Maldives - Heaven on Earth

Expectations are always satisfied in this land. The first impression Maldives starts to create on one would get better every minute and would capture one's heart in a way that moving outside this piece of land(s) become impossible.

Maldives, officially called as the republic of Maldives is a country made of 26 atolls (atoll is similar to state which has a group of nearby islands within its control). The flight lands in the international airport giving us the feeling of landing in the middle of the blue ocean. Yes when a complete island is designed and transfored into a airport that is exactly anyone would think. A ferri (10Rufia or $1) would take the passengers to the closest and maybe one of the largest island -Male-the capital of Maldives.

Male in a distance has a power generating site, few schools, foodball ground and groups of well designed and similarlly brightly coloured houses/buildings constructed in a well designed manner. Male is the land where we can find humans from every part of this world along with the localites.

With more than 1190 islands, it is natural to have many islands which are uninhabited while many other inhabited only with the local population.  But there are a number of islands which are bought and maintained solely for tourism purpose. Those islands are the heaven (but a little costly one for Indians) on Earth.

Kurumathi - Where I got to stay

Any person who loves water and related activities CANNOT leave Maldives. Be it swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, catamaram sailing, banana riding, water skiing, snorkelling, surfing etc (the list goes on and on), Maldives is an ideal choice. With swimming pool, spa, drinks, beach and the weather which is neither hot nor cool and greenary everywhere we see, those islands relaxes our mind and soul.

As a tourist to Maldives the must do things list would surely include the stay in one of these for tourist islands, a visit to the corresponding longue in the airport and the backyard view from the same, a walk on the beach covering the entire island stretch, lazying out in the beach sand that doesn't stick to our body and all the excursions which include fishing, boating at sunset in kattamara, visit to local islands etc.

And don't get surprised if you come across Hindus in this Muslim land. If you do then you can be sure that they would speak in Malayalam. Yes, there are many Malayalis in there for community service working in school, computer centre and hospital. The local islanders have a decent living with little more than the basic necessities.

Our room view (picture from internet)

Do take the camera, loads of casual cloths(smaller ones the better :p), sports stuffs (like cricket/shuttle bats etc), torch, umbrella, swim wears, surfing and snorkelling equipments.

If possible a day-time trip to a desert island or to the corner most point in one of those tourist island (where there are no buildings or any normal people dwelling) will give an experience of its own. The raw, unspoilt vegetation surrounded by blinding beaches and dazzling sunbeam-lined waters are like a phantasm; everything feels imagined, and you are the only person in this beautiful universe.

Maldives - one lifetime and one pair of eyes is not enough to look around this land(s).

Europe tour - final part

Part 1 || Part 2

The next day was supposed to be travel day. We had to pack all our luggage, say bye to Swiss and start towards France along with our Coach captain (Driver) and Raja (our tour guide). It was 9 hours journey to Paris. The journey included introducing everyone by themselves standing near the driver's seat followed by singing a song etc. Some personal questions were involved and it was really fun except when my chance came. :P Then 'Rab ne banadi jodi' was been shown followed by 'My name is Khan" the second half alone. Nothing was much interesting in that journey except the stop for lunch when we saw Lamborghini standing in the parking lot. We took so many photos that at one point the owner of the care came running, took the car and went off :p

When we entered Paris first thing I noticed was the football stadium wherein France won the 2008 World cup. I also noticed Graffiti on every single wall and building in that city. It was exactly similar to movie posters stuck everywhere in here.

It was rest for the rest of the day and the next day started with a big schedule ahead. We first went to Concorde square which had 8 angels named Bordeaux, Nantes, Brest, Rouen, Strasbourg, Lille, Lyon and Marseille guarding its sides and Luxor Obelisk in its centre. This was stolen/ captured by French from Egypt. The other piece of it which looks very similar to this is still in Egypt. From there we could see a clear view of Eiffel tower. Then we went to L'arc De Triomphe, the entrance like monument which had every single war Alexander had fought and also the men who lost their lives in those wars. There were hundreds of steps to climb in the monument and it needed the tickets booked well in advance (around a year before). 

Then we visited the 2nd costliest street in the world. It was lined up on either side by the top rated branded shops Followed by Louvre Museum. Our coach captain managed to take the bus inside a very small route and we clapped for him. We saw the glass pyramid and I felt like reading a Dan Brown's novel then. We also saw the Alexander Bridge which was built to represent France-Russia alliance. The whole bridge was constructed using a single steel pane by Eiffel. From the bridge we could see the two museums called big museum in the left and small museum in the right.

Our next destination was army museum which also had the tomb of Napoleon. This is the place where Napoleon’s dead body was buried and kept. Then we moved to see Eiffel tower. We were lucky to see a wedding which happened exactly below the Eiffel tower. And after 3 hours wait in the queue we got the chance to enter the lift and go visit the 2nd floor and 3rd floor of Eiffel tower and Paris's view from there. It was amazing.

Everyone's favorite was Swiss but to me it was/is and will always be Paris. It is a romantic city. There is love everywhere. The way couples care for each other is so cute. It will make anyone long for such a relationship in their life. Love ebbs and flows at all corners. You can see 70 years old people kissing each other on the road. And it is kind of a unwritten rule that every couple hold each other's hand and walk. The sweet cuddles just make you wonder is it even possible to stay so happy in relationships. Touch wood :) This love (though I have seen many other countries, I felt it was more of lust and mere public displays of affection but the feel Paris gave was different) was definitely one of its kind.

We had our dinner in an Indian restaurant in Paris and then we went for a ride in Cruise. The city was bright even when the time was 10. Exactly at 10.00PM when we neared Eiffel tower, the lights were switched on in the tower and it glittered. The sight was awesome. No words could describe its beauty. 

The next day was the visit to Disney land. We marked the important rides to be covered. Though we couldn't make it to most of it, every single ride we went is worth the cost (56 Euros). The same day we had to catch our flights and we went directly to airport from Disney land only to know that Air India cancelled the flights yet again. We were given accommodation in Ibis hotel for a night and we went from airport to the hotel by train. That felt like a theme park ride, the train was too fast, faster than the Singapore, Delhi metros. 

Few things worth mentioning are 1) Raja- our tour guide who was extremely efficient and has been to aroud 44 countries till date. 2) Lakshmi - The kid in our whole group (8th std) who ended up having a very big fan base 3) Ibis bathroom - It was built in such a way that people wouls suffocate and die if they enter it THAT small it was. 4) European people- They are rude, too rude. 

With that it was the end of my Europe trip :)

Europe tour -Part 2

Part 1 || Part 3

It was morning and then I realized am in my dream destination - Switzerland. I just wanted to remember and cherish every second of my stay in there. The day's tour started at 9.30 AM after a quick breakfast. It was to Mount Titlis. We had so many procedures to be done. Initially we had to get in a Kandola which had a maximum capacity of 6. We were instructed not to get down at its first stop. The second stop was our destination. But no, it was not the final one. Then we had to take a lift. 5th floor was where we were asked to go. And when we entered the 5th floor it was all white. We could see the ice covered mountains. But the first thing which fell on my eyes was the DDLJ cut out of SRK and Kajol. 'wow'. 

 A white carpet was also put on the ice to make it easier to walk over it. I was the only person who wasn't wearing a sweater/pull over or anything of that sort. But yes I did wear leather gloves so that I could play with the ice. I climbed up the mountain all alone and touched the peak. I learnt how to walk in ice with ease. It was very simple, just push your front foot first and then place your heel down, simple. I also managed to slide and play with the ice. It was an awesome experience. 

Everything about Swiss was good. It was definitely a treat to viewer's eyes. We were taken to a place called the 'Dying lion'. Initially we made fun of the name and were laughing but when we saw that sculpture it was surely a heart touching feeling. It was like the lion actually cries to you in pain. It had Swiss flag and sword in its hand and was pierced by a knife. We were explained that the brave lion depicts Swiss army soldiers who died in the war. 

Then we were given 3 hours free time to roam around and do shopping. We roamed around an hour and a half. The bridge over there was one of the oldest made of wood and it was decorated with colorful flowering plants on its either sides. There were so many swans in that river and they weren't afraid to come really close to humans. It was an amazing place. And the cloths were decently priced. The only thing I felt was worth the money in there.

So it was a bye to Luzern and we started back. We were taken to 'Flavors of India' an Indian restaurant. We reached there by 7.00PM. The food was excellent. The person who was running the restaurant was Indians who settled in Swiss for past 33 years. Then we started back to our Hotel 'Radisson Blu' and it was a good night  

The next day 22nd June, was a tour around Bern with a tour guide. I always like walking tours with tour guides, we get to know so many information about the place - mostly truthful, some dramatic (made up ones) but either way it feels good to listen to them.

So the day started at 9 and we reached Bern around 10.30AM. There was a big well like area near the place we got down. When we peeped into it, we found bears. Yes! Real bears were kept in a pit at the middle of the city. That place was called the bear-pit and it was present there because it explains the city's name 'Bern' which means bear.

We saw the Bern Cathedral which was constructed in 15th century. It was initially built by Catholics then was turned to protestants' church and then it was restructured and now it is a cathedral. The left side is for devil and the right side is for Angels. Mary Madeleine is in the centre and Jesus at the top. It is a very beautiful piece of architecture. There was a stone bench left to this and we were said that Aishwarya Rai sat on that during one shooting in Swiss.

We also saw the Einstein's museum. It is actually Einstein's house (he lived in the 3rd floor of that building) which was later converted into his museum. It was the place, theory of relativity was written. We also saw the old clock when it struck 12. It was kind of a play. 3 minutes before the old clock struck 12, a golden hen comes out and goes back in. Then at 12, the little statues at the top start moving and it looked beautiful. We also saw the prison tower, local parks and lakes. It was said to us that the lower houses belong to lower community and the houses at the higher level belongs to upper community in olden days. 

It was 6PM, time for our dinner. We went to another Indian restaurant had good dinner and were back to Hotel. It was good bye to Swiss the next day.

Europe tour - part 1

Part 2

Will you people accept if I say it was a really sudden plan? But well yes it was. I was in Madurai, when I was sent a post and was asked to sign some papers. And then I was back on 18th and came to know my visa was ready and I'd be flying to Europe the very next day. But thanks to Air India who managed to give me one more day to pack. My flight got rescheduled thrice and at last I boarded the early morning 6.30 connecting flight which was to Delhi. And then from there to Frankfurt was a 9 hours journey after few hours break.

I had early morning breakfast, morning breakfast, lunch, dinner, read one novel and watched 2 movies by the time I reached Frankfurt. I was extremely tired and I hardly remember being in Germany. All I remember now is getting down from the flight, just exchanging few 'hi's and boarding the tour bus. I vaguely remember noticing many other prople in the Delhi airport having a bag which had the name of our travel agent on it but nothing struck my tired brain till the next day.

I was directly taken to a hotel and were allowed to refresh. At 9.00AM the same day after breakfast we all (all those people who had that travel agent named bags) boarded the same bus and went for sightseeing. We crossed the black forest and saw the skiing paths which were mostly used by professional skiers during winter and the amazing Germany weather. By the time we reached a river it was 4.00PM. I was extremely hungry and all I could do was to open the lunch packets and have it. Thanks to the Bangladeshi uncle who had packed Puliogarai for us. Only then I remembered I was there to enjoy. It took approximately 2 hours to travel from one city to another. So our next destination was reached (Hindenburg) and we spent close to an hour there. The bridge over there was old and beautiful and had an amazing view of a waterfall. There was a guitarist on the bridge who was playing a soothing song. The bridge was made in wood and the waterfall though small looked very clean and amazing. There was a small hillock which was seperating the waterfall into two and there was a small wooden house (view point) on that hillock. One of the worth visiting place it was. Then we started to Swiss.

I was dying of hunger then and it was really chill. One thing to be noted about Germany is it weather. It was cool in the early morning. Then it was extremely sunny when we reached the river/ lake. Then it was cool again. Then around 5.00PM it started drizzling. And then suddenly it was little warm after an hour. The change was really rapid. And another thing to be noted was the vehicles. One could see BMW, BENZ, Citroen, Audi cars and service centers everywhere.

So we reached Swiss around 8.30PM and we were directly taken for dinner. Just before dinner we were welcomed with a flag ceremony. 3 old men, 2 with Swiss flags and one with a very loooooooong wind instrument (I have no idea what it is called as ) stood in front of us. In that shivering cold night, the old men with the flags started throwing it and catching and taking it under the leg and above their head and were dancing. I was shocked. Come on it is a national flag. And one of the old men even put it down once and the flag got caught in his leg the other time while he was performing the flag ceremony. Then we were allowed to take pics along with them. The time was 9.00PM but it looked like 4.00PM in India. So much light was there. And then we were taken in for dinner.

I felt thank god now I can eat. But someone kept soonyam to my thoughts :'( As it was the first day in Germany along with the entire crowd (similar bag gang), to know each other and to enjoy well a 'Gala Dinner' was arranged which included soft drinks, hot drinks along with a DJ party. I was feeling like Tom as in Tom and Jerry who used to keep match sticks to prevent his eyes drooping and one family (whom we later nicked named as thanni) had beer (dad, mom, 2 sons) and were dancing, dancing and dancing to Hindi songs. It was also said to us that food will be served AFTER the party gets over. 

When I finally got hold of a knife and was about to become a murderer, God showed mercy on me and the party was made to come to an end by our tour guide (mavane illati avan than 1st bali... chumma aadu aadu nu saavadichittu irunthan paavi). I hardly remember what happened next. I woke up on a soft bed in a beautiful hotel room the next day morning (Thanks to the 7.00AM wakeup call from the reception). The second I woke up I started believing in magic. And if it’s not magic it’s amazing to know that I guess I did manage to eat, get in the bus and later back to the hotel and then to the bed.

The land of cute boys

Varanasi, Kasi, Banaras - The land known for its purity, the land known for its silk sarees and the land called as the oldest city in India is famous for something else what only girls know. It is the land of cute boys. Cute/smart/Sexy - call it however you want to but the place sure has the mixture of all.

At 14 every decent looking guy would look smart to a girl's eyes and if she gets a chance to visit Varanasi, well no more explanations needed. I got that chance. 2 days visit to Varanasi to dip my head in the (not so clean) pure Ganges water, to visit the temples, bottled the Ganga jal to bring back home and to enrich my eyes. 

Maybe I was not too old to long for sarees then so it was my mom's job to pester dad for the same or was I interested much in the art and literature of the place except what my history books taught me which said Varanasi was ruled by Kasi king and is a city which is more than 3000 years old. I was shocked to see the Ganges which is known for its purity and is prayed as the Goddess being really dirty.

I noticed many people in saffron dresses with long hairs sitting on the bank of the river and also on the either side of the roads. I noticed the route to the temple was like climbing a hill and was very narrow (but I loved climbing it a lot). I also noticed that the guys who looked uneducated not so clean/perfect/decently dressed still managed to look good to my eyes. Maybe it is with the place, maybe it is with the water or maybe it is with my age then... But I still call it the land of cute boys.

Thada

A sudden plan and an enthusiasm to trek made us plan to visit Thada. April 15th it was and 3 boys and 3 girls made a team overnight and planned to start at 5AM. I was ready by 4.45AM fully packed and waiting near my security block for my classmate to pick me up for the trek. He was there after half an hour and when we were going to college (less than 1 km away from the security block), the bike stopped. We had to push tp bike till college as there was no petrol in it. It was really cold morning, slightly drizzling and we were walking on a lonely road in our tracks. It was an awesome experience.

We reached college fully ready for the trek. Other two girls were already in the hostel who stayed in there the previous noght so that they could make it on time to the trek. They came down within half an hour. Then the wait started. We waited waited and waited till 9AM for the 2 other boys. The 3rd one was yet to arrive. When we called him, he asked us to pick him up at his place which was on the way to Thada. We had 1 car and 1 bike. I was in the bike till we reached that guy's house. Thanks to the metro project and the new bridges constructed, we got lost a million times before we reached Anna nagar and at last we picked him up and started our journey to Thada. I moved in the car as it was much more comfortable along with the other girls.

We felt extremely hungry and we stopped halfway near a hut. We had idlies and dosas. One Idly costed Rs.2 and one dosa costed Rs.6. We are for around Rs.30. Then we started to our destination yet again. One of the girls whose long time dream was to ride on a bike (backseat obviously) came in the bike for rest of the journey which was a extremely stony one way path. The travel lasted for 3 hours and we reached the place. We started to walk with our backpacks. We first saw a small bridge and little water and many people sitting around a big tree and chatting. We continued walking and saw vacant land with a hillock to our right. The path was muddy. It was sunny, extremely hot and we couldn't see any location which looked suitable for trekking. 2 of my group started climbing the hillock saying that there would be no trekking route or location so why waste our time, we would climb the hillock for the sake of trekking. We did that for some time but got really bored. We wanted to know is that all in there and where is the falls located. So we kept walking.

We ended up in a place where a small river like water stream was flowing. We got down inside that and got ourselves completely wet. The water was so clear that the ground was clearly seen. But only when we got in, we could feel the depth of it. Our bags got wet and the only entertainment for the guys (cigarette) got wet. The stones under water were extremely slippery so we came out and continued walking.

We saw a shop and she said that the real trekking area is yet to come. We got some eatables from her and paid her and started our never ending journey. She was right. We saw rocks and it was surely an awesome experience. We climbed using our hands, legs, friends help and also trees and ropes' help. One of the guys who was really slow and was moaning to walk all the time showed great enthusiam once we reached the rocks and jumped/ crossed it in jet speed. We reached the main water area from where we needed to swim to see the falls which was very close to it.

As I was extremely good in swimming :p :p I stayed on the rock and denied to even touch the ice cold water with my legs. But thanks to my darling friends who literally carried me half way inside the water and made me stand on a bark of wood. I couldn't get down from it as the wood was insie the water and it was extremely deep on either sides of it. The whole Chennai could have heared my screams. Then I was carried back and was allowed to sit on the rocks. Guys went swimming till the falls and the other gals were playing inside the water in the shallower side (left of the bark of wood which they called as shallow but was equally deep according to me). 

It was close to 4PM and many guys came with bottles and bottles of well you guess what and we got terrified and started back. I am too good in falling down. Extremely good would be the better word because I do it almost every single day be it a perfectly smooth/ slippery/ flat path or a ruggard one. But this factor helped me. I kept sliding (actually falling) really fast from every rock that I almost made it near the start along with another guy at the blink of the eye. Then we had to wait for the others who climbed down every rock carefully.

Once we reched the start of the rocks, we saw that lady and suddenly remembered that we paid but forgot to take the eatables with us. When we asked her she said "you must have eaten it and now you are lying to me and trying to cheat me" and that sure did what it has to with my temper. With my whole group looking silently at me and begging me to stop fighting, I yelled at her, took the eatable and said "if you want money ask me I'll give but never cheat" and came off. Everyone (especially the guys) who had always seen me as a soft, quiet, playful girl were shocked and spoke nothing for a long time.

We reached the car, the guys started their journey on the rugged one way route and we came back home with one of the cherished experience.

Madurai - Part 3

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 4

The next day was a visit to Vayalur followed by Melakkal. The way the village was selected was funny. My grandpa had a huz in a village called Melur, I confused that village's name with this and kept telling we HAD to go ONLY to that village so that I can see my grandpa's huz/ hut. But once we reached I understood that I was wrong and it was a different village. 

Though there was nothing much to mention about the villages except the same old stories that the people were friendly and helpful, the Thiruvila in Solavanthan which we visited after the villages visit is worth mentioning.

As our work was over by 2 o clock in the noon we planned to visit the poomidhi thiruvila in Solavanthan. When we reached there was no one in that area. Just the coal was in the centre and wooden fence was made on all the 4 sides to it. We were said that girls were to sit at one side and boys the other. And I was he first in the row very close to the coal path. It didn't look like a path. It was like a lorry of hot coal just dumped in there. I was so shocked to even think that people would walk on it. But later around 15 - 20 people came and with big sticks and rods of iron took away all the bigger pieces of coal in that place and made the whole pathway smooth to make the walking easier. 

Later ambulance, fire department men and many other helpers came and stood on either side of the pathway. The god's statue was bought and was taken three rounds around the pathway. I saw the statue very close to me. Then the walk on the coal started. First the temple's priest walked (ran) on the pathway followed by 12 other priest like people (looked younger than the 1st one) then the normal people started walking.

There were around 1000 people waiting in the queue to walk on the coal path. Suddenly (around 5.30 PM) when the ceremony started, the whole area was completely packed up. It was suffocating to even stay there. When the ceremony started the ladies who were very quietly sitting till then stood up and a stampede (almost) occurred. The lady police with rods in their hand gave orders in high pitched voices and only then the crowd came under control and everyone sat down.

The ceremony was said to have lasted for more than 5 hours but we started back around 7PM. One of the most amusing thing was the narrator who said so many lies (that the program was telecasted in 100 channels, many actor actresses had come to see it etc) to keep the crowd captivated. But the sad part is nobody bothered to listen to his words. He was funny sometimes :)

I came to know that not everyone had the right to get in the coal pathway but one had to tie 'Kappu' and maintain purity for 5/7/10 days before the Thiruvila to perform this ritual. Many men ran with their kids on their shoulder. Many walked and the crowd cheered them and clapped for them. Almost every lady fainted once she crossed the pathway but as helpers were standing on the either side of the pathway, they used to lift the ladies the second they crossed.

It was a lifetime experience - One which can never be forgotten. And it was all real. Nobody used salt or cold water. It was said to be an offense. People walked bare foot right from the day they wore the kappu till the second they walked on the pathway. Many cried and the pain, tears lasted for few minutes. I could see many in the streets shopping with their kids after walking on the pathway. And it was also to be noted that many people from so many villages nearby came to participate in this ceremony. At one point even I felt that I could do it. That simple it looked and it was just because of the amount of guts and trust they had on God. 

When I asked an old man won’t it pain? He replied me "people are not walking it is the god who is carrying them through just as she does every time when we face troubles/ pain in our lives". It answered everything. I left the place learning a new lesson - Trust, confidence, patience and dedication can make even the impossible possible.

Madurai - Part 5 (Final)

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4

When just 1 more week was left in my Madurai stay, I was introduced to a group of 6 girls who were doing BSc Math in Madurai Kamaraj University. They were to help me in my project. The girls looked really quiet when I saw them first which was unbelievable (because NO MADURAI GIRL IS QUIET). And after briefing them what is to be done and what is expected from them I said goodbye to the lot. After half an hour when I came down I saw the whole lot shouting and chatting in front of a channa stall. And then I knew their real color. I pulled their leg and they did the same with me and we boarded the bus talking al the way back home. 

The girls were divided into two groups of 3 each and one group was with me and another with another trainee from Salem. We started to our first two villages Kottimedu followed by Valsai. Those girls made me walk around 5 kms that day. They never bother about the heat or distance or anything, they were fast - really fast and I just loved their accent. It felt really good to hear that accent and words after a long time. We walked inside the sugarcane farm, we saw humming bird nests and we ate lunch sitting in front of someone's huz. We also went to Meenakshi amman temple and learnt many little stories from the girls.

The same continued the next day too. We went to Kovilur and Kottimekkampatti. The main business in there was to make bricks but now as the government had banned taking beach soil, around 700 brick making places were closed and every single men in the village was jobless. There was one main road and two streets arising from the main road and each street is a separate village. We had fruits and lunch and chatted with the local villagers. We also went to nearby farms (coconut, kanagambaram, corn etc ) and slept there on the ground for some time.

After reading the names of various villages you may have a doubt how we chose there. Well initially before the girls came we pre planned and checked Google maps and chose the villages but after the arrival of these girls, we got in the Alanganallur bus and asked the condcutor to give ticket to any village he liked :p It was definitely crazy time with the girls.

After two days with those girls, I just couldn't say goodbye to them so the 3rd day we all went to Vaigai dam, had Kammankoolu with pickle and sat under the mango tree and had fun. I came to know all the college gossips and their complete life history. 

Elami - she was supposed to be born as my younger sister. Miss. Talkative, Miss. Rowdy. She was soo me.

Aruna- The girl who was so conscious about her looks (she was dark and had a complex about it) but very joivial and funny girl.

Abi - the girl who always kept singing "veetukku ponum amma vaiyum". The girl who walked  without slippers and created a very big scene because of it. :p

On the way back (3rd day) I got down on the way (near my huz) before reaching the bus stand (unable to face the goodbye scene). I managed to get hit by a cyclist (cute one) who said me "sorry akka". At that second a realization hit me "oh my god I'm getting older". Then I called those girls and they were so sentimental and pushed me to tears.

My stay didn't last for a week but just 3 days. That night I caught a bus to the Periyar bus stand. In the bus I gave Rs.50 to the conductor. As I had my luggage I thought it would cost around Rs.15 for me and the luggage. But then the conductor said me that he didn't have change and asked me for change. After srearching my bag for a long time I found Rs.5 and I said him that is all I had. He returned me my Rs.50 and gave me a Rs.5 ticket. I said "luggage". He said "ukkaruma". 

Then I reached the bus stand. Walked to the railway station. Waited for the train and got in. After I got the train back to Chennai, I texted them and they made me to promise them that I would never forget them. They were funny sweet loving and extremely friendly. Nobody could say that we knew each other for just 3-4 days. They got a permanent place in my friends list and also in my heart and they did make me feel young :)

Madurai - Part 4

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 5

 

With a one week break which included sleep, food and loads of report works, visit to the 1st (to me) mall in Madurai took place. It was part of the official visits.

 (A little background over here) There are 2 malls in Madurai - Millennium mall and Vishal de mall. The Vishal de mall in PPkulam was the one I visited. It was just 2 months old. Most of the 3 floors were filled with branded shops. It was not crowded and many (including the auto driver) had no idea about the existence of that mall. I got a auto from the bus stop and went to the mall and later realized that I was cheated and that the mall was very close to the bus stop. 

There was a very small parking area which (according to the shopkeepers) was a very big drawback of that mall. Most of the shops in that mall belonged to Kalyani franchise. I visited almost every single shop in there and learnt many info like the average salary for the store manager is 5k per month in a franchise shop. The shopkeeper has a target (price in terms of apparels and number in terms of footwear) to be reached every month. And if that is reached an additional 30k + incentive (which is to be shared by everyone in that particular shop) will be provided. I started to the mall around 10AM and this info collection lasted till 3PM (thanks to one lady who made me wait for 1 hour and later said she was too busy to talk with me even for 5 minutes). I felt extremely hungry and when asked to one of the shopkeepers they said that the food court exists in 4th floor. And also Inox is to be opened in that particular mall very soon. The foot court had many shops which were all new to the business. They had a rule that no two food item between the shops should be repeated. The shopkeepers were much friendlier in the food court than anywhere else. Something which surprised me a lot was the fact that most of the shop keepers had done MBA or were doing MBA. It was almost 6PM when I was outside the mall and that was when I noticed people getting in the mall (mostly youngsters).I can proudly say that every shopkeeper in Vishal De mall is a friend of mine now :)

The second I was outside I noticed that the mall was in near chokkikulam which was very very close to race course road (my old huz). I almost ran on the road to go to my old huz which had all my childhood memories locked in it. The place where I used to wait for my school bus, the road where my grandpa used to take me by walk to reach my school bus stop, the entrance near which there is a security room where I used to sit all day long and wait for my parents to come home from office. The road which I used to take whenever my parents scold me and I would walk out of the huz wit one small yellow cloth bag with 2 dolls and 1 dress inside it. 

I requested the security and went in the colony. The swing my dad had built for me to play was still there. The shuttle court my dad used to play every evening and I used to look at him like a great hero, that memory which made me become a shuttle player was still there. The SBOA school bus on which I used to climb, the wooden steps handle on which I used to slide all the time, the old bungalow inside which I used to do go exploring after I read secret7 or famous5, the place where I learnt cycling, the spot where I tasted my first and last non-veg food, my initial days dance performances, my music class brought all those memories of golden days flooding back. 

There were some hard feelings too. The tree catching which I used to swing was cut, the 'not allowed' area where the water tank was present (where I used to go for partying and cook food by cutting the leaves and little vegetables around and pour water, add salt to it and play) was cleaned and was made visible to everyone. The place I used to play cards with uncles was dirty, the place I used to practice karate was used as a shuttle court and the far end to it where I used to play cricket with big annas and note the score using a charcoal on the wall - well that wall was whitewashed and painted in gray. It looked clean :(

Then I felt I was back to my place, my own place where my soul belongs to. My native - my Madurai. From that day on, no matter how much the city changes, it would never feel alien to me till my heaven rests in there.

Madurai - Part 2

Part 1 || Part 3

The bus journey which brought me home gave me many new surprises. Though it is written as pengal in left side of the bus, everyone sit as they please in the bus and nobody follows it. Though I had a big luggage with me, the conductor never asked me to take a separate ticket for the same. In-fact he even said me once “bag ungaltha? Oru kannu irukkattum athu mela” and I remembered Vadivelu’s ‘ushaarayya ushaaru’ joke but this time I didn’t get to laugh but felt gratitude towards the conductor.

The Sunday went in dreams (happily sleeping) and the next day was my first day to Madurai intern office in ‘Iyer Bungalow’. It is not a place in Madurai it was somewhere else – at-least that was what I felt considering the journey time.  And that was the day I got to know many village names which I had never heard in my life before.

The day 1 visit was dedicated to ‘Karupatti’. Yes it is a village’s name with a beautiful history. They said during Pandya king’s rule all the elephants were tied up in one location. The elephants are called as ‘kari’ and their location/shed is called as ‘patti’ and thus the name.

We were to go to ‘Solavanthan’ and from there another bus to Karupatti. Luckily or unluckily (I would definitely call it as Luck from my POV) the bus was stopped outside Solavanthan and we were asked to walk inside the town to the bus stand to get another bus. When enquired we came to know that some ‘thiruvila’ is happening in that town. When we were walking inside, we saw a few boys on a tricycle with a water tank in it cleaning the road and every human being; vehicle was avoiding the cleaned/watered area. Then all of a sudden many people in yellow dresses with smaller sized pots ‘Chatti’ or pots filled with milk in their hand started walking on the road. Some had fire in it, and some looked empty with neem leaves. 

At last we crossed that place identified the bus stand got the bus and reached Karupatti. Everyone was telling go there, go here but nobody responded and I felt like being laughed at I asked one woman for details and she said she was not educated so she couldn’t answer. That was the 3^rd rejection in the initial 10 minutes. I was so upset and I couldn’t see any other shops nearby. That woman saw the look of my face and said me she is helpless. And suddenly I don’t know what she thought but she ordered her customers to give me details. And those customers in turn took me to their friends and those friends to their families. And within an hour or two the whole village was familiar to me. Then I felt people are very friendly and helpful, much more than the people in villages near Chennai. And the reason is these people are completely illiterate in contrast to those villages near Chennai. And these people have never been cheated, they are used to being taken care of and that is exactly the reason why they don’t feel afraid to get close with a new comer very soon. 

It is true that only 3-4 streets make this village but I did get lost myself once in this village. I was taken to a retired teacher’s house. I had to go inside a house (that is how it looked) and that house had a cross path in between where three paths met. I had to take a left there to enter another house (or a room or a road- you can never say what exactly that is) and another right in the end. There were many who were taking bath/cooking/ burning appalams / watching TV/ listening to songs/ playing indoor games on the either side of this path. And once I was to return back, everything looked similar, I was so confused that a little kid (hardly 5 years old) helped me with the way out.

It was time to say good bye at last and when we came to the bus stop (the same place where we got down) we heard someone talking about some other village. A little confused we asked where that village is and they said the road (where the bus stop is) is called ‘Balakrishnapuram’ and the side road (with 3-4 streets where we went) is called ‘Karupatti’ and both are different villages.  With this ‘Wow’ information it was a sayonara to the mighty elephant’s shed.

Madurai - part 1

Part 2

A sudden text suprised me when we were to step in Kolathur - ticket confirmed for Madurai trip, 9.00 PM Egmore.  We had to complete that day's task in Kolathur and rush back home to pack our necessities. And then a sudden realization hit me. An article 2 days before in TOI which said every train to Madurai had WL till 175. I was shocked (in a positive way) to know our office's agent had managed to get hold of 2 train tickets. But not fully convinced, I called up our mentor to confirm the same, only to know that buses to Madurai (private) starts from Egmore. :p

Around 8.30PM I went to college to pick my friend up along with a bunch of my other friends who came for our send off. And there in Egmore while waiting for the bus, the person in transport office called us and informed that the seat next to me belonged to a lady but the seat next to my friend's belonged to a married couple and as they wanted to sit together he (my friend) was asked if he could be shifted to a birth and we had to accept to it in the end. The explanation what the transportation person gave wasn't convincing enough but I wasn't in the mood to question him so just kept quiet. My friend wasn't happy enough to let me alone. (oh! come on am not a 2 yr old). But yes I did feel afraid to be alone then though I never expressed it to him.

The seat next to me was empty for around an hour or two and so my friend came and sat near me but then the person from the birth nearby said it belonged to him and would be coming there. So after half an hour my friend left and that person (a guy) came andsat near me. (So much for that transport officer's explanation). I didn't have the habit of sleeping while sitting so I couldn't and I was afraid to at that point of time. And worse, my push back was jammed and the woman in front of me had her seat pushed completely on my leg and my leg was jammed :( . I told her and she moved a little immediately (only for 10 minutes though) and pushed her seat even more than before ( I shouldn't have said her :(

I was in a very bad mood (completely upset) and I just felt - what if we met with an accident then? At least I didn't have to continue my journey in the same bus. Someone did hear my thoughts I guess because the bus stopped in the middle of the road around 4.00AM in the morning. And the person near me was a lady not that guy who was there before. I didn't know whe this shift happend. She just got up and went to the birth. I with great effort lifted my legs and kept on her seat and closed my eyes again. There was a lot of chaos going on in the bus. Engine failed, bus wouldn't more so all had to get down. People were shouting at the driver, some at the conductor. Some were asking about what happened and some asking about reimbursement. I was silently waiting for everyone to get down. And once the bus was half empty, I then woke my friend up and we got down. Took our luggage, boarded the next bus which we came across. The conductor signed our ticket (a proof during reimbursement) and asked us to meet them in Chennai (Egmore) office once we were back . Later we came to know that usually never happens.

It was around 5.00AM then. We were in a place 70kms from Trichy. The bus we boarded took us till Trichy for free. Though we were standing throughout the journey (till Trichy), the AC bus and the timely help made us feel better.

Once we reached Trichy, we boarded another bus to Madurai. The conductor took Rs.100 each for all those who came from our awesomatic bus and Rs.80 each for others. When some questioned and argued, he said that extra Rs.20 was his commission to take all of us in his bus. But I must say this, Madurai people are too good in arguing (now I know from where I got this character in my blood: p ) they managed to get that Rs.20 back from the conductor.

At 9.30AM we reached Matuthavani bus stand. And then another bus to Periyar and another to my home - it was 10.15AM when I reached my home sweet home after 2 years.

Kolathur

Kolathur – a place unbelievable to be part of Chennai but yes it is. Around 1 and half hours travel in M51V from T-nagar takes you there. Don’t feel surprised if you are asked to get down in middle of a very small street which is being called as the bus stop. There are more exciting things waiting when you enter the village.

Yes it is a village, a typical village which can never be part of Chennai. 2 stationary/ daily needs shop, 2 tea stalls, 1 biscuit shop, 1 STD/PCO booth with no telephone inside, 1 ration shop, 1 very small temple, 1 post office and few huts make the complete village.

Most of the smaller shops are owned by ladies who are not educated. The average revenue per day is 50-100 bucks and much lesser in the biscuit shop. The old lady who runs the biscuit shop is 65+ years old and she enquired me if there is any loan/help/aid available for old people because she could do nothing but to sit in that biscuit shop all day where the transaction is almost close to zero. The stationary/ daily needs shop are the only exceptions to this. 

Can you believe the post office is just one wooden table in front of a hut? The post office has just 2 people-one manager and one post man. The manager works between 10-2.30 and the post man between 1.30 till EOD. The posts are taken to vandalur in cycle by the post man. The mail which comes to that place travels the biggest route possible which I never could understand even after he explained me twice. 

A place in Chennai which is out of the picture in every aspect with an exciting/ surprising experience, A village worth visiting for every traveler – Kolathur.

Melmaruvathur- 3 days Experience

The day started at 6.45AM. Rushed to Nungambakkam station to catch the Chengalpet train, had a little nap during the 1 n half hours journey and finally reached Chengalpet. The destination was not reached yet. After so many discussions, doubts and enquiries finally took a bus from Chengalpet to melmaruvathur, And from there another bus to Achurapakkam. 

The person who we were supposed to meet was waiting in an auto for us. We met that (around 20 years old) guy who was with an (around 18 years old) auto driver. We were to meet few micro- entrepreneurs and thus we sat in the auto and started our journey.

Our first stop was candle making, a woman in a very small hut (her house) was doing candle making business for past 6 months. She had a mould which cost her Rs.1500 and she could do 10 candles at a time with the help of it. It takes 10 minutes to make candles out of one mould. The wax costs Rs. 250 per KG and she gets Rs. 15 extra for each KG of candles she makes (1 KG = 51 candles). With her speed she was making an average of minimum Rs.2000 per month. 

And then the little guy who came along with us said he is the distributer of that business. When asked more he said he has bought 1 or 2 mould per lady – for 20 ladies. He distributes wax to the women when they ask for and the women come to his place to give him back the candles and get the money which belongs to them. His partner takes care of packaging which costs around Rs. 2.50 per box. On the whole his revenue is around Rs. 10,000 per week.

The next and one of the most interesting business is statue making. A family – group of 5 men who have been into statue making business for years had got loan for around 1.5laks and started statue making business last year. They make only vinayakar statues and their entire financial year is calculated between one vinayakar chathurthi to the next. Their business is of two ways- they make the statues and send them in large loads to the distributer in Thirupathi without painting. For this they get money in load basis only after Vinayakar chathurthi si over. And the distributer does not take responsibility for damaged statues. In this way, the makers are actually getting the revenue which is less than their expenditure. The second way is to paint the statue all by themselves and sell them to customers, by this way they do make a small amount of profit. They do not have any place to store the statues and thus if it rains the business is gone. They have a Rs.80,000 shed for making statues and storing the flour and moulds. EOY they made 1.5laks and with the loan of Rs.60,000 forwarded to this year. This year they have taken a loan of another 1.5laks till date and the process is still going on. If they get good contracts and if they understand that they are undervalued by the distributers then maybe after another 2 or 3 years they may see profit.

You can find many other businesses such as cow and its products, window making, cement bricks making, card holder and purse making and so on. 

25Kms of travel in the interiors of Achurapakkam which included various villages made us enjoy the beautiful green surroundings, roads where only one vehicle can go at a time and also a chance to ride the auto.

If you plan to go to any of these places make sure you see Mr.Zakeer Hussain who narrated his whole life story when we went to his shop (mobile phones) and said we are his close friends and gave us a taxi to visit the villages and also took us to his house at the end of the day and got us lunch from Saravana Bhavan. What more to say when he came along with us till Chennai and dropped us in Thanbaram in a taxi. But don’t come to a conclusion about this person before hearing the complete story. He is also an pawn broker but doesn’t know even to do addition. He is from Dubai and he mentioned about it in every single sentence. He is trying to enter politics and has made a video with background song ‘Puli urumuthu” and he walking in the whole video. He organized a function for piercing his daughter’s ears and spend 2 laks for the function and 12,000 for the video and photos (which includes the puli urumuthu video) but NEVER pierced her ears. Can you believe it? And the reason is his daughter would cry out of pain. He had his own car but always prefers a taxi – reason is his car looks old. The reason why he came with us till Chennai that day was to get chicken bucket for his daughter, son, neighbor, shop worker and everyone else whose contact he had stored in his mobile. One of the most weirdest (Thanks Shakesphere) person we had ever met in our entire lives. The worst part was when he dropped us in Thambaram he said us to contact him whenever we are in need of money and gave his mobile number (which I never bothered to save). And later that day he called me to ask if I need a chicken bucket (OMG …)

Apart from this person, the beautiful, silent temple (which came is mozhi movie) whose steps provided a good exercise and the entire village view from its back along with the cool breeze, Rs. 750 for the auto journey, the hills where murders happen are few things worth mentioning.