So long..

Times of change. My rants, raves, musings , brickbats and all the rest will continue here.

Going..going…gone ! :)

Howniceitmustbe..

to experience the towns of Karnataka from the confines of an opulent railway coach ;-)

Look into my eyes..

A little girl on the street. [Old shot, did the BW conv today]

Combing God’s Own Country in search of the Gods – II

[Earlier post from the the trip here] 

From foggy Wayanad we descend down to Calicut – the change in weather indicating the change in altitude quite perceptibly. By the time we arrive at Calicut, the sun is quite high in the sky. Indicates smouldering sand at the beach. Shade of a hotel room is a wiser option. Usually afternoons and late evenings during a trip are reading hours – for a good reason. In anticipation of a trip to Hampi the subsequent weekend, I take to a book on Vijayanagara history. My friend is on the cot too, with her back turned. By the tilt of her head, I can tell she is negotiating between siesta and a book – eyes half shut.

The place we presently stay at Calicut has all indications of a yesteryear mansion – A high ceiling, reinforced with thick wooden planks, thick walls, bakelite switches, tall heavy carved wooden doors that cost a fortune at today’s prices, a sit-out that faces the beach. Looking through the window the first thing one notices about the beach road is the long, clean pedestrian walkway – something I did not really expect. And unlike the notorious Marina beach, this one does not announce it’s presence by appealing to your olfactory senses a mile away! After the restful afternoon, by fourish in the evening, we are ready and eager to head towards the Kappad beach (of the Vasco da Gama fame). The road to Kappad beach makes for a decent evening drive with the beach always in sight to your left until you turn left into what seems to be an unassuming bylane that meanders for about 3-4 kilometers before ending at the Kappad beach. This long and winding road is dotted with  Kerala Tourism ads, banners announcing Ayurveda massages, CPI(M) posters and even a 6 foot high poster that pledges allegiance to Saddam Hussein ! A unique place this Kerala – where one sees mass support for anything  and anyone – ranging from Che to Karl Marx to Saddam Hussein ;)

For a supposedly calm beach out of town, the Kappad beach attracts quite a bit of crowd. Whether it was a long-weekend crowd or just the plain travel luck I usually carry with me ;), I cannot tell – but carloads and coupla bus loads of people keep the beach screaming with activity for the next two hours. My friends finds a coconut tree near the Kappad Beach Resort to settle and I walk further down for half a kilometer and find my space on the rock near the shore. As the sun goes down, the activity and noise on the beach subsides too. As the moon tentatively makes it’s comeback, the tides rise. We stroll along the beach in the calmness until darkness descends and get back to the car to haul ourselves back into town. 

Need to set out early to Kannur in search of Theyyams. Enough reason to hit the sack early.

Driving through the pleasent morning into a good part of the afternoon, we reach Parassininkadavu – where we’d stay that night. The Parassininkadavu temple itself is popular for it’s daily Muthappan theyyam. A few strange things about the Muthappan temple at Parassini:
1/ Dogs are permitted inside the temple ! The first time I saw one entering, I was pretty sure the animal would get the boot within seconds. But to my surprise, it walked in along with a pal and assumed it’s rightful place inside the temple !!
2/ Something that I learnt much later is that liquor , mostly a local brew, is served at the temple ! Some motivation that to visit the temple ! ;)

[Edit] 3/ And the prasadam with fish in it !!

The evening vallattam at Parassini was’nt visually captivating, not even close to what I’d see at Muyyam the subsequent morning.

Drink l’chaim, to life!

As I sat making plans on life galore,
It slowly creeps up on me once more and whispers ‘Hello’.
I wondered on the years I’ve been allotted by chance,
I guess I’m done with about three-eighth of the dance.

And all these years I’ve done many things
Through yearning and learning, I’ve acquired many wings.
But it is of the years that remain I care the most,
On that note, shall I raise a toast ?

PS: [For the nice ones who brought in stuff] I’m glad, you did gift. Coz based on that, I sift :-)

So long and thanks for all the fish

The old order changeth , making way for new.

Time for more travels, more writing, more reading, more photography, more mindless stuff. The much awaited sabbatical is finally here. yay! [Does cartwheel]

I’ll be on my way

The sun is fading away, that is the end of the day.

No brownie points for guessing what I’ve been listening to (too much), lately :-p

[Atop Hemakuta hill, Hampi]

Arise, awake..

Picture yourself..

Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees, and marmalade skies..
- Lennon/McCartney

Stop. Picture that first ;)

[Shot at Parassini, Kerala]

This is probably such a cliche of a shot, but invokes memories of that silent evening sunset along the river, followed by an almost-full-moon night. The river scene is quite nice when the moonlight falls on it. The place is quite a setting for the Parassinikkadavu temple!

Money, money, money..

Does money buy you happiness? ‘It cannot buy you happiness,’ he said. ‘Some independence, yes.’

The calculated relevance of money.

[The quote itself is from an interview excerpt of Roman Abramovich , sent by a friend]