi. Pinne urakke aayi pichum peyum.
We, the geeks, did not give an ear to that.
We had some chicks to look at :-)

Finally, the next venue was decided, in consultation with the
driver. He is a frequent visitor to this part of the planet.
And was helpful in a great way.


We were busy finishing off the Lays Pack, and soon
it was a mountain peak, where we stopped next.
It was all white.
I mean, white with fog (or it called mist? whatever)
Visibility was near-zero, and we had trouble walking
along the path..
Jins "Manichan ibde business thudangiyo aavo.. Onnum kaanunnilla"
KK "Athinu nee ibde bannitt ithu bare bellamadichillallo!"
Jins "Alla.. ini engaanum bellam adichaalo!!"
Geo "Oh.. Langane!"

KK clicked a few snaps, just to find out its all white.
But luckily for us, a wind wiped away a bunch of suspended
white particles, and we could have a birds eye view of the
land beneath.
Jose pointed out to a distance "Dhaa aa kaanunnathaa Coimbatore"
Geo grinned, pointed to a different direction and said
"Aa kaanunnathu Cherpalassery"
Jose inu athishtapettilla "Entha Geo vidditham vilichu parayunnathu?"
Rat "Correction. Redundancy benda. Entha Geo vilichu parayunnathu, ennu
maathram paranjaal mathiyaakum"
Giggles.
Geo in petti.

That indeed was Coimbatore which Jose pointed out.
Overheard a guide saying so..
A part of Mysore was also visible from that point.

But very soon, the visibility became poor again, and we had to return.
There was a thattukada on the way back.
Mulaku bajees, parippu vada, tea Yummy.
When there was nothing left in the store, we paid the bill and quit.
What a price catch for them !

Well, it was geting damn cold out there.
The effect of the tea couldnt hold for long.
Bought some monkey caps.
We were already tucked in with jackets..
The caps kept us comfy..

It was approaching 5, and we thought, there can be one more privileged
place, that can be blessed by our foot steps.
The Lake !
A very familiar place..
Even for a first-timer.
The reason - so many films are shot at this place.
This is Mithun Dha's Favorite spot.

And this place reminded of Kodai Kanal..
A similar lake is there, around which you can go cycling.
And on which, you can go boating..

Here we dint find any cycles, but boats were there for sure.
Got into 3 boats.. pedal type.
KK, Sho in one.
Geo, Jose in one.
Rat, Jins in another..
Did some racing on water.
Geo and me are the only ones who know swimming (read, the trick
to stay on top of water)
KK's boat was making circles..
KK was heard shouting "Daa.. nee aa kuntham ingu thanney. ithokke
ariyaavunnavarude kaiyil irikkenda saadhanamaa" He was referring to
the steering rod.
Half an hours boat trip around tha lake and back we are..

The tired gang decided to wrap it up for the day.
It was getting dark too..

Went to some of the street shoppers (with no intention of buying,
of course. Had been to Forum Mall for at least a dozen times. Dint
buy a thing in any of those trips)
:-)
Jose bought something.
Geo picked up a few 'funky' hats and caps, just to put them back in the
respective places.

Back to the hotel rooms.
Had a quick hot water bath, all of us..
The boozers - KK, Geo and Jins - had their own plans.
They got some bottles and started the routine activity.
I finished up most of the french fries, with ample support from Sho.
Got some scolding from KK, but that dint discourage us too much.

Jins "ibdathe madhyam pora"
Geo "Atheyathe, Gujarathile madhyamaanu madhyam"
Jose "Athiningere Gujarathil eppo poyi"
Geo "Alla.. poyillenkilum, parayumbo ellaam parayanallo"
Rat "Madhyam vishamaanunnee.."
KK "Da *** , nee ente vaayennu vallathum oke kelkum"
Rat "Haavo.. Enthoraashwaasam"
Sho (shaking one bottle rigorously) "Why doesnt this foam?"
Kk "Da koppey, athu mineral wateraa"

I tried to take a snap with my cam.
KK "Photography is probibited ennariyille ? nee aa board vaayichille?"
Sho "Pottaa.. athu Smoking is prohibited ennaa.."
KK "Aanno.. ennaa kozhapamilla.. Ratey, nee edutho. nee midukkanaa"
Rat "Athu pinne enikkariyille.."

Extra curricular activities okke kayinjappo kallukudiyanmaarku vishappilla!
We 3 were hungry like hell.. The boozers joined us on four legs just to
give us a company.
But KK ate like a pig, as if he dint drink at all.
Geo was happy with a 'vada'
Jins ordered naan (and as usual, spared it for the 'poor' )

Back to hotel.
Hit the bed.
Zzz...

End of Day1

Travelogue - Bootiful Ooty : Day0

Day0
Its a Friday.
And Friday evening 5 to 6 is the time, when the
s/w engineers in the industry really workkk !
They will be running around, making calls, jumping
on the keyboard, uttering all kindsa four letter
words..
We were to meet at KK's house.
The scheduled time of departure is 8PM.
Thats where the Sumo is waiting for the touring team.
The team:
KK
Jose
Jins
Rat
Geo
Sho


I boarded an auto at 6.30 and reached the place well
in time. Jose, Jins and KK were there already.
KK in his usual style "ivan okke evide poyi kidakkuvaa.
orennam paranja samayathinu varilla.."
Rat "I came in time"
KK "mindaathirikkedaa kazhuthey... ivan ente vaayeennu
kekkum.."

Met the driver. He knows Kannada.
That was a boon. None of us know Kannada.
But Something is better than nothing :D
And we have Hindi Gurus in Geo and .. yes.. myself B-)

Jose was making some strong points in front of the team.
Thats in his blood.. Cant be blamed..

Geo came shortly, on his Historic (?) Enticer bike.
Bikel randu demo okke kaanichu mookkum thalli veezhum
enna avastha aayappo 'diyaan paripaadi nirthi. Bike off
cheythu boomiyilekk irangi.
Dint see much of tour preparation in his shoulder bag.
It was hanging loose..
Dint have the courage to ask, what was inside :D

All set, and the last man is Sho.
KK "by the time Sho reaches here from the next state,
we could have covered half the distane to Ooty"
Aarum chirichilla..
KK othungi (kurachu nerathekku)

We went in to watch some TV while Sho comes...

Sho comes at 7.50PM
"Yeda.. ennaa traffic aanney.. pinne bikel vannathu kondu
eluppam ethi"
All frown !
"Bike iloo .. Neeyo ? Ninakku bike start aakkaan ariyaamo?"
Sho "Atho.. Ajith enne kondu vittu"
:-)

Every one was relieved.
KK in particular.
Coz it was his bike that Sho and Ajith were using..
Sho claims to own a licence. But no soul on planet earth
has seen this geek sitting on the front seat of a mobile
motor powered two-wheeler with the stands dis engaged...

All set.
6 of us ready.
Started at around 8 PM.
Well on time..
KK and Jins in the front seat.
Rest , safely seated behind :)

Thoug there were vacant side seats at the rear, all
adjusted at the second row seat..
All noted that Jins was cautiously keeping his mouth
shut, opening it only to flash his 60W smile.

Rat to Jins "Da, nammal engotta povunney?"
Jins "Ninte *********"
The seat turned out to be more convenient after this.
Rat petteel keriyallo...

(Couldnt hear anything from withing the petti..
All I could hear was a AYYOOOO sound from Jins,
and an attahaasam from KK. Wonder what was that..)

As the tradition goes, food should be taken at a dhaba.
Stopped at a dhaba at around 9.30PM
They were about to put down the shutters when we rushed in.
Sho "Ayyoo cheettaaa poottalle... vishannittu padilla.."

Those guys dint understand a thing. These Punjabis are known
for their Malayalam ignorance.

So our Guru Geo steps in for a xlation
"Bhaiyya.. bandh math karo.. Bhookh ke kaaran gaana nahi"

They opened up the hotel alright, but a roaring laughter
was overheard from the kitchen..

Geo to Jins "Jinsey, pazhaya nostalgic ormakala vallathum varunnundo?"
:-)
It was in one such dhaba, where Jins had to run around the compound,
with a 1L bottle full of water, looking for a cover, for 'core dump'
:D
Jins "Ho.. enthoru divasamaayirunnu athu.. Chirikkanda.. ningalkellam
oru divasam varum.. Annenne orthonam"
KK "Ninne enthinaa orkkunney? Paripaadi kayinjittu ****** ?"
That invited an even more louder applause from the team.
It was decided that Jins be given some time for having his food,
before he steps in to the petti..

The dinner was good.. Hot fresh..
Pakced up 2 bottles - 1 pepsi and 1 sprite.
Paid the bill from the CF.

And set out for the 300 kms of night travel..
Some jokes, some kona, some music, and and were asleep..
We needed to be fresh for the next days activities..

Travelogue - Bootiful Ooty

Writing travelogues is a challenge..
You have to be at the thick of the things.
And should be the owner of a sharp memory.
Not just that, he should have the company
of the funniest characters in the world, to
make it a page-turner.. rather, a screen-scroller.
And to make it even more funny, the author
should partly be in his own imaginative
(mud-throwing) best to evoke the the most
hillarious nerve-tickling senses of the reader.

For a seasoned writer (read 'for me' ), this
aint a challenge any more. So to "worsen" the
situation, I decided to go an extra mile..
oru mile ennu parayumbo oru randu randara kilometer
varum :)
So here is a travelogue..
"Bootiful Ooty"
So what is so strange and challenging about this one ?
The name ?
Yes, it is different.. But the actual 'thing' is not
in the name.. Its in the date.

The trip is on Friday, the 25th of November.
And today is Friday, the 18th of November.
:)
Yes, an advance travelogue..
Join me in this imaginative world..

Travelogue - Kodai Kadhai (part I, II and III)

This is the Kodai Kanal story. Its a 4-part series..
All fun, lotsa pix..

Read on the Kodai Kadhai Part I, II and III

Pilgrimage to SabariMala

This happened more than a year back..
Here's the narration of my Pilgrimage to Sabarimala