Thoughts lead to purposes;purposes go forth in action;action form habits;habits decidecharacter & character fixes our destiny.-Tryan Edwards,American Theologian
Let me start with the true story of this little girl called Wilma Rudolph.She contracted double pneumonia and scarlet fever at the age of 4,which left her left leg paralysed.She had to start using a leg brace in order to walk.The doctor said that she would never walk normally again.But her encouraging mother always told her tht if you have faith and courage,you will walk again.Wilma believed in her other and at the age of 9,she threw aside her leg braces, and dreamt of being able to run.The doctor ,obvioulst y ridiculed her dream saying”you can’t even walk”.But inspite of her handicap, ,Wilma began participating in races ,by the age of 13 .She was always last,but she had faith in her dream.In 1960 ,Wilma patticipated in the Olympics and won 3 olymic gold medals-.This got her the title of the 1st woman ever to to win 3 olympic gold medals in one year.And they said she couldn’t walk.
The journey of reaching your destiny starts from that tiny seed of thought,which leads to the conception of a legitimate purpose in your heart. It could be anything-a spiritual ideal,a worldly object. Of course I am not talking about every drifting thought.. Until your thought is linked with purpose,there is no scope for intelligent accomplishment.. Thoughts lead to purposes Once your purpose is clear,you take action to achieve your purpose and action should be alingned to and allied with the purpose. purposes go forth in action .What you repeatedly do becomes a habit. action form habits .As are your habitual thoughts and actions,so also will be the character of your mind.habits decide character .From building a strong character,like we saw in the case of Wilma,we reach our destiny .The Greek Philosopher Heraclitus quotes”Ethos Anthropos Daimon”-Man’s character is his destiny ..
Now there are a lot of people who say that what can I do…its is my destiny,It is not in my hands.But remember Aristotle’s words ”We are what we repeatedly do”Sit and crib-you will be damned,Act on your purpose with hope and conviction-you will get there.,So in short,what it means is “Sow an action,reap a habit,sow a habit…reap a character,sow a character..reap a destiny. “
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Lost!!!!!!!
Lost!!!
Lat few days have benn a confusion of exhiliriation and pain....9th April,Sunday,Will not forget this glorious day.I went climbing to GT after a span of almost 2 months.I met Diesel at the wide gates of my beloved SGNP .Kavita joined a while later. Also met Rahul who'd come there for some camp.We proceeded to the bouldering area at Gt.On the way...mum called up sayin that I had to go to Suhasinakkas place at Thane to sign up some forms...Arrgghhh!!!There goes my perfect Sunday.My original plan was to climb,then be back home for lunch where Manisha and R would be coming.But all down the drain ,in a way.R would kill me if she knew the end to HER Puurrrfect sunday!!1Right on cue,she calls up imediately after.I told her what I had to do..and there she starts lecturing again...about how i ALWAYS do this to her-ditch her at the last moment and blah blah..and the phone gets cut...She calls again and starts shouting -WHY DID THE HELL you cut me off...hell!!i dint do nuthing memsahib.......the phone gets cut again...she calls again..another few mins of firing...then she asks me to leave immediately(its about 10 am),reach home,collect the papers and leave for her place..so tht we cn catch the 2 pm movie -Being Cyrus...wtf!!!!!I had not even unharnessed my heavy backpack as i was distracted talking to her...taking her baseless and selfish insinutions quietly....I told he rin no uncertain terms tht it was NOT POSSIBLE for me to leave..hell!i'd hardly reached there!SO she said big deal!I have to make some adjustments blah blah!I then told her that I wasnt alone..there were 2 more gals with me,and I could'nt and wouldn't leave emalone.Its way too dangeous.If I leave,theyd leave too...and tht would be unfair..as we'd planned this climb atleast a week before I'd met R!!!Fine!!She banged the phone down...and then called again accusing me once more of hanging up on her!!WTH!!And then she asked me again(imagine...we'd already wasted precious mins discussing)whether I could meet her....I said NO...well,...BYE...Peace at last:)I know I sound so mean in a way..and I did...I agree i ruined her Sunday...but she was the one who could have compromised..to spend some time with her "best friend"My guess is that she only wanted some company to watch a movie,now that Mr G is outta her life.Hmmph!!!
Anyways,after the initial Grumpy begining,we began our bouldering.But the bad begginning that had rubbed into my heart....it starteing rubbing on my fingers too...i mean literally yaar....my fingers are raw...everyone's fingers got raw..So much that at the end of the day,,,although we were hardly tired,are fingers were goners!The I think at about 7,a new guiy,with an American accent walked in and took off his shirt and started climbing with us.Initially each of us respectfully ignored each other..but then the temptation to spot such a good climber(Ahem)was too much for us i guess...so we started talking about climbing etc,..realised tht he's originally frm mumbai''hed' gone to US to study and come back to india only a few days ago.He found GT frm the net(Thank God!!!)Anyways,turns out that he stays at 4 bungalows.ANyway.Mum calls up to tell me tht Mani has already arrived!!Oh Shit!!!Ok we all decide to wrap up and leave...when we are on our way to the gates, i realise tht my sunglasses are ,missing!!!!!MISSING!!!!!!My expensive and dear ones:((.Anyway Sharad then tells me tht he'd seen em lying rite in th middle of the path when he was coming...hmmso me and the guys head back up to search for em..but we OBVIOUSLY dont find em...so we trudge back to the gate...in the sweltering heat!!!!We get to the station.Me n Shantanu(new guy ..remember!!) got into the train.We had some interesting conversations...hes from Parle tilak and VESIT..and he's learnt Portuguese and Spanish...hes lvisited loads of places ..coz he loves travelling...Anyway..Mai calle dm e around Indian oil...SHantanu got off at 4' blows.Then I was revelling in my own thoughts.the conversations had mitigated my sadness of the loss of my sunglasses.BUT THEN....when i got up to gt off at Lokhandwala...my celly wasn't there...it just wasnn't there!!!!!Now that loss hit me hard,,,....and i mean realll hard!!!!
Not that I cried or anything..but still...a phones a phone:)
And then 2 days later,am hit hard again....wit hthe loss of a part of my body...my tooth....my wisdom tooth had to go for the pain it was causing me!!i had a root canal on another tooth....
So there it is...3 things gone in the span of 2 days...what did i get?
i met Soares miss
and i met Harsh's dad
yeah in a quirk of fate..i met him at the citibank atm at khar after my root canal..and all the while i had been thinking about Harsh..coz he had undrgone a root canal bfore he went to japan!
Anyway,the most interesting thing was tht while i was undergoing the tooth thinng..my mind was wrking over time,..it was as if i was dictating to my diary..i cant eactly remember wat i was thinking...all i remember was tht it was very poetic:)
ANyways,thats wat I lost and gained in 3 days!!!
Lat few days have benn a confusion of exhiliriation and pain....9th April,Sunday,Will not forget this glorious day.I went climbing to GT after a span of almost 2 months.I met Diesel at the wide gates of my beloved SGNP .Kavita joined a while later. Also met Rahul who'd come there for some camp.We proceeded to the bouldering area at Gt.On the way...mum called up sayin that I had to go to Suhasinakkas place at Thane to sign up some forms...Arrgghhh!!!There goes my perfect Sunday.My original plan was to climb,then be back home for lunch where Manisha and R would be coming.But all down the drain ,in a way.R would kill me if she knew the end to HER Puurrrfect sunday!!1Right on cue,she calls up imediately after.I told her what I had to do..and there she starts lecturing again...about how i ALWAYS do this to her-ditch her at the last moment and blah blah..and the phone gets cut...She calls again and starts shouting -WHY DID THE HELL you cut me off...hell!!i dint do nuthing memsahib.......the phone gets cut again...she calls again..another few mins of firing...then she asks me to leave immediately(its about 10 am),reach home,collect the papers and leave for her place..so tht we cn catch the 2 pm movie -Being Cyrus...wtf!!!!!I had not even unharnessed my heavy backpack as i was distracted talking to her...taking her baseless and selfish insinutions quietly....I told he rin no uncertain terms tht it was NOT POSSIBLE for me to leave..hell!i'd hardly reached there!SO she said big deal!I have to make some adjustments blah blah!I then told her that I wasnt alone..there were 2 more gals with me,and I could'nt and wouldn't leave emalone.Its way too dangeous.If I leave,theyd leave too...and tht would be unfair..as we'd planned this climb atleast a week before I'd met R!!!Fine!!She banged the phone down...and then called again accusing me once more of hanging up on her!!WTH!!And then she asked me again(imagine...we'd already wasted precious mins discussing)whether I could meet her....I said NO...well,...BYE...Peace at last:)I know I sound so mean in a way..and I did...I agree i ruined her Sunday...but she was the one who could have compromised..to spend some time with her "best friend"My guess is that she only wanted some company to watch a movie,now that Mr G is outta her life.Hmmph!!!
Anyways,after the initial Grumpy begining,we began our bouldering.But the bad begginning that had rubbed into my heart....it starteing rubbing on my fingers too...i mean literally yaar....my fingers are raw...everyone's fingers got raw..So much that at the end of the day,,,although we were hardly tired,are fingers were goners!The I think at about 7,a new guiy,with an American accent walked in and took off his shirt and started climbing with us.Initially each of us respectfully ignored each other..but then the temptation to spot such a good climber(Ahem)was too much for us i guess...so we started talking about climbing etc,..realised tht he's originally frm mumbai''hed' gone to US to study and come back to india only a few days ago.He found GT frm the net(Thank God!!!)Anyways,turns out that he stays at 4 bungalows.ANyway.Mum calls up to tell me tht Mani has already arrived!!Oh Shit!!!Ok we all decide to wrap up and leave...when we are on our way to the gates, i realise tht my sunglasses are ,missing!!!!!MISSING!!!!!!My expensive and dear ones:((.Anyway Sharad then tells me tht he'd seen em lying rite in th middle of the path when he was coming...hmmso me and the guys head back up to search for em..but we OBVIOUSLY dont find em...so we trudge back to the gate...in the sweltering heat!!!!We get to the station.Me n Shantanu(new guy ..remember!!) got into the train.We had some interesting conversations...hes from Parle tilak and VESIT..and he's learnt Portuguese and Spanish...hes lvisited loads of places ..coz he loves travelling...Anyway..Mai calle dm e around Indian oil...SHantanu got off at 4' blows.Then I was revelling in my own thoughts.the conversations had mitigated my sadness of the loss of my sunglasses.BUT THEN....when i got up to gt off at Lokhandwala...my celly wasn't there...it just wasnn't there!!!!!Now that loss hit me hard,,,....and i mean realll hard!!!!
Not that I cried or anything..but still...a phones a phone:)
And then 2 days later,am hit hard again....wit hthe loss of a part of my body...my tooth....my wisdom tooth had to go for the pain it was causing me!!i had a root canal on another tooth....
So there it is...3 things gone in the span of 2 days...what did i get?
i met Soares miss
and i met Harsh's dad
yeah in a quirk of fate..i met him at the citibank atm at khar after my root canal..and all the while i had been thinking about Harsh..coz he had undrgone a root canal bfore he went to japan!
Anyway,the most interesting thing was tht while i was undergoing the tooth thinng..my mind was wrking over time,..it was as if i was dictating to my diary..i cant eactly remember wat i was thinking...all i remember was tht it was very poetic:)
ANyways,thats wat I lost and gained in 3 days!!!
My FIrst Trek-Chanderi
3/7/2005----trip to chanderi.
My very first trek…..left home the night before to go to Neeti’splace amidst a frown fraught with anger and dissaproval from my dad…….all nite long cudnt help thinking wat my fate wud be when I returned….wud this first trek be my last trek too???
Neeti looked tired…but her mind was abuzz with recipes…”What to bake/cook”She amazed me by stayin awake to cook pasta and bake a choco –cake.(Her eyes without exception close at 10pm on any other day) .Managed to wrap up by 1 am.Got a sms frm Srikumar…sayin he cudnt get no sleep…so we spoke at length,speculating about the trek,with comments from a half-asleep neeti in the background.Woke up at 4 am next morning,finished our morning biddings,left home,and reached the pre-decided place of Pritam Hotel(Dadar),caught a busride to Panvel ,had breakfast at a restaurant nr the bus stand,caught another busride to our destination.
Walked up a concrete path for about 30 mins to the base…..had a round of introductions and instructions from the leader of the trek-Kavita.And then started our trek to Chanderi by the Panvel route…a not-so –oft tried path.There was a huge crowd for the trek-more than 50 people.Everyone but me seemed to be an avid and experienced trekker.One guy I can’t forget is raj who had got his son along…he carried him in his bag all the way to the top….Hats off to his stamina and determination.
The trek uphill was uneventful,except for some holdups due to overgrown branches and beautiful waterfalls.The most eventful part of the trek up was the amazing wind atop Chanderi………one felt one cud just be blown off the mountain into the valley below.You could never be too careful out there…..everyone was treading cautiously and slowly.The view from atop….was breathtaking….sadly wasn’t carrying anything that wud take a lasting and tangible image of the place which is now etched in my memory.
We reached by about 1pm. after a non –taxing 3 hour trek.(Rain and waterfall refreshed us in the interim and so did Srikumar’s Glucon-D).I relaxed my eyes by looking at the vast scenery in front of me..It was a relief from staring at the muddy path ahead or at your slipping feet.Atop Chanderi is a small cave with a small temple within its recesses.Out came all the food…yumm…bread,cheese,pasta,cake,theplas,salami,egg sandwiches,chapatti –bhaji,dahi-bhaat………….food!food!and more food!
At about 2 pm,we commenced our trip down.I wont forget me innocently remarking to Vishu that the trek down would be quicker…FACT CHECK….the trip down would take more time because one has to be careful not to topple over the person ahead in that slippery terrain…
And right he was……we left in batches,giving a leeway of atleast 15-20 mins to the pervious group to get as far ahead as possible…but when we started,we could see them right there!!!as if they’d hardly moved!!We were moving at an ant’s pace…trying to keep outr feet firmly planted on slippery terrain ,and at the same time trying not to get blown away by the amazing wind.
I had a nice time….walkin down in those floaters…..The 2 waterfalls helped…in getting my muddy clothes back to their original colour.We hit the concrete road by about 630.Srikumar and Savio got this brilliant idea or runnin all the way to Panvel(bout 13 kms…)but we caught them nr the rickshaw stand,bout 4 kms away,caught a rickshaw back to Panvel ,in the bus to Mumbai at 830 ,time flew by..I had a nice nap..so did many others,the only one with her eyes wide open was Neeti.I was so thrilled with this experience I walked about half the way home(Made poor tired Srikumar do so too:p:).Back home by 1045.
Nice trip…a memorable trek for me.,being my first one.And,well about Dad,he enquired why I don’t I go trekking to the hill next to my ancestral house in Karnataka.!!!!!!!!!!!
My very first trek…..left home the night before to go to Neeti’splace amidst a frown fraught with anger and dissaproval from my dad…….all nite long cudnt help thinking wat my fate wud be when I returned….wud this first trek be my last trek too???
Neeti looked tired…but her mind was abuzz with recipes…”What to bake/cook”She amazed me by stayin awake to cook pasta and bake a choco –cake.(Her eyes without exception close at 10pm on any other day) .Managed to wrap up by 1 am.Got a sms frm Srikumar…sayin he cudnt get no sleep…so we spoke at length,speculating about the trek,with comments from a half-asleep neeti in the background.Woke up at 4 am next morning,finished our morning biddings,left home,and reached the pre-decided place of Pritam Hotel(Dadar),caught a busride to Panvel ,had breakfast at a restaurant nr the bus stand,caught another busride to our destination.
Walked up a concrete path for about 30 mins to the base…..had a round of introductions and instructions from the leader of the trek-Kavita.And then started our trek to Chanderi by the Panvel route…a not-so –oft tried path.There was a huge crowd for the trek-more than 50 people.Everyone but me seemed to be an avid and experienced trekker.One guy I can’t forget is raj who had got his son along…he carried him in his bag all the way to the top….Hats off to his stamina and determination.
The trek uphill was uneventful,except for some holdups due to overgrown branches and beautiful waterfalls.The most eventful part of the trek up was the amazing wind atop Chanderi………one felt one cud just be blown off the mountain into the valley below.You could never be too careful out there…..everyone was treading cautiously and slowly.The view from atop….was breathtaking….sadly wasn’t carrying anything that wud take a lasting and tangible image of the place which is now etched in my memory.
We reached by about 1pm. after a non –taxing 3 hour trek.(Rain and waterfall refreshed us in the interim and so did Srikumar’s Glucon-D).I relaxed my eyes by looking at the vast scenery in front of me..It was a relief from staring at the muddy path ahead or at your slipping feet.Atop Chanderi is a small cave with a small temple within its recesses.Out came all the food…yumm…bread,cheese,pasta,cake,theplas,salami,egg sandwiches,chapatti –bhaji,dahi-bhaat………….food!food!and more food!
At about 2 pm,we commenced our trip down.I wont forget me innocently remarking to Vishu that the trek down would be quicker…FACT CHECK….the trip down would take more time because one has to be careful not to topple over the person ahead in that slippery terrain…
And right he was……we left in batches,giving a leeway of atleast 15-20 mins to the pervious group to get as far ahead as possible…but when we started,we could see them right there!!!as if they’d hardly moved!!We were moving at an ant’s pace…trying to keep outr feet firmly planted on slippery terrain ,and at the same time trying not to get blown away by the amazing wind.
I had a nice time….walkin down in those floaters…..The 2 waterfalls helped…in getting my muddy clothes back to their original colour.We hit the concrete road by about 630.Srikumar and Savio got this brilliant idea or runnin all the way to Panvel(bout 13 kms…)but we caught them nr the rickshaw stand,bout 4 kms away,caught a rickshaw back to Panvel ,in the bus to Mumbai at 830 ,time flew by..I had a nice nap..so did many others,the only one with her eyes wide open was Neeti.I was so thrilled with this experience I walked about half the way home(Made poor tired Srikumar do so too:p:).Back home by 1045.
Nice trip…a memorable trek for me.,being my first one.And,well about Dad,he enquired why I don’t I go trekking to the hill next to my ancestral house in Karnataka.!!!!!!!!!!!
Udaipur Odyssey-the wedding that was!!
Udaipur(25/06/05- 29/06/05)
Sometime in April-Got a call from Garima saying she had some news –that she was getting married!!!!!!!!.Her marriage which was slated in the cool months of Nov-Dec had been unceremoniously preponed to the sultry month of June!!!I was still reeling under the impact of this news when she gave me the second bit of shock-The marriage venue wasn’t the same ‘ol Mumbai-it was the city of lakes and palaces-Udaipur!!!!!!!!!!
Man!!!the first image that came to my mind was some Rajput prince coming and taking our gullible,guiless Garima(shya!too much of alliteration)on horseback…..
My mind went into a frenzy…rhetoric questions kept popping up….June end…..wud I be able to make it??Wud my parents coolly allow me to go so far away for so long????Clothes!!!!!are my clothes good enough for a (pretentious)Marwari wedding????Chuck it!!who cares!!my plain ol’ cotton clothes wud be good enuff!!Man so many thoughts!!half a day was spent in rearranging my thoughts!!and then…damn!had wasted half a day of revision in a crazy frenzy…when I got back to books…my mind was still alive of fantasies….nup…not of rajput princes on horseback,….but Rocks!!Does Udaipur have any rock climbing places to boast of?Does it have terrain above sea level at all???but hell!!whats the point….who wud I climb with anyway…with that last thot…my overactive brain was back to memorizing provisions of Section 88D….
Add to all this was the fact that we were getting a free bus ride to Udaipur,…not to mention free stay:d.heehee!!rubbin my hands in glee!!
May End:Took Srikumar climbing one day(day I returned from Delhi and was supposed to be goin to native place).he loved it….the whole climbing experience.Next time I head from him was when I got back …he was leavin for Hyderabad etc…..(weddin season in full swing).Met him online a coupla days later…he had some crazy nick…which suggested a passion for climbing..i was impressed…I had influenced one more young thing to kneel to the prowess of rocks…errr rock climbing!He then told me he was goin to Hampi!!!!!!THE Hampi!!!!!Some progress!!
Anyway…thats a different story…….point is he came back as crazy about rock climbing as Deepa!!I had an ally!!!!tried convincing him to come to Udaipur….we did a lil bit of research and found out that there are indeed some rock climbing pitches around udaipur!!But probably no boulders…plans to take the crash pad for the wedding were made…errr,,not as a present for the couple..but for our rock climbing antics!As the 26th came closer…….our plans grew bolder….more concrete,,,there was no way we re goin to Udaipur and not climbing!!!
26th June’2005:Aargh!!!!!!Srikumar is not comin!!!!!there go the climbing plans!!And I thought the eternal bond between me and rocks cudnt be cleaved!!!!guess shall have to be stuck at the pretentious wedding dressed u p like a stupid doll…smile at ppl I don’t knw and try to act smart and suave…yuck!!!!!Srikumar!!!Ill come back and kill u!!!Well,no more weight of climbing shoes….jst the stupid sandalsL.Anyway…..I had for company te Prachi duo..not twins…jst that both possess similar names(and as different as cheese and chalk)Aargh!!!where did I get stuck!!!Kept telling myself I am going to have fun!!!My Calvinlike humor wud see me sailin thru fun the next 3 days!!!!
330-Time for bus to commence journey …gari calls up Anutosh…..to tell him we’re leavin Mumbai…his reply”so what can I do!!!!!”This uncouth,insensitive behaviour of Gari’s fiancé puts me off completely…Bloody Chauvinist!!I am already prejudiced against him…grrrrrrrrrr!!!
The bus journey was unrealistically quiet…no noise even from Gari’s cousins,nieces and nephews….Ate lot of food and swore not to eat anymore of this junk!Fed Gari as she was forbidden to hold anything in her hennaed hands,…Stomach jst went for a toss!!
As evening descended , the junta grew a bit more lively , nothing changed my mood much tho.The frontside of the passage was lain with bedsheets and sundry ..so as to accommodate the zingers…err..singers,the ever enthu junta were beckoned to play the all-weather game of Antakshari…Prachi(S)went ahead,it being one of her pet games.I jst sat idly looking out at the glorious sunset, over the the Gujarat landscape.The rains had filled the land with small beautiful ponds where children played with glee and shrubs grew wildy…and of course,nothing holds my attention than a few scattered ROCKS!!!Yeah , back to my muse!!!!My eyes din’t blink…as Dave Matthews,Aerosmith and Avril Lavigne bellowed in the background(din’t forget to carry my discman!)The book I had wowed to finish (1984)lay in the holder, unattended to.
Stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Surat(I think).Ran to empty my bladder..and realized tht sitting at the hind of the bus has more disadvantages than advantages…for one u were usually the last in the queue for the loo.Anyway,the Marwari aunties defied the signs that read”Men”and unabashedly diverted a part of the queue to the same…….so much for Women’s Lib!!!!
Dinner had been prepared all throughout the morning by a maharaj at gari’s place was now served to everyone…I ,the smart one refrained from any more of that heavy food…and satisfied myself by sitting and looking huffy and bored…
Nightfall means sleep….none was in store for me that night.Gari’s tiny cuz decided she wanted to sit with us on the last seat.i was the only one to get along a bedsheet…jst in case..came in handy…borrowed it back from Manisha mami and crept snugly under it …till I felt a poke in my arm…the kid wanted a piece of my sheet…well…I gave her some…but such a small sheet …being shared by 3 ppl meant it wud slide off from from those seated at the corners.So I benignly decided to give the kid my seat…and occupied her seat.HMmm….welll…it was the middle seat which overlooked the passage…so I had no foothold to plant my feet..hmmm…so was awake…out with the music again.Bam!!an attaché fell over my already flustered head…Bam!nother heavy bag!Bam!someones Suit!Shit!looks like luggage is trying to bludgeon me to death…..
27th June,2005…..
Look outside the window…see a line of mountains…smile….looks like this day shows some promise.Everyone’s eager to get out of the bus and take a bath…Udaipur still seems far away.Reach “Hotel Lake End”by about 845 am.Finally!!!!But wait!…..Gari needs to get off in a sari (shes wearin denim capris!)whoops!there with the help of her mum,3 friends and one portly cuz(Dolly)we manage to wrap her in an elegant sari..Done!Not yet!coz she needs to wear lenses….5 more mins….atlast depart company with that cramped up bus…time to stretch and think of a clean bathroom….go to room…room no-327.next to Manisha Mami’s room…oh bloody hell!hope I get some sleep in the night!
We enter our room..planning our day ahead….someone opens the curtain…I am in midsentence….my eyes widen …I run to the window amongst screams of my distraught friends: “Deepa’s gonna jump outta the window”…….Need one guess wat my tired eyes saw….Mountains……the hotel appareantly,living upto its name was on the banks of the Fatehsagar lake…and on the other sides….a chain of hills!!yippee!!!!!!!premonition was rite!!o hell!Srikumar u shudve come man!!I must add ,the lake’s been dry for 8 years now…….so was basically was a big stretch of land between the mountains and the hotel.Our room also directly overlooked the hotel pool.Damn!dint get the swimsuit!(thank god for that…I have an unflattering figure)
After freshenin up,(these 2 women take unnaturally long time in the bathroom!!),we decided to go shopping,as there was no function in the morning.I stepped outta the room…Manisha mami was stepping out of her’s…dressed in a flashy sari,make-up all done,Jewellery all matched…I was shocked…asked her if there was some function happening….NO….all that for Breakfast!!!!!!!!
Anyway,Prachi(S)got jelly legged seeing all the grandness…said we’d better change into better clothes…I put my foot down…after all we were going out…who gives a damn!
I passed up breakfast…..all those kachoris of the previous evening still undigested.Just had a cuppa of tea…and off we were, to discover a new place.On our way out,gari shot a signal…be careful…u don’t know this city.
Went to hathipole market ,bougt some cloth…haggling skills non-existent in my blood.Bothe Prachi’s made up for wat I lacked…got good,grand looking cloth at throwaway price.
Bought some Jewellery…both the Prachis disapproved
Prachi(M)went to extent of telling me..i have a different yet distinctive style,…kinda bohemian…yes Prachi I am different!!!Do not try to define me…I cannot be defined!
Back to room with our wares…dropped em in the room,freshened up….i changed into my capris….Prachi(M) cleverly suggested to revert back to better clothes as every1 else was all dressed up..Good thing I listned to her….Gari was in the”Lakhi hall”all dressed up in a sari…with ghoongat et all…….was a shock of kinds….
Food….WHY do they put besan in every dish??I ended up eating dal-chaval with Prachi(s)hissin in dissaproval over the absence of Rotis in a north-Indian meal…hmmm…
Back to room and flopped on bed!Dead tired……Slept till 530pm….time for Gari’s engagement!…woke up.Vin called up(good surprise) however couldn’t talk to him much coz of my depleting roaming balance!sigh!.went to window-no sign of public…….tried finding the itenery…found it dissolving beneath soap in bathroom…hmmph!!now wat??
The 2 gals refused to get outta bed and argued that anyways nothing starts on time……hmmm..i wasn’t convinced…..cudnt get then to see my side …they were jst way to lazy….
630pm-Ashu(Gari’s cuz )comes up panting to our room…..to tell us tht weve already missed half of the engagement!!!!!Grrrrrrr………
I was ready anyways…how much time does it take to pull on a dress and wear matching Jewellery and smear surma….
But the Prachis….spent another 30 mins dressin up.putting on their make up blah!blah!grrr…..
Ashu comes again……engagements over…but get ur sorry asses down asap…hmmph!!grrr…I m gonna kill u prachis…
Am so ashamed….Gari is like where were u guys when I needed u to be there
We’re introduced o the super –grumpy,non-smiling,chauvinistic-looking Anutosh…..really no match for gari..forget the looks..even in attitude(and altitude).
Sangeet (is tht wat its called??)begins…..all cuzns and frnds are performing on stage
Startes drizzling….we move in…into the shadows..away from the crowd ..where the prachis can protect theire make-up and lenses from the rain!!!grrrrr…….
After sometime….gari comes on stage.enthralls everyone with her colorful,graceful dance,,,…I decide..that’s it…I m goin to be with Gari……go to her..talk with her…feel like ive made up by not bein g there for her engagement……theneveryone is called on-stage to dance to the tunes of the DJ…..dance…….cant stop tappin my feet….damn!!I mst dance
So go off…draggin Gari with me
Have a blast……coame back down after 30 mins ……..eat a nice meal
Lovely delhi chat,alu wada,pani puri….cold coffee(mst have glugged a litre)
In bed by about 1230-1.00 am…after a round of gossiping and bitching……amidst me boldly declaring tht I shall be goin to the mountains first thing next morning..to which I got a very patronizing look from Prachi(S)……welll guess these 2 damsel weren’t goin to allow me to go by myself…hmmmph!!!!.there ends the first day….
28th June,2005
D-Day…….Woke up at 5 am(can’t help it…body clocks adjusted that way)Felt fresh tho….Took a quick bath and sat staring at the glorious view from the balcony….all the initial resolve of getting my ass to the mountains was…poof!!!…the lethargic little town had ensnared my senses and made me like itself…damned lethargic!!!!
Waited for the 2 madames to wake up and get dressed up…there was some small function of Gari/s to be held in her room…We decided to dress well ,to make up for the previous morning’s debacle.I insisted in goin in shorts…but well,I guess 2 Prachis are too much for me,plus dint want to be disowned in the middle of nowhere.managed to pull on some dress over my lethargic limbs….wore yesterdays churidar and dupatta(who cares!!!!)…well…everyone else came to the functions in their night suits n pajamas…hmmph!!so much for “dressin up!!!”I felt very important to be one of the 4 gals holding the dupatta over gari’s head whilst her various uncles and aunties smeared her with a paste of oil,mehndi,turmeric,etc…….hamara number bhi aayega….poor gari…she could kill us!!!
Went back to room,bitched a little bit more, and I decided I wanted the Bedsheet Prachi (S) had procured the previous day…so off for lunch and then to Hathipole Market again.The time between this point and the point we returned back to our rooms is very interesting coz we ended up pampering ourselves like little princesses!!
We went to the market and on the way back,,Prachi(M) remarked tht her hair looks like a witche’s..so I suggested she have it straightened.We went to “”Prabhat beuty parlour
…he said his staff waas not there blah blah…meanwhile we thot wed get our face cleansed professionally too…so off we went in search of another parlour and 45 mins and 160 bucks later,emerged with glowing faces.We had our faces pounded n massaged for a hole 20 mins!!!Off to prabhat again for our hair(yeah I had jumped into the”look good-feel good”bandwagon too)Went into the parlour to see…uhh…ANUTOSH!!!!!yup.the bridegroom was there with a faithful to get his”jobs done”…so much for metrosexuality in non-metros!!!
Anyway,the guy fixed our hair too soon……..coz he was in too much of a hurry(but was real cheap..only 75 bucks for blow dry!)
Went back to hotel and got ready………Prachi(S)wore a sari….
I spent timed deciding whether gold looked better or silver?????…chose my fav-silver..timeless and smart..not festive….but yet!!!
I wanted to be with gari…but the hampersome 2 some cribbed again.so we waited…..and waited..till finally a distraught Gari called us…and asked us to be with her………grrr…..how pathetic we mustve looked…Gari flies us all the way to udaipur,puts us up..and we stay clamped up in our room!!cluck!cluck!
Anyway..were hardly there for 20 mins in her room…Karuna bhabhi is there-talkin bout her expensive saris and honeymoon!!aargh!!bloody show-off!!!
I ask Priya(Garis frnd)whether we re gonna change bfore th weddin..she says.”.I need to ..all this heavy sari uknw…but I guess u guys..ur clothes..i mean …u don’t need to change!!”Icant stand this!I really cant!and ppl said Priya is a chweet little darling!!hmmph!!
Leave for reception …..arrive in a “heavily draped with bugs: reception lawn…yuckkkkk!!!!!every damned seat is covered with em damn crawlies!!!!!what a day!And my hair…starts getting ruff…hair was so much better without sub-standard,inattentive treatment!!
Lawn is all sploshy ..stupid sandals…..feet all yucky mucky!!!aarrghhhh!!!!!!!sneakers and shorts are for days like these!!
Feeling all claustrophobic…..the party lacks the presence of smart young guys….wat the hell m I doin here when I cud be nite climbing!!!!!(on second thots no relation between party and climbing)
Good Gracious Deepa tt I am…help distribute sweets and dry fruits to guests….slump down on chiar…time to go get food!!
Food stalls all empty…rumor has it tht 2300 people had eaten till 830..bloody hogs!!!
Anyway grumpily devour a cold nan!!!…bitch n crib even more………
Prachi(M)suggests we go back to rooms and nap bfore the weddin……..hmm…nt bad but will it look good
Manisha mami absolutely forbids….Deepa mst stay and help..shaadi ka ghar…so much wrk…gotta feed the ladkawalas!!!!.hhmmm.
11 pm-Notice I am not the only one at breaking point!bloody sandals…..can snap any time…and I though BATA was reliable!!!!Ask grumpy Prachis to exchange as I will be at the reception…….
Help!help!help!Atul mama is really emotional!the whole atmosphere is way too sombre……hmm…wat willit be like at my weddin..ppl will be rubbin hands is glee”gd riddance..finally cud get rid of Deepa…” (wat pathetic thought!!…mst learn to be more optismistic…ppl love me…errr…do they really??)
Food by now is swiiming with dead creatures..mmm..Chinese wud hv loved alu bug curry or bug dal fry!!!!!
Whow!!!Page 6 already!!!!!this is really an odyssey!!!!
Getting back to 28th June……..went back to rooms at bout 1 am
Hurrah!its 29th..1 more hour to Gari’s weddin!!go to room only to see Prachis awake and bitchy….add to that room is filled with bugs
Good assortment of bugs!
I protest…no ppoint sleepin for an hour…no way we gonna wake up…pestered by Prachis into bed…ok ok…so dead that don’t care about the bugs crawlin over me!!yeah…its difficult to believe that bugs and Deepa can co-exist in the same room…..
Wake up!!!!!Aargh!!!!its 430 am…we missed the wedding!!!!!panick strikes!!!!!!!I shake up everyone out of theire slumber……v.v irritated…I am almost in tears…we missed her wedding for God’s sake!!!!!jump out of bed,wear shoes and scoot off to find wedding venue………she mustve gone by now!!!
Last few rites of marriage still goin on…bridegroom all in yawns,,….bride…all in tears…mood very very sombre….absence of tiny cousins very obvious!!
Like a dam bursting,,,,the tears start flowing….I am the only one…who s hi n dry…hmmmm…still don’t believe gari is married and I MISSED HER WEDDING!!!!!Me start feelin the tears too..wat the hell!!!!!
All its and tears over by about 630!!Her uncles ,shuddering and distraught is consoled by an admirably composed Gari……..brother,mother uncles, all cry…no need to watch a Barjatya movie anymore………
Come back to room disheveled and distraught!stillcant believe I missed her wedding!!!
Had my bath…and we started chatting…..none of us liked Anutosh(hurrah!!atleast some common ground with these 2 women!)..what they told me next numbed my brains!!!!!!Its way to gruesome a truth to be published on a public forum:(….Anyway…cudnt sit there no longer..got up and left for the mountains…my sanctuary is such times….Walked up to “Neemuch nmata ka mandir”which is a bout 1 km climb uphill..took bout 15 mins to peak..and was down in hardly 5 mins!!!!!
Walked back…too sunny…v.v.tired and sleepy…..thot I’d rather go and nap bfore packing session!
Started walking down the concrete road…got bored…got more interesting idea….walked through the lake……errr….DRY LAKE(guess that makes things clearer….no point in making one think ‘ive got some supernatural ability to walk on water rather than swim)..The lake was deserted…it was a vast expance ,on the other side of which was Lake End Hotel…of course,my POA was to get off the lake,onto the road somewhere in the middle and head for the”Rock Garden”…..We had seen the lake-bed looking parched and drought like-but up close,it was worse-the cracks in the earth ran a bout a foot deep with about half a foot distance between ,so I was practically jumping on the land….
As I was doin so,I spotted something which made me smile-none other than a beloved boulder.A man emerged from next to it and showed me the wa y to the road….but I instead threw my bag on the ground and rummaged through it for the extra pair of socks.I pulled them onand climbed up and down…up ad down….I finally felt at home again.My strangled heart felt as if a big hand had been unclasped from it…Man!I LOVE rocks!!!!
Unfortunately,I wasn’t carrying my climbing shoes.And it wudve been more fun if Srikumar had tagged along,coz even alongside the rad, I spotted a couple of protruding(and inviting)rock faces,and invited myself over.I must admit,I mustve looked quite foolish wearing 2 pairs of socks and climbing alongside on the road as motorists hurried down looking amused!!WHO CARES !!!I didn’t stop till a couple of men, started approaching me…they probably thought I was trying to get attention.That was the first moment that I panicked because they were following me!(all these details are obviously kept from my mum)Anywa,did go to the rock garden…only to realize halfway that I was suddenly bored of being alone,and went back to the hotel.I was looking forward to the a cold shower and the nice pest-free bed(hopefully).I was so dead tired.I reached back t the hotel at about 1030-11 am and was welcomed by a disgruntled pair of room mates who had been waiting me to have breakfast.sigh!
Come back from breakfast and lookk longingly at the bed…but alas!it was already 11 am…..had to commence packing……did that and jumped into the bed…but then , these 2 women started taking again…bitching more likely….I was in a similar mood…so joined them from my horizontal position.I was still sulking over the fact that I missed her wedding…
Anyway,so we packed,went down for lunch,came back finished packing….and took our bags down in the hall…from where it was loaded into the bus.Gari was there,tired after all the functions and lack of sleep.She was still in her wedding joda-coz therewas some pooja it seems.Anyway,we were chatterin with her..I still cudnt believe tht the resplendent woman in front of me was our Garima..she had suddenly grown up too quick.She was up there for us now.We can look at her ,touch her,but never quite reach her stature.Calm and composed as ever while inside she must be burning wth apprehension…she had hardly ever lived without her family,and now…….
Kudos to this woman!!!!
Nayway,lemme get back to wat I was doin…BITCHING….hmmm…so then we boarded the bus.We were back to sitting on the last seat…this time accompanied by more people than were comfortable as all trains were cancelled due to heavy rains in Gujarat.
(Hey am continuing this saga on 9th December 2005,almost half a year after the weddin)
Memory is a bit rusty at this point(shud remember to eat almonds everyday)…but yeah…was cramped up in the bus with almost a week’s lack of sleep…..with whole bunch of noisy kids around(I know I lurrvvvee kids…but this was a one time too many).
Anyway…I got a bunker to lie on..so tried to make up for lost sleep in 30 mins…but well,the din……..
Anyway,the rest of the journey is a blur…….came back home and jst dropped on the bed…
Well,all said and done,no matter how much I have bitched bout other ppl here,or cribbed…it was a trip to remember.And I am not going to say that I didn’t have a lot of fun.Problem is when stuff doesn’t meet ur expectations,and when u expect as much as I did from this trip,even normally enjoyable moments turn sour.I still love all my frnds and absolutely adore little noisy kids.And am sure some day…..will say…”I went to Udaipur and had a ball at my friends wedding”And here ends my8 page odyssey… (SHITT!!!!!!) …. to one of the most beau cities in Rajasthan.
Sometime in April-Got a call from Garima saying she had some news –that she was getting married!!!!!!!!.Her marriage which was slated in the cool months of Nov-Dec had been unceremoniously preponed to the sultry month of June!!!I was still reeling under the impact of this news when she gave me the second bit of shock-The marriage venue wasn’t the same ‘ol Mumbai-it was the city of lakes and palaces-Udaipur!!!!!!!!!!
Man!!!the first image that came to my mind was some Rajput prince coming and taking our gullible,guiless Garima(shya!too much of alliteration)on horseback…..
My mind went into a frenzy…rhetoric questions kept popping up….June end…..wud I be able to make it??Wud my parents coolly allow me to go so far away for so long????Clothes!!!!!are my clothes good enough for a (pretentious)Marwari wedding????Chuck it!!who cares!!my plain ol’ cotton clothes wud be good enuff!!Man so many thoughts!!half a day was spent in rearranging my thoughts!!and then…damn!had wasted half a day of revision in a crazy frenzy…when I got back to books…my mind was still alive of fantasies….nup…not of rajput princes on horseback,….but Rocks!!Does Udaipur have any rock climbing places to boast of?Does it have terrain above sea level at all???but hell!!whats the point….who wud I climb with anyway…with that last thot…my overactive brain was back to memorizing provisions of Section 88D….
Add to all this was the fact that we were getting a free bus ride to Udaipur,…not to mention free stay:d.heehee!!rubbin my hands in glee!!
May End:Took Srikumar climbing one day(day I returned from Delhi and was supposed to be goin to native place).he loved it….the whole climbing experience.Next time I head from him was when I got back …he was leavin for Hyderabad etc…..(weddin season in full swing).Met him online a coupla days later…he had some crazy nick…which suggested a passion for climbing..i was impressed…I had influenced one more young thing to kneel to the prowess of rocks…errr rock climbing!He then told me he was goin to Hampi!!!!!!THE Hampi!!!!!Some progress!!
Anyway…thats a different story…….point is he came back as crazy about rock climbing as Deepa!!I had an ally!!!!tried convincing him to come to Udaipur….we did a lil bit of research and found out that there are indeed some rock climbing pitches around udaipur!!But probably no boulders…plans to take the crash pad for the wedding were made…errr,,not as a present for the couple..but for our rock climbing antics!As the 26th came closer…….our plans grew bolder….more concrete,,,there was no way we re goin to Udaipur and not climbing!!!
26th June’2005:Aargh!!!!!!Srikumar is not comin!!!!!there go the climbing plans!!And I thought the eternal bond between me and rocks cudnt be cleaved!!!!guess shall have to be stuck at the pretentious wedding dressed u p like a stupid doll…smile at ppl I don’t knw and try to act smart and suave…yuck!!!!!Srikumar!!!Ill come back and kill u!!!Well,no more weight of climbing shoes….jst the stupid sandalsL.Anyway…..I had for company te Prachi duo..not twins…jst that both possess similar names(and as different as cheese and chalk)Aargh!!!where did I get stuck!!!Kept telling myself I am going to have fun!!!My Calvinlike humor wud see me sailin thru fun the next 3 days!!!!
330-Time for bus to commence journey …gari calls up Anutosh…..to tell him we’re leavin Mumbai…his reply”so what can I do!!!!!”This uncouth,insensitive behaviour of Gari’s fiancé puts me off completely…Bloody Chauvinist!!I am already prejudiced against him…grrrrrrrrrr!!!
The bus journey was unrealistically quiet…no noise even from Gari’s cousins,nieces and nephews….Ate lot of food and swore not to eat anymore of this junk!Fed Gari as she was forbidden to hold anything in her hennaed hands,…Stomach jst went for a toss!!
As evening descended , the junta grew a bit more lively , nothing changed my mood much tho.The frontside of the passage was lain with bedsheets and sundry ..so as to accommodate the zingers…err..singers,the ever enthu junta were beckoned to play the all-weather game of Antakshari…Prachi(S)went ahead,it being one of her pet games.I jst sat idly looking out at the glorious sunset, over the the Gujarat landscape.The rains had filled the land with small beautiful ponds where children played with glee and shrubs grew wildy…and of course,nothing holds my attention than a few scattered ROCKS!!!Yeah , back to my muse!!!!My eyes din’t blink…as Dave Matthews,Aerosmith and Avril Lavigne bellowed in the background(din’t forget to carry my discman!)The book I had wowed to finish (1984)lay in the holder, unattended to.
Stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Surat(I think).Ran to empty my bladder..and realized tht sitting at the hind of the bus has more disadvantages than advantages…for one u were usually the last in the queue for the loo.Anyway,the Marwari aunties defied the signs that read”Men”and unabashedly diverted a part of the queue to the same…….so much for Women’s Lib!!!!
Dinner had been prepared all throughout the morning by a maharaj at gari’s place was now served to everyone…I ,the smart one refrained from any more of that heavy food…and satisfied myself by sitting and looking huffy and bored…
Nightfall means sleep….none was in store for me that night.Gari’s tiny cuz decided she wanted to sit with us on the last seat.i was the only one to get along a bedsheet…jst in case..came in handy…borrowed it back from Manisha mami and crept snugly under it …till I felt a poke in my arm…the kid wanted a piece of my sheet…well…I gave her some…but such a small sheet …being shared by 3 ppl meant it wud slide off from from those seated at the corners.So I benignly decided to give the kid my seat…and occupied her seat.HMmm….welll…it was the middle seat which overlooked the passage…so I had no foothold to plant my feet..hmmm…so was awake…out with the music again.Bam!!an attaché fell over my already flustered head…Bam!nother heavy bag!Bam!someones Suit!Shit!looks like luggage is trying to bludgeon me to death…..
27th June,2005…..
Look outside the window…see a line of mountains…smile….looks like this day shows some promise.Everyone’s eager to get out of the bus and take a bath…Udaipur still seems far away.Reach “Hotel Lake End”by about 845 am.Finally!!!!But wait!…..Gari needs to get off in a sari (shes wearin denim capris!)whoops!there with the help of her mum,3 friends and one portly cuz(Dolly)we manage to wrap her in an elegant sari..Done!Not yet!coz she needs to wear lenses….5 more mins….atlast depart company with that cramped up bus…time to stretch and think of a clean bathroom….go to room…room no-327.next to Manisha Mami’s room…oh bloody hell!hope I get some sleep in the night!
We enter our room..planning our day ahead….someone opens the curtain…I am in midsentence….my eyes widen …I run to the window amongst screams of my distraught friends: “Deepa’s gonna jump outta the window”…….Need one guess wat my tired eyes saw….Mountains……the hotel appareantly,living upto its name was on the banks of the Fatehsagar lake…and on the other sides….a chain of hills!!yippee!!!!!!!premonition was rite!!o hell!Srikumar u shudve come man!!I must add ,the lake’s been dry for 8 years now…….so was basically was a big stretch of land between the mountains and the hotel.Our room also directly overlooked the hotel pool.Damn!dint get the swimsuit!(thank god for that…I have an unflattering figure)
After freshenin up,(these 2 women take unnaturally long time in the bathroom!!),we decided to go shopping,as there was no function in the morning.I stepped outta the room…Manisha mami was stepping out of her’s…dressed in a flashy sari,make-up all done,Jewellery all matched…I was shocked…asked her if there was some function happening….NO….all that for Breakfast!!!!!!!!
Anyway,Prachi(S)got jelly legged seeing all the grandness…said we’d better change into better clothes…I put my foot down…after all we were going out…who gives a damn!
I passed up breakfast…..all those kachoris of the previous evening still undigested.Just had a cuppa of tea…and off we were, to discover a new place.On our way out,gari shot a signal…be careful…u don’t know this city.
Went to hathipole market ,bougt some cloth…haggling skills non-existent in my blood.Bothe Prachi’s made up for wat I lacked…got good,grand looking cloth at throwaway price.
Bought some Jewellery…both the Prachis disapproved
Prachi(M)went to extent of telling me..i have a different yet distinctive style,…kinda bohemian…yes Prachi I am different!!!Do not try to define me…I cannot be defined!
Back to room with our wares…dropped em in the room,freshened up….i changed into my capris….Prachi(M) cleverly suggested to revert back to better clothes as every1 else was all dressed up..Good thing I listned to her….Gari was in the”Lakhi hall”all dressed up in a sari…with ghoongat et all…….was a shock of kinds….
Food….WHY do they put besan in every dish??I ended up eating dal-chaval with Prachi(s)hissin in dissaproval over the absence of Rotis in a north-Indian meal…hmmm…
Back to room and flopped on bed!Dead tired……Slept till 530pm….time for Gari’s engagement!…woke up.Vin called up(good surprise) however couldn’t talk to him much coz of my depleting roaming balance!sigh!.went to window-no sign of public…….tried finding the itenery…found it dissolving beneath soap in bathroom…hmmph!!now wat??
The 2 gals refused to get outta bed and argued that anyways nothing starts on time……hmmm..i wasn’t convinced…..cudnt get then to see my side …they were jst way to lazy….
630pm-Ashu(Gari’s cuz )comes up panting to our room…..to tell us tht weve already missed half of the engagement!!!!!Grrrrrrr………
I was ready anyways…how much time does it take to pull on a dress and wear matching Jewellery and smear surma….
But the Prachis….spent another 30 mins dressin up.putting on their make up blah!blah!grrr…..
Ashu comes again……engagements over…but get ur sorry asses down asap…hmmph!!grrr…I m gonna kill u prachis…
Am so ashamed….Gari is like where were u guys when I needed u to be there
We’re introduced o the super –grumpy,non-smiling,chauvinistic-looking Anutosh…..really no match for gari..forget the looks..even in attitude(and altitude).
Sangeet (is tht wat its called??)begins…..all cuzns and frnds are performing on stage
Startes drizzling….we move in…into the shadows..away from the crowd ..where the prachis can protect theire make-up and lenses from the rain!!!grrrrr…….
After sometime….gari comes on stage.enthralls everyone with her colorful,graceful dance,,,…I decide..that’s it…I m goin to be with Gari……go to her..talk with her…feel like ive made up by not bein g there for her engagement……theneveryone is called on-stage to dance to the tunes of the DJ…..dance…….cant stop tappin my feet….damn!!I mst dance
So go off…draggin Gari with me
Have a blast……coame back down after 30 mins ……..eat a nice meal
Lovely delhi chat,alu wada,pani puri….cold coffee(mst have glugged a litre)
In bed by about 1230-1.00 am…after a round of gossiping and bitching……amidst me boldly declaring tht I shall be goin to the mountains first thing next morning..to which I got a very patronizing look from Prachi(S)……welll guess these 2 damsel weren’t goin to allow me to go by myself…hmmmph!!!!.there ends the first day….
28th June,2005
D-Day…….Woke up at 5 am(can’t help it…body clocks adjusted that way)Felt fresh tho….Took a quick bath and sat staring at the glorious view from the balcony….all the initial resolve of getting my ass to the mountains was…poof!!!…the lethargic little town had ensnared my senses and made me like itself…damned lethargic!!!!
Waited for the 2 madames to wake up and get dressed up…there was some small function of Gari/s to be held in her room…We decided to dress well ,to make up for the previous morning’s debacle.I insisted in goin in shorts…but well,I guess 2 Prachis are too much for me,plus dint want to be disowned in the middle of nowhere.managed to pull on some dress over my lethargic limbs….wore yesterdays churidar and dupatta(who cares!!!!)…well…everyone else came to the functions in their night suits n pajamas…hmmph!!so much for “dressin up!!!”I felt very important to be one of the 4 gals holding the dupatta over gari’s head whilst her various uncles and aunties smeared her with a paste of oil,mehndi,turmeric,etc…….hamara number bhi aayega….poor gari…she could kill us!!!
Went back to room,bitched a little bit more, and I decided I wanted the Bedsheet Prachi (S) had procured the previous day…so off for lunch and then to Hathipole Market again.The time between this point and the point we returned back to our rooms is very interesting coz we ended up pampering ourselves like little princesses!!
We went to the market and on the way back,,Prachi(M) remarked tht her hair looks like a witche’s..so I suggested she have it straightened.We went to “”Prabhat beuty parlour
…he said his staff waas not there blah blah…meanwhile we thot wed get our face cleansed professionally too…so off we went in search of another parlour and 45 mins and 160 bucks later,emerged with glowing faces.We had our faces pounded n massaged for a hole 20 mins!!!Off to prabhat again for our hair(yeah I had jumped into the”look good-feel good”bandwagon too)Went into the parlour to see…uhh…ANUTOSH!!!!!yup.the bridegroom was there with a faithful to get his”jobs done”…so much for metrosexuality in non-metros!!!
Anyway,the guy fixed our hair too soon……..coz he was in too much of a hurry(but was real cheap..only 75 bucks for blow dry!)
Went back to hotel and got ready………Prachi(S)wore a sari….
I spent timed deciding whether gold looked better or silver?????…chose my fav-silver..timeless and smart..not festive….but yet!!!
I wanted to be with gari…but the hampersome 2 some cribbed again.so we waited…..and waited..till finally a distraught Gari called us…and asked us to be with her………grrr…..how pathetic we mustve looked…Gari flies us all the way to udaipur,puts us up..and we stay clamped up in our room!!cluck!cluck!
Anyway..were hardly there for 20 mins in her room…Karuna bhabhi is there-talkin bout her expensive saris and honeymoon!!aargh!!bloody show-off!!!
I ask Priya(Garis frnd)whether we re gonna change bfore th weddin..she says.”.I need to ..all this heavy sari uknw…but I guess u guys..ur clothes..i mean …u don’t need to change!!”Icant stand this!I really cant!and ppl said Priya is a chweet little darling!!hmmph!!
Leave for reception …..arrive in a “heavily draped with bugs: reception lawn…yuckkkkk!!!!!every damned seat is covered with em damn crawlies!!!!!what a day!And my hair…starts getting ruff…hair was so much better without sub-standard,inattentive treatment!!
Lawn is all sploshy ..stupid sandals…..feet all yucky mucky!!!aarrghhhh!!!!!!!sneakers and shorts are for days like these!!
Feeling all claustrophobic…..the party lacks the presence of smart young guys….wat the hell m I doin here when I cud be nite climbing!!!!!(on second thots no relation between party and climbing)
Good Gracious Deepa tt I am…help distribute sweets and dry fruits to guests….slump down on chiar…time to go get food!!
Food stalls all empty…rumor has it tht 2300 people had eaten till 830..bloody hogs!!!
Anyway grumpily devour a cold nan!!!…bitch n crib even more………
Prachi(M)suggests we go back to rooms and nap bfore the weddin……..hmm…nt bad but will it look good
Manisha mami absolutely forbids….Deepa mst stay and help..shaadi ka ghar…so much wrk…gotta feed the ladkawalas!!!!.hhmmm.
11 pm-Notice I am not the only one at breaking point!bloody sandals…..can snap any time…and I though BATA was reliable!!!!Ask grumpy Prachis to exchange as I will be at the reception…….
Help!help!help!Atul mama is really emotional!the whole atmosphere is way too sombre……hmm…wat willit be like at my weddin..ppl will be rubbin hands is glee”gd riddance..finally cud get rid of Deepa…” (wat pathetic thought!!…mst learn to be more optismistic…ppl love me…errr…do they really??)
Food by now is swiiming with dead creatures..mmm..Chinese wud hv loved alu bug curry or bug dal fry!!!!!
Whow!!!Page 6 already!!!!!this is really an odyssey!!!!
Getting back to 28th June……..went back to rooms at bout 1 am
Hurrah!its 29th..1 more hour to Gari’s weddin!!go to room only to see Prachis awake and bitchy….add to that room is filled with bugs
Good assortment of bugs!
I protest…no ppoint sleepin for an hour…no way we gonna wake up…pestered by Prachis into bed…ok ok…so dead that don’t care about the bugs crawlin over me!!yeah…its difficult to believe that bugs and Deepa can co-exist in the same room…..
Wake up!!!!!Aargh!!!!its 430 am…we missed the wedding!!!!!panick strikes!!!!!!!I shake up everyone out of theire slumber……v.v irritated…I am almost in tears…we missed her wedding for God’s sake!!!!!jump out of bed,wear shoes and scoot off to find wedding venue………she mustve gone by now!!!
Last few rites of marriage still goin on…bridegroom all in yawns,,….bride…all in tears…mood very very sombre….absence of tiny cousins very obvious!!
Like a dam bursting,,,,the tears start flowing….I am the only one…who s hi n dry…hmmmm…still don’t believe gari is married and I MISSED HER WEDDING!!!!!Me start feelin the tears too..wat the hell!!!!!
All its and tears over by about 630!!Her uncles ,shuddering and distraught is consoled by an admirably composed Gari……..brother,mother uncles, all cry…no need to watch a Barjatya movie anymore………
Come back to room disheveled and distraught!stillcant believe I missed her wedding!!!
Had my bath…and we started chatting…..none of us liked Anutosh(hurrah!!atleast some common ground with these 2 women!)..what they told me next numbed my brains!!!!!!Its way to gruesome a truth to be published on a public forum:(….Anyway…cudnt sit there no longer..got up and left for the mountains…my sanctuary is such times….Walked up to “Neemuch nmata ka mandir”which is a bout 1 km climb uphill..took bout 15 mins to peak..and was down in hardly 5 mins!!!!!
Walked back…too sunny…v.v.tired and sleepy…..thot I’d rather go and nap bfore packing session!
Started walking down the concrete road…got bored…got more interesting idea….walked through the lake……errr….DRY LAKE(guess that makes things clearer….no point in making one think ‘ive got some supernatural ability to walk on water rather than swim)..The lake was deserted…it was a vast expance ,on the other side of which was Lake End Hotel…of course,my POA was to get off the lake,onto the road somewhere in the middle and head for the”Rock Garden”…..We had seen the lake-bed looking parched and drought like-but up close,it was worse-the cracks in the earth ran a bout a foot deep with about half a foot distance between ,so I was practically jumping on the land….
As I was doin so,I spotted something which made me smile-none other than a beloved boulder.A man emerged from next to it and showed me the wa y to the road….but I instead threw my bag on the ground and rummaged through it for the extra pair of socks.I pulled them onand climbed up and down…up ad down….I finally felt at home again.My strangled heart felt as if a big hand had been unclasped from it…Man!I LOVE rocks!!!!
Unfortunately,I wasn’t carrying my climbing shoes.And it wudve been more fun if Srikumar had tagged along,coz even alongside the rad, I spotted a couple of protruding(and inviting)rock faces,and invited myself over.I must admit,I mustve looked quite foolish wearing 2 pairs of socks and climbing alongside on the road as motorists hurried down looking amused!!WHO CARES !!!I didn’t stop till a couple of men, started approaching me…they probably thought I was trying to get attention.That was the first moment that I panicked because they were following me!(all these details are obviously kept from my mum)Anywa,did go to the rock garden…only to realize halfway that I was suddenly bored of being alone,and went back to the hotel.I was looking forward to the a cold shower and the nice pest-free bed(hopefully).I was so dead tired.I reached back t the hotel at about 1030-11 am and was welcomed by a disgruntled pair of room mates who had been waiting me to have breakfast.sigh!
Come back from breakfast and lookk longingly at the bed…but alas!it was already 11 am…..had to commence packing……did that and jumped into the bed…but then , these 2 women started taking again…bitching more likely….I was in a similar mood…so joined them from my horizontal position.I was still sulking over the fact that I missed her wedding…
Anyway,so we packed,went down for lunch,came back finished packing….and took our bags down in the hall…from where it was loaded into the bus.Gari was there,tired after all the functions and lack of sleep.She was still in her wedding joda-coz therewas some pooja it seems.Anyway,we were chatterin with her..I still cudnt believe tht the resplendent woman in front of me was our Garima..she had suddenly grown up too quick.She was up there for us now.We can look at her ,touch her,but never quite reach her stature.Calm and composed as ever while inside she must be burning wth apprehension…she had hardly ever lived without her family,and now…….
Kudos to this woman!!!!
Nayway,lemme get back to wat I was doin…BITCHING….hmmm…so then we boarded the bus.We were back to sitting on the last seat…this time accompanied by more people than were comfortable as all trains were cancelled due to heavy rains in Gujarat.
(Hey am continuing this saga on 9th December 2005,almost half a year after the weddin)
Memory is a bit rusty at this point(shud remember to eat almonds everyday)…but yeah…was cramped up in the bus with almost a week’s lack of sleep…..with whole bunch of noisy kids around(I know I lurrvvvee kids…but this was a one time too many).
Anyway…I got a bunker to lie on..so tried to make up for lost sleep in 30 mins…but well,the din……..
Anyway,the rest of the journey is a blur…….came back home and jst dropped on the bed…
Well,all said and done,no matter how much I have bitched bout other ppl here,or cribbed…it was a trip to remember.And I am not going to say that I didn’t have a lot of fun.Problem is when stuff doesn’t meet ur expectations,and when u expect as much as I did from this trip,even normally enjoyable moments turn sour.I still love all my frnds and absolutely adore little noisy kids.And am sure some day…..will say…”I went to Udaipur and had a ball at my friends wedding”And here ends my8 page odyssey… (SHITT!!!!!!) …. to one of the most beau cities in Rajasthan.
Friday, April 7, 2006
Dots.....
Had gone to Rupal's place yesterday...she was ,well,.....worse for wear.Anyways went there straight from work after she called me ,distraught and suicidal.Watched Banaras....I didn't even know that it was the first day of the movie,nor did i feel the quake that shook Mumbai at 11.30 pm...so much for being concious and "aware" i guess....
I use so many dots when I am writing nowadays,not because my sentences are incomplete,or they mean to imply more than what is already packed in that sentence.I just don't know why???
Why do we fight?Why do we disbelieve?Why do we always want things our way only and no other???WHY do we claim to have FAITH when our belief is really only clouded by our prejudices...we don't accept anything at face value..we want proof,we want to hear what we want to hear and no more,no less...is that faith??questioning the same power that we have faith in,disbelieving in those little dogmas set by the powers that we claim to have faith in just because they dont appear in our comfort zone...Our faith ,in fact is clouded,marred,....dotted with our egos...
WHAT is faith????????Dotted dogmas????
Man!what i just wrote...i really have no idea where it really came from.A part of it is realy a part of my discussion with Rupal yesterday....and another part of it is my guilt,for not really following what i have faith in..WHY???because it is more comfortable not following.I guess I am as conceited and as hypocritical as the people i give this kinda"gyan "to...
Hmmph...this confession doesnt really make me feel too good about my self..
I have so much to write..but not enough words or time to pen 'em all down.Will have to leave it at that now........
P.s:Count the number of dots in this meaningless essay!!!!!
I use so many dots when I am writing nowadays,not because my sentences are incomplete,or they mean to imply more than what is already packed in that sentence.I just don't know why???
Why do we fight?Why do we disbelieve?Why do we always want things our way only and no other???WHY do we claim to have FAITH when our belief is really only clouded by our prejudices...we don't accept anything at face value..we want proof,we want to hear what we want to hear and no more,no less...is that faith??questioning the same power that we have faith in,disbelieving in those little dogmas set by the powers that we claim to have faith in just because they dont appear in our comfort zone...Our faith ,in fact is clouded,marred,....dotted with our egos...
WHAT is faith????????Dotted dogmas????
Man!what i just wrote...i really have no idea where it really came from.A part of it is realy a part of my discussion with Rupal yesterday....and another part of it is my guilt,for not really following what i have faith in..WHY???because it is more comfortable not following.I guess I am as conceited and as hypocritical as the people i give this kinda"gyan "to...
Hmmph...this confession doesnt really make me feel too good about my self..
I have so much to write..but not enough words or time to pen 'em all down.Will have to leave it at that now........
P.s:Count the number of dots in this meaningless essay!!!!!
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Kaikaishiki
Hmmph...Its more than a couple of months since I actually got down and registered for this blogging thing..why'd i do it?I really have no clue!!I love writing , not that I excel at it...(not being modest).Have written a couple of travelogues..of course they were either in my personal diary or emailed.But one actually snaked its way through to the E& A quarterly circular....And well,that made me think about blogging!An online diary available to me at all times,anywhere in this whole world..no more taking backups or storing on my pendrive,etc.Its for me to read whenever!!
Why such an unusual name for my blog???Well,Kazan is the Japanese word for volcano....And I am one helluva volcano...just waiting to erupt and spew my words and thought all around.SOmetimes when i begin writing...I dont feel like stopping......
And wats kaikaishiki-it means introductory ceremony...and well,this too is an introductory ceremony of sorts....for me..into the world of blogging.Ive resisted it awy too long...and now HERE I AM!!!
Why am i using so much jap...well I can speak,read and write it....besides the fact that i love the language...why?i dunno?dont ask lame questions!not every question has a tangible answer!
Thats so much for my kai kaishiki....dont worry will improve the quality of my blogs......
Why such an unusual name for my blog???Well,Kazan is the Japanese word for volcano....And I am one helluva volcano...just waiting to erupt and spew my words and thought all around.SOmetimes when i begin writing...I dont feel like stopping......
And wats kaikaishiki-it means introductory ceremony...and well,this too is an introductory ceremony of sorts....for me..into the world of blogging.Ive resisted it awy too long...and now HERE I AM!!!
Why am i using so much jap...well I can speak,read and write it....besides the fact that i love the language...why?i dunno?dont ask lame questions!not every question has a tangible answer!
Thats so much for my kai kaishiki....dont worry will improve the quality of my blogs......
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