Lakshwadweep- The blue lagoon of India

Off the coasts of India, there are virgin, tiny parcels of lands that have emerged out of the waters and they tell stories of the vastness of the oceans, the might of  water, the spread of humanity, the treasures of aquatic life, the purity of nature, the mysteries of universe and the secrets behind the twinkling stars. To me at least!

From Mumbai to Cochin airport and from Cochin airport to Agatti island airport- the journey wasn't that long and yet once I set my foot at Agatti, after landing down at the thinnest airstrip that I have ever seen, the swaying palms around me, the balmy air and the crystal clear waters that surrounded us, told me that I have traveled a lifetime away.

After waiting for a while at Agatti, we quickly set off for Bangaram islands in a speed boat. And then I saw what I think was amongst the most mesmerizing sights that I had ever seen- the waters that were so clear that they revealed all the glories of their innards. Oh! the colourful coral reefs, the tortoises, the myriad hued fishes.

The blue lagoon cast its magic on me and I ain't forgetting it ever.

Here's the story:

                                                                     The air strip

                                                             The stormy waters

The map

'Bangaram' island 

                                                               
                                                                       The cottages

The sunrise from my cottage 

The clean, clear waters

                                                                 
                                                              Scuba-diving time

                                                             
                                                        Some more scuba-diving shots

                                                               The sun beckons

About us..

Come to think of it, you and I share a weird relationship Ms. blogs. I mean, I don't think of you all that often, but then some days there is this intensity of feelings, and I just wish to pour into you. You are silent and loyal reader. You just let me be. You hear me ramble, you hear me happy and you hear me sad.

You don't demand my time or attention and yet when I wish to come to you, you welcome me in your world. You are special in so many senses.

Very soon, I'll be an year older. I am a birthday person. Always have been. I love birthdays and specially my own. I love being reminded, being wished,  being thought about and I love all the attention that comes with birthdays.

This birthday, however is the first time, I am thinking about time- as an absolute entity. I feel very old when I think of all the wisdom I have seemingly acquired and I feel very young when I look in the mirror or when I think of all that I have to accomplish.

I think this is going to be a special birthday. I feel I am going to turn a cornerstone. Pretty soon, when the trees will shed their leaves, when the winter would be just around the corner and when the nights will start coming in a little earlier than usual, I think something will emerge for me too.

And then as always Ms. Blogs, I'll come to you. Maybe even sooner.

Amidst the mayhem..

Closer home, the 'Rupee' is caught in a free fall, the food security bill has just been passed, onion prices are still up, a girl has just been raped in the bylanes of Mumbai and another one is suffering at the hands of a godman in Gujarat.

I also hear that US is preparing to go to war against Syria, Egypt is still simmering, Arctic zone is greener than ever while just today the world is getting inspired by Martin Luther Kings's - "I have a dream" speech.

So amidst the mayhem, life continues. It is designed to be that way. And so while there is so much hatred, tensions, and issues that plague our world, let me take you to  another one. 

The world in which a wild elephant leisurely walks past me, where birds sit besides me and sing their melodies, where a troop of monkeys swing on the branches just outside my balcony, where the grass is the freshest shade of green, where each tree has a story to tell, and each passing cloud has time to come down and envelop me in all its morning glory, where the women of the village just go on their task of picking the tiny little tea leaves with their nimble fingers with a song on their lips and a smile on their face.

Such a world does exist. Up in the Nilgiris, in the not so faraway lands of Tamil Nadu, near the town of Connoor. Presenting the pristine landscape:
                                                 
                                                     The morning Sun

The multi-hued greens

At the end of all habitation, I meet the books. Happiness! @O'land plantation(Connoor)

The tree plantation

The bungalow nestled in the hills

The bungalow yet again

The clouds..

The beautiful creeper

@Kurumba Valley resort, Ooty

 @ Kurumba Valley Resort

 Toy train's route (Mettupalayam to Coonoor)

Poetry in motion

Stories defined me, even when I was 7 years old. Ya! I must have been seven then, when my father presented me my first ever hard bound book.

Oh! love at first site it was. I turned and re-turned all of its pages, I marvelled at its glossy paper, I looked at the pictures forever, and then thru' the nights, I read it. Every single night, for god knows how many nights, I just read it. There came a time, when I knew every single word by-heart. Every night as I would open the book, I would be transported, straight from lanes and bylanes of Jodhpur where I lived then, to icy-snowy lands, where people lighted up fire-places to keep themselves warm, and sipped on brandy and ginger-ale and ate cheese and made merry by dancing to folk-tunes in a language which I was just learning then.

It  was a story-book called 'Heidi' and like a true-blood first love, it has stayed with me forever.  I was addicted and read many-many more books in the years to come by. I became a Victorian princess fainting at the drop of a hat, a superwoman (/man) on a mission to save the world, an explorer navigating on high-seas,  a spy trying to unearth mysteries, a queen in the evil clutches of a ruthless king, a mistress having a passionate affair with her secret lover, and so much more, courtesy my books.

Today as I watched 'Lootera', I felt as if someone has taken me back to those times, when books were my eyes and books were my language. It was as if someone was reading poetry to me on the screen -lyrically, slowly, gently- just as it should be. I was back in the land where Heidi resides. She was speaking in slow whispers and through stolen glances, over cups of teas, in green grasslands and then at snowy high-lands. She was loved and betrayed and broken and amazed. She laughed and smiled, she got ill and survived. It is just as it should be, it was like I had just read a beautiful book....

Thank you for taking me back to where I belong- between the pages.........   

Mumbai, monsoons and magic

Monsoons have wrecked havoc in Uttrakhand and I am extremely saddened at the extent of destruction.

We humans live in a bubble, always believing that we are superior to nature and continue to use and abuse it any way we deem fit. Nature, in turn, only needs to raise its ferocious head and show mankind it's place. Ahh! if only we could learn our lessons and tread caution and show some love to nature's bounty,  we would have a harmonious existence.

I love water and the rains. When the skies are overcast, I love nothing more than a drive-out. And Mumbai anyways has a love affair with the waters. All one needs to do on a Sunday in Mumbai is step out and drive and believe me, few hundred kilometres outside of the city in any direction, there is heaven awaiting.

Don't believe me. Well, here is the photologue-

And the dark skies are threatening to burst any time 

 

The Vashishti, flows on

The manicured gardens in their fresh, vibrant hues

 

The newness of life- in shades of green

The hanging fruits

 

The flowers sing their own songs

 

The clouds descend

 

 The lushness

 

 

The arrival of rain drops

For Alice

In another world
  in a different lifetime
    we would open the doors to see rabbits scurrying past
      we would fall from the holes to enter the magical cast
         enacting in plays which would forever last

In another world
  In a different lifetime
    We would eat cakes and drink magical potions
       Sit with Mad hatter across the table
         and worry about the impending trials
      
In another world
 In a different lifetime
   We'd all be just another pack of cards...


        

Mad-u-right : Madurai

Today is your day miss blog! I have been having a lot of work-load which meant little time for you, but, I am your at your service for today.

Ok! Ok! honesty is the best policy. I mean, yeah I was busy, but I was also not exactly inspired to talk to you. Happens, right? And then, while rummaging through my drawer, I came across an old pen-drive. And when I plugged it in, I came across some stunning photographs of certain places visited, some lands discovered, few people befriended, and lots of memories unloaded. And then I felt very inspired to talk to you.

Lets unlock this treasure trove straight away:

     The trees speak to me with their swinging leaves

and the pretty hued bird prances peacefully through the nature's weaves

@Taj Madurai 

Even though the city is far removed from my native place

in umpteen ways it reminds of my childhood

And do you see what I see?

The roots becoming one with the branches-

This oneoness is what 'growth' is about



 

The thing about Taj Madurai is that it practically has a jungle of it's own

and this city girl fell in love with the forest and the woods..

 

The grand entrance

 

 

 If I could, I would

hold your hands and take you through the array of sweets

and thrust a piece in your mouth, as you smell the delicious smells

 

 The mess culture of Madurai is its best feature,

I have tried several famed placed in Mumbai for that authentic south indian flavors,

but alas! nothing has ever come even remotely close

 

 

The massive pillars whisper stories

of centuries passed by

of rulers they outlived

and listen to what I have to say

just so that they can pass them on to who ever cares to listen

@Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal-



 

Emperors and their love for thrones

 

On those foliated arches, do you spot Pegasus?

 

And here's some local food served on a 'thela'

 

The 'busyness' of life

 

Colors, people, vehicles- exploding 

 

Chaotic, bursting to its seams, loud, Indian- Markets of Madurai

 

@Meenakshi temple

While I explore and think about deep meanings

my little one enjoy..





and just behind the back of religion

commerce thrives

 

@the buzzing markets behind the Meenakshi temple

Faith and religion

beauty and light

moments and eternity

all interwined, all here