Closer home

The route from Goa to Pune was awesome, rain and mist playing havoc with the hills and cascades of the grand Western Ghats, whipping up a stunningly beautiful landscape. The pictures would say it all I guess. Monsoon again, though was on the wane, so got to feast on some steaming hot corns and delicious vada paavs, enroute.

Meeting old friends with lots of catching up to do (both for us and kids), visiting our usual haunts, observing the growing changes, were all part of the short trip. Getting back to your old friends is such a lovely experience, its like getting back to your own self; where one’s thoughts, aspirations, fears and triumphs are voiced out, only to be totally understood and empathised with, and the huge gap of time and distance becomes, as good as non-existent. I would think maintaining and keeping alive old friendships, is such an important and special chore, in one’s life, that gives such a fulfilling and an enriching dimension to our otherwise routine life.

My train trip from Pune was like experiencing a slice of India indeed, in its true sense and spirit. Be it the change in terrain, the shades of the soil, the flora and fauna, the village scenes - they are all so different, as you cross the so called borders (of states); but each one of them be it the brightly painted yellow ‘lorries’, or the ambling, rattling six-seaters, the eclectic crowd thronging the countless stations strewn all over the country, the language or the dialect, each bursting with its individual identity and pride. The entire experience offers such a diverse, exciting adventure of sorts, to say the least. And this being the scene outside the metal windows, what one can expect on the inside is your own guess! Never a dull moment, nothing like a train ride, as it whistles and rattles past, the much worn tracks traversing huge sections of our homeland. Was constantly reminded of the lovely lovely, 'From a railway carriage’ by RLStevenson. This was an interesting link on the net - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jCoigg77Y4

Trichy, my dear home town, where we had a family meet, was a memorable experience. And so was left with not much time to do our usual shopping, restaurant and cinema hall hunts! There was this slight and sometime not so slight showers that played spoil sport too. Anyhow family did get to visit the famous ‘Ucchi pillayar koil’ the Rockfort Temple as its called, sans me. So have some lovely pictures of Trichy/Tiruchirapalli from atop, not a bird's view, more like a goat's view!! The splendid Cauvery weaving its way in the background, the imposing structure of Srirangam (temple), and a portion of the Pillayar koil where there is a small connection with the inroads.

Looking back,it was a terrific trip, and now loaded with pictures and memories to last for a while, frozen and preserved.

Gorgeous Goa

It was a wonderful memorable trip, though it included constant packing and unpacking, living outside suitcases. Felt good stowing away all those huge cases, which will have some respite, after their hectic run, this season!

Shall touch upon Goa, where I got to spend time leisurely, without any agenda. It has never been a tourist visit, it’s always more of a family trip, and we get to stay at home, with our extended family. So the bonus being, you get to view the place in all its shades and manifestations. And the longer you stay in the place the general air, the character of the place seems to linger and sort of pervade your senses. And so it is, addictive, to millions of tourists thronging this place from, across the globe.

It was monsoon, and so one can imagine how lovely it would have been. I, after my stint in an arid desert zone, my mind went berserk. The flora, the greenery, the swaying palms, the ferns, the fresh dew laden grass, the squelchy mud, and ofcourse the thundering showers! Walking through swirling waters hoping there isn’t a manhole, along the way, giving way to blaring cars with swishing wipers, and two-wheelers trying to juggle their way off potholes, all the while, trying to huddle inside an umbrella, which does more to hinder your view than protect (the already wet) you. Was all in good fun!

Loved those brightly (read orange, red, ochre, dark blue) painted stately houses, that stand tall and proud on terraced slopes. And lovelier gardens so well maintained, looking all pretty and bright. One doesn’t need green fingers out here I think, the foliage seems to have a vibrant life of its own, and seems to pulsate with vitality. And it is so heartening to observe that, Goa has managed to stay and retain much of its large expanses of natural terrain, in the midst of which you happen to see buildings sprouting up, or roads swerving down, almost merging with the landscape.

The seas being too rough and wild in monsoon, the beaches ofcourse were out of bound. But did get to watch, this beautiful myriad of colours, shifting and mesmerising us with a backdrop, which was breathtakingly stunning. It was a great way to end our trip, filled with a sense of subdued calm and tranquillity inter-mingled with joy.

Lovely weather here down south, and a great time to be on vacation. Showers every alternate day, and mostly at night, makes it all the more pleasant and un-invasive. Great for morning walks, the soil still being damp and at places squelchy, dotted with chocolate puddles. The morning breeze being so fresh and invigorating, that it falls under the list of ‘those inexplicable’ blissful sensastions.

The roads in the early part of the day, bears no resemblance to what it is, during the better part of the day! Wading through a sea of vehicles, could well be an adventure sport in its own right! Nosing your way, sidling into the gaps, instincts razor sharp, you need them, either to swerve dramatically, to avoid an over speeding driver, zipping inches away, or to wedge your vehicle into the narrowest gap in front of you, before nudged by a million other forms on wheels. Its survival of the fittest, the fastest and the smartest out there. While in the back seat, its best to just shut your eyes, or take part in some deep, engrosing conversation, wherein you allow yourself not to be distracted by a racey action-flick, unfolding right before your eyes!

Just thought would touch upon some interesting features about food in the Middle East. The staple diet or rather the one you would order in an restaurant would be like khubuz and hummus (vegetarian), and showrma or shish taouk(non-vegetarian) along with pickles and garlic dip, and of course the famous Biryani .

Khubuz (has varied spellings and pronunciations!) also known as 'pita', very much like our Naan, and is a bread baked in a kiln, and removed by metal rods, just like our rotis. But slightly thicker and sort of spongy and yeasty.

Shawarma is a non-veg dish (of chicken or lamb) where the soft tender cooked meat, is shredded and garnished. Eaten as a roll or sandwhich with the khubuz.

Hummus is a dip or a main side dish, basically made of ground chickpeas or channa. It has a nice smooth consistency and is very wholesome.

Shish taouk is basically chicken kabab, served with salad. The only difference, from its Indian counterpart being that, they form one long section, instead of chopped individual pieces.

Garlic Dip - Not sure what the exact Arabic name is, but it is an almost inevitable accompaniment, and is said to neutralise the effect of excessive fat and oil in the meal.

Biryani - To be honest I have not tasted a typical Kuwaiti Biryani, so will refrain from saying much, except for the fact that the dish did indeed cross over from Persia across the Arabian Sea to India. So I would think it would taste much the same as it does in India! Maybe another blog can be dedicated to this Queen of all Dishes at a later stage; Or would welcome fellow bloggers or readers to contribute towards this section.

From my limited knowledge, and from what I have observed from my short stay in Kuwait, I understand that the cuisine, is a mixture of Lebanese and Iraqi and Arabian cuisine. And ofcourse the country has been sort of swamped by fast food chains, which are so very popular, that you tend to find them more, than the typical Arabi restaurants, and followed closely by Indian restaurants of course. So we do have our share of Dosas and Butter chickens and Utthappams and Naans, regulary at the local 'Udippis' or 'Saagars' and the 'Daawats'!

A summer evening

The fauna and flora here is nothing spectacular I would think, or rather nothing much to write about; but still when you set your mind to it, you can have your share of greenery, or rather in this part of Kuwait, it would be ‘brownery’. The fact that the landscape is so oft ravaged by sandstorms, the plants bear the brunt, and tend to be laden by the constant onslaught of sand particles. They seem to sort of weigh down on them, and stay put, giving them a brownish tinge, to the entire structure of the plant, tree, so much so that it merges perfectly with the sandy landscape.

Right in the middle of summer vacation, another month or so, to go still, and you see crowded streets, malls, and of course open grounds, dotted with numerous football teams, of varying age groups, and varying energy levels. Was reminded of our playgrounds being crammed, with charged up feisty players, (predominantly the 5-14 yr olds) brandishing their invincible bat, and lunging with all that they have got, to get the perfect yorker. And scanning for a similar sight, was awarded with one, and heart did leap with joy to behold a team, made of all but 8 players, but the spirit there all the same, heaving a mighty six, and the lunge to catch the ball. Cricket is around, trying to carve a niche, and managing to, amidst the roaring fury of football mania.

When you search for beauty, you are sure to find it, or so I would like to think. So as the twilight set in, managed to get this ‘colourful’ image, with the tiny dot of moon, heralding yet another long, warm night.

Crazy Phrase-y (Word Game)

Rules of the Game : Starting with the given word, form a sentence, without using prepositions, pronouns or conjunctions. Poetic or wacky, it is entirely your choice. Points are not awarded, just based on the length of the sentence, vocabulary and expression also counts! The word given here is

Falling .....
Falling leaves swirl languorously gliding, swaying, creating a beautiful pattern, the blue sky, the canvas.

Falling down served many a purpose, including a smashed ladder, heralding a tinkling laugh, making matters worse indeed.

.......................................................................................................

Lets see who comes up with the phrasiest of the phrase-y sentences. Bring in the poetic streak, then on it becomes easy! Do pitch in, and have fun.

The following list, is not an exhaustive one, so some concessions have been made. But the specified words are to be skipped, or else will entail disqualification. Happy phrasing!!

Prepositions – "about," "above," "across," "after," "against," "along," "among," "around," "at," "before," "behind," "below," "beneath," "beside," "between," "beyond," "but," "by," "despite," "down," "during," "except," "for," "from," "in," "inside," "into," "like," "near," "of," "off," "on," "onto," "out," "outside," "over," "past," "since," "through," "throughout," "till," "to," "toward," "under," "underneath," "until," "up," "upon," "with," "within," and "without."

Pronouns – "I," "you," "she," "he," "it," "we," "you," "they,” "me," "you," "her," "him," "it," "us," "you," and "them."

Conjunctions - "and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "so," or "yet", "after," "although," "as," "because," "before," "how," "if," "once," "since," "than," "that," "though," "till," "until," "when," "where," "whether," and "while."

Sandstorms and Seagulls!

The Dust storm seems to have come to stay. Will be around for a while, it looks like, sometimes mild, sometimes descending with a vengeance shrouding the entire vicinity, with a thick blanket of fine swirling stand, and at times almost non-existent; but it’s there alright. And the strangest part being, geographically, it has been stated that the monsoon rains, towards the south-easterly direction in the globe, and the dust storms here, are connected. And so, as the dust and sand, goes through its angry journey across the desert lands, the rain unleashes itself on areas, just divided by a large expanse of ocean. How and why, it is beyond me, though of course it is all to do with the Elements of earth, going on with its routine, with some party days, thrown in, I guess.

Watching the waves in its incessant trips to the shore, is always a pleasure. And getting to see the seagulls making its rounds, perching on a stray boulder or a boat, is interesting too. The view from the tower in Al-Kout, is something I always look forward to. Somehow, suddenly you seem to rise above the motley crowd of human race, and get to be with nature, with just a few flights of steps. The rounded pebble like rocks which form the jetty, itself looks lovely and distinct; the sea line dotted with few bobbing boats, and the birds trying to catch their feed, wait patiently or keep hovering around, yet don’t come too near the shoreline. The coastline looks pretty impressive too, with the high-rise buildings reaching for the sky. Leaves one to wonder, however grand, imposing and luxurious man tries to make his creations (Al-kout Mall), what actually soothes your self, and brings in a sense of peace is of course the creations of nature, and its wonderful we get to find it, amidst our other pursuits. (Thanks to kuw son of flickr for this lovely breathtaking picture of the tower.)

Dust Storms - http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Dust_storm

Al-kout Mall - http://www.nicoleb.org/Countries/Kuwait/Al_Kout_Mall.html

Pondering

" Help rendered to another cannot be measured

by the extent of assistance imparted;

Its real measure is the recipient's worthiness. "(105)

This is indeed, not just an inspiring thought, but such a humbling one too. I mean, its always assumed that the giver is on a higher plane, and gains more points too!! But this totally challenges that concept. Its beautiful actually the thought, and coming from someone who passed this planet around the 200 BC era!! One of the pearls of wisdom of the Poet Thiruvalluvar, from the southern tip of India.

Such insights, such a lovely grasp of the oddities of human life in all its forms. While reading Thomas Hardy, struck me how thinkers and writers had this luxury of completely ransacking the human mind, at leisure, and then laying out all that they had found, and finally arrive at, theories as to, why people are, the way they are. And these theories most of them turn out to be real profound and so well scripted. In this period of diversified but short span interests and distractions, I think the time taken to ponder and ruminate on something is come in a wonderful form of 'Blogging'! So we are the unofficial 'thinkers' or maybe even the undisputed philosophers of this era!! That's a quirky thought!

The wind is almost howling as it blows against my window panes, and slightly the panes shudder. Yes it has been predicted to be a mild warm day, and its such a blessing I would think. Hope it lasts through the weekend.