After having planned and planned the chennai trip I finally actually executed the plan this weekend! This had a lot of first time events.This was my longest day train journey to start with. The first time I went in and electric engine train too. The first time I saw a double track and the feeling when another train zooms past you in the opposite direction. The first time I did not have to wait at a station for another train to pass by in the opposite direction, which was a big relief that made the travel so much better, so different from Bangalore Mysore travel. The things I notice when I reach the Chennai outskirts...lots of electric local trains, and the terrible heat and humidity and ofcorse the really bad stink. As I get off I meet my friend and we walk out of the really ancient looking train station. There was thankfully no climbing of stairs as I was carrying this really heavy backpack. As I walk out I turn back to look at the 100 year old station and the railways office and love the way it’s been preserved. Wish Bangalore had so many old buildings showing off to add grace to the city.
Went home changed into something comfy and went to the Besantnagar beach. Whoa, there is nothing as pleasing as the sound of the wave’s splash. We go to a road side restaurant and sitting on the footpath have food on the street, literally! It was also the first time I was on a beach in the middle of the night!
Saturday morning, post the washing up in the scarce water we leave to see the famous Spenser plaza. I was there all noon hiding from the heat of the day and was surprised that there was so much less crowd on a Saturday, so different from my own city which despite so many malls is still overflowing with the populace. Later I went to the Parthasarathy (Krishna) temple and found the entire crowd there! Well at least there are some places which are crowded in Chennai... Next we were off to the Ashtalakshmi temple close to the beach. It is a fab temple, very different style of architecture, it houses the eight forms of lakshmi in 3 levels of temple complex…and we squeezed past tiny staircase to reach the top of the temple for a magnificent view of the sea. It was one of the most intriguing temples I went to. Next stop, you guessed it! The beach! In the light of the “ringed” full moon, I build my first sand castle, not much of a castle but still it was fun, the kid in me was fully happy. After some Singapore noodles at a near by restaurant we headed back home. What happened back at home that night, well…can’t write it here…
Sunday, last day at this city, decided to go to mahabalipuram, reached there in the heat of the day. There were some very nice rock carvings but then, not much to see really. Got totally exhausted by the end of the tour and was desperate to go back! There were a lot of stone sculptures for sale, but it was simply overpriced. Got myself a nice small elephant and a shell necklace (very G! I’ll wear it to the next party). Back home totally exhausted, went off for a rejuvenating siesta. Evening wanted to watch some snakes but the snake park was closed by the time we reached there! We hit a coffee day and yapped away to glory. Went back home, packed, had a very nice dinner cooked by my friend’s roomy and went to the bus stand. The bus stand is really really far! I got on the Volvo, my first ride in a Volvo…it was a comfy ride…got a window seat this time too as I had in the train! I really could not sleep as I watched the sky and the beautiful moon, I felt I was sleeping in the open…wish I had my lover next to me to share this beautiful moment…
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Black Beauty
I read this lovely novel this week, many of us have read it as children but something in me prompted me to pick it up in the library last week. May be it was a distant memory of having loved reading the chapter in my schoolbook ‘The Black Beauty’.
If I could, I would have suggested it to both the ‘great’ management people as well as to philosophers as well as to any man who is in the notion of ‘my life’, ‘my business’ and pretty much ‘my anything’.
It has been some time now that I have read a novel which after a few ‘large print’ pages of reading makes me want to close the book, contemplate, apply the meaning to my life, discuss it with friends and understand it in as many ways as possible.
There was this particular piece were, the young horses which are of high spirits (not alcohol!) if not well exercised in the day are taken out for a run by the grooms later in the day. This would cool its spirits and keeps it energetic and active. I was applying this to the current life of mine, where a load of boring work is dumped on a young fresh man like me, which neither exercises my brain nor cools my spirits. It is like making a horse stand tying it to the stable, night and day and saying it is being exercised strenuously. Yes, it is a strain, but some thing that will cause stiff legs and a lazy horse(read lazy brain) that can neither run nor pull a load. This way our brains are left to rot and become lazy and then we are expected to have future vision! If we are no allowed to think of the present what future do we create or imagine? Give us good work and often a good word; and watch attrition drop. What we need is a place where our skill is of value than just our adaptability, a place where we can be master of one or two than jack of all and master of none, and most importantly a place where my driver (read boss) would appreciate me for having worked as hard as possible than for only extraordinary work. A kind poor master is better than a rich/famous and arrogant/ignorant master.
There was this other piece where, a good groom is important to the well being of a horse; similarly a good mechanic is important to the well being of a vehicle. I feel this every time I give my bike for servicing; they are bothered only about fast delivery and processing of more requests than a good work on the bike. Equally important is the owner, who can pick a good groom or a good mechanic as the case may be. I need to find a good mechanic for my black beauty…
These are some of the thoughts that flow as I read on the book. Read it and try and understand it… it’s a lovely journey of a wonderful horse…
If I could, I would have suggested it to both the ‘great’ management people as well as to philosophers as well as to any man who is in the notion of ‘my life’, ‘my business’ and pretty much ‘my anything’.
It has been some time now that I have read a novel which after a few ‘large print’ pages of reading makes me want to close the book, contemplate, apply the meaning to my life, discuss it with friends and understand it in as many ways as possible.
There was this particular piece were, the young horses which are of high spirits (not alcohol!) if not well exercised in the day are taken out for a run by the grooms later in the day. This would cool its spirits and keeps it energetic and active. I was applying this to the current life of mine, where a load of boring work is dumped on a young fresh man like me, which neither exercises my brain nor cools my spirits. It is like making a horse stand tying it to the stable, night and day and saying it is being exercised strenuously. Yes, it is a strain, but some thing that will cause stiff legs and a lazy horse(read lazy brain) that can neither run nor pull a load. This way our brains are left to rot and become lazy and then we are expected to have future vision! If we are no allowed to think of the present what future do we create or imagine? Give us good work and often a good word; and watch attrition drop. What we need is a place where our skill is of value than just our adaptability, a place where we can be master of one or two than jack of all and master of none, and most importantly a place where my driver (read boss) would appreciate me for having worked as hard as possible than for only extraordinary work. A kind poor master is better than a rich/famous and arrogant/ignorant master.
There was this other piece where, a good groom is important to the well being of a horse; similarly a good mechanic is important to the well being of a vehicle. I feel this every time I give my bike for servicing; they are bothered only about fast delivery and processing of more requests than a good work on the bike. Equally important is the owner, who can pick a good groom or a good mechanic as the case may be. I need to find a good mechanic for my black beauty…
These are some of the thoughts that flow as I read on the book. Read it and try and understand it… it’s a lovely journey of a wonderful horse…
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