An Exodus

Sunset@Tawa

The best things that happen in our life are indeed unplanned and unanticipated. What began as a regular off  topic chat with Srini resulted in an amazing and refreshing trip, the first in a very long time. We eventually realized that in all the humdrum surrounding us we fail to stop and just take a momentary exile from our day to day life. Appreciate the beauty of nature and live life the way it should be.

We went to Tawa Dam and then to Satpura National Park. Anybody, and I mean anybody, exhibit their natural behavior when we are with our friends. Their company brings a normalcy to the affairs. No pretending, no extrapolations. Just being what we are. Saying what comes to our mind and making the worst of all jokes. Because they have been there, and they have seen the best and the worst of us.

Well enough of all this. Should tell you about the trip now.

I don't know in which part of the country the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna is running, because its definitely not running here. Had a bumpy ride all the way up to the resort, and the '80s tracks made the journey even more pleasant (and I am lying, it was hellish, Kumar Shanu, I don't know who you are but I will find you and kill you). But as soon as you see the picturesque setting all was worth it. As if you are brought to an entirely different place. We went for a  ride on a cruze boat, occupying the hull. The scenes were simply astounding, though the ambiance was slightly disturbed by the item songs that were playing overboard. The water was as clean as it could be, and the breeze was pacifying. Standing on the railing, with my eyes closed, the smell of fresh water, the sunset, the splashing water, the isolated islands, like the ones you had in Life Of Pi. It was nature at its best, soothing my soul, rejuvenating me, transporting me to an entirely different realm. 

By the time we arrived at Madhai, it was already quite late. With no electricity, mobile network and internet we experienced the ground reality of basic amenities available in any Indian village. Come to think of it we are absolutely disabled if such a situation is enforced upon us. Remember that 5 texts per day ruling earlier this year. When our net is down we don't have a life. Mobiles and internet were supposed to make our life easy and comfortable, its so ironical that we actually are incapacitated when they are not available.

The night is always filled with surprises, and has the most powerful tool of all, darkness- which engulfs us and makes us wonder many strange things, bend the rules, change our destined path. But it also brings along with it an urgency to find light, an impending need to come out of it and a desire to move forward. 

The night was all stary, rustling of leaves, the heat of the camp fire, shimmering moon in the river, the old melodies playing on Lala's phone simply made it even better. 

Another conclusion I made was that I need to get a SUV asap to avoid the jolts that I had using the roadways.

Should wind up now, saving some for later.
Bye

The Samosa Diplomacy

Its a fairly universal statement that school years were the best years of our life. Whichever school we were in and whatever surroundings we had, we do miss it. There used be so much to do. Idleness was an unknown quantity. And innocence was very much present. I hopped on for a blast from the past yesterday with three of my friends. Phewww!!! So many, so many incredible memories came back. Wait am I getting nostalgic? Maybe yes, but then those days seem so distant now. Starting a new session with a new water bottle, a fancy pencil box, a struggle to stand in front of the line, those teachers who you never liked, some funny incidents (and I can assure you there were many ours being a boys' school :P), bunking lessons and playing football or futty as we called it in the scorching sun. It was like a flashback, revisiting those memorable days.

The Samosa Diplomacy
Now you may be wondering what this is all about, but this part of the post is exclusively about my Campion buddies. Canteen Aunty and her samosas have an unmatched legacy. We actually had our friendship and going about defined by those Rs. 2/- samosas. I can assure you that there was not even one mouthful when you had a samosa, but we had 10-15 suitors for each one we bought. Steaming hot and with special chutney made out of Frooty (yes that was the secret ingredient :D ). The guy who bought the samosa was the undisputed king for the next minute or half, because that was how long they lasted. Birthday treats were so simple and pocket friendly. Accompanied with the special 25 paise orange candy, they made our special day even more special.
I wonder was it actually worth growing up, leaving all those times behind. Well we didn't have any option did we. After three and a half years, I still get a pang to go back and feel that commotion again. I don't know whether I will miss my college the same way I miss my school. Maybe these feelings will evaporate in a day or two. But what that school symbolizes is not just 14 years of my life, but those friends, that vibe which will surely not come back in my life again.
Some comfort zones were defined way before the humdrum that goes around us now. You are instantly transported back to those times. We didn't have any Facebook then but we had more friends, we didn't have any mobiles or texts but we were more connected. We may be moving forward with our technology and gadgets but actually are we? With all the social networking that surrounds us, are we more connected or more disjointed now. Whats better, having so many school buddies added on your friendlist or roaming the town with a couple on your bike. I think your answer is same as mine.
PS happy birthday Himanshu Jagan aka Jaggu, should have been there yesterday.

And this is what the quadrangle looks like on a winter day!!

Here I Am!!

So I start off with a blog of my own. Its December 1 and we have already entered the last month of this eventful and happening year.
I certainly feel that the world is not going to end as predicted by the Mayans, not that I want to indulge myself in the scientific validity of it. But then when I look at things I certainly feel when their is so much left to do, how can we let the world finish.
I turned 21 this year and I am trying to find a rhythm for my life, find that groove and grind it out.
I guess I'll keep posting a lot, many things going on.
Till then, kudos!!