Things That Bang

Today while driving back from my kids school I gave a lift to a boy of no more than eight or nine. His left foot was heavily bandaged and his right foot shoeless. I saw other kids with their mothers happily walk on the road but he was hobbling alone.

My heart went out to that little child. And before I knew it I broke my cardinal rule of never giving lift (I believe it isn't safe to hitch rides from cars) and stopped next to the child and asked him whether he wanted to be dropped to the nearby bus stop which was about a kilometer way.

The child nodded and got in the passenger seat. The smell of coconut oil filled my car and I glanced at him as I drove. He was squeaky clean, his bag heavy straining against his shoulders and hair was tightly combed back. He came from a loved home but obviously one which was poor- why else would a parent let a child in pain hobble to school?

I dropped him at the bus stop. He didn't thank me and I didn't expect one given how shy he was. He hobbled on in the other direction and I drove on towards home.

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She huffily threw her keys down on the table and sat down.

"I've had it with these people! I was about to park and this dumb-ass pulled in and took the spot. I had to drive the entire block to find parking. Can you believe it?!"

Sonali smiled at her friend and handed her a chilled glass of Kingfisher " Hello to you too. Have a sip."

Arundhati took a small sip and made a face. She wasn't much of a beer drinker.

"There are times I really hate Indians! They are so inconsiderate." She said loudly and people sitting around them looked at her but she didn't care and she continued her harangue.

"They pee, shit in public, throw trash any where and every where, they are so corrupt, they are so- "

"Yeah, I know- inconsiderate. Why don't you look at the menu and see what you want to eat? I am famished!" Sonali handed the menu to her friend.

Arundhati looked at the Menu and continued to speak " Crass, uncouth Indians!! I think I will have a Garden omelet. And some Fresh Lime soda without sugar."

Sonali tried to catch the waiter's eye.

"Where is that man? Killing a chicken?"

Arundhati laughed at her friend's half hearted attempt at a joke. She was already in a good mood and had forgotten the entire parking episode.

At the nearby table Suresh had a hard time controlling his temper. The two uppity women had pissed him off with their bitching.

"Crass? Uncouth Indians? Whats wrong with those women?" He hissed to his companion who was busy wolfing down his biryani.

"Huh?" the biryani guy looked up at his friend who flicked his head towards the girls who were sitting on the adjacent table.

"Didn't you hear that woman bitch about India?" he hissed and gave the girls a dirty look which went unnoticed.

"Why? What did they say?" the biryani guy broke the chicken bone and sucked the marrow and eyed the cutlet his friend had yet not eaten. Was Suresh going to eat that cutlet? He was still hungry despite finishing his plate of biryani.

“Some guy grabbed her parking space and she blamed all of us for the shit she faced. I mean, we Indians do our bit. We are considerate and polite. We are the happiest people in the world and very hard working. Why do rich people like her always sell our country short? Inconsiderate she said!! I say – she is inconsiderate!!”

With that he took a bite of his cutlet and got angrier. The biryani guy sat back to watch the fireworks.

Suresh looked around for the waiter and snapped his fingers to get attention

“Waiter!! Waiter!!” he shouted and the girls on the nearby table gave him a sweeping look and went back to their conversation.

The waiter hurried over to Suresh’s table

“Sir?” he mumbled. He was bone tired. He needed the money and was on his second shift.

“Why is my cutlet cold? Whats wrong with you people? What kind of service is this?” Suresh picked up his plate and shoved it against the waiter’s belly.

The waiter automatically grabbed the plate; he opened his mouth to speak but closed it. He needed the job.

The biryani guy knew the cutlet had gone cold because Suresh had been too busy eyeballing the women but decided to keep his peace.

“Get me a new cutlet and make it quick. And don’t you add it to the bill. You hear me? Or else I will talk to the owner about you. I know him very well. Go get me my food.”

Suresh lit a cigarette and took a long drag and leaned against his chair.

Arundhati coughed. Suresh had blown right on her face.

“Jeez! Dude! Be a little more considerate! You blew right on my face.” Arundhati spoke in between her coughing.

“It’s a smoking zone. “ Suresh replied haughtily

Arundhati glared “Don’t you know that you aren’t supposed to blow into peoples’ faces? That is the first rule of smoking!”

Suresh gave her a dirty look and took another drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke in the air.

“Rude fellow!” Arundhati said loudly and turned her back to him before he could reply.

The waiter came back with the omelet and Fresh lime soda and placed it before Arudhati.

She noticed how tired he looked.

“Been a long day?” She asked

The waiter nodded and was about to move off when Suresh snapped at him

“Well? Where is my food? I swear!! I will never return to this place again!”

As he went on brow beating the waiter Arundhati rolled her eyes and muttered to Sonali “Bloody Inconsiderate Indian!!”

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Its raining ants!! I shrieked and jumped out of the bed. That was the only negative experience we had at the Tusker Trails lodge situated within the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka, part of the vast expanse of forests spanning Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu - part of the erstwhile hunting grounds, quite literally, of first the Mysore Wodeyars and then, the poacher-brigand Veerappan. There were ants falling from the roof of our room right on our bed. It wasn't the fault of the management of Tusker Trials. They told us that the rooms had been fumigated but ants have a way of returning, especially in the rains. Our rooms were immediately changed and we spent our night in Bandipur in relative comfort after shooing away a pony who toddled towards us for an apple or two in the middle of the night.

Tusker Trails has a beautiful rustic look to it and is reasonably priced. The food is simple but delicious and the service prompt and friendly. The rooms are simple and pretty and the swimming pool inviting.

The safari provided by Tusker Trails into the Bandipur forests was fun and despite lasting two hours the picturesque scenery and animals caught off guard made it an exciting ride.

We drove at least 40 km into the forest and saw quite a few animals such as the Dhol (wild dogs), lazy cud-munching bison, deer, sambhar but missed the leopard sitting on a branch right above our jeep as we were too busy clicking away at the Dhols!

Which, obviously, came as a huge disappointment when a Venetian couple who had been in the Jeep behind us later on showed us pictures of the leopard who continued to sit at the same spot with a huge bellyfull of deer. But as we drove back to the Campus we heard another leopard snarling in the bushes and spook the deer that were busy grazing. But we didn't get to view the elusive leopard.

Deer are ample in Bandipur and so are wild boars. Tigers are a rare sighting but our safari driver swore he saw one ten days ago.

We did see wild elephants who turned tail and hid in the bushes waiting for us to leave.

The weather was cold and the forests were lush filled with beautiful birds like peacocks, bulbuls, woodpeckers etc.

When we returned to Tusker Trails by about eight in the night, we were pretty hungry and were greeted by candle lit dinner and congenial company.

Early in the morning we went for another Safari ride but got to see fewer animals - some bison, birds and some memorable scenic views. Ideally the evening safari is better than the morning one since by the time the morning safari starts, the animals go down by the riverside and the jeeps are not allowed to access to those areas.

After the morning Safari we had a hearty breakfast at Tusker Trails and drove on towards Ooty.

Bandipur is a good weekend getaway for nature lovers and those who still want the city amenities such as air conditioners, televisions etc could try the new Cicada Resorts.

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People tend to have their favorite haunts. They may roam around the world but find themselves frequently returning to certain places to rejuvenate. For me, Ootacamund or Ooty in Tamil Nadu is the place to be in. There are other places that are more beautiful, less crowded and perhaps even closer to Bangalore but the gentle beauty of the Nilgiris mountains and the amicable nature of the Ooty people made me wish I could make Ooty my second home.

There is more to Ooty than indulging in tourist activities like boating, pony rides or walking around the main city center. Ooty has a gorgeous Golf course and the Gymkhana club is the place to stay at. The service is spectacular at the club and the food is light and scrumptious.

It is best to go off-season. Ooty nowadays is cold without being damp. Warm clothes are a must but one can buy extra woolens at Mohan's. Mohan's is a versatile store which has things ranging from antique furniture, marble statues, rugs, paintings, clothes, toys etc. People who visit Ooty must visit Mohan's to check their furniture as most of their stuff costs far less than whats available in Bangalore. Make sure you ask to see their well-stocked warehouse.

For good food there are a couple of good places which serve awesome food. There are two Coffee Day Cafes, the hotels have good restaurants but my favorite restaurant happens to be a Chinese restaurant called Shinkow which was started in the 1940s and comes highly recommended by the locals as well. King's Cliff is a small and well-situated hotel worth staying at or at least having lunch.

Apart from Ooty, one can do some sightseeing at Coonoor which has tea estates and is well known for its scenic beauty. The central parts of both towns - Ooty and Coonoor - have sufferred the usual overcrowding, yet one gets some great stuff in the shops, and particularly at the Tibetan market.

While driving up to Ooty, one must remember to honk at the 36 hairpin bends and drive either on the first or second gear. The drive through the forest reserves of Bandipur and Mudhumalai refresh the soul and one may even spot some deer, bison or elephants en route to Ooty.

For a weekend getaway Ooty is a good option.

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With the movie-Singh Is Kinng making well over $20 million so far, Akshay Kumar is surely the ruling Pasha of Bollywood. With his bashful smile and twinkling eyes Akshay has won the hearts of his fans once again.

The movie lacked depth but rarely are Akshay Kumar movies known to have serious elements in them. That is the beauty of the movie; it was comedy from beginning to end without descending to making fun of a community as was previously done in Bollywood. Take movies like Parosan, Amar Akbar Anthony where the idea of comedy was to exaggerate the characteristics of different communities of India and many a times they were extremely racist.

Singh is Kinng took another route. It highlighted the characteristics of the Sikh community that makes them endearing. Qualities such as being people of their word, having a strong sense of integrity and being large-hearted.

Akshay did a few stunts on his own, looked hot and even Katrina Kaif looked pale before him. In fact Katrina's role was no more than that of a bimbo (supposedly a soon-to-be lawyer but seemed more of a fluff-brained twit) who looked pretty and laughed all through the second half of the movie.

Neha Dupia in fact had a far more significant role to play in the movie and along with Kiron Kher delivered a character portrayal as well as the rest of the cast.

The formula of the movie was predictable but the lightheartedness and aplomb with which actors acted as bindaas Sikhs made the movie a pleasure to watch.

The numbers were foot tapping and the song with Snoop Dogg awesome. Two thumbs up for the movie and a definite watch with kids.

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Happy Independence Day everyone:)

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So, here I am writing a grand novel. Right! Its so grand that I haven't gone beyond the sixth chapter in about five months. People generally finish an entire series by that time. What's holding me back? I could blame it on laziness, my tots, domesticity, the rain, the heat, sweat, sex...ahem...you get what I mean.

The words here are 'distraction' and lack of courage. You read it right- its lack of courage and bit of doubt. Fine, its like bucket full of doubt and more spilling over into the shower area, the pee pot, the drain hole- the entire damn loo. The entire stinky deluge of not believing that someone would really want to read what I have to say makes me not take it seriously.

The word- Rejection- scares me!! I don't dream of my work becoming the next Harry Potter more like the next trash filler. Its stuck at a point the characters are left hanging. Even now I stare at the screen and think of millions of things that need to be done, can be done right now or for the rest of my life but writing the 7th chapter just doesn't seem to be happening.

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A couple of days ago while waiting at the parlor I found myself sitting next to two women in burqas. The veil was lifted and they chatted with my daughter. I smiled at them and they smiled back. I continued to read my magazine. It was natural for women to wait amicably at a beauty salon and I had nothing against women in hijabs. Well, nothing until one of them took her hijab off and made me catch my breath.

Her colorful clothes under the severe burqa jarred my senses. It was as if from complete darkness I had walked into burning sun shine. She looked beautiful in her garish orange and red sequined salwaar kameez. I tried not to stare. She caught me staring and I gave her a sheepish smile and returned to my magazine. The printed words dance in front of my eyes while my senses reeled.

I couldn't comprehend why beauty is to be kept hidden from the world.

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