Returning to Chilka - Nostalgia and excitement

I just realized that I havent put a post about one of my happiest times in recent years. I am talking about my trip to Chilka towards the end of last year. Chilka is the place I love the most. I had a happy childhood there between 1991 and 1995. For the first time I stayed with my own mom and dad (my early childhood was spent with my grandma). I learnt Hindi there. I made the first of my ‘best friends’ in life there. And that was the only time in life when I lived life in full flow. If only I had continued there for the whole of my adolescence, I might’ve been a very different person now. Definitely not so shy! Me and my friends were so full of pranks and mischief back then…

Guess I’ve digressed a lot from the original intent of the post! Coming back to this trip in Oct 2008. There are times we all feel a bit lonely and think of old times and forgotten friends. I was going through a similar phase last year. I suddenly got back in touch with my childhood buddies from Chilka – Rahul, Santosh and Subhasis. Couldn’t track down Gulshan and Naveen – the other 2 guys in our old ‘gang’. After a couple of calls with my old friends, I thought of meeting up and how nice it would be if we all got together in Chilka. All of us, except Santosh now live outside Orissa. So we had to plan in advance for this. Though everyone seemed eager, it didn’t quite work out as planned. Rahul and Subhasis cancelled their plans due to professional commitments. Santosh and I decided to go ahead rather than wait for another opportunity. I was going through a torrid time at office and thought this trip would recharge my batteries.

It was a lonely 18 hour journey to Balugaon-the nearest station to Chilka. I didn’t know what to expect; meeting Santosh after nearly 15 years I didn’t expect a smooth resumption of an old friendship. And I wasn’t sure how much Chilka had changed. I reached the Balugaon station at dusk. Just as the old times, there was a power cut and the station was dark! As I got down with my luggage, I saw a handsome and confident looking guy in a black t-shirt approach me quickly and punch me on my chest. It took me a second to realize, then I smiled and we hugged each other. All the awkwardness I had thought of during my journey evaporated immediately. Santosh had biked all the way from Bhubaneshwar (5-6 hrs drive) and was completely drenched in rain. Though my dad had arranged for transport from the station, he wanted to be there in the station to receive me. As we left the platform and reached the station entrance, I could see that not much has changed in this part of the country in the last 15 years. Power cuts are still a part of daily life. The roads are still bad. Buffaloes still block the way. The only change seemed to be an increase in the highway truck traffic. We went to Panth Nivas guest house on Santosh’s bike. He had booked a 4 bed room anticipating that Rahul and Subhasis would also come. We freshened up and went outside to Chilika Dhaba for a genuine dhaba dinner. After dinner we chatted about how great it would’ve been had all 4 of us gotten together. We had so much to talk about and share with each other. We spoke about a few things that night, trying to bring each other up to date with the most important happenings in our lives. We slept late, but decided to get up early and catch the sunrise.

That meant getting up a 4.30 am. And we did get up that early! It was still dark outside. We took the camera, put on our clothes and left the guest house. We jumped over the fence and walked in pitch darkness towards the lake. The villagers were just about waking up – most were still sleeping. Some kids were experimenting with fire and cigarettes while their fathers were still sleeping. The buffaloes were still sleepy. We reached the banking of the lake and sat down waiting for the sun to come out. It was pitch dark and a bit cold. Slowly the sky transformed to purple and deep blue, signaling the arrival of dawn. I was reminded of an old hindi poem I had learnt in school. The poem described how the colour of the sky changes to various hues as the sun comes over the horizon. After more than half an hour the first specks of orange appeared in the sky. It took us some more time to realize that we would not be seeing the sunrise over the lake that day. It was just too cloudy! But we did stick on for another hour and enjoyed the glorious morning. I took some nice photos. We watched the serene water slowly being taken over by dozens of fishermen in their small and unique boats. As it grew brighter we noticed ducks feeding on weeds at the banks. The villagers had woken up and the day had well and truly started. Santosh tried to bargain a deal with one of the fishermen for some prawns, but we didn’t get what we wanted. We were hungry and walked back to the guest house for breakfast.

Breakfast was good – poori and aalu and some tea. We then left for INS Chilka. We gained entry into the INS, thanks to Santosh’s uncle who worked there in the MES. We went straight to our school. As we approached the school, the smell of the grass and the trees was simply intoxicating. I saw that the school had been recently painted and it was a beautiful yellow with colourful logos of Kendriya Vidyalaya. Beautiful flowerpots were decorated in front of the school. I noticed that the old cycle stand was still there. Santosh was speaking to the watchman about letting us inside for some time. I just stood there and observed the surroundings. I saw the kids in their neat uniforms and walking in a queue formation as the class monitor led them back from the playground to the class rooms. I saw the smile in their bright little faces. That was a very intense moment for me. I was close to tears with emotion. I was happy, I was nostalgic, I was on a high. Though I haven’t taken drugs, I guess that particular moment felt something like that. Very intense, very happy! Those 5-10 minutes was sooooo good! I was rudely interrupted by a phone call from my office. Curse the mobile phone! Anyway, Santosh soon convinced the watchman and we went inside to meet the principal. The principal wasn’t in, so we met a senior teacher and got the permission to be in the premises and visit the classrooms during lunch break. We went to all our old class rooms that we had used during 5^th, 6^th and 7^th standards. Most of the kids were too shy and ran away from us. Some of them, mostly girls were having lunch inside the classrooms and couldn’t escape us. We chatted with them. They asked us a few silly questions and giggled stupidly. We unsuccessfully tried to convince them to share their lunch with us. As we moved slowly to the higher classes, the kids were more forthcoming and were curious to find out who we were. I had long hair at that time. Some of the kids called me Ishant and the name caught on with the other kids! We chatted with some of the existing staff. We went to the art room and saw the paintings of the current students. The library room was pretty much the same. We spent quite some time in the school. Finally we were thrown out as the kids’ excitement caused too much noise and some teachers got annoyed.

We went to Santosh’s uncle’s house for lunch. Aunty had made an awesome lunch and we really enjoyed it. After a nap we took bicycles and started to explore the INS. Simply riding the bicycle through the roads was amazing and full of nostalgia. We met an old class mate – though I had no recollection of him. Santosh spoke to him and we setup a daaru party that night. We were joined by another class mate. The other 2 guys weren’t in a stable job and weren’t doing that well in life. I was ashamed to even tell my real salary to them. It seemed to be too much money, to the point of being disgusting. I put aside the awkwardness and tried to strike up some lively conversation. The liquor for the night was something called “Panga”. It was supposed to be rum, although it tasted mildly sour. And it was packaged in a plastic bottle!! For a moment I was reminded of vague news stories about illicit arrack casing deaths and blindness. But my friends insisted that this was a ‘trusted’ brand in the local market. So I took a leap of faith and finished my first round. We had a lively evening. I guess Panga wasn’t all that strong. Because even after a quarter I was confident enough to take the bike and ride triples in the unlit and crumpling highway to drop a friend home at midnight.

The next day Santosh and I went to Kalijai and Narayani temple. But I was really waiting to go back inside INS and see my old house. We went there in the evening in fading light. We spent some time there. We then went to Apsara theatre. Since it was a weekend, a movie was playing – A Wednesday. We bought the tickets – whole of Rs 8 each! Before the show started we decided to check out our ‘old’ school, which was now being used as a Kinder Garden. We jumped over the compound and in the fading light checked out the class rooms and assembly ground and the old Imli ka paed which had borne so many stone hits from us kids and was still standing tall.

As we reached the station on Sunday morning to board my train, the trip seemed to have been too short. But that’s how good things in life are, aren’t they? This trip was a beautiful time in my life and the memories will remain treasured for the rest of my life.

Pictures: Please click here to see some nice pics of the dawn sky and more.

Saina Nehwal - A true sportstar

Saina Nehwal is one of the best sporting talents that India has produced. At the age of just 19, Saina has achieved great things in her chosen sport and has truly arrived at the Big league in international badminton. Saina is not another superficial creation of the media. Indian media is famous for over-hyping and haloing any sportsperson who is worthy of 2 minutes of prime time television. Take for example, Sania Mirza. Sania is undoubtedly the best ever female tennis player from India. But when it comes to the world stage, she is at best an average performer who seldom indulges in giant killing. But our media would make us believe that on her good day Sania can beat even Venus Williams. Well, she definitely can’t – unless Williams is playing left handed and is not wearing shoes.

Things are quite the opposite when it comes to Sania’s namesake – Saina. Few people in India would’ve heard this girl’s name. Maybe she is not sexy enough for prime time television and newspaper front pages. But she is certainly the brightest star in Indian sport (non cricket) at the moment. Away from the media glare, Saina’s career has shown a steady rise ever since she won the national badminton championship 2 years back. Saina has regularly beaten the top 10 players and has been consistent in the big tournaments. Her current world ranking of No. 7 would underline that this girl is truly a world class achiever.

One wishes that this real achiever gets the attention and recognition that she deseves. Saina, in all likelihood, will continue to bring great laurels to India and make us all very proud in the years to come.

Global Warming

I was watching a documentary called “The 11th Hour” on HBO yesterday. It was a powerful document on Global Warming. Although many of us are aware of global warming and its effects at a superficial level, most of us do not realize the extent and the imminence of the danger facing our planet and the human race. Man’s scientific and technological advancement over the past century has almost irreparably damaged a beautiful ecosystem that was built over millions of years by Mother Nature. We have destroyed oceans and forests beyond recognition. Our chemicals have changed the basic composition of most of the soil in the world. Our wasteful consumption of resources is leaving less and less for other species to survive on. In fact, over 50,000 species are getting extinct from this planet every year. Human beings can be blamed for much of this. If things continue unaltered, there is a real danger that the quality of general human life will be irreparably damaged within our lifetime.

One must watch this documentary to learn some astonishing facts about the ruthless and mindless destruction caused by humans to this planet. The documentary tries to explore the core reasons behind such actions by the human race, which is after all, supposed to be the most intelligent and sensitive creature. However, we are also a race that is infested with greed and short-sightedness. Corporate money and corrupt governments have ensured that short term financial profits prevail over the long term survival and quality of life of the human race. But then, aren’t the men running corporations and governments not aware of global warming? Aren’t they aware of the mess they are creating? Aren’t they worried about the future of their grandchildren? Of course they are. But they are unable to make the connect between their actions and its impact on nature. But hey, these guys are well educated and highly intelligent. Then why is it that they refuse to accept the obvious and act appropriately? It all seems a bit illogical, isn’t it? The answer lies in the way we live Life today.

From the Bushmen of the Kalahari and the tribes of the Rainforests to the bourgeois of urban India and high street Manhattan, the way man lives and sees life is immensely different. Urbanization has caused man to move further and further away from nature and into an artificial ecosystem. It’s a system which has all material comforts and ‘protects’ man from nature’s harshness. Automobiles, air-conditioners, fertilizers, pesticides, deodorants, polythene, mobile phones, all of these make the world a ‘better place to live’. We have become so enamoured with our own inventions and creative ability that we seem to think that we are no more dependent on nature. We think that human technology will provide all the security and happiness than a man needs. All the material comfort around us have numbed us so much that we refuse to see how dependent we still are on nature. Somewhere down the line we have stopped respecting or loving all other creatures in this world. If we move outside the cities and move to the village and to the jungle, people still retain some sense and understand the connect between man and nature. Junglemen and villagers still worship nature and respect other creatures. But cities are where the money is and the power is. In today’s typical metropolis, one cannot afford the space for a garden. One cannot see the stars in the sky owing to pollution. One does not hear birds chirp. One does not see milk being extracted from cows. Perhaps the only way a city resident is connected to nature is through National Geographic channel! One would have heard of the term “out of sight, out of mind”. This is exactly what is happening to us. We have lost touch with nature because we don’t see it in action in our day to day lives. We don’t love or respect other creatures any more since we don’t see their contribution to our survival. We continue to waste electricity and burn petrol, the only concern being the electricity or petrol bill, rather than worrying about the melting polar caps or rising levels of asthma and cancer.

Social awareness is the most essential weapon needed in the arsenal to begin an effective assault against global warming. But we don’t have enough time for a ‘bottom up’ approach to work. We need socially conscious leaders who can give a push from the top. I sincerely hope that Barack Obama is one such leader. America has to lead the way in fighting against global warming. And countries like China and India cannot afford to sit on the sidelines claiming to be poor nations. Inaction will prove much more costly. Concerted government regulation is the only way to move forward. One has to accept the fact that Corporate Responsibility is an oxymoron.

Seven years of Obama’s reign could be a watershed moment in the fight against global warming. And as individual men and women who are from a well educated background, we too have our moral responsibilities. We can start with becoming aware of the nature around us. Let us swithch off the TVs and the laptops and start enjoying the sunrise, the full moon, the twinkling stars, the cool trees and the chirping birds. Lets go out to the mountains and woods on the weekend rather than to the multiplex or to the disc. The more we fall in love with nature, we would subconsciously be more responsible towards nature. When that happens, the first battle would’ve been won and we would’ve conscripted ourselves into the army fighting against global warming.

If you think I sound exaggerated and that there is no need for alarm, then please download and watch “The 11^th Hour”.

Trip to Wayanad with some old friends

It was like a dream come true. Twelve college mates getting together after almost 5 years. For two days, we all went back to our engineering hostel days and lived life as if we were 5 years younger. It was wonderful…

 

The coordination for the trip happened through a number of calls mainly anchored by Mr. Pandian. By the way, Mr. Pandian is our dear friend, who happens to be the only person to be in regular touch with all the twelve guys throughout. Among his various ‘talents’, Pandian is also very mature and responsible and we all owe it to him for making this trip possible. As part of planning for the trip, we had a number of conference calls. And these calls were great fun- imagine 10 old friends getting into a conference call and people trying to pull each others’ leg. Before I get into the details of the trip, I should not forget to thank Mr. Janakiraman, who was brave enough to put in his own money to book the train tickets for all of us. Knowing Janaki’s nature, we were all genuinely surprised that he would trust us all and actually put in his money. This didn’t stop us from pulling his leg throughout the trip.

 

The trip was to be in the 2^nd weekend of December. For my room mates and myself, the 

adventure started even before the trip began. We had to rush to the railway station praying to God and we managed to catch the train with about 5 minutes to spare and huffing for breath. Some of us took a couple of minutes to recognize each other. Four years is a long time, and a few of us had changed considerably in appearance. I cannot describe the feeling, but I felt very very good and very young when I suddenly met so many old friends – many of them after a gap of four years. The entire train journey was a lot of fun, but maybe not so much for our poor co-passengers who had to contend with a lot of boisterous noise and crass language.

 

We reached Calicut at around 4 am the next day. It was pretty cold. We caught a bus to Kalpetta (a place in Wayanad district), which was to be our base for the next 2 days. We checked in to the hotel at around 7 am, freshened up and made plans to go mountain trekking. We had a brief taste of mallu food and tea during breakfast and made our way towards Chembra peak. We reached the base at 11 am and were told that it will take 6 hours to scale the peak and come back. Knowing the fitness levels within the group, we didn’t have much hopes of scaling the peak, but nevertheless, we started on our way in high spirits. The scenery was breathtaking even at the base, which was a tea estate. The group was fully equipped with digicams, which didn’t help in speeding up the ascent. Two people stood apart in the group due to the quintessential mobile phone being a permanent attachment to their ears. Mr. Prabhu was talking to his fiancée, which is understandable. Mr. Shiv Narayanan was apparently talking to his company sales team which was handling a product launch. But it was a little strange that there were reports of Mr. Shiv using terms like yes babe, miss you, dating, etc while taking to his sales team. Anyway, moving on from scandals, lets get back to the climb.

 

Excited as we were, we knew that not all of us will be making it till the end. The first casualties were Prabhu and Shiv, who stopped about 1 km from the start. There was speculation from some quarters that they stopped because beyond that point, the mobile phone signal coverage was inadequate. Well, I am not someone who likes to make fun of people, but it did give Prabhu the chance to catch his breath and explain to his fiancée how he was braving the conditions and continuing to climb steep cliffs. I am sure she would’ve been impressed. After some time, Shiv took the tough decision to stand up and continue the climb. Its another matter that his mobile ran out of charge at that point.

 

Midway through the climb, we reached the Heartin lake. It was a small lake- more the size of a pond - in a beautiful heart shape. We took a refreshing break and had an extended photo session in the lake surroundings. From thereon, the climb was quite steep and challenging. The higher we went, the more breathtaking the view was. It was a 5 km climb and I think the group went up till about 4 km. It was difficult, with people having to help out and manage with the slow movers. I, along with Vijay and Janaki took the liberty to leave the group and go another half kilometer further upward and we were rewarded with some truly breathtaking vantage points.

 

We returned to the base by around 4 pm. We learnt that in our absence, our immobile Prabhu was taken for a lifeless rock by a group of insensitive girls who refused to recognize that he was a living creature while making their way through the path. After consoling our distraught friend, we planned for the rest of the day. we were very exhausted and given a choice, I would’ve gone straight to the hotel and crashed. But as it happened, we next proceeded towards Soochipara waterfalls. We reached the waterfall with about an hour of sunlight remaining. It was my first time at a waterfall and I took the opportunity to take a bath. It was thrilling, what with the slippery stones making it a real adventure to cover even 50 meters towards the waterfall. We thoroughly enjoyed – not only the force of the water, but also the scene created by a group of mischievous girls. As we made our way back to the Jeep, I was at the point of extreme exhaustion. We went back to the hotel and I checked my weight to find that I had lost 1.3 Kg of body weight from morning to evening. It was an indication of extreme fluid loss. We took the cue and went into the hotel bar. A bit of brandy and a heavy dose of mallu non-veg food refreshed our bodies before taking to the bed.

 

The next day, we checked out of the hotel and left for Kuruva Island after breakfast. The island had a fairly dense cover of trees and had several streams of water running across. It was a water trek, in which we had to cross the streams, where the water levels varied from knee deep to hip deep (although some would say it was waist deep, its really their problem that their underwear got wet…). The scenery was really cool – and it consisted of more than just Mother Nature.

 

We went back to Kalpetta for lunch and after another heavy round of non-veg attack, we left for Calicut to catch our train. We did some last minute shopping for home and caught the train. The group was much more sober during the return journey, partly because we were exhausted. We browsed the photos that were taken and reminisced the two days of unbelievable fun we had. Morning arrived, Chennai came and we departed on our own ways, back to the life we had been living. The trip was over, but it helped form some of the golden memories in my life.