Travel Series - Part 2

The very next week after visiting Tirupathi, I wanted to go and see another set of temples in the State of Karnataka (the state where Bangalore is located). I was told that some temples there are in pristine surroundings and add up to the wow-factor. So the plan was to go to Bangalore, spend a day in the city and then start the trip by SUV. Oh and to all the readers in America, Chevy Tavera is really “the pick” of SUVs amongst tourist operators. It came as a super-big surprise to me as GM does not have such a good track record in America in the recent years.

The plan was to take the train to Bangalore, stop at a friends place for the night and hit the road the following day, visit 6 temples - Subrahmanya, Dharmasthala, Kattil, Udupi, Shringeri and Horanadu, return to Bangalore, rest a day and return to Chennai.

See this image. Would any of my Indian friends believe it if I told you that this was a seat in a Train? My surprise hit epic proportions after entering the seater-class compartment of this train. This was a Shatabdhi express from Chennai to Bangalore. I had been on a tourism train in Alaska in the US. But to see something of comparable standards in India was a total shocker. There were adjustable lights and air-vents (like in planes). There were power plug-points and many IT guys were working on their laptops. Breakfast was also provided and the pantry service was pretty decent.




The road trip started early in the morning and for the next 3 days, most part of the day was to be spent on the SUV. I must also admit that it was scary as hell sitting next to the driver. By now I was used to crazy “city” traffic (slower speeds) but highway driving is in a different league. Roads in some remote parts were narrower than a single lane that I was used to in America and our driver was going at 80 – 100 kmph in these conditions - honking like an express train and breaking every possible road rule known to man. And believe it or not … 2 buses / trucks going in either direction managed to fit into the ultra-narrow road strip.

Another surprise during the trip was stay at my mom’s friend’s relative’s house, which was in the middle of a field. We reached there during the night and the path that led to the house was a “One foot path” (Otthai Adi Padhai) where only you could walk or perhaps bicycle if you were exceptionally confident about your balance. I am shit scared of snakes and the very idea of walking through that path and the fact that snakes love fields gave me the creeps. Images of all the giant King cobras that I had seen on Discovery Channel started flashing. With the help of the flashlight in my cellphone, I somehow managed to reach home safe (strangely, the I could not stop thinking of captain Vijaykanth who performed an operation with the light from cell phones). It was truly an old fashioned house with some modern amenities. I managed to wake up before dawn and captured some of the best photos that I have ever captured.

I must admit that the scenery in interior Karnataka was mind blowing. Alaska was barren and desolate but yet serene and beautiful. Karnataka countryside was lush green and lively and gorgeous in a totally contrasting sense.

Another interesting fact to note is that in Karnataka Temples – food is served free to all pilgrims and there are NO beggars outside the temples. The temples and temple towns were surprisingly well maintained. Another interesting incident that I witnessed – my mom decided to donate some money on the “aarathi” plate in one of the temples and the priest actually asked – “If this is for the temple, drop it in the hundi (large piggybank placed in the temple where devotees put their offerings) or leave it here if it is for me”. It was touching to see such sincerity.

India is truly a country of rich cultural heritage and I am beginning to realize it. I guess I have lots more to see and much more to learn. Overall, this was a fabulous trip that left behind some fond memories to cherish.

Travel Series - Part 1

I did some travelling over the last few weeks. Will talk about it -

The first trip was to Tirupathi to see Lord Venkateshwara - a.k.a. Balaji. It was a one-day trip organized by TamilNadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC). It was impressive overall. Since this was government based, I was not too happy when my dad suggested that we go through them. I was in for a surprise. The customer service was spot on. When I called, the travel agent gave me dates when tickets were available – “accurately”. There were no online booking so had to go to the booking office in person. The booking office was pretty decent and I was all the more surprised to learn that it was open 24 hours. I take pains to mention all this because Indian customer support in general is disappointing. When government gets involved (TTDC was a government thingy) then you have to reset your expectations to negative percentage – as in be prepared for the truly worst. However, things here were the other way round and hence all my amazement.

Photo source : Indian Trip advisor web site

For the non-Indian readers - Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is a famous Hindu Temple located in the hill town Tirumala, amidst 7 hills, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is one of the most popular places of worship. The temple is reportedly the richest and the most visited place of worship in the world. About 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily visit the temple.

There were two buses starting at 6AM from Chennai and surprise led to a state of shock when they started on time. Each bus had a guide – I could easily say that the guide who accompanied us was very able and experienced. At the main Venkateshwara temple, people are not allowed to carry handbags / backpacks / cameras / cell-phones. So TTDC also had a guesthouse booked at Tirumala where people could leave all their belongings and backpacks and freshen up - very sensible and intuitive. Surprisingly again, restrooms were very clean (for Indian standards) at places where there was a stop.

There was a substantial wait at the temple queue (approximately 3 ½ hours). There was one sore incident that I wish could forget. The temple was nice enough to serve all the waiting pilgrims with free fresh hot food. There was definitely no shortage of food and there was more than enough for everyone. However the way people behaved there reminded me of the National Geographic episode of African desert series - Survival of fittest / quickest. People rushed and pushed like they had never-ever seen food before in their lives. The unfortunate ones waiting in queue were looked down upon like they had lost their mind (I was one of the few douchebags standing in the queue). It was sad to see elders and little ones suffer in the process. In the past, on TV, I have seen guards with sticks / batons regulating pilgrims. Was force really necessary there? Yes – it might probably save lives some day. We Indians complicate the simplest of things in a way it can never be complicated and then blame everything else other than ourselves for a sheer lack of discipline. (Exceptions apply and this is my opinion – there are few ultra disciplined souls that make up a 1.73447% of general public and this is directed at the remaining 98.xx%).

Conclusion here – following rules and being disciplined could get you into trouble and if warning signs are not heeded – tragedy lurks in the proximity.

(Travel Series -  Part 2 to follow soon ...)

Relocating & adjusting to life in India again ... PART 2

My learning curve so far has been steep and steady.

Once a friend at work had just joined from India and I had the pleasure of being one of the three people enjoying a ride to lunch in his new car. He skipped a 4 way stop and a yield sign and when asked why, he said he though traffic rules are just guidelines – not mandatory to follow. It freaked the rest of us out. Now I understand why. Rules are meant to be broken here and when I stop at a red light, a couple of times people have actually yelled at me to either break the signal and keep going or get out of the way.

Most of you in North America are aware of wind chill and I don’t have to mention that wind chill is more un-bearable than the actual cold. Humidity factor in India is analogous to wind chill. Soaring temperatures are bearable but rising humidity sucks.

Food here is very different. I have been eating very less spice over the last 6 – 7 years. It was very difficult to eat normal Indian food initially. I would sweat and turn red. It initially scared my mom, as food at my home is NOT spicy and the drama at the sight of me eating gave my mom doubts about the Chilli factor in her cooking. It is not possible to eat the kind of heavy and rich food that I ate in the US - eggs / meat / quantity of cheese etc.

That being said, the notion of being healthy is measured by a slightly different set of metrics - a decent tummy and chubby cheeks are qualifications of a healthy person. Pumping iron / running few km / walking / cycling / sports / dance ... well - sorry you're disqualified.

People drink a lot more Tea and Coffee here – in terms of frequency and not quantity. The smallest serving of Starbucks coffee / chai is the total quantity of coffee / tea that we drink in the whole day (4-5 times).

Next interesting thing is rollover minutes. This is not to be confused with the cellphone plan monthly rollover minutes. When a person says something will be done in 5 minutes, you’ll be lucky if it gets done in an hour. I got a dose of this when I went to get my motorcycle. I was told that I would have to wait 5 minutes to test-drive the bike. After 15 minutes, I was told that it would take 5 more minutes. And after 45 minutes, I was told to wait 5 more minutes. I was fed up by then and I asked the sales dude – why did you not tell me that it would take an hour before hand. The sales douche just grinned silly and scratched his head.

SUPER BOOT

I'll break my once a year posting jinx with a lame one - as a warning to readers, I should say this post is a by-product of slacker-dom and the crazy hot chennai weather (100°F and 70% humidity) forcing me to stay indoors all the time.

I was visiting Alaska (from Kentucky) at the end of winter. It sounded crazy when I told everyone that I was going at this time of the year to see the Northern Lights – Aurora Borealis. Actually I was. I decided to travel light to Alaska. And in the quest to travel light, I decided fit all my gear into cabin baggage. I did not have room for sandals so had to make do with just the SUPER BOOT – which meant, without choice, I had to wear it at all times. These BOOTS are meant to be worn ONLY in fiercely cold regions – they have thermal insulation + water proof + heat retention + all the Science and Technology known to man to keep his feet warm. And it takes about 2 - 3 minutes to get it on / off - which just adds to the pleasure factor of getting it on / off every time.

The day I started to Alaska, it was a moderately cold spring morning in Kentucky and at 5AM and when I wore my boot, I did not realize what I was getting into. My first flight was from Kentucky to Texas (2^nd – Texas - Seattle & 3^rd from Seattle - Alaska) and I could not sleep in the plane (despite staying awake all night) or breathe (after sometime). I also started to sweat a little (which is very very rare and odd). I was not having a heart attack. It was my SUPER BOOT in showing its muscle. Normally, when people get off a plane in a hurry, they run to use the restroom / catch a connecting flight / a meet their better half … etc etc. I ran faster than all of them to find a seat and take off my SUPER BOOT. A few minutes without it – things returned to normal.

After seeing the above warning, I think the super boot could also use one - Wearing it at inappropriate places (Chennai - India) could be fatal.

Relocating & adjusting to life in India again ...

After spending a decade in the US of A ... I packed up and came back to Chennai (permanently). Three years back, this would have been an impossible scenario to even think ... but as of today I am back and so far it has been good. I am going to narrate about by returning / re-adjusting to India experience in a series of posts. Without too much drama, I'll just get started.

Why did I come back to India ?

I am definitely not going to bring up heavy sentiments of patriotism, motherland calling, taking care of parents ... etc etc(like most people do). I just got tired of my VISA status affecting all major decisions of my life. I want to have the freedom to do what I want to do. This being said - I have NO ill feelings about the US of A. I also needed a BIG change to SHAKE things up in my life.

India ... after 10 years ...

I returned around mid-April. This is the time of the year when Chennai is "sweltering" HOT. The first thing I noticed right after getting off the plane was the humidity. The fact that I had just visited Alaska 10 days before made it all the more dramatic. It felt like I had transitioned from a fridge to an oven (20°F to 35°C).

Chennai Airport (or any Airport / Railway station) is a swindlers paradise. As a rule of thumb here - NO ONE IS NICE ... DO NOT TRUST ANYONE WHO IS NICE (they are after your money / trying to cheat you in a skillful way). Right from the point when I was waiting for my checked-in bags to arrive, I encountered one such blessed soul (sarcasm intended) who tried to help me with my suitcases. I specifically asked this dude if he was with the airline and he said he was 'private porter' at the airport. I told him a couple of times that I was fine and needed NO help and he could help someone who really needed it. He still decided to stick on and loaded my bags on to a trolley and he asked me to spare him some $$$ (not Rupees). I politely refused and walked away. On my way out, I was flooded by taxi and auto drivers who tried to offer me best fare to my Chennai destination (a.k.a Home). They're pretty smart and annoyingly persistent ... at the slightest hint that you're totally new / did not do your research, they might charge you $500 for a ride that is worth Rs.500 (Rs.500 is approximately $10). After evading them, I finally come out to see another big swarm of people waiting for their near & dear ones. I was relieved to spot my brother-in-law waving to me amidst the chaos. In India, CHAOS RULES !!!

In the past 20 days, I have been enjoying good good home food. I don't have to cook or clean the dishes ;-). I only have to EAT :-) :-) :-). The fact that I have been away from home for long helps in this aspect ... I like the attention / pampering (no harm in enjoying it when it lasts).

Other than that, I have been going around the city in ALL forms of public transport. I was pleasantly surprised (on a couple of occasions) to travel by AC deluxe VOLVO bus. It was supremely comfortable (I was able to fit in comfortably in the seats). I have also used overhead trains and regular trains (like NYC subways). Although people here in Chennai, don't prefer public transport, I seem to be having a love affair with it. Especially after living in a place like Kentucky where public transport is scarce, it is wonderful to not be dependent on car.

to be continued ... (hopefully on a regular basis)

Chennai auto

Anyone who has visited Chennai would know the hassle of getting an auto rickshaw and getting into an agreement with the fares. There happens to be a meter that never runs or no-one cares to turn it on. The world knows it and I am not going to repeat it again. Instead, I am going to narrate two very contrasting auto trips that I made on my most recent vacation.

Me and my mom were getting back from T.Nagar after noon and we got into an auto. Surprisingly, the driver asked for a nominal fare with very little bargaining and we were en route home. Things were fine till suddenly, the driver started straying into the wrong side of the road. He wasn't trying to overtake and there was not much traffic in the road either. He did not react even when a bus was approaching us. all of a sudden there was honking from all directions and finally something snapped and he got back at the nick of time to avoid the bus. Alarm bells were ringing in all corners of my head. What is he doing ? Is he sleeping ? I then tried not to think too much and diverted my chain of thoughts. Exactly the same thing happened after 20 minutes. This time I was really scared and I asked the driver - "enna sir, enna aachu ? - semma tookam varadha ?" (what happened ? are you feeling sleepy ?). For that he replied, "illa sar kaanu konjam teriala." (can't see too well sir).There was pin drop silence for the next few minutes. My mom started saying all kinds of prayers. Finally after reaching home she went straight to the prayer room and thanked the gods for getting us together in one piece.

For the next ride, I was getting back home after spending a day at my sisters place. I got an auto and noticed that there was something big sitting behind the back seat. I asked the driver what it was and he removed the cloth covering it. There sat two BAD ASS speakers and a woofer sitting there. I have seen this breed of crazy autos only in the movies "Oram Po" (Fast and Furious remade with auto) but it was the first time I saw one in really and I was riding on it too. The driver asked me if I wanted to listen to music. On agreeing, he played some really collection that included Ace of the Base etc etc ... Passers by could not hide their curiosity and had to take a look. It was just awesome to travel in that auto.

Summer Vacation

Few years ago, we (me and my room mate in Lexington - KY) used to wake up to the song"Summer of 69" by Brian Adams. It was more like a morning anthem to us and
it used to enliven us and the day started with energy. I particularly liked
this song because, it reminded me of my grade 10 and grade 12 summer vacation
Although there was no girlfriend / love involved (as in the song lyrics), it was nostalgic to me in a way.

Going down memory lane, I closed my eyes and went back to those days
and couldn't help a silly smile and blood flush my cheeks. I lived at a place called Besant Nagar and my house was 5 minutes walk from this famous beach called the Elliots Beach. I literally grew up in the beach.

5:45AM : "M.Veeeeeeeee!!!!" (that was my pet name) - would be my wake up alarm. It was either Janda, Sudhi or Lakku shouting from the gate (4 best friends). I look at them from
my window and gesture them to wait. I see irritation on their faces and I get
ready in an astonishing 4 minutes and join them outside. Lakku yells at me -
"MV you idiot, why don't you get up early at least for one single day? You
always make us wait." I grin long and wide and show all the teeth in my mouth as I did everyday. We walk fast and almost burst into a run. "We're late" declares Janda. They must have already started.

6:00 AM : We reach the beack at 6AM and a bunch of people are already waiting
for us. One dude yells at us, "Your late guys!". It Sudhi's turn now - he
yells back - "Its MVee again." I scratch my head and as usual reply - "Sorry
dude! Lets start NOW and make up for the lost time." They all give me a super sarcastic
look and the game resumes.

9:00 AM : I ask janda - "dude whats the time?" He says "its 9AM and I think
you are your dead - your dad is going to KILL you". I think we better head
back home and so we 4 hurry up after bidding our byes.

9:20 AM : I reach home and can hear dad in the middle of his pooja and the air
is thick with the smell of incense sticks and on the the other side, the
pressure cooker is whizzing. As soon as I get in dad walks up to me. He is
obviously not very happy. He asks me - "Do you know what the time is ?" I stay
silent and don't even dare to look up. It just adds up to his anger. Now he is
furious. His fists are clenched and he is biting his teeth. A drop of cold
sweat goes down my forehead and I can feel my heartbeat on the veins of my
forehead. Fortunately, mom comes out of the kitchen like God sent. Dad
in a very angry tone yells at mom - "Does he think this is some kind of free lodge ?" Mom calms him down and the second I drop guard thinking she is going to support me, she starts yelling at me. The hungama settles down after half an hour with me being the good boy holding the pooja
bell assisting dad with his aarathi ritual and it mellows him down.

(to be continued ....)

The spark and Initial reactions

One fine day when I was talking to my mom over the phone, I blurted out - “Amma, I'm taking dance lessons!”. It was one of the things I vowed to never tell my mom, but my excitement got the better of me and it just came out. An immediate,“Are you learning Bahrata Natyam ? (Bharata Natyam is an Indian classical dance that Originated in Tamil Nadu – India, that is performed solo mostly)Thats good for you” followed. I replied “No - its Ballroom! Western dance as you know it ma“. After a pause, she managed, “Are you dancing with girls? Who are the other people (she meant other desi guys) going with you ?”. I replied “Yes and it's just me.” After a longer pause, she asked “Are the other ladies / women you dance with - Indian ?” I said “NO”. This time there was a longer pause. It seemed like with every answer of mine, I was ripping off a layer of my mom's comfort zone. She finally cried out “What have you done son ? Why ?” I was stumped and a little confused .... what did I do ?

I guess I cannot blame her. I am from South India, that too from Madras(a conservative part of India). Being raised in a conservative family, My dad was skeptical of the idea of me casually interacting with girls. A sudden jump from that kind of a setup to socially dancing with “foreign” women was a big jump for my mom to digest. It was a big jump for me at the beginning too. I still do not have answers as to why would someone like me would get into something totally out of character like ballroom dance. But this is how it all started.

It was a few months into my first job as a software engineer (Around September of 2005). I felt a growing hollow by the day on the inside as the only thing that I had was my job. Nothing bad was happening, at the same time there was nothing interesting to do after work. An everyday routine was pretty much 9 to 10 hours at office, picking up fast food and a couple of DVD rentals on the way home and watching it over dinner and even before I realized, another day passed and I felt like I was a passive spectator to my life. Just like any other weekend me and a friend went to a random club just like that. Coincidentally, there was a salsa band playing there. All of a sudden, two Asian, a middle eastern / Indian (I thought he was probably from the Middle East but later he turned out to be Indian as well) and a Chinese guy stepped out of the shadows and started dancing. I was surprised to see Asians on the dance floor and both were really smooth and graceful and I was simply mesmerized looking at them dance. It was fantastic to watch them in full flow. It seemed to me like when they were dancing, there were in a different state – reaping utmost joy a moment could offer. Moreover, when they started dancing, the whole (dance) floor emptied out and it was just the two of 'em stealing the spotlight with their partners and the whole club was cheering for them. Suddenly, I could feel blood rush in the veins of my forearm. In a flash, a hidden switch in my head turned ON. I could see myself in the shoes of the other two guys. For the first time in my life, out of the blue, I wanted to dance.

I actually danced with a 7 Time World Champion.

When I started dancing, I surprised myself and a lot of other people as I had never really imagined myself on a dance floor and Ballroom Dancing ??? Definitely not. No one else in my family was into any kind of dance.I was getting pretty good at it and in around 6 months of dancing, my instructor asked me to compete. I was never really interested in competing but my instructor was really leaning towards it. So I enrolled in the upcoming Contest, freestyle round. (This is a style where you do not have to prepare a routine and it just impromptu stuff). I was going to compete in 6 dances – all freestyle.

It was the first time I was ever competing and I would say I was nervous at the beginning. But surprisingly, I did not make a mess of the first dance. By the second and third I was pretty confident and actually did a pretty decent job. Everything did not go well as there was this dance called Viennese Waltz. It is pretty fast dance and all the songs to which I had danced before were pretty slow. I just realized that when I was performing and I'd say it was a disaster. Then came my favorite dance, the salsa. I was at my awesome best and all the new moves that I had learned the day before were executed to perfection. The instant the song got over I knew that I had a winning performance. It was a great feeling to get things right, that too in front of an audience, without much practice. (To me it was something big). I'd say I was ecstatic.

There was a formal lunch and after that in the evening, there were casual dances. I would say that I was dancing my heart off that day. I was taking a break between dances and all of a sudden a lady walked up to me and asked me for a dance and I started dancing with her. At that time I was relatively new to dance but could definitely say she was exceptionally good. After the song she complemented the way I lead her and walked away.

The next day my instructor called me for a critic session by a 7 time world champion. So I went to the studio and when it was my turn, I opened the door to enter the room where she was and was shocked and surprised. I just realized that the exceptionally good lady I had danced with the previous day was a 7 time world champion. I was still recovering from the surprise. She interrupted my thoughts saying, “You were good yesterday.” I said,“Thank you”. “How long have you been dancing ?”, she asked. I said “Six months”. “Thats a lot you have learned in 6 months”, she said. I wasn't sure if my ears were playing tricks with me, but I did not try to analyze anything, took the compliment and replied, “Thank you”. It turned out that I got the best score in 2 of the dances. Then she said, “Dancing with you was fun yesterday”. I somehow managed,”Had I known that you were a 7 time champion, my feet would have gotten stuck to the floor”. She had a good laugh over that. We later discussed some improvement based technical issues (that I still find very helpful today) to end the session.

When I think about it today, I still find it had to believe that I had actually danced with a seven time world champion. To end on a philosophical note, I'd say that life is sometimes not that complicated as it looks from the outside.

That was me - 6 Years ago

I hear a faint “Kausalya Supraja Rama” ……….. and my eyes peep out of the bed sheet and search for the clock franctically. Is it past 7:30AM??? Awww shitt!!! Am I late today too?? Get out of bed and get started lazy bones says my guardian angel ……. Hmmm maybe 10 more minutes of sleep at this golden hour would give the feel of heaven – so what the heck if you just miss the first train???? Says the devil. Well – I let the two quarrel while I take refuge under the bed sheet. As I just tuck myself in, my nose smells coffee and my ears hear a sweet voice – dei kanna, inniki oru naal avadhu inda vaarathula time la po daa, appa kittendhu vaangi katiikada. It was amma – as usual trying to be nice to me. I nod sheepishly and gulp down the coffee in no time. I look up to see if she is around – the minute she is out of sight I snuggle back. Simran – my dream girl, walks up to me, gets close to me, slowly rubs my lips with the tip of her beautiful nose, starts to kiss me but in a second backs up a little without breaking eye contact and suddlenly screams “DAIIII Kaludha” in an angry manly voice and I get up like I’ve been electrocuted. It was’nt simran - it was appa in action – doing his role everyday. Amma gasps at me getting ready; to her it is like watching a video in fast forward. Tiffin is ready and served on the table. Its only dosai today announces amma with thenga and pudhina chutneys. I look at ‘em and say I don’t like the green chutney and I refuse to eat it. Amma asks yen daa – taste pidikallaya ??? I say illa maa – enakku color pidikkala – enna chutney idu – pacchaiyaa???? She gets a little pissed off and says idoda arumay unakku ippo teriyadhu daa. When I think about it today, I feel she was dead right. It has been ages since my taste buds felt idly or dosa and even if they did – the multi colored chutneys are history. I wish I could rewind my life by few years and go back to the time when I was in college, when there was really nothing to worry about and there was all the time in the world for friends and chit chat. There was nothing called responsibility and you could do all that you wanted without having to fear the consequences. I wish things were that simple as it was that day - I can only dream.

to be continued ..................