Remember the sparrow? Once ubiquitous, they have come down to barely fleeting appearances these days. Always chirping away it seemed to be one long monologue when they were around. We had them for company in our house while we grew up. We loved feeding them, and though they wouldn’t venture too close to us they were gracious enough to feed of food we used to provide them.
It was a happy co-existence till the time we felt we grew up and decided to look for greener pastures. Bigger cities, even bigger apartments and more people meant that we don’t have a place for them sparrows anymore. They used the crooks and crevices around human habitations to build their nesting places but unfortunately modern cities don’t provide them that luxury anymore. They probably still are around in villages and smaller towns where finding grain and a place to nest aren’t yet difficult. Sadly, nobody seems to miss them at all. Perhaps we haven’t noticed; perhaps we don’t care or perhaps we just don’t know them well. But, I really miss waking up on lazy weekend morning knowing I need not get to school, ambling to my balcony and being greeted by these wonderfully energetic creatures. I dread the time my kids read about them in books, and ask me about them. I wonder where I will find one to show to them. Ah, what are we turning our planet into!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Finally a weekend sojourn - one long overdue
Warning - Unsually long post ahead. Best avoided :)
Finally, finally, as we promised to ourselves a trip plan to Srisailam worked out. We dragged ourselves out of bed at five in the morning on Saturday wanting to start early and avoid the city traffic as the day wore. Sita and I opted to play the good Samaritans by occupying the last row of our vehicle - that it was an Innova probably helped. Our conversations bordered on realistic to wildly insane. Planning regular weekend activities was an interesting topic, one I would classify as meaningful; using this trip to hunt for a place to setup our golf course was perhaps bordering on insanity.
We drove via the airport. I may sound preposterous but this was my first glimpse of Hyderabad city’s new airport. People had warned us that they weren’t too many places to eat along the way and we were advised to carry some food. By the time we had found a pit stop to have breakfast we were terribly hungry and the place didn’t really matter to us. A few dosas later, armed with some help on directions we were on our way to the Mallela Theertham waterfalls.
The drive was fantastic - acres and acres of land; surprisingly devoid of people. There would appear a few villages in between as if to provide an interlude. These were the only places for us to buy some water or a snack. The waterfall needed a diversion from the Srisailam route we were on; a winding mud road through a village which tested our spines. I couldn’t help notice how many of the houses had Sundirect hoisted on their rooftops; not surprising though. Perhaps it was the only way to access television in the town. The waterfall is reached by climbing down a stair of steps. About 350 in all, it all seemed so easy that were wondered why there were benches laid out midway for people to rest. We realized later that it making our way up was a different matter altogether!
The falls itself were exhilarating. Unmindful of the slippery rocks it looked like people were eager to get drenched. It needed a lot of coaxing from everybody for me to take the plunge though. A very bad fall years ago during such a trip has left my mind permanently scarred. However, I do try to overcome this every time though I might need to be pushed to do it. I don’t regret the fact this time though. After a few initial hesitant steps to feel the mood of the water we finally let go and allowed ourselves to be completely drenched – every nerve, each sinew. The water caught us breathless initially but then it all came back to us in a moment of ecstasy. I was enjoying being thoroughly rinsed when I realized that in my moment of haste I had left my cell phone in my pocket. That ended my fun under the waters because I had to take care of my communication equipment. Thankfully all was well. We sat back for over an hour feeling completely refreshed and recharged, suddenly realizing that we were hungry. A quick bite later we were on our way to Srisailam.
The journey was fascinating. Monkeys emerged from the forests on the road perhaps curious of the doings of human life. The ghat road provided breathtaking views of the dam which sadly was devoid of much water. We reached the temple town late in the afternoon. Munching a sumptuous lunch was our first priority after which we decided to catch a couple of hours rest before visiting the temple. It rained uninterrupted for two hours while we slept. Rain never seemed to relent completely but we decided we should make the visit to the temple on the same day. Walking barefoot towards the temple amongst puddles of water turned out to be pure bliss. The soul and the body seemed to connect with the earth and the feeling was enchanting. We never seem to pursue such things anymore though we yearn for them.
We departed for the night promising to one another that we would start early the next day but our tired limbs had other ideas. It was cold and rainy and seemed like any other Sunday but finally hunger pangs made us get out and get ready.
We took the ropeway down the hill and then a motor boat which was going to give a whirlwind trip down to the dam. It wasn’t as thrilling as some of the one’s I had before (the one at Lake Tahoe still tops, and by miles). The boat trip was breezy. Understandably people were excited. Not that the ride was worth it but because there is something about a trip on water which thrills us. Perhaps some inherent human psychology to not remain grounded – we are thrilled to fly or float. I couldn’t help notice though that the water was very unclean and not inviting at all. We could see the river wind down between mountain slopes towards possibly more interesting avenues (caves, existed there somebody said). But, since we were out of time we had to leave that for later.
Going on the safari during our return was planned and we didn’t want to forgo this plan. The thought of spotting a tiger was thrilling although I wasn’t sure if it would be very exciting if one of those species really decided to confront us. We decided to take the call of the wild though – the thought of a viewing point promised with breathtaking views clinched the deal. There was no tiger though, just a few deer and some peacocks. As we went along I became pretty sure that we wouldn’t see any tigers though. The state of the road seemed to suggest that it was pretty regularly used by people and a tiger wouldn’t really be interested to frequent especially considering their aversion to us humans. My want to witness the royal animal outside the realms of restriction stills remain unsatisfied. I wait for my next chance. The end point of the safari was really the icing on the cake. A view point towards the end of a cliff provided breathtaking views of the Nallamala forest range. The sun played hide and seek with the clouds and one could see the sun rays filtering in from amongst the clouds. The huge trees below looked like clusters of wedges of grass and one could see the shadows of the cloud shifting amongst them, perhaps playing a game of chess of their own. Standing there on the cliff we could feel the breeze beating against my face. We soaked this all in spending a heavenly thirty minutes before turning back to continue our journey.
Though we had lots of sleep to catch up over the next day or two, I realized the importance of taking time out from routine, experiencing the thrill of traveling and catching up with friends. It was perhaps a journey well begun with promises of more.
Finally, finally, as we promised to ourselves a trip plan to Srisailam worked out. We dragged ourselves out of bed at five in the morning on Saturday wanting to start early and avoid the city traffic as the day wore. Sita and I opted to play the good Samaritans by occupying the last row of our vehicle - that it was an Innova probably helped. Our conversations bordered on realistic to wildly insane. Planning regular weekend activities was an interesting topic, one I would classify as meaningful; using this trip to hunt for a place to setup our golf course was perhaps bordering on insanity.
We drove via the airport. I may sound preposterous but this was my first glimpse of Hyderabad city’s new airport. People had warned us that they weren’t too many places to eat along the way and we were advised to carry some food. By the time we had found a pit stop to have breakfast we were terribly hungry and the place didn’t really matter to us. A few dosas later, armed with some help on directions we were on our way to the Mallela Theertham waterfalls.
The drive was fantastic - acres and acres of land; surprisingly devoid of people. There would appear a few villages in between as if to provide an interlude. These were the only places for us to buy some water or a snack. The waterfall needed a diversion from the Srisailam route we were on; a winding mud road through a village which tested our spines. I couldn’t help notice how many of the houses had Sundirect hoisted on their rooftops; not surprising though. Perhaps it was the only way to access television in the town. The waterfall is reached by climbing down a stair of steps. About 350 in all, it all seemed so easy that were wondered why there were benches laid out midway for people to rest. We realized later that it making our way up was a different matter altogether!
The falls itself were exhilarating. Unmindful of the slippery rocks it looked like people were eager to get drenched. It needed a lot of coaxing from everybody for me to take the plunge though. A very bad fall years ago during such a trip has left my mind permanently scarred. However, I do try to overcome this every time though I might need to be pushed to do it. I don’t regret the fact this time though. After a few initial hesitant steps to feel the mood of the water we finally let go and allowed ourselves to be completely drenched – every nerve, each sinew. The water caught us breathless initially but then it all came back to us in a moment of ecstasy. I was enjoying being thoroughly rinsed when I realized that in my moment of haste I had left my cell phone in my pocket. That ended my fun under the waters because I had to take care of my communication equipment. Thankfully all was well. We sat back for over an hour feeling completely refreshed and recharged, suddenly realizing that we were hungry. A quick bite later we were on our way to Srisailam.
The journey was fascinating. Monkeys emerged from the forests on the road perhaps curious of the doings of human life. The ghat road provided breathtaking views of the dam which sadly was devoid of much water. We reached the temple town late in the afternoon. Munching a sumptuous lunch was our first priority after which we decided to catch a couple of hours rest before visiting the temple. It rained uninterrupted for two hours while we slept. Rain never seemed to relent completely but we decided we should make the visit to the temple on the same day. Walking barefoot towards the temple amongst puddles of water turned out to be pure bliss. The soul and the body seemed to connect with the earth and the feeling was enchanting. We never seem to pursue such things anymore though we yearn for them.
We departed for the night promising to one another that we would start early the next day but our tired limbs had other ideas. It was cold and rainy and seemed like any other Sunday but finally hunger pangs made us get out and get ready.
We took the ropeway down the hill and then a motor boat which was going to give a whirlwind trip down to the dam. It wasn’t as thrilling as some of the one’s I had before (the one at Lake Tahoe still tops, and by miles). The boat trip was breezy. Understandably people were excited. Not that the ride was worth it but because there is something about a trip on water which thrills us. Perhaps some inherent human psychology to not remain grounded – we are thrilled to fly or float. I couldn’t help notice though that the water was very unclean and not inviting at all. We could see the river wind down between mountain slopes towards possibly more interesting avenues (caves, existed there somebody said). But, since we were out of time we had to leave that for later.
Going on the safari during our return was planned and we didn’t want to forgo this plan. The thought of spotting a tiger was thrilling although I wasn’t sure if it would be very exciting if one of those species really decided to confront us. We decided to take the call of the wild though – the thought of a viewing point promised with breathtaking views clinched the deal. There was no tiger though, just a few deer and some peacocks. As we went along I became pretty sure that we wouldn’t see any tigers though. The state of the road seemed to suggest that it was pretty regularly used by people and a tiger wouldn’t really be interested to frequent especially considering their aversion to us humans. My want to witness the royal animal outside the realms of restriction stills remain unsatisfied. I wait for my next chance. The end point of the safari was really the icing on the cake. A view point towards the end of a cliff provided breathtaking views of the Nallamala forest range. The sun played hide and seek with the clouds and one could see the sun rays filtering in from amongst the clouds. The huge trees below looked like clusters of wedges of grass and one could see the shadows of the cloud shifting amongst them, perhaps playing a game of chess of their own. Standing there on the cliff we could feel the breeze beating against my face. We soaked this all in spending a heavenly thirty minutes before turning back to continue our journey.
Though we had lots of sleep to catch up over the next day or two, I realized the importance of taking time out from routine, experiencing the thrill of traveling and catching up with friends. It was perhaps a journey well begun with promises of more.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Beautiful while I sleep
I’ve been thinking about this for a while but have been procrastinating. One of the joys for me towards the end of a day has been observing my wife’s elaborate preparations before she goes to bed. She makes it a point to have a nice relaxed bath and always look nattily dressed. It is as if she has to look like an angel in her dreams. It’s an absolute pleasure watching her go through this routine everyday. Although she’s been trying her best to drive in some of these good habits into me it hasn’t actually worked. I am usually catching up with some personal emails, reading a book or watching the idiot box at the end of the day following which the only thing I can think of is to sleep like a log; whatever state I am in. How I wish – I could be beautiful while I sleep.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)