Goa Diaries - II

A big sorry to y'all folks for such an inordinate delay in returning with the Goa diaries. I've been really caught up, and am probably going to remain so for some time to come. But hey! Good news is that I've finally got a laptop and a decent Internet connection at my present location, so I now have the liberty to write whenever I like, from wherever I am. That's something to be upbeat about, now, isn't it?

Anyhow, coming back to the reason why I'm here today...ooh. Goa! I just sort of light up every time I think of that place and the visit that was. It's a lovely getaway from the sad, monotonous life we lead in the metro cities - away from ourselves, away from mother nature. It almost reminds me of Marx's theory of Alienation. But let's not get carried away.

The period from December to February is considered the best time to be in Goa, which is corroborated by the endless bucket loads of 'fun in the sun/frolicking on the beach' pictures that have been sprouting left, right and center on my Facebook newsfeed lately. Jeez, people! I was there too last month, and I had real fun. But my profile isn't overflowing with endless pictures of me in flowing skirts and beach hats, is it? Seriously, what's all that brouhaha about?

Nevertheless, continuing from where I left off in the previous post...

We touched down on a couple of beaches, Anjuna and Calangute to be precise, while on our way back from Aguada. It was the same everywhere - huge parties of scantily clad tourists taking sunbaths, locals strolling on the sands, youngsters going gaga over water scooters and paragliders - I was personally not too big on any of those.

The classic name-on-the-sands picture that I heard is mandatory to be taken if you're in Goa. Check.

Okay so that's one of my pics-on-the-beach. Let's for a second forget my previous tirade against them.

Here's another. Sorry, couldn't help. My blog, my say! :D

Coco-palm love!

Interestingly, I learnt from a local coconut seller that the luscious coconuts with the water and sweet kernel that are a favorite all around Goa aren't actually homegrown but brought in from Kerala. Clearly taken aback, I asked what use the native Goan coconuts were put to, only to be told that they were used as dry coconuts for cooking, making oil and other products. In fact coconut milk, coconut fiber, the leaves and even trunk of the palm are all put to good use by the natives in thatching homes, making canoes, hats, decorative material and baskets, and many more such products for domestic and commercial use. Above all, the world-renowned Goan liquor Feni (or Fenny), sold exclusively in Goa, is brewed from coconuts. Another variant is brewed from cashews too. It is inexpensive, exquisitely aromatic and ahem...quite potent.

Can't say for sure if that's Calangute or Anjuna Beach. Certainly one of the two - both were equally happening and crowded.

We didn't stay on any of these beaches for long, so that by the time the sun was beginning its downward journey, we had reached the point where the Santa Monica stood, waiting to take us on its much famed Sunset Cruise down Mandovi river.

The cruise on Mandovi river atop which we spent an evening beholding some Goan culture (and lots of drunken debauchery).

It would be a one hour cultural extravaganza, they said. There would be good food, they said. It'll be superb fun, they said. If only I had a penny for every broken promise, I'd have completed much of this trip for free. Sadly, in the name of culture, there were these 4 dancers who appeared onstage every 15 minutes, in a different costume every time, each more shabbily donned than the previous. They put up for us what were supposedly three of Goa's native dances. To me it looked nothing like dancing. It was more like they had been forced onto stage and told to move any way they liked. It was pretty disappointing. However, during the short breaks in which the dancers changed costume, the seemingly invisible emcee called random groups from amongst the audience onto the floor to shake a leg. It was almost hilarious, watching people put their funniest moves on display.

In the name of food, there was overpriced bhel and alcohol being sold by one of the most uptight and rude men I ever saw on the other side of a food stall. Even to ask for an extra plastic fork or a colder beverage made him furious. Needless to say, we went hungry. The lowest level on the boat was fashioned as a disco, but was overpopulated with drunk guys and couples oblivious to the world. The ordeal thankfully ended in less than an hour.

And thus our second day in Goa ended with us sitting on the porch of the guest house sipping coffee. Exhausted but cheerful. The beauty of Goa and the calmness of the sea seem to almost seep into your pores, making you contemplative and serene. Nothing is bothersome enough to distract you from the sheer beauty of nature anymore. Seriously, if you haven't been to Goa yet, it is never too late my friends. Take the plunge.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the retreating Delhi winters and the vibrant colors of spring. The gardeners around here are doing a wonderful job of keeping the campus beaming with the brightest of blooms. Life's beautiful, if not any less stressful.

Until I write again, ciao folks!

Goa Diaries - I

There's nothing quite like a holiday in the sun while your fellow cityfolk ice up in the deep freezer that Delhi has become this winter. It is mind-numbingly cold here, and I'm practically chilled to the bone while typing this out. Thanks to my lovely set of parents, however, I was lucky enough to get to enjoy some sunshine, twice too, in the last few weeks. December took us on a getaway to the magnificent mahals and colorful bazaars of Jaipur. And this month brought for us a beautiful sojourn down south, to Bombay and then Goa, far far away from even the mention of a cold day.

Bombay did not make as big an impression in my maiden visit as I had been hearing from all quarters that it would. Nevertheless, I leave out scope for it to grow on me with a couple more visits in future. It is different from Delhi in many respects, however, and the debate on which one is better shall forever go on and on. I have a lot to say on the subject too, but for that I've reserved an entirely different post (to follow soon).

Goa, on the contrary, was mesmerizing from the word go. It turned out to be more amazing than I had ever thought it would be. Abundantly laden coconut trees, luxurious in their bounty. Ceaseless beautiful beaches bathed in warm sunlight. Cool salty water that tingles every hair on your skin. It was a real treat to the senses.

We spent less than 4 days in Goa, so we could only cover some of the major attractions the place boasts of. A more thorough exploration of the state I have reserved for my next trip, with friends and not family this time. Goa is a visual delight, with much less to talk about and much more to see. In keeping with that, I'll be coming up with more pictures than words, letting the sights speak for themselves.

Our first day was spent recovering from the endless train travel and exploring the area around our guest house in Dabolim, very near to Goa International Airport. Interestingly, the airport has recently been refurbished and a majestic new terminal inaugurated only last month. The next day we set out, with summer hats and high spirits, to explore the Northern part of Goa, car and driver in tow.

I fell in love with the coconut palm the moment I saw one. Their presence just makes the skyline gorgeous!

We first visited Aguada Fort built by the Portuguese in the 17th century as a docking and watering place for ships. It is situated atop a hill, with a panoramic view of the vast Arabian Sea right below.

Iconic scenes from movies like Rang De Basanti and Dil Chahta Hai have been shot within this very fort. The view is to literally die for.

A walk around the fort grounds and some 50 photos later, we moved onto the Dolphin Cruise that moves from the beach down the hill. They take small groups of 10-12 on a motorboat, starting from the mouth of river Mandovi out into the Arabian Sea, where we look out for dolphins, seagulls and kingfishers, whichever and how-many-ever you can spot.

As we set out on the one-hour cruise, to the right we saw the hill that we had just been atop, with the Aguada Fort lighthouse visible in the distance. The guide pointed out the lower part of the Fort, which is still being used as a prison by the Goa State authorities. To be out on a boat with a bunch of strangers in an unknown place, with a prison housing drug peddlers and hardened criminals right in front of my eyes...eerie thought. Glad I escaped safely with only good memories of that boat ride.

Lower Aguada Fort, housing part of the Goa State Prison

Sunkissed and rather ecstatic, Yours Truly.

45 minutes of the cruise had gone past and none of us had yet spotted anything to make the dolphin cruise live up to its name. We were crestfallen, and stopped looking around even as the boatman started steering the vessel back towards the shore. On the way back, he had a word with another boat's guide (not a word of which we could understand) and steered the boat in the direction the guide pointed towards. Almost at the same time, all eyes and ears perked up as we heard the unmistakable sound of a dolphin's call, almost like a shrill whistle. And then they showed up - a pack of 4 dolphins playfully swimming in and out of the water in such perfectly alternating synchronisation, that only 2 of them were visible above the surface at a time. They moved like a wave of grey matter, with snouts and a slippery, rubbery exterior. They frolicked and whistled, disappearing from sight and then reappearing. It was a sight to behold! I captured it all on video, though it was too large in size to be uploaded here (might upload it on YouTube sometime and reproduce the link here).

A rare picture of a stealthy little dolphin I somehow managed to capture.

White seagulls taking off of the water. Bad picture I know, but the actual sight was amazing.

The beautiful blue waters with land only at a great distance set many a pulse racing.

A medieval era fort, a boat cruise out on the sea and a tête-à-tête with a pod of dolphins - and the day had only just started. There was more to follow. Till the next time I write, go plan a Goa holiday, you! It's peak season, and I'm sure you're somewhat titillated already. ;)

Rail Gaadi

I sit on the top berth of an express train, lightly rocking back and forth to its rhythm, oddly reminded of the classic Ashok Kumar track that gives this post its title. The train winds its way to, um...who cares where it's going? It has different destinations for different people. But for me it moves in synch with my heart beat.

I've always been a hopeless lover of train travel. It is an almost childlike obsession. Everything about a train journey makes my innards launch into a series of overjoyed flips. The chug chug of the engine. The deafening blast of the siren announcing departures and arrivals, sending people into a flurry of panicked activity every time. Coolies in red, spilling in and out of the platforms, lugging impossible amounts of baggage on every possible body part they can. Hapless squatters scattered around the platform, destitute but purposeful. The feeling one gets as the train starts moving slowly out of the station, flanked by happy and sad goodbyes on both sides, inside and out. The feeling of leaving your home behind in pursuit of a new place, for every city, no matter how often visited, holds the charm of an entirely new place for me.

All you ever got to do on a train journey is eat, sleep, look out the window and maybe read a book or magazine, or play games. I'm not one for striking up lengthy conversations with copassengers, unless someone REALLY interesting happens to sit beside me (which rarely ever happens to me, alas). I once made friends with a Russian student on board a train to Pune. It was quite coincidental that I was a national level chess player back then, so we had something to talk about. That was as far as I went, though, in being adventurous or forthcoming on a train. Otherwise, it is just the window, a good book and I, happy and content in each other's company.

I've taken along Jeet Thayil's famed Narcopolis to read.

An appreciative note about the Rajdhani express also deserves mention here. It may not be the Japanese superfast Maglev, but it is cool nevertheless, and fast. Real fast. We'd already crossed the borders of 3 States within 2 hours of setting foot on the train

Anyhow, it's getting livelier in here as people are getting up and coffee is being served. Yum. It's about time I got down and about with my routine of eat-read-look out the window all over again. Ah, the joys of a carefree train ride. I wish it could go on and on, and on.


[This post was written on a train 2 days ago, but owing to poor network connectivity, I couldn't upload it right then. So here's reproducing it, as is. Pardon the poor formatting please, mobile blogging isn't as much a piece of cake as it's hyped to be. Will be back with another post very soon. Stay hooked!]

Nostalgia

As she appeared across the lawn out of nowhere, I stood there transfixed. She was a picture of beauty. A shadow fell on her face, making it impossible to decipher her expression. I kept wondering if she saw me. I was enraptured. What was it about her that made her so enchanting to everyone she met? She was like a magic spell - surreal, but potent. I could never completely understand her. She was an enigma to me.

How Ananya made inroads into my life and my heart in so less a time, I could never fathom. I would tell her everything I ever had on my mind; she would listen patiently to my talks. She was the eyes into my soul; she knew more of me than I knew myself. My earnest observation of her was a major source of my understanding of her thoughts and personality, as she'd never give out much on her own. I observed everything she did or said, for every action of hers had a reason behind it, every word of hers well-founded. We would talk endlessly on almost everything under the sun. We would agree on some points, argue on some other. But I would ultimately quit arguing, because one could almost never win over her. She always had the last word. Not that I ever complained. She broke into an innocent giggle every time I put in my guns. To beget even that little smile meant the world to me, and more.

She was a ray of morning sunshine on the horizon; a real delight to be with. There was an aura of happiness, wholesomeness and contentment about her that lured everybody into its grasp. She could turn all my worries into nothing, and amplify the joys manifold. There was an inexplicable look of satisfaction on her face – to me it seemed like that of knowing everything yet revealing little. She could always tell what I had on my mind, but would never make me uncomfortable with unnecessary prying and prodding. But surprisingly, more often than not, I'd find myself bound to tell her all my travails, as if she had a magnetic grip on my mind. She would understand everything I told her, and would follow it up with such careful and sound advice, as would make me feel like my problems never really were of any consequence. Such was her effect on me that it sometimes baffled me into believing she practiced black magic. But like I said, I never really understood her. I just revered her for all that she was.

Her eyes constantly lived in a dream. Her words went far deeper than they would appear to the listener’s mind. Her exquisite face was a brilliant cover for her true thoughts and feelings. But her clear hazel eyes revealed what her words never did. She always hid her pain and sorrows behind her perpetual smile and joyful demeanour. To anyone else, she would seem not to have a single unhappy bone in her body. But I saw through her layers. On normal days, she'd have a splendid countenance. There was a ring to her voice, a shine to her smile and a rhyme to her actions. She would sing and dance her way through work, and recount the day’s events to me with full spirit at the end of the day. On such days, I felt such a rush of happiness and contentment through my veins that I could die of it and still not mind. But she had her dark days too, and it took every last drop of patience in my body to get through those. She’d brood over every single thing, take offense on anything even remotely untoward, and in general present a picture of utter dissatisfaction with life, very unlike her true self. It was of such days that I was dead scared. She formed the very thread of my existence; I could never bear to see her out of sorts. I would try my best to pacify her, mellow down her moods, try to figure out her wishes and fulfil them as best as I could. Yet I feel I managed to do a very poor job of it in the end. It was a gargantuan task to assimilate her, yet totally unthinkable not having her as a part of my life. What would I ever do without her? I'd always shudder at the thought.

*

Sunrays seep in through the partially open window, falling in a slant on the little one sprawled on the floor, busy playing with her crayons. The sight reminds me of her mother's childlike love for new stationery. She walks up purposefully and thrusts her sketch book into my face, her hazel eyes revealing that 'look' she knows all too well I can never refuse to. Her earnest exuberance is infectious. I smile through moist eyes.

Ananya's absence is a void in my heart that time can only attempt to fill. She lit up every day of my life for as long as she breathed; twilight or dawn, she never left my side. She did not let me be alone even in her wake, leaving behind a tiny little bundle of joy to light up my days and warm my cold heart. The little one is a splitting image of her beautiful mother, and equally full of life and energy; I cannot look at her lovely face without pangs of nostalgia tugging at my heart. All of a sudden I'm back in that moment when I first saw her across the lawn. That was when I first felt love. And the feeling still survives.

I envelop our little angel in my arms and rock her to sleep.

~

[As some of my readers may have noticed, this is an edited, refurbished version of my earlier fiction piece Eyes to My Soul, the first in a series of five, but with a different plot and context. I submitted this version as my entry for a fiction story contest some months back, with the theme 'Nostalgia'. Thought of posting it here as well now!]

Book Review: English Bites! - Manish Gupta

It feels awkward to return to writing after more than four months and not have anything very insightful to share. I've been working just too hard and spending too less of a time on anything else, so the creative juices have almost stopped flowing. But I shall make a comeback - very soon.

Right now, I am reviewing a book that the author was so kind as to send across to me a long while back, and thankfully also has been very accommodating in letting me have my time in reading and reviewing it.

English Bites! My Fullproof English Learning Formula by Manish Gupta (a smooth-talking banker, in his own words) is not your run-of-the-mill fictional novel or a biography or an auto-biography. It's an honest attempt at making the English language more accessible and interesting to anyone who has difficulty learning it or who needs to brush up his/her English for competitive examinations like the GRE and GMAT. A latent function the book also very conveniently serves is of helping seasoned English speakers brush up their vocabulary and learn the etymologies of and relations between various words.

English Bites is primarily an attempt to make English learning an interesting and exciting exercise, and not something that one is compelled to do out of sheer need. Through his own life story - starting off from his schooling in the vernacular medium and gradually charting his years of painstaking effort at mastering the language - the author has embedded difficult and commonly misunderstood words throughout the narrative and mentioned their meanings and examples in the footnotes for easy reference of the readers. He has thus invented a fun way of helping those with the least interest or perceived aptitude for English, to start taking interest and find it more and more easy and do-able as they flip through the pages. He has written the book in the form of an account and thrown in many instances and anecdotes that amuse the reader and also drive home his point in many cases.

The author has touched upon almost all the techniques and tricks that can be used to get better at the language - Mnemonics, etymological approach, relating words to anecdotes and so on. Ever so often, suitable illustrations have been added to prep up the tale a bit. When you pick up the book and go through the first 40-50 pages, you might think it isn't going to be a read worth your time. I made the same preconceived judgment. It stems from the fact that the author is initially warming up the reader to the rationale and process behind the conception of the book. It can be a bit boring, agreed. But it gets really interesting a little farther into the book. My copy is actually full of pages that I've earmarked for giving another glance or two later.

The book is also a very interesting take on the idiosyncrasies and vagaries of the ever-elusive English language. He describes funny English tools, like Amphibiology (totally unrelated to amphibians or biology - it implies the ambiguous use of grammar) and a whole list of oxymorons used in everyday conversation. The author also frequently gives out English trivia that is great to know. For example, very few of us would have known that the word 'serendipity' is actually derived from 'Swaran Dweep', the Sanskrit name given to Sri Lanka upon its discovery.

Halfway into the book, I sadly realized that even I am not as much an expert at the language as I had so far imagined. Many of the words mentioned in the book and their varying usages quite befuddled me. But then it dawned upon me - most of the extra-difficult words are directed chiefly towards the CAT/GRE/GMAT/XAT aspirants and are of little, if any, use in everyday English conversations or the average written material, so I did not try hard to memorize any of the high-flying words that sounded alien. But many of the subjects touched upon in English Bites have enriched my understanding of the English language, as also my vocabulary, and general knowledge.

It is humanly impossible to be perfect in your first attempt at doing anything, writing being no exception, and there are indeed some areas where the book could have been better. The initial 50-60 pages could definitely use some revision to make them more appealing, for I'm convinced they could end up being a reason why people keep the book down, unfinished. There could also be a wider coverage of topics and types of words - although no one book can do enough justice to a language, especially with a vocabulary as vast as that of English. The first half of the book is slightly more interesting than the second, which could be boring for some. The narrating style could also be more informal and less professional in order to connect better with the targeted audience.

All in all, I'd give a 3 on 5 to English Bites! Published by Penguin Books, the book is priced at rupees 250. It is definitely a good pick for anyone interested in enriching their English vocabulary and verbal ability, though not so much for someone who's just starting out at learning it. It would be advisable to rather pick up a basic grammar book and work your way upwards.

Freeze your senses!

I return to writing today, after about 3 weeks, with something entirely new - a product review aside from books - a first for this blog.

Wrapped in resplendence - black velvet cushioning et al.

The other day, courtesy BlogAdda, I received two beautifully wrapped, royally presented little cases of ITC's newest offering in the confectionery segment - mint-o Ultramintz. It's supposed to be an extra strong sugar-free mint, one of its kind currently in the Indian market. It comes in a sleek little tin case, black in color, containing 60 little pearly-white pellets. The pack is really impressive to look at. So much so that I've been carrying it around with me everywhere just to show off.
Just kidding. (Or maybe not?)

The mint boasts of having been made from the finest quality menthol and special peppermint oils from France. I don't know about all that, but the mint surely blew my mind. It lives up to all the claims of its makers - it is super minty and strong. And do not be fooled by the tiny size of the pellets - they are power packed enough to freeze the insides of your mouth (in a good way though). And it is absolutely zero sugar, which is an added advantage for someone (read: me) who's lately been gaining weight by the second.

I've never been a fan of mints in general, and especially so since there is hardly any choice in the market in this segment and none of those existing have impressed me so far. I have thus been more of the chewing gum kind, that too on and off. But Ultramintz seems to have me hooked now. I can't seem to get enough of it. I carry it with me all the time, pop a pellet now and then between oodles of studies (phew!), and offer it to whoever it is I'm with at the moment. And take my word, not one person I've offered it to so far has been neutral to its effect. Everyone is like, "This is actually good! What is it? Show me!" and they take the elegant little box in their hands, turn it around a couple of times and usually go, "Sahi packing hai yaar! Where did you get it from?" And they're henceforth hooked. Too.

I'm pretty certain I have single-handedly managed to create a sizable market for this product. You see, if I like something and I find it worth a shot, I can be very persuasive in its advocacy. I generally do not promote products blindly on my blog, for I consider this space extremely sacred and anything I write here has to be well-founded and worthy enough. But I strongly recommend this mint as something to be tried at least once. Not because I got it for free, but because I am already over with my box and going to buy another one from the market.

Mint-o Ultramintz is available in packs of 60 pellets, priced at INR 50. It is an experience truly worth having.

I am reviewing mint-o Ultramintz as a part of the Product Reviews Program at BlogAdda.

Heart to heart

It's been raining, and I'm in a philosophical mood. Or maybe I'm just hungry and high on coffee. So I'm going to be straightforward and sentimental in this post.

I'm right now at a juncture in life where all my preconceived plans and thoughts have given way to a new lifestyle, which is a far cry from what my peers are experiencing, and who knows even I might have, if I had chosen a more conventional path. But I did not, and that has made all the difference.

Life has changed course, moving away from mobile antenna and fiber optic communications, towards economics, polity, environment and history. Poverty alleviation, land reforms, disaster management, good governance and historical revolutions consume my thoughts and my hours now. And I have to say I am loving every moment of it. These are things that I've always been really curious about in life. History, especially, has always fascinated me, and it does so till date. Being an engineer, I knew next to nothing about economics (no offence to those engineers who know their SLRs from their CRRs - most don't) and had kept a well-meaning distance from politics. But it's all changed now. I'm learning new things, relishing every bit of knowledge, and trying to retain all I can.

But it's an uphill task, and just enjoying the process is not going to lead me anywhere. Constant practice, 10-12 hours of meaningful studies a day and full focus are what they say is necessary. I cannot disagree - too new to the field, cannot assume much on my own. But anyhow, you get the picture I hope. So I have a whole lot to work upon if I am to have even the slightest chance at cracking the exam of the highest level in the country. (As a first step, I uninstalled Whatsapp and many other apps from my phone last night, in order to minimize distraction. Sigh.)

Aside from that, I render sincere apologies to my readers - I shall be writing here much less often for some months, for the sheer lack of time makes it imperative that I utilize my time writing stuff related to my field, if at all I write. For that purpose I have started a new blog, to make for some healthy debates and commenting on real world issues, trivia and anything that I feel needs to be shared or talked about. I hope my readers would pay a visit once (and over and over again, pleasepleaseplease!).

The Proletariat Speaketh

Do leave a comment here, or on the other blog, telling me your opinion (on anything at all - even the weather would do). I've been missing meaningful interactions with my readers for a long time - I am in dire need of some intellectual and encouraging conversation.

And I just realized there was nothing sentimental or philosophical about this post, only straightforward from the heart. Drat.