If you can come to terms with your spirits being dogged down since tender ages (thanks to being homeless), your body complaining and tired (thanks to the daily meal of rotten food) and your mind having no reason to wake up (thanks to being jobless) then probably you’d get close enough to his feelings.

If you were wondering how much more worse this kind of life can get, then you probably hadn’t seen the sandstorm yesterday! At first there was this sudden hot air blowing throughout the village as if the whole place was made to pass through a burning pyre and in a few hours the winds started blowing again. It wasn’t long before the sand-storm broke out. For the next few hours, it blazed as if to hide the sun forever; no surprise for it was a village neighboring the now half-inundated city of Chennai – a place known for sunny winters and boiling summers. And what a sight it must have been from within the curtained windows of the lucky few!

Within those few hours the profile of this small village had changed completely! And the fate of a few men like our rag-picker had taken a fatal twist. It’s an altogether different matter that no one cared. He was after all a worthless pile of flesh as far as the perspective of the society was concerned!

He was sweating from head to toe; he had a kind of numbness overtaking his whole body; his mouth thirsted for one drop of water – a commodity that he could never afford to buy in his lifetime; his regular work of rag-picking was completely put to a full stop; his life had come to a standstill.

The storm had indeed broken his spirit (or what was left of it); his face showed clear sign of exhaustion. He had somehow managed to drag his torso to the street, hoping that he would spot someone who would be generous enough to provide a morsel of food or if lucky enough water! He knew it would be in vain. He feared the streets would be deserted. Nowadays almost everyone in the village were hooked on to some terminals earning from their seats; hardly did anyone come out of their home (which isn’t that strange considering the heat during the afternoons).

He passed under the window of one of the house. A drop of water came down from the air conditioner duct and had spilled on the ground. He noticed this and thanked god; almost all the homes in the village had two or three air conditioners. After quenching his thirst he started to feel a bit awkward. He wondered: ‘Probably that wasn’t so safe a drink’. He soon swooned to the ground unable to shout or cry. His throat was beginning to itch. The heat wave was spreading again, as if to announce the worse had not yet passed!

_____________________________________

In a world without companionship, hope does fade fast and it’s no wonder that it did so for him. He had the kind of calm sensation that he had never felt in ages. While the storm bellowed again outside, his mind began to calm down as if it had no more work to do. His heart felt at ease considering he needn’t support his ‘unworthy’ body anymore. He slowly slipped away into the kind hands of death.

The next day saw the usual hubbub of finding a dead man in the street pavement. A few empathized and a few walked away. By afternoon the panchayat decided to quickly burn the now stinking corpse.

“Poor fellow. So where is all this sand storm coming from?” asked the wife.
“How many times should I ask you not to disturb me while I drive” said her husband as he maneuvered his ‘macro’ down the crowded village traffic. Even cutting down all trees to help build a six lane road hadn’t solved the traffic problems in the village.

The streets were overcrowded as usual. It was another busy day at the market. A few people were watching the LCD TV in a showroom.

“Here they go again…” grumbled one middle-aged man. “All that “Go-Green” mumbo-jumbo…”
A few others laughed.

Amidst the smirks of disbelieving onlookers a newsreader was reading monotonously from the retailer shop television “…environmentalists continue to warn about the dangers of an impending global warming…”

The year 2007 began with a bang for one young man in Chennai (India); in fact it couldn’t have been better – getting married is something so special; after all it is supposed to mean a whole new beginning, a breath of fresh air in an otherwise dull life. It was most definitely a very big episode in this young man’s life for having seen nothing great in life yet, he was supposed to get into the hardships of it with an altogether unknown (yet beautiful ) person. How exciting can life get? Strange as with the other walks of life, this episode, incredibly adventurous as it can be, well sometimes, can be a trial of one’s true strength! Let me not get into the intricacies but putting it blindly as any other person would, marriage brings with it a sense of love/ excitement/ risk/ annoyance/ prospects/ anger/ warmth/ calm/ troubles and whole lot of other things which can’t even be put in words. Hoping the great kick start to a brand new life carries on in good shape.

If marriage was a wild card for me from a personal point of view, getting the first promotion of your career can certainly qualify to be one in my professional life. Certainly not that big, but “definitely” worth mentioning! The feel good that comes with it is definitely great (I am not just speaking about the money here)! To some it’s an offing in the making for a prospective career and to some it’s about the honor of being trusted with more responsibility. It’s a just reward for all that effort, and blind faith, that you’ve put in so far in your profession and ahem… your company of course!

Considering that the whole of the last year has been sandwiched between these two events makes me wonder… can 2008 match the lovely things bought in the wake of its predecessor. Can things get better or any sweeter? But hold on, just a sec… just asking a few self questions here. Is it the beginning of good times or is it really the test of times in disguise?

All these feel good factors are certainly nice to have. But they do bring with them a lot of “responsibility” – that cunning villain of a word to a young man’s blithe. It’s not just about keeping your head high; in fact, not until doing so does one realize the true meaning of stepping in deep waters. The feel good factor seems to vanish at once and a sort of helplessness takes over.

But it’s not as bad as it sounds; give-or-take, these feelings are those that come once in a life time. And I am definitely not going to run for cover. In short I’d like to thank the almighty for whatever I am going through and am just hoping the New Year is an avenue given to me to prove myself once more in life. Hoping I live up to my own hype and trust the next couple of months happen to be as fun as ever. Life – they say – is indeed beautiful! I certainly hope to get my share of LIFE during the year ahead 

And I’ll dare to wish every one of you who has survived reading this post – A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It was not just the earth that had shaken, so had Stephen’s confidence with life as he had known it. It was probably nothing more than just a minor tremor, but how much had it impacted him! Thoughts were running about his wife and three kids.

‘What if it had been something worse? What if the roof had simply caved in? What’s the assurance that we’d be alive the next moment? What’s the assurance of tomorrow for any one?’

He knew for sure that there would have been some lesser privileged ones. In his thoughts he could already hear the cries of hundreds of people – individuals who’ve lost their mud-huts, families ruined beyond repair. The regular Sunday morning suddenly seemed like a gift from the almighty to him. He was alive and surrounded by his family, what more could he ask for?!

He saw Edwin his three year old son playing with his toys. The tremor had shaken him not one bit. Then there was Alice and Dorothy who were still taking their long Sunday nap. His wife, Martha was preparing food in the kitchen.

Stephen went close to his son and started playing with him. Those tiny hands seemed to hold a charm of its own, immediately lifting his melancholy and morose thoughts. It took just a few seconds for a babbling kid to convince a man that all was well in their little huddle!

It was then that the second tremor shook the house, this time a bit more powerful than the one before. It literally took away Stephen’s breath! He swept his (now crying) son closer toward chest and shouted for his two daughters; yells that were unnecessary for they were both in full run out of the house. Martha had also stopped her culinary activities and joined him out of the house.

The second tremble didn’t last more a minute. But Stephen was convinced there would be more. He was sure Martha was thinking on the same lines. He decided that their house was no longer a safe haven; at least not for that day.

“What do we do now Steve?” Martha’s voice was hardly a whisper. His two daughters were shaking from head to foot. The truth be told, so was he; but he was bent on not showing it out. His son had stopped crying for the moment but continued again sensing a sudden silence.
It took him just a moment to decide their destination for the morning.

“Go get changed quickly Martha. Take the kids along; but don’t spend too much time inside. Let’s go out.”

“But where are we going?”

“The only safe place I can think of – let’s go to the beach!”

He knew he had a brainwave when the thought first crossed his mind – the safest place during a quake! His confidence doubled when he said it.

“Steve, you guys all right?” his neighbor Dhruvas came out dressed in traditional south Indian night dress. He hesitated for a moment. “Are you leaving somewhere?”

“Yeah Druv we’re off to the beach. Do you want to join?”

“You mean because of the tremor and all. You don’t have to worry too much. It happens sometimes around here. They weren’t that big anyway. Besides I can’t be coming now; my wife has already planned for a pooja in the nearby temple after the first tremor.” Druv winked at Steve.

“Oh sure. But I’d feel really good to be out for a while. Besides what’s better than a whiff of fresh sea breeze on a Sunday morning. See you then!”

“Good day Steve and don’t stress yourself on this.”

His neighbor had disappeared as quickly as he had come in. ‘Strange man, he was! Neither was he bothered about his life nor that of his family! Well, different people different perspectives’.

It took Martha just a few minutes to get dressed. Stephen took his car out of the shed and stepped on the gas. He felt that the church could be crowded with people during such a time and a quick glance at the entrance to the cathedral confirmed his notion.

He smiled at his own wit and sped away to the Marina.

It was Dec 26, 2004; Chennai was not the same after that day.

No one heard from the Stephens again…

What kind of a person
Sleeps on an ignited mind
Tending to fold wings
That strive to stretch beyond reason?
Who’s un-free to free self?

What will stop those
Who leap on unsafe waters
Just to see a shore than to
Spend an eternity treading paths
That won’t even exist to shallow eyes?

What is that strange relationship
That ties money and men in shackles,
Hounding them for eternity
In peripheries of deceitful happiness?
For neither rests in other’s shadow!

What’s time – but just a parameter
Of the subconscious mind;
A paranoia of monstrous proportions
A way of concealing our mortal nature
A clothing for our imperfections!

Pity those who can’t think,
Admire those who ponder over nothings,
Ignore the path that leads to safe haven;
Liberate your mind of all physical bonds,
For once, try to be what you are – a free soul!

When a stranger unknown, lies broken
For a mistake self committed; an error that you loathe
Sadness engulfing him, for there’s no comeback,
Kith and kin having abandoned him to a cruel fate,
What would be your way – empathy or hatred?

When all your mistakes surround you,
With swords of justice marking your crime,
When you feel, you can still get away with all that you love,
Would you take care, to stop for a moment
And think of the significance of the lesson learned?

When the offender pleads guilty – in “true sense”
For the sins committed in time long gone
Through actions and events that can’t be undone
Would you, the victim, have it in you
To pardon and (still) prove the power of justice?

Where does your mind persist – a foolhardy act or in conscious self?
What’s your stance in times of hate?
Would you melt or mold – under the flames of truth?
What would become of you when pushed to your limits?
Who will come out from within – a fiend or a saint?

I decided to wait and watch
As the petals showed me,
The unseen beauty; a treasure trove,
A pleasure well hidden!

I must admit that I was lost
Forever under nature’s power
A force so overwhelming on my solitude;
A bliss unknown – unfolded to me!

That’s when I noticed
The little green leaf,
That was holding on
To the gentle flower.

It looked so ordinary,
And in such contrast to the shine
Of it’s pleasant sibling,
And for once, I admit, nature made no sense!

I realized there wasn’t
An ounce of beauty on that wet soggy leaf;
It seemed to have no task,
But just a gentle leg to hold!

Could mother nature have been
So incorrect, to make such
A bliss of a bloom and then bury
Her daughter in the arms of an abhorrent stranger?

It then dawned on me,
That had it not been
For that tiny little leaf
Beauty would not have been!

So seemingly unsung, so very timid
That none, not even the one above,
Seemed to care or notice;
Just a mere nothingness – just so unseen.

Is it a curse, strange and sad
That the rungs shall remain unknown?
And those who climb above
Forget the one they stamped!

Humanity is so unwise
To forget the ladder left behind;
True legends are not born
Without some broken rungs!

As I saw the beautiful leaf
I was short of praise;
It wasn’t the flower’s fault
But rather, nature’s law!

Beauty is neither in flesh
Nor is it in shallow glow;
True beauty lies in acts selfless,
Those done for no returns!

I started to walk away, pondering
The legacy that nature left to me;
What’s true beauty – the one praised or those unsung?
A lesson learnt by that wayside pond!

This one’s about our gang’s trip to Palakkad (Kerala), at the end of second week of March.

I’ll try to be as brief as possible with the words and let the pics speak for themselves!

This was one perfect sunrise – at Pothundi. This place was at the bottom of the hill that we were about to climb. We were actually lucky to have got here at this time of the day. The sun rising slowly amidst the mountains casting its reflection on the water is simply too beautiful to describe is words. We got a pretty clear idea as to what kind of a place we were going to see

We reached our cottage on the hill top pretty soon and refreshed ourselves before leaving for our first sight-seeing place: Maampaarai:

There was actually after an hour of travel in a jeep in the narrowest and steepest climb (photo below). There was a small trek after this, but the heat was simply too much for most of us. We decided to quietly take as many snaps as possible of this breath taking view.

We went back to the cottage all hungry and tired. We refreshed and hit the road again for another view point – Kesavampaarai.

It was a very quiet picture (until we went there of course). A lovely place for us to just sit back and chit-chat, pull each other’s legs etc…

We had a good night’s sleep and the next day we went for a exploring the place on our own – guys played a little bit, climbed trees, argued over the silliest of things, did all sorts of nonsense talk – that was actually good fun. The weather changed to reflect our mood (pic above).

Then we were up and running again through some really scenic views of tea plantations like the one above.

We got to look at some sweet looking flora. There were lots of interesting pics to click…

Then came the highlight of the trip – “Athirappilli Falls”! I guess when it comes to choosing good Indian locales for movies, this is a hot favorite and rightly so too! Though most of us didn’t go trekking to the bottom, we did enjoy playing in the river stream that builds up to the impressive falls. One really amazing thing this pic couldn’t catch was the mighty roar of this falls; of course I did make a small video

We went to a really big temple (forgot its name) before we headed for the railway station. At the end of the two days there wasn’t much that we regretted, except of course “wishing we had a bit more time”!

It all started with Rishikonda Beach

A trip to primitive times 

My closest archery shot

Tribal dance – (note the kid in the end):D

What a Color!

That was thrice in three trips for me 

Kailashagiri Hills – Breath Taking!

The submarine museum – One of a kind!

Adventures on a Train – came at a price of course 

At the Flower garden

Borra Caves – entrance.

At those moments when
You hear all doors close,
When the guiding light
Feels like another myth!

At times so strained,
Burdened as though with
All the pressures of the world
My heart has learnt to fear – an unknown!

It is just a chapter away,
When they who complained – shall rejoice and smile;
You who saw darkness – will be blinded by the light of truth;
And my heart learns another lesson – to overcome its fear!

Little did we know,
Our gloom signalled a strength within;
Or was it just that
God rolled the dice when none was awake!