Happy Marriage!

Gandhinagar Diaries: Part Two

Well in part one, I was still a newbie enjoying the place with a wide eyed enthusiasm of a child and I had assumed that after a month here I would be more realistic. Fortunately, that has not been the case and I am just as delighted by the place as I was a month ago. Where shall I begin..

The Ahmedabad airport had a nice surprise in the form of this bookstore. Nothing remarkable about the store itself, just the regular kind of stock as a bookstore in any airport but the display windows were just so colourful that I stood staring at them for a long long time.

Another amazing experience was my trip to Baroda. Total time taken : 2.5 hours only!

1. Bus from Gandhinagar to Ahmedabad : 40 minutes
2. Waiting time : 10 minutes
3. Bus from Ahmedabad to Baroda : 90 minutes

Exploring Baroda was another treat. Travelling on a scooter, you can traverse the entire city in less than an hour! And the green theme continued here..

Don't have too many more pictures to share but everyday in Ganshinagar has been a treat. The walk to office in the mornings; there is no better therapy for eyes than looking at green of the trees all around freshly washed down by the rains. The rain gods have indeed been kind this year and evidence is all around. The still darkness of the night; it gets eerily quiet here. Walking around on the weekend in the soft rainfall not really caring about where I'm headed, just wandering. This has actually been a great place for self reflection..

Cheers!

Gandhinagar Diaries: Part One

I am here in Gandhinagar for a month and decided to write a weekly blog about my experiences (well the plan didn't exactly pan out since it's been three weeks now but better late than never!). Prior to this visit, my connection to Gujarat has consisted of hearing my college roommate rant (for 3 years!) about how boring Baroda is and a two day visit to Ahmedabad. Well I was in for a surprise!

Being a foodie the first things I looked out for was the food and I was not disappointed, a host of local restaurants as well as some of the chains like Subway, Dominos, CCD and Baskin Robbins are here in all their glory. A thali place called Curry House and a pizza joint called Sam's Pizza really won my heart.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so I won't try to explain the sheer beauty of the place that takes your breath away the minute you get here, I'll just let you see it.

These pictures are clicked on my way to work, I walk there (a first!), it takes 10 minutes. That's right Mumbaikars, I can see your jaws dropping. Actually nothing in Gandhinagar is more than 15 minutes away (the area of the city is 177 sq. km.), and it is such an organized city, warms my perfectionist heart.

The distance between Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad is 25.9 km and Google says it takes 37 minutes to get there, well I've made it in 20 (another first, where Google is the less optimistic one!). The road connecting the two cities is another beauty. 

My first weekend in Gandhinagar was spent in Ahmedabad (told you it's close). I thoughts I had enough of malls everywhere but the Alpha One Mall in Ahmedabad's Vastrapur region is quite something. Huge doesn't even begin to describe it and stores of every possible brand will be a delight to any shopaholic. After the general roaming around and a fabulous dinner at KFC, I was in for another surprise, a movie at a Drive-in Theatre!

Picture: View of the screen during the interval

Picture: A view of the rows and rows of cars which show just how many people show up to enjoy the experience. There are even families who have spread out blankets on the ground and settled down to watch the movie while enjoying all kinds of food, almost like a picnic :)

I didn't have very high expectations from the movie (D-Day) but not only did it have a surprising twist but the entire experience of sitting in your car and watching it made it quite fabulous!

During my second weekend, I was in Bombay and returned via train. I personally love train journeys and have not been on one in a while, so maybe that is why I enjoyed it so much but I think anyone would enjoy the journey. It's short enough (7 hours) to not get restless but long enough to actually spend some time in the train taking in the atmosphere, staring out of the window watching the scenery, munching on junk food, and the works! Recommended for anyone who wants a break from routine and just unwind with a book or some music or even do nothing at all.

Last but not the least, our office in Gandhinagar is also a thing of beauty, quite like a college campus, the way it spreads out ad it's ample spaces.

That's all for now folks, Cheers!

Go Goa Gone!

I haven't actually seen the movie but I am going to shamelessly steal the title for this post just because it's catchy :P  

I am currently on a vacation with my family in Goa and this place never ceases to amaze me. I have been here twice before but this was the first time that I saw Goa in the monsoons. We arrived here on a Wednesday afternoon and the heat wave that hit us as soon as exiting from the airport gave no indication of what was to come in the next few days. The car journey from the airport to the Club Mahindra resort was very pleasant because of the dazzling views all around (my mom and I were sharing a chilled beer which certainly helped matters). I decided to use the time exploring the various camera options in my new phone, got some very interesting clicks thanks to that! We aren't an energetic lot like a lot of people I know who would explored Goa from one end to the other in the 3 days. Unlike them, our holiday was spent at the resort was mostly lazing and chilling with a few walks on the beach and swimming thrown in. The highlight of the trip came on the second day when the monsoons set in. My brother and I had taken a walk towards the sea and sat down on of those wooden benches with a thatched roof attached when the rains came down. Well down is the wrong word since the rain literally flew in every direction. I was hard pressed to keep a huge yellow umbrella open in front of me to shield me from the worst of the sprays but that was about it. It was a maniacally beautiful sight: the trees swaying like they would be ripped out of the ground, sand and rain flying about everywhere, umbrellas getting bent over backwards, the roar of the wind and how could I forget, the sound of thunder. In that moment, while I looked around in awe at the wonder of nature, I suddenly felt the true insignificance of my life in the larger canvas of the universe. Who were we anyway, to defy the laws of nature and seemingly uncover its secrets? Mankind may have progressed far beyond what it had imagined it would but there are moments when the universe asserts its supremacy by showing us exactly what it is capable of. But I digress, the sight was a beautiful if slightly scary one and we spent close to an hour sitting there just waiting for it to pass over. And when it finally did there was a calm in the air quite different from before. Nature had eproved its point with its little show, it didn't need to show us more. It rained again at night but it wasn't quite as fantastic, just your usual moderate winds and heavy rainfall, it was a good lullaby to fall asleep to.  

 

The rest of the vacation was spent mostly lazing, reading, eating (a lot!) and watching the final season of 'Lost' (there is something about the series that just fascinates me). All in all it was a very pleasant and peaceful vacation and repeating this a few times a year is all I need to keep me going. Alas tomorrow it shall be back to the daily grind, which brings me to the other thing that I thought of while lazing around doing nothing: The human spirit is indomitable, definitely stronger than the human body and stronger even than the human mind. If you keep your spirit fuelled (not necessarily fuelled with spirits :P), it can get you through everything, even the drudgery of everyday living which is small fry compared to what all the human spirit has had to bear with throughout history. So the next time you feel stuck in the rut of your life, just close your eyes and go to your "happy place"; it can be anything, an actual place that you have been to and liked, an imaginary place in your head, a moment, a memory, the lyrics of a song, a tune, a scene from a movie or play or book; as long as it makes you feel happy. And then after a moment when you open your eyes, you shall be happy and your spirit fuelled up to get you through the next battle and charging towards victory!   

Cheers!

In the Valley of Heaven...

As I landed in Srinagar, the first thing that hit me was the unbelievanly fresh smell in the air. It is sunny outside but the breeze is nice and cool. The last half an hour of the flight was breathtakingly beautiful. The   bird's eye view of the Himalayan snow capped mountain ranges was spectacular and I literally had my nose pressed against the window. Once the plane entered the valley and moutains were tinged all around there was another treat down below, patches of green fields in every possible shade. There was a bit of a delay before landing due to air traffic but I guess nobody minded circling around that scenery for a while.

The airport in Srinagar is a defence airport and is located in the middle of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) area. The first thing that strikes you about the city is the absolute lack of high rises, a very very refreshing change from usual and the next thing you notice is that the houses are so pretty! So we were on our way to the university where were to have a hiring exercise the next morning when it was decided that we first do some sightseeing. About turn and we found ourselves heading to Gulmarg. The entire two hour journey was beyond  description!

To be continued...

#Munnar Diaries: The Magic Continues...

When night falls, the stars come out. There is no other word for it except spectacular, you can see them all around bright and sparkling and breathtaking. The cresent moon looked like it was caught in the branches of the tree outside our window and the cold, clear night air was like a balm for the soul. Once inside however the picture was quite the opposite, the warm glow from the lamp by the table and a blanket to get cozy under and a good book to read. The combination ensured that I was dozing off within minutes. Waking up in the morning to the bracing air was heavenly. Since unlike my brother and mother I am not very fond of the early morning walk, I decided to drink in the views from the balcony; everything looked fresh and clean as if someone had worked their magic with a mop and broom overnight. The rolling hills covered in green all around and the white clouds floating lazily in the sky and the sun shining down and lighting everything up. The entire day was spent in lazing around and doing nothing, except reading my book and listening to music, my idea of the perfect vacation.

The next day we ventured out on a trip to the Eravikulam National Park, the tour bus took us up to a point beyond which it was a hike up the mountain with the zigzag pathway offering a different breathtaking view at every turn and of course the greenery lining the path on both sides was a definite bonus. After the long and leisurely walk up and down the trail with plenty of halts to click endless photographs, it was time for a very belated lunch of steaming maggi at a roadside stall accompanied by hot coffee, absolute heaven! Afterwards it was a trip to the Madupetty dam and a speed boat ride with the cold wind whipping at your face while the boat seemed to just skim over the surface of the clear as glass water. Breathing in that rush of cold air was so stimulating, it left you wanting for more. Back at the resort, the misty grey light of twilight hung all around as it slowly gave way to darkness and the warm glow of twinkling lights with oceans of black night in between. Just to watch this change without a worry in the world, with daily life so far away was just the most fabulous feeling. Vacations rock!

Until next time..Cheers!

#Munnar Diaries: Above the Clouds...

Getting away from the city is always refreshing but when the place you are getting away to is God's own country it is positively heavenly. Of course it was not as easy as it sounds since the getting away part had a lot of obstructions but once up in the air, all of it just fell away leaving you in a state of bliss and anticipation. Arriving in Kochi, the first thing you notice is the greenery all around interspersed with gorgeous red thatched roofs, a prettier picture I have rarely seen. Even in the midday sun, a cool breeze played around a lovely change from the heat and humidity of Mumbai. The drive from Kochi to Munnar took about three hours and the sights and sounds that kept us company will remain etched in my memory forever. Once outside of the city limits, the climb uphill began. The narrow roads, flanked by green on both sides, the gentle patter of the rain on the windshield and the ever changing sky above all made for a breathtaking spectacle. The views kept changing as we circled our way up the slope, the defining moment being when we found ourselves above the cloud cover looking down upon it. Fields of white cotton stretched out in every direction and through the breaks in the clouds we could see the patches of the green valleys lit up by the sunlight that forced itself through. There were tea gardens all around now, with signposts marking the properties of one and then another and yet another company. Somehow when we look at packets or boxes of tea leaves, this isn't the picture that comes to mind is it? Just goes to show that we should broaden our horizons every once in a while. But coming back to the journey, we now passed forests full of tall trees I know not the names of and calls of birds which were just as elusive. The rain continued to beat down, just enough so that a few drops found themselves inside the car but not so much that we had to roll the windows up. A short break in journey near a waterfall offered yet another delightful view to capture in our memories but the monkeys that roamed around freely we could have done without. We clicked the typical tourist pictures and were off on our way again. The climb was steeper and at every turn we were treated to yet another fascinating view of the valley beow. When at last it seemed like we could climb no higher, we arrived at our destination. Our room has a balcony from where you can almost reach out and touch the clouds, there is an envelope of trees all around and still more tea gardens on the sloping hills before. This is where I sit as I try to put in words all the pictures in my head, but since a picture speaks a thousand words, I guess this is the best I can do. I think I shall be spending a lot of my time out here in this balcony :)

Until next time.. Cheers!

Au Revoir

Modern air travel has always fascinated me, the entire process from origin to destination is one that fills me with wonder. From the moment I see the sign that tells me that the airport is just around the corner, I begin to feel a sense of anticipation and an excitement I cannot explain. I reach the departures terminal and join the queue that wishes to enter this building. A stern looking sentry stops me to check that I have that vital piece of paper that will allow me entry into this sacred lair. Not satisfied with just the piece of paper, he asks for identification; having duly proved to him that I am who I claim to be, I enter.

The difference in atmosphere from outside to in is almost tangible; outside it is harsh, bright and uncertain while on the inside the muted lighting, the smiling faces and the welcoming voices all spell comfort and warmth. I approach the clerk at the check in counter and he smilingly informs me that my flight is on schedule. I place my check in luggage on the conveyor belt, someone slaps a sticker on it and it slowly disappears behind a plastic curtain. I collect my boarding pass and baggage tag and head towards security check. Laptop goes into the box and through the scanner and the bag follows. The human baggage all passes through the scanner and is reunited with their possessions on the other side.

And then freedom, an entire expanse of the terminal for me to explore until such time the flight is called. I stroll around, glancing at all the shops with their shiny glass windows and colourful displays wondering who exactly does shop at the airport. The food joints are a different story, almost every table has occupants who are engrossed in their newspapers or laptops with a coffee cup by their side. I spend the time alternating between reading and observing the scene around.

The view from the upper floor where I sat was breathtaking, the entire airport stretched out before me, an ocean of space in the middle of the crowded city. The scenery inside was amusing as well, people rushing around, looking flustered and not really being able to settle down in one place for a minute. Somehow I think the feeling that this is something of their lives that they cannot control, gives them a reason for anxiety. They are completely dependent on the authorities to tell them what to do and where to go and that unsettles them. I have seen very few people who are relaxed in an airport. Children are the only ones who make the most of the situation, running around wherever they please.

But anyway I digress, the flight is announced, the people form a queue to board, anxious once again as if the plane would deliberately take off without them if they didn't rush. I board the plane and find my seat, a relatively easy task for me; being so short that I neither have the problem of bumping my head on the overhead bins nor of being cramped in my seat with no space for my legs :P. Having settled in, I find that I am able to continue with my reading while all the pre-boarding commotion plays on like background music. At last it is time for the flight to take wings, the roar of the engine fills the aircraft, images rush by and everything begins to shake and suddenly we're in the air. The city below gets smaller and smaller until you can see no more than a haze of clouds.

Inside the aircraft, things have settled down and the flight crew is busy handing out refreshments and all is well in the world. Very soon, the empty containers are cleared away and there is a peaceful silence on board; people reading, listening to music or just dozing. Before you know it, it is time to land, seat belts on, seats upright and tray tables folded away. Emerging from the cloud cover the city comes into view and slowly gets bigger and bigger as the aircraft descends. It gets closer and closer when finally with a thump, it touches down. Even before the aircraft has come to a complete standstill, there is a rush of people standing in the aisles and getting their luggage out of the overhead bins. The sounds of cell phones being switched on are heard all around. Here again people are as anxious to get off as they had been to get on. I wait my turn, pick up my luggage and smiling at the flight crew exit the plane.

A bus awaits below to ferry passengers to the terminal. Arriving there, there is another rush for collecting the bags from the giant conveyor belts and then out into the open air, turning my back to the magic of the airport. There is a throng of expectant faces outside which light up on seeing the one that they have been looking out for. I find my cab, place my bags inside and seat myself and take one last look at the airport before we pull away from the kerb. Until next time then..

Cheers!

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Chennai Diaries

I heard a lot about Chennai before I went there. The heat would be unbearable, the roads would be narrow, the language would be a problem and that all in all it would be an unpleasant experience. Well I decided to ignore everything that everyone said and go and see for myself and basically had an amazing time. The heat was more or less the same as Bombay, in fact the area where I was staying which is in the outskirts of the city near the IIT-M campus was actually very pleasant and the view from the hotel was breathtaking. The narrow roads weren't really a problem and I quite liked them, flyovers and highways are way over rated. And well when it came to language, since the basic left, right, straight and stop are the same everywhere it was easy to manage travel and in most places and in most cases English is understood in any case. I can't say I explored much but the places I did go to were heavenly. Besant Nagar beach in the morning is absolutely beautiful, from a distance the sea actually looks blue and green not muddy brown like in most other places. With the bright sunshine and cool breeze, it is the best place to laze around on a Saturday morning especially after a delicious breakfast at Chennai's famous Murugan Idli. It's a very colourful city, that's what struck me the most about the place, the plethora of colours that are everywhere around you. I brought back some of the colours with me, beaded necklaces, earrings and bracelets which will forever remind me of Chennai. With a lot of help from my friend, I also explored the areas of Khadar Nawas Khan and Adyar and amazing choices of food places. A place called Cream and Fudge especially caught my fancy with their amazing choice of desserts. I has something called a strawberry shortcake which isn't actually a cake but a delightful combination of ice cream, pie filling and caramel and spent the rest of the day in a sugar induced high and then vowed henceforth never to go without sweets again (There is a half empty tub of Baskin Robbins ice cream in my freezer as we speak :P). Another thing I enjoyed there was the solitude I found, away from my regular life, alone at the end of the day; it gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on my life. Everybody needs that sometimes I feel and I certainly found it in Chennai and I will always treasure the time that I spent there and I do hope we meet again.

Cheers!

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone