A Bit Of This And That

Wild Animal Sighted

2015-01-28T21:24:00.000-08:00

I mean…. I was leading a normal life, going about my business trying to fit in this and that….and suddenly one day I got an SMS from SMS CASTER ‘Wild Animal sighted, people are requested to be wary and inform xyz abc blah blah….etc’ This was while I was on my ‘relaxing’ walk

Most of my walks are not that energetic, ‘to be fit type’, walks. They are more like ‘laid back, relaxed, lost in thoughts’ ones. In any case, the SMS did make me look around and this is what I saw

Yes, semi wooded area with overgrown flora and fauna...

Obviously it had me worried. Anything could be lurking around in those tall grasses, short trees and bunched up bushes. But the very practical part of my mind which always kicks in when circumstances arises... woke up and informed me ‘hah….all nonsense there is nothing around’ and with that I returned home safely

Next day the whole society was abuzz with stories about an animal being sighted. People said ‘Someone saw a tiger! under a lamp post and it was pointed out to the guards and even the guards saw it’

Now this new information was discussed with lot of enthusiasm and vigour. I thanked god for not being the one who had sighted the animal, I wouldn’t have liked being analysed and dissected like that. People can be ruthless

So the next day I walked more cautiously ensuring to look left and right and left again... Imagine meeting this on the way

Well I didn’t, however I saw a group of ladies (tigresses..haha) ahead and eagerly joined them for the latest update.

‘It was a spotted Hyena’ she said ‘not a tiger after all’

‘Hyena?’ Asked another ‘Don’t they move in packs?’

We all nodded wishing we knew more about hyenas to add in here.

‘Well, maybe there are more’ said the lady who had earlier given this information.

All of us dispersed feeling a tad apprehensive. I started looking out for this as well... better safe than sorry

My walk became ever slower. After sometime just as I was gaining some confidence back I met a couple I knew very well.

Well, walks are always interspersed with nods at familiar faces, an occasional wave of hand here and there, a smile, a raised eyebrow,…you might think you walking the ramp or something!!!... a greeting, an enquiry, a questioning look, ‘new face?’, a smirk ‘I am faster’… I am thinner’ ….ahem.... so this couple stopped me.

‘Did you hear the latest? It’s not safe to walk alone anymore’ said the man. I shrugged my shoulders,

‘there is a striped hyena around’ added the woman wanting more reaction out of me

‘Striped? I said, ‘I was told it was a spotted one’ proving that I was updated.

‘No…how can a spotted one be mistaken for a tiger?’

‘Whatever it is, do be careful’ warned the couple and we parted.

Mind reeling I continued ahead, didn’t want to meet this either.

A meeting was held the next day where another member of the society informed that their maid saw a strange animal on the tree, it had spotted back and she couldn’t identify the animal. It was concluded that perhaps it is a leopard after all!

I was worried for my children who frequent the road with gay abandon; no amount of cajoling convinced them of these predators roaming the neighbourhood. They phoo- phooed it just like they do for everything that we have to say…..

People stopped venturing out in the evening and finished their walks by late afternoon. News spread that paw marks were seen and some carcass was also lying about.

The forest department was informed and they came and scoured the place. Definitely a large cat was all they could say!

No problem, we are well prepared said my head

And then as I was walking admiring the blushing sky in the setting sun eagerly waiting for darkness to engulf it ... I stopped short and a hyena crossed my path ambling along unconcerned of me and my crying mind ...look out!

I decided not to let on anyone know about it lest they start my dissection as well!

Courtesy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger#mediaviewer/File:Tigress_at_Jim_Corbett_National_Park.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_hyena#mediaviewer/File:Crocuta_crocuta_Mara_Triangle.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striped_hyena#mediaviewer/File:Striped_Hyena_Adult.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Panthera_pardus_-Ngala_Game_Reserve%2C_Limpopo%2C_South_Africa_-with_kill_in_tree-8.jpg

Dreams come true: Mangaliyawas

2014-08-23T02:41:00.002-07:00

I saw a very happy face…. It asked me, ‘Have your dreams ever come true?’

‘err….’ I said not knowing where this was leading.

‘You should visit the Kalpavriksh at Mangaliyawas and make a wish, it will come true…100%!’ guaranteed the face

How, where ????? when I wanted all the details so I hung on asking polite questions to the face without letting on that I had fallen hook, line and sinker.

We were at that time at Nasirabad.

Did you just say where is Nasirabad?

It’s close to Ajmer, about 30 minutes drive, 21km. It’s a laid back town still living in an un-cluttered world with minimum needs. The best thing about Nasirabad is the Kachora, …yes…KachoRA, that you get there. It’s big in size, almost the size of a rumali roti, filled with spicy dal or onion mixture. When it is made, at precisely 7.30 in the morning, the aroma wafts through the market (and the surrounding area) and beckons you… entices you… to just buy it. Your mouth WILL water and the first bite WILL take you to heaven!

So back to ‘how to make dreams come true’

I collected all this knowledge of the whereabouts of this kalpavriksh and decided to head there immediately. Why delay more?

There were two ways to reach Magaliyawas either by taking the highway which would mean going to Ajmer first and then catching the NH8. From Ajmer it’s approximately 25km. Or take a short cut directly to Magaliyawas. I opted for the latter of course! since immediately means without delay.

The road turned out to be terrible and I started wondering whether I had made a hasty decision. Was the face truthful?

After a back-breaking 45 minutes the road joined the NH8 and I was back on track… with my enthusiasm too. It was a true face.

From the national highway towards Udaipur I took a right and there it was the entrance to the village ‘Mangaliyawas’. I could feel the serenity and my laden anticipation. As if right then and there if I wished for something and bang it would be there!

I entered the temple premises; there were these two massive trees, each was dressed in stings of red thread all around. Nobody else was there. I looked at the first tree. Do I just stand here and make my wish?

My mind which had initially been very clear as to what I wanted now balked and changed tracks. What I thought was the most important wish of mine became nothing. My kids, my husband, my parents ..family…everybody’s wishes and aspirations and requirements came up in my mind. A very generic wish which would be true for all ..took shape…. I was confused….the magic I had come seeking was dissolving at a rapid pace. I stopped it then and there and asked myself what is my greatest and most pending wish. What is it that I want more than anything else in this world……what do I truly truly want? I just came up with a blank. After some coerced thinking I came up with many many different things I wanted but couldn’t come up with that one thing that I really wanted. How strange....

I saw a panditji approach me.

‘Are you coming from Delhi’ He asked in Hindi

‘Haan’ I said a little too quickly, well I didn’t want to disclose from where I was coming to a complete stranger!! And I am basically from Delhi, so it was the truth right?.

‘Indiraji had also come here long back’ he said looking at my face for some… I don’t know what recognition?! ‘Now BJP is in satta……do you support BJP?’ he asked

‘urr….’ I looked on stoically

He guided me to the first tree and pointed at it and said ‘This is nar tree, male tree’

And then took me to the other one and said ‘this is nari tree, both are Kalpavriksh and they emerged when the churning of ocean of milk happened. Do you know about it?’ He asked

I half nodded.

His voice transformed to a more serious and story-telling tone. ‘Once long long back.. ancient period..’ he stopped and added ‘It is written in puranas…..A sage called Durvasa got very angry at ‘Indra’ - the king of Gods and cursed all the gods. The gods started losing their power and strength and the ‘asuras’ – The demons started creating havoc. The gods approached ‘Vishnu’- The preserver. Vishu advised that all gods should drink the ‘nectar of immortality’ and to get that the ocean had to churned. During this churning of ocean ‘Samudra manthan’ many useful things came out.'

‘Among the things that came out during the ‘samudhra manthan’ …. were these two trees, kalpavriksh. They were located somewhere else but when there was a massive flood the trees got uprooted and landed here.’ He continued

‘Do you see that?’ He pointed at some very interesting depressions and folds on the trunk, ‘that’s Yoni’ and he explained further ‘In ancient Indian text ‘Yoni’ (Vagina or womb) is the representation of the creative force of life.’

‘This tree produces one fruit in many years. Last year we got a fruit, women who can’t bear children just need to have a little bit of this fruit. And they will bear children immediately.’ He added

‘Whatever you want ..ask… and when it comes true, come back here and do a pooja ok?’ he asked

I nodded, the narration had transported me to ancient Indian times, did all this happen? Were earlier times filled with mysticism and magic? Have people imagined all this and passed it on sprinkled with spice and added mystery? How much of it is a true account and how much of it is the result of a creative mind, skillful narration.. And what about the facts that have been lost in translation so to say……

‘May your wish come true’ He blessed thinking that I was asking for something really big.

I came back in 'time' and hastily wished for ………. ‘general happiness for the entire world’ (darn!)

A contended me headed back and who did I run into but a dear friend.

‘You look so happy, where are you coming from?’ she asked

‘Have your dreams ever come true? My Happy face asked….

2014-06-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, It has been a while.....
and the result is a juicy tale for kids.
I think you will enjoy being....

Trapped in the Mind Zone

It's a kindle edition eBook.
Those new to Kindle would need to download kindle reader first.
Here is the link: Kindle for pc

Enjoy!!! do email your comments
indoosri@gmail.com
Looking forward

"Maharaj aa rahe hain Maharaj!"

2013-06-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

A small boy ran on the road shouting “Maharaj aa rahe hain, Maharaj!” at the top of his voice, behind him several little ones were running at a speed that could put our Olympic sprinters to shame. I looked eagerly in the direction from which these kids had come. Common sense went out of the window and I stood hoping to see a procession of people clad in elegant, zaridaar, royal regalia …. decked up in gold. Rolling drums and warning calls. The Maharaj himself would be on a magnificent horse looking on at his ‘Praja’ throwing gold and silver coins.

For a while nothing happened. All I saw was a strangely empty road devoid of the usual hustle bustle of the evening, children cycling, pet dogs walking their owners and the ever yapping group of maids. Curiosity got the better of me and I opened my gate and walked to a point from where I could see the colony gate. I still couldn’t hear the drums, what I did hear was an unusual sounding horn. Maharaj was definitely coming in a strange vehicle. And then I heard it again! It was a trumpet! ..No..no not the brass musical instrument with a brilliant tone ( what are you thinking?!!) …it was a trumpet as in ‘cry of an elephant.’ And I heard it again…gosh! Maharaj was coming on an elephant

I stood there and waited with anticipation. Hundreds of years ago people would have waited like this for a glimpse of their Raja, the King of their land, revered, and respected, given the status of god, his principles to be followed, O! the righteous King. Jai ho! Jai ho! Flashes of pictures from the Amar Chitra Kathas came alive in my mind. However, in entered a lone elephant… trumpeting aloud (without the maharaja). It shook its head; the long white tusk glistened and it trumpeted again. Its trunk then stayed at the top and it smelled the air left and right and then in front. With another head shake it decided to forge ahead straight towards me. For an elephant so huge and heavy it trotted surprisingly lightly on its trunk like legs. Trunk up, tail straight and parallel to the road, dashing on, it was a sight to be seen.

I was rooted to the spot, unable to move I looked enthralled with disbelief. I had heard of stories of elephants entering the colony but never imagined it would do so from the main gate. All around the colony there was thick vegetation and undergrowth. Layers of barbed wires existed supposedly to safe guard us from such invasions. It was now only a few feet away, ears flapping, head shaking, it was majestic and I felt tiny, so irrelevant, and no match. Trample me! I don’t deserve to exist in your land. This is your territory, I have invaded it and occupied it and ousted you oh! Glorious One.

When I looked at the elephant all powerful and so strong, I had revelation of sorts for humans, so small and incomparable we have defeated all other species, overpowered them with our mighty intelligence, brain power. We piddly Homo sapiens. The meaning of Homo sapiens learnt while studying history? biology? some 25 years ago made more sense at this moment: The only surviving hominid; species to which modern man belongs; bipedal primate having language and ability to make and use complex tools; brain volume at least 1400 cc. Black or white, female or male, any caste or creed, it doesn’t matter, we are the species which has transformed all odds and conquered all living things. We have the power to occupy all the space, we have the greed to want more space after occupying all space.

This was no time for contemplation but for survival! One more second and I would be mashed potatoes under its legs. Then it would toss me, gore me with its tusks and fling me into the bushes…..dare you stand on my path…

I came to my senses and rushed into my cage of bricks and cement. One bang and the elephant could break the wall. One bang and we could lose everything we had bought over our lifetime of living and travel. One bang and it could all be over.

But it did nothing of the sort and went for the jackfruit and banana trees in our garden. Couple of more elephants joined in and had a party. The herd knew exactly where to go, which garden to invade and which route to take.

It left... with many broken fences but luckily no broken bones in its wake.

Gateway to the NE

2013-02-21T23:33:00.001-08:00

We reached our new location, somewhere in the North East, sometime in the afternoon. After dumping the bags, I stood at our entrance and looked out. I could see beyond the low boundary wall a vast stretch of barren land dotted with few shrubs and bushes, on my right and left there were a couple of guest rooms and beyond them more barren land. Nobody was around, the sun glinted fiercely, and quite suddenly I felt as if I was the only one on earth. Loneliness engulfed and swallowed me. I felt a sense of… What the hell?.. Where am I?, Where are the birds, the stray dogs, the stray and ever available cows? There was a panic desperation…a need to ‘DO SOMETHING’!

I quickly emptied the bags and put everything in the cupboards. Then I picked my mobile and dialed a number only to hear a female voice say , ‘this facility is not available’. Disgusting! At least she could have said what was available … by the looks of it…it seems ‘nothing’ was easily available here. Oh! That’s so true in life too nothing is easily available, whichever way you think. I slept off to avoid any more philosophical thoughts.

Evening brought in some cars, people and dogs, I had panicked unnecessarily. Then it started raining. It poured and poured. And I was back to… What the hell?.. Where am I? After dinner I settled down and suddenly I heard a howl. A jackal! There was a reply howl, JackalS!! The din of the night began; it seemed there was a jungle surrounding me especially near my doors and windows. All sorts of sound made itself heard. Was that an elephant? With a sigh I prepared myself for a sleepless philosophical night.

I did fall asleep.

Morning I woke up with a start and rushed to the window. I drew the curtains a little and peered outside to see what? a jungle, maybe with many wild animals roaming freely. Unfortunately no! I saw a VERY bright day and long stretches of barren land. I looked at my watch and it was just 5am.

Welcome to the East.

somedate/somemonth/someyear

It’s about a month since we moved into this quaint (old fashioned) bungalow. It is a house so located that you can see people coming and going from three sides of the house through various doors and windows. Likewise, travellers on foot and cycles can carry on their journey with some entertainment along the way by peering into our house. All free, Of course!

Talking about entertainment, I am entertained by hordes of monkeys in the colony. There are more monkeys than people. It’s we who are in cages. (Literally and mentally, another philosophy) They come in batches, walk on the roads, jump on the roofs, pull out plants and flowers, toddle on telephone wires and cables balancing and hanging if required. Their 'Games time' is three in the afternoon when I am trying to take a nap. After a round of ‘Catch Me If You Can’ they start jumping violently on our roof and the tinned-roof shed; they love the sound of the tin. The competition to make the noisiest jump continues all afternoon.

Docile Ones.. Posing

On one such afternoon I saw many monkeys jumping and hanging on our clotheslines. This was the very wild and rogue batch. One was hanging deftly on the mouth of a tap trying to suck the water out. Another was jumping on the rod that links up with the dish antenna. The little ones were pulling out grass and running around joyfully. The mothers were looking out for any sign of danger and the fathers (I think ;-) ) were chasing each other and creating a ruckus..

My attention was drawn to a small baby. It was sitting by itself in the shade on the clothes. A slight breeze was blowing my dupatta on its upturned face. It loved the feeling of the hanging dupatta on its face. As soon as the breeze stopped the baby monkey looked away, the moment the breeze started it turned towards the dupatta and lifted its face up expectantly for the soft caress. I watched this with mixed emotions. It was a delightful sight but I was also worried about my dupatta. Finally my worry for my dupatta was put to rest when a larger monkey yanked it out of the clothesline, tearing it in the process, and rushed with its possession up a tree. All the other monkeys wanted their share and followed suit. A frenzied action left my tattered dupatta hanging on one of top branches of the tree for days.

Well, people hoist their flags on mountain tops. I am getting there…almost!

Chronicles of Andaman V

2011-03-08T05:08:00.000-08:00

Quite by accident, I discovered this most beautiful moth in the world. I was totally awestruck. I ran to get my mobile afraid that it would disappear whilst I am gone. But, that didn’t happen; it was waiting patiently and I clicked. It continued to pose while I tried every angle to capture its beauty. I was just not satisfied, I stopped and stared. It was beautiful alright, but... how was I to know that it was magical as well?

‘Stare all you want at my battle torn wings.’ It said

And a vision formed right above it, inviting and beckoning. I looked right and left and then dove right into the vision.

It was there in all its glory; complete and unblemished. It flitted around... gently ...stopping here, stopping there unable to decide. Restless it flew again to another source and finally grabbed an insect and sucked its juice and turned it around; toying and enjoying its catch. As it savoured, contentment filled and it felt drowsy and settled for a siesta at the same spot. It was a good spot for this is where it was satiated and fulfilled.

A juvenile snake was watching this whole affair with interest. Still, and looking for a chance, it watched the moth and thought, such beauty yet so dumb.

‘Eat, eat all you want for this is your last supper,’ said the snake.

The moth's wings quivered, in bliss, drunken on satisfaction. It contemplated moving up to a secure location.

‘Just a minute later,’ resolved the moth.

The snake slithered closer and took one last look at its magnificent and juicy snack. Striking the prey at the right moment was crucial to perfect execution. It is the shock, surprise, and fear that sends the juices spurting through the body, shooting it through every little vein of the prey - making it tastier.

At the chosen moment it lurched springing from its well hidden berth.

At the same chosen moment the moth chose to move up.

Shock, surprise and fear sent juices squirting through its body; it wrapped its wing around its body and slipped from the poised fang of the snake. The snaked struggled grabbing at anything and everything positioning its fang. It twisted tight feeling the prey slip. The moth rolled away from the fang and fell through the open mouth of the snake into its stomach.

‘No! I want to bite first and relish you’ thought the snake as it felt the moth slip into the tunnel of its body. Disgusted the snake moved its muscles and pushed the moth deeper and further. The moth gripped at inner lining of the pulsating muscles and crept upwards choking the throat of the snake, forcing it to open its mouth. The snake regurgitated and got its fang out, yet again, with pleasure. However, the moth rolled and spread its mutilated wings and flew out and away from the snake. The snake looked at it with disbelief. It was now perched so high; the winner of the duel.

The moth that entered the snake’s stomach and remained alive to tell the tale , bore the medal on the tip of its wings. It showed the hood of a snake.

Snake Faced Moth

Chronicles of Andaman IV

2010-11-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

The turtle called Admin stirred, stretched its legs and peeked out from underneath its shell to take a ‘look around’. It was shocked...where are the familiar buildings? where are my Europeans friends? what has happened to my Island? Is this Ross Island or have I floated elsewhere? It opened its eyes wide and saw the remnants of old building, broken walls, heaps of rubble, dilapidated and wasted. The splendor, the opulence, the grandeur all gone!

Close by the thick, surface root of a Rain tree saw Admin stir. It hated anything that moved, it wanted to capture it, entangle it in its vicious grip and subdue it. This Island is mine and only mine! I will spread my web, I will embalm it within me again. But that was not to be .......for Admin after nearly 30 years of slumber was wide awake and handed over Ross to the Indian Navy (Year 1979)....

When Admin woke up!

I (this is me, indoo!) must have taken umpteen number of pictures of Ross Island. Tell me am I to be blamed?

Imagine you are on a boat at the Aberdeen Jetty, Port Blair and what you see ahead is Ross Island. Half an hour later you reach Ross

Ross from Aberdeen Jetty

Ross Island was the administrative headquarters of the British while the cellular jail was being constructed in Port Blair Island. With the beginning of the uprising in 1857 the British found it difficult to deal with the rebels and wanted them out of sight and contact. The idea of forming a penal settlement in the wild Andaman Islands took birth.

On 10^th March 1858 an experienced jail superintendent Dr. James Patterson Walker arrived at Ross with 773 freedom fighters, an Indian overseer, 50 naval guards and 2 doctors. The 773 freedom fighters were ‘offloaded’ in the wild jungles of Ross and were made to clear it, build accommodation for them while they relaxed and lived on-board the ship.

Soon structures were up - the jail superintendent’s bungalow (Government House), Anglican Church, Power house, houses for Officers, barracks for British soldiers, Library, Bakery, Store house, separate club houses for senior officers and sub ordinates with swimming pool and tennis court and some accommodations even for the British employed Indians. Once the work was done, the workers were moved to Viper Island. The gallows awaited them.

Here are some old pictures

Bazaar on Ross Island - 1880

Abandoned Bakery

Can you see people swimming?

In 1942, the Japanese army arrived at Ross and the English had to abandon it, some were taken as prisoners and some were executed. Ross was ravaged again this time by the Japanese, they built bunkers and under ground tunnels and guess who did all the work? The Japanese Admiral lived at the Government house and ruled. At the end of World War II they surrendered and Ross, once again, belonged to the British but they never returned.

A tired, worn down and war torn Ross was slowly forgotten. Nature to its delight took over, several trees and branches started creeping and crawling to take their possession back. Earthquakes rocked, the sea ravaged around it and some weak, uncared-for buildings fell, giving Ross the haunted look.

Admin didn't realize that the memories of our history were being erased and all the painstaking hard-work, of our freedom fighters, was disappearing......... it was fast asleep.

I am in-charge

Steeple of the Church

Behind the Bakery

As the board says Power House

Officers Quarters

Navy took it upon itself to restore the buildings and maintain the Island when it was handed over in 1979. Our history is kept alive by them to this day.

This will greet you when you get off the boat

Partly restored officers quarters


The restored bakery

Remember the swimming pool from above

The beauty of Ross is a potpourri of roots, branches, trees, buildings, rubble, stairs leading nowhere, tunnels and bunkers.

Today many people visit Ross to hear the only guide Anuradha Rao talk about Ross in Hindi and smattering of English. She is the fourth generation of her family to be associated with Ross. She doubles up as a caretaker of the birds, animals and fishes of the Island. Here are some more pics


Anuradha in Action (Picture posted with permission)

Anuradha's dear deers

So what do you think, am I to be blamed?

Chronicles of Andaman III

2010-09-18T00:31:00.000-07:00

There were three surprises in store for me:

* The sight of the sand bar

* The sight on the other side of the sand bar.

* The sight of a shh….

Read on to know more……..

There is something nice about the word ‘Cinque’. I loved to let it roll off my tongue, ‘Cinque.’ Maybe because it sounds like sink but is not.

Cinque is one of the Islands of the 572 Islands of Andaman and Nicobar. Cinque is actually two Islands Cinque I and Cinque II. The beauty of Cinque is that when the tide is high Cinque I and Cinque II join to become one and when the tide is low they become separated with what we call a ‘sand bar’ in between.Tourists need to get a permit to visit these islands.

Cast Off

We reached Chidiya tapu, another beautiful beach of Port Blair, small in size flanked with sea walls, well ahead of schedule. The sea looked rough and water roared with anger and beat the wall threatening to erode and pull it down. Our dongy bobbed up and down beckoning us to anchor it with our weight! One by one all the families assembled donning shorts, hats, sun screen lotion and holiday mood. We were to divide ourselves into two groups and get into the now, two dongies bobbing up and down. After a frantic ‘I will get on in this one, no-no I want to get on that one’, everyone settled down. Our fate was now sealed with the choice we had made. I thought it reflected so much to life. We time and again make choices in life. To abandon the chosen choice would mean jumping into the ocean and swimming towards the other dongy. The question then arises, ‘are you ready to take the risk?’

The boat sailed out, away from the beach and into the sea. Surprisingly the water was very calm. It was behaving rough only near the sea wall. The sun was bright and shining down upon us. A small canopy provided us with a welcome shade. A soft breeze wafted, the dongy floated up and down with the waves; the movement ever so mild that I felt like I was gently being rocked in the bosom of mother earth.

A school of flying fishes caught some ones attention and soon everyone was wide awake watching the fishes skim over the water and leap up and land way ahead in water. After an hour and a half we could see the Cinque Islands in the horizon

Cinque I...Sand bar...Cinque II

As we approached closer I saw that all the trees seemed as if they were wind blown from one side. All were leaning on the right even though there was no wind.

Wind blown from left

We beached on Cinque II and after stretching our legs got ready to snorkel. I bravely put on the snorkels; my heart rate immediately went up. I waded into the water and ducked my head down. Almost immediately my fear vanished. I saw rows and rows of stag-horn and table corals. It was a forest of corals down there.

A forest under sea

A huge two feet groper stealthily watched the fishes swimming in and out of the corals, a brasse darted by, smaller sized multicolored fishes swam together. We saw an Angel fish, a butterfly fish, clown fishes and school of barracudas.

Their life, their world, their destiny all floated in these waters.

Blue face Angel fish

Chromies around staghorn coral

Busy bodies

Forked caudal fin with black tip?

Juvenile grouper?

I don’t know how the time passed
but it was time to return to the beach.

On my way back I was escorted back by a whole of baby jelly fishes. They pricked and stung all over but I was alright, no major rashes or bumps. The tide was low and so it was decided that we could go to see the sand bar. We immediately got into a Gemini and went towards Cinque I. We reached the sand bar in fifteen minutes. We climbed over the sand bar to see the other side. Nothing had prepared me for the sight that unfolded. It was breathtakingly beautiful. It was a feast for the eyes.

View standing on top of the sand bar (Nokia mobile pic)

Soon it was time to return from this paradise back to Chidiya tapu. We climbed again into the dongy, a tired lot and sailed out and away from Cinque. We had only gone a little ahead when we heard a warning ‘Shark.’ I looked up, in the general area where we had been snorkeling just a little while ago and saw the telltale fin of a shark speeding along, keeping pace with our boat. We stifled any noise coming out of our mouths and watched half mesmerized, half terror struck. Suddenly the shark leaps out of the water and goes straight up, all of us shrieked, it did a flip in the air and landed with flop then.. swam away from us cutting the water with its fin once again. A babble of excitement spread through all of us, adrenaline rushing, all of us speaking at once. ‘What an unbelievable sight!’ ‘What a relief it went away.’

An amateur's attempt to capture the picture of the shark

Chronicles of Andamans-II

2010-04-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

t’was hardly a month since we had moved to Port Blair that we got an opportunity to go into the seas aboard one of our friend’s boat. The plan was to go from Aberdeen jetty to North point where the boat would be anchored in the middle of the sea, we would then get into a Gemini and go up further North in deeper waters and do snorkelling.

For me, having never travelled on such a boat was itself exciting. My friend took me to the front part of the boat and made me sit on the bow? …the front portion of the boat, (imagine sitting on the bonnet of a car and speeding) water rushing, a fine spray caressing my face, with fear tugging my heart, my thoughts racing ... ‘am I holding on tight?, is my grip loosening?.... I am being clumsy, I am going to fall into the sea’ and so on. Meanwhile the breeze was trying to make each strand of my hair dance to its tune flying left, right, up and down and I, squinted my eyes against the wind barely managing to keep them open. Shirt flying, unstable legs and clammy hand, blind eyed, everything was working towards pushing me overboard.

One of the boys in the group let’s call him ‘Wish’ was thoroughly enjoying watching me, my careful walking on the boat, purposeful heavy footsteps, gripping toes ...holding this and that with my hands alternating so that at any point in time one of my hands was definitely holding on to something. There are so many jutting pipes and knobs to hold on to on a boat. (Very handy I must say!) One had to be careful though because what you thought was a fixed thing would turn out to be a handle of sorts and suddenly turn while you are holding on to it for your life.

Wish had a whale of a time watching my antics. He, (all of eleven years of age) was a pro and ran about as if we were on a play ground or something, jumping over this and that. Kids have this uncanny (“adults, please read that as bugging”) habit of making everything look simple. Forty-five minutes later it was time to move into the Gemini which I discovered was a very low boat on inflated tyres! with a motor. “Can it take all of us at one time?” I enquired worriedly. Wish promptly answered “Yes”. “Hello, Is there anybody else other than Wish over here?” (See the picture of Gemini Inflatable below)

We took off in the Gemini and went into the ocean, (well, it felt like the ocean to me) and stopped. Experts in the Gemini knew this to be the place where excellent corals and marine life could be seen. One by one people got off, each with buoy and snorkels fitted on. I also got into the water (snorkeled and buoyed oh boy!) and I found an expert diver next to me since it was my first time. The Gemini immediately moved away. It went quite far away, I felt.

The diver taught me how to put my head under water, snorkel and breathe. I think if I had learnt this part closer to the shore and after getting a hang of it, come along so deep into the sea, I would have enjoyed it. As things stood here I was knowing so little about it, I wasn’t very comfortable and after a little while I actually alarmed the expert by saying ‘I am feeling tired’. He panicked!.. and waved the Gemini to come closer. The moment it came close I had my hands promptly curled around a rope which was going all around the Gemini. I couldn’t (more appropriately, wouldn’t) let go. ‘Ma’am the buoy won’t let you go under, just leave the boat and see’ advised some helpful men. I said ‘no, no I am fine you guys go ahead and I dived my head under water, I could see some corals but I could also see, by titling my head just a little, the deeper part, endless chasm filled with water going deep, deep…. deep below.

I brought my head out, I was still holding on to the Gemini. ‘You are missing something ma’am leave the Gemini’ tried another. ‘I can see some corals’ I replied indignantly and dived my head down again more to avoid being told to leave the Gemini, I saw a big fish dart by. It was beautiful, golden and black striped. I brought my head up again and asked the one chap who was left there on the Gemini if he could move the Gemini ahead while I kept holding on to the rope (where was the need to leave the rope!) I could float (I know how to float in water, I swear!) and the Gemini could glide by. He discussed with other men and put on the motor and started slowly going forward. There was such a gush of water that I had to hold on tight to the rope, it was so difficult, my whole concentration was on not letting go. The idea was abandoned and people reverted to ‘leave the rope nothing will happen, look at me blah blah blah.’

Who should swim by, none other than Wish, he said ‘You are so scared of water, how do you take bath?’ I gave him a dirty look and said ‘I am not exactly floating in ten to twenty feet deep water while having a bath.’ ‘But still, it is just water’ he said and swam/floated away. Another expert, who had actually saved me from drowning once, Sri, came and said ‘I will follow you all the way, you just see the corals, get away from the Gemini’ and he was not even having a buoy with him (freestyle swimming, bah!). ‘You have to be right behind me’ I said. A pact was signed, with three, four witnesses, the only thing missing was a waterproof paper and pen, I finally, much to the relief of every single one of the group, left the boat and with gentle push from Sri went into the sea.

There were amazing varieties of corals. It’s a different world altogether, a very cliché statement but no other statement can fit in so aptly. I observed the going-ons mutely and mutely the fishes gave me a go ahead looking point blank into my eyes. A wide variety of fishes were there some sleek and fast, others as if out on a stroll swimming slowly, peacefully with all the time in the world. Looking at them I slowed and automatically my heart rate slowed. Indigo coloured clams opened and after a few minutes closed. The colour was so rich that I couldn’t take my eyes away from them. I think the term ‘vibrant colour’ must have occurred to someone while looking at these clams. It was as if the colour was alive.

Cauliflower corals, Staghorn corals, finger corals, boulder shaped corals and brain corals were there in abundance. All shades of brown, green, pink, yellow, blue, aquamarine, jade, viridian, malachite, cobalt, cerulean, Sapphire, midnight blue were there for me to catch a glimpse. I frankly didn’t know where to look, I didn't want to miss anything. Few clown fishes darted about around the rippling sea anemones. Orange coloured fishes, butterfly fishes, sand coloured ones, blue with yellow tail, twin tailed and many more swam in and out of the corals.
Here are a few pictures of the corals taken from a friend's camera, not much justice done capturing its beauty, but still.....

Boulder Corals

Finger Corals

Lettuce Corals

Staghorn Corals

Soft Corals

I was glad that ultimately I was able to see all of the above, and I resolved to see more…a nagging feeling of invading the privacy and peace of the undersea world bugged me, I promised that I would observe quietly and would not touch any of the corals, I am ready to sign, where is that waterproof paper and pen?

Some interesting picture of the land that is North Point (from my mobile)

Turning Left !

Trek To North Point Light House

Towering Up

Read Up!

Way to go

View from atop ~ this side

~ that side (zoomed closer)

That's it...............

Chronicles of Andamans

2010-03-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

I was clue less, Snorkeling? What does it mean? I mean it (the word) must have existed all this while. I should have come across it, may be in some novel, movies, some conversation…somewhere. Nope. Never heard anybody say ‘we snorkeled’, till we got relocated to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. You know how it is, we were not too familiar with the word ‘Tsunami’ till it actually hit us with a bang in 2004, right? At least I was familiar with the word ‘Andamans’, not like that shopkeeper who asked us, while we were trying to search for a road map of Andamans, ‘Is it in India?’

However exotic it may sound, my initial months over here were totally prejudiced against it. No Mc Dees, no Dominos, no Pizza huts and Pizza corners, no Ice cream palours, or any other eating joint close by. Come on, We need a break from my cooking! No high rise buildings, (of course earth quake prone, island, what did I expect?) no malls! no colleges, no theatres, this is criminal. Help! Help!

It was dark and dismal the first few days. The road was totally covered with all kinds of insects and creepy crawly things, mostly with shells. I had to watch out where I was putting my foot down. I dreaded hearing a ‘crunch’ sound coming from right under my foot. It rained incessantly. It was just too bright, for my liking, early in the morning. (4.30 am!). It was dark by 5 pm. There went my walking routine. I didn’t want to walk ‘crunching’ along. I kept imagining a centipede crawling up the bed, may be it is inside the shoes, within clothes, here, there, everywhere.

The silence all around was unnerving; I could hear only the sound of crickets and various insects making a noise in fact a racket, reaching a crescendo followed by a sudden quiet. No sound of vehicle or people. My ears started aching because of the silence.

From a response ‘Its ok’, to the question ‘How do you like the place?’ to, ‘Wow, it’s amazing’.... lay the journey of discovery. How it happened, when it happened, I have no idea, I am clueless.

The beginnings, the twitch towards falling in love with this place might have been this sight.

This snail was so completely camouflaged (with design of the tiled wall it was descending) that I detected it quite by chance.

Or it could have been this moth, on returning late one evening......

May be this one....

or this ....

might have been this one...

what about this?

In fact there are so many that I can't possibly put them all here!

..........except maybe just this last one

One last one promise..

I have decided all of them need to be looked at, at least once, so I have made a slide show of them & 'planted' them on the right side of the blog.

The insects of Port Blair had me on my toes, forcing me to run and fetch my mobile and keep it ready, just in case I found one of the endemic species. Ready, to capture their beauty while they posed patiently, I slowly but steadily fell in love with them.

.....And thus began my journey of discovery of the Emerald Islands, Andaman and Nicobar.........Ooop! Snorkeling? May be in my next article...

Pattaya

2010-02-23T00:13:00.000-08:00

When I think of Pattaya, I am reminded of three things

Parasailing
Undersea walking
and
Kay, though strictly speaking you can’t call Kay, a thing.

Parasailing:

We set off in the morning for the most famous Pattaya beach, we were to enjoy two activities, parasailing and undersea walking. Immediately, I decided I was going to try both. We got into the speed boat and shot ahead. It was a very windy day, in fact it was blowing so hard that I thought the wind was going to rip my hair, off my head!

Some, half an hour later, we could see something in the sky, as we moved closer we were able to make out colourful parachutes soaring in the sky. Will I be able to do that? a teeny voice asked me, I squashed it immediately. We anchored our boat close to a floating dock and almost immediately we were made to wear the gear, I wore mine, the fastest, Yeepee.....Seeing that I was ready a lady asked me ‘you go?’ I said ‘oh! No, no. First somebody else go, I watch’. So she replied ’you ready, you go’ Well, I thought I might be physically ready what about mentally. I said ‘I afraid, I watch first, then I go’ for which she said ‘No, No, No afraid, run.. run and go, no problame…half dip? Full dip? I said ‘half dip’. ‘Okay , now run…run.. run ..’she said and I ran and before I knew I was lifted off the dock and was dangling in mid air. The rope slackened a bit and my feet dipped into the water and I dragged my legs (not that they were in my control..!) under water. It was the strangest feeling, cold water, gushing wind ..asking me to abandon everything and leave everything to its mercy. Oh, My god what have I got into! That thought made me hold on to the rod with all my might, so tight that I felt my hand hurting but nothing would loosen my hold at that time.

I soared up again, I dreaded to look down, but I did, I could see the dock faintly, far down below and could see people as small specks. I looked straight again and gathered courage to look around, it was an exhilarating feeling. On the horizon I saw Pattaya written and my fear vanished from my heart and soul. I allowed myself to glide, fly and soar . I kept looking right, left, up and down trying to capture the view in my mind. I tried to capture the feeling too. Feeling of being powerless, yet powerful. Fear gripping feeling and the feeling of abandonment. Is this me? Am I doing this?

That's me !!

Mid air, .....now, I was turning around...... the view changed, I could see that I was moving closer to the dock, but I was way up still . Is it over? I didn’t want it to end. I started coming down, down and down..and so skillfully it was done that I landed very smoothly. Face flushed and a smile so wide that it almost touched my ears! I stood transfixed unable to shake off the blood rushing feeling. Expert hands removed my gear and I could hear another one being commanded to run.....just run..

Undersea walking:

Undersea walking! Let me give you a background about my swimming skills here. I learnt to swim, 25 meters! Non stop! which I consider one of the biggest achievements of my life, on 12.aug.07 i.e. at old age. A month from that day I learnt how to drown just as quickly! Seriously, it is an art to learn to drown once you know how to swim. I have mastered it. One moment you will see me swimming happily, with gay abandon and with the blink of an eye you will see me splashing, gurgling,swallowing water.. and hands beating the water and disappearing under water and re emerging, gasping for oxygen, all that’s associated with drowning. It completely alarms an onlooker.

So you might wonder, what on earth made me say ‘yes’ to undersea walking. Well, I wanted to maybe prove a point to myself or get over this panicky feeling while in water. Before entering the water we were given some instructions. The divers also taught us some signs, hand signals. They were something like this, as soon as we touched the sea bed, we were supposed to show them an ‘all ok’ sign, a tight fist. If we did not feel comfortable, we were to show open hand, palm down, tilting it up and down (like as if we wanted to say ‘so so’) If we felt totally uncomfortable and wanted to go up immediately, we were to show ‘thumbs up sign’ indicating that we wanted to go up for sure.

We formed a queue, around ten of us and one by one the people in front of me disappeared under water. Soon it was my turn. They asked me to step down a few rungs of the ladder, then they put this huge full face oxygen mask kind of thing, on my head it rested on my shoulders, quite heavy, as soon as I went one step further down, the water was over my head. At this point, I would like to mention since the time I got stuck in a bathroom, whose walls were made of steel, with no windows, and a door that got completely jammed, I have developed this fear of closed spaces, claustrophobia. So with this thing over my head, and water everywhere, I felt panic .Sheer Panic. Unknowing the diver took my hand and went deeper and deeper, finally, my feet were touching the seabed, he stopped and turned around and asked ‘all ok?’ in the recently learned sign language. I kept looking at him for some time. My mind telling me to show him a ‘not ok sign’, take me up, this is a mistake, Panic. The diver glared at me and angrily asked again ‘all ok?’ Say something, finally my hand curled into a fist and I showed him the sign. My mind screamed, what are you showing? Wrong sign! You have gone mad! Suddenly the diver vanished from sight and my hand was guided to hold on to someones hand.I couldn’t turn and see who it was as the vision around me was restricted, I could see only in front, water..water. I could feel the panic rise, I forcefully calmed myself, repeatedly told myself relax, relax, be calm, be calm. I reasoned, I am holding somebody’s hand, it is not as if I am all alone.... soon I felt my other hand being guided to hold another person.

We all started moving ahead. I don’t know for how long we walked, it seemed like forever. Suddenly I felt the person holding my hand trying to let go of me, I grabbed harder, is my hand slipping? I held tighter. The person kept jerking and I wouldn't let go, a moment later, I felt somebody yank my hand off and break the hold; the person whose hand I was holding was not able to take it and was led back (I came to know later). Here I was, my hand just waving free trying to hold on to something. After what seemed like eternity my hand was linked to another hand and I felt a little peace, how quickly we get accustomed to little comforts.

We moved ahead again and soon saw a huge mass of corals. We were made to stand facing the corals, right in front beyond the corals I saw a camera, oh ! I was being photographed, ‘Smile’ I said to myself. After this I thought, now we will go back, but that was not to be. We were taken a little away from the corals and given something in our hands.(Yes, we were made to let go holding each other!) A diver came in my view he held out his hand and a swarm of fishes came to eat the stuff in his hand. I did the same thing and several fishes of different sizes started plucking and eating. What a sight, it was beautiful, different coloured fishes swam back and forth, swimming effortlessly, twitching their tails, swaying their fins, staring with those beautiful big eyes, It was fantastic; here I was surrounded by fishes with no human in sight. Me, water and fishes! Unbelievable.

Hello World !!

Again the diver came in my view and asked me to sit down, more fish food was given .I could now turn slowly and take in the view surrounding me. I could see the faces of people whose hands I had been holding. We could show our excitement and wonder at each other, we now pointed out different fishes to each other. Bigger fishes started arriving now. They broke of bigger chunks of food, tugging it so that we could feel the force. I watched them finish off the food, darting about looking for more.. My god! the wonder of life.

Slowly we were made to get up and we started to go back .I surfaced up, just before coming out of the water the mask was taken off and I climbed up the steps, shakily. Once above water, I was glad to breathe but I felt weak and tired, I was given a bottle of water, I was asked to finish at least a litre of water. After drinking water, I felt better, the dizziness vanished and I was ready to narrate the experience to anyone willing to listen.

KAY :

Kay was our guide; She enlightened us about the culture of Thailand, its people and life. I couldn't make out how old she was, a petite built, she looked as if she wouldn't be able to organize a thing. She proved us all wrong and she skillfully guided us, satisfying our curiosity, putting up with our idiosyncrasies, and all this with an ease that only a mature individual can muster. We were at the right place, at the right time, every time. Later, she told me that she was an orphan, and before I could say oh!... she continued, 'but I am happy, I live with aunts and uncles and whole lot of cousins.' She had caught the flu and in spite of having a raging fever she was guiding us through and managing the schedule so well that we didn’t even feel we were in a new place. She kept us entertained, the best part was the constant smile on her face. Thank You Kay !

Thailand

2010-02-17T22:07:00.004-08:00

sà-wàt-dii

The plane swayed a little, before making a smooth landing. I tried to get a glimpse and peered out craning my neck left and right, only managing to fog the window with my breath. Here I am, in Thailand, Bangkok…. Suvarnabhumi Airport pronounced “sùwannápʰūm” by Thai people. I walked a long distance looking for the 'Visa on Arrival' counter. I couldn't find for quite a long way, there was a board and I stopped to ponder upon the script of Thai trying hard to guess what was written. I gave up and went ahead soon, saw the Visa counter. Filled up the form and got it stamped ‘no problem’.

I reached the hotel and settled down. The best part of travelling is when you arrive and it’s still dark and later you open the windows and curtains to check the view; Whoaa...it’s an amazing feeling each time. I did that and the view was stunning, tall buildings all around and the sun shining bright and clear. One of the Sun’s rays hit the glass of the opposite building and got reflected back brighter than before. I squinted my eyes and surveyed the roads and the traffic. I saw a number of cars lined up one behind the other maintaining a distance of at least two feet , no honking, no trying to close the gap and no urging to move ahead. Self disciplined.

After a sumptuous breakfast, I hit the road. I panned my eyes all around - girls, women and elderly ladies everywhere going about their business. I was surprised! where were the men and children? Soon I saw some men here and there. On the whole there were more females than males, which means that ‘it’s not unlucky’ to be born a Thai woman in this century.

Bangkok! yes, That’s the name familiar to the tourist; the real name of Bangkok is some 15 words /43 syllables long. I am not even going to try and write it!

As always I wanted to get the feel of the place and the people, so I decided to head for the Chatuchak market. Its a weekend market. You can get anything and everything you are looking for and by that I mean tangible and intangible! The market has a typical Bangkok smell that you need to get used to. So I shopped a little and mostly tried not to get into anyone’s way. As the day progressed, it got crowded and brisk business followed. Surprisingly no flared tempers, no rude talking, no jostling… so either the Thais are basically non aggressive people or today was a good day.

I decided to go back by what looked like an efficient means of transport the túk-túk, a three wheeled vehicle. The driver weaved and zipped here and there and I reached my destination well before time! Interestingly there are many ways one can move around in the city. The Sky train is pretty cool, it moves on tracks slightly above the city. The subway, underground train is also there. There are metered taxis of different colors pink, purple, and blue! Oh! I almost forgot, there is also this Motorcycle Taxi for all those who are travelling alone.

After covering some major tourist spots like The Grand Palace, the abode of Emerald Buddha, National Museum and Royal Barges National Museum, I saw the largest reclining Buddha and several glittering Buddha images at Wat PHO. It is an excellent place for taking some great pictures. Later I went for the Siam Niramit show, a novel way to get to know about the history and culture of Bangkok. Don’t miss it!

A trip to Thailand is incomplete without a traditional Thai massage. The roads and lanes are filled with parlors claiming to give different types of massages ranging from foot massage, oil massage, and half body massage to full body massage. I enquired for a place to get a traditional massage and my guide took me there. I changed into a comfortable outfit and got ready for the massage. A petite lady got on to the task, firm hands pressed all the bones one by one kneading out the knots and relaxing the muscles. It was unique; in the end I knew where all my bones were, precisely.

I decided to go on one of the dinner cruises organized along the Mae Nam Chao Phraya, the Chao Phraya River. It’s a must do. As the boat cruised softly far beyond the shore we could see the heart of Thailand, glittering golden lights. We drifted smoothly and peacefully. There was a singer on board who kept us entertained with songs in many different languages, singing in soft tones. Away from the din of the city this was very soothing. The buffet had some good choices but nothing to brag about, I would still say it was worth it. After dinner the singer sang some peppy numbers, which forced us to get up and dance.

The nights in Bangkok are brighter than that reflected light off the pane; I walked along the path taking in the sight. It was tantalizing, I did not feel or see anything distasteful. I believe it can be dangerous for single foreigners to walk alone. For me it was uneventful. Young, old, men and women moved about freely, giving meaningful looks, smiling and laughing. I was just witnessing the night life of Bangkok and let me tell you, the night life here is active, alright!

I also learnt some Thai English “You no give me for 50 baht, I no take”. “Hothail Milleneum, how I go?” It’s a pot simmering with tradition, culture, flamboyance, lights and sights. With a heavy heart I reached the airport all prepared to say “sa-wat-dee-khâ” to the hostess and “sa-wat-dee-khráp” to the attendant, hello and goodbye.

Operation Passport !

2010-01-16T22:38:00.000-08:00

Operation Passport !!

For me getting the passport was nothing short of an operation. My enemy was the bureaucracy and my ally was god and god helps only those who help themselves! And so, the bugle sounded… war….

It all began with a sudden fortune; we were to go to Thailand at short notice. I remembered that my passport had expired early that year and a half attempted process of renewal was shelved with the attitude “Where am I ever going abroad?” So when this opportunity actually arrived, ‘the better half’ earnestly got down to it and filled the online renewal form. We got the appointment date to submit the documents on a date nearly 2 weeks later, you see, the week was interspersed with a few Government holidays and a few working days in between.
Hubby dear had to rush off to get his own papers in order, some frantic calls told me that I should go and try to get an appointment for a date earlier and thus began the visits to ground Zero

Monday… After finishing the household chores I reached the Passport office, time 1130 hrs. It was milling with people, I struggled to park the car at an appropriate place, ya ya.. You know… women and car and parking! oh! by the way I was quite proud of the way I parked, in fact if I had time I would have gone all round the car admiring the scene. Anyways….

I saw a long queue at the gate. I pretended they were standing there for some other purpose and with an innocent, bordering on ignorant, face I entered the gate only to be stopped by the policeman a little ahead. A smattering of Telugu followed which I heard out with interest!. then informed him that I could not follow even a single word of what he had just said. “I just want to know whether..” I started to say and he stopped me right there and asked me to go to the other entrance and talk to the PRO.

Me, my yellow bag and files took the walk to the other gate. I was mustering the same innocent face when the guard stopped me even before entering why?..1200hrs no more entry he informed, I showed him the watch and said its only 1155hrs. “Come tomorrow, come tomorrow” was all I got from him. Still I hung around giving exasperated looks, it didn’t work on the guard it sure did on the touts around the gate. They swarmed me with single liners, “making passport ma..dum? Renewal?” “No problem madum”....“One day in hand passport madum”. I ignored them with purposeful strides went home making plans on how to leave the house early the next day and get this over with

Tuesday…An enthusiastic me reached the gate at sharp 0845hrs and upon entering saw a queue .I asked “I need to talk to the PRO, Is this the queue for that? I got a shrug for a reply. I went ahead asking people in the queue. Can, you believe nobody knew for what they were standing!

Finally I saw a policeman he informed me that first I need to stand in this queue, the person on the counter will give an “Ok” to talk to the PRO. No harm, I went back to the end of the queue and joined it. One by one I told everyone that yes, this was the right Q for whatever reason they were here.

A friendly banter ensued amongst us, we all felt like we belonged to one family as we moved ahead sharing our woes regarding our Passports. I gathered a lot of knowledge about what all can happen in the process of getting one correct passport.

I reached the counter and informed that I wanted to speak to the PRO.I showed the online request form and my appointment date and said I wanted the date brought ahead as I needed the passport urgently. “Even if the Minister himself comes and asks for it, it cannot be done, you cannot meet the PRO” he said and returned the file and took on the next person. I was left standing; he refused out right to allow me to meet anybody at all.

A dejected me left the office. Almost immediately the touts started following muttering “making passport ma..dum? Renewal?” ”No problem”..”One day in hand passport madum”. I thought lets see what they say .I told them my problem .The person concerned looked through the forms and the certificates and said everything was in order .He hurried to an office across the street and checked the computer screen and said “If you had come yesterday I could have given an appointment for today now next two days are holidays .Appointment is possible only on Friday now. It will cost Rs5000 plus the cost of other routine charges. Passport will be in your hand on Wednesday” But I wanted it done the right way, why should I pay Rs 5000?

Monday…Me, my yellow bag and files and my husband in his shining uniform went again to try and talk to the PRO. We were able get through the gate and reach the office of the PRO. The PRO gave us a look filled with loathsome ( you know , the kind of men who always look disgruntled ) and we had not even said or done anything to invite that. We waited for our turn and approached him. He looked at the form and said “Come on the date mentioned”. “Next...” ( Case dismissed?...)We felt helpless. Where to go next? What to do? An awful feeling of dejection descended upon me.

Friday …Went for the appointment, showed all the certificates and the old passport. Address proof etc etc. The form was accepted everything was in order “Please pay the money at counter B and collect your passport on Wednesday evening 1630hrs” I felt so happy and rushed to pay the money. While paying up I asked the gentleman just to be doubly sure, when I would be getting my Passport, he said on Wednesday. I asked “Will I get it from this counter? He said “Go and ask the PRO”

Wednesday…. both of us arrived and waited in the queue well ahead of time 1530hrs. We saw files being carried like trash, papers falling here and there, some files reaching the wrong counter. The site was totally alarming.

One by One the names were called out, smiling faces accepted them and moved out. 1900hrs I was still waiting straining my ears to hear Indu Srinivasan. I didn’t. I started to get that familiar sinking feeling. "Ajay Khanna...Mrs...Shabana Begum........Kuttan......."..and on and on....it went. Three hours went by, I was tired and close to tears with the sheer exhaustion of just waiting, .My name was not called out at all. A list arrived with names of persons whose Passport was not made. They were to meet the PRO the next day. No reason was given. My name was there on that list . Anger simmered inside me. If this was so why was the list not displayed right in the beginning? Why were we made to wait for 4hrs for nothing? We couldn't ask or do anything at all, all the office personnel had long gone and left.

There was total silence on our way back in the car. A deafening silence.

Thursday….After gaining some knowledge from friends, as to how to go about meeting the Pass Officers.We reached the Passport office and put this newly acquired knowledge to use. We sent a request for appointment at a nondescript gate for meeting the Passport officer. The passport officer arrived leisurely at 1130 hrs and started meeting people. Our turn came. In his massive room I felt small, almost minuscule. He took and heard us out and he asked us to meet Ms Secy . “It will be done” he said. We met up with the Secy .She tapped on the keyboard and said there seems to be no problem .You will probably get it tomorrow. We explained to her again about how urgently we required it as we had to leave on Saturday night, so if there was any document missing we could submit it . She promised that if there was a problem she would call and let us know so that we could do whatever was required and if she did not call it would mean that I would get it. We did not get the call.

Friday …I arrived alone and asked at the counter, they said my passport was not ready. I called up Ms Secy’s number several times, an hour later a lady replied and said that Ms Secy wasn’t on her seat .I told her how she had said that I would definitely get my passport today and I hadn’t .After a lot rustling noises I got the reply that there was some problem. I asked what problem? She said some police verification wasn’t complete in my old passport. I asked if that was so then how come I got the old passport. She had no reply .She cut the call and refused to answer any of my calls.

I did not get to go with the lucky ladies of the group heading to Thailand,

After much fighting, meeting the Passport officer again , meeting Ms Secy again teary eyed, with a lot of help from friends of well wisher, who did not even know me and by standing dharna at the gates of Passport Officer without food and water, I finally got the Passport on Tuesday 1630hrs. Strangely I didn't feel the happiness I only felt the exhaustion.

I got the foreign exchange with the help of another friend. I begged and convinced the travel agent to help me get on that flight to Thailand .Reaching the airport also wasn’t easy for me as the driver got confused ,lost his way and finally got a harried me at the Shamshabad Airport Hyderabad ‘late but safe’ I boarded the Flight to Thailand, Wednesday midnight. Reached early morning Thursday, a good five days late!

Moral: Just get that Passport made.

Gender Bias

2009-12-15T23:25:00.000-08:00

An Eye Opener.....

While working for DPS Lucknow I got an exposure to the issue of gender bias. It all began with the workshop “Growing up Equal” .It was organized by DPS Society with the cooperation of UNFPA for the sensitization of DPS school teachers on the crucial issue of Gender Inequity in general and Female Foeticide in specific. The concerned stakeholders i.e. DPS Society and UNFPA felt the immediate need to work on the declining child sex ratio in the substantial part of the country especially prevalent among the affluent and urban section of the society. As a part of this initiative teachers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal were invited to participate in the concerned workshop. The entire workshop was facilitated by technical expert and consultant from UNFPA assisted by Master Trainers from various DPS Schools.

The workshop was a very well planned program and the activities were very interesting .It gave scope for a lot of discussion automatically nudging the participants towards leading questions. I was quite surprised that even among us, educators so to say, there was an apprehension to come clear out and say it. There were many who felt that if one has a baby boy their status in society increases, they feel proud and relieved, especially if it is their second child. Yes, Gender bias exists deeply rooted in the hearts of many individuals. I guess, it showed how strongly I felt about the issue for I went on to become a teacher facilitator for the same program.

We were, as a team, made responsible to sensitize this issue. I found the whole experience of conducting the workshop with the team of selected teacher trainers very enriching and fulfilling. As a teacher trainer I realized the responsibility bestowed upon us to gently yet firmly make the participants sensitive to the issue of declining sex ratio and hence the issue of female foeticide. Most importantly I learnt to understand and listen to viewpoints and experiences of others. By observing Ms Tripurari and Dr Rama conducting the sessions I learnt how to respect others opinions and at the same time leave an impression, a ‘food for thought’ and not be over persuasive and pushy. Many heart wrenching stories came up during our discussions. We kept track of several newspaper articles with headings such as ‘Another Girl Child Abandoned’, 'Newborn baby girl dumped in the garbage’, Mother of newborn baby girl goes missing’. ’No brides for grooms’. Here is one of the newspaper articles that sensitized the issue:

The mystery of the missing girl child begins to unfold.

There is no tradition of having a girl child

18 boys, 6 girls and a skewed sex ratio
NANOWAL (FATEHGARH SAHIB)

WHEN the slim road lined by shrubs with a sprinkling of pink blooms and brown dust completes a gentle ‘S’, you know you have reached Nanowal. A village rich in buffaloes and boys. Last year it celebrated the birth of 18 boys and six girls.

The falling sex ratio is no news here, for Nanowal is part of the Fatehgarh Sahib district, which recorded the country’s lowest sex ratio of 754 in the age group of 0-6 years in the 2001 census

The landed Jat Sikhs, who form 70 per cent of Nanowal, have almost given up on them—this year, all the six baby girls born in the village belonged to SCs, the Jats only had sons. It was the same the year before last when the village saw 11 baby boys and two baby girls

Balwinder Kaur, wife of Sapinder Singh Sohi, the eldest of three brothers in a prosperous Jat Sikh family, tells you how it isn’t easy being the mother of daughter. ‘‘For a perfect family, a son is a must no matter what,’’ she murmurs. Daughters are dispensable. Which is why Sarabjit, her younger sister-in-law, who already has a baby boy is not planning any more children.

Please don’t think this issue exists in villages. It exists very much among the educated. Use of Ultra sound and other technological methods have made the job easier for adults wishing to have only male child. Indiscriminate usage has led to a much skewed sex ratio.

Child Sex Ratio : India’s scenario

The sharp decline in Child Sex Ratio in the age group of 0-6 years has raised an alarm. Census 2001 has shown a decline of 18 points, from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001.

Child Sex Ratio for the last four decades shows that it has been declining continuously and the decline has been the sharpest from 1981 onwards (chart below).

State-Wise Child Sex Ratio in India

Child Sex Ratio in the States and Union Territories
Sl. No.	State	0-6 Sex Ratio		Absolute Change
		1991	2001
1	Punjab	875	798	-77
2	Haryana	879	819	-60
3	Himachal Pradesh	951	896	-55
4	Chandigarh	899	845	-54
5	Delhi	915	868	-47
6	Gujarat	928	883	-45
7	Uttaranchal	949	908	-41
9	Maharashtra	946	913	-33
11	Nagaland	993	964	-29
12	Goa	964	938	-26
16	Orissa	967	953	-14
17	Jharkhand	979	965	-14
18	Andhra Pradesh	975	961	-14
19	Karnataka	960	946	-14
20	Meghalaya	986	973	-13
21	Bihar	953	942	-11
22	Uttar Pradesh	927	916	-11
23	Assam	975	965	-10
24	Madhya Pradesh	941	932	-9
25	Chhattisgarh	984	975	-9
26	Rajasthan	916	909	-7
27	West Bengal	967	960	-7
28	Tamil Nadu	948	942	-6
32	Kerala	958	960	2
1	India	945	927	-18

Imagine a world with no females. What do you think it will be like? Spare some time here close your eyes and imagine waking up and finding only men going about their business. Is the scene a happy one?

Do you think the value of females will increase as a result of scarcity? I doubt it.
In Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi lack of brides has led to trafficking of women from impoverished states like Bihar for menial amount of money. Women are being bartered. In some case there is sharing of wife between brothers.

The society is responsible for the current status of girls and women. Empowering them is the only way to go about this. Ages of suppression of female gender has made them dispensable. If at all anybody can turn around, it is us ‘females’ who can do it.

What could be reason for not wanting a girl child? Why does one feel disappointed? Are boys a better species of human beings?

Following points generally are put forth

Boys are strong; they can take care of themselves. Not true, boys need more help than girls in day to day living. They may be physically strong (….not all). Girls are mentally much stronger and more resilient. The very fact that women have allowed gender bias to go on to such an extent is proof enough of their resilience.By the way, the average age of women is longer than men. Girls are less prone to addiction of alcohol or tobacco. They are more respectful and helpful towards their elders.

Parents feel that a son will remain with them and take care of their need while a girl will get married and go away .Who has made this rule? Why should a girl always leave her home and go away. Why can’t it be more flexible and a consensus be arrived at as to who will move. These days’ boys are out of the house, state and even the country, so this point is as it is getting invalid.

Boys carry on the name. Why can’t a girl carry on with their own maiden name? These days girls are retaining their maiden and along with husband’s name. That should ease things a bit. Maybe children should take on their mother’s name. Why not?

Many feel that they have to protect their daughters especially once she starts her menstruations. Different religions have different ways of handling it. The treatment sometimes borders on mental torture. All kinds of restrictions are placed. A girl is made to feel guilty of having menstruating. List of dos and don’ts are imposed on the girl. It is just another excuse for gender bias.

There are chances of rape. Well, in the current scenario boys get just as much abused, mentally or physically. It is traumatic, it is not the victim’s fault it is the perpetrator who is at fault and should be made to suffer.

Accidental pregnancy and an unwanted child….There are several options today. Education comes handy here.

There are these and many issues that exist deeply ingrained in the mind of people. If educated people feel this way then we can have no hope from the uneducated lot. So the onus lies heavily on the educated women to correct this gender bias.

Ladhak

2009-11-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

Click me : Heaven On Earth

The Locals

After the climb..

The confluence of river Zanskar and the Indus. The brownish water of Indus and pure greenish water of Zanskar mixing and then flowing together as one.

One of the several Prayer wheels dotting the roadsides

an optical illusion ?

Funny Tale of Love in Paradise

2009-10-29T00:20:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time in the botanical gardens there lived a beautiful girl named Rose. The beauty of Rose could be summed up in one word Exotica. One day in the Morning Glory, Rose and her best friend Lily set off to visit Jasmine. They took some bright yellow Sunflowers and Candytuft.

Jasmine lived in Magnolia, which was a long way off, and the girls had to trek up and down the hills. They also had to Crossandra a river named Thyme, which was infested with Crocuses. They had gone only halfway when they saw a Phlox of Vulgaris coming towards them. They turned white as Snow Drop. They hesitated, but being brave girls they forged ahead.

The group of Vulgaris were upon them in no time. They whistled and teased them & yelled “Where are you going. Buttercups…?” As usually done under such circumstances the girls ignored and went ahead. Suddenly one of them named Aster caught hold of Rose and she screamed “Touch-Me-Not, you Railway Creeper”. A big tussle followed the girls held on their front. Lily saw some Butcher’s Broom, she picked them up and thrashed them Violet and Blue. The girls were quickly getting exhausted, it is said that the luck favours the fearless, for, coming along the path was Prince Adonis and his friend Sweet Williams on their Peony. “HollyHock!!!!” said Prince Adonis “What is happening here?” And both the friends sprang into action and saved the girls!!!. They offered to escort the damsels in distress to their friend’s house.

It was love at first sight for Rose and Prince Adonis. It was hard to miss the love blossoming between the two. Not far behind was Sweet Williams whose Iris were only on Lily. The Cupid had struck; the Cosmos was filled with Lavender, Daffodils and Geraniums. The Cineraria was beautiful. It wasn’t long before each asked the other to be their Valentine. The journey was nearly coming to an end so they had to part. Adonis said “Forget-Me-Not Oh! sweet Rose we will meet again” and they departed.

Lost in their own thoughts they reached the Bougainvillea where Jasmine lived and they rang the Bluebells. Jasmine’s Poppy named Pixie lily came running out greeting them with small barks. Oh !!!Petunia !! exclaimed Rose and patted the pup. Though they were having a good time it didn’t seem like old times for Rose and Lily because their heart and soul was elsewhere they had transformed from girls to ladies in no time.

With heavy heart they left their friends house to head home when they heard the sound of Carnations. It was Adonis & Sweet Williams to sweep them off their feet. Adonis asked Rose “Will you Marigold me?” Rose felt like the ‘Queen Of The Night' Lily went all Lilac when she said, “Yes” to Sweet Williams. Standing in bliss under the Rhododendrons the couples kissed with Tulips and sealed their love forever as flowers showered from above.

The Calendula showed the Date Plum had arrived when the couples would tie the knot and exchange their vows. The Sage in Saffron stood ready. Trembling like an Aspen, Rose arrived in Pimpernel Red. Adonis looked smart, his shoes shinning with Cherry Blossom !! Sweet Williams looked into the Hazel eyes of Lily & Periwinkle..d. Chris and the mums (Chrysanthemums), Jasmine, Daisy Cypress were all present to bless the newly weds. Love was in the air. Cupid flew like Pheonix to strike the next unsuspecting two.

Do you think it struck You?

If you have missed the cue read again for all the red coloured words are names of flowers

Sound, Sight And………. Spice of India

2009-09-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Trrring… Trrring … Trrring … Trrring …the alarm rang incessantly. He could hear his wife tinkering in the kitchen, she will get my tea to bed as prompt as my alarm.. .. “Tea” said Mohini, “Hmmm” said Harish. He got up and leaned back against the wall and sipped the hot tea and closed his eyes floating between sleepiness and wakefulness .Far off the calling of Azaan by the Maulvi resonated Allah…O, everyday without fail, such dedication .He for one was confused about religion. Soon he heard the early morning bhajan put on a cassette, from the temple nearby, and he absently played the tune in his head. He said to himself “Today I have to fix the Net work at office and also catch the linesman and give him Rs. 50/- or Rs.100/- to get my telephone in working condition”. With a sudden burst of energy and determination he started his morning routine of shaving, bath, breakfast with the morning news blaring on the TV .He stepped out and started his scooter, he wanted to cross the railway crossing before the gates closed for the morning train else…late again

Whrrroom…… before the gates came down he was on the other side. Lucky day today or what? He reached his workplace and logged on to his system …Well, No mails, No ‘You are short listed candidate for a fantastic company with fantastic pay’.

The boss boomed “Harish, today I hope the Network will be up and running, I want all you guys in for a meeting at 12 noon. Have you nailed the problem or is it beyond you?” “Yes Sir, it will be done today” he replied. He worked diligently and almost got it up when the power failed. Everybody waited for the generator to kick in, it always started immediately but today…. it just didn’t .All work came to a grinding halt. The meeting was rescheduled and was held immediately, tempers flared, boss was exploding. Harish remained hidden behind some taller guys. A lot of planning was done, endless suggestions were put forth. Nearly all were ruled out for some reason or the other .The meeting stretched on and on. Harish's concentration waned and his thoughts flew from one topic to another, he could barely hear what was going on in the conference room . .... tomorrow I'll have to come early and check the Net work before any one arrives otherwise I had it...from the ... . He looked at this young 20 something MBA fresher eager to have her say in the ongoing discussion. He thought cynically "I give you one year". Almost immediately his mind wondered to his wife at home. He was brought back to the conference room by the rustling and bustling of people exiting. It was time to break off 5.30pm, accomplishing nothing Harish made his exit.

He started his scooter for his trip back home, but it just wouldn’t Arrgghhh.. Why does everything go wrong on the same day? He parked his scooter for the night and ran to catch the bus which meant that he would not be able to catch ‘that linesman chap’. The bus was overloaded, with one foot stuck on the last step he boarded. He enjoyed the thrill, the breeze, and the freedom and of course ticket less ride. The bus stopped at the signal he felt somebody brush his feet and looked down it was an old lady begging. He always felt confused about beggars if you give money you are encouraging them to beg, if not then you are not charitable, perhaps her son might snatch it for his own beedi, maybe the old lady will have tobacco or beedi herself, luckily the signal turned green, he got away, decision pending. Nearer home the temples were now playing songs that had filmy tune but the words had been changed with gods and goddesses names. His wife appeared busy cooking, what does she do whole day anyway?

Night fell and the alarm clock was set again.

The alarm went off………. She woke up; yesterday she had lived one day of his life …

Looking for Answers

2009-08-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me like my questions are not going to be answered. You might wonder, what are my questions?

I am living my life following some guidelines, values, beliefs etc. Sometimes life is fun, happy and satisfying at other times it is awful, terrible, boring or exasperating. Some thoughts, some actions inspire and forge me ahead, a little later it dies...and I go/move on.

It’s amazing how some people manage to understand life better than others; they just don’t question and are happy to go on. I have gone on and asked them and once I got a simple reply ‘I don’t feel the need to question’. It is like a statement, it is there and it is true. Why do I feel the need to question? What is life about? Do I need to do something specific? How will I know what it is? Should I do whatever gives me fulfillment and satisfaction? Happiness? Isn’t Mind self interested in accepting what it is comfortable about and allow happiness and satisfaction. Won’t ‘Ego’, the ‘I’ factor maybe, play an important role in deciding that level of contentment?

How do I live? What is the best way to live? Should I try everything (good and bad) in life and gather the experience and knowledge. Should I overcome all my weaknesses, should I get out of my comfort zone, try harder? or just leave it? Aren’t my so to say weaknesses, weaknesses in the eyes of some rules made by humans, some standards made by humans after all. Should I be patient and see what all comes along? Should I be impatient and makes things happen for me? Why is it that when I try and try, I don’t get something while when I am not trying I get it, plonk!? Why sometimes my wishes are fulfilled at other times they are not? I have seen people promising god that they will do dash dash dash if they get whatever they are wishing for. Isn’t that bribing? When it was not meant to be, am I altering my destiny by forcing these to happen?

It’s a question of perspective I suppose. ‘Do what you are doing, as best as you can’ some would say. Live life as it comes, learn the lessons and carry on. Give all you have to give sounds like the perfect answer, so do I give unconditionally, irrespective of whether the person requires it? By acting conscientiously and being there for people, am I trying to be a bigger person than I am, should I wait for them to ask for help? Am I making others feel small by helping? Should they go through the process themselves? Am I making him/her dependent on me? Charity? Does it reflect that I am trying to be a bigger person than I am? Should I be different just to make a point? Should I be one and flow with all?

‘Meditate’, said others and I did. It made me calm, I felt at peace. I felt I am interacting with the depth of my Self or is it some power; some being that is within us and holds us all together? Or, is it The God, as some would call it? Or, is it just my imagination? Does chanting Mantras help? even if I ‘do’ understand what they mean? Most of them are in praise of ‘God/Almighty/Lord’. Isn’t that ingratiating ... and putting pressure? Of course, if you think about it, it is the thought process of humans after all.

When I am particularly drowning in these thoughts I come across some article in the newspaper or magazine, books or perhaps on TV that seems to be dealing exactly with what I am ‘wanting’ to know. I feel surprised that I should come across that particular article/program/topic of discussion at that particular time. Is it possible that, the article would have been there all along but gone unnoticed because I was not looking for it? Or, is it just a coincidence that I see the program at the right time? Or, is some force guiding me?

The questions are endless and I guess there are no simple answers to all these questions or maybe there are simply no answers to these questions. Do post your comments or send me a mail.

indoosri

indoosri@gmail.com