It happened 3 years ago. I have a vivid recollection of that incident. It was pouring cats and dogs, I was returning to my college on foot,as I had missed the last bus. My college is located far into the middle of nowhere, and is surrounded by humongous green forests. A road led to the front of the college and the other sides of the college were covered with thick dense jungles. The road itself took a sharp right turn and ran parallel to one jungle. The dreaded 'sarmcole' jungle. There were no fencing on the side of the roads and not a single street lamp. This road met up with a main road after a kilometer. There the vegetation died down and traffic was sparse. I was walking on the main road, fully drenched in the sudden down pour. It was all bright and sunny in the afternoon when i left. I wore just a t-shirt and a jeans . Little did i know that we would have the heaviest rainfall in decades. The wind made it all the more worse. The rain drops were like needles and the wind made all the effort to shower me with needles of water. I came to the road that led to our college. Even in this heavy down pour with visibility just a yard ahead of me, i could make out the college name and insignia printed on a board that pointed in the direction of a long dark road that seemed to have no end. It was dark and raining and I could distinctly make out noises, noises that one hears in the thickest of jungles. The road running on its right side. The other side of the road had little vegetation. It was weird, It was as though the jungle came to an end abruptly. I gulped, and took the turn and walked down the road leading to my college, i wish i hadn't.
I walked half way and all the while felt eyes watching my movement. I didn't have dinner and i didn't want to becomes dinner either. So i just walked on as fast as my legs would allow. Then suddenly everything around me became painfully white. I didn't know what was going on. I heard a loud bang, as though a cataclysmic explosion had taken place. I got up and i found my legs extremely stiff and could smell protein burning and smoke emanating from my head. At least the rain helped me in a way by quenching the fire that was raging in my head, but how the hell did it catch fire?
It must have been a lightning strike, i said to myself and the strike though not directly on me, must have hit near by and tossed me into the jungle. I looked around and heard noises, the crickets, the toads and what not. Now i had to find my way out. I saw a glow somewhere, so i decided to go in that direction thinking it must be the college. How incorrect I was..
I came near the glow and saw a weird looking object, that we get to see in science fiction movies. There were two figures tending to that object. They were thin and tall, really tall. They were wearing a suit with something resembling a bulb on top of their tall bodies. Then all of a sudden the bulb on the top flashed, it was too bright. I felt a red sensation even after closing my eyes involuntarily. Another figure came clambering towards me with an object resembling a stick. I opened my eyes and saw that the other figure looked familiar. Far too familiar. He said something and it seemed very much like Tamil. He was using the stick and hitting something that made a sharp metallic noise. I sat bolt upright and saw the bulb on the ceiling and the warden in front of me , with his stick hitting my metal cot.
"Ayndheri pa tambi..padikra narath le enna tuukon? "
It meant get the hell up, why are you sleeping when you have to study?
I got up and opened a book in front of me..What a dream that was...
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Cooked Up!!!!!
This is got to do with the kitchen cook...and what i am about to describe certainly isn't cooked up. I have been staying in this place for the past 8 months and I satisfied my stomach with the meals available in the canteen or restaurants, mess,etc.
But that didn't do my health any good and after suffering from what was suspected to be Typhoid, i decided to cook. I had obtained a gas connection, through a long drawn out process with the help of a colleague who is well versed with the local language.
I thought cooking would be exciting and fun. Something, perhaps just short of an adventure. Little did I know that every morning turn out to be something more than an adventurous exercise that climaxed into my Lunch.
I took cooking tips from home and attempted making food. The first day it was a swimming pool of rice , dal and potatoes from which i salvaged what was to be my Lunch. On the next day it was tamarind rice, short of masala. I was saved the punishment of eating all of my own food, as my married colleagues displayed philanthropy for bachelors like me. On the third day it was the carcass of carrots floating over the puddle of rice and dal.
And the last day of the week, I was short of time and, i didn't take any measurements with the masala, i just took something of this and something of that and fried it in the pan with broken pieces of bread, And guess what my colleagues appreciated it, It did come out well.
That felt good. So on Sunday, with a sense of pride and confidence i invited my senior colleague for Lunch. I called him up in the morning at around 10 and invited him. Since both of us didn't have breakfast, he said he'll be coming in about 1 and a half hours and I said okay to that.
I then went out to buy the vegetables. I spent a lot of time buying vegetables. I spent some more time on consulting the internet and asking my parents for the recipe for preparing 'dal' and potato curry. I was just about to start when the bell rang. I opened the door and saw my senior, who was anticipating a ready Lunch. But to his dismay i hadn't even started. It so happened that he did more of the cooking as he couldn't help coming to the kitchen and watch me cook. I think next time he'll make sure that i've cooked something and then come.
But that didn't do my health any good and after suffering from what was suspected to be Typhoid, i decided to cook. I had obtained a gas connection, through a long drawn out process with the help of a colleague who is well versed with the local language.
I thought cooking would be exciting and fun. Something, perhaps just short of an adventure. Little did I know that every morning turn out to be something more than an adventurous exercise that climaxed into my Lunch.
I took cooking tips from home and attempted making food. The first day it was a swimming pool of rice , dal and potatoes from which i salvaged what was to be my Lunch. On the next day it was tamarind rice, short of masala. I was saved the punishment of eating all of my own food, as my married colleagues displayed philanthropy for bachelors like me. On the third day it was the carcass of carrots floating over the puddle of rice and dal.
And the last day of the week, I was short of time and, i didn't take any measurements with the masala, i just took something of this and something of that and fried it in the pan with broken pieces of bread, And guess what my colleagues appreciated it, It did come out well.
That felt good. So on Sunday, with a sense of pride and confidence i invited my senior colleague for Lunch. I called him up in the morning at around 10 and invited him. Since both of us didn't have breakfast, he said he'll be coming in about 1 and a half hours and I said okay to that.
I then went out to buy the vegetables. I spent a lot of time buying vegetables. I spent some more time on consulting the internet and asking my parents for the recipe for preparing 'dal' and potato curry. I was just about to start when the bell rang. I opened the door and saw my senior, who was anticipating a ready Lunch. But to his dismay i hadn't even started. It so happened that he did more of the cooking as he couldn't help coming to the kitchen and watch me cook. I think next time he'll make sure that i've cooked something and then come.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Mysore to Mumbai and back
I have a tendency to describe my experiences while traveling, in my post. But it so happens that i find these journeys outside the domain of what would be termed 'uneventful'. I have to travel to Mumbai frequently. I undertake my journey using a bus. I am eligible for air travel, but due to paucity of funds (even in the DAE), I am forced to use an alternative means of transport, Bus being the next best mode of transport.
I went in a volvo bus and got an aisle seat. I thought i could read a book or do some other constructive thing such as falling asleep. Falling asleep is any day more constructive than what I am about to describe.
The bus left Mysore Bus stand at 1400 hrs. At 1415, i could see the conductor fiddling around with the DVD player. I could guess, that he was in the initial stages of arranging a source of entertainment. I was hoping that, he play movies in a language that i could understand. But alas! The TV screen showed letters that were like open circles with jalebis (no offense to the users of this language) .I couldn't make out what was written on the screen, but looking at the attentiveness of the co passengers, I could guess it was a Kannada movie. What else could they play in a State road transport bus. Then the babble went on and on. People all around were laughing and having a good time. I was trying my best to decipher the dialogues, but with very little success. This went on for 3 long hours. I was completely bored. i remembered my first day at college. The secretary and many of the other dignitaries came onto the dais and spoke in Ultra pure Tamil, since the 'noise' level wasn't very high i could take a nap. But that was seemingly impossible in this scenario.
After the movie, i was relieved. But that relief was short lived. The conductor loaded the disk tray with another round of indecipherable sentences. I was on the verge of becoming a lunatic, though i could make out the story. Maybe it was the story that drove me nuts [:P].
And at last, night came and the TV was silenced, and I went on to sleep. I got up many times in my sleep, due to the braking of the bus or some headlight penetrating the curtains through the sides.
I decided that while i return i would take a private bus, even if it meant that i had to travel to Bangalore and then to Mysore. A week later I boarded a Twin axle volvo bus that was more comfortable. Again the conductor opened the DVD tray and loaded something. I looked at the screen with anticipation and then when I saw YAsh raj films written on it, i was relieved that this babble i can understand.
But three movies in a row, that started to irritate me. I was totally bored and my head was in shambles too. I reached Mysore and decided that, next time i travel by train even if it be a 30 hour journey compared to the present 22 hr journey.
I went in a volvo bus and got an aisle seat. I thought i could read a book or do some other constructive thing such as falling asleep. Falling asleep is any day more constructive than what I am about to describe.
The bus left Mysore Bus stand at 1400 hrs. At 1415, i could see the conductor fiddling around with the DVD player. I could guess, that he was in the initial stages of arranging a source of entertainment. I was hoping that, he play movies in a language that i could understand. But alas! The TV screen showed letters that were like open circles with jalebis (no offense to the users of this language) .I couldn't make out what was written on the screen, but looking at the attentiveness of the co passengers, I could guess it was a Kannada movie. What else could they play in a State road transport bus. Then the babble went on and on. People all around were laughing and having a good time. I was trying my best to decipher the dialogues, but with very little success. This went on for 3 long hours. I was completely bored. i remembered my first day at college. The secretary and many of the other dignitaries came onto the dais and spoke in Ultra pure Tamil, since the 'noise' level wasn't very high i could take a nap. But that was seemingly impossible in this scenario.
After the movie, i was relieved. But that relief was short lived. The conductor loaded the disk tray with another round of indecipherable sentences. I was on the verge of becoming a lunatic, though i could make out the story. Maybe it was the story that drove me nuts [:P].
And at last, night came and the TV was silenced, and I went on to sleep. I got up many times in my sleep, due to the braking of the bus or some headlight penetrating the curtains through the sides.
I decided that while i return i would take a private bus, even if it meant that i had to travel to Bangalore and then to Mysore. A week later I boarded a Twin axle volvo bus that was more comfortable. Again the conductor opened the DVD tray and loaded something. I looked at the screen with anticipation and then when I saw YAsh raj films written on it, i was relieved that this babble i can understand.
But three movies in a row, that started to irritate me. I was totally bored and my head was in shambles too. I reached Mysore and decided that, next time i travel by train even if it be a 30 hour journey compared to the present 22 hr journey.
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