A perfect holiday

It is 5 PM. And the rain is coming down in tatters. The Pollachi weather is always known for its gentleness and it is quite unusual that the rain is coming stronger than usual. By the usual what I mean here is that when it rains, it is not a downpour but droplets of water carried in the whiffs of gentle breeze that blow across your face!

I am having a perfect holiday here. I have here that what is called a place that is far ‘Far from the madding crowd’. A software life in a leading company at Bangalore keeps me busy most times of the week. And an active social life takes over my weekends with friends and girl friends!

I am alone at home and there is music screaming from the computer system with its sub-woofers and bass speakers. The song is not to my liking and I am changing it. Yeah now this song is perfect to set the tone to the mood of the hour. A time for relaxation and perfect bliss and peace!

Watching the rain from the window gives my soul a calm that it has been missing for some time now, the drizzle is getting heavier and the droplets splash across my face through the netlon mesh over the window. You have confusion here on what is more light. If it is your heart that is going eons with jolly or it is the water fragments that are beginning to wet your face.

Mom will be back in a few minutes and that will end the time that my solitude had shown me how I am so good in spending time with myself. The peace and music is so soothing and my mind plays with me in creating illusions and transporting me back to times where my heart has soared as much as it now. I am reliving everything that I have been proud of having lived so far.

My feet are tapping and my legs are swaying to the beats. I do not know how many of you love dancing to yourself, but it has been one of the pleasures of my life. These days the numbers that these new band of musicians are making have such great drum and guitar sequences and it is quite impossible to stay on your feet. An imaginary partner joins you and then you have the waltz and the samba and the jive. Yeah right here in your living room.

A day at Muttati

I had never heard of such a place till the previous day. Ramp called me on the evening of 28th April 2006. It was a Friday evening and I was looking forward to his call. The whole day, there had been a chain running on orkut about a proposed day's trip. But where to and how I had no clue. It had been some time since I had been on a trek and my soul was longing for a good one. Then came the fateful call, Ramp told me we were going to a place called Muttatti, past Kanakkapura. I just hoped it would be amazing. I think God did hear my prayers!
I woke up at 5:40 AM, somehow the alarm did not scream as it usually does and I was half an hour late, I was supposed to be at Ramp's place in Indira Nagar at 5:30. I was already 10 min past the deadline and I was just up and out of bed. I called Ramp. My break that day from the start... Those people were also just getting ready and I still had the time. A quick brush and a quick wash; it really helped that I had my bag packed with all the equipment needed. I had done that before I went to bed the previous night.

6 AM on the morning of 29^th April 2006, a Saturday morning, I was out on the road and was speeding on the freeway that connects Koramangala and Indira Nagar. I reached in good time and it was some time later that the guys there got to the road. I was meeting some good pals after quite sometime. I had met Juci a couple of times after my relocation to Bangalore, but I was meeting Muppy for the first time after college. A good three years! Then there was Ramp and KP, we guys do meet often, I stop at their place every now and then. There were some friends and roommates of my friends in this trek that we were embarking on.

There was a car and two bikes.

Muttati was about 100 km from Bangalore. The drive was off Kanakapura. The route was Bangalore - Kanakapura (55 km) - Sathanur (35) - Muttati (10). The road is not great, but you will be able to make it to Kanakapura with ease. To Sathanur the road is not so good, it is different in different times of the year and its luck if you find that road tarred and good. But the drive gets excellent when Sathanur is done and you turn left at the arch to Muttati. The road is not a ghat section, but its a terrain drive and gets incredibly exciting.

Muttati is all about the river and activities are surrounded around it. Further up is the fishing camp at Bhemeshwari a popular destination for techies who want to unwind. Muttati is no sophisticated and so has an unspoiled charm lingering around. Go an a trek in the adjoining hills and get tired and head down and straight into the cool and refreshing waters.

It is very important that you bring your lunch, for an incredible appetite takes you head on after your river play time. We found that a few local people had come ashore with supplies and a huge cauldron and gathered wood for a fire and cooked right at the river side. It was super aroma from those fires, but we had taken a packed lunch of rice bath and gobbled them with nothing to spare.

So that's Muttati for you, a rustic getaway not very far from the city, it will embalm you with its charm and want you to visit over and over again.

Weekend in Chennai

I landed in chennai in the wee hours of 8th. I was awakened with the KSRTC bus conductor shouting, last stop 'ellarum erangunga". I woke up to see that the bus was just entering the Koyambedu bus stand. Opposite was a pondy bus, which was marked with ECR. My shortest route to Thiruvanmiyur...

I reached my friend Nishanth's place at about 6:30-7. Nishanth was awake, that time of the day, I donno how, but we exchanged Hi's and very soon I was asleep again, I donno when Nishanth slept for, when I finally woke up the Chennai suriyan was shining full hot on me and Nishanth was also asleep.

It was 10 when we finally decided to go to breakfast and we went to the nearest tiffin centre, a place called Royal Food Court, boy I have missed the food of this place. But the standards here have been on the decline, expect for the sambhar there was nothing special and nothing nice at all....

We got back home, switched on the TV and then there was a song from Ghajini playing, we wondered, what time is the Ghajini show at Thyagaraja theatre??? 11:30 or 11:45, it was 11 that time, "Ok chalo" we decided and we dressed up and rushed. Share auto to Jayanthi and then hurry burrying to Thyagaraja, we reached about 15 mins late.. But missed no much I guess. Its my 3rd time so cool...

The movie ended at 2 and since we were not very hungry we spent some time at the juice shop close to thiruvanmiyur signal and headed back home. And continued a mid afternoon siesta, I haven't slept in the afternoons in a very long time and I donno how, but it was 5:30 when I woke up...

Nishanth suggested that we see another movie. I asked him what movie. He told me that there is movie called Cave and it seemed to be a good action flick and it would be good to see it. I have always loved good action movies and I like to watch them in cinemas like Sathyam or Devi where the effects and the sounds are like terrific. We started to Devi right away.

I don't remember the last time I had boarded the "1", but I guess it would have been in some time long back when I wanted to go to the railway station, Chennai local transport seemed a lot different to me... We reached Devi in time for the 7 show and settled for that show itself. The movie was ok, the effects was really good and we found a comfortable seating position to view the wide screen experience of Devi.

It was 8:45 when the movie was over and I suggested to Nishanth that we dine at a restaurant called Kurunjhi in Nungambakkam, I had been there for a buffet once with my CTS pals and I wanted to relive that experience. We took an auto to Kurunjhi, but sadly there was no buffet that day. Nishath suggested Anjappar, Chettinadu, that was also nearby and we settled down for a rich and full non-veg meal and was 10 when we walked out of the restaurant.

We started walking, down through Gemini flyover and down the Mount road, I had never walked this way before, and the evening was pleasant and we spent the time like two old friends, our friendship going all the way to the 6 and 7th standards and talked about school stories, college stories et all... We reached DMS bus stop at 10:30 right in time to pick the 19G going towards Kovalam, the bus would drop us off at RTO right at our doorstep...

I had not spent a full day with Nishath in a very loong time and I was so very happy and am sure that he was also beaming... We slept away happily.

Come the sunday and the Sun and with it came the Kiran, my brother doing his Engg at Chennai. I find a friend's relationship with Kiran much better than a brotherly relationship and he also like that much. We finsihed breakfast again at the very old Royal and then I took him out for shopping. He said he wanted some jean pants and I took him to Velachery to a Europa Discount store, he settled for a Pepe jean, a color I would have laughed at, but college is about oddities and I also did not grudge!!! :)

Nishanth was out the day, he has a seminaar to attend to and it was me and Kiran of lunch. Non-Veg he proclaimed and Adayar Durbar it was to be, we feasted on the Hyderabadi dishes there and it was 3 when we were done with the lunch. I wanted to visit Rupa, I had called her up earlier the day and she said she will be home and she insisted that I bring my brother too. She was married here and she lived her inlaws at Selaiyur, almost Tambaram!

I was also very happy to be able to see her, coz last visits to Chennai also I did not visit her. So we started down the OMR, the road that houses the corporates and Kiran marvelled at the beautiful but color color builiding of Cognizant. We took the road to Medavakkam and it was another 45 mins when we reached Rupa's place. Luckily Sriram (Rups Hubby) was also available and he kept us company... Some chat, some karam and some coffee and we left Rupa's place.

When we came back to the room, Nishanth was also there and it was time for Kiran to leave, We took him to the bus stop and boarded him into a pp19 and thats off to Kiran. Nishanth and me went to Woodlands for a bite and then it was 8:30 time for me to leave.... Bus was at 10. Nishanth dropped me at the bus dippo, where I took a Pondy bus going to Koyambedu...

I started sleeping as soon as thge bus started and I woke up only at Bangalore when the bus reached Majestic... Wow, how soon a weekend has been exhausted... Its back in bangalore, a week to go before the break and lots of work to be done...