A KSRTC to Bangalore

There's a reason why the title reads 'A KSRTC....' instead of  'A day bus to Bangalore'. 

When I knew I was doing a short trip to Bangalore, my thoughts went to the possibility of a day bus, for the simple reason that I just love road trips. 

And as always this question of 'isn't it a waste of time' comes up (as also proved by the fact that I was the only one in the entire bus who did Hyderabad to Bangalore, the rest of the few folks on the bus were doing a hop skip jump between towns) 

Guess I don't understand 'productivity' the way everyone else does :)

Anyways.....on 'Vantage and View'.  It's so amazing (shocking) that all buses, with exception of KSRTC, have their windows painted across. It's crazy, just blocks out the ease of view. I actually pulled up images of all the travels who offer day service to find that it was only KSRTC who have their windows as meaningful 'windows' ( a way to connect into the outside). Now you get the title.

Pictures from the day: That's my bus, when we'd stopped for breakfast.

See that window painted across....TSRTC was another option that got ruled out for just this.

This was an interesting early morning drop to the bus stop...5.30 am. I had Sheik Shaukath. He took  me through some lanes I'd never been in before, and I'm telling him that, and he's like "shortkataan maloom madam", and when I got off and asked him for a picture he goes "kaiko madam?"

On our way....

Considering the bus was almost empty, I got to go sit behind the driver when I felt like a front view

Another front view picture

Inside of the bus

Tungabhadra in full flow...it was flowing so wide I initially thought it was a big lake

And again

After Anantapur, we hit these dry and arid countryside

Red soil there, which grows mostly peanuts and sunflower I think

As we approach Bangalore, there's so much grape gardens

This was my night bus back. I love the single upper berths, where you get to lie down and watch the stars. This picture seems to have caught half of the inside and half out.

Early morning, as I was leaving Diksha actually did a picture......I love the excitement that precedes a trip

Was a cute short trip to Bangalore....Dev uncle's 80th Birthday...a little family affair, but I just had to be there ......special reason, special person :)

A day out with dad....

and, a subtle but solid learning to boot .....

Yesterday dad and I spent the afternoon at the passport office for his passport renewal. 

Getting to the passport office, the process (though it was very efficiently streamlined for senior citizens), the steps, the waiting, the seats, the multiple counters........even all that was like a monumental effort for him. 

At almost eighty five...... with severe arthritis, a debilitatingly painful knee, a severe aortic aneurysm, and a heart problem that's just starting.....you realize he's living with a lot of odds piled against him........can't be easy space. 

And it's in this context that what he said was so beautiful.

When he first said he wants his passport renewed, folks at home were like...What?? Why?? ( obvious reason being that he was highly unlikely to be travelling out of the country again). He quietly went about it on his own. Found himself an agent, called them home, created the document file, filed the application......and then gave me the date and time of the interview.

We went. 

Job done, (he even got a nice swanky tan colored leather cover for his passport), we're sitting outside, at a cafeteria and having matka chai in the sun.....and only then did I realize how much it had meant to him. He says:

"this would never have happened if it wasn't for you, our whole lives would have been different if you weren't here"

"ayyo daddy (giving him a hug) it's a small thing....and of course I'd be here..that's why I moved see"

"no, you don't get it......this is not one of those regular things, if you weren't here I wouldn't have got it done.... it's lapsing tomorrow and I would have just given up.....you see, I also know that I won't be travelling again......... but to let my passport lapse means I am giving up one more facet of life to age.....giving up not just the identity, but also the possibility....letting those doors close....at this age these little things become more significant than you know"  

That so blew me.

To be able to connect into yourself, articulate what works as real ....and what works as a psychological prop, to know when not to just be practical.....to know how to be nice and loving to yourself. 

Was such a wonderful moment, chilling there in the sun, sipping chai, sharing those thoughts, a deep connection being felt........an afternoon that will stay forever.

The little things that warm the heart

An incident from yesterday evening.

I'd just reached my parents place, and was opening a packet of hot hot mirchi bajjis and mysore bhajjis....laying them out with chutney and all. Just then their watchman Naidu, walked into the house. The smell of fresh hot bajjis...aah....wafting through the air, all over the room...mouth watering..... so occurred the thought, and I quite naturally, gave him some.

The evening continued with mirchi bajjis and mysore bajjis and chai over relaxed chit chat.

A couple hours later, Naidu was back in the house to tell dad about some association meeting, and they had a long discussion. And as he was leaving he pauses by my chair to say "చాలా రుచిగా వుంది మాడం మిర్చీ భజ్జి , అలాగే తింటును వేలాను" (the mirchi bajji was very tasty madam, I ate it as I went down).

And then I see mom smile and say, as much to herself as to me "so nice of him, how much difference these little things make".

She was reflecting my very thoughts....and feelings too. I could feel that wonderful warm feeling in my heart.......a small but gracious gesture on his part.....one that goes a long long way.

Karwaan

A road trip..... funny, quirky, dark and soulful at one time.

What I told mom as we walked out "that's the kind of funny I like.......a movie that made me laugh so much".....laugh at the quirks of life in the most serious and profound spaces.....spaces of  introspection, lost dreams, generation gaps, attitudes........ even mortality itself. 

Three most disparate souls, Avinash, (Dalquer Salmaan) , Shaukat (Irrfan Khan) and Tanya (Mithila Palkar),  in one van, with one dead body, going from Bangalore to Cochin via Ooty. 

The characters are sketched out beautifully, especially the highly opinionated Shaukat and the dejected and serious Avinash, with Tanya being the quintessential millenial, each with their own issues, and like Tanya says "hum sab ka father department mein tragedy hai na". A perfect cast, with brilliant performances.

The narrative, as intended on a road trip I guess, is curved and bumpy as the road, a trip with several unplanned detours..... also as beautiful .........metaphorically as also one of the most picturesque drives that South India has to offer.

A journey that shifts perspectives.......and so shifts self and relationships.

@Vijji aunty, thanks so much for the strong recommendation ....I hadn't even heard of the movie up until then....and more, for saying it like you did. "You should absolutely go watch it" she said, and so I did , and I'd watch it again too :)

A Picture Speaks

When a picture speaks a thousand words.....

@Ravi, thanks for sharing

The Trio's Little Abode

Sounds like out of an Enid Blyton . And looks like too.... I'd say. 

At Hawaii, about a week after we reached was when the house was packed, all visitors overlap time, the center of the venn diagram kinds.....and kamlesh aunty rented this cute little Air B&B for Tejas, Jessa and Deech for a few days, a place that was a ten minute walk from home.

The drawing room, with Tejas caught unawares

The dining room with Jessa caught unawares

The backyard with Diksha caught unawares

I'm sure they weren't dancing, but that's some moment like that caught here

The rare moments I'd say "guys, picture please", I'd have this pose :)

See what I mean :)

Practical reasons apart, psychiatrist that aunty is, I suspect a deeper reason was to enable a bonding between the three. While Tejas and Diksha have spent a lot of kid time ( under 12) together, it's been ten years since they've met, and Diksha and Jessa were meeting for the first time.......and this worked so brilliantly well. They became the trio see :)

A Road Between Two Massive Volcanoes

Back to Hawaii :)

Saddle Road. One of the most......no, the most dramatic road I've ever driven on. The landscape and views keep it at jaw dropping levels most of the way.

The road is an 85 kilometer stretch going between two massive volcanoes on Big Island, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, with each end of road at ocean level, running through different climate zones, and ear popping altitude (6500 feet)

The Hilo side where we started is green, lush, rainy with almost low visibility and you quickly hit arid volcanic rocks with extinct crests and cones of  old eruptions, (that's when the air pressure makes the ears pop) and then you're back to the ocean on the other side of the island. You get why dramatic, right? 

Here's pictures:

The large dunes to the left which extend into the horizon are old volcanic fissures of lava called Pu'u(s)

Mauna Lea up ahead

The volcano slope visible in the background......these volcanoes are nothing like the picture we have in mind, not sharp conical, but gentle and long slopes reaching upto massive heights.

Both sides is just volcanic rock, black with absolutely no growth

A little further from the volcano, and you see that growth has begun

Further off and more growth

The volcano looming large at far end

And from that stark and arid landscape, one turn and you suddenly feel you're driving right into the ocean again

One of those times where no description I add will bring out the experience..... again, one of those most dramatic landscapes of a volcanic island.....different !

Value Education

Some context for the topic:

When I chose to do another 'masters', it made a lot of people ask 'why'...'what is the objective' 

As part of the counselling program I'd done a couple years back, while most others in class enjoyed the practical part of the course, I loved the theory.....the process of how thinking in psychology even evolved. It's after all a fairly nascent science. The earliest predecessors... Freud, Carl Jung, Piaget, Skinner, Erikson, to name a few, were all through Mid to Late 1900's, and that makes it almost 'now'.

That in fact became appetizer. I tried pursuing reading on my own...but found it hard put to find the right books... there was just too much out there.

Above that, I'm a believer in 'structured education'. Best way to learn a new area is what I felt. Beyond that there was no purpose.

Just sitting and doing my assignments...the topics....the reading....the research, and I'm already feeling validated for the decision. (exams are still in the future see :)

One of the fun facets of learning....you also get to share. Last night, one of the topics I did 'Value Education', I thought might be of general interest. Taking the shortcut... putting excerpts of an assignment in here :)

Value Education

Values are defined as a set of principles or attitudes which govern our behaviour and guide the way we look at the world. They are typically non-conscious and implicit motivators and serve self expansion and fuller self actualization.

While each individual is unique in their own values, there has been extensive research on a 'value influenced learning'  that can be used in education to inculcate certain foundational values in children. 

Bertrand Russell - "I'll take four characteristics which seem to me jointly to form the basis of an ideal character.....I don't suggest that the list is complete, but I think it carries us a good way"

1. Vitality

This is more a physical than a mental characteristic, and is presumably always present where there is perfect health. When there is vitality, there is a natural pleasure in being alive, irrespective of external pleasant circumstances. It makes it easy to take an interest in whatever occurs and thus promotes objectivity and the ability to be interested and committed to the external world.

2. Courage

"Courage is a must have for whoever wants to live life to the fullest", Russell again

He says there are several components of courage, be they the absence of fear or the power of controlling fear. To be fully courageous we must instill courage in our heart. He says "fear should be overcome not only in action, but in feeling, and not only in conscious feeling but in the unconscious as well".

The perfection of courage is found in the man of many interests who 'feels' his ego to be but a small part of the world, not through despising himself, but valuing much that is not himself.

This state can be achieved when the instinct is free and intelligence is active.

3. Sensitiveness

"Sensitivity belongs to emotions"

A person is emotionally sensitive when many stimuli produce emotion in him, and the desirable quality about it is of being affected pleasurably or the reverse by many things, and by the right things.

4. Intelligence

Throughout his work Russell put an undue amount of importance on intelligence. Intelligence as an aptitude for acquiring knowledge. An aptitude for acquiring knowledge can be developed by giving direction to curiosity which is the foundation of intellectual life. Curiosity is inspired by a genuine love of knowledge, and with the death of curiosity we may reckon that active intelligence is also dead. Curiosity about general propositions shows a higher level of intelligence than curiosity about particular facts.

A natural outcome is one of open mindedness and co-operation which create a society with ideal characters.

Bad sorts (and the useful ones)

From Seth

We sort people all the time. Society prefers easy, useless ones. Sorts like: Skin color. Gender. Disability status. Nationality. Race. Religious background. Height.

While these are easy to do and the result of long, long traditions, they’re useless.

The alternatives? Kindness. Expertise. Attitude. Emotional intelligence. Honesty. Generous persistence. Willingness to take risks. Perceptivity. Attention span. Self awareness…

It’s a daily battle, an uphill climb to intentionally ignore the bad sorts we were likely taught as kids. This might be the most important work we do today, and every day. The people we care about deserve it..

Back to a beach - Waialea Beach

Each beach in Hawaii seems to have it's own defining character.

This one, at Kona, called the Waialea beach, is a beach with a unique and pretty tree cover.....almost to the waters edge. Not the regular beach side tall conifers, but sprawling trees providing a lovely shade right by the water.

In Pics:

As we entered, Bablu and Deech with floaters and chairs and stuff

The stretch of beach with full tree cover

Another angle

The ocean from where I'd settled

Diksha near the rocks, and Bablu far into the waters

The sparrows on the beach were such a nice surprise

Look at the roots of those trees.....

The blue of the ocean is so stunning....it's a typical island phenomena (any island) as islands are in essence rock and there's no soil to alter color.

 Deech and me, after her swim

Breakfast after....this is my 'Egg Benedict', so yumm....and so pretty

The three of us at breakfast....just us, as this was before rest of the family had arrived at Hawai'i

Kona is at a diametric other end of the island, full stretch of island....a less than two hour drive from home. And this is by far the biggest of the Hawaii'an islands, imagine.

The way there is through what's called the 'saddle road'...one that goes all the way across the island in between the two major volcanoes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, a long and narrow and winding road.....touching one end of ocean to the other, going through such altitude that you hear your ears pop. An experience in itself...... will do another post for just that road :)

"How was Hawaii?"

That's, quite naturally, a question I'm getting a lot off.

And the one word that's coming out recurrent and persistent is 'It's different..... it's like another world......making literal the metaphor "an island unto itself".

It's almost a comical effort to put into a couple sentences all that's different about it.....like I don't know which to expand on.....different as in..... people (multi racial stands redefined), or flora(like out of Jurassic park), or fauna (literally none), or terrain(beaches to volcanoes to forests to deserts within a small radius), or language(they have only seven consonants), or climate (they have 11 of the 14 climate zones of the world on that little island), or way of life......which??

                

Aloha....their greeting. Akahai (kindness) Lokahi (harmony) Olu'Olu (pleasantness) Ha'aha'a (humility) and Ahonui (patience)

Let me talk about the people....as that's what primarily contributes to 'feel'.

When we talk 'multi-racial'...... we would normally refer to people from different or varying ethnicities or countries.....but here, it's quite unlike that.

There's a significant demographic of what feels like 'a global citizen'......for instance people who are brown skinned, white structured, chinky eyed with a Hawaii'n name. I caught myself almost staring quite often......asking questions where I could.......I was just so fascinated by it.....intrigued in fact.

Like uncle so succinctly put it "it's the result of a mixed gene pool, with limited opportunity for homogeneity"

I got curious and researched, to find that 'Hawaii is said to be the most racially diverse places in the world as there is no majority - everyone is in a minority'.

While it's technically the USA, it feels more brown.......25%  multi-ethnic ..... 40% asian (predominantly Japanese, then some Filipino and Chinese...hardly any Indian).....10%  Hispanic, and only 17% white (including a significant European mix, especially Portuguese), and the rest  native pacific islanders and others.

There's consequently that much mixed culture as well......so rich and varied. And what's more, the place or this mix seems to bring out the best in people.

Everyone seems to have time for everyone else.....you will be greeted not just by every passing person, but even smiled at or waved to by every passing car. Any random meet, be it at a grocers or a reception or a post office will be a meaningful conversation. And Franny and Bablu were talking of several incidents of kindness they've encountered, and been so pleasantly surprised by.

Must add.....Bablu sets a huge premium on kindness, and I guess this so totally validates his decision of moving and making Hawaii home.

I heard this phrase there "respect is measured by the depth of the smile"...... and the smiles are in abundance. Major difference right there :)

Soaring Back To Hawaii

Back in Hyd....and I'm realizing that while one part of me is back in Hyd, there's another that's still on the trip :)

I was up real early this morning, and when I sat down to write about the experiences in Los Angeles, I instead found myself going back and rereading the many posts on Hawaii.....reliving the experience, seeing how, despite writing everyday, there's so much more to it that needs come in.....and surely worth doing, for posterity and 'feel'.

A moment to pause and be absolutely grateful for the blog..... it's what enables capturing the meaning and story at a whole different level......one that to me is way beyond browsing pictures or what memory can hold. 

It's about going a couple levels deeper into moments, and creating stories that last.

An instance in example:

As I was reading this morning, kamlesh aunty called, and we were sharing experiences from the trip.....and then  she asks about my what's app display picture (the one below), and from nowhere I find myself telling her "that's the feel of the hour, the symbolic wings that are enabling me to yet soar" ...

And then soar I did...to multiple places at the same time.....in your backyard gazing at the river and the sunrise and the ocean, with Nammu on the many many drives we did, us learning poker under Tejas's disciplined and no nonsense hands, with uncle hearing his gentle yet persistent invite to food and wine, with Bablu in those intense discussions which so kept me on my toes, hearing Surya and Seneka calling 'athaa', and with you in a hug that brought out so many tears....of joy, of sorrow, of connect, of love....

A present moment which has expanded to encompass so much. And that's how a single picture now tells of a whole new story :)

Dhruva - A Clip From His Interview

A one minute excerpt from an interview of Dhruva's at CinemadaMare, Italy.

https://www.facebook.com/318447364929300/posts/1789175671189788/

The picture is a screenshot, as I didn't know how else to bring in the visual element .......had to get that smile in see :). To listen, use the green link above please.

A tip (for those like me who are not fb savvy) : If facebook asks you to log in or open an account, just click on 'not now' button at base.

@Girija... once again, thanks so so much for having sent me this clip..... especially so as I was still in Hawaii, and it enabled a nice connect into Dhruva's world, which I was kind of really far away from, plus I got to share it with so much of family there.

Also, was so much fun when I msgd Dhruva on how nicely he'd spoken, and he's like "how did you know amma?".

@Dhruva...kanna, what can I say....was a moment I was touched and proud to see how mature and confident your thoughts are...... the humility and passion sitting together.......and how articulately and meaningfully they all came through in that one minute.... I must have watched the clip atleast twenty times so far...and still counting :)

Random Family Moments

That's exactly what these pictures are.....random moments captured on camera. Most of these are candid pictures, in fact earned myself the nickname of ninja photographer from Sailesh for it :)

That's the whole bunch of us, in one fully posed for picture : L to R; Diksha, Sailesh, Marion Joe, Anne, Neerad, Sahana, Kamlesh aunty, Nammu, Senaka, Janardhan Uncle, Tejas, Me, Franny and little Surya

Aunty playing ball with the kids

Chilling with the evening glass of wine, in picture are Nammu, Jim, me and uncle.

Looks like I distracted Jim, but Bablu and Diksha quite apparently in deep conversation

This was one helluva trio through the trip, Jessa, Tejas and Diksha

Sahana and Gaia.....they were just so cute together

Everyone playing ball outside

Catching a snack between strolling around bay area, that's Nammu, Bablu, Jessa and Diksha

The trio again

Nammu and Bablu with Sahana

Tejas, who spent many an hour skateboarding on the street outside, he's really really good at it.

Diksha and Franny in the backyard

Isaac and Maya, engrossed in a game of chess

Uncle, me and aunty

Marion Joe, Deech, Neerad and Sailesh, and all looking anywhere but at me :)

Uncle and me

Senaka trying to get Diksha with his new remote control car

Nammu and Seneka as we entered Pauls place, this cutest cafe I've seen, (seats just six)

Inside Pauls...the waffles and egg benedict were to die for

Uncle, testing Jim out on his knowledge of vegetable names (all vegetables from the garden)

Uncle, Aunty, Deech and Sahana

Nammu pushing along Surya in the stroller, that's the ten minute walk from aunty's place to Bablu's

Bablu in earnest play with his daughter, Sahana

Playing cards. Over the days this table became more a cards table (in fact Franny called it the casino table), with anyone who felt like it teaming up to play......like aunty said "it's a conduit to conversation". And what's more, I even learnt to play Poker, and I'm so thrilled with that.

Meant a lot to put all that together.......especially so as we come to the end of an unbelievably amazing three weeks. here at Hawaii. Like aunty said this morning "it's so sad that it's ending".

I don't think I have the right words to express all I'm feeling. Aunty and Uncle, deeply touched and glad and thankful, for all the love, for hosting us, taking us around, enabling once in lifetime experiences like the helicopter ride over the volcano,  the star gazing at Mauna Kea, and above all for being who you are.

Bablu and Franny, for all the fun we had, being so there for us, for having flexed your days all three weeks.......the trips to the green sand beach trip, Kona beach and all the beach trips in fact, and the wonderful times we spent with Seneka, Sahana and Surya..we'll so miss having them around. And yes, for the stay and planning of our next four days at Los Angeles too.

Nammu, Tejas and Jessa for just having come....changing as many flights as we did.....I loved that we got to spend so much time together......it's as beautiful as it's always been....for the times we walked and talked.....for the times we couldn't stop laughing.... and Tejas for teaching me Poker too

Sailesh and Marion Joe for having come down all the way from Arizona....with all your memories from Hyderabad yet so fresh....for the gourmet coffee too.....was just wonderful meeting you after all those years.

Talking of the wonderful things can just go on, and so can the thanks........it was the best possible visit !!