Reunited

I had fallen in love with her the first time I saw her. And then the second visit confirmed it. I was besotted by her, but then we were parted. I moved far away, till the day came, and I was in Rajasthan again.


Rajasthan, how i fell in love with it when i travelled in 2007 (1, 2, 3). The people, the food, the color, the grandeur, the innocent affection, "ram ram sa" everything just captivates you. Rajasthan, today after visiting 6 cities, I can safely call it one of the most beautiful states in India. Infact if you haven't travelled in rajasthan, you haven't seen enough. The story of my third stint in rajasthan...


"When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream."
I got a chance to go to rajasthan utilising my core leaves. Backpacking from Ajmer -> Pushkar -> Jodhpur -> Udaipur
Every city different from the other, still a common thread between them.


Ajmer feels like any other small town with dingy lanes, narrow streets and the small shops almost kissing each other. It was all about the streets. The streets near the dargaah, shouted to keep your shoes for a meagre amount, the streets wanted alms near the holy place, the streets stared at you as you moved with a camera in hand, the street smiled, giggled with you as you tried talking to them. Ajay-meru or Ajmer, the streets know everything, they go everywhere and nowhere.


Pushkar is a salesperson. It sells rajasthan, the culture, the language, the enigma, and if you are bored, it sells you to you. My best of times in rajasthan in the 6 days i spent were in pushkar, and it was short. Liked everything about the place. It sells india to the tourists, the india they want to see. Be it the 1000s of stories related to the gods and godesses, or the vermilion smothered cows, the unkempt mystics or the rajasthani color. Every place was covered with curtains of such bright rainbow colors. Took a long camel ride and ended up listening to the banjaras, their folk show only for me. Pushkar just wins you over and over again.


Marwaris have a taste for food. Jodhpur was a live example for the same. Had lunch with a family, who informed us of how throughout jodhput, there are places famous for certain kind of food. And people who have lived there, and know about these would never even think of going somewhere else. So, if you want to get the gulab jamuns you go to chatarbuj sweets, for makhaniya lassi and mawa kachodi, mishri ram bhandaar, for kachoris and samosa its shahi samose and for omelettes none other than the omelette shop (aka garib hotel).


If you need to travel to Udaipur, you need 3-4 days and keep it at the last. Its a perfect place to unwind yourself, relax and forget about other things. We sadly could not do that, as we had just 2 days in hand. But nevertheless this place doesnot claim to be the best city in the world for nothing. A horse safari, and a bit of town surfing later, we were on our way back.


Rajasthan!!! A state so colourful, so rich, so grand, so mysterious and yet so humble... you feel like returning again and again. :)
I shall. soon!!!

Incredible India: Kudremukh

Joy of being on the top of the peak, is second to none. After 5-6 hours of strenuous trek, you are almost injected with energy at the sight of being at the top of almost everything around you. The beautiful, lush green meadows on one side, while rocky landscapes on another, interjected with dense forests which from that distance look like broccoli laid down on a grocer's cart.
At the moment you forget about the pain in the legs (which shall return soon on the next day), the leeches who were almost given a task to guard the peak against the man.

Return was marked by happenings no so warranted for, but in the end coming back to a home cooked meal followed by drinks around the bon-fire just about added a perfect end to the day of adventures and mis-adventures. :)

Heal ?

Darkest of the shadows
on today are cast
by the warmth of light
from the recent past.
Opaqueness of time
reduces with every step
but the keel hurts still
reminding of pain
caused by them,
who were given the rights
to willfully destroy.
AND they did.

The need

Not a want to travel,
but the need to be a journey.
stories of which
would be told
for years to come
creating myth
of the nomad heart that
exists in time,
NOW.






Image: Caspar David Friedrich - Wanderer above the sea of fog

500 ka note

Realised today,

A rs 500 note cannot buy you a double egg omelette.
A rs 500 note cannot pay your auto-rickshaw fair.

Sometimes if you stop and think, the only places where a rs 500 note is accepted are the places which have nothing to give us. All the important things in life are either free or F'in cheap.

Someday

The cubicle has bars
with a lock on the dream
I sit in the center
looking at the screen

He calls me up
to give me the news
I did good, I did well
certifying my work
i get some more dirt
that shines on my desk
I did good, I did well

But one day.
Someday
When he would call
I won't respond
With no looking back
I will be gone
I will be gone.



She is beautiful
She is lovely
She was the one there
when I was lonely

She turns to the side
to talk
and make plans
I nod my head
and go to sleep
dreaming to strive
for a plan less death
after similar life.

But one day.
Someday.
when she plans tomorrow
I won't nod my head
And with no looking back
I will be gone
I will be gone.



I have to earn
coz this is my turn
for the family, for friend
for everyone that spent

They ask for love
with responsibilities
in their turf
They tie me up,
for being a friend
for being a son
for being someone
who has no where to run

But one day.
Someday.
When they seek me up
There won't be no one
With no looking back
I would have run.
I will be gone



I know I can
I believe I will
There is something that
stops me still

I get scared
because I have to choose
There is little to gain
a lot to lose.
I plan to escape
with every night
But morning is the same
mockingly bright

But one day.
Some day.
I would be scared no more
And that day I wont talk
With no looking back
I will be gone
I will be gone

Long gone.

Into the wild: A journey within

Day:
I plan, ponder, imagine
A life away
from the city lights
from the blind races

Dark:
I touch, I feel
Listen, run, hide, steal
I strive and live
Travel far and wide
corners of the globe
shout from the sky
Come back content
to die

With dawn:
my mind, my heart, my soul
the confusions ride
I get all lost
when i look inside


Image: Gustave Doré - Harpies

Singapore, Hongkong and the mutton biryani

Now now now... what do we have here? Finally am I going to write a blog on my first phoren trip? I have been wanting to do that, I really do. But somehow, the cosmos didn't want me to. Why else, and how else would you be able to explain my laptop, which was working just fine when I went off to Singapore, had conked off by the time i returned. I mean, how can that happen. A brand new laptop, at that. It took me a week to get it repaired. And by the time it was up and running (I mean working, not literally running.. dumbo!!!), my whole enthusiasm about sharing the story with the world had gone. You have all seen the pictures. You know almost all of the story. Still, if you want to know, here it is.

Singapore - Had fun. Old friends. Night clubs. Good food. a cosmopoliton place in truest sense.
Hongkong - WOW!!! Amazingly delicious and weird food and streets. Sky scrapers. Beautiful skyline. The great Buddha. A place on a must-visit-twice list.

Now for the meaty part of the blog.
All the travelling, photography, theatre etc etc etc... I hadn't got a chance to cook for some time now. Well, the cooking to keep yourself alive? Yeah that did happen. But nothing new. Nothing at the end of which you pat your back and say, well done!! This weekend was different. S said, "lets cook this saturday", and I said yes. S said "Mutton Biryani". I said yes. And that was the time when the idea was conceived. The result of which we all saw on saturday the 13th of June 2009.

Saturday the 13th of June 2009, started as a very normal day. Woke up. toiled around, doing nothing for a while. had last night's litties (oh!! yes, I made litties friday night. Biharis, you can go all hmmm and yummm over it. I really don't mind) for breakfast.

Went to the closest mutton shop, and after looking like a fool, when I actually said that one leg of the lamb looked older than the other, we got 750 grams of nice tender meat. Got all the ingredients needed for the recipe which my alter ego had noted down beautifully on a piece of paper. Came back home full of enthusiasm for what was going to come next...

...CHOP. Chop the onions. Chop the chillies. Chop coriander leaves. Chop mint leaves. chop... chop... chop... Chop and then grate raw papaya (which in my case wasn't raw enough, but it worked just fine). Chop ginger and make a paste. Just chop... chop... chop. chop and grate and chop and ...

I wish I could really describe the feel and the sensation I had while mixing the meat in the spices and oil. When curd, oil and other spices make the chunks slip through your fingers. The feeling that a child would have had, when he first plays in the fresh rain water mud. Or maybe the feeling when you move your fingers in the long and silky tresses of your love. The different aromas arising from the mix and increasing in strength as you move your hand inside it. And if this was not enough, you taste the marinade to check if its right. Wish I could find a better word than the cliched "orgasm" to describe it. But I guess there's really nothing.

Cooked rice till half done. Left the marinade for 4 - 5 hours in the fridge. It was all mechanical after that... UNTIL.. the last part came. Layers of meat, rice, spices and herbs, rice and spices were arranged, covered with the lid and sealed with dough. Next was the most difficult part of the whole process. We had to leave it on the stove for the next 40-45 minutes without touching it, without even looking at how the flavour seeps from one layer to another and then back, bringing into shape and color and flavor of one of the marvels of a human kitchen. After just a few minutes the aroma from the pan starts coming, making your wait even harder. Thank god!!! I had Hitchcock to give me company while the biryani cooked.

But as I say, even gods fail sometimes. Hitchcock is only human. I went and uncovered the pan after 30 minutes, only to find that the biryani wasn't done. Have you ever regretted anything in your life? I hadn't till this moment. Sealed it again and left for another 20 minutes. And this time when I removed the lid, We weren't disappointed. The Biryani was done. Done to perfection.

Sir Jack Daniels on rocks, Mutton Biryani, us and Hitchcock. Can you really ask for anything more than this on a saturday night?

Had heard someone say, you really are not a good cook, till you have cooked biryani. I am patting my back, right now. :)

Bliss

(Finally found a pic for this place. Went to singapore and Hongkong and looked for pics, but nothing fit. Finally, I found the pic in my own kitchen)


For the people who know me:

I AM GOING THROUGH A PHASE OF DIET CONTROL.

If you weren't shocked by the above statement, dude, you really are far far away from your ultimate enlightenment. For you oh-so-eager-to-unravel-the-neeraj-mystery people, I have one thing to tell you. Here's your first lesson.

I LOVE FOOD. There is something alluring, something naughty, something enticing about food. Something that calls you and asks you to just devour every bit that is there on the plate. What is more exciting than eating food is knowing the story behind it (Ofcourse, there is a story). Every morsel of the food, tells you something. It talks about the skill, the excitement, the passion of the person who created it. Mixing different flavors together, different colors together, adding some of their own ideas, innovations, experiments, a chef creates magic.And that magic is experienced in your mouth.

In 'Cheeni kam' Amitabh says, cooking is an art, every other art caters to just one sense of your body, but cooking it caters to three. I couldn't have agreed any more. A masterpiece gastronomical art has to look delicious, the aroma should be intoxicating and when it touches the tip of the tongue, it should create a plethora of feelings run through your mind.

Now the question is, why do I love food? A few days back, I was actually trying to think about it, and I could not pick any one reason for this. Everytime I think of it, a different reason comes to my mind. A good preparation is sometimes a mystery. I love taking the first bite and trying to figure out what exactly is the reason for the way it tastes. I love food because its the only place where I have seen two very contrasting flavors mix so well and create something unique. I mean had I not tasted it, I wouldn't have known about the chocolate with chilli in it. Evolution of food tells you more about history than anything in this world. And food never lies. It tells you about the culture of a place and how it evolved with time. Its the real symbol of the so talked about globalisation in this world. Food, has calmed me down sometimes, when at others it has gotten me excited and ready to do anything. It has left me dumbfound at one instant, and has been my company over the best of conversations that I have ever had at others.

Food is like a religion, and the more you explore the more you understand it. Its one science which has continuously worked towards global harmony and personal bliss. If I wanted to encapture all that I feel about this wonderful bliss that has been provided to us, I guess I'll have to summarise all that my life stands for, has ever stood for and is ever going to stand for.

As, for my beginning sentence of this blog. I am not on a diet control for any known reasons. Its just that I am preparing myself. Preparing myself for the days to come, when I would need my tum the most, when I should be able to take even a nuclear blast inside if need be. And I guess I'll be ready for the experience, the experiments and the fun.

A wise man(woman) once said, "The way to every man's heart goes through his stomach". Mine, you can touch the soul. Ciao'.

Past 2 weeks III (The calling)

This story is about the saturday that went past. But this time, before I start telling about why, what and how of this saturday, here's an insight into why these 2 weeks. Well, these 2 weeks reminded me of the carefree, crazy, on the move kind of person that I always thought I was. This somehow got suppressed as soon as I came to bangalore. Now, I can give you umpteen number of reasons, from my odd hours in office to not knowing many people here, living alone to not able to find people like me around... but I guess the biggest problem was always me. I never took any initiative in this regard. But the last 2 weeks (11th to 26th) reminded me so much of all that I was. Started with a trek to a journey to gurgaon and dehradun and this weekend, well this was another wonderful and satisfying experience.

This saturday started with plans to meet a friend, which changed from her coming to my place for dinner to we going out on a long drive to, actually, her getting stuck somewhere and not able to make it. Called 2 more people, one was in hyderabad and other had made plans. Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out, what went wrong and how? Breaking my head over the casualties of planning something in advance (Somehow this has never worked for me, whenever I have made plans they have just gone for a toss). Sitting in my room, while I was whining about my life infront of some people in the virtual world, it struck me. A kind of epiphany. A calling that I was trying to ignore till now. The purpose of my life. The push and pull of the forces, beyond comprehension of the us mere mortals.

And it was then, that I decided... I should take an evening walk.

Now there was nothing special about this walk, if not the fact that it was a loooooooooooongggggg walk. I mean, that is, if you consider 13 kms in a day, long (from here on, this would be known as my city trek, or in short CT... sounds more hep and happening). So, my CT started as a very casual stroll on the road, going towards the outer ring road. Now people who have visited my place, know that even touching outer ring road from my place is quite a distance and usually, people take evening strolls of this length. I would have returned after reaching there, or rather I should have, but something inside told me to just keep going. The traffic, the pollution of the 7 pm road, the noise somehow started seeming very inviting. And I walked. It was very late when suddenly i realised that I had already covered quite a distance (around 5.5 - 6 kms, yeah yeah... I get lost in my thoughts). So I decided, why not have some ghar ka khana at my aunt's place who lives another km or so from there. I call her, make arrangements and have a nice fulfilling dinner (more importantly, ghar ka khana... or rather ghar ka khana, cooked by someone else).

Spending about an hour at her place, now I had to get back. If I was in any sane mind that time, I would have simply taken an auto rickshaw back. But alas!!! I had another epiphany. Another calling. Another push and pull from the forces. And I decided to continue my CT. Walking back was even more fun. The roads were getting empty (empty by indian standards), and a few cars which were visible seemed to be in big hurry to reach somewhere. My only companions were the trucks laden with steel rods, building stones and cement bags. But they too were too fast for me. And as it happens to most of the people when they are alone walking at 10:30pm at night on a dark road with puddles formed by a recent rain shower, when eyes of the dogs shine bright blue and yellow, and their cries resonate in the sky, when almost every sane person is safe inside there comfortable homes, and every one else who is outside looks like someone ready to pounce on you and mug you, I started to sing and dance. Ok dance wasn't really a dance... just a few gesture of hands. But sing, i did. Loud. Old beautiful songs of Mukesh and Kishore and Rafi. In my coarse and not so beautiful voice.

And then I reached home. nearly 13 kms of total walk with dinner in between. I was tired, satisfied, satiated, and happy. :)

Past 2 weeks II (Gurgaon, Dehradun trip)

Gurgaon
What do you write about a place which was your home for more than a year. A place which you have seen in and out. A place where even after 8-9 months, you still remember the pot holes, the speed breakers, the trees (or the lack of it). My trip to Gurgaon was the same.

Gurgaon still feels like home. Even after living away from it for almost the same duration that i lived in it. Every face around me felt so close and so familiar, it was as if i never did leave. Days in gurgaon were marked with meeting people, jumping from one place to another, spending time with old friends and colleagues. In the process Met a lot of friends. Wanted to meet a lot more.

Spent an afternoon in chandni chowk, and was amazed by the sheer life in those narrow streets, the aroma of fresh street food being prepared, the eagerness in the eyes of every person there, and still a very laid back, rested atmosphere. It still amazes me, how when i lived in NCR i actually never went to this heaven of a place. Next time for sure, I am taking out a complete day atleast for this place. The life in chandni chowk calls for a week. I hope I can do that someday. Till then, lets see.
Missed going to my favourite 2 places in all delhi. DilliHaat and India gate. But as they say, there's always a next time. This time I was making a stopover in Gurgaon. Next time I ll go to delhi as a tourist, something that I have always wanted to do, but never could. And enjoy the sheer brilliance of the so called "dilwaalon ka sheher".

Dehradun
All in all it was less of dehradun and more about the engagement of the friend that i went for. A fun filled ceremony that started the day i reached there and was still on till i left.

For the first time I listened to some beautiful Garhwali songs and was amused by the lyrics, the music and how people just sway to this music. You should see the garhwalis dance if you want to see fun. These ageless people start moving there limbs and hips at the first sound of music. In the process I learned few steps too, and let me tell you these are easy but at the same time very warm and inviting. I could see a parallel between the Garhwali and the chhota nagpuri dance thats the form from where I belong. I guess these were evolved to make everyone in the family just join and dance at the rhythm, so that no one is left out. No wonder we as a country are so fond of music and dance. It has been with us for centuries, and I hope this remains for several more centuries to come.

I wish I could never leave these amazing places. But alas!!! every journey comes to an end, only to give way to the next. I can only wish the train of journeys never end, and I keep moving from one place to another. From one home to another. From one friend to another, never really leaving anyone, anything or any place behind. They are all the reasons for what I am and who I am. After all, a man is just a summary of his experiences. :)

Past 2 weeks I (Sharavathy Trek)

A small initiative from my part (I replied to a mail) would result in something so beautiful and exciting, I could have never imagined. Now I could have given you the exact dates for when the mail arrived, when did I reply to that (which was the instant I received it), how were the arrangements made etc etc., but I am sure you won't be very interested in that. So, let me just jump to the meatier part. THE TREK.

12 people, most of them did not know each other (I for one did not really know anyone), started on friday night in a tempo traveller. And in a very small time, it was made clear, that we are going to have a gala time with each other. It didnot take a lot of time for the ice to break, and by the time the wheels reached the boundary of oh so glorious Bengaluru city we were all singing and laughing together.

A night and 350 kms later, we reached kargal, a small town in Shimoga district of Karnata, where the organisers had arranged for our breakfast and the morning routines. And then they came. Round fluffy sweet and devouring... the mangalorean buns. If you have ever tried to touch heaven in the morning, this is the way you should. Buns are deep fried poori kind of bread, prepared from a mixture of maida, ripe banana and curd. That with the perfect cup of filter kaapi. The journey had just started, and I already got half of the money worth.

About 20 kms ahead from there was a forest, where we were supposed to trek. Unlike other treks, where the paths is well established and even then if you miss it, you can just follow the cigarette butts, the chocolate wrappers and half the back pack of a person, this was a nice surprise. Completely unexplored (even the guides got confused a couple of times), nothing on the ground seemed out of place, it gave us a chance to try and fight the suddenly popping branches, the thick bush, the slippery and steep decline of the area, and move forward. We slipped, we fell, we got bruises, we got cut. We laughed, we sang, we were hushed, we chattered. The sun found it difficult to reach the interior (though it still managed to :P).

Then we heard it. Yes, the sound of water. We ran towards it, falling even harder, slipping even more. A small waterfall, but big enough for 12 people to go under and get wet. The trek continued. After that we followed the trail of the river, exploring the jungle around us. The trek ended, and soon we were moving towards the vehicle.

The lunch was arranged at a local's place. Sitting cross legged, with large banana leaves spread infront of us, we eagerly waited for the food to arrive. And it came. First the rice, followed by sambhar, pickle and papad. The thatched roof, the mud walls, the earthern pot cool water, everything added to the ambience and the flavour.

If we thought this was amazing, I can only begin to describe what lay before us for the rest of the trip. A small stop over at the almost dry jogfalls and then we moved to the destination (or the next stop in the journey). We were taken to a bank of the sharavathy river, the camping was to be done on the other side. What bewitched us, we were not sure... was it the expansion of the river, or the wind hitting the face, the chill in the air, the red sun or just the breathtaking view infront of us. We just stood, some shouting at the view, some just staring open-mouthed. And the cameras clicked. The dropped jaws reclaimed there place and as the dusk thickened we went to the other side in coracles.

Night was bonfire, singing, dinner on paper plates, drinking kashaya (a local specialty, a herbal tea which resembles a lot with the kashmiri kahwa) one at a time sharing the limited containers that we have, and after all this a long walk on the island. We were asked, not to go into the woods, so we remained near the water. Every stone, every stout on the ground looked like an animal ready to pounce. The river was covered with its own army of wooden creatures. The silence of the night adding to the eeriness of the whole setting. But even then, the night wind soothed us, inviting us to keep moving forward, and we did. We got back to some dead logs in and around the camps and met our deaths under the open sky, beside the burning logs while the camps remained empty.

Next day was water sports, we remained in water for hours, coracle riding, kayaking, still water rafting and just floating. :). And then it came like the icing on the cake, gulab jamun after heavy indian meal, lichi with icecream and we drenched in the rain. After the lunch we returned, all tired, sun burnt, bruised and yet satisfied and rejuvenated.

I felt alive. After a long time.

Thank you people for making this happen. Varun for organising this. Sidharth, Amit Jain and Singhal, Amol, Milan, Richa, Ankit, Pragati, Barath and Deepak for being the perfect travel partners. NASA for arranging and managing the awesome trek. Looking forward to what lies next.

Shakespear and life

Hamlet: To be, or not to be, that's the question.

Life: To be, or not to be.. that's not the question. The question is, if you want to be, why do you want to be? to what extent do you want to be? what else do you want to be? Why only this?...
And in case you don't want to be? Any specific complain with this? What would you want to be then? What is the difference between what you want to be and what you don't want to be? How is that better than what you don't want to be?