A trek after a loooooong time

To Kudremukh we went.

The bus boarded at  A2B Jayanagar reached Samse at 7 pm; a jeep ride on a rugged off-road path took us to Mullodi after 6 km. A motley group of around thirty. Ages ranging from 12 to 62 ! Chilly, windy, misty rainy, we started at 10 AM.

Varied terrain and vegetation. Areas of tall trees with rocks and rivulets alternated with areas of low shrubs on steep slopes and yet again with regions of tall, thick grassy areas over relatively flat terrain. Leeches leeches everywhere. The dettol on our shoes didn't seem to deter them. It was quite queasy to see them bore into your neighbor's shoes and socks, and gradually increase in size by ingesting blood.  Over 10 km of trekking took us to base the final ascent. It was steep, rocky, windy, with the paths not being clearly marked.  A light drizzle kept the energy level up and heightened the sense of adventure, as every step had to be firmly put, as the chances of slipping were very high.

The final 500 m after this ascent was on the flat head of a ridge that lead us to the second highest point in Karnataka - the Kudremukh peak. The view of the rolling hills all around, lush with greenery was enthralling. The grass carpeted slopes with narrow strips of dark green trees gently rising and falling topped with clouds made the trip worth the risk and the pain.

After a rest of half hour - where we are chitranna and curd rice, we started back a 2:30pm, with the hope that the descent will be much easier than the ascent. The first led of the descent was quite treacherous, as the rain and the slope made every step slippery. Even in the flat grasslands, I slipped quite a few times - and thrice while crossing the rivulets! The darkness setting in seemed to make the journey even lengthier.

Finally by 5:30 pm we reached Mullodi, welcomed by steaming hot cups of tea and Maggi! Yeah! 

Detox

I craved for detox this evening..all those clamoring thoughts of shopping, craft work, exams, appraisals, EMIs, parking space and what not.

Went to a nearby grocery store to get some sundry stuff. As I was leaving I met a man in his seventies who wanted to know if I could take some insurance policies. He lives in the neighborhood with his daughter's(his only child) family. The discomfort of having to be dependent was evident.I wound up the conversation with exchange of numbers

That was detox enough. That was an alarm bell sounding to be thankful for all that I have. And not to wish for magic or be a magician myself.

One step at a time at all fronts is the resolve. 

Unending List

The children are back. They were away for the Dussehra vacation to Chennai. As usual I got pretty worked up about having to send them. Were they better off here or there? Would they have more things to do here or there? Would they eat better here or there? I finally made peace with myself because the answer to the final question was 'there'. Soup, Aloo paratha, apple pacchidi, vazhai thandu, puttu, sundal, aapam, keerai, poli, bisi bele, pakoda - all kinds of variety in the daily menu.

I was supposed to get a whole load of things while they were away. I accomplished quite a bit - visits to branch offices, updating presentations, pest control for home, doubling the stack of used-clothes, vacation bookings, visiting frineds & cousins - chattting with them (yeah!), running, walking, cycling.

But I am still left with these - school bags, uniforms (it is still mid year, why do i have to do it?), weekly lunch dabba menu, tailor, shoes, giving away the old clothes, buying diwali gifts for maid, cook etc., returning library books, grocery shopping (why dont i ever have enough of Odonil?), learning to make appam, printing photographs.

Going Local

Of late, I step out from home around 7pm, do all shopping nearby. Fresh vegetables, fresh bread. The kids accompany me on their cycles - some time V rides doubles with S. Its a wonderful feeling to run into to familiar people and shopkeepers. Its really been a long time since I moved here. A little over 5 years.

Faces from journeys

Oftentimes faces persist like snapshots. Usually happens when I travel alone and care to take in more than just the people I chaperon. Oftentimes I want to know why, what, how, but dare not walk up and ask. I view myself as an intruder. Here's a list from a trip to Chennai yesterday.

- 8:30 PM: Electric Train @St. Thomas Mt.: A little girl, around 8 yrs, in school uniform - white salwar, blue kameez, white dupatta. With school backpack. Seemed to have had a long day, but eyes still shining bright. Boarding the train holding her little sister, 5 year old perhaps. They try various empty seats and finally decide to sit by the entrance. Enjoying the wind. So happy. So 'for-the-moment' life of childhood.

- 10 30PM: Central Station: A man of 30 lying on a bed sheet near the Higginbothams stall, sleeping. Just like hundreds of others lying on bedsheets/card boards/floor. Some alone, some in groups. Some happy to be going to some place, some sad at having left place. This man was well dressed, head cleanshaven. Initially put him down as a Tirupati return. A few moments later I found another man kneeling next to him and fanning him with an tattered towel. It was then that I noticed the two catheters on the sleeping man's hands. Perhaps he is a General Hospital return.

- 11:00PM: Platform 4, Yercaud express preparing to leave the station. Important looking person dressed all in white, standing by the AC compartment. A dozen people jostling around him, giving him what looked like petitions. He gave the impression that he was there to solve all their problems.

Zero Inflation

Twenty years ago, a small match box with wooden match sticks used to cost Re.1. Remember those Cheetah matchboxes, not more that an inch in length and breadth that had a picture of a man holding a sickle fighting a Cheetah?

Today I buy Wimco Matchsticks that come in cartons of 100 matchsticks - still wooden but longer. These costs all of Rs.5 !

Tubelights - When we used to buy it at the Institute SAC it cost Rs.40. And now sixteen years later, as I replaced my kitchen tubelight last evening, I shelled out the same amount of money!

Pure delight!

Light and a Poem

Light - I am obsessed with ensuring its adequate presence. Thick curtains are kept to a bare minimum. We are lucky to be in a home with very little noise. And plenty of natural light. We hardly draw the blinds at night. The beauty of the streetlights and moonlight streaming in is a pleasure.

But, office lighting is all wierd. So many tubelights shining over employees heads even when there is bright sunshine outside. And to position yourself in various angles to avoid the glare and ensure visibility of the stuff the monitor displays. I often dream of an 'open-office' - breeze and sunlight in abundance. Maybe I wouldnt find it in a corporate office. Wonder where I would!

While on those thoughts, stumbled upon this gem. In this poem the poet says this of Sunlight: 'Resting on the page, the word is as beautiful, it touches you as if you had a friend'

The Word
By Tony Hoagland

Down near the bottom
of the crossed-out list
of things you have to do today,

between “green thread”
and “broccoli” you find
that you have penciled “sunlight.”

Resting on the page, the word
is as beautiful, it touches you
as if you had a friend

and sunlight were a present
he had sent you from some place distant
as this morning—to cheer you up,

and to remind you that,
among your duties, pleasure
is a thing,

that also needs accomplishing
Do you remember?
that time and light are kinds

of love, and love
is no less practical
than a coffee grinder

or a safe spare tire?
Tomorrow you may be utterly
without a clue

but today you get a telegram,
from the heart in exile
proclaiming that the kingdom

still exists,
the king and queen alive,
still speaking to their children,

—to any one among them
who can find the time,
to sit out in the sun and listen.