Tag: life

Thekkady Days

Last week I was away on a family trip to Thekkady. It’s a beautiful little town perched on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

on the way

Just beyond the border is Kumily, after which comes Thekkady. There’s not much distance between the two towns, and we saw plenty of shops with address boards that read “Kumily/Thekkady.” It’s almost as if the locals have made peace with the fact that tourists will never understand the nuance differences between two small towns.

Nevertheless, we were in Thekkady. I love the way the name of the town rolls off my tongue. It starts slow but halfway through, it tumbles as if in a hurry. It’s a beautiful word, to name a beautiful town.

Even before we chose Thekkady to spend my parents’ anniversary, we knew there was nothing for us there. Sure, there were a handful of tourist attractions but they all came in a package. The package which starts at 5.30 am, ends at 3.00 pm. And during that time, we’d travel on a ferry, get a glimpse of a waterfall, trek through a spice garden, and ride through one part of the 1388 sq.ft of the forest cover.

We did none of those, though. We didn’t want to lose sleep and cram a tiny boat, with other tourists pointing fingers and cameras at overgrown trees and the silhouette of a tiger.

We chose the untrodden way, instead. My brother knew a local guide who had been doing jungle safaris for twenty-five years. He didn’t promise serene stuff like a lake-view lunch. But he asked for four hours of our time. And told us we’d be going to three places, all of them view points.

the green

He took us to The Green Mountain, The Shola Forest, and Parunthampaarai (Translates to Eagle Rock). And a bonus, he bought us the local special tea in one of his friend’s tea shop. It was cardamom tea at its best.

Each of the three places had so much to capture that one panorama couldn’t do it. I realised a whole different meaning of getting high. Having lived in a city with just enough fresh air to sustain myself, I was thrust, all of a sudden, into more oxygen that I could take in.

All three places deserve separate posts, and that’s what they’ll get. Stay tuned.

It’s My Life

I’m a loner, a solo player

who’s surrounded by none.

Cross-legged I sit and stare

perched on my pedestal above

There I sleep, eat, drink, and live

‘Cos I’m a loner, sailing solo

And my bed is my island.

Why I Didn’t Read the Millennium Series

millenium

I started reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I couldn’t even get past half of the book.

But the funny thing is that I hadn’t accepted it, until now. I tried giving it another try, again, and again. And again, and again I failed.

I just couldn’t get through it.

Perhaps it’s just me, I thought. But now, I’ve learnt to forgive myself; it’s the book. I just don’t like books like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

I only tried it because of two reasons: One, my book-freak cousin recommended it. Every time she spoke about the book, her eyes would sparkle with dream-like awe. She had warned be about the dull start, but she also told me how awesome it would get after that.

I never got to the interesting part. I couldn’t tolerate it that long.

Second reason: The title. I do this a lot. I judge a book by the cover, but more so by the title. And ever so often, I’ve been wrong. But I still stick to my instincts.

It was an attractive title. A story about a girl with a dragon tattoo. I like dragons, tattoos, and girls who get tattoos. I drooled at the title.

For all the drooling I did, the book disappointed me. With my cousin’s word, I had expected too much of the book. Perhaps it was my fault to set unrealistic expectations. Still, the fact is, I don’t like topics that the book addresses.

Of course, I enjoyed Lisbeth Salander’s attitude and arrogance. Sure, I could relate to Blomkvist’s thirst for recognition, but I did not enjoy the plot moving all over the place.

I’m uncomfortable with simultaneous subplots and empty scenes. A lot of slow-moving incidents threw me off the main plot, and I couldn’t find my way back with the same enthusiasm as before.

And so, I stopped reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I wanted to like the book. Just like so many others. People kept saying how great the book was, tying it with the author’s sinister death.

I couldn’t see it, though. I couldn’t understand why it’s such a big deal. I tried, and I failed. And disappointed. I didn’t want to hate the book.

But shit happens.

Sole Mates

I’ve had some pretty good adventures. I’ve made a few trips, walked more than few miles, and even pulled some good ol’ all-nighters.

And all along, one pair has been with me. One pair that’s seen all I’ve seen, and been everywhere I’ve been. My partners, my sole mates.

sole mates.JPG