WHEELS ON FEET

GOAN RHAPSODY

2011-04-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

This post’s been long overdue and the only reason for the delay has been… well…my (now famous) inertia!! What else!

I started this month on a superb note… doing what I had been looking forward to for years now! Visiting Goa… I remember the time in college when all we wanted to do was just LIVE in Goa…The place stood for fun, irreverence, freedom… and now after the visit it means that and much more – beauty, peace, serenity, green, warm, delectable
This was a holiday I had been planning since the beginning of the year (or was it last year!!) I had read up so much about the place courtesy travelogues and feedback forums on the net that I seemed to have seen it all even before reaching the place!

As soon as I set my foot on the place, I knew I would have the time of my life and the glow on Mom’s face convinced me that this was going to be the PERFECT mother-daughter vacation.

Goa in the rains is pure bliss. The palm fringed rocky beaches come alive – the sea is at its wildest best making you feel inconsequential in the larger scheme of things – the paddy fields are a beautiful green – skies throw up beauteous rainbows that stand out in the ominous grey backdrop – the clouds, ready to burst at the seams –the horizon, non-existent as the sea and the sky become one! And best thing is that not many people know this – which is why ‘Monsoons in Goa’ is low season for tourist traffic! Tragic but true!

The drive from the airport to the hotel was long (45 minutes to be precise) and wondrous and both of us soaked in the sights eagerly. Our hotel – the Taj at Fort Aguada is superbly located on, the now nearly non-existent, Sinquerim beach. The room offered a superb view of the sea, remnants of the fort and the dilapidated stranded ship that lends the place an aura of mystery. We spent the rest of the day enjoying the views, the rain and the sea in - what can easily be called – the ‘private beach!, frantically clicking every nook and corner!

The rains in Goa are also tourist friendly! They come and go in spells… leaving you enough time to walk, shop and sight-see. That’s something that we discovered over the next 2 days of our whirlwind tour of Goa – the churches, the old city that till date retains the quaint charm and the colonial Portuguese architecture, the paddy fields, shopping in Panjim/ Calangute and Anjuna, long walks along Candolim, the buzzing beaches of North Goa that are not overcrowded but still have enough tourists milling in. The only downside – the flea market at Anjuna was ‘officially’ closed – but the street vendors made it up by setting up shop so it was business as usual.

And then who can forget Goan food! Being the quintessential Bengali sea-food lover – how could I have missed the mention of Goan fish curry, prawns, chicken xacuti, chicken caffreal, Goan rice and breads and not to miss the bebinca and dodol. The hotel served up superb Goan fare (including mouth-watering desserts) at dinner complete with Goan traditional dancers and great Goan songs, at the restaurant aptly titled - Sea Shell! And guess what? I BINGED!

On the ride back to the airport after a relaxing and well-spent holiday, I promised myself, I will return to Goa… to savour the thrills of the place this time…soon…

THE JAYALGARH EXPERIENCE

2007-06-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while in life, you have these crazy moments that you never thought would be a part of your reality and then voooo you’re shaken up out of your staid – predictable life with a bolt out of the blue…
Well, my Jayalgarh experience was that and more!

This was supposed to be a ‘serious & official’ Team Building - Outbound Learning Program at Chakrata – heavy words that set the same mood for the trip! The destination was supposed to be GIO’s Chakrata camp. And then there I was ‘kabhi yessing kabhi noing’ the trip… you know over-the-hill (that was a PERFECT expression!) motion sickness being the cause. I kept imagining myself puking my guts out! It’s quite an anti-climax how I love the hills but can never manage a road trip without a few uuuggghhh bouts!!!

Then there was a ‘kabhi yes kabhi no’ on the venue – we got a frantic call from GIO on the day we were supposed to leave informing us about nature venting it’s fury on Chakrata!! We must hand it out to the GIO guys for immediately shifting the location of action to Jayalgarh. I of course ‘Yahooed’ it immediately for a few pics of where we were heading finally! It’s more comfortable you know – than being hurled into the unknown!

If all this drama wasn’t enough – there was a freak (or is manic the word!) dust and hailstorm just as we boarded the bus from Gurgaon to the Nizamuddin station! We left at 8 to catch the 11:30 train and were all comfortable in the fact that there could NEVER be a chance of us missing the train! But! The ‘will we won’t we’s’ started again when 1 hour down the line we were only a kilometer down MG Road!! We averted a climax at the beginning of the story and finally we made it magically 5 minutes before the train chugged in!

The train journey ended a little too soon for my comfort, 3 hours of sleep later we had reached Haridwar. There were cabs waiting for us so at 5 in the morning we finally started the last and most torturous leg of our journey to Jayalgarh. The drive from Hrishikesh to Kaudiyala was anything but pleasant – bumpy would be an understatement – a bad history of motion sickness and a drowsy driver just added to my miseries! Most of us were quite sick by the time we reached Byasi for our morning cuppa.

The beauty of the morning was breathtaking and the balmy weather just added to the splendor of Tehri Garhwal.

We reached Jayalgarh (District Kirtinagar) in good time for breakfast and the first look at the camp and we knew we had a few thrilling days ahead of us. The instructors at GIO ensured that we did not get our forty winks before we had slogged it out enough. So what followed the average breakfast (I am not too fond of soggy eggs you see!) and a quick shower was a great afternoon of body surfing and some other interesting but tiring group activities.
A sudden squall just gave us the quick respite we needed and just added to the panoramic beauty of the hills. The weather was nice and edgy. To top it all, the camp organized a great bonfire and music for the night.

Day 2 started with rafting. This was my third time at it and I seemed quite a pro! Rafting the Alaknanda is a consummate spiritual experience…miles of water between towering mountains. Nature has its way of making you and your issues in life look small and inconsequential. We rafted till DevPrayag where the emerald green and edgy Bhagirathi meets the calmer and deeper Alaknanda and forms the river that we Indians revere – Ganga. This divine sight is like no other and I don’t think any adjective would do justice to the description.

The second half of the day I did something that I never thought I would. Bridge Slithering. When I reached the bridge we had to ‘slither’ down – I could not believe it! It was a scary iron bars bridge and we were supposed to jump to the other side and slip down a rope. Have done abseiling before but this looked worse! I kept looking at how others were managing it and was all the more confident that I would get stuck between the bars and be embarrassed like never before (God!! What’s with the weight that I can never seem to shed!!!). But finally when I saw a few mid-air drop-outs I took comfort in the fact that I couldn’t be worse so I finally took the plunge (literally!). Let me tell you – it is AMAZING and how I would have regretted not doing it! The beauty and view of the hills and the water from the mid-air is something else. It was a seventy foot long rope that ended around 20 feet above the water! So after the rope ended you would do a free fall into the chilly water! I seemed to go right in (I am convinced about that - errr weighty issues you see!) – I came back have drunk a few gallons and frantically looked around for the life saver kayaker!! As luck would have it both my legs were on the same side of the kayak – well that’s not how it is supped to be you see and I kept going below the kayak! Amidst my screams of I did it and Save Me and How Do I separate my legs (well!!) and the frantic kicks the nice-guy kayaker had a flurry of what he thought were ‘comfort questions’ like – how was it? Where have you come from? My name is… GAWD and not to forget the classic – 'aap apne pair hataiye varna hum kinare kaise jayenge'!(Dude as if I care!!)
Once I reached the rocks on the shore I felt I couldn’t stand up and get back! It was a realization of having done something I thought I couldn’t and the breathlessness from the screaming and kicking! The 1001 horse dung steps back to the bridge was no help either!

The next day it was time to get back after a few group photo ops…

A quick word for the camp here. High 5 - GIOs camp at Jayalgarh is the quintessential peaceful and gorgeous haven ensconced between the mighty mountains and the restless Alaknanda. They have a great set of tents ranging from comfortable to just about ok (heck you just use them to change and sleep!)– Mattresses and sheets were not exactly unblemished but you can ask for a change and the attendants are very prompt. A special word here for the bath area – it had everything you needed – they looked after the smallest detail. The pantry area was great sit-out and offered a great view of the river.
Food was good and filling. They had a generous helping of fruits and veggies. Lunch and Dinner were light and tasty – exactly what you need. There’s electricity for 4 hours in the evening and then you can enjoy the starry skies – the stars were never closer!

I have a Karmic connection with the hills. Everytime I go to there I promise myself never to come back and go through the torture of the road travel again but I always return. They call me back every few years and always leave me enriched with the experience, sounds and sights. It’s Always Magical.

AS GOOD AS IT CAN GET!

2007-04-08T05:44:00.000-07:00

I have had a great run with movies on the telly off late. Caught some great classics over a period of one week – that’s a great record by my standards!

The first one I saw was the super romantic comedy: As Good as it Gets – Great casting and performances and a superb story based on the life and times of the modern times and its imperfections. The protagonist is an ill-tempered, disagreeable man suffering from an obsessive compulsive disorder within a world of his own creation behind his closed doors and in the stories he writes. The story is about how he ends up befriending a single mother & waitress struggling with her son’s illness and a betrayed and disillusioned homosexual with life-changing repercussions for all of them.

The second movie that I thoroughly enjoyed was diametrically opposite in theme, rendition and overall movie experience. I would not have seen it if it weren’t for a friend who recommended it. It is called "The Double Life Of Veronique". It was a mystical experience and let me tell you it’s not a run of the mill popcorn flick… It’s a concoction of strong conflicting emotions, camera-work like I have never seen before, stunning performance by Irène Jacob – the lead actress and a haunting background score. The film touches the most vulnerable cord and leaves you numb by the end. It is about intriguing parallel lives of two identical women Veronique and Weronika born in France and Poland at the same time – both have heart problems and a great voice – they never meet though their paths nearly cross one day. One of them dies and the other lives.

Can you imagine having someone just like you in another part of the world with a similar life? To think of such a possibility is fascinating!
Completely surreal and poetic. I discovered European cinema with this one and I am hooked!

Well finally another great movie that I caught on TV was Walk the Line – a well crafted musical on the life and times of the young Johnny Cash – his ascendancy to fame, his stint with drug addiction and his persistent love for June Carter. I have a thing for musicals and country music and this one has great performances too that makes it an unbeatable combination. My favorite Johnny Cash mush number is (predictably!) I Walk the Line.

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine, I walk the line

I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when each day is through
Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you
Because you're mine, I walk the line

As sure as night is dark and day is light
I keep you on my mind both day and night
And happiness I've known proves that it's right
Because you're mine, I walk the line

You've got a way to keep me on your side
You give me cause for love that I can't hide
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide
Because you're mine, I walk the line

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine, I walk the line
I Walk the line – Johnny Cash

Diarios de Movie!

2007-03-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I caught up with some good cinema at home. I had been hearing of Motorcycle Diaries since sometime and pounced on the first given opportunity to catch it on TV, having no clue as to what it was all about.

The poignant story is basically an excerpt from the real experiences of Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna on his life-changing journey across the South American continent in the early 1950s. Yes, the man… the cult… the Marxist Revolutionary… that led the Cuban revolution. As the movie byline aptly puts it - Before he changed the world the world changed him.

The movie tracks the adventures of Ernesto and best friend Alberto Granado who set-out on a motorcycle to travel across Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela looking for fun and new experiences beyond their uninspiring and predictable existence. It’s the people, circumstances and incidents they encounter on the road on their way to a medical residency at a leper colony at Venezuela that shapes the movie.

Everything about the movie – performances, characters, direction - is about cinematic brilliance. It entertains at times and at others leaves a lump in your throat. In the end, it leaves you feeling numb – if that isn’t a mark of a good movie then what is!

The best thing about the movie is the fact that it does not tell a hero’s tale. As Che himself puts it ‘This isn't a tale of heroic feats. It's about two lives running parallel for a while, with common aspirations and similar dreams. What we had in common - our restlessness, our impassioned spirits, and a love for the open road.’

It tells you how experiences make a man. Check out Motorcycle diaries for the joy of good cinema!

ODE TO SOLITUDE

2007-02-16T06:51:00.000-08:00

It’s a pleasant morning and writing to the strains of Anoushka Shankar’s Bairagi I feel like one myself! It’s sometimes exhilarating to find those few moments to yourself faraway from the staring, judging world. People always looking to see if you measure up to their (intellectual?) standards and (physical ;)) statistics!

I don’t ‘fit in’ to the humdrum at all. After the day’s manic pace with phone calls every 10 minutes, explanations and presentations by the dozen, silly pointless meetings and socializing, panicking over deadlines, sucking up to people who you couldn’t care two hoots about otherwise (just a few of the things you need to do to survive in the corporate scenario!). Sometimes just a few hours of silence, solitude and being with yourself doing what you truly enjoy doing does more for your being than you can ever fathom!
I’ve discovered, it’s truly BLISS – and I love it this way!

O SOLITUDE! if I must with thee dwell,
Let it not be among the jumbled heap
Of murky buildings; climb with me the steep,-
Nature’s observatory - whence the dell,
Its flowery slopes, its river’s crystal swell,
May seem a span; let me thy vigils keep
’Mongst boughs pavillion’d, where the deer’s swift leap
Startles the wild bee from the fox-glove bell.
But though I’ll gladly trace these scenes with thee,
Yet the sweet converse of an innocent mind,
Whose words are images of thoughts refin’d,
Is my soul’s pleasure; and it sure must be
Almost the highest bliss of human-kind,
When to thy haunts two kindred spirits flee.
John Keats

COMMANDMENT’S FOR ME FOR THE NEW YEAR

2007-01-06T05:23:00.000-08:00

I have only one resolution for 2007 and that is to GET A LIFE!!! Do everything that I haven’t since the last few years and used to seemingly LOVE doing not so many years back! A few pronouncements I have made for myself while ringing in the New Year!!

- Thou shalt catch up on some GOOD movies: I love this one ;)

- Thou shalt read at least one GOOD book a month: (well, the emphasis here also is on GOOD! If you notice – well, who has time for trash anyways!! But wait! Who decides what’s good either!!! We’ll see what we can do!!)

- Thou shalt call old friends: (or at least receive the calls that come if calling is a long shot!!) – to put things in perspective – I must have missed at least 90% of the calls that came last year and am not too good with calling back either! Talk of phone etiquettes ha! Hey but I have serious phone issues that I will take up maybe in my next blog!! So basically this year the endeavor will be to better the record – say miss only 87% calls ;) am counting already!!

- While on the friends issue: Thou shalt meet old friends: The Orkut phenomenon has had one (? That’s the Yahoo gal talking!!) good upshot and that has been the resurgence of old pals right in your neighborhood and sometimes even in your backyard! So the idea is to be more sociable, go out more and have a good time and not ditch pals that keep asking to go out or come all the way to see me! We shall try!

- Thou shalt make one good collage – Well at the risk of sounding pompous the collages in my hostel room used to be so good that they traveled by word of mouth and girls I never knew used to come to my room just to see them!! The boring room walls now need that dash of color, and my creative juices need a ‘productive outlet’ so for my own sake – I think I will relent!!

- Thou shalt make a visit to Goa: doesn’t this say it all – I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO GOA!!

- Thou shalt watch LESS of that IDIOT BOX: – well you can’t deny the fact that the hilarious TV soaps bring in truckloads of laughter when you need it the most! After a REALLY stressful day all you need is 5 minutes of mindless and brainless capsule of a ‘K’ soap and you know you are ok!!!

- Thou shalt exercise: Frankly – I need it and I have always agreed but shall I do it? – that’s the question!!

- Thou shalt work on your websites: This seems exciting!

- Thou shalt write one blog a month (at least): well now that blogs have become public diaries – it’s good to write lest after a year you realize all you know to write are sorry mails to the client or to-do mails to the tech and creative teams!!! Uuggghhh – scary thought!!!

OK so we shall meet on the last day of the year and take stock!! Till then remember to KEEP resolutions!

2006-11-26T05:26:00.000-08:00

STAY HUNGRY - STAY FOOLISH!

It’s been quite a while since I last posted anything on my blog… I have been thinking about doing it and at last got something really worthwhile to share.
Some really relevant excerpts from the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005. Read on and be inspired!

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.

…For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

2006-09-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

CHERISH THIS LIFE

I read something potent today – something that had been on my mind for some time. Is it really worth it in life to be running around, in a bid to make money and acquire all things that money can buy and compromise everything you have ever wanted to do in life in the process.

The last three years of my professional life have made me think about the necessity of it all. I have achieved most of what I set out to quite early on in my career, but still it’s not enough – and I don’t think it would ever be as well!! Call it greed if you will!! But somehow am not satisfied – it’s never enough!

The money that I earn is never enough – there’s always a peer that earns more – lives better…! Why is it that just about a month after I land up a better paying job with perceptibly better work – I start looking around for greener pastures again! It doesn’t take more that a month for me to get dissatisfied with the set-up I am in! And to think of it that the generation before us would stick to their first job till they touched retirement! A friend’s dad just completed 30 years in the same organization! Compare this with the current scenario where I have friends who have been in jobs for less than 6 months!!
Are we a restless generation with too many choices and opportunities and are we running too much in the horde for better pay packets and bigger roles? And is it really worth it? Is it doing any good to us? Have we forgotten what we like doing most? Have we compromised on our interests and happiness and peace of mind in the process? And frankly, how many of us love the jobs they do?
Very few of us have the good fortune to choose a career that interests them – something that they really love doing – something that they are really passionate about – and something that is practical enough to pay well!!

I, for one, have realized that am caught in an awful rut of deadlines, timelines and every situation that I don’t want to be in.

I love books – There was a time when I used to read a book every week.
I haven’t read more than 2 books since a year and a half now.

I love to paint – I have this cupboard full of old works – some good, some not so good.
I haven’t painted or sketched since the last 6 months.

I make interesting collages.
I haven’t made one in three and half years.

I love to dance (I think I have a knack for it as wellJ) – even learnt jazz at one point.
I haven’t danced since 8 months now.

And all because I have been too busy - flitting through jobs in the pursuit of the ‘bigger’ and ‘better’ job. Isn’t it a tragedy that I have had to compromise on everything that I loved doing and in the bargain do things that I never fancied.

Sadly this story finds its parallel in a lot of my friends’ lives today. Is it worth it? I don’t think so anymore – it’s never going to be enough.
However much I earn there will always be room for more.
However much I grow in the organization I can still do better.
However hard I try to excel in a project – it will never be enough – it could still be better.

But in the race to get better and bigger and meeting professional challenges – we should not over-stretch ourselves and compromise our sanity in the bargain.

Let’s all make a promise to ourselves:
To pay attention to and nurture ourselves.
To cherish this life…

This is a promise I have made to myself today. Have you?