Dear Blog,
I've ignored you for long now. But cant help it, ever since the attack of the 140 characters wave.
I confess, I've been hooked up there. Though Iam more of a story writer than a smser. I promise to get back soon to update the blog. Hopefully, I will have reasons to blog soon.
:)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Independence Day
My husband and friends usually have a small Independence Day celebrations, where they hoist the flag and distribute sweets to celebrate India’s freedom. It is a small gathering of all the youngsters in the vicinity. This year also the celebrations were on full swing…the flag was hoisted and sweets distributed. All of us were just around, enjoying our holiday and distributing sweets to passersby and shooting proud glances at the national flag.
Then slowly one by one people started leaving, wonder whom the pole was attached to…its started slanting…Proud glances changed to ones of dismay. Before hands could rush to stop the “leaning pole of the national flag” it was gathering too much momentum, crashing on a passing by car!! Screams and shouts rendered the air. The organizers of the celebrations ran for cover…so did I
Contrary to all emotions, the man at the wheel, got off his car and examined the damaged bonnet of the car. The crowd waited to see the drama unfold. That’s when he made the unexpected comment.
“Thank God the National Flag dint touch the ground, what a shame it would have been. The car can be repaired.”
This is what it means to be a Proud Indian. This gentleman refused to be compensated when the “organizers” approached him later in the day.
Then slowly one by one people started leaving, wonder whom the pole was attached to…its started slanting…Proud glances changed to ones of dismay. Before hands could rush to stop the “leaning pole of the national flag” it was gathering too much momentum, crashing on a passing by car!! Screams and shouts rendered the air. The organizers of the celebrations ran for cover…so did I
Contrary to all emotions, the man at the wheel, got off his car and examined the damaged bonnet of the car. The crowd waited to see the drama unfold. That’s when he made the unexpected comment.
“Thank God the National Flag dint touch the ground, what a shame it would have been. The car can be repaired.”
This is what it means to be a Proud Indian. This gentleman refused to be compensated when the “organizers” approached him later in the day.
Friday, June 26, 2009
RIDICULOUS rules in college!
Read the contents in the link before reading this post.
DON’T
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=1&contentid=2009051020090510111824142b84acd85
I saw this story in Bangalore Mirror about the new rules for fresher in colleges. I have just one thing to say...this whole thing is RIDICULOUS.
Iam sure all of us who have been to college know what an integral part of our lives it is. The fun we had bunking classes, the fun we had attending classes and how everything we did was FUN. The heterogeneous group which consisted of both girls and boys, the platonic friendship shared, the innocent and some non-innocent fun we had. I wonder where that FREEDOM has gone. The kids entering college are gonna have none of these. I feel very very sad for them.
Just imagine a “separation code” which is means male students cannot sit with female students inside a classroom!!! When are we going to teach our youngsters to be comfortable in the presence of the opposite sex? That ALL of them are not beasts and its not “wrong” to sit next to a boy/girl and AIDS doesn’t spread by touch???
Someone has prescribed a code of ethics where mingling between students of the opposite sex is looked as intimacy!
“Hello!!! Sir / Madam, what exactly are you thinking? How much more pervert can your mind be???”
Some other college has banned high heels bcos its injurious to heath!
“Hello Dear Principal, keep you college canteen and toilets clean and then your students will be hale and hearty”
When it comes to bunking I kinda agree with the colleges to an extent and also caution students that if you don’t want you college to swallow more of your parents hard earned money, DON’T BUNK.
Dress Codes are another big pain. Why do you have to enforce something on students? This makes them rebel more. College lecturers talk in length about the “teen”age and how it can make the person do things. By enforcing a dress code in the college, don’t you think the college is not taking complete responsibility of a student’s growth. They restrict students from wearing particular kind of clothes in the college premises, I have known students who hide clothes in bags and wear them once out of home/college. If they ever get into trouble the first name they drop is that of the college! Now that’s bad PR. You don’t want to issue statements in the press about dress codes and the very next day you have your student caught at a rave party and the college name in the very same newspaper.
Instead – Give your students the liberty, let them analyse and think what is good for them. If you stumble upon inappropriately dressed students, send them home on the spot, confiscate the ID cards, fine them, form student leaders who will report campus irregularities. Do things to make them realize their mistake. The college will be responsible for shy and introvert citizens in the big bad world. Students who are not taught to think for themselves will never excel.
When else in life will your students get to wear those funky tees, cargos and jeans??? All corporates and work places have enforced formal wear. They will be wearing it for the rest of their lives, let them have fun in college and cherish good memories of college like we did.
So all city colleges, take a cue from UP University, they have banned any kind of enforcement of dress codes. Bangalore being a Cosmopolitan City can do much better.
Don’t expose to the younger generation that Educational Institutions are incapable to moulding them into responsible and worthy citizens.
DON’T
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=1&contentid=2009051020090510111824142b84acd85
I saw this story in Bangalore Mirror about the new rules for fresher in colleges. I have just one thing to say...this whole thing is RIDICULOUS.
Iam sure all of us who have been to college know what an integral part of our lives it is. The fun we had bunking classes, the fun we had attending classes and how everything we did was FUN. The heterogeneous group which consisted of both girls and boys, the platonic friendship shared, the innocent and some non-innocent fun we had. I wonder where that FREEDOM has gone. The kids entering college are gonna have none of these. I feel very very sad for them.
Just imagine a “separation code” which is means male students cannot sit with female students inside a classroom!!! When are we going to teach our youngsters to be comfortable in the presence of the opposite sex? That ALL of them are not beasts and its not “wrong” to sit next to a boy/girl and AIDS doesn’t spread by touch???
Someone has prescribed a code of ethics where mingling between students of the opposite sex is looked as intimacy!
“Hello!!! Sir / Madam, what exactly are you thinking? How much more pervert can your mind be???”
Some other college has banned high heels bcos its injurious to heath!
“Hello Dear Principal, keep you college canteen and toilets clean and then your students will be hale and hearty”
When it comes to bunking I kinda agree with the colleges to an extent and also caution students that if you don’t want you college to swallow more of your parents hard earned money, DON’T BUNK.
Dress Codes are another big pain. Why do you have to enforce something on students? This makes them rebel more. College lecturers talk in length about the “teen”age and how it can make the person do things. By enforcing a dress code in the college, don’t you think the college is not taking complete responsibility of a student’s growth. They restrict students from wearing particular kind of clothes in the college premises, I have known students who hide clothes in bags and wear them once out of home/college. If they ever get into trouble the first name they drop is that of the college! Now that’s bad PR. You don’t want to issue statements in the press about dress codes and the very next day you have your student caught at a rave party and the college name in the very same newspaper.
Instead – Give your students the liberty, let them analyse and think what is good for them. If you stumble upon inappropriately dressed students, send them home on the spot, confiscate the ID cards, fine them, form student leaders who will report campus irregularities. Do things to make them realize their mistake. The college will be responsible for shy and introvert citizens in the big bad world. Students who are not taught to think for themselves will never excel.
When else in life will your students get to wear those funky tees, cargos and jeans??? All corporates and work places have enforced formal wear. They will be wearing it for the rest of their lives, let them have fun in college and cherish good memories of college like we did.
So all city colleges, take a cue from UP University, they have banned any kind of enforcement of dress codes. Bangalore being a Cosmopolitan City can do much better.
Don’t expose to the younger generation that Educational Institutions are incapable to moulding them into responsible and worthy citizens.
Krishna Chaitanya
Krishna Chaitanya means absolute consciousness of Lord Krishna. This place is indeed heaven on earth for the kids who live there. Located in the village of Byrohalli near Kengeri Satellite Town, Bangalore. It is a place one should visit atleast once in a lifetime for it will bring you in touch with reality of the lives of the mentally challenged children. And only once you meet these children will you have a motivation to do something for them. Just by reading in newspapers doesn’t awaken any emotion in a person.
A boarding school where a mentally retarded child is admitted on the basis of his/her level of IQ and behaviour and are taught basic education, or rather, the teachers try their best to train these children to be as independent as possible -to eat by themselves, to clean themselves, to achieve bowel controls, to talk clearly and if possible to learn a few alphabets and numbers. They have classrooms divided into accommodating children of specific IQ levels. More like a Montessori set up. The food is cooked in the kitchen by cooks and like any other school they have a playground, garden and all other facilities. You must be wondering “What’s the big deal then?” The big deal here is that this school is run for the children from underprivileged families, who cannot afford the high maintenance.
In such households, every person has to go out to work and they cannot depute one person to look after a mentally retarded child. Krishna Chaitanya is one such place where these children are looked after and it is obvious that funding will be really low considering the backgrounds they come from. Mr. Mahesh and his wife who live nearby bring these children over to their facility over the weekend to train them on using the computer.(between the age group 12 – 18 with an IQ level )They also learn horse riding here under the watchful eye of Ms.Pushpa. Classes are available for other children as well as adult. Not too sure of the price, but should be ranging from Rs.250-300 per session of 45 mins.
The main assistance the students of Krishna Chaitanya need is in the form of some people who can volunteer to teach them, even if it is on weekends. Mr. Mahesh has set up a vocational training centre at his residence so that these children may be able to secure a future in this big world of opportunities. Iam also one of the volunteers who work with these lovely children. If you wanna join me, just email me sreeja18@gmail.com
Donations are also welcome in the form of money or even if you would like to spend a day doing something special for the children there.
A boarding school where a mentally retarded child is admitted on the basis of his/her level of IQ and behaviour and are taught basic education, or rather, the teachers try their best to train these children to be as independent as possible -to eat by themselves, to clean themselves, to achieve bowel controls, to talk clearly and if possible to learn a few alphabets and numbers. They have classrooms divided into accommodating children of specific IQ levels. More like a Montessori set up. The food is cooked in the kitchen by cooks and like any other school they have a playground, garden and all other facilities. You must be wondering “What’s the big deal then?” The big deal here is that this school is run for the children from underprivileged families, who cannot afford the high maintenance.
In such households, every person has to go out to work and they cannot depute one person to look after a mentally retarded child. Krishna Chaitanya is one such place where these children are looked after and it is obvious that funding will be really low considering the backgrounds they come from. Mr. Mahesh and his wife who live nearby bring these children over to their facility over the weekend to train them on using the computer.(between the age group 12 – 18 with an IQ level )They also learn horse riding here under the watchful eye of Ms.Pushpa. Classes are available for other children as well as adult. Not too sure of the price, but should be ranging from Rs.250-300 per session of 45 mins.
The main assistance the students of Krishna Chaitanya need is in the form of some people who can volunteer to teach them, even if it is on weekends. Mr. Mahesh has set up a vocational training centre at his residence so that these children may be able to secure a future in this big world of opportunities. Iam also one of the volunteers who work with these lovely children. If you wanna join me, just email me sreeja18@gmail.com
Donations are also welcome in the form of money or even if you would like to spend a day doing something special for the children there.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
L’Oreal Casting Crème
A wonderful product that sticks to exactly what’s on the cover. I bought the L’Oreal Casting Crème hair colour in Black. The packaging mentioned that it would last for 28 washes (only!) I was taken back a lil cos such a reputed company offering guarantee on permanent hair colour only upto 28 washes???
The cost was Rs 425/- and an Elvive shampoo came free with the pack. I applied it and the look was mesmerizing, I totally loved the feel of my hair after I washed off the colour. The small conditioner in that pack is a little box of magic. My hair sat so well and it shining and all the good things. But the sad part is that, as one knows, nothing lasts forever…. I had highlighted my hair earlier and to cover that up I got my hair coloured black all over. Now after say 23 washes the colour is fading! I can see the highlights back on my hair.
L’Oreal being such a reputed company and the leading player in this segment should do a lot more R&D to make more quality products. After all colouring one’s hair is bad and colouring it like this more often is not recommended.
The cost was Rs 425/- and an Elvive shampoo came free with the pack. I applied it and the look was mesmerizing, I totally loved the feel of my hair after I washed off the colour. The small conditioner in that pack is a little box of magic. My hair sat so well and it shining and all the good things. But the sad part is that, as one knows, nothing lasts forever…. I had highlighted my hair earlier and to cover that up I got my hair coloured black all over. Now after say 23 washes the colour is fading! I can see the highlights back on my hair.
L’Oreal being such a reputed company and the leading player in this segment should do a lot more R&D to make more quality products. After all colouring one’s hair is bad and colouring it like this more often is not recommended.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
BBMP’s Barricades
I think it’s a jinx with BBMP. Most ventures which they think will benefit citizens end up as hazards or is rendered useless.
The venture in focus here is the concrete medians that BBMP laid recently. These were primarily laid out to divide opposing streams of traffic and to deter people from standing on the median to cross the road.
To give a short description, it is at knee level and makes it a little difficult to climb and two wheelers cannot be lifted to this height - for people who love to take a U turn as and when they want.
But what is happening….? Our clever citizens risk their lives and stand on the road just beside the median, the vehicles which zoom past at great speed almost brush past their bodies and some of the vehicles rear view mirrors get caught in flying dupattas and saree pallus of women standing there.
As of now I don’t think an mishap has been reported, but before I does, BBMP should do something. Something as in – either stop laying these useless medians or erect metal barricades on them so that our ever-impatient citizens cannot attempt to jump over them. Build skywalks that where cleanliness is maintained and free from illegal activities.
The venture in focus here is the concrete medians that BBMP laid recently. These were primarily laid out to divide opposing streams of traffic and to deter people from standing on the median to cross the road.
To give a short description, it is at knee level and makes it a little difficult to climb and two wheelers cannot be lifted to this height - for people who love to take a U turn as and when they want.
But what is happening….? Our clever citizens risk their lives and stand on the road just beside the median, the vehicles which zoom past at great speed almost brush past their bodies and some of the vehicles rear view mirrors get caught in flying dupattas and saree pallus of women standing there.
As of now I don’t think an mishap has been reported, but before I does, BBMP should do something. Something as in – either stop laying these useless medians or erect metal barricades on them so that our ever-impatient citizens cannot attempt to jump over them. Build skywalks that where cleanliness is maintained and free from illegal activities.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Auto drivers
Bangalore’s Auto drivers have been swaying between the good and the bad quite frequently, but more often to the bad side. I hardly travel by auto and therefore unable to support people who term them “rogues” and “rowdies” Ihave heard so many of my friends who come form other cities complaining about auto drivers fleecing them off their money. But my observation here is far from anything of the above mentioned.
I hardly travel by auto, but very frequently ride/drive behind an auto. Everyday, the distance from Kengeri to Richmond Road I see ‘n’ number of autos. Out of which at least 2-3 autos have messages written behind that can bring a smile on my face and at other times make me frown. But from constant observation, I have noticed that most of these messages are about failed love. Often blaming the girl who ditched them or warning people about how life threatening love can be.
Messages like “love is slow poison” “love is snake poison” “love maadu - jeeva bidu” “Pritiya konda kolegathi” “love a snake, not a girl” “Never love anybody” “Naa ninge nanna hrudaya kotte, nee nanage kai kotte” and the list is never ending.
I really wonder why this happens? Does it happen largely to auto drivers or is it because others don’t have platforms to paint the messages for lost love….? Could this be a reason for their collective hatred towards women and harassment that women complain about?
I hardly travel by auto, but very frequently ride/drive behind an auto. Everyday, the distance from Kengeri to Richmond Road I see ‘n’ number of autos. Out of which at least 2-3 autos have messages written behind that can bring a smile on my face and at other times make me frown. But from constant observation, I have noticed that most of these messages are about failed love. Often blaming the girl who ditched them or warning people about how life threatening love can be.
Messages like “love is slow poison” “love is snake poison” “love maadu - jeeva bidu” “Pritiya konda kolegathi” “love a snake, not a girl” “Never love anybody” “Naa ninge nanna hrudaya kotte, nee nanage kai kotte” and the list is never ending.
I really wonder why this happens? Does it happen largely to auto drivers or is it because others don’t have platforms to paint the messages for lost love….? Could this be a reason for their collective hatred towards women and harassment that women complain about?
Indiscriminate breeding of dogs in kennels and by breeders.
This has always been a topic of great concern amongst dog lovers and Kennels Clubs - Indiscriminate breeding of dogs in kennels and by breeders.
I had a brush with reality when I was on a lookout for a Golden Retriever pup. I frequent the classifieds and websites in search of pups, though I have a vet who can guide me best to get a good dog. I was on a lookout for an adult dog or an adolescent pup as I do not have someone to take care of the pup. But I need one so that it can give company to Cleo, my 1 yr old Labrador.
I stumbled upon an ad by this woman who has a boarding and breeding dogs (in Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore) she would continuously put up ads about pups for sale. Now she has slowly come up with ads about adult dogs for sale. So I contacted her and asked her what price she was quoting for the said 2 year old, female Golden Retriever. She said 8500!!!! That dog was without registration papers and what followed left me crying for the plight of dogs she has kept.
She said “See I bought this one for Rs 7500 and she has been with me for 2 years and it has littered twice, 3 puppies the 1st time and 5 pups the 2nd time. I want to make some profit by selling it no? ”
What more profit did she want? Bloody hell, a 2 year old dog has already finished 2 litters and is on heat again. Sure she would have sold those puppies for Rs 8000 each. She has been insensitive enough to have had her dog litter twice in the first 2 years of its life and she is talking about making a “profit” by selling it, which would mean she has conveniently forgotten that her pet also has feelings and will have trouble getting accustomed to another house and people. While she wants to make a profit by selling an adult dog for Rs 1500 more than the price she got it as a pup???
Many of us go to breeders thinking they have the best pups and some go to them because they give good looking pups for a cheaper price. But what the people do not know are the hereditary problems these pedigree dogs can have. The once the cuteness of pups transform into ailing dogs or the ones with untreatable disabilities.
The media has done their best to keep the people well-informed to choose the right dog and always go to a responsible breeder or even better adopt the Great Indian Dog. But…if we ever had stringent laws in place, people like the above said lady would not flourish.
I had a brush with reality when I was on a lookout for a Golden Retriever pup. I frequent the classifieds and websites in search of pups, though I have a vet who can guide me best to get a good dog. I was on a lookout for an adult dog or an adolescent pup as I do not have someone to take care of the pup. But I need one so that it can give company to Cleo, my 1 yr old Labrador.
I stumbled upon an ad by this woman who has a boarding and breeding dogs (in Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore) she would continuously put up ads about pups for sale. Now she has slowly come up with ads about adult dogs for sale. So I contacted her and asked her what price she was quoting for the said 2 year old, female Golden Retriever. She said 8500!!!! That dog was without registration papers and what followed left me crying for the plight of dogs she has kept.
She said “See I bought this one for Rs 7500 and she has been with me for 2 years and it has littered twice, 3 puppies the 1st time and 5 pups the 2nd time. I want to make some profit by selling it no? ”
What more profit did she want? Bloody hell, a 2 year old dog has already finished 2 litters and is on heat again. Sure she would have sold those puppies for Rs 8000 each. She has been insensitive enough to have had her dog litter twice in the first 2 years of its life and she is talking about making a “profit” by selling it, which would mean she has conveniently forgotten that her pet also has feelings and will have trouble getting accustomed to another house and people. While she wants to make a profit by selling an adult dog for Rs 1500 more than the price she got it as a pup???
Many of us go to breeders thinking they have the best pups and some go to them because they give good looking pups for a cheaper price. But what the people do not know are the hereditary problems these pedigree dogs can have. The once the cuteness of pups transform into ailing dogs or the ones with untreatable disabilities.
The media has done their best to keep the people well-informed to choose the right dog and always go to a responsible breeder or even better adopt the Great Indian Dog. But…if we ever had stringent laws in place, people like the above said lady would not flourish.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Day 3
The sadness of the lovely holiday getting over was hitting hard, we were up by 6.30 am and decided to hit the beach, we planned out the day because it was the last day in Pondy and we did not want to waste a minute. We rushed to the beach and stayed there, playing in the water, drenched top to down, side to side and never wanting to get dry. My husband was very reluctant to get in to the water because washing his hair was such a pain…he was the official photographer of the trip… he would sit on the sand, guard mine and Maggie’s towel and phones and just watch us play..and also drool at white women besides clicking photos and shooting videos.
We persuaded him to get into the water as it was the last day at Pondy. He finally agreed, but the question was, who would look after our belongings??? We found an old couple sitting on the beach and watching us play. We decided to take their help. We approached them and started rattling out in English, they kept giving us the “what the fuck are you talking” look. Then they spoke in another foreign language, which I thought was Russian..though I don’t know even one word of Russian. We started out actions and they understood!! We left our things with them and then hit the waters, my husband is a good swimmer, he went right into the waves and swam and was gone for a few seconds…Maggie and me stopped in our tracks and looked out, we could not find him!!!! I thought for a minute that the wonderful holiday was over, abruptly. Finally…some where 10 feet away from where he dived we saw his head surface. That was the end, he swam up to the shore and it was the last time I will ever let him enter the sea. Period. I had had enough adventure at the sea, we thanked the old couple and waved good bye to them. We decided to go back to the resort, shower and have breakfast and pack our bags. We went as per plan, took a quick shower and packed our bags and had breakfast. It was 12 noon by then, only few hours before we leave :(
We went to Beach Cottage for lunch and ate as less as possible because we planned to go hit Appachi’s for dinner. We then walked to the beach, for the last time in Pondicherry. Though it was sunny, we decided to bare all odds and have fun. We did not enter the water, but just sat there and enjoyed the scene. I collected sea shells and everything possible from the beach sans. The time was 4.30pm, our bus back to Bangalore was at 10.38pm, yes, 10.38pm was the timings printed on the ticket. With just 6 hours left for departure sadness had filled out hearts and was seeping into our souls… We wanted to pep up the evening, we went to the Coffee Shop on the beach and had cappuccinos. After all the sea shell collecting, we bid a tearful good bye to the beach and left to the resort. We packed all our bags and chilled out for sometime savouring the last few hours at Pondicherry.
We called our chauffer driven auto and Durai was in Auroba by 8pm. We packed up, clicked some last minute pics and left the place by 8.20pm. We asked Durai to take us straight to Appachi’s but he gave us the most disappointing news of the day. Appachi’s is not open for dinner!!! Then we asked him to take us to the next famous restaurant in Pondicherry. Enroute we did some good Cashew shopping and bought toys for our dog,Cleo and headed to have dinner. We were at Pondicherry bus stop by 10pm and bus departed at 10.30pm 8 minutes before the time on the tickets. We reached Bangalore at 5am the next morning. Holiday over…Pondicherry rocks!
Now, if you have been reading all posts about Pondicherry, you must have come across this name “Selvam” Let me tell you the story of Selvam
* Selvam – The couple that stayed at Auroba Guest House were Lakshmi and Selvam, but Selvam’s actual name is Seth. My husband has christened him Selvam. On Day 2, actually night, we were high on alcohol. Mosquitoes were eating us up alive, as we were sitting in the balcony of our cottage. We wanted a match box to light the mosquito coil so that it will deter those blood suckers from making us anaemic. Bava had left for the day and Lakshmi was not around. None of us knew the man’s name. We called all different words that people used to address an unknown person, “Hello” “Aye” “Oye” “Sir” etc etc, nothing worked. We took turns in calling him, but he just would not respond. We knew he was inside the watchman room, the radio was on therefore that stopped him from hearing our calls. Nothing seemed to work. My husband came to the conclusion that most names from that area sounded some thing like “Selvam” so he called out loudly, he called “SELVAM” and there the man emerged from the watchman room and asked us what we wanted!!! From then we referred to him as Selvam and he also never bothered to correct us. The last evening in the resort we asked Lakshmi her husband’s name and she told us that his name was SETH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We persuaded him to get into the water as it was the last day at Pondy. He finally agreed, but the question was, who would look after our belongings??? We found an old couple sitting on the beach and watching us play. We decided to take their help. We approached them and started rattling out in English, they kept giving us the “what the fuck are you talking” look. Then they spoke in another foreign language, which I thought was Russian..though I don’t know even one word of Russian. We started out actions and they understood!! We left our things with them and then hit the waters, my husband is a good swimmer, he went right into the waves and swam and was gone for a few seconds…Maggie and me stopped in our tracks and looked out, we could not find him!!!! I thought for a minute that the wonderful holiday was over, abruptly. Finally…some where 10 feet away from where he dived we saw his head surface. That was the end, he swam up to the shore and it was the last time I will ever let him enter the sea. Period. I had had enough adventure at the sea, we thanked the old couple and waved good bye to them. We decided to go back to the resort, shower and have breakfast and pack our bags. We went as per plan, took a quick shower and packed our bags and had breakfast. It was 12 noon by then, only few hours before we leave :(
We went to Beach Cottage for lunch and ate as less as possible because we planned to go hit Appachi’s for dinner. We then walked to the beach, for the last time in Pondicherry. Though it was sunny, we decided to bare all odds and have fun. We did not enter the water, but just sat there and enjoyed the scene. I collected sea shells and everything possible from the beach sans. The time was 4.30pm, our bus back to Bangalore was at 10.38pm, yes, 10.38pm was the timings printed on the ticket. With just 6 hours left for departure sadness had filled out hearts and was seeping into our souls… We wanted to pep up the evening, we went to the Coffee Shop on the beach and had cappuccinos. After all the sea shell collecting, we bid a tearful good bye to the beach and left to the resort. We packed all our bags and chilled out for sometime savouring the last few hours at Pondicherry.
We called our chauffer driven auto and Durai was in Auroba by 8pm. We packed up, clicked some last minute pics and left the place by 8.20pm. We asked Durai to take us straight to Appachi’s but he gave us the most disappointing news of the day. Appachi’s is not open for dinner!!! Then we asked him to take us to the next famous restaurant in Pondicherry. Enroute we did some good Cashew shopping and bought toys for our dog,Cleo and headed to have dinner. We were at Pondicherry bus stop by 10pm and bus departed at 10.30pm 8 minutes before the time on the tickets. We reached Bangalore at 5am the next morning. Holiday over…Pondicherry rocks!
Now, if you have been reading all posts about Pondicherry, you must have come across this name “Selvam” Let me tell you the story of Selvam
* Selvam – The couple that stayed at Auroba Guest House were Lakshmi and Selvam, but Selvam’s actual name is Seth. My husband has christened him Selvam. On Day 2, actually night, we were high on alcohol. Mosquitoes were eating us up alive, as we were sitting in the balcony of our cottage. We wanted a match box to light the mosquito coil so that it will deter those blood suckers from making us anaemic. Bava had left for the day and Lakshmi was not around. None of us knew the man’s name. We called all different words that people used to address an unknown person, “Hello” “Aye” “Oye” “Sir” etc etc, nothing worked. We took turns in calling him, but he just would not respond. We knew he was inside the watchman room, the radio was on therefore that stopped him from hearing our calls. Nothing seemed to work. My husband came to the conclusion that most names from that area sounded some thing like “Selvam” so he called out loudly, he called “SELVAM” and there the man emerged from the watchman room and asked us what we wanted!!! From then we referred to him as Selvam and he also never bothered to correct us. The last evening in the resort we asked Lakshmi her husband’s name and she told us that his name was SETH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Day 2
Our super-relax holiday was on full swing since last night…We were at Auroba Guest House. Durai had got us this place for Rs600 per night, though we had to bargain a bit. Mind you Rs 600 per night in the 2nd week of December is a good grab. The person in Auroba Guest House was Bava Chander, a very nice person, just the kind you want to meet when on holiday. He was like the at-ur-service person. The resort (if I may call it) was very calm, firstly only our cottage was occupied at that time and secondly it was very close to the sea…and not many people used that road. The one thing that made it heaven was the cottage we stayed in…the actual bed room was on an elevated level..the ground floor had the bath and toilet and a crude ladder, made out of bamboo, served as the staircase to the bedroom on the fist floor. The cottage was made out of bamboo but had all amenities such as ceiling fan, light bulbs, phone charging point and provision for mosquito vapourisers. The beds were laid out on the floor and they provided pillows and beach towels. On all holidays I make sure to carry bedsheets…just in case the beds are not clean. But at Auroba, everything was spick n span.
On day 2 of the holiday we got up at around 7am, which according to me was very late! We freshened up and asked Bava for Coffee…though only Maggie drinks coffee, my husband and I also ordered one cup each cos it was HOLIDAY!!!
Selvam*(please read the story about his name) and Lakshmi were the star couple at Auroba Guest house to help us run errands. We just loved the way they were at peace with themselves…living life at their own pace, no rush at all. Unlike us who live to complete targets. Selvam, bought our cuppas and in no time we were running to the beach.
THE BEACH…whoaaaaaaaa whatte wonderful sight! The best thing about beaches in Pondicherry is the peace…yes!! One can find peace on the beaches…not hooligans rushing in groups to hammer each other down into the water…like in other places. The shore was endless and there were absolutely no people at all!!! Just the three of us.
Both, Maggie and I did not know how to swim…but still we were very confident that the sea would not want the devils there also, so we did not get washed off into the sea. Slowly by around 8am people holidaying were out to enjoy the sun, a handful of foreigners were doing Yoga and just enjoying the sunrise… heyy…I almost forgot..this is a sunrise beach….best to be here in the mornings. What a lovely sight of the sun rise we had. Till around 10am, we frolicked in the beach and then when the sun was getting harsh we moved our asses back to the resort. Then it was removing beach sand from hidden places in the body to taking bath. Our breakfast – Pongal, bread omelette and puri-sagu was ready by the time we freshened up. Selvam would always take 1 hour to bring our breakfast as it had to be bought from outside. There is no cooking facility in the resort. Bava promised that it would be up and running by the time we visited the next time.
By around 1pm, we were getting ready to go on a walk to find lunch for our growling stomachs….There are a few places around Auroba where one can find food.
Beach Cottage-Serves all Indian and Chinese food, all with a touch of Pondicherry. But the only drawback being – if you want lunch make sure to order in the morning and also order dinner when you come for lunch because they take years to bring food to your table
Rest n Relax – The road side all-in-all eatery where one can get omelletes to “Gopi” Manchurian, to fried rice and “newdals”
Muthu’s Guest House – We only had coffee there, because of a pre conceived notion that the place was not worth it.
New York – Ha ha contrary to the name..this place serves on Vietnamese food! Lotsa pork and beef, steaks and all. All of us in the group were not the half-cooked food lovers therefore dint try this place.
Unfortunately, we always landed up at Beach Cottage. We had 2 lunches and 1 dinner at this place... We had noodles, biriyani and fried rice. But the best dishes were Prawns Biriyani, Prawns Fried Rice and Curd Rice. The customer engagement plan that Beach Cottage had employed was to tell the customers to make the soda by themselves…by doing this we would not crib about waiting! When we ordered for fresh lime soda, he bought 3 glasses with lemon squeezed into it, a cup of powdered sugar and 3 bottles of soda with a bottle opener! We very obediently sat there and prepared our own fresh lime soda until the food came.
The evening was complete with a visit to the beach…we sat there and relaxed watching surfers and people having a good time. The windy beach had blown the life out of my hair, so I decided to oil my hair everytime I hit the beach.
The day 2 ended with Breezers, Beer and Maggie’s Raagi mixture. Apart from all the best times we had in Pondicherry, nights was the funnest time, the roaring sea was a lil scary but then again, everything that involves fear also has some thrill in it.
On day 2 of the holiday we got up at around 7am, which according to me was very late! We freshened up and asked Bava for Coffee…though only Maggie drinks coffee, my husband and I also ordered one cup each cos it was HOLIDAY!!!
Selvam*(please read the story about his name) and Lakshmi were the star couple at Auroba Guest house to help us run errands. We just loved the way they were at peace with themselves…living life at their own pace, no rush at all. Unlike us who live to complete targets. Selvam, bought our cuppas and in no time we were running to the beach.
THE BEACH…whoaaaaaaaa whatte wonderful sight! The best thing about beaches in Pondicherry is the peace…yes!! One can find peace on the beaches…not hooligans rushing in groups to hammer each other down into the water…like in other places. The shore was endless and there were absolutely no people at all!!! Just the three of us.
Both, Maggie and I did not know how to swim…but still we were very confident that the sea would not want the devils there also, so we did not get washed off into the sea. Slowly by around 8am people holidaying were out to enjoy the sun, a handful of foreigners were doing Yoga and just enjoying the sunrise… heyy…I almost forgot..this is a sunrise beach….best to be here in the mornings. What a lovely sight of the sun rise we had. Till around 10am, we frolicked in the beach and then when the sun was getting harsh we moved our asses back to the resort. Then it was removing beach sand from hidden places in the body to taking bath. Our breakfast – Pongal, bread omelette and puri-sagu was ready by the time we freshened up. Selvam would always take 1 hour to bring our breakfast as it had to be bought from outside. There is no cooking facility in the resort. Bava promised that it would be up and running by the time we visited the next time.
By around 1pm, we were getting ready to go on a walk to find lunch for our growling stomachs….There are a few places around Auroba where one can find food.
Beach Cottage-Serves all Indian and Chinese food, all with a touch of Pondicherry. But the only drawback being – if you want lunch make sure to order in the morning and also order dinner when you come for lunch because they take years to bring food to your table
Rest n Relax – The road side all-in-all eatery where one can get omelletes to “Gopi” Manchurian, to fried rice and “newdals”
Muthu’s Guest House – We only had coffee there, because of a pre conceived notion that the place was not worth it.
New York – Ha ha contrary to the name..this place serves on Vietnamese food! Lotsa pork and beef, steaks and all. All of us in the group were not the half-cooked food lovers therefore dint try this place.
Unfortunately, we always landed up at Beach Cottage. We had 2 lunches and 1 dinner at this place... We had noodles, biriyani and fried rice. But the best dishes were Prawns Biriyani, Prawns Fried Rice and Curd Rice. The customer engagement plan that Beach Cottage had employed was to tell the customers to make the soda by themselves…by doing this we would not crib about waiting! When we ordered for fresh lime soda, he bought 3 glasses with lemon squeezed into it, a cup of powdered sugar and 3 bottles of soda with a bottle opener! We very obediently sat there and prepared our own fresh lime soda until the food came.
The evening was complete with a visit to the beach…we sat there and relaxed watching surfers and people having a good time. The windy beach had blown the life out of my hair, so I decided to oil my hair everytime I hit the beach.
The day 2 ended with Breezers, Beer and Maggie’s Raagi mixture. Apart from all the best times we had in Pondicherry, nights was the funnest time, the roaring sea was a lil scary but then again, everything that involves fear also has some thrill in it.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Pondicherry – Day 1
We were up so early…The hotel guys suggested we take a taxi to go sight seeing, which costs a whooping Rs. 800. What the hell! We were supposed to be on a low budget holiday! Anyway we went strongly with the “lets see what happens” attitude. We went to this hotel for breakfast, forgot the name. They serve yummy
We came out of the hotel and made plans of what to see and what to leave out, from the list of sight-seeing places the hotel had given us. Soon after, we found a person, someone we would never forget. His name was Durai. He was the auto driver who took us around and showed us the real
First we went to Panchamukha Aanjaneyar temple. This is a 27 ft tall, Aanjaneya idol which has 5 faces! Man…it was huge! We went and prayed and asked God to make our trip the most unforgettable one. This was granted right away. We took our first photograph of the trip there. The time was around 11.30am and we had to be at Auroville before 12 noon cos it closes for lunch and re-opens only after 1.00pm.
Auroville, I really don’t know how to explain this place. A part of me identifies with the life and culture there, but the other half refuses to come by. It is called the “Universal City
First as you enter, you have to get your pass from the reception. There you are shown a short film on Auroville and its being. Then there is this miraculous sight one has to see at the end of the 2km walk towards Mantri Mandir. Mantri Mandir is a huge globe in the gold colour. There is lot more to it, you can read that under “Auroville” post.
After Auroville, we jumped into the auto and begged Durai to take us to the yummiest food joint in Pondicherry
We were in front of a building structure with a tiled roof and small entrance. Only to realize the small entrance was the doorway to eternal bliss….foooooood. We were at Appachis. The original makers of Chettinad food.
At Appachis we ordered South Indian meals, Prawns biryani, Mutton biryani, Mutton pepper dry and brain fry. Here pepper dry means coated with pepper, any cold or nose block/sinusitis will run for its life. We ate..i mean hogged and burped and don’t know what not. Our heads were reeling after the sumptuous, spicy lunch. The bill was Rs 460 !! that it!
Then we asked Durai about the real Pondicherry Sand Beach
Aurobindo Ashram – The place for PEACE. It is very silent and peace prevails there. It is the resting place of Shri Aurobindo’s mortal remains. All his followers come here and meditate and pray. But the 2 monkeys that accompanied me, went bonkers after seeing so many serious people there with so much faith in them. There is pin-drop silence in the ashram, that got these 2 excited. They were amused by the fact that people can keep quiet. I was standing first in the line and Maggie was beside me and my husband behind me. As we were nearing the tomb, these 2 were shaking uncontrollably with laughter. I still don’t know why. After seeing the tomb, one is supposed to sit down for a few moments in silence to enjoy the chirping of birds and enjoy silence as it is. All I could hear and see wad Maggie and my husband trying their best to suppress their laughter, they were pink in their faces and giggling away. Luckily we did not get thrown out cos most of the devotees eyes were closed in meditation and they were attaining nirvana. As you know laughter is contagious and before I could get into a laughing fit, we got up and left.
The next moment we were out of the Ashram….and bloody hell, no one wanted to laugh!!!!
We boarded our luxury vehicle (Durai’s auto) and went to Rock beach which has Gandhi’s statue and the beach. No beach sand, so u have stand on the road and see the waves crashing against the rocks. Then was some fundoo shopping at an exhibition. The time was 5.00pm.
Durai then took us to Sand Beach Pondicherry Pondicherry
Durai then took us to Sand Beach Pondicherry Pondicherry
We checked out from Aditya Inn and went straight to Auroba and checked in. The rates were Rs 600 per day. Whooooooooaaaaaaaaaa…couldn’t have asked for more. On the way we picked up booze, cheap stuff man….simply rocking.
Its here, on day 1 at 7.45pm that our Pondicherry
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