The Neem Tale

The following short story happened during our visit to the Garden of Groves @ Lucaya in Grand Bahamas Island.

We were a group of 25 from our cruise touring this island one early rainy morning with almost sleep studded on most of our eyes.We were the only 2 indians in the group.When we reached a botanical garden,a zestful afro american lady named jessica introduced herself as our tour guide.She was taking us around every grass,shrub & tree out there explaining their medicinal & horticultural importance like some botanical scientist.My husband was like 'not my kind of tour' from the beginning popping out his eyes for few of her serious descriptions on those insignificant grasses.Finally when we reached the one & only protected neem tree at almost end of our tour,she was in all praises for it and i believe during the course of our tour with her sharp acumen she realised that i am definitely from India.May be i had a strong indian stamp on my face.So when she pointed out the tree,she boldly declared to the group that i will be the one out there who should be well aware of all facts and truth about this tree.Everyone took a second look at me.And she began educating the group that in india - people brush their teeth with neem bark and their tooth stays strong until 85,they don't get any skin diseases since they boil these leaves and drink the filtered water every single day of their lives,they make soups with the bitter neem pulpy fruit,they dry them,powder them and consume it everyday to purify their blood blah blah blah and a confirmation from me for every statement that she made.Choice less was I.Had to loudly acknowledge every statement made by her.My husband was quaking with laughter peels standing right behind her.Suddenly there were too many clicks of that solitary neem tree than any others,i felt.The funniest part is she led these people to the rare garden shop saying a variety of neem products are available here and she requested them to feel free to buy those.

To our funniest surprise almost everyone in the group barring few very old souls who believed they might not really benefit out these neem products at the age of lying in the coffin, bought neem creams,neem tablets,neem sunscreens and neem powders along with books which exclusively talked about neem trees,all costing exorbitant prices.

Back home in india there are these neem trees standing tall,in groups,in solitude all over the cities,villages with leaves falling,drying and blooming where no one cares much to cut and discard a neem tree.Oh what a pity. Time to gift the americans some neem saplings,i thought to myself.

My husband said,'I expected them to click your pix since u 2 are a rare one.How come honey none did that' adding fuel to the fire.Later when i crossed a 60 + white lady with my ice coffee topped with ample cream to rejuvenate myself from that tiring garden tour,she was very curious to know what was that i was sipping.I took a moment to tell her ' thatz an Ice coffee'.Since i was in the lime light that hour my husband added saying 'No she z hiding - thatZ ice coffee topped with some neem oil'.Everyone in the group burst out laughing :)

Nature's Bounty

Born in Madras,now Chennai,year after year sizzling hot summers were an inevitable part of our lives.To top it Madras being a coastal city is still showered with ample humidity to itz occupants.Schools close by first week of April and itz supposed to be fun in the sun until June turns.Well from 5 till 15 there was a joyous place to go and affectionate people to meet.My grandparents had a farm house flanked by farm lands in a far away village to nurture their passionate cultivation hobby.I had a handful of cousins to enjoy with.

What else?.Right away we would pack our bags to head there by a town bus right after the final exams.After a 6hour tiring journey in the sizzling sun,the aromas of madras city would fade not just from the sight but gradually from the mind too. The rustic smell fills the breath at once stepping out of the bus.It was much hotter there & the frequent power cuts added salt to the sizzling hot injury.But as kids we never bothered so much about that.The village name in Tamil(my mother tongue) is best translated as 'North side'.I have seen my grandfather in a much relaxed state in the village home than elsewhere.

Though the house was completely built with concrete unlike the other thatched houses around,there were more than 50 trees around the house.I could definitely list a few starting fromcoconut,papaya,mango,teakwood,pineapple,guava,eucalyptus,hibiscus,pumpkin& plantain.Food for the whole bunch was never a problem since i have seen the practise of barter system being alive there.A lady from the third house would come home with a sack full of spinach & green chilies to take away few pints of groundnut for exchange.There were freebies as well.Red & white melons along with fresh green canes reached home in bullock carts more out of love from people all over the village.There must have been close to 150 people in that village mostly innocent,loving & deeply affectionate.Even a honey comb would reach our home after few risky stints with the honey bees.Special fishes from near by lakes & ponds,rare vegetables,nutritious food for free were few of the things that we enjoyed in the name of love.Brown eggs,unadulterated milk with full of cream & some exotic greens everyday were abundantly available to us.

The star studded skies,twinkling fire flies and the super clean well waters still stand sparkling in the mind.Honestly there were no complaints & no responsibilities.Life looked worth in the summers than during the rest of the year.Me and my cousins had soaked us in soils,played in waters,ran across fields,climbed trees,harvested grains,travelled by bullock carts,plucked figs,drank palm juice & planted crops as well.Years back when we toiled in those invaluable tasks,we didn't know the true value behind living in nature's lap.We have even witnessed the glowing orange sunset on one side while the silver moon rising on the other side of the globe from vast open fields on many days.

In the years rolled by after those treasured years, we only saw the mechanical side of life bound by responsibilities & ambitions to pull us through where we are today.In these intermediate years i unconsciously realised how much i paid for a papaya milkshake churned from the pesticide protected fruit,how much a single watermelon costed on the roadside,what quality of food,eggs & milk i ate & drank,how unadulterated really were the grains that i consumed,how often did i get to eat an exotic vegetable,fresh fish or a palm fruit ?.At the end the pillars of my family passed away leaving behind nothing but cherishable memories and a portion of good health in between the strands of our bones & mucles that we all nurtured in our childhood consuming those healthy food.

Today when i pick up a cart of eggs tagged 'Organic' from my super hyper market,I see millions of nutritive memories weaving across.

Pachai Perundhu

Chennai maanagarilay pirandhu valarndha yamaku perundhil payanam yenbadhu vazvin vor angamaai irundhadhu.Palli varaiyil palli perndhilum,kalluri varaiyil kalluri perundhilum,piragu aluvalaga perundhilum yaam payanithae yamdhu vaznaalil paadhi kum mel meedhi yaana nodigal oorundodina.Indha vazkai yendra oru needa payanathinul thaan yethanai yethanai siru payanangal.Adhil yethanai yethanai perundhu payanangal.Adilum yethanai yethanai pallavanil naan seydha payanangal.Aaam perudhu payanangal palavaai irundhaalum, pachai pallavan perundhil payanitha naatkalum ninaivugalum pachai pasumaiyaai indrum pulapaduginrana.Aahaa yenna pasumaiyaana ninaivu adhu.

Aayira kanakana panathai koti,aayiram mayil aagayathin mel amardhu sendralum,anandhamai,amaidhiyai appadaa yendru tharaiyil selum perundhu payanathin sirapae thani thaan.Adilum sillarai kasugalai yenni yenni koduthu vangum payana chittum,vangiyapin andha thundu kagidhathai muraiyaga madithu, erangum varaiyil adhai pokishamaai veyarvai thuligaludan serthu kaiyil pidithu pin yerangi yadhum adhai thundhu thundaga kizhithu kupaiyaai kuvipadhu yennaiyum ariyamalay naan kuppai vaariyathiruku naal thorum seydha oru thiru pani endru kooda kuralaam.

Jannal oram oru irukai mattum kidaithuvittal podhum,payana chittu vangiya kasuku mel naan andru payanam seydhu viduven.Vasagargal yemmai thavaraga yenna vendaam.Naan koora vandhadhu jannal orathil amardhu vizhiyaal naan kaanum katchigalum,manadhaal naan selum yedangalum palakodi payanangalukum melanadhu.Oray oru payana chittuku thaan yethanai yethanai payanangal prayanithen yendru naan yennai palamurai ketadhundu. Yaam vazhakamaga dhinaseri kaanum katchigal yendralum yedho andru thaan pudhidhai pirandhadhu pola anaithumay enaku vovuru muraiyum eerpaiyum viyapaiyum mattumay alithana.Adhil yemmakum palamurai aachariyam thaan.

Chennai maanagarai ipadi pala aandugal pala murayil vidha vidhamaai vanna vannamaai yemmaku kaatchi alitha andha pachai perundhu indro than pasumai nirathai izandhu,than mel pusiya ichaiyana andha pachaiyaiyum tholaithu,pallavan pokuvaram yendra than peyaraiyum marandhu neelam,sivapu,manjal yendru saalaigalil indrum vodikondu thaan irukinradhu - maanagara pokku varathu kazagam yendra peyaril.

City of Dawn

'There should be somewhere upon earth a place that no nation could claim as its sole property, a place where all human beings of goodwill, sincere in their aspiration, could live freely as citizens of the world, obeying one single authority, that of the supreme Truth; a place of peace, concord, harmony, where all the fighting instincts of man would be used exclusively to conquer the causes of his suffering and misery, to surmount his weakness and ignorance, to triumph over his limitations and incapacities; a place where the needs of the spirit and the care for progress would get precedence over the satisfaction of desires and passions, the seeking for pleasures and material enjoyments.

In this place, children would be able to grow and develop integrally without losing contact with their soul. Education would be given, not with a view to passing examinations and getting certificates and posts, but for enriching the existing faculties and bringing forth new ones. In this place titles and positions would be supplanted by opportunities to serve and organize. The needs of the body will be provided for equally in the case of each and everyone. In the general organisation intellectual, moral and spiritual superiority will find expression not in the enhancement of the pleasures and powers of life but in the increase of duties and responsibilities.

Artistic beauty in all forms, painting, sculpture, music, literature, will be available equally to all, the opportunity to share in the joys they bring being limited solely by each one's capacities and not by social or financial position.For in this ideal place money would be no more the sovereign lord. Individual merit will have a greater importance than the value due to material wealth and social position. Work would not be there as the means of gaining one's livelihood, it would be the means whereby to express oneself, develop one's capacities and possibilities, while doing at the same time service to the whole group, which on its side would provide for each one's subsistence and for the field of his work.

In brief, it would be a place where the relations among human beings, usually based almost exclusively upon competition and strife, would be replaced by relations of emulation for doing better, for collaboration, relations of real brotherhood.'

What u just read were Mother Mirra's dream about a place on earth.If this was really inspiring,then you should know that such a place exists on earth.Not very far.If u are placed around chennai itz just 12 kms north of Pondicherry via the ECR road.At this location exists this city of dawn - Auroville, it is called.And now the long story short.Auroville is an experimental township meant to be an universal town where people from all countries could live in peace & progressive harmony baring all creeds,politics & their nationalities.The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity.

I visited this peace palace during my post teen years.Stepping in to auroville,something that has to be noticed in the middle of the town is a really huge golden globe which is called the Matrimandir.It was told that it was conceived by The Mother as 'a symbol of the Divine's answer to man's inspiration for perfection'. Silence is maintained inside Matrimandir to ensure tranquility of space and entire area surrounding the Matrimandir is called Peace area. The Peace area in which the structure is situated is characterized by three main features.Matrimandir itself with its twelve gardens,twelve petals and future lakes, Amphitheater and Banyan Tree.

Inside Matrimandir, a spiraling ramp leads upwards to an air-conditioned chamber polished with white marble - 'A place to find one's consciousness' the well informed say. At its centre, a spherical crystal ball almost the size of a swiss ball is placed in a golden mount.A single ray of sunlight is directed on the globe from the top of structure. According to The Mother, this represents 'a symbol of future realisation'.When there is no sun or after the sunset, the sun ray on the globe is replaced by beam from a solar powered light. The whole chamber receives light just from the reflection of a single ray of sun falling on this huge crystal ball.

Honestly in whatever frame of mind we enter in,there is a sure moment of clarity paving way to realisations on a higher plane followed by some angelic thoughts.If we are deeply engrossed right here during the meditation session at the dusk hour,our mind should open many doors to itself.From the moment we step on the soils of Matrimandir,no one is allowed to talk which we might initially assume to be a disciplinary rule.Breaking this rule will cease us from entering Matrimandir.The guards & volunteers will be watching every person in the queue.In fact this rule makes the whole experience holistic since we tend to talk to ourselves and in course of time to the higher self with in.The crystal ball concept will be truly awe-inspiring for the first timers.

There is much more on auroville, all of which should be explored & enjoyed while at the city of dawn.But as of now here are my final words of wisdom-when the mind floats in silence after the holistic experience inside Matrimandir,there is a general tendency to feel Shall i quit my life to become a part of this sensible world which in turn leads to a common quest in the minds of all the truly absorbed.what it takes to be a true aurovilian?.If this thought dwells in you as well,this is what The Mother has to say

-The first necessity is the inner discovery by which one learns who one really is behind the social, moral, cultural, racial and hereditary appearances. At our inmost centre there is a free being, wide and knowing, who awaits our discovery and who ought to become the acting centre of our being and our life in Auroville.

- One lives in Auroville in order to be free of moral and social conventions; but this liberty must not be a new slavery to the ego, its desires and its ambitions. The fulfilment of desires bars the route to the inner discovery which can only be attained in peace and the transparency of a perfect disinterestedness.

-The Aurovilian must lose the proprietary sense of possession. For our passage in the material world, that which is indispensable to our life and to our action is put at our disposal according to the place we should occupy there. The more conscious our contact is with our inner being, the more exact are the means given.

-Work, even manual work, is an indispensable thing for the inner discovery. If one does not work, if one does not inject his consciousness into matter, the latter will never develop. To let one’s consciousness organise a bit of matter by way of one’s body is very good. To establish order around oneself, helps to bring order within oneself. One should organise life not according to outer, artificial rules, but according to an organised, inner consciousness, because if one allows life to drift without imposing the control of a higher consciousness, life becomes inexpressive and irresolute. It is to waste one’s time in the sense that matter persists without a conscious utilisation.

-The whole earth must prepare itself for the advent of the new species, and Auroville wants to consciously work towards hastening that advent.

-Little by little it will be revealed to us what this new species should be, and meanwhile the best measure to take is to consecrate oneself entirely to the Divine.

Cross Country Race

Neither am i new to bangalore nor is it my mistake to go on a cross country race from one end of this broken city to another during peak traffic hours.I should have really checked on the following to know if this city was really for me.After being employed in the same city at a walkable distance from home,destiny deviced my destination to be the Global Village campus on Mysore road.If you are just asking me where do i live,oh ya itz almost the other corner of the same city.I just live a stone's throws away from the HAL airport.Mmm.. the distance pretty much would be around 28KMS one way.To the outside world I live in the silicion city of India.But only would i know how poor is this city where i dwell on many fronts.And now letz hold a magnifying glass on the city's Transport Network & Facility if am generous enough to use these words for the kind of transport ways the city flaunts.

Letz assume my watch reads 6.45PM which is when I choicelessly step out of the GV campus on Mysore road to reach the old Airport.What happens next should be falling in any of the following possibilities.

P1:Office Shuttle-If I prefer to generously pay a whopping 1400 bucks to my parent company towards transportation,the headache is all theirs to make me reach home.But a huge idle time will have to be shelled out from my pocket.The driver will try his best to drive the bus as his F1 vehicle only until Gopalan Mall on Mysore Road.I should be patient enough to see my watch tick,minute by minute until 7.30 PM at this junction.By 7.45 PM the bus could manage to inch towards corporation circle.From here,the driver has the flexibility to actually take 2 different routes.

1-Drive in straight adjacent to dense cubbon park hitting MG rd at the end.

2-Drive across Vittal Mallya Road & get clogged in Richmond Circle.

However I could land in a hickup if I take route1 due to the chaos on MG Road due to the much anticipated Metro construction.So unless I happen to be a perfect personification of patience,am sure I wouldn't want to do that.Route2 is a little long route compared to the former.But then there isn't much choice if I atleast want to see myself moving block by block towards home.But like a famous saying All roads leads to Rome- whichever way I go I have to hit ASC centre which is where officially the HAL Airport Road begins.From there a little more minutes of patience will actually help me seeing the HAL Aiport on your right.I even bet a blank cheque with you that it can't be earlier than 8.20 PM during a peak traffic hour.

If you are asking me what will i do if my bus breaks down half way through.I promise I wouldn't get stranded by any means.I can fall as a prey to the autowallas anytime to reach my destination but can't expect to save my back for all the stunts they try on the speedbreakers & potholes on the pathetic city roads.Or all the missed gyming hours could be made use in pushing the bus for a restart along with my other commuters.Itz fun at times.Personally lemme tell you this isn't a bad mode of transport at all.

P2:Own Transport - CAR,Two wheeler - If I prefer to see my money vaporise than shelling out a huge sum on the company's shuttle,am sure i will fall in to this category.I wouldn't be having any fun on riding my vehicle atleast this far amidst the other chocking chariots on the arterial roads of bangalore.But lemme tell you,few more routes unfold once i hit corporation circle.I could actually deviate via SP Road & some how save few micro minutes before hitting UB city.And hence forth also I could drive straight till old madras road & cut across the new indranagar flyover to reach my old airport.If my personal vehicle,be it car or a 2 wheeler fails in the middle of the road,mypiece of advice would be to leave it there once for all and keep marching towards the nearest public transport stop.By godz grace if all goes well,I could prove myself as a green driver by allowing a pillion rider to hitch hike on me.Be it a car,handful of vehicle less souls travelling via my neighbourhood can be helped.But i should be prepared to reach home not earlier than 8.30PM.Again depending on my driving skills it might be another plus or minus 20 minutes.

Since no one have any opportunity to drive @ a speed more than 25-30 km/h the possibility of rash driving accidents are almost nil during these peak hours in a city like these.The irony of all i feel is that to reach mysore which is 3 hrs from Bangalore a friend of mine takes around 2.5 hrs which is sometimes the same time i take to reach my home in the same city.Howz that ?

P3:Public Transport- I must really be a least lucky soul if my mode of transport is going to be this.Apart from the fact that I cannot afford to travel by any other costlier mode of transport for a stretch of 28 kms,I have other resons to see myself at this least lucky position.If I or anyone above 5feet 5 inch happen to get a seat,the leg room will leave you feeling cursed.If you don't get a seat to sit,the travel experience will be even more worse.The conductors in this city are publicly given license to squeeze themselves amidst all possible female passengers of their choice as a means of pleasure and as a means of serving their duty.If there are any decent male passegers near me then I can expect to travel with some peace of mind until my destination.If you stars aren't aligned in a good positions for the day on the sky above,then I might actually end up having a really exhausting and a bad day cursing myself for reasons more than one.But there is a choice that I can make here.If there is a volvo service running across atleast half my destination,i can relax.Since only decent people board volvo in bangalore and that i haven't seen any volvo breaking down until now.Leg space is really ample even for the XL souls.The possibility of depending on BMTC or volvo arises out of another reason which i fell prey twice in these 2.5 years.Missing my office shuttle or cancellation of office shuttle or if my shuttle refuses to take the route that i travel, on any particular day.

If you are asking me the reason behind possibility of cancellation or shuttle refusing to take my route,there are valid reason for these i tell u.If a popular demigod celebrity is kiddnapped,or may be dies, this can truely happen to anyone.Also if the private cab associations decide to go in for a strike,as a helpless middleclass citizen,I or anyone can expect the same.For a small sum of money that I shell out for my commutation via the public transport,city's transport body gives me oppurtunity to practise patience under few nonsense situations as well.Possibility of stranding half way through a public transport cannot be totally ignored.But the good thing is i can manage to travel in another bus which comes the same way with just an autograph of the conductor.When i will reach home can never be guaranteed.Since there are few factors influencing it like the arrival of the bus.And again arrival of bus depends on whether or not is the driver in mood to drive the bus.Even if he does,the bus must be a good working condition for a good start.Even if the bus starts & arrivesmy pickup point there is no guarantee that it would have ample space for me to step in.Am not kidding.It really happens here.Last thing i would like to highlight abt the public transport in this city would be the fact that if someone wants to travel from point A ->B,one might actually have to reach point C which most of the time isn't on the way from A ->B.You will really be taken for a ride.This will speak for all the transport network planning done here in all the past years.

P4:Private cabs/3 wheeler - If money isn't a big deal for me,I will be a privileged customer to all these folks.False meter,demanding a whopping sum in addition to the actual price & a concept called 1 1/2 are things one needs to learn.Quite expensive but hassle free travel.But it terms of time this mode of transport is a no exception like the above.If you are a female traveller,better to be careful with the private cab drivers since the city is quite famous for crimes wrt this gender.Good thing however here is that if this transport fails on the road due to a puncture or a bad working condition of the vehicle,one might have to worry very less since the driver will make alternate arrangements or least expected to.I need not ideally worry about the route since the private vehicle drivers know each & every gully in the city of bang if there is a major hurdle on the way.Relatively I can save time if all goes well. If you think all this is enough for you to faint right away ,hold on i have some pleasant things in store.

P5:Copter Service - I always wish i belonged to the elite group of citizens who can afford more than what is essential for anything and everything in life.Not in all aspects though but the passion to own a copter is still alive in me.At least every alternate fortnight, if i get a free pickup or drop by a copter from HAL hanger to GV & back home,i will still be grateful to god.Hmm .. though itz one big never to come true dream,just visualize me boarding a beautiful black bird waiting for me near coffeeday junction in GV campus.Say I board it at the same assumed time 6.45 pm every evening.With the blades chopping heavily for few minutes i am sure I would reach HAL Hanger by 7PM.From there itz a matter of 6 minutes by walk to my home.How wonderful would that be.

P6:Awaiting Metro - For the hoping against hope souls,in a matter of few years this could just be their life line as well apart from the city's.But then itz just an anticipation.I am really skeptical about boarding the metro peacefully after seeing a video showing how easy it is to board a metro train in a country like china.Time will be a saving factor though.But from where to where is a big Q.To reach home from the metro station might really need to be worked out.Money spent in metro commutation should be worth it.Connectivity across all the places with in the city will be an ongoing project for another 2-3 decades i presume.

P7:Ferry Service - I am one soul who tend to visualize the impossible.Here is the impossible for your visual.If there comes a govt in Karnataka who sincerely takes an initiative in cleaning up the polluted rivers running across bang within a fixed deadline & if it is successful then from global village campus right next to ccd all I need to do is get down to the cleansed river and just reach nayandhahalli circle probably on the aromatic waters of bangalore.That will no doubt be a pollution free & one of the most pleasant mode of transport.Cost though am not sure at this point.Safety might also be of concern if itz going to be an open ferry.

If I find myself not wanting to opt any of the above options,I still have a single way left.Like working from home,I can actually choose to live from office.That will save a lot of money,free net/phone connection,video conferencing,AC,hot water,food at any time & will save a lot of rent money and opens a huge possibility to be productive at work .May be I should think again before making a new choice of work place.

Pasir Ris Theory

Zooming boxes zipped in silence in to Pasir Ris MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). Pasir Ris is the last destination that people in this lion city can ever reach via the green line starting from Boon Lay, connecting its east -west corners.LED boards at MRT read accurately the countdown for arrival of trains.Penetrating Pasir Ris Library in floor 3 at Pasir Ris mall, in a minute’s time I went aphonic gazing at the integrally automated library & the huge collection of books on exhaustive categories at display there. My pash for books raptured that very minute. We were alike I felt, containing volumes of words inside but a streak of folded silence for the onlookers. On stepping out, silence still remained frozen in our minds. We exchanged no words. She stood beside, escorting me all the time until I was with her, with million thoughts crossing her mind in series. Life was silently pleasant that very minute waiting to experience another journey in the lap of luxury, by MRT, to get back home in simei.

I looked at her. Thoughts coiled into the past … I knew how hard she struggled until a couple of years back shuttling between her township & city right from her college days until she settled as a mentor in one of the city colleges.Her day dawned with a demanding bus journey till the city border. And then a drudging train journey in those suburban trains to reach the city junction, from where another local train to reach her city college on time. And back home everyday all the way to complete her assignments, demo preps, record works & to add meaning in her partially deserted parent’s life. She inducted many minds in her township by mentoring them in quantum ways in her subject of expertise everyday on reaching home back.She was not one of those cribbing babes, for traveling so far everyday. She added new colors in to her own life by taking new challenges at every new turn in those years. It all stood as bright feathers in her cap of victory.Oofff ... at last her struggle vanished like a dry ice in hand. She locked eyes with me dragging herself away from her rushing thoughts & smiled.

The train arrived in silence by then. When it stopped, the glass doors opened to offload & upload passengers. All the time the glass doors pointed right in front of the arrow painted yellow on the floor at the platform. No hassles no where. People just walked in straight before the doors shut themselves.From transit to transit the city stood more colorful. Obeying rules ran in their blood from birth. None touched none. None spoke to none. None looked at none. They believed to live their solitary e-lives even when amidst the crowd - typing messages, playing games, checking mails, tuning music on their ears, surfing net but never bothered to scan even the most stunning damsel (of their own breed ) who stood beside.They all looked alike. Fair like flour & flat like a four. They were all the same to my eyes. For a moment, where am I ? a prompt in the mind. A world far away from mine I realized. In intrinsic wrapped silence,sound of train zipping in and out of tunnels resonated in my drums.We dissolved the silence that we gripped in Pasir Ris when the train offloaded us back in Simei.

Sprinkled Lands

My holiday trip to the cluster of islands across bay of bengal luckily happened during a pre Tsunami time.I now hear that those islands aren't the same anymore for a holiday trip.In that way it stays as a more treasured trip to me, for having explored the virgin beauty which now is tattered by mother nature herself.It still is one of my memorable trip.While i started out to set foot on those islands i was told that our ancient epic Ramayana had a minor reference with the tiny islands.While hanuman was on his journey probing lanka to spot sita, first he set foot on those islands down south to land in lanka.And hence the group of islands were named handuman earlier which later became andaman islands.

Well just not this,these islands really had many things that came as an amusing package for some one from a concrete jungle, like me.Nature at it's best was finely captured there.Unusual to me,I found a variety of beaches there.One with no waves and clear water where one can almost walk in to the water & perhaps reach the other island thatz visible.Another one with little waves & a long coast good enough to have an ideally long stroll.While another one with almost with no coast but amazingly rich in under water coral collections. This beach was the highlight of my trip.This rich collection of underwater colour corals were found in an island called Northern Bay hardly 1 hr drive from Portblair on the main island.I simply have no words to describe the joy that flowed in my heart while snorkeling at northern bay watching the under water secrets with god given eyes.Thanks to the fisherman who swam for this hydrophobic damsel in a rubber tube alongside.This under water expedition is a must in your 'to do' list.
The nearest island was the Ross Island.To get u exactly where i have been,this is the island where the scintiallting song 'Uyirin Uyrea' in Gautam Menon's movie starring surya as a super rich looking Cop was shot.Definitely a fantastic place.Yes it kept remainding me of surya time and again until i left those waters.I have some thing more to tell u abt this island.This island was found sinking everyday i was told.Post Tsunami this island would have suffered the maximum blow,I guess.I found deers here amidst serene green lush.This was the most visited island by the british during our pre independence time.U will know y when u come here. The fishes in these waters kept twisting & tossing in air and were mostly found in groups.It was a great treat watching the water world species in joy.
The farthest island that we explored on our trip was the Viper Islands. Had you been there with me, i bet you wouldn't have stopped clicking ur camera for every few seconds.Yes, the water ways amidst the rich blend of nature was a picture postcard from every single setting.Amazing treat to the eyes.Choose to travel in an open ferry to enjoy your ride to the max.As we kept visiting few of the pristine places there, almost untouched by human and divinely belonging to nature,at some point of time i realised the true existence of god and his wonderful creation.For somebody like me from a dense concrete jungle,watching the virgin islands across the bay of bengal was undoubtedly an immense pleasure.
I was just amazed gazing at the infinite coconut trees standing tall every where.If one were to count 1000 trees a day,i bet there would still be none to cease the count.The cellular jail in portblair was just an epitome of our freedom struggle.For those who remained low spirited like me reading all about freedom & struggle only via the black&white pages of history book years back,this will make u feel what was all abt it.The real struggle,torture & reality behind those fuming souls come alive through the Light & Sound show which makes us travel back in time and makes us live for an hour, in the scenes of the agonizing lives destined for those in the prison.A must watch show.
The other places of importance in these islands were the Anthropological Museum,Aquariums,Science city,Sun Set Point,Botanical gardens,water parks,coral collection museums,harbour cruise & chatham saw mill(Asia's largest saw mill) .Every park in the island has a huge lake where u can unwind urself and be with the nature.Don't forget to visit corbin's cove,the one in main island.Those who are greedy on sea food like me, this is again the place for you.Those yummy and deliciously prepared prawns and fishes are still in my sight.Mouth watering crabs & squids were simply out of earth delicacies there. Though there were many more islands to be explored,with just a week's time in hand, I was content visiting four short distant islands from my port of landing.If you know swimming,probably you should try scuba diving on an appropriate island.

The tourism department of Andaman & Nicobar has rejuvinated the tiny islands back for safe and happy visits,i read recently.If you seriously feel that you need a short refreshing break in life,then this is one of the right place for you to soak ur legs in some dirt and water.Take some time off ur busy hectic schedule to visit this wonderland which is quite near,hardly 2 hrs from chennai by flight and unwind yourself for a week for a complete recharge. I found myself clicking the timeless beauty of nature all the time but only to tell you even million picture post cards cannot justify the pristine beauty of those lands.You got to see for yourself to believe that you are really in a magical destination.

59/3 CPWD Qtrs

Soon after my schooling we moved to a happening place in the city of Chennai- AnnaNagar. Quite an astounding place with posh houses, wide roads & pleasing greeneries. People living there for decades seem refined in all aspects of life. Life was a real bliss living there. The locality even today is a sharp but a silent bustling area for the cream crowd who have enough zest to explore the best & the latest in the city whether it be fashion, food, clothing ,gadgets, cosmetics & what not.
The very name of the locality will sound soothing to the soul if u have lived there. Though until now we never own a concrete piece there,a span of six serene years were gifted by god to enjoy life in such posh place in a city like Chennai. It added more color to my college life from day1. The central government of India had scooped this huge square land and christened it as cpwd quarters for its employees right in the middle of that hundred feet road. It mildly resembled a forest settlement with a planned green belt inside the campus. It was a paradise amidst the usual city's concrete jungle and I bet there is none to deny this.
I had no idea initially when i was told that we will soon be shifting to this strange place(cpwd qrts) in the same city of mine.But i realised the importance and charisma of this place once i landed in.Even today many of my friends have tender feelings associated with this place where i lived.Dense tall green ashoka trees on either side of the pathway at the entrance just gave a striking realisation of having entered an earthly heaven.For all those who have been there i am sure they would know, this is a no exaggeration. The ambiance was impeccable any day anytime sinking a warmth feeling of being in a earthly heaven .
I lived there for little more than half a decade . I remember very precisely how childish i was and how that place had seen me grow in to a matured,sensible and a self confident young damsel. We lived in the first floor of a well - ventilated block containing four stacked floors with each deck containing 2 houses. My house had it's own charm and we were the first one to occupy the newly built block. Soon people moved in to all the allotments and life became more vivid with compatible & amicable neighbors who made our lives truly colorful. We were more than a close knit family sharing food, music, culture, thoughts, joy, sorrow and sometimes even our ideas & practices. We knew more number of families than before.
Though it wasn't a huge or a amply spacious house, it was adequate enough for a four dwindled to three family, to live in. The walls of that house had witnessed me during my times of distress, anxiety& my moments of joy. If u were to ask every brick in that house,they would tell u what a cry babe,lazy bum & a dream girl I was in the initial years but managed to come to the reality world at the end. My favorite place was the window corner in my room. It was just not another window to me but was a window which showed me the outside world letting me dare my dreams. Every time i saw outside the window, i had an inspiring breath dashing in some fresh air while watching the green lush, the tall conical water tank strikingly visible from my window, teens playing with full of life, kids learning to peddle, the obese jogging to cut down & many more which were a typical vision of a peaceful settlement.
Every house had at least one portico which added life to the enclosed house. A tall green tree spread across almost the entire block of mine on either side added beauty to the occupied area. It was best enjoyed being in the portico.There were variety of houses, allotments strictly based on official rankings. Though my house is the best to me , i also loved and admired the one occupying the center of the colony. It was special in the way it's been constructed and the location for it being chosen. It had a single room on top of the spaciously built house fenced with it's own green area , portraying the one described in Enid Blyton stories. Every time i take a stroll around the colony it had always been my envy... and i wouldn't forget to give it a longing look. But people rarely lived there for long as it was a special cottage for the top most officials who were mostly on wheels shuttling between major metros.
It had a school, a kendriya bandar, playgrounds, badminton courts, care taking offices, postal facilities, open arena & temples facilitating the residents. It was the place from where i pursued my dream degree. It was a place where i managed to gain few friends of my own age sharing the same kind of dream in life with similar family back grounds. One cannot miss the teens flocking together all the time. They were the ones who rocked anytime. A perfect place to meet a lot of friends ,share some intimate thoughts, & play until the day ends.
As residents we enjoyed living there best during the rainy season when we imbibed a perfect feeling of living with the nature. It truly used to be a breath taking sight while it rains watching the fall colors, blooming flowers & the bright green grass . It still is a perfect ecosystem supporting hundreds of birds and other organisms providing them shelters on tree tops. Not all the time we enjoy the nature around us. But i promptly find some time during the winter months to admire the leaves wilting on the tree facing our block, standing in my portico realizing how times change even for the trees and not to mention, they again start sprouting back in summer months. Wonderful sight i tell you.
I enjoyed a very peaceful life & enhance myself personally .It helped me work upon my thoughts to achieve more than i thought i could, sitting under this roof than anywhere else, trying to understand my own self & figure out what this world was up to. That place had helped me evolve in to a mentally strong person just for the kind of life i have had here and kept me in close proximity to an eventful place in the city in catching up with the latest .
And finally when it was time for me to quit this place,years rolled by and i realized that I will never live in this place again in this life of mine. I am reminded of something when i type out these lines. When we moved away from a house where we lived for 15 yrs since i was a year old kid i spent hours crying aloud , unable to digest the fact that i was leaving that place forever. Probably people at home would have felt a bit amusing but i had to pour out just to get away with that hard feeling of departing from such a memorable place where i have had wonderful childhood memories. But now that i have grown with the years and those years grew with me,I simple bid a sad goodbye to the place where I spent the most important years in my life.
I knew nothing lasts forever. I also knew that no one can stay there permanently which is when i realized that place has a magical spell pulling people together for a short span & bid us good bye some day which is the same theory lying behind our very own lives .It was truly a deserving experience living @ CPWD AnnaNagar. I really miss that place even today.