Burma Shave

Kappad Beach

2010-10-23T00:36:00.000-07:00

A nice, pretty beach about an hour's drive away from college. Nice place to get away from the madness!

Early Morning

2010-10-18T01:52:00.000-07:00

Beautiful dew drops in the early morning.

Starfish

2010-10-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

Finally I get to post some updates from Kampus! Clicked on a recent trip to Kappad beach.

Mysore Pit-Stop

2010-07-29T07:52:00.001-07:00

Sadly, the MBA-life is taking every ounce of my strength and right now even my camera is wondering where the hell I am! Quickly posting a shot of Mysore, had home-packed vadas and a coffee here before pushing on. Mysore Palace in the background!

Changes in Life

2010-07-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

I don't think there's that many people that follow this blog but for what it's worth, I got through IIM Kozhikode. So I should hopefully be able to entertain you with more pictures of Kerala over the course of time. Yay!

Utopia

2010-06-29T03:16:00.000-07:00

Had an amazing ride during the last week and this picture captures it all. Beautiful sunflower fields, mist-shrouded mountains and a peaceful meadow.

Maharajas of Jaipur

2010-05-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

Some of the last pictures from my Jaipur trip. Will post more in the coming days, have some time on my hands now.

Hitting the curves

2010-03-27T03:02:00.000-07:00

Raju Bhaiya was my chauffeur for the day and a very enthusiastic driver! He was leaning off his seat on the curves and a little further and we might have been sliding. But good fun for the day. And he sort of became my guide as well :-)

In Xanadu

2010-03-19T23:51:00.000-07:00

- a review

There are many people who are adventurous and many more who are world-travelers. In today’s world of the internet and rich media streaming one can easily be an armchair traveler who can see the world from the comfort of their homes. But in 1989, there were no low cost carriers or dot com travel guides. It was in this year that William Dalrymple chose to retrace the steps of the great traveler Marco Polo on the old Silk Route. In Xanadu is a recollection of this journey that William undertook during the summer break of his final year in college and the book was published a year later when he was 23.

William starts his journey at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem where he obtains a vial of holy oil aiming to do exactly as Polo had done before him. Carry this holy oil across Asia to the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan and hope to convert him to Christianity. Though in this case the vial contained nothing but ordinary sunflower oil, William was dedicated to his mission of delivering this vial to Xanadu, the summer palace of the emperor Kublai Khan during Polo’s times. The journey takes him across Israel, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and finally China. What livens up any journey are your travel companions. And he is not alone during the journey. Along with countless strangers, two different but wonderful women accompany him. On the first leg of the journey till Pakistan he is accompanied by Laura, a fiery woman whose father is the British ambassador to India with connections in all the right places. Their visas for several countries and permits in others are all thanks to these connections. On the second leg through China he is accompanied by his ex-girlfriend Louisa which one would expect to add a lot of drama. But other than bouts of sickness and extreme diarrhea his companions remain largely drama-free.

The entire journey is sponsored by a grant of 700 pounds from Cambridge University. When traveling on such a budget, several corners are cut. They stay in flea-bag hotels, eat all kinds of local delicacies (chiefly because of the unavailability of anything else that is edible) and travel on all kinds of transport. So while they spend one night on the beach in Turkey and take a bath in the sea, other nights are spent on the top of coal-laden trucks. Their trip also involves several risky adventures like traveling in forbidden areas of China, entering countries without a regular permit but they push, twist or cajole their way through several sticky situations. But this not an account of a hippie journey across Asia. Coming from a Cambridge history major, this account is much more than a simple travelogue.

William has a very unique way of writing his travel experiences that makes for a very interesting read. He pauses several times during his narration of his travels to give the reader an insight into history. He paints a beautiful picture of the mosques and chapels during Polo’s time and rues their often dilapidated status now. But none of these pauses seem to hinder the progression of the narration. They are in fact subtle diversions that help the reader form a picture of the towns and locations along the silk route.

William is a history major at Cambridge and has got his research for the book pat down. In fact, he travels throughout the journey with a whole of sack of books to keep him company and read while traveling. He has scoured through several works of history on the Silk Route to paint a comprehensive picture across the ages ending with what he sees in today's world. And he makes sure that it does not become pedantic or boring at any stage. These are well interspersed with descriptions of people that he meets and help him. These conversations are often humorous and help make the book feel like a light read. The jokes are largely on him and his actions rather than taking cracks at the people or their customs. Sample this conversation that he has with a couple of Pakistani customs officials –

Customs official (pointing at WD) – ‘You like bottom?’
WD – I look like?
Customs official – ‘No, no sahib. You like bottom? I like bottom.’
‘I don’t understand,’ I said. I really didn’t.
Customs official – ‘Bottom, bottom,’ he said wiggling his head from side to side in the Indian manner. ‘I like bottom. I am bottom fan. You like bottom?’
‘Well I like bottoms,’ I said
Customs official– ‘You do like bottom? You are bottom fan?’
‘Yes’
Customs official- ‘All English people like bottom’.
‘Oh yes’ said the second customs official. ‘All Pakistani people like Imran Khan, all English people like Botham. He is your famous English cricketer.’

The author also makes some amazing discoveries during his journeys, places where he supposes that he is the first European man to go after Polo. He stumbles onto an ancient pagan ritual in progress in a settlement of the Gujar's tribe (probably related historically to their counterparts in India) on the Karakoram highway from Pakistan to China. He goes to grave lengths to discover unknown crafts still surviving from Polo’s times, befriends various locals who help him locate ancient buildings and forts that have been largely forgotten.

Those who have read his other books like White Mughals or Delhi - 1857, will find this one to be quite a revelation. In Xanadu is William’s first novel and shows various characteristics that are largely absent in his later books. In his other books, William the historian is showcased more and he is far more occupied with telling the story of others. In Xanadu catches William talking about himself and his story while the historical aspects of the journey take a back seat. This is William Dalrymple at his youthful best, a tad immature but full of wit and adventure with the same mastery over story-telling that make several of his books a must read.

What a drive!

2010-03-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

I so want to head for a road-trip right now but there just isn't any time!

How Beautiful

2010-02-23T10:58:00.000-08:00

Located at the end of the Jaigarh fort overlooking the cliff down to Amber Palace is the Mughal Garden.
Framed by the two towers and the arches in the center, it a beautiful place and one can spend hours here.
Sadly, it is also one of the only areas in the fort where entry is restricted. You can manage to jump from the lower walls into the garden but I was not sure how I would get out so I didn't risk it!

Jaigarh Fort

2010-02-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

Jaigarh Fort is located on the crest of a hill and houses among other things, the armory and canon foundry.
It overlooks the Amber Palace which used to serve as the official palace before the royal family founded Jaipur and moved there. It has several palaces, expansive courtyards and beautiful gardens. The garden attached to the Aram Nivas is the most splendid. Pictures to follow soon.

The Magarh Chronicles

2010-02-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

-a review

The Mangarh Chronicles is a book written by Gary Worthington and is sold internationally with the title – India Treasures. Before I actually get into the book, let me tell you about how I got around to reading it. I have recently started a trend of reading a fiction novel based on a certain region or area before I actually visit that place. You can call this a 'localized fiction' category of novels. What I really like about them is that it gives me a lot of background on the place without reading boring wiki articles or random travel websites. These novels immerse me in the surroundings and I feel at home when I actually arrive. Most of the other sources just state facts. What makes history interesting are the stories and they need to be told in such a way as to captivate the reader's interest. I believe this is why my high school History professor was such a great man. A lot of WWII is still alive in my mind thanks to him and the Biggles series of novels that I read then. But I digress, let us get into the actual review.

I was going to be visiting Rajasthan, Jaipur in particular and thought of reading a novel that is set in that region. The Mangarh Chronicles is set in the fictional city of Mangarh located in Rajasthan, written by Gary Worthington, and was one of the suggestions that Google and some other blogs gave me. Mangarh is loosely based on the city of Jaipur and the author even provides a graphic display of the old city, palaces and the fort for better understanding. The story revolves around Vijay Singh, a tax collector who is raiding the Maharaja of Mangarh and searching for hidden treasures that would not have been declared in his returns. No one is absolutely certain what the treasure contains but it is referred to as The Mangarh Treasure and is supposed to have been passed down through the generations. While Vijay Singh is trying to unearth the secrets of the Maharaja, there are some secrets of his own that he is trying to hide. He has been able to reach his current position in the tax department by masquerading as a Rajput, one of the highest castes in Rajasthan. He originally hails from a village near Mangarh itself and belongs to the ‘Harijans’ or ‘Untouchable’ caste. His whole life is based on this one lie and it is a secret that he wants to protect dearly. During the course of the raid, we also come to know about the Maharaja and his family, particularly his beautiful daughter Kaushalya Kumari who surprises Vijay with her deep understanding of the history of the area and sophisticated outlook. This game of intrigue and suspicion plays out in the backdrop of the Emergency which brings it’s own set of complications and powerful political characters like Dev Batra, a rude, crass politician who will stoop at nothing to get to the treasure and implicate the Maharaja.

But what really separates this novel from several other treasure hunt mysteries is the style of writing that juxtaposes the present and past and weaves wonderful short anecdotes and stories that are set in older eras but are related to the hunt for treasure. During the course of the search, Vijay Singh visits several places around Mangarh, each with it’s own history and several monuments and legends. At such times, the author takes us back in time and weaves a fictional yet endearing story around that historical event or legend. While these flashbacks are sometimes a little jarring to the narrative of the main story, they break the monotony of a single-track story and gives us hints to the glorious past of the region. I got so immersed in these small stories itself that for a moment I forgot about the treasure hunt against which it is set. Each of these historical anecdotes have clearly defined characters in the typical settings of that period. Like the little boy, Jimuta who goes on to become a mahout for one of Ashoka’s lead elephants and subsequently rises to a minister. Or Samudradutta, the merchant of Kashi who is distraught after losing both his sons to the path of Buddhism. Or the painter from Mauryan times who weeps so much for his beloved that he leaves behind one of his masterpieces in the caves of Ajanta. Each individual story creates a suspense that keeps the novel ticking. Worthington does mention in the footnotes that he created fictional characters and stories but they have been based on known and established events and characters in history. I would say that these stories are like interludes in a beautiful drama that is playing out in the background.

So how did I feel in Jaipur after reading this novel? It brought a lot of life to the stories that I read in the book, like watching a movie based on a novel but here you're actually starring in it! As I roamed the forts and palaces, I pictured the countless generations of the Maharajas and Maharanis it must have played host to, how their kids would have had so much fun roaming about the gigantic forts and getting lost in them. And of the kind of intrigue, plotting and politics that would have played out in the Darbars. I was certainly happy that I had read the book before going to Rajasthan.

That is not to say that you cannot read the book at other times. It is definitely a wonderful read though it may seem stretched in some portions. But it has been one of the best books that I would attribute to this new category of books that I have become so interested in. Some other books that I can think of are William Dalrymple's The Last Mughal and to a lesser extent White Mughals as well as Amitav Ghosh's superbly written The Glass Palace. Dalrymple's books are superbly researched and based firmly in history but he too manages to convey a beautiful picture of the cities of Delhi and Hyderabad while Amitav Ghosh paints such a pretty picture of Ratnagiri that I wanted to travel there the moment I put the book down. Gary Worthington is not a sucker for history, his aim is more to create a captivating story and he does a very good job of it.

The author has also written a sequel to this book called India Fortunes but I have not been able to lay my hands on it. The Mangarh Chronicles too is an old book that is not so easily available. I spent close to an hour in my library before I found a dusty copy of the book. Though I believe they are both readily available on flipkart.

Do let me know if you have some across such books that immerse you in a particular place or region and you found enjoyable.

Nahargarh Fort

2010-02-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

Perched on a cliff overlooking the city of Jaipur, you get wonderful views of the old city from here. On a clear day that is!
The fort is illuminated at night and along with the city lights makes for an amazing experience. Sadly, I did not have much time to spare for that. I went shopping :-)

Madhavendra Bhavan & Courtyard

2010-01-30T11:36:00.000-08:00

The stunning Madhavendra Bhavan and it's enclosed courtyard and beautiful doorways.
It is located within the Nahargarh Fort, situated at the top of the cliff overlooking Jaipur. Although the Fort itself is might impressive and offers stunning views of the city down below, the palace located within seems to be a forgotten treasure. It houses 12 identical suites for the Maharaja's several queens and one entire portion devoted to the Raja himself. I found it devoid of much activity and you are allowed to explore every nook and cranny across the three floors. Wandering through the intricate corridors and colorful stained glass doors and some really small passageways, I could imagine the life of the residents at those time. Truly Royal Rajasthan.

Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

2010-01-19T20:04:00.000-08:00

The Hawa Mahal was used by the queens and ladies within the palace to glimpse on the life outside in the bazaars. It stands at the intersection of Johari Bazaar and Tripolia Bazaar.
I must admit I was a little disappointed by the Hawa Mahal. I had formed a picture of a much grander structure and I actually confirmed with nearby shopkeepers if this was indeed it!

Welcome to Rajasthan

2010-01-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

Diwan-i-Khas, City Palace, Jaipur

This was the place where the Maharaja met convoys from other kingdoms/countries.
I made a visit to Jaipur for a couple of days and returned with great experiences and some pictures. First holiday destination of the New Year!

Beautiful, Naked

2010-01-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

Goat Beedi anyone?

2009-12-17T10:55:00.001-08:00

Interesting branding! What makes it sell, chewability?

Outside the Temple

2009-12-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

waiting for Alms...

Holy Fire

2009-12-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

Flames that sanctify the Hindu marriage.

The Street Corner

2009-11-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

glistening after the rainy day

Stairway to Heaven

2009-11-21T20:48:00.000-08:00

Will the door open when we get there?

Riot of Colors

2009-11-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

From a vase maker's worktable

Driving along the Arabian Sea

2009-11-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Edge Grip

2009-11-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

Rider : Arjun, Bike : Yamaha R15

Look Ma

2009-11-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

It's as big as me!

Forts of Oman

2009-11-08T08:23:00.001-08:00

Sail Away

2009-11-07T01:41:00.000-08:00

Leave behind, Look Forward

Sai Shri

2009-11-04T09:27:00.001-08:00

Adopted when she was 5 months old. She has a wonderful family now.

Thoppi Maddalam

2009-11-01T08:18:00.000-08:00

The artist is playing what I think is called the Thoppi Maddalam, one of the instruments that form part of the Panchavadyam used in temples, marriage ceremonies and festival celebrations.

If anyone knows better, do let me know or share more information in the comments.

Dad & Daughter

2009-10-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

Dad sending his daughter away on her marriage.

Bride & Groom

2009-10-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Intimacy in South Indian Weddings is very rare, tried to capture a moment from a wedding in Kerala.

The Whomping Willow

2009-10-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Diwali Chakri

2009-10-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hope you had more of these than those ridiculous bombs.

I will ride

2009-10-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

one day. Okay.

You and Me

2009-10-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

A New Day Dawns

2009-10-14T20:23:00.001-07:00

On the backwaters of Kerala

Chilling with a Barbican

2009-10-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Beside the calm waters of Wadi Tiwi, Oman

Driving the Hajar Mountains

2009-10-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Was on vacation and back with some pictures :)

Gateway of Xian

2009-09-20T04:27:00.000-07:00

One of the four entrance gates into Xian, China

Merry-go-Around

2009-09-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

One more from a recent trip to Nandi Hills

Lake Reflections

2009-09-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

I clicked this approximately a year back. Was reliving my stay in Colorado and remembered this picture.

On Board the Udyan Express

2009-09-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

Cable Bridge, KR Puram

2009-09-09T06:23:00.000-07:00

Experimenting

Watchman

2009-09-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Anyone notice the prancing horse on his monkey.cap, is he a Tifosi, does he approve of Fisichella's move away from Force India?

Scared?

2009-09-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

Church on the backwaters

2009-09-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

A brightly painted church on the backwaters near Kumarakom, Kerala

Golden Temple

2009-08-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

Making their way to Harmandir Sahib

Trek Route

2009-08-29T04:28:00.000-07:00

The start of the trek route to Kumara Parvata. Did this trek about 3 years back and haven't had the courage to try it again. I am still amazed I managed to complete the trek that time!

Kashmiri Boy in a Shikara

2009-08-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

Taken with the help of a friends' camera some years ago.

Nandi Hills

2009-08-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

One km from the top of Nandi Hills on a misty Sunday morning.

Denver Diner

2009-08-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

This was clicked on the first night out with my DSLR camera - Nikon D80. It took me about a half-hour to get a decent picture and you can still see the shakes. But it's special.

Fall Colors

2009-08-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Around this time last year, fall colors were beginning to appear on the trees in Colorado. The slight coloring of leaves, turning to blossoming yellow or red and finally withering and falling down, fall was simply beautiful.

Grand Mosque, Muscat

2009-08-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

Shot in January of 2009. I love the blue skies which turn into haze during the summer months.

Green Biking

2009-08-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

From one of my first rides to Wayanad, Kerala

Colorado Convention Center

2009-08-17T20:57:00.001-07:00

Around this time last year, Barack Obama was chosen to be the Democratic Presidential Nominee at the Democratic National Convention, Denver. I had to stay 45 minutes away from downtown because there were no hotel rooms!

Those Eyes

2009-08-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Chennai Zoo, those eyes seemed to say so much and yet I could do hardly anything about it

Ride Out

2009-08-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Had a short ride today after a very long time. And that itself got me tired. Is it time for four wheels or maybe a new bike?

Hello Sir

2009-08-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

In China's world of Nokia and Sony-ericsson, there are people like her too. At the end of the day I guess India and China are not all that different after all.

Hailstorm

2008-04-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

This was the freak hailstorm that visited Bangalore last week, Neighbor's Chevy Aveo getting it!

Kerala

2008-02-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

OUR RIDE (of a different kind though)

KA 03 EW 8928

2008-02-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

Chapter 1

I remember the first time I noticed that number was when I first moved to the apartment complex and parked my shining Karizma right next to it. It stood there as it stands here today, neglected, rusting at places yet sharing parking space with the Mercedes parked beside it. Why would anyone keep this piece of junk if they weren’t using it and if they were, why weren’t they taking care of it. What kind of people stayed here?

“Arey bahut ameer log rehte hain yahan. Neeche mercedes nahin dekhi tune?” Y, my college buddy and now flat-partner asks me.

“Arey mercedes bhi dekhi aur uske bagal mein khadi scrap ki dukaan bhi. Ussi ko dekh kar pooch raha hoon, aisi gaadi kaun rakhta hain yaar?”

“Are you talking about that old kinetic by any chance?” asks N, my other new flat mate. ”That belongs to one of the hottest females in this complex. Don’t you dare say anything about her. She is one of the prime sources of entertainment around here.”

Not wanting to get off on a wrong foot with my flat-mates on the very first day, I just ignored it all together. After all, why did I care.

It was one of the duller weeks at work. Since we had just finished a production release, there wasn’t too much work and requirements for the next release were just coming in. These are the weeks when the manager asks you to take things easy and going late a few times in the week is not frowned upon. It was on one of these days that I was leaving home late. I was dusting my bike and getting ready for the journey when my eyes chanced upon the owner of the Kinetic Honda. She was dressed in a smart suit, wore the oh-so-snobby large ray-bans and was desperately trying to start her scooter. I didn’t realize that she actually even used that thing. Obviously the bloody thing wouldn’t even start. She called Prem Singh to help and I decided to hang around some more, wiping my bike clean. Every word N had told me about her suddenly seemed true. She was indeed quite pretty and equally snobbish, just like all pretty girls who know they are pretty. Anyways I stood there, cleaning last night’s dirt off my bike, knowing very well that she was having a difficult time getting started and she seemed in a hurry.

“Excuse-me, I am having trouble getting my scooter started, if it’s not a bother, can you help me out?” The voice belonged to the pretty-young-snobby thing standing beside me. But it was not at all what I had expected. You see I had already made up an impression of her as a snob and hearing such a sweet and pleading voice just didn't seem right. Thanks a lot N, forming impressions even before meeting them, not a really nice thing to do.

Anyways there was a damsel in distress and I was the man of the hour. I had fiddled around enough with bikes and scooters to know how they worked. After about 10 minutes of checking her scooter, adjusting the idling RPM and checking the fuel levels, I was able to get her scooter started.

“Oh, thank you so much, I don’t know what I would have done without you today. Thanks a lot, Mr..”

“Sid”

“Yes thanks a lot, you stay here only right, we will bump into each other soon, thanks a million once again” With this she smiled at me and then left. Leaving behind her a trail of the wonderful perfume. What is it with women and perfumes. How do they manage to smell so nice every time. I mean, any woman enters the lift and you can make out the sweet fragrance of flowers and the moment she leaves, she takes that enchanting smell with her. Anyways, back to Priya, she was indeed as pretty as N had described her but definitely not snobbish, in fact she seemed very friendly and outgoing. Or was that because, she needed to get her work done and she just turned on her charm. “Why are you even thinking about her so much? She needed your help and you helped her. THAT’S IT”

You see that’s the point. THAT’S NEVER IT for a guy. Any remotely female looking object is an object of desire, a dream unfulfilled and something to be pondered and plotted over. I decided that more interaction was required and delayed my office start everyday so that I would bump into her and maybe even help her with the scooty. One of these days, I could even give her a ride on my bike....... Why didn’t you do that today, you dumb ass, she was in a hurry, you were jobless, you could have offered her a ride. DAMN! Why do all good things come after the moment has passed. There is still hope with a delayed start every day.

KA 03 EW 8928

2008-02-20T20:03:00.000-08:00

PREFACE

“Shaabji, Kya kar raho ho?” It was Prem Singh, the building watchman, imported all the way from Nepal.

“Dikhta nahi hain kya, gaadi polish kar raha hoon.”

“Jab saaf karne ki baari aayi thi, tab tho aapne humein diya nahi, ab polish karke kya faida shaab?” Saying this and expecting my chilly reply he titers away before I can give him a piece of my mind.

The Kinetic Honda I was trying to bring a shine to was a 98 model registered in the name of Ms. Priya Krishnamurthy. registration Number - KA-03, EW 8928.

Kerala Roadtrip

2008-02-20T11:22:00.000-08:00

THE RIDE