When Pondy took the cherry

The agenda: Chill out (or... get wasted - depending how teetotaller-ly you are)

The place: Pondicherry (now Puducherry.. duh!)

The time: Weekend

We set out from Chennai early enough in the morning to hear the cock-a-doodle-do. The ride to Pondy is smooth and splendidly scenic. The road (East Coast Road, as its called) runs along the coast all the way and the cool sea-breeze is a fresh break from the Chennai heat. Going by bike, rather than taking a bus, is not a bad idea. It allows for stops on the way to just admire the vast sea, which is sometimes on both sides of the road! It takes us about 4 hours, but can be covered quicker in a car I guess.

Once we get there, we head straight for the dazzling rock beach promenade/ beach front. Its difficult not to fall in love with it... Its a complete experience; enchanting, powerful, graceful and dangerous at the same time...

There are a few hotels in the area to suit various budgets... We check into the Ajantha Guest House, for a room overlooking the beach. Its a steal for 700 bucks a night (non a/c)! The restaurant/bar alongside it, again called Ajantha (if I remember correctly), makes for a perfect afternoon by the sea.

Being a Union Territory, the booze in Pondy is dirt cheap. 65 bucks for a bottle of beer.. some 250 bucks for a pitcher! The weather is nice & warm and chilllled beer is certainly the drink of choice in the afternoon. The snacks to go along with it are delectable, fish tikka, assorted veggies, all are devoured during the course of the 'session'.

Along the promenade, a 5 minute walk from the Ajantha Guest House, is Le Café. This is the perfect place for breakfast. Good, inexpensive food and the view, outta this world! The mini idlis with sambhar are the best of the lot and I suggest you definitely give 'em a try. On the Sunday that we were there, there was a film being shot at this place and we got box seats (inside the café) alongside the actors after the shot was over!

On Saturday evening, we set off on a 1/2 hour ride to the world-famous Auroville. Along the beach front we could see some foreigners taking walks, but Auroville is teeming with them - Attracted by the promise of a peaceful, better, life... or doing some voluntary work for the local community... We meet people from Chile, Italy & Germany among other countries and they seem to have settled down quite well - an old German couple even bargains in TAMIL with a store-keeper! There's not much to see here otherwise...

The Auro beach is a great place to take an evening walk. If you're with your girl/guy, this place is a must-visit. I imagine it'd be quite a romantic experience... (Of course, I was with a drunk Somesh, who was too busy losing his slippers in the water - and crying that the sea took them away - until it threw the worthless crap back ashore :-P )

Dinner's at the chic Promenade hotel, on the promenade, again... Its a good place to have a nice, proper, sit-down family dinner types... There're two old French couples playing cards and generally having a good time, so I think you get the drift...

The next day we head to Arikamedu. This place about a half hour drive from Pondy is an archeological site and is supposed to have some Roman ruins. But there's absolutely nothing here and if you're archeologically inclined, you can make a trip to the museum which is said to contain most of the remains from these ruins.

So without wasting too much time amongst the ruins, we head straight for Paradise Beach (about 10 mins further down the road). Its advisable to leave for this place just around lunch time to give yourself enough time to spend at the beach. You've to park your vehicle, take a ticket for a ferry across to this island (about 10 mins on the ferry). The last ferry back is at about 4 pm, so plan accordingly. The beach itself is breathtaking. Its a touch crowded on weekends and the guy with the big speaker shouting out to public to stay away from the water can get to be quite a pain. Otherwise, the place really is paradise...!

Pondy was once a French colony, and there're several French restaurants dotting the city. We headed to Satsanga for a drink and snacks. The ambience is nice and quiet with enough light around coz of the open top. The service though is deplorable and the waiters are totally unresponsive. But once the beer & snacks are on the table, all this is easily forgotten :)

There's a beautiful Church, Church of Notre Dame, I think, and we spend some time there. I get to revise my french as I follow Jesus' story on the pictures on the walls. A good place for a nice peaceful afternoon...

After a final refill of food at Le Café, we head back to Chennai... The ride at night is completely different. The vast sea now is completely lost in the darkness and looks like an endless abyss. It'd have been different on a clear, star-lit night... But cloudy night, 'twas a touch unnerving & scary! There're also police checks on the way to ensure we're not carrying back cheap booze or drunk-driving.

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And so ended the perfectly chilled-out weekend... As it happens, P&G is now taking us for an offsite there this week!! Can't wait!!! Wuhhooo!!!

Australia!!

(Written about 3 weeks back, completed today..!)
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Although I still had more to write on the 'Happiness series' that I started, my thoughts have been completely occupied with my first trip to Australia earlier this month. (I'm still recovering from the hangover of the 'high' that I received from the trip - to Brisbane, Singapore, Bombay & three weddings!)

Given that I was there only in Brisbane, and that too only for three days, which included the wedding (my cousin sis', wuhooo!), one can say that I've not really seen Australia at all. But the flavour that I got of it in this time has me convinced that I will go back there for more!!

Notes from Brisbane...

The first thing that strikes me about Brisbane, (as soon as I land) is the weather. Its just the start of summer here and its not too different from a regular Bombay day. The familiar humidity in the air is gladly welcomed. But then, unlike Bombay, there are hardly any people around. The roads are wide, all of them seeming freshly painted and traffic (whatever little there is) is very orderly.

My uncle turns on the GPS to get to our apartment and it immediately starts barking directions. I can't really imagine using GPS in the narrow roads in Bombay, (or chronicling all the addresses that are there!) but then I guess its already started happening.

The heart of Brisbane is the Brisbane river (innovative name eh!?). It runs through the city and most of the city's happening spots are dotted along it. Our apartment overlooks the river and gives a breathtaking view of the city from the 25th floor!! Its in an area called Quay (pronounced as just K). This also seems to be the office area with buildings of IBM, Oracle and several other big companies right next door.

The parties here sure seem quite a do, with people going around wearing weird costumes with especially fancy head-gear ('tis a Friday night).

There's something about the place which makes me feel instantly at ease. Perhaps its got to do with Australia's history itself, as a vast, welcoming land with people from several countries & continents and races & cultures making it their home. Talking of people, and welcoming, the folks here are simlar to back home in Bombay; always ready to lend a helping hand, give directions and speak with a cordial smile on their face (as opposed to Delhi, where people are cold and unhelpful - Sorry Delhi-lovers, couldn't resist a dig at your fav city :-P ).

When we make a trip to my sis' place, the landscape, awash with purple jacaranda flowers, is breath-taking! (I feel like such a dud not having taken any pics of it! I guess I was too busy admiring the scene!). In general, the residential areas, away from the city, are quiet and peaceful. They remind me of my uncle's place in Sunnyvale, California. Although they're a lot more greener... The neighbours dog is an ageing Golden Retriever and immediately offers himself for a petting. He's a lot bigger than my old pooch Jimmy, but has the same innocent eyes.

A short trip to the Gold Coast makes for a wonderful evening by the sea. There are truly weird looking birds around and about wherever I go. The beaks are almost always twisted at the tip, the for some reason; the birds themselves look stronger, sturdier, than back home.

The Aussies are crazy about fitness. Early in the morning I see several people walking, roller-blading, cycling on the streets... a 'regular' fitness thing I'm told. And with most of the country living very close to the coast, scuba-diving, snorkelling & surfing are also usual ways of keeping fit, and most importantly enjoying oneself while doing so! Folks also go 'bush-walking', taking treks into the bushes (foresty areas basically)!!

But apart from the way of speaking English (the Austraaalyan way), I can't really find much uniquely Australian. I meet people originally from Ireland, Argentina, Korea, England and a host of other nations and each bring about their own bit of flavour to Australia. One common thread though is that all of them truly love and enjoy their freedom.

A longer trip is now certainly on the cards, perhaps 3-4 years down the line... 'til then I'll have this post to reminisce the beautiful time spent in this world away from worlds...

Jimmy

October 6, 1996. My family got a new member. A cute little labrador+golden ret+cocker spaniel. Shyam (bro) and I were always fond of dogs.. memorizing the names, heights, food requirements, health issues & what not of several dozen breeds. Shyam was the one who always wanted one at home. I didn't mind, thought it'd a nice to have one around. We managed to convince everyone. And we got Jimmy.

Having a dog, is like having a baby in the house. They demand a lot of attention, care and their every move delights you!

Jim was an immediate hit with everyone. As his teeth started sprouting, he'd be chewing on just about anything, including our hands! But its one of the nicest things to experience, getting your hand chewed upon by a pup :-P (Later on in life, even with much a much bigger mouth and stronger teeth, Jim didn't mind chewing our hands, but somehow he always did it with the right amount of pressure, as if taking care not to hurt..!)

As he became more and more used to us, and we did to him, we found an ideal comfort zone... His daily routine was set and we knew exactly what he wanted when he wanted. He was a huge fan of Idlis, any South Indian dish, for that matter. And like a true brahmin, he was pure vegetarian! :-D Once when he was sick and the doc asked us to feed him some (non-vegetarian) dog food... he flatly refused to eat it (even though he was hungry, as he subsequently devoured like 5 Idlis)

I don't know how they do it, but dogs seem to know exactly what we're feeling at any time. I've read that its because of their acute sense of smell, sensing minute changes in our body odour..
He'd come and curl up to you when you're sad, and just giving him a nice petting would immediately make you feel better. Its one of those things that emphasizes how important 'touch' is to human beings. And dogs seem to have it all wired into them.

If you're looking for the meaning of 'true love', then you can't feel it easier than when you come home to your dog. The absolute joy which exploded from Jimmy when any one of us came home was the purest kind of love that one could see. As soon as I rang the bell, the barking would get louder as he ran from one corner of the house to the door. On opening the door, he'd want to be the first one to meet me. Jumping, baring his teeth, as if he were smiling ear-to-ear, vigorous tail-wagging, running around in circles. He would just be totally out of control! And every time, without fail, it had brought a smile to my face.

But, for all the joy and good times that he gave us, we always knew he'd not be with us forever. I wonder sometimes why they say 'All good things must come to an end'.. well that's part of life I guess, you need some bad times to really appreciate how good the good times were/are...

Last Saturday (3rd May), home went silent. After two months of hell, as Jim grappled with acute kidney failure, we had to take the incredibly difficult decision to put him down, out of his pain.

The last moments at the vet will forever be etched in my memory. He looked calm and peaceful, waiting to be poked for what would have seemed to be the millionth time. A few moments after the vet put in the injection, he closed his eyes... And he never opened them again

Goodbye Jim, you gem.

Miss you forever.

Sporting moments - I

I wonder why I'm so succinct with all my writings. Be it answers in an exam paper or this blog. Almost through the day, there's a flood of thoughts, words, racing about in my mind for putting onto this blog, but somehow very very few of them actually find their way through to my fingers and onto the screen. I sometimes wish there was a mind-recorder attached to my brain, noting down this stream of thoughts and just typing it out. That way I'd be writing much much more and I feel, better as well. Its just that I'm always wanting what I write to be near-perfect, if not perfect. I find it difficult to write in a way, which when read would seem like I'm speaking with you, the reader.

Anyways, this post was intended to refresh some of my memories of great sporting moments that I've experienced in school. They are vivid in my memory, as though they've just happened! And they almost bring me to tears when I relive those moments of unbridled joy...

• It was I guess one of my first cricket coaching camps, probably class V or VI. I remember being a huge fan of Curtly Ambrose during those days and used to mimic his action to the T. Of course at 1/3rd his height, I wouldn't have been able to get that kind of bounce, but I was always quite pacy :-P .. My bowling coach (forgot his name.. was a district bowler and looked a lot like the head mess-guy at IIM-I who goes around in that Luna-esque motorcycle) had a close look at my first ball. It was a good ball I thought to myself. But he immediately took me aside and explained not to have an 'open-chested action' like a West-Indian fast bowler! He said I should try and bowl like Allan Donald instead! Knowing, and being a great admirer of his action as well, the next ball was Allan Donald steaming in! A pat on the back right after that ensured that the action has stuck with me for the rest of my life, although depending on the situation I now switch to Warne, Sehwag, Saqqi or Pollock even! But yes, those were the days.. early summer mornings, running off to school in whites and playing like there was no tomorrow!
• Another memorable instance was when I was in Class X I think, or maybe Class IX.. We had an inter-class 'challenge' match! It was the world-cup of our school! :-P I always prided myself as a bowler who could do his bit as a pinch-hitter (yeah I know given my frame it looks nigh impossible that I could get the ball past the bowler even.. but its all about timing yaar ;-)) Anyways, as it stood, the match hung in the balance, I was the last guy left at the crease with 5 runs to win.. enough overs left, but I couldn't, of course, afford to get out! I struggled for the first 3-4 balls, trying a different batting stance (I don't know why). With junta shouting, screaming, egging me on, sledging me, ridiculing me, all at the same time... somehow I managed to connect the next ball and swank it over the bowler's head for a six! That was it.. for one moment I didn't know what the hell happened! The next moment, I was in the air, being tossed around like a praying-mantis on a hot frying pan!
• My first, and only, Gold medal came in an unlikely setting.. a three-legged race partnering a guy twice my size! I can't remember the reason we paired up but what I can remember is enjoying running a most terrific race. We ran and ran, and before we knew it we were in the lead. Amit burst into a laugh, as he couldn't believe his eyes, as many of our accomplished competitors fell, tripped or just slowed down! Somehow... somehow, containing our laughter, we finished the race! It was great!! And that remains my only gold medal to date! :-D

There're many many more instances I reminisce.. maybe in a later post as the evening belongs to (Abhishek) Sharma - the Marketing DUDE - who needs to buy short-pants :-P

Over n out.