Of this and that...

May 1, Tuesday was a holiday. I took Monday off making it a long 4-day weekend. The whole family packed up and we drove down to Kodaikanal or Kodai as it is fondly known. The plan was to start early (hahha) Saturday morning, and drive down to Kodai by the evening. We did start early (well its relative!) around 7. And drove ahead full speed. The most important aspect was of course the food - K2 very responsibly stocked up the car with food of all kinds, some sweet, some savory, something to drink too. With very many stops en route eating, drinking, reading and sleeping, we made our way to the Palani hills. As we were driving by at top speed, I noticed men, clad in nothing more than yellow veshtis, clutching yellow cloth bags, walking barefoot alongside us. Curiosity led to enquiry, they were devotees of Lord Muruga, who had vowed to walk barefoot from their homes to Palani, Muruga's most sacred earthly residence, their dark faces calm and serene, full of purpose, unmindful of t...

There is definitely a lot to write about the sights and sounds of Lucknow, the town traditionally known for its cultured Nawabs, mouth-watering kebabs, exquisite chikan and of course the warm hospitality. But I am a little disappointed. I was hoping my camera would share some of my burden in capturing the decadent splendor and a serene, sleepy city vibrating with life in pockets like Aminabad. But unfortunately, the first day here, I left my camera behind in my hotel room and day 2 was just too hectic for me to be able to even wield it on unsuspecting people and sights. So here I am, at 6 am on a Tuesday morning with exactly 10 people in the Amausi airport, struggling to keep my eyes open and waiting for the Sahara staff to arrive – I don’t know if this is a first but I was the first person into the airport. I was here at 5.30 am, exactly 2 hours before the flight time and was welcomed by 3 very amused police officers at the entrance. They wanted to know what time my flight was and I s...

10 pm in the night. I have successfully managed to wiggle out of office and also let thoughts about work wiggle out of me...I reach for that slim book I had so neatly covered in newspaper, a strip of white paper which is the label tells me the book calls itself "A Writers Nightmare". I wonder what it means. I open it and start reading. Its full of 1 or 2 page write-ups on everything under the sun - marriages, school, mathematics, the scouts, the traffic situation, the writer's ego and even umbrellas (yes you read that right - there is actually an essay on umbrellas and a very interesting one at that explaining how we should all have 3 umbrellas - one for us, one for lending and one back-up in case anything happens to the other two!). I read each and every word with relish. I think about how unassuming the author is. And how humble. He actually says he started writing columns in The Hindu because he wanted to have a regular income - his first 3 novels bringing him fame bu...